STORY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHECKING IN. CAN I PLAY A TUNE FOR YOU? A BANGOR BUSINESSMAN ALONGSIDE HIS BUSINESS PARTNER HAVE STEPPED UP TO BUY STEPHEN KING’S MOST POPULAR RADIO STATION JUST DAYS BEFORE IT WAS SET TO LEAVE THE AIR. JEFF SOLARI AND HIS BUSINESS PARTNER, GREG HAWES, TWO LOCAL GUYS, GOOD FRIENDS, GREAT BUSINESSMEN, THEY’VE GOT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BUSINESSES ALREADY OPERATIONAL THROUGHOUT THE GREATER BANGOR AREA AND BEYOND. AND JEFF, WITH A LONGTIME LOVE OF RADIO, SAW AN OPPORTUNITY HERE. HE RECOGNIZES THE VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT A STATION LIKE WKIT HAS, AND HE WANTS TO SEE THAT CONTINUE. IT COMES AS THOSE WKIT WERE JUST COMING TO TERMS WITH CLOSING DOWN. WE ALL KIND OF RESOLVED THAT IT WAS JUST GOING TO END, AND I THINK WE ALL KIND OF MADE PEACE WITH THAT. AND THEN WE FOUND OUT LIKE IT’S IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE. IT’S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN. AND IT’S TOTALLY LIKE A HALLMARK MOVIE. IT’S JUST CRAZY. ESPECIALLY IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE. WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THIS HAPPENING ON CHRISTMAS EVE? IT WAS A GUT PUNCH TO HEAR THAT THE PLACE WAS GOING TO GO DARK. WE COULDN’T REALLY FATHOM IT AS WE ALL TRIED TO KIND OF COME TO GRIPS WITH THAT. WE BEGAN TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE RADIO STATION WAS A MUCH BIGGER ANIMAL THAN ANY OF US KNEW. THE AUDIENCE LITERALLY JUST FLOODING US WITH PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES. I’M SO HAPPY FOR ALL OF YOU. THE DJS SAY THEY’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING MORE CLASSIC ROCK IN A 2025 AND BEYOND. IT’S BEEN A VERY EMOTIONAL MONTH ALL AROUND. YOU KNOW, GETTING THE NEWS THAT WE WERE CLOSING DOWN WAS WAS PRETTY HARD. AND PEOPLE WE TALKED TO IN THE STUDIO TAKE IT VERY HARD. AND TO GET ANOTHER CHANCE. IT’S GREAT. WE’RE VERY GRATEFUL AND IT’S VERY EXCITING TO SEE WHAT’S GOING TO COME IN 2025
Last minute sale saves Stephen King’s Bangor area radio station
Two local business owners will take over WKIT 100.3 days before it was set to go off-air for good
A Bangor businessman, alongside his business partner, have stepped up to buy Stephen King’s most popular radio station just days before it was set to leave the air.”Jeff Solari and his business partner Greg Hawes, two local guys, good friends, great businessmen; they’ve got a number of different businesses already operational throughout the greater Bangor area and beyond. Jeff, with a long-time love of radio, saw an opportunity here. He recognizes the value to the community that a station like WKIT has, and he wants to see that continue,” explained WKIT DJ, Don Cookson.It comes as those at WKIT were just coming to terms with closing down.“Well, we all kind of resolved that it was just gonna end, and I think we all kind of made peace with that. And then we found out, like it’s really gonna continue, it’s really gonna happen, and it’s totally like a Hallmark movie. It’s just crazy especially, it’s Christmas Eve! What are the odds of this happening on Christmas Eve,” exclaimed Scotty ‘ScoMo’ Moore, WKIT DJ.“It was a gut punch to hear that the place was gonna go dark. We couldn’t really fathom it. As we all tried to kind of come to grips with that, we began to recognize that the radio station was a much bigger animal than any of us knew; the audience literally just flooding us with phone calls, and emails, and text messages,” said Cookson.The DJs say they’re looking forward to playing more classic rock into 2025 and beyond.‘It’s been a very emotional month all around. Getting the news that we are closing down was pretty hard, and people we talk to in the studio take it very hard, and to get another chance, it’s great,” explained WKIT DJ, Jason Roberts.“We’re very grateful and it’s very exciting to see what’s gonna come in 2025. We can’t wait to see what’s going to happen,” added Moore.As of now, WZON and WZLO are still set to leave the air at the year’s end.
A Bangor businessman, alongside his business partner, have stepped up to buy Stephen King’s most popular radio station just days before it was set to leave the air.
“Jeff Solari and his business partner Greg Hawes, two local guys, good friends, great businessmen; they’ve got a number of different businesses already operational throughout the greater Bangor area and beyond. Jeff, with a long-time love of radio, saw an opportunity here. He recognizes the value to the community that a station like WKIT has, and he wants to see that continue,” explained WKIT DJ, Don Cookson.
It comes as those at WKIT were just coming to terms with closing down.
“Well, we all kind of resolved that it was just gonna end, and I think we all kind of made peace with that. And then we found out, like it’s really gonna continue, it’s really gonna happen, and it’s totally like a Hallmark movie. It’s just crazy especially, it’s Christmas Eve! What are the odds of this happening on Christmas Eve,” exclaimed Scotty ‘ScoMo’ Moore, WKIT DJ.
“It was a gut punch to hear that the place was gonna go dark. We couldn’t really fathom it. As we all tried to kind of come to grips with that, we began to recognize that the radio station was a much bigger animal than any of us knew; the audience literally just flooding us with phone calls, and emails, and text messages,” said Cookson.
The DJs say they’re looking forward to playing more classic rock into 2025 and beyond.
‘It’s been a very emotional month all around. Getting the news that we are closing down was pretty hard, and people we talk to in the studio take it very hard, and to get another chance, it’s great,” explained WKIT DJ, Jason Roberts.
“We’re very grateful and it’s very exciting to see what’s gonna come in 2025. We can’t wait to see what’s going to happen,” added Moore.
As of now, WZON and WZLO are still set to leave the air at the year’s end.
