It's time for 'KLB, 'CRB fans to change presets

Friday at noon, unprepared listeners will be in for a shock. Greater Media's country music station, WKLB-FM (99.5), will seem to suddenly go classical, trading in fiddles and twang for strings of a more orchestral sort. Simultaneously, WCRB-FM (102.5), the heritage classical station once owned by Charles River Broadcasting, will cut to the national anthem and then, most likely, to Rascal Flatts's version of "Life Is a Highway."

That's because, as of Friday midday, the stations are trading frequencies. WKLB will become WKLB-FM (102.5), with a greater reach through the South Shore. And WCRB, which has been bought by Nassau Broadcasting, will become WCRB-FM (99.5).

The switch should be seamless, say sources at Greater Media and Nassau. Both stations are keeping their studios in place. WCRB is essentially trading its Newton-Needham tower for WKLB's Andover-based transmitter, and vice versa, all of which should happen with the flick of a few switches. (Radio signals are sent from the studios to the transmitters both through STL broadcasting and phone-like T1 lines for backup.)

"We'll have some sort of a countdown," says Phil Redo, general manager for Greater Media. Then, "the best-laid plans are , at 12:01, everything happens simultaneously," says Louis F. Mercatanti Jr., president of Nassau. The New Jersey-based company has done such a switch with stations before, with no problems, he says.

WCRB fans will hear a few changes. Nassau has begun upgrading equipment, says Mercatanti, who promises better sound quality. As for what the new WCRB will play, Mercatanti stresses "more consistency." That means a tighter play list with less variety, he acknowledges. "It's not going to be . . . Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' over and over and over again," he says, "but listeners like familiarity."

WCRB has also lost some of its original personnel, most recently midday announcer Don Spencer, creative services director and announcer Rob Schuller, continuity manager and announcer Larry King, and listener services director Roberta Siegel. Mercatanti says he expects the overall staffing to increase during the next few months. In addition to the hiring of additional salespeople, several Nassau employees have been brought in, notably Mark Edwards, who was head of programming for Nassau's New Hampshire stations and is now overseeing programming for WCRB, and Paul Kelley, a Boston radio veteran, who will serve as general manager.

WKLB, says Redo, should remain the same. "We're very, very happy with the station," says Redo. "We're just excited to be able to blast into some neighborhoods we couldn't before."