WEHM, WBEA Move In Together

Regular listeners of WEHM radio, who heard full albums being broadcast a week ago, may have thought the station had changed its format from adult rock. It didn't. The FM station, which had broadcast from a studio on Pantigo Road in East Hampton Village since going on the air in 1993, was simply moving in with its sister station, WBEA of Amagansett.

"It went as smoothly as it could go," said Zoe Kamitses, the general manager of Hamptons Media Holdings Inc., the owner of both stations. "We were off the air for maybe 30 to 45 seconds."

To prepare for the move, two new studios were constructed in WBEA's headquarters in Amagansett. The new set-up was tested before broadcasting was transferred to the new location last Thursday.

The shared space follows a merger, announced last summer, between the stations' parent companies, East Hampton Broadcasting Group and C&S Radio Corporation, into Hamptons Media Holdings Inc.

No Competition

Although the stations broadcast independently, having them both under one roof cuts expenses and allows for easier management, said Ms. Kamitses. It also allows for camaraderie between former competitors. "They can hop across the hall and talk to each other," said Ms. Kamitses of the stations' disk jockeys.

The move east is not the only change at WEHM. "We tweaked the format a bit," said Ms. Kamitses. WEHM retains '70s-based programming aimed primarily at a male audience between the ages of 35 and 55. Music by Paul Simon, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, and others is supplemented by music from the '60s, '80s, and '90s, which matches the "texture of the core songs," said Ms. Kamitses. Before the merger, WEHM's format was "weighted a little too heavily toward current songs," she said.

New Programs

WEHM also has dropped its "Jazz at Night" program and a number of programs beamed in by satellite, including "Acoustic Cafe," which aired on Saturday mornings.

WBEA is retaining its "hip, hot, current" pop-oriented format, which is aimed at slightly younger listeners, with more of an emphasis on females Ms. Kamitses said.

Among staff changes, Steve Ardolina, who worked for WBEA, is now program director for both stations, replacing Steve Richards, who resigned after the merger. Brian Cosgrove, who hosts a morning show, and Melissa Ralph, who is on the air mid-day, are now WEHM's DJs. Ms. Kamitses also said the station had increased advertising sales since the merger.