Stephen King’s Rock Radio Station Won’t Go Silent After All

Maine radio station purchased by local business duo

Tourists pose outside Stephen King's Bangor home in 2016.
Tourists pose outside Stephen King’s Bangor home in 2016.
Jennifer Mitchell/Maine Public file
Share
Tourists pose outside Stephen King's Bangor home in 2016.
Tourists pose outside Stephen King’s Bangor home in 2016.
Jennifer Mitchell/Maine Public file
Stephen King’s Rock Radio Station Won’t Go Silent After All
Copy

Horror author Stephen King’s rock ‘n’ roll radio station is going to continue rocking around the clock and into the new year.

Two businessmen purchased WKIT-FM from the best-selling writer after he announced that the station and two others would go silent after New Year’s Eve. The buyers are the Maine-based duo Greg Hawes and Jeff Solari, who formed Rock Lobster Radio Group to run the station.

“WKIT is the most legendary station in the region. It has tremendous history. We couldn’t let it die,” they said in a statement.

King is a lifelong rocker and performed with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band that featured literary icons performing for charity. He announced earlier this month that at age 77 he thought it was time to say goodbye to the radio stations.

“I’m sorry as hell to be closing down WKIT and its sister stations,” King posted earlier this month on social media. “I held off the suits for as long as I could.”

King’s foray into radio began in 1983 with the purchase of a radio station that was rebranded WZON in a nod to his book, “The Dead Zone.” That station closed before being acquired again by King in 1990.

This article was originally published by the Associated Press.

Sgt. Joseph Hanley pleaded guilty to an assault charge stemming from a 2020 incident in which he was filmed kicking and punching a handcuffed man
William Cepeda and Elio Villafranca Sextet explore the deep roots of Puerto Rican, Cuban, and New Orleans music in a one-night performance merging heritage and improvisation
Loss of critical funding threatens afterschool programs, English learner support, and adult education across the state; officials call freeze “illegal” and prepare for legal action
The hospital has closed about 40 psychiatric beds, according to its chief operating officer
A former CEO and chairman of Hasbro, Hassenfeld was dedicated to philanthropic causes
Voters are overwhelmingly skeptical of the promised completion date and cost