WJM-TV - 700 East Wantage Street
WJM is a repeater station for WBZ-TV Boston and an NBC affiliate. It was purposed as a local station in 1950, and after many local political struggles its construction was begun in 1952 and completed in early 1953. WJM did not start full services until September 1953 and broadcasts daily.
The station broadcasts a mix of a few local shows, WBZ-TV Boston content, and evening NBC affiliate programing. Its two most popular locally produced shows are the daily morning farm and weather show 'New Jerusalem Old Farm Report' with host Lester Clemens and the late evening Friday 'Monster Chiller Horror Theater' with host Aaron Creedy, aka Count Creepy, owner of the local Museum of Wonders and Oddities.
The station was originally proposed to be built on the highlands of Uptown, but protests from the local old city moneyed families that its broadcast tower would "spoil the skyline" soon put an end to that. The city fathers suggested the summit of French Hill, which would have required clearing out dozens of families from local housing (and opened the door to clearing the neighborhood for "improvements"), was ended after a bitter struggle. In the end all agreed to have the station and its looming broadcast tower built in lower East Town without consideration of impact to the local Black community. This has made for a kind of sweet irony as now the community least considered by the town has the best television signal and prestigious Uptown the worst.
The station broadcasts a mix of a few local shows, WBZ-TV Boston content, and evening NBC affiliate programing. Its two most popular locally produced shows are the daily morning farm and weather show 'New Jerusalem Old Farm Report' with host Lester Clemens and the late evening Friday 'Monster Chiller Horror Theater' with host Aaron Creedy, aka Count Creepy, owner of the local Museum of Wonders and Oddities.
The station was originally proposed to be built on the highlands of Uptown, but protests from the local old city moneyed families that its broadcast tower would "spoil the skyline" soon put an end to that. The city fathers suggested the summit of French Hill, which would have required clearing out dozens of families from local housing (and opened the door to clearing the neighborhood for "improvements"), was ended after a bitter struggle. In the end all agreed to have the station and its looming broadcast tower built in lower East Town without consideration of impact to the local Black community. This has made for a kind of sweet irony as now the community least considered by the town has the best television signal and prestigious Uptown the worst.
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