'Merlin Marlin' Letter Tweaks WINS Over 'Only All-News Station' Slogan

The Letter

MERLIN MEDIA is following in the footsteps of previous RANDY MICHAELS companies in sending out tongue-in-cheek letters and releases to make its points, with a letter to CBS RADIO News WINS-A/NEW YORK's DON BOULOUKOS from the MERLIN MEDIA "Company Mascot," "THE MERLIN MARLIN," tweaking WINS for sticking with its slogan "This is NEW YORK's one and only all-News station."  The letter from the "MARLIN" points out that WINS' slogan, itself aimed at its own sister News WCBS-A (which interrupts the news for YANKEES play-by-play), is inaccurate because of the sign-on of MERLIN's News WEMP (FM NEWS 101.9).

Perhaps you could say that WINS is New York's one and only AM station with 24-hour news. That would keep a real person from sending a less friendly letter on this subject.

The letter from the "MARLIN" to BOULOKOS notes the genesis of WINS' claim and how "(w)e have been amused by this shot at a co-owned station, and have wondered if the fact that in recent years, WCBS has passed WINS in the ratings is one of the reasons you make the claim."

Noting that the advent of WEMP renders the claim "no longer true," the "MARLIN" tells BOULOUKOS that "WINS is one of AMERICA's most admired stations.  Truly in a class by itself.  All of us at MERLIN look up to WINS as an important part of the history of American radio broadcasting.  I'm sure that you would not intentionally tarnish the gold standard image of AMERICA's oldest all-news station by deliberately broadcasting false claims.  Perhaps you could say that WINS is NEW YORK's one and only AM station with 24-hour news.  That would keep a real person from sending a less-friendly letter on this subject.

"Just trying to help.  There is plenty of room for AM news and FM news."

Read the letter here.

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