John Catsimatidis’s Red Apple Media is officially buying into New England. An asset purchase agreement filed with the FCC on May 7 shows the company acquiring Worcester, MA, talk station WCRN-AM 830 from Carter Broadcasting Corp. for $1.45 million.
WCRN is a Class B AM with a directional 50,000-watt signal covering eastern Massachusetts, northern Rhode Island, and southern New Hampshire. Its current lineup includes a simulcast of Boston 25 Morning News from Cox Media Group’s WFXT-TV, alongside locally produced programming.
The deal marks Red Apple’s first signal outside the New York metro. Since acquiring WABC in 2020, the company has built a cluster of simulcasters and regional signals, including WLIR-FM in Hampton Bays, WRCR-AM in Rockland County, and WLID-AM in Patchogue with two FM translators, all aimed at extending WABC programming across the Northeast.
In July 2025, Catsimatidis said the company was scouting acquisitions across the region and beyond, with the goal of syndicating WABC content across a growing station portfolio.
The WCRN deal was originally finalized in mid-November but was not made public until its upload to the Commission’s License Management System. A March 2 amendment adjusted the deposit terms, raising it from 5% to 10% of the purchase price. The transaction was broker-free.
A Local Marketing Agreement is already in place, giving Red Apple operational control of WCRN ahead of an anticipated closing.
With reporting by Adam Jacobson