BOB FRISCH

WGIR A/F Manchester 1973-85
WXXK FM Newport 1989-01
WTSL/WGXL FM Lebanon 1995-01
WVRR FM West Lebanon 1996-01

A native New Yorker, Bob came to New Hampshire to attend New England College in Henniker. Armed with a marketing degree, Bernie Mack hired him as a salesman at WGIR in October 1973. His aggressive style brought results for his clients and in 1975 he was recognized as the Knight Quality Stations' Salesman of the Year. He was promoted to sales manager, and in July 1981, station manager. The following March he was named general manager of WGIR AM and FM. He was at the helm December 31, 1984 when WGIR AM dropped music to focus on all-news and talk. Bob left WGIR in August, 1985.

His radio sales career took him to KMEZ A/F in Dallas. In early 1987 he joined Justice Broadcasting (headed by former Boston legend Larry Justice). He served as vice president at WCIB FM in Falmouth, MA and had responsibility for stations in Florida and West Virginia. There were rumors Bob would become general manager at WERZ and WMYF in Exeter when Justice offered five million dollars, but the deal was never consummated.

In September, 1989, Bob and Cheryl Frisch formed Mountain View Broadcasting, Inc. and bought WXXK FM (101.7) in Newport for $2 million. Eyebrows were raised in the broadcast community as people wondered how they could make such a small market pay off that much debt. But the Frisch's aimed at the Claremont market and moved the studios there two years later.

In November 1995 Mountain View expanded, buying WTSL and WGXL licensed to Lebanon.

About a year later Bob and Cheryl announced they were buying WNBX FM in West Lebanon from, Dennis Jackson and switching the popular country music format and call letters from WXXK to 100.5. In early 1997 KICKS FM moved to 100.5 and increased power to 22 kilowatts. WNBX moved to 101.7 and took the new call letters, WVRR, installing a classic rock format.

It became a family business as Cheryl's sister, Robin, and their brother-in-law, sales manager John Gale, ran four stations. Bob was named the NHAB's Broadcaster of the Year in 1997.

On January 3, 2001 Bob and Cheryl sold their stations to Clear Channel Communications for $11 million.