Laconia’s newest radio station owner to be inducted into Broadcasters Hall of Fame

LACONIA — Local radio station owner Pat Costa is one of six broadcasters to be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Costa, of Rye Beach, is the new owner of former WEZS now WHNM 103.3 The Moose, licensed to Laconia New Hampshire.

Costa’s vision for the Moose is to serve the community and become its prime source of music, news and information for the community.

He is best-known for bringing the popularity of Spanish music radio stations to the Merrimack Valley and greater Boston area.

Prior to 1990, Spanish music was relegated to a few hours of weekend block programming on various stations in the Manchester, Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill areas.

Today, among five radio stations that he owns, Costa Eagle Media station, Power 800 AM/102.9 FM WNNW airs a Spanish-language “tropical music” format and is the number-one Spanish language radio broadcaster in Northern New England.

Another Costa entity, WUBG 1570 AM, and 105.3 FM is a Spanish-language station licensed to serve Salem, Methuen and greater Boston. The station format is called “LatinX.”

In addition to music, Pat Costa stations provide news programming to nearly 100,000 Hispanic speaking residents. His stations were instrumental in the success of the Hispanic Week Festivities in the city of Lawrence, one of the largest Hispanic festivals in New England. Costa Eagle Media also owns WMVX, Valley 98.9 in Salem.

WCVB-TV’s longtime sports anchor Mike Lynch, the late Channel 7 videographer Therman Toon, the late WBZ-TV reporter Bill Shields, as well as WBZ Radio’s heralded news reporter and “poet laureate” Carl Stevens will also be inducted into on June 8, along with Lesley University Communications professor and former rock and roll DJ Donna Halper.

This year’s Broadcasters Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony and luncheon will be the 15th such program, and the six 2023 inductees will join a distinguished group of more than 150 past honorees in the Hall of Fame.

Tables of eight, nine, and 10 are available. The luncheon event will be held at the Marriott Boston Quincy Hotel located at 1000 Marriott Drive in Quincy. For tickets, visit Massbroadcasters.org.