Stephen King’s Rock Radio Station Won’t Go Silent After All

Maine radio station purchased by local business duo

Tourists pose outside Stephen King's Bangor home in 2016.
Tourists pose outside Stephen King’s Bangor home in 2016.
Jennifer Mitchell/Maine Public file
Share
Tourists pose outside Stephen King's Bangor home in 2016.
Tourists pose outside Stephen King’s Bangor home in 2016.
Jennifer Mitchell/Maine Public file
Stephen King’s Rock Radio Station Won’t Go Silent After All
Copy

Horror author Stephen King’s rock ‘n’ roll radio station is going to continue rocking around the clock and into the new year.

Two businessmen purchased WKIT-FM from the best-selling writer after he announced that the station and two others would go silent after New Year’s Eve. The buyers are the Maine-based duo Greg Hawes and Jeff Solari, who formed Rock Lobster Radio Group to run the station.

“WKIT is the most legendary station in the region. It has tremendous history. We couldn’t let it die,” they said in a statement.

King is a lifelong rocker and performed with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band that featured literary icons performing for charity. He announced earlier this month that at age 77 he thought it was time to say goodbye to the radio stations.

“I’m sorry as hell to be closing down WKIT and its sister stations,” King posted earlier this month on social media. “I held off the suits for as long as I could.”

King’s foray into radio began in 1983 with the purchase of a radio station that was rebranded WZON in a nod to his book, “The Dead Zone.” That station closed before being acquired again by King in 1990.

This article was originally published by the Associated Press.

A few weeks ago, Rhode Island lost beloved musician and teacher Rory MacLeod. As we close out 2025, we’re sharing some excerpts from a studio session earlier this year with Rory and his wife, fiddle player Sandol Astrausky
Rhode Island’s senators say the Trump Justice Department bypassed a bipartisan process in appointing Charles ‘Chas’ Calenda, calling him unqualified for the top federal prosecutor role
‘I don’t have an additional $900 lying around in my family budget to pay for this’
Research from Salve Regina University shows many libraries across southern New England are dealing with employee burnout and high rates of turnover as they try to adapt to modern-day patron needs
For this year’s final episode of the Weekend 401, we have some New Year’s tips — from Deer Tick at the Uptown Theater, to the last Waterfire of the year, to the 30th annual ‘Moby-Dick’ marathon at the Whaling Museum. Plus: kick off the new year with an ice-cold splash at First Beach
The downtown landmark lit up again this holiday season, as its new owner hopes to reopen the building as art studios in early 2027