No crime at radio station just computer woes
Published 12:00 am Monday, January 19, 2004
PORTSMOUTH - It wasn't a crime - although rumors were rampant.
The general manager of WNXT Radio in Portsmouth said everyone at the broadcast facility is safe and sound. A computer problem was the reason why the radio station played one song over and over again this weekend.
Saturday evening, listeners noticed that one song, "They're Coming To Take Me Away" was the only song being played over and over again.
General manager Steve Hayes said a problem with an old computer system was the culprit. A new system is being installed. Things are, he said, mostly back to normal now.
In the meantime, the single-song play list spawned a multitude of rumors about what had happened: everything from a hostage situation to murder.
"The wildest one was that a disc jockey had murdered his wife on the air," Hayes said. "There were rumors that a SWAT team was rappelling down the side of the Masonic Temple Building. We've heard all kinds of rumors."
Hayes said the computer malfunction has prompted phone calls from news outlets within a 150- mile radius of Portsmouth.