UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 5
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
[ ] Check box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue.
[ ] Form 3 Holdings Reported
[ ] Form 4 Transactions Reported
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person(s)
Hughes, James
1800 West Park Drive
Suite 250
Westborough, MA 01581
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Arch Communications Group, Inc. (APGR)
3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Year
12/98
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
[X] Director [ ] 10% Owner
[ ] Officer (give title below) [ ] Other (specify below)
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
[X] Form filed by One Reporting Person
[ ] Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Table I Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
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1)Title of Security 2)Trans- 3.Trans- 4.Securities Acquired(A) 5)Amount of 6) 7)Nature of
action action or Disposed of (D) Securities Indirect
Date Code A Beneficially D Beneficial
(Month/ or Owned at or Ownership
Day/Year) Code Amount D Price End of Year I
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<S> <C> <C> <C> <C><C> <C> <C><C>
<CAPTION>
Table II (PART 1) Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (Columns 1 through 6)
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1)Title of Derivative 2)Conversion 3)Trans- 4)Trans- 5)Number of Derivative 6)Date Exercisable and
Security or Exercise action action Securities Acquired (A) Expiration Date
Price of Date Code or Disposed of (D)
Derivative
Security Code A D Exercisable Expiration
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<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Non-Qualified Stock Option $1.4375 12/24/98 A 3,000 (1) 12/24/08
(right to buy)
<CAPTION>
Table II (PART 2) Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (Columns 1,3 and 7 through 11)
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1)Title of Derivative 3)Trans- 7)Title and Amount 8)Price 9)Number of 10) 11)Nature of
Security action of Underlying of Deri- Derivative Indirect
Date Securities vative Securities D Beneficial
Amount or Security Beneficially or Ownership
Number of Owned at I
- Title Shares End of Year
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<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Non-Qualified Stock Option 12/24/98 Common Stock 3,000 3,000 D Direct
(right to buy)
<FN>
Explanation of Responses:
(1)
Grant to reporting person of option to buy shares of Common Stock of Arch Communications Group, Inc. under the Non-Employee
Directors' Stock Option Plan. Each option will become exercisable at the rate of 25% of the shares subject to the option on the
date of grant and 25% of the shares subject to the option on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant.
</FN>
</TABLE>
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/S/ Hughes, James
DATE
1/27/99
