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May 3, 2004
Route 81 Out in Utica/Rome
*The sale of three radio stations in upstate
NEW YORK to Lloyd Roach's Route 81 Radio group
is now off the table - and Roach's LMA of WKLL (94.9 Frankfort),
WRCK (107.3 Utica) and WTLB (1310 Utica) is abruptly over.
There's a lot of "he said, she said" going on right
now, but here's what we know for sure: Galaxy Broadcasting head
honcho Ed Levine came to the stations' Utica studios last Monday
(April 26) with police officers in tow to pull the plug on the
LMA. Levine was apparently upset that Route 81 (which was doing
business in Utica as "Route 76 Radio") had changed
the format on WKLL, flipping it from Galaxy's "K-Rock"
modern rock format to a simulcast of the standards on WTLB. WKLL
immediately flipped back to modern rock, with the standards staying
put on 1310.
What happens next? We suspect Galaxy will put the stations
back on the market, looking for another buyer in place of Route
81, which was to have paid $2.75 million for the stations. (And
interestingly, a check of the asset transfer agreement filed
with the FCC says nothing whatsoever about any LMA prior to closing.)
Meanwhile, we noticed another Route 81-related change as we
drove through the Elmira/Corning market over the weekend: it
appears a format change may be in the works at WCBA-FM (98.7
Corning), which is still simulcasting the satellite-delivered
AC format of WENY-FM (92.7 Elmira) - but instead of the old "Crystal
Radio Network" IDs that had been running on both stations,
all IDs (except at the top of the hour) refer only to WENY-FM.
 Downstate, WRNN-TV
(Channel 62) in Kingston wants to shut down its analog transmitter
and go digital-only.
The move is no great surprise; WRNN's digital signal on channel
48 emanates from Mount Beacon, far to the south of its analog
site in the Catskill Mountains north of Woodstock and much closer
to its target cable audience in the New York City market, and
it's been many years since the station promoted its over-the-air
signal on channel 62 (you'd have to go back to its days as independent
WTZA, we suspect.)
RNN was once an ambitious attempt at a regional all-news channel;
these days, it carries a half-hour of local news, two hours of
local talk (including half an hour targeted specifically at New
York City, 100 miles south of its city of license) and 21.5 hours
a day of infomercials and home shopping.
(One more downstate TV note: the former W38CL in the Bronx
has filed for a license to cover for its new facilities on channel
3. Craig Fox's LPTV has apparently gone digital-only
on this plum channel, nestled between the WCBS-TV and WNBC analog
facilities on the VHF dial.)
 Back upstate, local
programming on WNSA (107.7 Wethersfield) came to an end on Thursday,
and as we prepare this week's NERW on Sunday night, there's nothing
but dead air on the powerful signal that hits both the Rochester
and Buffalo markets. WNSA changes hands to Entercom on Monday
morning, and a new format is expected very soon.
In the meantime, WNSA's staff (including talk hosts Howard
Simon, Jim Brinson and Angelo "Zig" Fracassi) is out
of work, though there are rumors that Simon, at least, will end
up on Entercom's surviving sports station, WGR (550). WGR's also
in line to get the Sabres play-by-play next season - if there
is an NHL season this fall, that is.
One more Buffalo tidbit: former WYRK jock Tony Magoo (more
recently at WFBE in Flint, Michigan) is winning his fight with
throat cancer - he just checked out cancer-free, and we're glad
to hear it!
The FCC dumped a new load of translator applications out for
posting this week, including plenty in the Empire State. Engineer
Charles "Bud" Williamson has applications for 93.5
Woodbury, 93.5 Narrowsburg, 98.3 and 107.1 Warwick, 99.3 Oneonta
and 107.7 Port Jervis, as well as 106.9 in Milford PA. Calvary
Chapel of the Finger Lakes has 93.3 Cheektowaga, 93.3 Grand Island,
103.7 Arcade and 105.3 Medina . We suspect these are the result
of the FCC's settlement window in the latest batch of transmitter
filings; in any case, they'll be automatically granted unless
an objection is filed within 15 days of their being posted.
The FCC also granted three new translators: W228BI (93.5 Smithtown)
to New York's WNYC-FM, W262AS (100.3 Easthampton) to WMNR in
Monroe, Connecticut and W280DJ (103.9 Beacon) to Susan Clinton.
*In PENNSYLVANIA, the long simulcast
of WQED (Channel 13) on WQEX (Channel 16) in Pittsburgh came
to an end Saturday. WQEX is now being leased out to the America's
Store home shopping network, with three hours on Tuesday morning
remaining in the hands of WQED to program with kids' and public-affairs
shows.
On the translator front, Creative Ministries
Inc. has been granted W264AY (100.7 Chambersburg) and W291AY
(106.1 Gettysburg). Temple University (WRTI) has applied for
95.1 in Oxford, 102.1 in Orrstown, 107.1 in Millersville and
101.9 in Cape May NEW JERSEY. Also in the Garden State,
the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority applies for 102.3
in Lakewood (even though WUPC-LP is on the air there on the same
frequency) and 104.9 in Clinton, while Press applies for 93.5
in Long Branch.
 *Local programming on WXCT (990 Southington) came
to an end last week, leaving the CONNECTICUT station
to run syndicated talk as it awaits the May 3 handover to new
owners, who are expected to run a Spanish-language format.
WXCT morning host Tom Morgan is out; afternoon talk host Charlie
Profit keeps his other job as station manager for now as he waits
to see whether the new owners will need his services.
The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts has a translator application:
105.1 in Torrington.
And our condolences to the family of Marguerite Howard Rooney,
who died Tuesday (4/27) at 84. Rooney was the wife of CBS news
commentator Andy Rooney and the mother of broadcasters Brian
and Emily Rooney.
 *A MASSACHUSETTS station was one of
seven Sinclair Broadcasting ABC affiliates around the country
that pre-empted Nightline Friday night amidst stated
concerns that the show would be more about politics than journalism
(an objection that could be equally applied to Sinclair's own
News Central product, especially the commentaries that run therein.)
In any event, western Massachusetts viewers didn't have to look
hard to find other ways to see the show; in addition to the other
ABC affiliates (Connecticut's WTNH, Adams' WCDC and Boston's
WCVB) that are widely available on cable, New England Cable News
rebroadcast the program a half-hour after it aired on ABC.
A new translator could soon be on the way to Gloucester: Edgewater
Broadcasting (affiliated with the Calvary Chapel/Twin Falls religious
mega-caster) had its 103.7 application posted by the FCC last
week.
*What will become of the towers of WSMN (1590
Nashua), now that the NEW HAMPSHIRE city has approved
the construction of 40 units of housing on the West Hollis Street
property that the station now occupies? We don't know...
Another Edgewater Broadcasting translator application: 95.3
North Conway.
Where are they now? Former WERZ (107.1 Exeter) APD Jay Michaels
(also heard on Boston's Kiss 108 as "J.J. Thompson")
is the new PD at Lexington, Kentucky's WLTO.
*Lots of translator news out of VERMONT:
Vermont Public Radio's been granted three translators (W226AK
93.1 Rupert, W233AR 94.5 Brattleboro and W237BF 95.3 Middlebury)
and has a posted application for another (95.3 Enosburg Falls).
Montpelier Broadcasting (Steven Silberberg) has been granted
W227AQ (93.3 Burlington) to relay WNCS (104.7 Montpelier). And
Vox has an application posted for 94.1 in Randolph.
And we hear Brian Dodge is due in court in Brattleboro May
25 on charges of passing checks with insufficient funds...
 *One translator application in MAINE: Light
of Life Ministries, at 100.7 in Benedicta.
And we note that Nassau finishes its round of call swaps by
changing WMEK (99.9 Auburn) to WTHT, the calls that came over
with the "Wolf" country format from 107.5 in Lewiston,
now "Frank FM" classic hits as WFNK.
*In CANADA, Don Romani's officially
out at CHUM's "Team 1200" (CFGO) in Ottawa; he'd been
on suspension ever since his comments got out of hand during
the Senators-Maple Leafs playoff rivalry. And now another sports
talk host's in trouble - CJCL (Fan 590)'s Pat Marsden apologized
publicly on Friday after implying on the air that Pakistanis
have less regard for human life than other cultures.
In Cobourg, Dave Devine moves from CKSG (Star 93.3)'s afternoon
drive to mornings and the PD chair at sister station CHUC (1450),
reports MilkmanUnLimited. Frances Ebbrell will join Devine
on mornings at CHUC, while Mike Cutting arrives from CJTT in
New Liskeard to handle afternoons on Star.
*And if you'll be in Boston on Thursday (May 6), I hope you'll
stop by the Bertucci's at Alewife Station (right at the end of
the Route 2 expressway in Cambridge) for the latest NERW Dinner
and social gathering. It's our chance to reconnect with old New
England acquaintances, make some new friends and show off the
baby - and there's always lots of conversation and great stories.
Dinner will get underway around 6 - if you think you can make
it, please drop me a line by Wednesday so I know how many people
we're expecting! (We'll have calendars for sale at a special
price, too!)
 *And
even if you won't be at dinner, we still have plenty of
2004 Tower Site Calendars still available for your enjoyment!
Just as in past years, the calendar features a dozen spiffy
8.5-by-11 inch full-color images of tower sites from across the
nation - everything from Washington's WTEM to New York's WCBS/WFAN
(shown at right) to Los Angeles' KHJ to WCTM in Eaton, Ohio.
Other featured sites include Cedar Hill in Dallas, Lookout
Mountain above Denver, CKLW Windsor, WELI New Haven, WPTF Raleigh
NC, WBT Charlotte NC, WAJR Morgantown WV, WMT Cedar Rapids IA
and the mighty 12 towers of KFXR (the old KLIF 1190) in Dallas.
Unlike last year, this year's calendar features heavier paper
(no more curling!) and will be shipped shrink-wrapped on a cardboard
backing to make sure it arrives in pristine condition.
If you haven't ordered yet, what are you waiting for? Order
now and help support NERW and Tower Site of the Week. Better
yet, place your subscription for 2004 at the $60 level by using
the handy buttons below, and you'll get your 2004 Tower Site
Calendar absolutely FREE. What more could you want? (Local news
on the weekends, maybe?)
Don't want to order by credit card? You know the drill by
now - make those checks payable to "Scott Fybush,"
be sure to include sales tax ($1.32 per calendar) for New York
state calendar orders, and send them along to 92 Bonnie Brae
Avenue, Rochester NY 14618. (Sorry - we can't take orders by
phone.)
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2004 by Scott Fybush. |