August 3, 2004

WTIC-TV Mourns Tom Misczuk

• MAINE
• NEW HAMPSHIRE
• MASSACHUSETTS
• VERMONT
• RHODE ISLAND
• CONNECTICUT
• NEW YORK
• NEW JERSEY
• PENNSYLVANIA
• CANADA

*We're a day late this week, thanks to a long (loooong!) drive back from Omaha and the 2004 convention of the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association - but that's OK, because it was a fairly quiet week back home in NERW-land.

(And while we're thinking about DX club conventions, let's put in a plug for the National Radio Club/DX Audio Service, whose 2004 convention will be held right here in western New York over Labor Day weekend, with your editor as a co-host. It promises to be a fun gathering, and you don't even have to be a member to attend, though it's certainly highly recommended!)

*Sadly, we begin this week's edition with an obituary out of CONNECTICUT, where WTIC-TV (Channel 61) reporter Tom Misczuk died last Tuesday (July 27). Misczuk had been at Fox 61 since 1993, when he arrived in the Nutmeg State from a career that included WTZA-TV (Channel 62) in Kingston, WVNY (Channel 22) in Burlington and News 12 Connecticut.

Misczuk was just 48; he's survived by wife Judi and kids Michael, Catherine and Will.

*Commercial broadcasters who'd been eyeing the last big open FM channel in NEW YORK are now officially out of luck. The 92.1A allocation in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst was to have appeared in an upcoming FCC auction - with a starting price of $800,000, no less - but now it's joined a long list of open FM allocations that are reserved for "noncommercial educational" use.

Some background here: in order to clear up a long-running legal battle about whether or not noncommercial broadcasters (primarily the big religious chains that have been putting thousands of new satellite-fed signals on the air from coast to coast) would have priority in obtaining these new signals, the FCC opened up a petition process a few months back. If the noncomm petitioners could show that one of these signals would be the first or second noncomm facility for at least 10% of the audience it would serve, the channel would automatically be set aside for noncomm use.

And because most of Buffalo's public radio operates on commercial licenses (WNED-FM 94.5 and WNED 970), that 92.1 allocation qualified, at the request of "Youngshine Media."

The FCC still hasn't figured out when it'll open an application window for all these reserved noncommercial allocations.

Down in New York City, Opie and Anthony are at it again. They're now touting a press conference on Thursday at which they'll announce their future plans - but then, we've heard that before. Stay tuned.

Over at WCBS-FM (101.1 New York), there's once again a permanent body in the PD chair, as Dave Logan comes over from XM Satellite Radio, where he had been the VP of programming. Logan's long history in radio should serve him well at the oldies station as it struggles to figure out its future. (And an interesting note here: brand-new WQCD 101.9 PD Blake Lawrence checked in to point out that Logan was the guy who hired him over at XM!)

Out on the East End of Long Island, Clear Channel's been granted translator W246BG (97.1 Cutchogue), which is to relay WALK-FM (97.5 Patchogue).

And back upstate, a quick LPTV note: Kevin O'Kane's W12BZ in Rome relocates to channel 18 as W18DF; it's being displaced by WNYT-DT on channel 12 in Albany.

*In NEW JERSEY, WMTR (1250 Morristown) has built out its power increase - it goes from 1000 to 7000 watts at night.

*Nassau is adding another AM signal to its portfolio in PENNSYLVANIA. It's paying $500,000 to pick up Mega's WTKZ (1320) in Allentown - and a format change from WTKZ's current simulcast of WEMG (1310 Camden NJ) is inevitable. We hear WTKZ is likely to become another link in the sports simulcast that includes WEEX (1230) over in Easton and WYNS (1160 Lehighton).

Speaking of Allentown, the Morning Call reports that officials at public television WLVT (Channel 39) and public radio WDIY (88.1) are investigating a merger; we'll keep you posted.

Two new Philly PDs this week: Greater Media's WMWX (95.7) hires Mike Sommers, who comes up the shore from Delmarva's WYUS/WAFL in Milford, Delaware, where he was OM. And Tom Bigby's big shoes at WIP (610) are filled by Neal Newman, at least on an interim basis.

On the translator front: Hope Christian Church of Marlton gets two more to relay its still-unbuilt WVBV (90.5 Medford Lakes NJ) - W269BT (101.7 Pottstown) and W284BF (104.7 New Providence) - and Clear Channel gets W231BH (94.1 Uniontown) to relay WWSW-FM (94.5 Pittsburgh).

*In MASSACHUSETTS, the new 104.3A allocation in West Tisbury, on Martha's Vineyard, will be reserved for noncommercial use. Down the road in Vineyard Haven, Nantucket Public Radio (the WNCK 89.5 folks, who are relaying Boston's WGBH 89.7 most of the time) gets translator W300BE (107.9). And Clear Channel gets translator W235AV (94.9 Tatnuck), which will operate from the WSRS (96.1 Worcester) site, relaying WJMN-FM (94.5 Boston).

(NERW suspects that some of these translator CPs may never be built; it's likely they were filed as "blockers" to keep those frequencies, second-adjacent from their primaries a few miles away, from being filled by someone else.)

Where are they now?: Former WFNX staffer Dan Bright had better like mint juleps and horse racing - he's the new PD at public AAA outlet WFPK (91.9) in Louisville, Kentucky.

*As we hinted last week, NEW HAMPSHIRE's oldies WMEX (106.5 Farmington) now has an AM simulcast; it's being heard down in Nashua on WSNH (900 Nashua).

*In VERMONT, Steve Silberberg is applying to move WXAL-FM (93.7 Addison) across Lake Champlain from its current home at the old 100.9 site above Middlebury. WXAL would remain a class C3 facility, running 21 kW at 354' from a site north of Westport, New York. (NERW notes a small irony here: what's now the Addison allocation was originally to be a class A at Hague, New York.)

Vermont Public Radio gets two more translators: W223AV (92.5 Manchester) and W258AW (99.1 Middlebury) will fill some small gaps in the network's statewide coverage.

*One new translator in MAINE: W273AX (102.5 Biddeford), from the Idaho-based Edgewater Broadcasting folks, will relay WYFP (91.9 Harpswell) - and, we suspect, annoy some northern-fringe listeners to Boston's WCRB, too.

*Up in CANADA, the fight continues over CHOI-FM (98.1 Quebec City) as it enters what may likely be its last month on the air. While Quebec premier Jean Charest has come out strongly in support of the station, federal heritage minister Liza Frulla dealt CHOI a blow when she announced that the CRTC's revocation of the station's license can't be repealed to the federal government, only to the federal courts. It promises to be quite a month as CHOI owner Patrice Demers fights for the survival of his station.

Toronto's Q107 (CILQ 107.1) announced its new afternoon jock last week, and it's a big name among the Cancon set. Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell will hold down the 2-7 PM slot beginning August 9, broadcasting from the Q107 booth in the front of the Yonge Street Hard Rock Cafe.

And we're delighted to be able to report that legendary Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek, who did play-by-play for every Jays game from the first one in 1997 until his father's death kept him away from the booth last season, was back at work Monday. Cheek suffered a brain tumor just after his dad died, but after undergoing surgery he was well enough to come back and call his usual five innings this week - and we wish him the speediest of continued recoveries.

*Finally, we know it's now August - but perhaps a bargain price will convince you that you still need a 2004 calendar. After all, the 2004 Tower Site Calendar is more than just a bunch of boxes with dates in them - it's also a collection of some of the niftiest broadcast transmission facilities in North America.

Still on the way for later this year are WMT Cedar Rapids IA, WPTF Raleigh NC, WAJR Morgantown WV, the mighty 12-tower night site of 1190 in Dallas (KFXR, at least this week), Lookout Mountain in Denver (shown at left), CKLW in Windsor and WBT in Charlotte, not to mention lots of fun anniversary dates for stations large (Channel 9 in New York) and small (WFAR Farrell PA).

And as we get ready to put the 2005 edition of the calendar into production, we're offering a special deal to clear out our stock of 2004 calendars. For just $8 postpaid (New York orders add 66 cents sales tax for a total of $8.66), you can still own a 2004 Tower Site Calendar.

Maybe you need an extra for the office, or you've marked up your copy and you'd like a pristine one to stash away, or perhaps you've been meaning to get one as a gift for that special someone. Or perhaps you're just cheap (hey, this is radio, after all!) Doesn't matter; the point is, this is your best chance to get a 2004 Tower Site Calendar at a bargain price.

Order this week, and we'll even throw in a third calendar, free, if you order two. (That's $16 postpaid, $17.32 in New York State!)

We'll also throw in an extra calendar, free, for anyone who subscribes to NERW at the $60 level. Remember, your support is what keeps NERW coming to you week after week.

Now what more could you want? Perhaps a 2005 calendar, chock-full of pretty pictures of stations like WBBR, KXNT, WDEL and WDEV? Just hang tight for a few weeks - next year's edition will be available for ordering soon, and we'll be shipping by early September this year!

	Order the 2004 Tower Site Calendar at our special clearance price of $8! (US and Canada only - e-mail us for overseas ordering information.)
	...or subscribe to NERW at the $60 level and get a FREE 2004 Tower Site Calendar

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 ($0.66 per calendar) for New York state calendar orders only, and send them along to 92 Bonnie Brae Avenue, Rochester NY 14618. (Sorry - we can't take orders by phone.)

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NorthEast Radio Watch is made possible by the generous contributions of our regular readers. If you enjoy NERW, please click here to learn how you can help make continued publication possible. NERW is copyright 2004 by Scott Fybush.