WDKX Owner Langston Dies

IT'S 2010 - DO YOU HAVE YOUR NEW CALENDAR YET?

The brand-new Tower Site Calendar 2010 is now shipping, complete with more than a dozen full-color images of sites from Deer Point in Boise to KYPA in Los Angeles to Mount Mansfield in Vermont.

We're selling them at a pretty good pace this year, which means a sellout is likely.

(We've got special discounts for bulk orders, too - they make great gifts for your business colleagues or friends...)

Order now at the fybush.com Store!

• PROGRAMMING SERVICES

DO IT RIGHT PRODUCTIONS -- Visit our Web site, doitrightproductions.net, to hear our three syndicated shows, Classic Clips, Country Roots and Gospel Doings, produced by longtime country and bluegrass lovers. We also provide demo and duplicating services. Contact Roland (Bruce) Cutler, PO Box 351, Lyons, NY 14489; or dirp650@verizon.net.

You can have your ad here, for just a few dollars a week! Click here for information on the most economical way to reach tens of thousands of Northeast radio and TV people each week.

June 15, 2009 -

• Whether you date its beginnings to the first experimental electronic broadcasts of the late twenties, the early scheduled broadcasts of the thirties, the start of commercial service in 1941 or the establishment of the 525-line NTSC standard soon afterward, there's no disputing the longevity of analog broadcast television in the United States - nor the historical import of the switches being thrown and buttons being pressed in master controls and transmitter rooms from Presque Isle to Pittsburgh last Friday, as one by one the signals that had been so central to American life over the decades winked out for the last time. What was widely portrayed in the mass media as a one-day "switch to digital" was, of course, really the culmination of a long and complex transition that began back in the late nineties, when the first experimental digital TV transmitters began to appear on the airwaves. In most parts of NERW-land, that transition was far enough along that Friday's "switch" was - just as broadcasters had hoped - a non-event for most viewers, who'd already traded over-the-air analog for cable, satellite, or over-the-air digital TV. Add in the last-minute stresses behind the scenes, as the FCC revised its transition guidelines and phones rang off the hook from the remaining few percent of viewers who'd yet to complete their conversion, and it's not entirely unsurprising, if still somewhat disappointing, that by the time the end of analog rolled around on Friday, many broadcasters were ready to just pull the plug on their venerable analog signals without any notice or ceremony. (There were some notable exceptions, which we'll mention later in this week's issue.)
• Whether accompanied by fanfare or just a fade to snow midway through Conan O'Brien's monologue, the good news is that the last pieces of the complex puzzle that was the transition went largely without a hitch for most stations across NERW-land, even in the complicated situations where stations had to swap channels and even transmission facilities in the space of just a few hours.
• The one notable exception was in Syracuse, NEW YORK, where viewers looking for NBC programming had to do some juggling to find WSTM-TV (Channel 3) over the weekend. WSTM had a difficult juggling act to pull off: it had to vacate both its longtime analog channel and its temporary digital channel, 54, by midnight Friday, but it couldn't occupy its new digital channel, 24, until public station WCNY-TV signed off its analog operation early Friday morning, freeing up not only the channel but also the transmission line and antenna that WSTM-DT would use. But rather than buying WCNY's transmitter, already tuned to channel 24, WSTM decided to retune its own digital transmitter from channel 54 to channel 24. It even signed off WSTM-DT on channel 54 early - on Monday - to provide plenty of time to get the retuning done. As it turned out, though, retuning the Thales transmitter was a more complex task than expected, so much so that when WSTM turned off its analog transmitter at a minute past midnight Friday (with a full-screen ID and a 50s-vintage national anthem clip), it was clear that it would still be a few days before the station could get the parts it needed to get WSTM-DT back on the air.
• So WSTM turned to plan B - and plan C, too. By mid-morning Friday, analog channel 3 was back on the air, providing at least some signal for hockey fans to tune in for the final Stanley Cup game that night. Thanks to its new partnership with CBS affiliate WTVH (Channel 5), WSTM was able to put its programming on the 5.2 subchannel of WTVH-DT, maintaining some on-air presence after channel 3 had to sign off for good (with no fanfare this time) at 11:59 Friday night. (As always, most cable viewers were unaffected, since WSTM continued to provide its signal to Time Warner Cable via fiber.) By Sunday, WSTM-DT was back on the air on channel 24, with a significantly better signal than the old channel 54.
• As best we can tell, only one other station - Erie NBC affiliate WICU (Channel 12) - was off the air as a result of the switchover, as its engineers worked to replace the old channel 12 analog signal (silenced last Tuesday) with a VHF digital signal on the same channel. There, too, a sister station saved the day, with WICU's signal continuing to be available (as it has for some time now) on WSEE's 35-3 subchannel.
• Around the region, those VHF digital signals - many of them taking the air for the first time on Friday or early Saturday - proved a little more troublesome than expected, especially for viewers unfamiliar with the different antennas needed for VHF reception as opposed to the UHF band, where most existing DTV had been located. Even with those hiccups (which we'll list in more detail in our market-by-market roundup below), the transition went about as smoothly as anyone could have anticipated; contrary to message-board fearmongering, there were no mad runs on stores selling converter boxes and antennas, no widespread shortages, and certainly no rioting in the streets in front of TV stations or transmitter sites. (Though just about every station we've talked to has received at least one frantic phone call starting out, "why didn't anyone tell me this was going to be happening?!?," proving that no public education campaign can ever reach absolutely everyone...)

June 13, 2005 -

• ALPINE, N.J. - It may have taken more than half a century, but if the crowd at the Armstrong Tower here Saturday was any indication, a certain sort of cosmic justice has now prevailed where the legacy of Major Edwin Howard Armstrong is concerned. It's hard to imagine dozens of people baking in the hot sun for an afternoon to honor the memory of David Sarnoff or Lee deForest, as they gladly did for this event honoring the man who may be the greatest inventor radio will ever know.
• The memorial nominally commemorates the 70th anniversary of Armstrong's first demonstrations of FM, but it really grew out of a more informal memorial held last year on the 50th anniversary of Armstrong's suicide. Among the attendees was Philadelphia engineer Steve Hemphill, who had already built a replica of an early GE Phasitron FM transmitter. The stars came together when Hemphill began talking with Charles Sackermann, Jr., whose family has owned the Alpine tower since buying it from Columbia University after Armstrong's death. Sackermann had been seeking a way to bring greater public attention to Armstrong's achievements, and the two soon began hatching a plan to conduct experimental broadcasts from the tower on the old 42-50 MHz (or should that be "megacycle?") FM band. Add to that the programming expertise of WFDU (89.1 Teaneck), the Fairleigh Dickinson University station that's used the Armstrong tower since it signed on in 1971, and the result was one of the most memorable live broadcasts in radio's recent history.
• It's unlikely that more than a few hundred people at most heard the signal of WA2XMN, the 250-watt temporary operation on 42.8 MHz transmitting from near the top of the tower - but thanks to a simulcast on WFDU, millions in the area (and around the world on the web) had the chance to listen to a very special day of programming. On 42.8 - via Hemphill's painstakingly detailed Phasitron transmitter and a modified Ringo Ranger ham antenna on the tower - test broadcasts began sometime early in the morning. At 11:45, Hemphill pushed the button to begin official operation of WA2XMN, and for the first time in almost six decades, the old FM dial was alive with broadcasting from Alpine.
• WINS (1010) anchor Judy DeAngelis emceed a live one-hour panel discussion that featured the few living veterans of the Armstrong era - Ren McMann, who worked at Alpine in his youth and later at CBS Laboratories; Henry Dietz, who worked for early FM equipment maker REL; Jerry Minter, who was at Alpine for the March 31, 1954 sign-off of Armstrong's KE2XCC; and Armstrong relative Robert Brecht. That was followed by two hours of recorded programming, including the radio drama version of "Empire of the Air" and an interview with that book's author, historian Tom Lewis. And just before 4 PM, WA2XMN broadcast a recording of that 1954 KE2XCC farewell, an emotional moment for those who remained by then, gazing up at the mighty three-armed tower where that era ended.
• For those fortunate to be able to attend the event in person, the day brought other treats as well, as CSC Management, the Sackermanns' company, used the opportunity to show off the care they've taken with the historic Alpine site. From the vintage "FM" logo that adorned Armstrong's 1937 building (and the commemorative polo shirts being sported by the staff) to the phenomenal display of early Armstrong gear inside to the ultra-modern communications facility that now resides directly beneath the tower, the site was in top condition to welcome visitors, and there was hardly a moment when someone wasn't aiming a camera up at the tower or shooting a souvenir photo on the steps of the W2XMN building. "It's like a wedding reception for radio people," was the observation one attendee made, and it's hard to argue with that.
• It was truly a great day in Alpine, and we're hoping that some of the hints being dropped during the celebration (a recreation, perhaps, of Armstrong's Yankee Network FM relays for the 75th anniversary in 2010?) can become a reality. In the meantime, the Sackermanns, Hemphill, and the crew at WFDU can take great pride in their accomplishment, reminding all of us of the debt the industry owes to Edwin Howard Armstrong.
• Yes, there was some other news around the region while we were on the road to Alpine all week, including the exit of a longtime northeast PENNSYLVANIA radio owner. Doug Lane's sale of WWDL (104.9 Scranton), WICK (1400 Scranton) and WYCK (1340 Plains) to Bold Gold Media won't close the legal case against Lane, who was convicted of child molestation earlier this year and now awaits sentencing. It will, however, end the uncertainty that surrounds the stations - if it's approved. Bold Gold, whose principals include Bob Vanderheyden (the first PD of oldies WCBS-FM, years ago, and now serving as the stations' general manager), began operating the stations under an LMA last week. While details of the sale haven't been released, the deal reportedly won't yield any profit to Lane, with proceeds from the stations instead going to Lackawanna County (for a victims' restitution fund) and to non-profit groups.
• Bold Gold also owns WDNH, WYCY and WPSN in nearby Honesdale; its acquisition of the Lane stations still requires FCC approval, which isn't a certainty. While the deal has the support of county officials, the Commission could still do what it's done with other convicted felons, simply revoking the stations' licenses and leaving the frequencies dark pending an auction that could take years. Lackawanna County DA Andy Jarbola tells Inside Radio that he hopes the FCC will recognize that the deal he's worked out with Bold Gold and Lane is in the public interest, preserving the jobs at the Lane stations and keeping them from going silent.
• Clear Channel is spinning off one station in MAINE, as Stony Creek Broadcasting pays $800,000 for WNSX (97.7 Winter Harbor). Behind the new ownership are a pair of well-known names Down East - Mark Osborne and Natalie Knox, who owned WKSQ (94.5 Ellsworth) WLKE (99.1 Bar Harbor) and WBFB (104.7 Belfast) until selling to Clear Channel five years ago.
• In MASSACHUSETTS, the Lowell Spinners make an abrupt change of stations, breaking from what was to have been a two-year deal with UMass Lowell's WUML (91.5) and instead continuing on WCAP (980 Lowell) with a new two-year contract. Students and community volunteers at WUML had been vocal about their unhappiness with the preemptions the Spinners deal would have caused, and the station's new advisory board sided with them, leading the university to cancel its contract and send the Spinners back to WCAP, where Ryan Johnston will continue in the play-by-play chair for a third season.
• On Cape Cod, WGBH wasted no time building out the Brewster construction permit for which it paid almost $4 million at auction. WZAI (94.3 Brewster) had barely been granted a callsign before it signed on Tuesday (June 7); it's simulcasting the news and talk of WGBH's WCAI (90.1 Woods Hole) and WNAN (91.1 Nantucket).
• Meanwhile in the print arena, things are changing fast for those who still want to read about radio and TV in Boston's daily newspapers. First, Mark Jurkowitz announced a week ago that he's leaving the Boston Globe and returning to the Boston Phoenix, where he's replacing Dan Kennedy, who leaves the alternative weekly at the end of the month to teach at Northeastern University. And now we learn (thanks, ironically, to a Jurkowitz piece in the Globe) that among the many Boston Herald staffers losing their jobs amidst the massive slashing at the (now almost unreadable) tabloid is Dean Johnson, who's been covering radio in town for years. It seems unlikely that the Herald will replace Johnson as it spirals even deeper into the vicious circle of cost-cutting; we have higher hopes that the Globe will find a way to continue the excellent reporting that Jurkowitz has provided over the years - perhaps by giving Clea Simon a full-time media gig, or by hiring Johnson? (And in the meantime, we wish all three the very best.)

June 16, 2000 -

• From a rumor last week, Clear Channel's purchase of Roberts Radio has become reality this week -- but we suspect the NEW YORK portion of this 29-station, $65 million deal is just a small part of Randy Michaels' strategy here. Clear Channel will get four stations to add to its six-station Hudson Valley cluster: rhythmic oldies WBPM (94.3 Kingston), talk WGHQ (920 Kingston), hot AC WBWZ (93.3 New Paltz), and country WRWD (107.3 Highland).
• By the way, we can now report that Clear Channel is paying $18.4 million for the six nearby stations it's buying from Straus Media, while Concord Media Group will pay $6 million for the four stations in Hudson and Catskill Clear Channel was barred from buying from Straus.
• Heading west, Sabre Communications is beefing up its position in the Corning/Elmira radio market with a $1.8 million purchase of Hornell's WKPQ (105.3) and WHHO (1320). The seller, Bilbat Communications, is owned by William "Bil" Berry and Richard "Bat" Lyons. WKPQ is a sort of modern AC, with a penetrating signal across much of western New York; WHHO does some talk and simulcasts WKPQ. SabreCom owns sports-talk WWLZ (820 Horseheads), country WPGI (100.9 Horseheads) and WGMF (1490 Watkins Glen), classic rock WNGZ (104.9 Montour Falls), and CHR WNKI (106.1 Corning). Two curiosities here: The Hornell stations, although in the same county (Steuben) as Corning, don't really have much signal overlap with the rest of the market, which leads to odd ratings changes when diaries aren't uniformly distributed across the county. We also wonder what will become of WZKZ (101.9 Alfred), the country station Bilbat has been operating from Hornell as an LMA. The WZKZ license is held by Robert Pfuntner's Pembrook Pines group, SabreCom's arch-rival in the Elmira/Corning market.
• A Binghamton clarification: While Al Brock is coming to the Clear Channel stations there, his duties as operations manager will still leave the existing PDs at WENE, WKGB, and WBBI in place. (Hardly the biggest problem over at the Credit Union Center; we note that a woman suffered a heart attack outside the building this week while waiting for an ersatz "Britney Spears" to emerge from the WMRV studios, where she was being "interviewed" as a prank).
• On to MASSACHUSETTS we go, to Worcester in particular, where the FCC's approval of the sale of WWFX (100.1 Southbridge) from Wilks to Citadel will give the latter company 39% of the market's revenue. Put that together with AMFM (soon Clear Channel)'s 55% revenue share, and you have what commissioner Gloria Tristani calls an unacceptable market concentration. She objected vehemently to the transfer...but as with so much at the Commission of late, she was outnumbered.
• A moment of silence from the Bay State's birds? It would be in order, in memory of Robert J. Lurtsema. The veteran host of WGBH's "Morning pro musica" died Monday (6/12) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Lurtsema began the show, complete with the birds chirping at the beginning, in 1971. Until 1993, he was on the air seven days a week, on a network that at its peak included Albany's WAMC, Amherst's WFCR, and several state networks in northern New England. "Robert J." cut back to weekends in 1993, and had been off the air completely for the last few weeks. Lurtsema was 68.
• Waiting for "The Hub" on your TV? July 31 is the new target date for WHUB-TV (Channel 66) to drop home shopping and become an independent station from its new home on Portland Street, near North Station.
• Three CONNECTICUT radio stations are moving in together. Cox bought WPLR (99.1 New Haven) and the sales rights to WYBC-FM (94.3 New Haven) last year; now it's moving them, along with WEZN (99.9 Bridgeport), into a new facility at 440 Wheelers Farm Road (in the Merritt Crossing development) in Milford. NERW believes this move leaves just WYBC (1340) as the only radio station with studios within New Haven city limits.

New England Radio Watch, June 9, 1995

• A weekend trip through Providence to Norwich CT found WICE (550) in Pawtucket RI silent. The station's sale to Back Bay Broadcasters (owners of WARA-WWKX in the Providence market and WBNW in Boston) just closed, and it appears the station will resurface as WPNW, simulcasting WBNW's Bloomberg business news/local and satellite business talk format. WBNW/WPNW just signed to carry Harvard football as well.
• WZEA (102.1) in Hampton NH is also being sold, as reported earlier, and M Street says the new owners want the WSTG calls. An on-air announcement heard on the station this week said it will be a "family-friendly" station...whatever that means. (And promptly segued into a Prince song, at that! :-)