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April 21, 2003
CRTC grants four in Toronto
By SCOTT FYBUSH
*Radio listeners in Toronto, who already
have more choices on the dial than any other city in CANADA,
are about to get still more listening options. The CRTC last
week granted four new licenses in the nation's largest city,
though only three of them will be available to listeners using
analog radios.
On the AM dial, the San Lorenzo Latin American Community Centre
gets 1000 watts day and night on 1610 for a non-commercial service
that will broadcast primarily in Spanish, with some additional
programming in Italian, Portuguese and Tagalog. The grant displaces
dormant CHEV, a mobile station that broadcast community hockey
games and other events in and around Etobicoke; it hasn't been
heard in several years, and if it does return it will have to
find a new frequency.
On the FM side, Canadian Multicultural Radio gets 440 watts
on 101.3 to broadcast programs in 22 languages, most of them
South Asian. This grant also displaces an existing transmitter
- the Etobicoke relay of CHIN (1540), a low-power fill-in signal
meant to reach areas west of downtown Toronto that lose the directional
AM signal at night. That transmitter (CHIN-1-FM) will move down
the dial to 91.9 - and boost power to 99 watts - once CMR is
ready to sign on at 101.3.
La cooperative radiophonique de Toronto had applied for 91.7
for its French-language programming, but an objection from CHOW-FM
(91.7 Welland) down on the Niagara Peninsula resulted in a change
of proposed frequency. The new French service, the first in Toronto
not operated by Radio Canada, will instead operate on 105.1 when
it signs on.
And Sur Sagar Radio, which broadcasts to Toronto's South Asian
communities over FM subcarriers, was granted a new broadcast
license - but only in the digital domain. Sur Sagar thus becomes
the first digital-only broadcaster in Canada, operating on the
"channel 2" multiplex of Toronto's Eureka digital radio
system; perhaps this will spur sales of digital radios, which
are slowly becoming available in Canada at prices comparable
to the subcarrier-equipped radios already widely available in
Toronto's multilingual communities.
*We'll head up to MAINE next,
where Citadel is selling a station that's certainly on the periphery
of its holdings. WCRQ (102.9 Dennysville) came along for the
ride when Citadel bought out Pilot a few years back, but there's
no strategic plan that includes the Calais area way Down East,
which CRQ serves with a big 100,000 watt signal. So Citadel's
spinning the station to Bill McVicar, who already owns nifty
little local stations WQDY (92.7/1230) in Calais and WALZ (95.3)
in Machias. And since McVicar's $190,000 purchase of WCRQ would
give him pretty much the entire US side of the Calais market,
he's putting WQDY(AM) up for sale. Hmm..."Radio Disney -
We're Down East"??
 Up the coast a bit
in the Bangor market, WNSX (97.7 Winter Harbor) finally made
the flip from simulcasting classic rock WFZX (101.7 Searsport)
to going it alone with sports; we hear, but have not confirmed,
that WNSX's Fox Sports programming is also being simulcast on
WSYY (1240 Millinocket) way north of Bangor.
And thanks to Jeff in Standish for sending along a screengrab
of the slate that WPFO (Channel 23) in Waterville has been running
all week. Eventually, it'll be replaced with actual Fox programming
for the Portland market...but for now, that's what viewers are
seeing on the signal.
*NEW HAMPSHIRE's Arnie Arnesen can
concentrate on New England again; the WNTK-FM (99.7 New London)
afternoon talker had been doing mornings by ISDN for upstart
Minneapolis talker WFMP (107.1 Coon Rapids MN), but no more -
she's been replaced there by British-accented morning host "Luka,"
who we heard a year ago on WKRQ (101.9 Cincinnati). That's OK,
Arnie...New England still loves you!
Arnie's boss, Bob Vinikoor, is still fighting with the city
of Lebanon over his plans to build WQTH (720) using four towers
near Etna Road and Route 120 (and his plans to build a new signal
on 1490 using a single tower near Labombard Road); even though
the New Hampshire Supreme Court has overturned Lebanon's nonsensical
requirement that AM towers be limited to 42 feet, the city is
still fighting over granting a "special exception"
to allow the towers to be built on industrial-zoned land. What
next? More lawsuits, most likely...stay tuned.
Up in Bartlett, Bartlett-Jackson Community Broadcasters has
been granted an LPFM on 101.1; down in Dover, something called
"Gritty" has had its application for an LPFM on 101.5
cleared for processing.
*Across the river in VERMONT, there's
another LPFM coming to the ski town of Warren - "Rootswork
Inc." has been granted 100 watts on 98.1 there.
 *It's
not just Down East where Citadel is spinning off tangential properties;
it's also central MASSACHUSETTS. Inside Radio reports
that Citadel will sell WAHL (99.9 Athol) and WCAT (700 Orange)
to Steve Silberberg for $875,000.
WAHL, which does oldies (and which used to be WCAT-FM until
Citadel moved those calls to the former WRKZ 106.7 in Hershey,
Pennsylvania) and WCAT, which is leased out to a Spanish-language
religious broadcaster, are the first stations in the area for
Silberberg, who's best known for his string of AAA stations that
includes WXRV (92.5 Haverhill-Boston) and Vermont's "Point"
network.
Boston's WROL (950) has a new afternoon talk host, as former
Boston Herald columnist Don Feder joins the Salem
talker for 3-5 PM weekdays, replacing former Boston mayor Ray
Flynn.
Greater Media already owns five Boston-market FM stations,
and now it's moving its headquarters to the Bay State. Later
this week, the company will begin moving its top staff from New
Brunswick, N.J. to Braintree, much closer to the home base of
company president Peter Smyth, who tells the Globe that
the company would love to expand into the Providence and Hartford
markets if an opportunity arises.
 We reported last
November that WLVI (Channel 56) anchor Jeff Barnd was leaving
the WB affiliate, and he really is: he's headed back to his old
home of Baltimore, where he'll be the lead anchor for Sinclair's
WBFF (Channel 45) and WNUV (Channel 54) at 10 and 6:30, respectively.
On the LPTV dial, WHDN-LP (Channel 26), the station that's
moving down from Laconia, N.H. to become a DTV-only signal in
Boston, wants to change rooftops. Its initial application called
for 8200 watts from the Tip O'Neill Federal Building; now it's
asking for 15 kW from One Boston Place instead.
*On the RHODE ISLAND-CONNECTICUT state
line, WHJM (107.7 Pawcatuck CT) is making some changes. On the
technical side, it wants to raise its antenna from 122 to 150
meters, dropping power accordingly from 1800 to 1400 watts; on
the programming side, "Jammin 107.7" has hired Bradley
"Big Daddy B" Ryan, formerly of Woonsocket's WWKX,
to be its new morning host.
In Hartford, Wendell "J.D." Houston is out as morning
man at WZMX (93.7), replaced temporarily by night jock Kid Fresh.
Houston says he'll sue the Viacom-owned urban station for age
and race discrimination.
On the AM dial, former ESPN personality Jason Jackson has
landed a local gig; he's now doing afternoon sports talk on Clear
Channel's WPOP (1410); on the TV side, we're hearing that WHCT-LP
(Channel 38) is now on the air from the WCCC-FM tower in West
Hartford, running 41 kilowatts of Dr. Gene Scott - an unintentional
homage to the old WHCT-TV 18, which used to do 24 hours a day
of the Doctor from a tower just down the road in Avon?
Up in Enfield, near the Massachusetts border, WACC-LP (107.7)
is on the air for real now, after some testing that was heard
last fall.
And we're sorry to report the passing on Saturday (April 19)
of Alan Ravitch, who was known as Al "Late Nite" Lawrence
during the early eighties, when he was heard on WKCI (101.3 Hamden),
WWYZ (92.5 Waterbury), WICC (600 Bridgeport) and other Nutmeg
State stations. In recent years, Al had moved over to Web design
and hard-core Star Trek fandom; he also headed the Northern Middlesex
County Cable Advisory Council.
 *We'll
start our NEW YORK report at the top of Four Times Square
in midtown Manhattan, where progress is being made on the new
tower that will soon be a major part of the Big Apple skyline.
Thanks to John Lyons, we can show you the newest addition
to the rooftop: that one-bay Shively antenna will be the temporary
home to the tower's FM auxiliary clients (WPAT-FM 93.1, WNYC-FM
93.9, WSKQ 97.9 and the five Clear Channel FMs) while the existing
tower (featured this very month in the Tower Site Calendar -
you do have yours already, don't you?) is taken down and replaced
with a new 385-foot mast.
This antenna will be turned on May 6; after that, work will
begin to bring down the current tower. We'll keep bringing you
pictures of the work as it continues!
New York lost one of its best-known voices last week. Fred
Facey may not have been a household name, but you've certainly
heard him introducing NBC's Today show, among other assignments
during a 36-year career at the Peacock network. (He was also
an announcer for WNBC radio, back when there was such a thing.)
Facey died April 13 at 72.
Upstate, Mike Dylan is leaving his post as PD of WBWZ (93.3
New Paltz); Jimi Jamm adds PD duties there to his existing PD
work at WFKP-WPKF Poughkeepsie.
Way upstate, WCLX (102.5 Westport) was heard testing its new
signal at 102.9 last week, but owner Dennis Jackson tells us
the permanent move to 102.9 is still awaiting the grant of program
test authority from the FCC; expect a better signal into Burlington
once the move is made.
*In NEW JERSEY, Andy Sumereau is the
new GM for WWYY (107.1 Belvidere), the lone member of the former
Big City quadcast that Nassau is keeping (at a net cost of about
$3 million out of the $43 million deal, once the other three
stations are spun off); Sumereau used to be the GM of Nassau's
WSBG (93.5 Stroudsburg) and WVPO (840 Stroudsburg)/WILT (960
Mt. Pocono) in the region.
Down the shore, WIBF-FM (88.7 Port Republic) is on the air
now, temporarily running R&B oldies (off the hard drive that
once belonged to WAMS 1260 in Newark, Delaware!) while it readies
a religious format.
*PENNSYLVANIA will soon be home to
two new Catholic stations: today's the day Starboard Broadcasting
is due to sign on its new format at WZUM (1590 Carnegie) near
Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, WAAT (750 Olyphant) will return to the
air in a few weeks with new calls of WQOR ("Queen of the
Rosary") and a new tower under new owners Holy Family, we're
told.
 Two Keystone State
LPFMs have been cleared to have their applications processed;
unless petitions to deny are received by May 19, Latino American
Media Organization of PA will get 93.1 in Lebanon, while Harrisburg
Area Media Info Corporation will get 93.1 in Granteville.
And here's the new morning team at WMMR (93.3 Philadelphia):
Mike Missanelli, Joe Conklin and "Vinnie the Crumb,"
the latter a carryover from the former Barsky morning show, which
ended back in January.
*And that's it for another week; back again in seven days
with more Northeast radio news!
 *Have
you ordered your Tower Site Calendar 2003 yet? That spiffy
image of the WBEN transmitter site on Grand Island is just one
of a dozen exciting images...and it's accompanied by many others
(including Providence's WHJJ; Mount Mansfield, Vermont; KOMA
in Oklahoma City; the legendary WSM, Nashville; WGN, Chicago
and many more), more dates in radio history, a convenient hole
for hanging - and we'll even make sure all the dates fall on
the right days!
This year's calendar is currently shipping! Calendars
are in stock, and orders placed now will ship within 24 hours!
And this year, you can order with your Visa, MasterCard, Discover
or American Express by using the handy link below!
Better yet, here's an incentive to make your 2003 NERW subscription
pledge a little early: support NERW/fybush.com at the $60 level
or higher, and you'll get this lovely calendar for free!
How can you go wrong? (Click here
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with a major credit card...)
You can also order by mail; just send a check for $16
per calendar (NYS residents add 8% sales tax), shipping included,
to Scott Fybush, 92 Bonnie Brae Ave., Rochester
NY 14618.
International orders: Calendars are US$18 to Canada,
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money orders (in US dollars) to the address above, or e-mail
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*And we're also happy to announce that
our good friends at M Street have released the 11th edition of
the M Street Radio Directory. With the disappearance
of the old Vane Jones log and the declining accuracy of the Broadcasting
Yearbook, the M Street directory is widely regarded as the most
accurate, most comprehensive source of information on the US
and Canadian radio scene - and we're thrilled to be able to offer
it to you at a substantial discount!
The directory includes power, frequency, ownership, key personnel,
formats, ratings and much more information for every radio station
in the U.S. and Canada, and now runs almost 900 pages in an 8.5"
x 11" softcover book. List price is $79 (plus $7 shipping/handling),
but if you order through fybush.com/NorthEast Radio Watch, you
can get this invaluable resource on your shelf for $69 (plus
$7 s/h) - a $10 savings! And your purchase benefits the continued
publication of NERW and Tower Site of the Week, so everybody
wins!
You can order in either of two ways: to order by major credit
card, call 1-800-248-4242, ask for Irene, and tell her
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92 Bonnie Brae Ave., Rochester NY 14618. Either way, you'll put
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2003 by Scott Fybush. |