NERW 4/11/2016: NYC’s Latest Million-Dollar Translator

In this week’s issue… Seven-figure translator deal over NYC – WBUR on the move? – New signal in eastern Mass. – Baseball on the Radio: The AA Leagues

By SCOTT FYBUSH

Jump to: ME – NH – VT – MA – RI – CT – NY – NJ – PA – Canada

*One of the newest translators to put a signal over parts of NEW YORK City is selling for a near-record price.

W248CG (97.5 Jersey City NJ) is a 110-watt signal that Ted Schober’s City Commons LLC put on the air last year. For the last few months, he’s been leasing the signal to Erick Salgado’s Cantico Nuevo Ministries, which has filed to convert that lease to a $1.6 million purchase.

Cantico Nuevo has been using the translator as a relay of WJDM (1530 Jersey City), which it’s been leasing from Multicultural Broadcasting, but its sale filing indicates that it will instead run the translator off an HD subchannel it will lease from Pillar of Fire’s WAWZ (99.1 Zarephath NJ).

The deal includes $350,000 in cash and a $1.25 million note held by the seller – and while it’s a huge sum for a translator, it’s dwarfed by the $3.5 million that Big Apple Broadcasting LLC agreed to pay last year to buy W292DV (106.3) from Michael Celenza’s Apple 107.1, Inc.

What’s the difference? For one thing, the 97.5 signal serves a smaller area and population than 106.3 would reach if it could operate at its licensed facility: while 97.5 blankets Hudson County, New Jersey and reaches some of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, 106.3 would reach much more of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

On the other hand, 97.5 has been operating without objection since last fall, while 106.3’s operations have been tied up in legal battles for years now. Next month marks the fifth anniversary of 106.3’s initial tests from Four Times Square in Manhattan, which prompted immediate interference complaints from Press Broadcasting’s WKMK (106.3 Eatontown NJ). The Press objections sent 106.3 back to Queens, where it’s been running with just 4 watts under an STA from Long Island City. Press also objected to that $3.5 million sale last year, and while the FCC allowed the sale to go through, it still hasn’t closed nearly a year later. In February, Apple 107.1 asked for another extension of consummation, telling the FCC “the buyer is working on certain financial matters to close the transaction.”

Assuming the Cantico Nuevo deal does go through, it’s that $1.6 million price that will set the standard now for valuing translators in market number one – and that other buyers and sellers will be looking at for other big-market deals, too.

(Usual disclaimer here: your editor also assists buyers and sellers through TranslatorSale.com, a service of Fybush Media…)

*Are you heading to the NAB Show in Las Vegas? So are we! And before the show opens next Monday morning, we hope you’ll join us Sunday night, April 17 for our Vegas Radio Kickoff Party, presented with RadioInsight, Radio Rescue and the support of Wheatstone and several additional sponsors. Either link below will take you to more information – and we’d love to see you there!

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*There’s a new noncommercial FM with a familiar name coming to the North Shore of MASSACHUSETTS. “WVCA” was the identity of Simon Geller’s quirky little local FM at 104.9 in Gloucester from the 1960s through the late 1980s, and now the callsign will be used on a new share-time signal at 88.3 in Newbury.

The new WVCA belongs to the New England Broadcasting Educational Group, which is tied in with the McDonough family and thus (though not in a legally attributable fashion) to WXBJ-LP (94.1 Salisbury). How did they get a new full-power (500 watts/33′) signal in 2016? The answer lies in the FCC’s arcane share-time rules: if an existing noncommercial station, in this case the Masconomet Regional School District’s WBMT (88.3 Boxford), operates for fewer than 12 hours daily, it can be forced to share time with a new licensee.

This share didn’t happen easily: WBMT protested against the Newbury grant, pointing out that the McDonoughs had been involved with unlicensed stations in the area; Joseph McDonough, meanwhile, filed a lengthy protest against WBMT, alleging that the station lacked EAS gear, was missing public file material, and that the FCC should review the school’s fitness as a licensee.

After years of fighting each other, going back to McDonough’s attempt to get the FCC to deny WBMT its license renewal back in 2006, both sides have reached a settlement that drops all of their claims against each other. Under the deal, WBMT will operate from 10 AM until 10 PM weekdays from September to June, while WVCA will operate from 10 PM until 10 AM weekdays, all day on weekends and 24/7 during July and August. For its part, Masconomet enters into a consent decree under which it will establish a compliance plan – and while the FCC would normally have imposed a $1200 “voluntary payment,” it notes that WBMT already paid $1500 for a late renewal filing.

*Veteran broadcaster Alex Langer is paying UMass $120,000 for two translators: W266CK (101.1 Great Barrington) will go to WSRO (650 Ashland), where he’s applying to move it to 102.1; W278BT (103.5 Lee) will head to Cape Cod, where he’s applying to move it to 101.5 as a relay of WBAS (1240 West Yarmouth).

WBUR-FM (90.9 Boston) wants to put a better signal over Worcester, and it wants to change towers to do it. After three decades at the “FM128” site in Newton Upper Falls, WBUR has filed an application to move over to the WBZ-TV tower in Needham, where it would install a new directional antenna that will send just enough extra signal westward to put 60 dBu over Worcester for the first time. Instead of its present 12 kW/1000′ DA from FM128, WBUR would run 8.6 kW/1174′ DA from Needham. It would be the second FM at that site, joining Greater Media’s WKLB-FM (102.5 Waltham).

Speaking of WKLB, Hannah Byrom is the new morning co-host at the country station, joining newcomer Jeff Miles. Byrom starts April 18, moving north from WPST (94.5 Trenton NJ), where she’s been doing middays. She’s also been doing weekends at WPLJ (95.5 New York).

The new Catholic LPFM in Framingham wants to change channels. WBNU-LP (96.5) is applying to shift to 102.9 with 8 watts.

*A call change in Concord, NEW HAMPSHIRE: WWHK (102.3) is now WXRG, better matching the “River” AAA format it shares with sister station WXRV (92.5 Andover MA) to the south. It’s been almost two years since Steve Silberberg’s Devon Broadcasting took over operation of the station.

In Laconia, Binnie Media has shifted its WEMJ (1490) translator from 107.5 to 107.3; the former W298BH is now W297BS as it slides down the dial to alleviate any interference with WTPL (107.7 Hillsborough).

*In CONNECTICUT, University of Northwestern – St. Paul completed its deal with EMF on March 29, turning the former WCCC (1290 West Hartford) into WNWW, “Faith Radio 1290.” EMF had been running the AM station as a simulcast of its Hartford K-Love outlet, WCCC-FM (106.9); it donated the AM signal to Northwestern in exchange for Northwestern’s agreement to pay $1000 a month in tower rent for the AM and its purchase of a translator from EMF.

*One more piece of the Family Life/Craig Fox deal in central NEW YORK: Family Life’s translator W207BH (89.3 Baldwinsville) has been granted a move to 100.1 – and it’s headed to Fox’s ownership, along with the former WSEN-FM (92.1 Baldwinsville) that’s now WOLF-FM.

Up in the Adirondacks, Saranac Lake’s WNMN (Channel 40) quietly changed calls to WYCI on March 9.

*Back to NEW JERSEY we go, where WSOU-FM (89.5 South Orange) has a stellar alumni roster, and it’s now added two more names to its hall of fame. The Seton Hall University station will induct Bernie Wagenblast (class of ’78) and Bob Picozzi (class of ’72) in a ceremony on Thursday. Wagenblast is the voice of Total Traffic, and Picozzi is closing in on two decades at ESPN. The ceremony will also honor WSOU’s first “distinguished young alumna,” Stephanie Wightman ’08. After working for Air America and WNYC, she’s now a producer at MSNBC.

*Hall Communications has changed formats on a central PENNSYLVANIA AM/translator combination. WLPA (1490 Lancaster)’s contract to carry “America’s Best Music” ran out at the end of March, and now the AM signal and its FM translator at 92.5 are simulcasting ESPN Radio with sister station WONN-FM (92.7 Starview). The simulcast alleviates some of the interference that existed between the 92.5 translator and the 92.7 signal, which was formerly WLPA-FM.

In addition to all of Family Life Ministries’ big Syracuse moves last week, the religious network signed on a new signal in Butler. Translator W257DK moved from 99.3 to 88.7, where it’s fed from WCOH (107.3 DuBois). And in Cambridge Springs, Family Life has changed calls on WCGF (89.9) to WCOB.

In Scranton, Doc Medek returns to mornings at Entercom’s “Froggy” WGGY (101.3), where he ran “The Doc Show” from 1999 until 2010, when he headed south to do mornings at WXTU (92.5) in Philadelphia. Medek left WXTU a few weeks back, and now he and former middayer Jessie Roberts replace former Froggy morning hosts Eric Peterson and Selena Robertson. In additional shifts, Bryan Thompson is the new 7-midnight jock at WGGY.

And in Philadelphia, Greater Media’s WPEN (97.5 the Sports Fanatic) has signed a deal to broadcast the rest of the Philadelphia Soul’s arena football season, except when there’s a conflict with the Flyers.

*Up north in CANADA, on Ontario’s Manitoulin Island, Timmermans Broadcasting has realigned its lineup. CHAW (103.1 Little Current) launched at noon April 1 as “Country 103, Great Lakes Country,” reports Canadian Radio News; sister station CFRM (100.7) dropped country at the same time to go dance-CHR as “Glow 100.”

*And as we head west for our pre-NAB Show travel, we continue our annual look at Baseball on the Radio with the AA Eastern League, which started its season on Thursday.

In Maine, the Portland Sea Dogs continue on WPEI/WTEI (95.9 Saco/95.5 Topsham). Next door, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats play on WGIR (610 Manchester) and its simulcasts, WPKX (930 Rochester) and WTSL (1400 Hanover).

It’s the first year for the Hartford Yard Goats, the former New Britain Rock Cats – but they won’t open at home until June at the earliest because of construction delays at their new Hartford park, and so radio broadcasts via WPOP (1410 Hartford) will keep future Yard Goats fans connected to the team until it actually comes home.

The Binghamton Mets stay put on WNBF (1290) – and appear to be staying put in Binghamton for a while longer, despite persistent rumors of a move out of town.

In Pennsylvania, the Erie SeaWolves also just announced they’re staying put in town until 2020; they appear to have games on WFNN (1330) when there’s no conflict with basketball coverage. The Harrisburg Senators are back on WTKT (1460) for another season. The Reading Fightin Phils are on WIOV (1240) and its translator at 98.5, and the Altoona Curve stay put on WVAM (1430) and WTRN (1340 Tyrone), and this year they also add WWGE (1400 Loretto) to the network.

The Trenton Thunder are once again on WTSR (91.3), the College of New Jersey’s noncommercial station.

And the single-A South Atlantic League has that one team in NERW-land, the Lakewood (NJ) Blue Claws, who are heard on WOBM (1160)/WADB (1310) along the shore.

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