In this week’s issue… CBS, Entercom make format flips – Boston AM sells – RI Public Radio buys – Townsquare cuts – Remembering Bassett, Conaty
By SCOTT FYBUSH
*The honor of “first surprise format change of 2017” went to CBS Radio in Philadelphia, which pulled the plug on top-40 “AMP Radio” at WZMP (96.5) at 10 AM on Thursday, flipping the station to a straightforward AC as “Today’s 96.5.”
WZMP had parted ways with two of its jocks at the end of 2016, morning host Jason Cage and afternoon jock Mike Adam; two other jocks, Bex (Rebekah Maroun) and Michael Bennett, will be back on the air with the new AC format after its jockless launch.
Bobby Smith remains as PD at WZMP, which now goes up against Jerry Lee Broadcasting’s AC heavy hitter, “More FM” WBEB (101.1) and iHeart’s “Mix” WISX (106.1). (The ever-crafty Lee may have preempted CBS’ use of its “Fresh” AC branding in Philadelphia; a few years ago, he licensed the name for WBEB and even used it on the air briefly – and now WBEB has been heard calling itself “Today’s More 101,” too.)
*Just an hour after CBS pulled its Philadelphia surprise, Entercom in Boston followed with a move that was no surprise at all: WKAF (97.7 Brockton) split from its simulcast with rock WAAF (107.3 Westborough) to go to R&B as “The New 97.7.”
The new WKAF is being programmed by Chris Malone, who moves to Boston from Memphis’ Cumulus cluster; its consultants include Elroy Smith, whose Boston roots go back to the market’s original urban station, WILD (1090). For now, WKAF is commercial- and talent-free, running 10,000 songs in a row while it puts a talent lineup together.
So what can we make of these flips, and what do they portend for 2017? Our insight for subscribers is next…
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*In Boston, Entercom’s move appears to have jumped the gun on a competitor – Beasley is working on building its new 106.1 translator that will relay WRCA (1330 Watertown), and all indications are that the plan was for that pair to go urban to flank WBQT (96.9), Beasley’s rhythmic-hits “Beat.” In a city that was long notorious for having no FM urban outlets, there’s been a hole for the format ever since Radio One sold 97.7 (then WILD-FM) to Entercom. iHeart’s WJMN (94.5) has been trending ever more mainstream, and WBQT, too, has been more “hits” than “rhythmic” of late.
With 97.7 now in the format, will Beasley still go in an urban direction with its 106.1, or might it instead go after the modern rock vacuum that has existed since iHeart bought the former WFNX (101.7) a few years back? (Or could Beasley’s “Alt 92.9” WBOS slide its format over to 106.1 and free up the bigger 92.9 signal for something else? Classic hits, another hole in the market, seems like an unlikely direction for Beasley, which would be competing with its own classic rock WROR 105.7.)
And then there’s CBS Radio, which has been making a surprising number of swift changes, especially for a company that’s for sale. The flip at WZMP marked the second time in a week that CBS pulled the plug on a top-40 format (the other was in Houston, where KKHH 95.7 went to adult hits as “the Spot.”)
Could another struggling CBS top-40, Boston’s WODS (103.3 AMP Radio), be in the crosshairs for a flip? And what of its New York sister, WBMP (92.3 AMP)? CBS doesn’t have any obvious other options for those stations, save for turning them into simulcasts of its AM news signals – but would a company looking to sell its signals want to give up an FM station’s worth of revenue in each market?
There’s certainly turbulence ahead in NERW’s biggest markets, one way or another; if nothing else, it’s all but certain that Beasley will be looking to flip one of its Greater Media Philadelphia acquisitions, sports WPEN-FM (97.5), to a less-expensive format sometime in the next few months. We’ll be watching closely…
*Back to the Boston market: As it prepares to leave its longtime Newton studio/transmitter site behind, WNTN (1550) is getting a new owner. The $175,000 sale from Rob Rudnick’s Colt Communications to Delta Communications, LLC returns WNTN to the Demetriades family, whose patriarch Orestes (“Mr. D”) put the station on the air back in 1968, and whose family members still produce and host WNTN’s flagship “Grecian Echoes” show.
The sale includes WNTN’s license, but not the property on Rumford Ave., which is slated for redevelopment after the station completes its move to Cambridge, where it will soon be diplexing on the Concord Ave. tower of WJIB (740). (There are other odd exclusions, too: Rudnick is keeping the wntn.com domain, the station’s Newton phone number…and the office typewriter!)
*In Milford, WMRC (1490) has launched its new translator at 101.3, which expands the station’s reach and gives it a new identity as “Myfm 101.3.” The official sign-on for the translator is set for Wednesday; the Milford Daily News reports that the new incarnation of WMRC won’t include veteran newscaster Ed Thompson, who’s been on medical leave since August. Thompson tells the paper he told WMRC he was ready to come back, but was told his services were no longer needed. He’d been with the station since 1974.
*John Bassett was known as “J.B.” in a radio career that spanned decades in Boston and the Merrimack Valley. In 1956, he was part of WBZ’s original “Live Five,” the crew of DJs who took the Westinghouse station from a stodgy NBC affiliate to an independent top-40 station. In 1959, Bassett moved to WORL (950), then to WHDH (850), where he did sports broadcasting alongside the legendary Johnny Most and Curt Gowdy and then became program director. In 1973, Gowdy recruited Bassett to take over as general manager of his WCCM (800) and WCGY (93.7) in Lawrence. Bassett stayed with WCCM into its Costa-Eagle era, finally retiring in 2008. He was 92 when he died Dec. 27.
*RHODE ISLAND Public Radio was late to the game, starting up in the 1990s after most states had already established public radio networks. And so the Providence-based operation has had to fight for signals, starting with its birth on the AM dial on WRNI (1290 Providence) and growing to three FM signals that cover most of the state, but not necessarily very well.
That’s about to change in a very big way with RIPR’s announcement Wednesday that it’s buying WUMD (89.3 Dartmouth) from the University of Massachusetts and moving the station to a bigger signal at a new location. The $1.5 million deal will also include ten years of underwriting announcements for UMass Dartmouth (valued at a total of $600,000), as well as support from RIPR for a new webcast-only version of WUMD, which has been a student-run freeform station.
RIPR will keep its three existing signals – WELH (88.1 Providence), leased from the Wheeler School, serves Providence and vicinity; WCVY (91.5 Coventry), owned by the local school district, reaches the central part of the state; WRNI-FM (102.7 Narragansett Pier) covers southern Rhode Island – but it will gain considerable reach when it takes over WUMD and relocates 89.3 to a new home on the former WLNE (Channel 6) tower in Tiverton, R.I.
WUMD has already applied to make the move from its present site on the UMass Dartmouth campus to Tiverton, going from 9.6 kW/93 m to 7 kW/254 m DA; the station will also change city of license to Newport and will eventually take the WRNI-FM calls from 102.7.
*Connoisseur has completed its realignment of its CONNECTICUT morning shows, adding new programming to its Hartford stations. At WDRC-FM (102.9), the former simulcast of the “Chaz and AJ” morning show (still heard on sister station WPLR 99.1 in New Haven) has been replaced with veteran Hartford talent Mike Picozzi in morning drive. He’s followed by Suzi Klonk in middays, Keith Dakin in afternoons and newly-named PD Allan Lamberti at night.
Across the hall, the “Talk of Connecticut” stations (WDRC 1360/WMMW 1470/WSNG 610/WWCO 1240) have added Dan Lovallo to Brad Davis’ morning show, as well as to a new “CT On the Hill” politics show from 9 to noon weekdays.
(Meanwhile at WPLR, it’s now “Wigmaster” from 10-2 and Mike Lapitino from 2-8 PM weekdays; at WFOX, it’s Chaz & AJ sidekick Pam from 10-2 and Allan Lamberti from 2-6 PM.)
There’s a new PD over at iHeart’s spoken-word stations: Ben Darnell arrives from WMFD in Wilmington, N.C. to take over as PD for ESPN outlets WUCS (97.9) in Hartford/WAVZ (1300 New Haven) and talkers WPOP (1410 Hartford) and WELI (960 New Haven).
*WZME (Channel 43) in Bridgeport has flipped its main channel programming from “Heroes & Icons” (also seen in the New York market on WWOR’s 9.4 subchannel) to the SonLife religious network, as of January 1. The new programming matches sister stations in Boston (WMFP 62.1) and Philadelphia (WTVE 51.1) owned by NRJ Broadcasting.
In Waterbury, there’s word that longtime talk host Larry Rifkin is stepping back at WATR (1320); he’ll reportedly be doing occasional specials for WATR, while continuing his other job as a producer for Connecticut Public TV.
*There’s a new voice in the 10 PM-2 AM slot at NEW YORK‘s WHTZ (Z100) starting tonight: “Brady” (aka Joe Blum) moves eastward from sister station KPWK (Power 93.3) in Seattle. (Cuts at KPWK late last month also cost the job of Kwame Dankwa, who left Vermont’s WZRT to take the Seattle gig.)
WHUD (100.7 Peekskill) is going local at night. The Pamal-owned AC station is dropping the syndicated John Tesh show from its evening slot and replacing it with Susan Browning, who’ll bring back WHUD’s “Night Rhythms” request show starting tonight.
In Binghamton, there’s late word of cutbacks at Townsquare’s cluster, including the ouster of 30-year WHWK (98.1) vet John Davison. (More next issue…)
*As WFUV (90.7 New York) made a slow transition from a student-run station to a professionally-run AAA outlet, Rich Conaty remained a fixture with his Sunday night “Big Broadcast” standards show. Conaty started at WFUV as a Fordham University student in 1973 (having chosen the school in part because of its radio station), and he soon made the “Big Broadcast” his own. Conaty was just 62 when he died Dec. 30; for now, WFUV is re-airing old shows and planning a tribute to run later in January.
We’re also remembering Warren Bodow, who was the general manager for WQXR (96.3) and WQEW (1560) toward the end of their New York Times ownership. Bodow, who became a playwright after retiring from WQXR, died Dec. 23.
*Seven Mountains Media has brought “Lewie” to Lewistown, PENNSYLVANIA. After stunting with Christmas music over the holidays, the former news-talk WIEZ (670 Lewistown) re-emerged last Monday with classic hits as “Big Lewie,” WLUI; it’s also on translator W225CK (92.9). Radio Insight reports Tom Laub remains in mornings, while Dillon Harlan takes afternoons and the syndicated Tom Kent is added for nights.
*A veteran Philadelphia air talent has retired. Dave Conant began his radio career at WXPN (then on 88.9) as a student at Penn more than half a century ago, then spent three decades at WFLN (95.7/900) as a classical announcer and manager before moving to WRTI (90.1) at Temple University in 1998 after WFLN’s sale and exit from the classical format. At WRTI, Conant held the dual roles of general manager and morning announcer.
Marilyn Russell wasn’t gone long from the Philadelphia morning airwaves – the former WBEN-FM (95.7) morning host is now part of the morning team at CBS Radio’s WOGL (98.1).
In northeastern Pennsylvania, Sinclair-operated Fox affiliate WOLF (Channel 56) has gone local with its 10 PM newscast. For years now, the lone local newscast on the Fox station has come from other newsrooms in the market – originally from ABC affiliate WNEP (Channel 16) and then from NBC affiliate WBRE (Channel 28). At year’s end, the deal with Nexstar for the WBRE-produced newscast expired, and now WOLF is producing its news itself, with an anchor team that includes Dayne Marae (late of Abilene, Texas) and chief meteorologist Mike Linden. WOLF’s 10 PM news continues to compete against WNEP’s 10 PM news on its 16.2 MeTV subchannel.
In Pittsburgh, Mark Anderson got a New Year’s promotion at CBS Radio, becoming VP of programming for KDKA (1020), KDKA-FM (93.7 the Fan), WBZZ (100.7 Star) and WDSY (Y108). In moving up from operations manager, Anderson keeps his PD duties at Star and Y108.
Cathy Milton is probably best remembered for a 27-year career at Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV (Channel 4), where she came on board in 1969 as a news reporter and hosted “Black Chronicle,” “Pittsburgh Dialogue” and “AM Pittsburgh.” But she had a successful career in radio, too, starting in 1956 at WLOA (1550 Braddock), then WEDO (810 McKeesport), a decade at WMCK (1360 McKeesport) and a few years at WJAS (1320). Milton died Dec. 30 at age 86.
*A format change at the NEW JERSEY shore: WADB (1310 Asbury Park)/WOBM (1160 Lakewood Township) has dropped news-talk to go oldies as “Beach Radio 1160/1310.” It’s a return to a format the stations used from 2010 until flipping to talk in 2014.
*In CANADA, RNC Media rebranded CHLX (97.1 Gatineau) at the start of the year – the “Rythme FM” branding licensed from Cogeco is gone, and the station is now playing the same French pop music as “Wow FM.” Meanwhile at Rythme’s Montreal flagship, CFGL (105.7), Steve Faguy reports there’s a new morning team in place – Stéphane Bellavance, Jean-Francois Baril and Annie-Soleil Proteau.
*The CRTC has published the applications it received for the frequencies it opened up when it revoked Aboriginal Voices Radio’s licenses around the country. In addition to signals in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, that included 95.7 in Ottawa (which AVR left more than a year ago) and 106.5 in Toronto, where AVR flagship CKAV hung on until the bitter end last summer.
Two broadcasters have applied for both the Ottawa and Toronto signals: Timmins, Ontario-based Wawatay Native Communications Society and Winnipeg-based First Peoples Radio. The CRTC has scheduled a public hearing on those applications for March 27 at CRTC headquarters in Gatineau.
*And we note the passing of Jack Lowe, who engineered CKFH (1430 Toronto) in the 1970s and later worked as a freelance engineer. Lowe died Jan. 2 at age 80.
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From the NERW ArchivesYup, we’ve been doing this a long time now, and so we’re digging back into the vaults for a look at what NERW was covering one, five, ten, fifteen and – where available – twenty years ago this week, or thereabouts. Note that the column appeared on an erratic schedule in its earliest years as “New England Radio Watch,” and didn’t go to a regular weekly schedule until 1997. One Year Ago: January 11, 2016
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In this week’s issue… Fear and Uncertainty in Las Vegas - Memory Stations to sign off - WNED, WBFO rebrand - Najman out at WDEV - Zoomer expands in Ontario By SCOTT FYBUSH Jump to: ME - NH - VT...
A visit to many of the sites in Pennsylvania's Poconos, plus Bold Gold's stations in Scranton
In this week’s issue… Remembering Pittsburgh's Quinn - Seven Mountains enters Harrisburg - My launches new brands - Ryan out at B101 - More cuts at Radio Vermont - Another AM deleted
Tower Site goes Jeeping (and fixing a flat tire!) up in the mountains of northwest New Jersey
After a few minutes’ delay as the tower crew emerged from hiding and moved its saws to tower 1, the easternmost in the array, the cameras again began clicking as the final tower began tipping, bent in half, implanted its top section in the ground to form an inverted “U,” then disappeared from sight to cheers from the crowd and enormous sighs of relief from WOR chief engineer Tom Ray and the station’s management.
Univision split its New York FM simulcast Friday, keeping “La Kalle” and its reggaeton/hurban format on WCAA (105.9 Newark NJ) and flipping WZAA (92.7 Garden City) to regional Mexican as “Que Buena,” with Los Angeles-based morning host Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo.
