In this week’s issue… Format flips, sales in South Jersey – Studio move in NYC – A new “Route” in Rochester – Pittsburgh talk show ends – Remembering Finch, Teuber
By SCOTT FYBUSH
(Programming note: We are moving to biweekly publication for the rest of this summer, as we begin planning to gradually wind down this column due to a steeply declining base of reader support after more than a quarter of a century. Thanks for your patience.)
*Wouldn’t it be nice to be on the shore in NEW JERSEY this time of year? If you’re on the beaches in Cape May County and you happen to still have a radio with you, there are some big changes coming to the radio dial in at least three spots.
At 93.1 on the dial in Wildwood Crest, WEZW has been the FM home of Equity’s classic oldies format for four years now, simulcasting with WMID (1340) in Atlantic City and WCMC (1230) in Wildwood, but that’s going away soon.
As Gary Fisher continues to sell off the non-core pieces of the Equity cluster outside Atlantic City, the class A 93.1 signal is headed to EMF Broadcasting, which will pay $70,000. EMF already has WLRB (102.7 Petersburg) just to the north serving Atlantic City with its “K-Love” format, and it seems likely 93.1 will be used to augment that signal into Cape May County once the sale closes. For now, at least, the WMID oldies format will continue on the two AM signals.
Another Cape May County signal that Equity is selling, WAIV (102.3), will be flipping to a talk format under new ownership as “Fine Day Radio.” Most of the programming there will be syndicated, including the “Rick & Bubba” morning show, Dave Ramsey and Sebastian Gorka, but middays will feature local host Jim Weller, broadcasting remotely from community locations across the water in Fine Day’s Delaware home base.
And at 106.3 on the dial, WJSE in North Cape May has a new coat of paint, so to speak, as owner Regional Media relaunches the station as “Planet 106.3, Real Alternative Radio.”
There’s no big change to the alternative format that’s been linked to the WJSE calls on and off for decades (originally on 102.7), but the new “Planet” brand matches a sister station in the Quad Cities market in Illinois, KQCJ.
The landmark 24th edition of the world-famous Tower Site Calendar is in production, and your support will determine whether it will be the final edition.
It’s been a complicated few years here, and as we finish up production of the new edition (including a cover reveal, coming later this week!), we’re considering the future of this staple of radio walls everywhere as we evaluate our workload going forward.
The proceeds from the calendar help sustain the reporting that we do on the broadcast industry here at Fybush Media, so your purchases matter a lot to us here – and if that matters to you, now’s the time to show that support with an order of the new Tower Site Calendar. (And we have the new Broadcast Historian’s Calendar for 2025 ready to ship, too. Why not order both?)
Visit the Fybush Media Store and place your order now for the next calendar, get a great discount on previous calendars, and check out our selection of books and videos, too!
In this week’s issue… iHeart axes Boston, NYC morning shows and more - Cumulus cuts in central PA - Southern Tier combo saved from silence - Ottawa FM relaunches - K-Love buys in the Burgh - Scranton gets "Loud" -...
In this week’s issue… "Hot" cools down in Providence, CT studios closed - GBH to sell Cape studios - A HEBA in Hamden? - New HDs in New York - Another Canadian AM to close
In this week’s issue… GBH shuffles mornings, prepares new show launches - NYSBA inducts Hall of Famers - More news-talk in the Hudson Valley - Remembering Dan Sys
In this week’s issue… Beasley cuts claim veteran jock - FCC releases LPFM decisions - AM towers coming down - New voices at Indie 88
