In this week’s issue… NY’s 98.7 enters stunt mode – Double shifting at WBLI – WICC, WFOX simulcast with talk – New country in Toronto – Big booster project in western Mass
By SCOTT FYBUSH
[Programming note: after an unusually heavy few weeks of late summer news, we’re going to try to take a week off and return with a new NERW on Sept. 16 – but if there’s something big breaking, we’ll be back next week anyway. And watch this space for some special features in the meantime…]
*It was, for a while, the very best kept secret in broadcasting: when Good Karma Brands’ lease of WEPN-FM (98.7) in NEW YORK came to an end Friday night, what would Emmis begin programming as it took back operation of the station?
There’s an answer now, but if anything, it leaves even more questions hanging. There was no ceremony to the end of ESPN programming on 98.7 after a dozen years. What had been the local 9 PM to midnight show, hosted by station veterans Larry Hardesty and Gordon Damer, broadcast its final episode Thursday night as Good Karma let the pair go. (Why? Apparently a bit of cost-cutting as the ESPN New York programming moves to WHSQ 880, but along with that the reality that with the addition of the Mets, there’s not going to be much space for a local night show on the station now.)
Listeners to 98.7 heard a few seconds of static before midnight as audio sources were switched around at the Empire State Building and the station’s HD Radio signal was turned back on after many years – and then it was into “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon and the revelation that listeners were now hearing “TJ 98.7, a pop-up radio station.”
What’s that about? As the hot AC tunes began to spin (with a legal ID noting that the automation for the pop-up is coming from radio.cloud, which puts automation, yes, in the cloud, feeding it through an internet connection to an output device at the transmitter site), some clues began to emerge. What was longtime WINS news anchor Judy DeAngelis doing on the new station talking about her hometown of Westwood, New Jersey? And what’s the “special treat” arriving on 98.7 Tuesday morning after a commercial-free weekend?
Behold, the 2025 calendar!
We chose the 100,000-watt transmitter of the Voice Of America in Marathon, right in the heart of the Florida Keys. This picture has everything we like in our covers — blue skies, greenery, water, and of course, towers! The history behind this site is a draw, too.
Other months feature some of our favorite images from years past, including some Canadian stations and several stations celebrating their centennials (can you guess? you don’t have to if you buy the calendar!).
We will ship daily through Christmas Eve. Place your order now for immediate shipping!
This will be the 24th edition of the world-famous Tower Site Calendar, 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, 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… WBUR backs off local talk - EMF's expansion in NY, nationally - Rochester broadcasters honored - Russell finds new PA radio home - Remembering Bruce Stevens - The new calendar's here!
In this week’s issue… Remembering WNY's Palvino, Harris - Will King sell Bangor stations? - Kay moves earlier - New signal on LI - Cumulus cuts hit PA, New England - Frizzell sells in NH
In this week’s issue… Saluting a small-town radio vet - Bell moves CP24 - Scott heads west - Burlington gets Air 1, "Experimental Radio" - Family Life heads down I-86
In this week’s issue… NY TV anchor, radio historian both retiring - XPN PD to retire - More Cumulus cuts - Rogers sells FMs as Corus makes big talent cuts By SCOTT FYBUSH Jump to: ME - NH - VT - MA...
