NorthEast Radio Watch 4/2: The Big Get...Smaller

[fybush@world.std.com (Scott D Fybush)]

*What's the most powerful government agency involved with broadcasting
today?  Give yourself a point if you said the Justice Department.
This week, DOJ antitrust inquiries prompted CBS to agree to spin off
most of the Boston properties it's buying from ARS, and killed SFX's
plans for Long Island expansion.  Let's go to the scoreboard:

The Justice Department gave CBS the go-ahead on Tuesday to buy
American Radio System -- but with the condition that it stay below the
40% revenue limit in every market it's in.  Boston would have been the
biggest offender, with CBS/ARS taking in 59 percent of the market's
revenue.  Also at issue were St. Louis (49%) and Baltimore (46%).  

In Boston, CBS must now find buyers for talker WRKO (680), sports WEEI
(850), classic rock WEGQ (93.7 Lawrence), and rocker WAAF (107.3
Worcester), leaving only modern AC WBMX (98.5) and WAAF simulcast WNFT
(1150) to join CBS's existing group of news-talk WBZ (1030), classic
rock WZLX (100.7), oldies WODS (103.3), and modern rock WBCN (104.1).  
(It appears CBS also gets to keep sports WWTM 1440 in Worcester,
although that station is largely a simulcast of WEEI and has always
been co-owned with WAAF, so NERW expects it will get spun off as
well.)

So what's next for the ex-ARS group?  Whenever powerful AMs are
involved, it's safe to speculate Randy Michaels and Jacor will be
interested, especially since New England is one of the only parts of
the country with no Jacor presence.  Another potential buyer is
Chancellor, whose Boston group of CHR WXKS-FM (107.9 Medford), urban
CHR WJMN (94.5), and business/standards WXKS (1430 Everett) is
beginning to look small by comparison with the CBS and Greater Media
mega-groups -- although past relations between CBS and Chancellor have
been downright frosty, making this deal a little less likely.  NERW's
also heard rumblings about ARS' former leadership team buying back
their ertswhile flagship stations from CBS.  Dark horses?  Just look
at some of the big groups with no Boston outlets -- Emmis (which once
onwed WCDJ, now WSJZ, 96.9), Cox, Clear Channel, Entercom, maybe even
Disney/ABC...

By the way, if you're keeping track, the other properties CBS will
have to divest are St. Louis' KSD-FM (93.7) and KLOU (103.3, one of
the original CBS stations as KMOX-FM, and now being spun from CBS for
the second time) and Baltimore's WOCT (104.3).  Northeast stations
included in the ARS purchase: Hartford news-talk WTIC (1080), CHR
WTIC-FM (96.5), AC WRCH (100.5 New Britain), and classic rock WZMX
(93.7); Rochester CHR WPXY (97.9), rocker WCMF (96.5), AC WRMM
(101.3), and modern AC WZNE (94.1 Brighton); and Buffalo country WYRK
(106.5), AC WJYE (96.1), urban WBLK (93.7 Depew), modern AC WLCE
(92.9), and standards WECK (1230 Cheektowaga).

The final hurdle for the CBS/ARS deal will be FCC approval, which
should be a good test of just how serious the new Commission is about
attacking radio consolidation.

*DOJ, part II: Hicks, Muse's Capstar and Chancellor groups are
slimming down in the New York market.  Unable to win Justice approval
for its proposed purchase of SFX's Long Island group, Capstar is
spinning rockers WBAB (102.3 Babylon) and WHFM (95.3 Southampton), CHR
WBLI (106.1 Patchogue), and talk/gospel WGBB (1240 Freeport) to Cox for
$48 million.  Cox has no Long Island properties...but it does own the
powerful "Star 99.9," WEZN Bridgeport, just across Long Island Sound
in Connecticut.  Capstar keeps AC WALK-FM (97.5 Patchogue) and soft AC
WALK (1370 East Patchogue, which had been simulcasting part-time on
WGBB), as well as Chancellor's Big Apple group of WLTW (106.7), WBIX
(105.1), WAXQ (104.3), WKTU (103.5 Lake Success), and WHTZ (100.3
Newark NJ).  

Also being spun is Capstar's group in Westchester County, New York,
and Fairfield County, Connecticut.  Frank Washington will pay $15
million to pick up rocker WRKI (95.1 Brookfield CT), oldies WAXB
(105.5 Patterson NY), country WINE (940 Brookfield) and WPUT (1510
Brewster), AC WFAS-FM (103.9 White Plains NY), news/talk WFAS (1230
White Plains), and smooth jazz WZZN (106.3 Mt. Kisco NY).  It looks
like Capstar is keeping oldies WKHL (96.7 Stamford), classic rock WEFX
(95.9 Norwalk), and news/talk simulcast WSTC (1400 Stamford) and WNLK
(1350 Norwalk).

*Don't blink...there's more: Maine's biggest homegrown broadcast group
is up for sale.  The family owners of Guy Gannett announced this week
that the company will be sold, which means new owners will be on the
way for Portland CBS affiliate WGME (Channel 13), Springfield (MA) ABC
affiliate WGGB (Channel 40), Rochester ABC affiliate WOKR (Channel
13), TV stations in Illinois, Iowa, and Florida, and three daily
newspapers in Maine, including the flagship Portland Press Herald.
The sale will bring an end to the Press Herald/WGME cross-ownership,
which has existed since the TV station was founded (as WGAN-TV) in
1954.  Rumored buyers for the newspapers include the New York Times
Co., Tribune, and Gannett (which is not related to Guy Gannett -- but
which would have to sell WCSH, the Portland TV property it just bought
a few months ago).

*And still more sales: Capstar's growing in Vermont, with the $5.25
million purchase of Burlington-market classic rocker WCPV (101.3 Essex
NY), sports-talker WXPS (96.7 Vergennes), and an LMA with WXPS
simulcast WEAV (960 Plattsburgh NY).   They'll join AC WEZF (92.9)
under the Capstar umbrella in the Champlain Valley.  Just to the
south, Bently Broadcasting parts with WFAD (1490 Middlebury) for
$115,000, to new owner Kathryn Messner.  In the Berkshires, WNGN (97.5
Hoosick Falls NY) is likely to lose its religious format soon, as
Auritaur Broadcasting buys the station from Brian Larson.  Auritaur
owns CHR WBEC-FM (105.5) and talk WBEC (1420) in Pittsfield, Mass.

*It must have been the unseasonably warm weekend...there's plenty more
news this week as we head into our state-by-state rundown:

*The big buzz in MASSACHUSETTS is about an impending redefinition of
Arbitron's Boston market.  Broadcasters in the Hub have been pressing
for years to get their metro expanded before it shrinks out of the top
ten -- and now it looks like they're getting their wish.  More next
week...

Up in the Merrimack Valley, the ink's just drying on the $400,000 (or
thereabouts) sale of Curt Gowdy's WCCM (800 Lawrence) to Costa/Eagle
Broadcasting.  WCCM is now running 24 hours, with Bloomberg business
news filling up the overnights, and we hear a move from the old studio
at 33 Franklin Street is imminent.  When WCCM arrives at the
Costa/Eagle building in Methuen, it may end up swapping facilities
with another Costa/Eagle station, Spanish tropical WNNW (1110 Salem
NH).  We also hear that WCCM's standards format is giving way to AC,
and perhaps to straight news-talk when/if the English-language
programming moves to 1110.  And the Haverhill Gazette reports veteran
morning host Bruce Arnold won't stay with WCCM under the new owners.

Bradley Jay is back at WBCN.  The station's former midday guy has
rejoined the modern rocker to do evenings.

Pirates?  Plenty of 'em this week...NERW's loyal listeners in the
Lawrence area are still hearing Spanish-language signals on 1620 and
1700 kHz.  In Groton, we're told the "WZEB" on 100.1 emanates from the
prep school there.  And there's an 89.3 being heard in the Mission
Hill neighborhood of Boston.

A programming note: "Let's Talk About Radio," Boston's only radio show
about radio, will be heard half an hour earlier starting next Sunday.
Listen for LTAR at 11:30 on WJIB (740) in Cambridge.

*Lots of news from NEW HAMPSHIRE this week, starting with a format
change in the Upper Valley, as "The Valley's AM" becomes "Sports
Radio" on the simulcast of WTSV (1230 Claremont) and WNHV (910 White
River Junction VT).  Nothing local, just satellite...

Radio people on the move: Jonathan Smith has departed his evening gig
on rocker WHEB (100.3 Portsmouth) to move crosstown to classic rock
simulcast WXBB (105.3 Kittery ME)/WXBP (102.1 Hampton), where he's
co-hosting the morning show with Josh Judge.  Tom Larson, ex-PD of AC
WBYY (98.7 Somersworth), is now working for Scott Studios, where his
first assignment was to install equipment at, yep, WBYY.  Jean
Fairbanks moves from the newsroom at WKNE AM-FM (1290/103.7) in Keene
to Metro Networks, and we're told sales manager Ken Hoffman is the
latest WGIR employee to lose his job.

Speaking of jobs, Allan Sprague from the NH Association of
Broadcasters checked in to tell us about that organization's job
bank.  Find it at www.nhab.org, along with a sister site for
Massachusetts at www.massbroadcasters.org.

*Ba-ba-booey: It's Stern time in VERMONT, as WIZN (106.7 Vergennes)
picks up Howard's show.  NERW is curious about how many
Burlington-area listeners have been tuning in from across the border
since Montreal's CHOM (97.7) added Stern a few months back.

An apology, by the way, to Burlington oldies outlet WKOL (105.1
Plattsburgh), which is *not* automated as we suggested last week.

*In CONNECTICUT, Monroe's WMNR wants to add another outlet to its
growing classical-music network; it's applied for a 91.9 translator in
Southington to relay WGRS (91.5 Guilford), which in turn relays WMNR.
You might recall that 91.9 was the frequency Idaho's KAWZ was recently
denied for a Meriden, Connecticut (or was that Meridian, Mississippi?)
translator -- and that one of the petitions to deny came from WMNR.

Radio people on the move: Matt Zako leaves nights at WRKI (95.1
Brookfield) for a new gig with the Speedvision cable network.  News
director Greg Little keeps his title but moves from Waterbury's WATR
(1320) to Hamden's WQUN (1220).  WATR sports director Jim Sennich
takes over morning news duties there.  And congratulations to WKCI
(101.3 Hamden) PM driver Michael Maze and salesperson Michele Lin --
we're told they tied the knot last weekend.  

It's time for baseball -- and thanks to Marc Bramhall for updating us
on where to find the Nutmeg State's teams on the dial.  WNTY (990) in
Southington is where you'll find the New Britain Hardware City Rock
Cats, while the New Haven Ravens will be heard all season long on WAVZ
(1300), along with WLIS (1420 Old Saybrook) and WMRD (1150
Middletown), with Friday night games also going out on WELI
(960).  More baseball flagship stations next week; we'll be busy in
the meantime pulling the "1997 Governor's Cup Champions" T-shirts out
of the drawer for the Rochester Red Wings' home opener in just a week
or so...

*A lot of radio people on the move in NEW YORK this week...we'll take
'em from west to east, beginning with Rochester's WHAM, which parted
ways with news director Brad Smith earlier this week.  No replacement
has been named.  As Cortland's WIII (99.9) slides into a classic rock
format, it's lost morning jock Captain John Smith.  He's moved up I-81
to Syracuse to do production at WWHT ("Hot" 107.9) and weekends at
WYYY (94.5), while "I-100" PD Dave Ashton takes over in mornings.
Syracuse's WSTM (Channel 3) has named Mike Crew its new news
director, replacing Mark Carros, now at WJAC (Channel 6) Johnstown PA. 
Veteran news director Don Decker retired from Albany's WTEN (Channel
10) this week, with executive producer Rob Puglisi taking over the big
job, while down the Hudson Valley, WDST (100.1 Woodstock)
PD/morning host Nic Harcourt departs for a AAA dream job, as music
director of influential noncomm KCRW (89.9 Santa Monica) in the Los
Angeles market.  Harcourt also replaces Chris Douridas as host of
"Morning Becomes Eclectic" at KCRW, while continuing to consult WDST
from the Left Coast.  Ops manager Jimmy Buff moves from afternoons to
mornings and replaces Harcourt as PD.  Further down the river,
Marshall Stevenson leaves WRKL (910 New City) for a
new news gig at WLNA (1420) and WHUD (100.7) in Peekskill.

There's a new station on the air way up north in Ogdensburg.  WZEA
(98.7) signed on this week, playing a loop of CHR music with the
slogan "Continuous Hit Music, the all new Zed 98-7."  NERW thinks this
one just *might* be aimed at the Canadian market, though we're not
quite sure what gives us that hunch.  WZEA and the other Tim Martz
stations in Ogdensburg have also just moved into new studios.

While we're in the St. Lawrence Valley, let's welcome the newest
oldies station up there.  Country WLKC (100.7 Henderson) has been
replaced by "Fun Radio" WOTT, reviving the calls that were last heard
on AM 1410 in the Watertown market a few years ago.

Saranac Lake's WNBZ (1240) and WSLK (100.9) are being sold by WNBZ,
Inc. to Saranac Lake Radio.

Geneva's WFLK (101.7) has apparently abandoned its plans to move to
the tower of quasi-sister station WNYR (98.5 Waterloo), some eight 
miles southeast of town at the intersection of routes 96 and 336.  

In Binghamton, it's been just a month or so since Majac was granted
the CP for 107.5 in Endwell -- and already we're hearing it's planning
a country format with the nickname "B107-5," no doubt a bid to shave a
few ratings point off market monster WHWK (98.1), which almost by
itself helps owner Wicks to an amazing 60-plus percent of Binghamton
radio revenue.  NERW heard nothing yet on 107.5 when we passed through
last weekend -- but we did note Owego's 101.7 using the new WLTB
calls, and Conklin's WCDW (100.5) running modern AC with no legals at
all that we heard, just a stolen-right-outta-Philly "CD 100.5 knows
music" a few minutes past the hour.  And since it was dark when we
passed through in each direction, we didn't get to hear the new modern
rock format on WEBO (1330) in Owego.

We mourn two Empire State broadcasters who have passed away recently.
Bernie Meltzer was 81 (according to most accounts, anyway), and until
his retirement in 1991 was the host of WOR's "What's Your Problem"
talk show.  And Danny Fusco, who died earlier this month at 76, was
the founder of WBVM (1550) in Utica back in 1961.  He and his brother
sold the station (whose calls stood for "Blessed Virgin Mary") in
1978, and after consulting for a few years, he returned to radio in 1984 as
morning host at 1550, now known as WUTQ.  Earlier, Fusco had worked at
Rome's WKAL (1450, now WFRG) and Utica's WRUN.  WUTQ broadcast Fusco's
entire memorial service live, in place of the morning show.

In a stellar demonstration of "public interest, convenience, and
necessity," radio listeners in lower Westchester county will soon have
a harder time hearing the uniquely diverse programming of WPKN (89.5
Bridgeport CT) -- all so they can hear the satellite-delivered
religion of KGNZ (88.1) Abilene, Texas.  KGNZ's owner, the Christian
Broadcasting Company, has been granted an 89.7 translator, W209BB, in
Port Chester, over the objections of WPKN.  NERW would like to restate
our strong editorial conviction that the FCC is already several years
too late to do what should have happened years ago -- call a freeze on
noncomm translator applications while it studies how to close the
loophole that's allowing de facto LPFM operation -- but only if
there's NO local content.  And we reiterate: this is not an editorial
stance against religious radio, per se, but a call to end the
wholesale abuse of a loophole (satellite delivery of audio to
translators) that was meant only to aid statewide public radio
networks in sparsely-populated Western states.  Okay, back off the
soapbox...