NorthEast Radio Watch 7/18: Lobel Leaves BZ Radio

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

*Can you say "rat's ass" on the radio in Boston?  It's a safe bet that
the folks at CBS-owned WBCN (104.1) wouldn't give a you-know-what if
Howard Stern used the phrase in the morning -- but it was enough to
end Bob Lobel's career on the radio side of (also CBS-owned) WBZ last Sunday.

The WBZ-TV (Channel 4) sportscaster was hosting his weekly call-in
show with Upton Bell when prolific caller "Butch from the Cape" dialed
up to offer his comments about the World Cup, including the
observation that most native-born Americans probably don't give a --
yes, that phrase -- about the competition.

Within seconds, the "batphone" at 1170 Soldiers Field was ringing, as
program director Peter Casey ordered "Butch" to be cut off the air.
And that was all it took for Lobel to leave the show.  

In following days, both sides of the controversy took to the pages of
Boston newspapers (and to the mailing list associated with NERW) to
make their cases.  Lobel says he was "censored," while Casey argues
that WBZ is a family radio station that shouldn't tolerate the use of
such language on the air.

In any event, Lobel and Bell have been replaced with Steve DeOssie and
Dan Roche for the time being, and "Butch" says he's taken WBZ off his
speed-dial.  As for us here at NERW, we'll keep you updated if we
decide we give a -- oh, never mind!

*In other news from around MASSACHUSETTS, Lobel won't have new boss on
the TV side of WBZ after all.  Former WHDH-TV (Channel 7) head honcho
Joel Cheatwood tells the Boston Herald that talks to bring him to WBZ
have broken off.  Cheatwood will remain in Chicago for now, working in
a corporate capacity for NBC.  Another Cheatwood protege, Peggy
Phillip, also won't be moving in at WBZ. Phillip had accepted a job as
assistant news director, but changed her mind last week to take a news
director job down South instead.

Could Entercom become the new owner of WRKO, WEEI, WEGQ, and WAAF?
The radio trades were abuzz this week with rumors that CBS may swap
the stations to Entercom, which has no Boston presence right now.
Meantime at WBMX (98.5), the only ARS station CBS *is* keeping in
Boston, APD/MD Michelle Engel departs for a PD gig out West at CBS's
KBBT in Portland.

Lowell may soon be home to a 24-hour Portuguese station, albeit
without a license.  We're hearing rumors that a "WKNM" will start
broadcasting August 2 at 1570 kHz.  

Wish we could have made it to Wood Hill in Andover on Wednesday, the
day the new WKLB-FM (99.5 Lowell) antenna was airlifted into place
atop the station's new tower...

Moving west, Grandbill Inc. is transferring 51% of WRNX (100.9) and
WTTT (1430) in Amherst to Thomas Davis' "RNX Radio" for $625,000.  And
clarifying a news item from last week, Jeff Shapiro's Southbridge
Radio is not acquiring WESO (970 Southbridge) or WARE (1250 Ware).
Their current owner, Eastern Media, has put the AMs up for sale.
Shapiro is buying Eastern's Southbridge FM, WQVR (100.1), for a
reported $2,375,000.

And a correction: As many of you reminded us, Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg
*did* work at WRKO (680), but not for very long.  When 'RKO went
top-40 in 1967, they hired the Woo away from WMEX (1510) -- but the
Richmond brothers quickly enforced their non-compete arrangement with
Ginsburg, who then remained off the air for seven years in Boston.

*One big piece of news in MAINE this week, as Mariner Broadcasting
completes its set of the Pine Tree State's classical outlets, with the
purchase of WAVX (106.9 Thomaston) from Jon LeVeen.  Mariner put WBQQ
(99.3 Kennebunk) on the air a few years back, and just took over WPKM
(106.3 Scarborough), flipping it to WBQW and a simulcast of "W-Bach."
LeVeen tells NERW he's not sure whether Mariner will continue
originating programming at WAVX, or whether it will become a third
simulcast.  

One question still unanswered: what will become of WBYA (101.7
Searsport), the station WAVX was LMA'ing as a simulcast to reach the
Bangor, Ellsworth, and Mt. Desert Island areas.

*In NEW HAMPSHIRE, more veteran newscasters have left Dover's WTSN
(1270).  Don Briand, a quarter-century veteran of WTSN, will start his
new job just down the street at WOKQ (97.5) on August 3.  Also leaving
is John Graham, who did his last WTSN newscast on Wednesday.

Manchester's WRND (91.7) left the airwaves earlier this year, so we
can only assume that its application for license renewal means Notre
Dame Academy still hopes to sell the dark station.

The "Morning News" is gone at WKNE (1290) in Keene and WKVT (1490) in
Brattleboro, Vermont.  Anchor Steve Zirlen did his last show July 11
before beginning a new career in radio sales.  The stations are now
running Doug Stephan's syndicated "Good Day USA" instead.

*Bowing to what we're sure was massive pressure to take its
brokered-talk format nationwide, WALE (990) in Providence, RHODE
ISLAND is now being heard in Arizona as well.  Owner Francis Battaglia
just bought KCCF (1100 Cave Creek), and as of this week, the
Phoenix-market signal has flipped from adult standards
(locally-programmed, no less) to WALE's "Renaissance Radio" mixture of
UFO talk, health nostrums, and offbeat politics.  We hear much of the
programming is coming to KCCF by ordinary phone lines.  

*A small bit of VERMONT news: W253AF (98.5 Bennington) is on the air,
simulcasting religious WNGX (91.9 Argyle NY).

*A tall bit of CONNECTICUT news: The Zoning Board of Appeals in Hamden
approved WKCI (101.3)'s application for a new tower by a 4-1 vote.
WKCI is being kicked off the Gaylord Mountain tower of WTNH
(Channel 8), and wants to build a 625-foot tower of its own just down
the road.  The application must still be approved by the town's
Planning and Zoning Commission later this fall.

*A pair of Albany, NEW YORK morning jocks are back on the air at WFLY
(92.3 Troy) after apologizing for a stunt they pulled Wednesday
morning.  When First Lady Hillary Clinton was touring the area, she
was greeted by a plane flying a WFLY banner with the message, "Who's
Watching Bill?"  PD Rob Dawes suspended the morning team of Wood and
Jim for a day until they apologized.

Rochester's CBS stations, WCMF (96.5), WPXY (97.9), WRMM (101.3), and
WZNE (94.1 Brighton), will move out of their current home next year.
The stations are in rented space in the suburb of Henrietta, awkwardly
split between two floors of a facility originally designed for just
two stations.  They'll move into the Marine Midland Center downtown,
in a space about twice the size of the current one.  For those keeping
score: this will be the fifth WPXY studio location in a decade.

Buffalo's PD shuffle continues, as Rich Wall is promoted from APD/MD
at WEDG (103.3) to the vacant PD chair.  Dave Universal makes the same
move at WKSE (98.5 Niagara Falls), just 11 years after starting at
Kiss as an intern.  And our apologies to Dave Gillen of WMJQ for
calling him "Gillis" last week -- sometimes even we can't read our own
handwriting.

In the Southern Tier, Wellsville's WLSV (790) and WJQZ (103.5) filed
with the FCC to transfer ownership from Erin Communications to DBM
Communications.

Call letter changes: WMKB (96.9 Ridgebury PA) in the Elmira market
will become WMTT under its new owner, WDBA (107.3 Du Bois).  The WMTT
calls were last heard in the region on 100.5 in Conklin NY, now WCDW,
when it was simulcasting "The Met" classic rock format with WPHD (94.7
Tioga PA) in the Elmira market.  And Lyle Robert Evans' new 94.1 in
Old Forge will be WDLS, calls last seen on 93.7 in Dallas PA.

A few more North Country tidbits from our loyal correspondents up that
way: Malone's WICY (1490) has moved from AC to oldies, local in the
morning and satellite thereafter.  WYUL (94.7 Chateaugay) was still
off the air last week.  And on the TV side, Watertown's WBQZ-LP
(Channel 34) will add UPN programming beginning August 10.

And we'll close with a Canadian note: Talk host Charles Adler, still
remembered by many Bostonians from his stint a few years back at WRKO
and WABU-TV, is leaving CFRB (1010 Toronto) for a new gig in Winnipeg.

*That's it for this week's slightly-belated edition; we'll be back on
Thursday with ratings, a few nifty websites (aerial views of your
favorite tower sites?  you bet!) and more.

- -=Scott Fybush - NorthEast Radio Watch - (c) 1998=-

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