NorthEast Radio Watch 9/4: One Shoe Drops in Maine...

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

*We'll start this week with the one state that's had any sale action
- -- MAINE.  But the big sale in the Pine Tree State doesn't involve any
broadcast properties, yet.  Guy Gannett agreed on Tuesday to sell its
newspapers and other non-broadcast assets (the Portland Press-Herald,
Maine Sunday Telegram, Waterville's Central Maine Morning Sentinel,
and Augusta's Kennebec Journal) to the Seattle Times.  And that leaves
some nervous employees at the Guy Gannett TV operations around the
region -- Portland's WGME (Channel 13), Springfield's WGGB (Channel
40), and Rochester's WOKR (Channel 13) -- as they await word on who
THEIR next owner will be.

Back in radio-land, WQSS (102.5 Camden) is being sold to Gopher Hill
Broadcasting, the folks who own Bangor's WABI (910) and WWBX (97.1).
The new owners say they have no plans to tamper with "Coast 102"'s
soft rock format or sports play-by-play (Sox, Celtics, Patriots).

Pax TV has signed an affiliate in the Bangor market; WBGR-LP (Channel
33) will carry the new network's family programming.  Still no sign of
Waterville's Channel 23 -- but in preparation, the FCC has cancelled
the licenses and calls of W23BO and W30BP in Lewiston.

Sanford's WCDQ (92.1) is finally back to full power, half a year after
the ice storm that nearly silenced it, but without its longtime
GM/PD.  Russ Dumont left the station in July to pursue a more
lucrative career in the financial industry; we wish him well.

Some personnel moves at Saga's Portland stations: Don Mattsen is out
as PD of oldies WYNZ (100.9 Westbrook); so is afternoon driver/music
director/asst. PD Doug Erickson of WMGX (93.1).  He's moving to
Florida to run a few stations in the Panama City market, and Ethan
Minton will replace him.

And WCME (96.7 Boothbay Harbor) has been silent for a few days with
transmitter problems.  

*In the rest of northern New England, there's not much news to
report.  We hear Jack Casey's returned to the airwaves of WBYY (98.7)
in Somersworth, NEW HAMPSHIRE.  And a listener in the Nashua area has
been hearing an 87.9 pirate playing nothing but music, which sounds
awfully reminiscent of the one that was widely heard last year in
nearby Westford, Mass.  

In VERMONT, translators are the big news, with WNGN (91.9 Argyle NY)
getting a license to cover for its 98.5 in Bennington, W253AF, and the
Educational Media Foundation applying for 90.5 in Burlington to relay
its KLOV from Oregon.

M Street reports WCFR (1480 Springfield) has changed formats from
adult standards to business news.

*Imagine MASSACHUSETTS without Joe Martelle -- or Joe Martelle outside
Massachusetts.  After 17 years, it's about to happen.  The veteran of
two incarnations of WROR has taken a job doing mornings at Houston
oldies outlet KLDE (94.5).

Howard Stern is adding another Bay State outlet, Cape Cod's WPXC
(102.9 Hyannis).  So what about R.J. Makkay, recently hired to be
"Pixy 103"'s morning guy?  He's going to sister station WCIB (101.9
Falmouth) instead, replacing Doug Frye and Mina Greene.  He'll also
serve as PD for WCIB.

WNSH (1570 Beverly) is back on the air, six weeks after a lightning
strike fried its old transmitter.

Steve Provizer, the former proprietor of Radio Free Allston, is
getting back in the community media game.  He's founding a group
called the "Citizens' Media Corps," with the purpose of "bringing
direct media access to the people of Boston."  CMC's first meeting
will take place September 24 at the Jackson-Mann School in Allston.

Call change: Webster's WXXW-FM (98.9) has applied to become WORC-FM,
matching its new sister station on 1310 in Worcester.

Boston may move to the Herald, but WBCN afternoon jock Nik Carter
certainly doesn't.  Herald publisher Pat Purcell was a guest on
Carter's show this week, ostensibly to promote the paper's redesign.
Instead, the two ended up in an on-air spat about the Herald's
coverage of racial and gay issues, leading to the Herald's decision to
pull some $200,000 in advertising from WBCN.  Carter says Purcell knew
what to expect when he came on the show; the Herald's folks say
Purcell was ambushed.

*In CONNECTICUT this week, the changes continue on WHCN (105.9
Hartford), with the addition of the syndicated Bob and Tom Show in
morning drive.  Our apologies, by the way, to PD Peter Delloro for
misspelling his name last week...

Storm N. Norman has been fired as PD and afternoon jock at WEFX (95.9
Norwalk), and his wife, traffic reporter Anne Rondepierre, is out as
well.  Norman has already resurfaced, though, filling in at WICC (600)
in Bridgeport.  He was PD at WICC's sister station, WEBE (107.9
Westport), in the late 80s and early 90s.  Ralph Tortoro, formerly
with Long Island's WRCN, takes Norman's place at "the Fox."

Danbury's WLAD (800) adds Rush Limbaugh from noon to 3, now that
WABC's territorial exclusivity for the show has been reduced.

A call change for Paxson's WIPX (Channel 43) in Bridgeport: It's now
WBPT.  NERW isn't sure this one is part of the new Pax TV network.
WHCT (Channel 18) in Hartford is NOT carrying Pax programs; WHPX
(Channel 26) New London is serving as the Pax affiliate for Hartford.
WHCT is running Worship Network programs, Shop at Home, and Red Sox games
that conflict with the WBNE (Channel 59 New Haven) schedule.

*We'll start our NEW YORK news with a rare TV call change: Watertown
PBS affiliate WNPE-TV (Channel 16) is changing its identity.  The
station is paying $5,000 to WPBS (1050) in Conyers, Georgia for the
right to become WPBS-TV, calls the station began using on September 1.

WNPE's other transmitter, on Channel 18 in Norwood, remains WNPI, with
a one-line ID at the bottom of the screen identifying it as such.

Two other call changes: AM 1190 in Cobleskill moves from WLAL to WXBH,
and William H. Walker's new 102.1 in Jeffersonville is assigned WWHW.

No new FM in Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Salvation Radio Corporation;
its application for 91.9 has been returned.  Meantime, there's a
second applicant for 88.1 in Montgomery (a small hamlet along I-84
between Newburgh and Middletown).  The latest applicant for 10 watts
on the frequency is "Montgomery NYC Broadcasting."

In Western New York, WNUC (107.7 Wethersfield) has applied to boost
power from 11.5 kW non-directional to 18 kW with a directional
antenna.  It'll improve WNUC's signal to the east; the signal towards
the west (and WNUC's primary market of Buffalo) can't get any stronger
because of adjacent-channel CING (107.9 Burlington ON) and the 107.5
allocation at Welland ON.

Wish we'd heard this one: After the release of the latest Arbitrends,
WCMF (96.5 Rochester) morning guy Brother Wease reportedly took a call
Monday morning from Erick "E-Man" Anderson, PD of rival modern rocker
(and Stern affiliate) WNVE (95.1 South Bristol, or is that Honeoye
Falls?).  Took a call, that is, on the air.  Nasty language reportedly
flew...but the tape has apparently disappeared from the WCMF studios.
Wonder why...

Another new affiliate for Bob and Tom: The Indiana-based duo pick up
mornings at WNGZ (104.9 Montour Falls) in the Elmira market.  While
we're in the market, we note the FCC has approved Family Life Radio's
88.3 translator in Corning.  W202BN will relay WCIH (90.3 Elmira).

And Syracuse-based Mars Hill wants to add a fourth station to its
religious network.  The broadcaster has applied for 90.1 in Malone.

Just over the borders: 

Ottawa's CHEZ (106.1) and sister stations CFMO (101.1) and CJET (630)
in Smiths Falls are being sold to Shaw for a reported C$15 million.
Shaw already owns country CKBY (105.3) and oldies CIWW (1310) in
Ottawa.

Another CBC retirement: Max Ferguson does his last broadcast Saturday
morning on CBC Radio Two, ending a 52 year career that started out in
the Maritimes, quickly went national with the "Rawhide" show, and has
continued ever since.  With the end of Ferguson's show come some other
schedule changes at Radio Two, including the end of "Stereo Morning."
See the new schedule at http://www.radio.cbc.ca for all the details.

Down in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, we hear the WILK news-talk network,
based at WILK (980 Wilkes-Barre), is about to add two FMs to its four
AM outlets.  WWSH (102.3 Pittston) and WWFH (103.1 Freeland) will
reportedly dump their satellite AC format for a WILK simulcast later
this month.

*The FCC released a list this week of mutually-exclusive LPTV
displacement applications.  They include:

WNGN-LP, WVBX-LP, W14AZ - all for 47 in Troy or Glens Falls
WKOB-LP and WLBX-LP - for 48 in New York or Elizabeth, N.J.
WNYA-LP and WLIG-LP - both for 19 on Long Island
W63BM for 35 in Rochester, WBXO-LP for 36 in Rochester, W69CS for 36
in Buffalo
W47AD, WHTX-LP, WRDM-LP - all for 28 in Hartford
W05CF and W11BJ - both for 16 in Hartford
W54CN and WCEA-LP - both for 40 in Boston
W28CA and W49BE - both for 65, in Bridgeport CT and Hackettstown NJ,
respectively (and why are THESE mutually exclusive, anyway?)

Stations have 90 days to negotiate amongst themselves to clear up the
disputed channels.  If they can't reach an agreement, the channels
will be put up for competitive bidding.

*And that's it for this week.  Please note that, at least for the
next few months, NERW is shifting to a Friday publication date to
better fit in with the Sunday-Thursday "day job."  So...we'll see you
next Friday!

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

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