NorthEast Radio Watch 9/11: Guy Gannett Sells TV

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

*We'll start with MAINE and Guy Gannett for a second week - and this
time it's broadcast-related, as the company sells its television
stations to Sinclair for $310 million in cash.

In the region, Sinclair gets CBS affiliate WGME-TV (Channel 13) Portland, 
ABC affiliate WGGB (Channel 40) Springfield MA, and ABC affiliate WOKR
(Channel 13) Rochester -- but because Sinclair already owns a TV
station in Rochester, Fox affiliate WUHF-TV (Channel 31), it's turning
around and selling WOKR, and not to Sinclair's partner company
Glencairn Broadcasting, either.  Instead, WOKR will be spun off to the
Ackerley Broadcast Group of Seattle, which is building quite a cluster
of ABC affiliates in upstate New York, including Syracuse's WIXT
(Channel 9), Binghamton's WIVT (Channel 34), and an LMA with Utica's
WUTR (Channel 20).  

Published reports in Portland say WGME's staff is nervous about the
sale, since Sinclair's David Smith has a reputation for cost-cutting.
At WOKR, the reaction is more that of relief, since Ackerley's
reputation in the region is a good one, and the alliance will give
WOKR access to WIXT's satellite truck and other toys.

Sinclair, meantime, also gets Guy Gannett's WICD (Channel 15)
Champaign IL, WICS (Channel 20) Springfield IL, KGAN (Channel 2) Cedar
Rapids IA, and WTWC (Channel 40) Tallahassee FL.

Elsewhere in Maine, we heard the debut Tuesday night of Al Weiner's
new WBCQ (7415 kHz) up in Monticello.  Their web presence at
http://theplanet.wbcq.net/ advertises air time for as little as $50 an
hour, and the new station will be home to ex-pirates Radio Newyork
International, among others.  Should be a fun listen...

Digital TV in the Pine Tree State: WPXT (Channel 51) and WPME (Channel
35) have applied for DTV construction permits, on channels 4 and 28,
respectively.

The Calvary Chapel/KAWZ folks have been granted a construction permit
for W218BD (91.5) in Southwest Harbor.

And we're told Bangor's WBGR-LP (Channel 33) is only a secondary Pax
TV affiliate, retaining its WB and Fox Sports affiliations as well.

*On we go, down to NEW HAMPSHIRE, where WXOD (98.7 Winchester) morning
co-host Sean Sullivan gets ready to move to crosstown country outlet
WYRY (104.9 Hinsdale) as operations manager, replacing Marc Cole, who
heads south for the sunnier skies of North Carolina.

That 87.9 pirate we mentioned last week?  It's not only being heard in
Nashua, but as far north as Manchester, too, with a schedule of
Wednesday and Sunday night operation.  One NERW reader suggests this
may be the same 87.9 that's heard in Westford, Mass. with lots of
music and no talk.

*In MASSACHUSETTS, WGBH has applied for DTV CPs for both its Boston
stations.  WGBH-TV (Channel 2) would be on 19; WGBX (Channel 44) would
add DTV on 43.

One-on-One Sports has a new Worcester affiliate.  The network is
dropping WWTM (1440) in favor of the "Twin Towers of Talk," WORC
(1310) and WGFP (940 Webster).  Its programming will be heard from 10
PM till 6 AM weekdays (and we bet those mighty four watts from WGFP
make it all the way to, oh, the south edge of route 16...) and all day
on weekends.

The tradition continues: The former radio columnist at the Boston
Globe must have left some helpful notes for her replacement; how else
would WGBH have appeared as "(90.7)" in Thursday's paper?  Doesn't
matter to us -- now that that other colorful paper is on the web
(www.bostonherald.com) we're spending more time reading Dean Johnson's
excellent reportage, including an article this week that displays
unusual insight into what Arbitron's really all about.  Insider stuff,
written for the public -- and THIS is Boston's number two paper?!?!?

*We'll start the CONNECTICUT news with a correction: As so very many
of you have helpfully pointed out, last week's mention that Bob and
Tom were returning to Hartford's WHCN was inaccurate.  A usually
reliable source led us astray; suffice it to say Indiana's favorite
morning duo won't be coming back to the Nutmeg State's airwaves any
time soon.

Buckley's growing again: the owner of WDRC (1360/102.9) Hartford, WWCO
(1240) Waterbury, and WSNG (610) Torrington is paying $630,000 for
WMMW (1470) in Meriden.  Will WDRC's standards replace the tropical
music here?  Wouldn't surprise us...

TV news: WTXX (Channel 20) Waterbury has a new on-air name, with
"Connecticut's 20" replacing "UPN20."  WTXX also picks up some
syndicated sitcoms and sports from sister station WTIC-TV (Channel
61).

*In NEW YORK, the long-testing WYUL (94.7 Chateaugay) may finally be
coming to life for real.  It's been heard testing with hits and liners
saying "Cornwall, get ready to say Yes" -- with the logical conclusion
being that a simulcast of co-owned satellite CHR WYSX (98.7
Ogdensburg) is in the works.  WYSX targets the cross-border Brockville
market; WYUL now seems to be aiming a bit closer within Canada, at
Cornwall instead of more distant Montreal.

While we're up north, we'll note that Ottawa's CJBZ (1200) dumped the
hits for sports on Tuesday, becoming "OSR 1200," with new calls
possibly on the way.  We'll also 'fess up to getting our Canadian
mega-groups mixed up.  It's Shaw, not Rogers, that's buying CHEZ,
CFMO, and CJET in Ottawa and Smiths Falls.

Back on this side of the line, the week's big news upstate was the
windstorm that tore across western and central New York early Monday
morning, killing two people at the state fairgrounds in Syracuse as it
went.  Syracuse's WIXT was without power for nine hours, but used its
satellite truck as a control room to originate news coverage until the
power came back around noon Monday.

In Rochester, the storm knocked out power to most stations, with WJZR
(105.9) and WDKX (103.9) about the only things on the air all night
Sunday into Monday.  Most everyone else was back on the air Monday
morning, with CBS's WRMM (101.3), religious WWWG (1460), and noncomm
WBER (90.5) notable exceptions.  WRMM and WBER were back later Monday
(although the CBS studios were running on generator power until
Tuesday), while WWWG was silent until Wednesday afternoon.  Also
affected in the area: WASB (1590) in hard-hit Brockport was still
silent as of Thursday afternoon, Newark's WACK (1420) was off on
Monday and Tuesday, and Sodus' WNNR (103.5) was running a dead carrier
on Monday.  Two curiosities: Jacor's WNVE (95.1 South Bristol) lost
its satellite feed of Howard Stern on Monday and was running the show
over a phone line (and at times, was running translator W238AB
Rochester WITHOUT the primary being on the air), while Jacor
sports-talker WHTK (1280) was simulcasting big brother WHAM (1180)
Monday and early Tuesday -- without ever mentioning the simulcast, or
even giving WHTK's legal ID, on the air.

Rochester public radio WXXI (1370) has a new news director.  He's
Flower City native Peter Iglinski, formerly with WSKG (89.3)
Binghamton.

One more Rochester note: Pax TV is now on cable here, with an
unannounced addition to Time Warner's lineup on former PPV channel 71.

A quick trip to Elmira last Sunday found WLNL (1000 Horseheads) off
the air, and still no sign of former WLNL sister WMKB (96.9 Ridgebury
PA) either.  And when we tuned in W228AT at 93.5 in Elmira, we found
it had a new primary -- no more WNGZ (104.9 Montour Falls); now it's
WNKI (106.1 Corning).  WNGZ' other translator, W228AS (93.5 Corning),
is silent.

Syracuse's top-rated country station, WBBS (104.7 Fulton), is losing
its program director.  Tom Fridley heads to Columbus, Ohio, and WCOL
(92.3).

Last -- and least -- the WPCS folks from Florida have applied for an
88.1 translator in Middletown.

*That's it for this week; see you next Friday!

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

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