NorthEast Radio Watch 10/1: WNNZ Sold to Clear Channel

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

*NERW comes to you one day early this week, because we're on the road
for our Connecticut get-together this Saturday (read on for details),
as well as checking out radio dials everywhere from Johnstown, New
York to Sharon, Connecticut to Pittsfield, Mass. to Rutland, Vermont.
Read all about it next week!

*On with the week's news, and the biggie is another station sale in
MASSACHUSETTS.  This time out, it's Clear Channel taking possession of
the major competitor to its news-talk WHYN (560) in Springfield.

Eleven years after signing the station on, Curt and Cele Hahn are
selling their WNNZ (640 Westfield) to Lowry Mays' big group, which
also owns WHYN-FM (93.1) in Springfield.  No word yet on potential
changes to the 50-kilowatt (by day, anyway) talker, which was the last
major locally-owned radio station in Hampden County.

WNNZ is the descendant of the old 1570 in Westfield, which was WDEW
and WLDM at various times.  Hahn bought out two competing applicants
for the 640 channel before signing it on in July 1987.  He points out
that it's only appropriate that a company called "Clear Channel"
should have a station on one of the two CONELRAD clear channels - 640
and 1240.  

Staying in Western Massachusetts for a moment, we note that WMNB
(100.1 North Adams) has applied to boost power from 1200 to 1300
watts.  (We also note that at least one on-line directory still gets
the broadcast WMNB in North Adams mixed up with the subcarrier-only
Russian broadcaster by the same name that happens to be listed in the
Boston phone book.  "MNB," of course, are the Cyrillic letters for
"Mir," the Russian word for peace.  Barring some really good trop, I
don't think North Adams' WMNB gets into Boston much...)

In Boston, the big news is on the TV side, as Stu Tauber resigns after
a two-decade stint as general manager of WSBK (Channel 38), effective
January 1, 1999.  Tauber's departure is just one of the changes at
UPN38 -- it's also cancelling its 10PM newscast that's produced by New
England Cable News, effective October 4.  The stated reason is a
change of focus, with sports and entertainment taking precedence over
news.  NECN will continue to produce news inserts to run during Bruins
games.  (NERW notes that the channel 38 newscast has never been a
serious ratings threat to WLVI or WFXT).  

WLVI, meanwhile, has expanded its Saturday newscast to a full hour.

WBUR (90.9) will increase its local news commitment in a big way on
Monday, with the debut of the hour-long "Hear and Now" at noon.  The
weekday show will be hosted by Tovia Smith and Bruce Gellerman, with a
full-time staff of six.  And which Boston newspaper called WBUR "99.9"
this time?  Believe it or not, it *wasn't* the big broadsheet...

Greater Media's making some changes, too.  WROR (105.7 Framingham)
will be the first GM station to operate from the new facility on
Morrissey Boulevard, starting this weekend.  WBOS, WSJZ, WMJX, and
WKLB-FM will move later on.  The WROR move was the most critical,
because Friday is the last day of WROR's lease on its 13th floor space
in the Prudential Tower.  Early word from GM folks who've seen the new
studios is that they're very impressive; we're hoping to visit early
next year ourselves.  Former WBOS/WSJZ general manager John Laton is serving
as a group-wide consultant in the move after being ousted from his GM
position; that job will not be filled, we hear.

One more note: The Rob Rudnick who's buying WNTN in Newton is, of course,
the same one who's served as news director and PD at the station.  We
wish him the best of luck!

*Moving up to NEW HAMPSHIRE, we've heard good things about "WNDS News
Now," the 7 and 10 PM newscasts that debuted this week on WNDS
(Channel 50) in Derry.  Find out more at their new website; it's at
http://www/wndsnews.com/ if you're curious.  In addition to the
legendary Al Kaprielian doing weather, the WNDS News team includes
anchor Alicia Talanian from WVNY in Burlington and former WRKO sports
guy Dick Lutsk.

The "Action News Network" out of WGIR (610 Manchester) is also running
on Capstar sister stations WMYF (1540 Exeter) and WZNN (930
Rochester), leaving little WWNH (1340 Madbury) with its Christian
contemporary format as the last AM music station on the Seacoast.

Peterborough's WNHQ (92.1) has applied to move from its current tower
to a brand new one next door atop Pack Monadnock.  Power would drop
from 180 to 170 watts, with HAAT going from 406 to 423 meters.

*In MAINE, the new translator for WMPG (90.9 Gorham) is on the air on
104.1 in Portland, and that means no more fringe WBCN reception up
there.  Portland's WGAN (560) is advertising for a new morning news
anchor, too.

Up north, the National Radio Club's DX News reports a logging of WSYY
(1240) Millinocket, so it looks like this long-silent station isn't
gone forever.  It was heard simulcasting WSYY-FM (94.9).

*VERMONT is getting a new station manager at WIZN (106.7 Vergennes)
and WBTZ (99.9 Plattsburgh NY).  That's where Harry Jacobs is heading
from Rochester's WCMF and WRMM.  We wish him the best of luck...

Across the border, the CBC may not be abandoning CBM (940 Montreal)
quite as fast as expected.  We hear they've figured out what we've
been saying for months: the replacement FM signal, CBME (88.5), isn't
getting out to the West Island or the Townships the same way the AM
was.

If and when 940 does become vacant, CIQC (600) wants to move there and
retrieve its old CFCF call letters.  It also wants to keep 600, we
hear, and run it as a bilingual all-newser in partnership with sister
French-language talker CKVL (850 Verdun).

*The big story in both CONNECTICUT and RHODE ISLAND is radiothons to
help the victims of Hurricane Georges in the Caribbean.  Both WRIB
(1220 Providence) and WPMZ (1110 E. Providence) were collecting money
from Rhode Island listeners; in the Nutmeg State, WPRX (1120 Bristol)
simulcast Puerto Rico's NotiUno (flagship WUNO 1320 San Juan) to get
emergency messages to phone-less Puerto Ricans, while WCUM (1450
Bridgeport) raised $25,000 for hurricane relief.  Back in the Merrimack 
Valley, Costa-Eagle's WNNW, WCCM, and WHAV also raised money to help
Georges' victims.

One more Connecticut note: WNHC (1340 New Haven) has filed to change
calls to WYBC, to match its FM on 94.3.  We were shocked, too - okay,
maybe not.

*A quiet week in NEW YORK, with just a few notes to offer: Boonville's
WBRV (900/101.3) and Lowville's WLLG (99.3) have picked up JRN's
CD-country satellite network under their new owners.  Up in Canton,
WXQZ (101.5) was simulcasting AC sister WVNC (96.7) for a day or so
because of technical problems.  And Watertown's not the only market
with a new cable-only WeB WB affiliate; Utica has one too.  So does
Rochester, Minnesota; we know this because its "KWBR
Rochester-Austin-Mason City" logo somehow showed up in the WB ads in
the Rochester, N.Y. TV Guide this week...

A belated storm damage note: the windstorm that killed two people in
Syracuse a few weeks back also reportedly took down two of the four
towers of WNSS (1260).  We'll be checking the site out this weekend;
details next week.

*And finally this week, Scrooge McDuck may have to open his wallet --
Disney has lost a lawsuit filed against it by the Childrens
Broadcasting Company, parent of the now-defunct Radio AAHS.  CBC
claimed Disney breached a contract to distribute AAHS, then used the
knowledge it gained from the partnership to start its own Radio Disney
network and drive AAHS out of business.  A federal jury in Minneapolis
agreed, and could award CBC up to $40 million in damages.  Disney is 
asking for a mistrial, based on an "inconsistent verdict" from the
jury.

*So what about lunch?  If you're in the area and free this Saturday
(October 3), come hang out with us at the Twin Colony Diner, 417
E. Elm Street, Torrington, Connecticut.  It's at exit 44 off route 8,
and we'll be pulling up in the NERW-mobile around noon.  We'd love to
see you there!

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


 

------------------------------