NorthEast Radio Watch 11/26: WQEW Getting Mouse Ears?

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

*As we sit down for our Thanksgiving turkey (or head over to the radio
to roll tape as the local AOR station plays "Alice's Restaurant,")
change is afoot on New York City's AM dial.  The New York Daily News
reports today that ABC is close to making a deal with the New York
Times to buy WQEW (1560) for $40 million.  The deal would bring an end
to the adult standards format that ran for decades on WNEW (1130)
before moving to WQEW in 1992.  Instead, New Yorkers would hear Radio
Disney on WQEW's 50,000 watt signal, which would join WABC (770), WPLJ
(95.5), and WABC-TV (Channel 7) in the ABC New York cluster.  

It's not clear which, if any, New York station might pick up standards
if WQEW drops the format.  Several suburban stations, including WVNJ
(1160 Oakland NJ) and WHLI (1100 Huntington LI), run standards, but
none has the signal WQEW enjoys.  Could WEVD (1050) drop much or all
of its leased-time schedule to go standards?  We're, um, all ears.

*At the other end of NEW YORK comes news that's just as devastating in
its own way.  Irv Weinstein, who started on Buffalo radio at the old
WKBW (1520) way back in 1958, announced last Friday night that he'll
retire at the end of the year from his anchor spot at WKBW-TV (Channel
7), where he's worked since 1964.  The last remaining member of
Channel 7's classic "Eyewitness News" team, weatherman Tom Jolls, has
also said he'll be retiring soon.  

Here in Rochester, we hit the scan button Wednesday afternoon only to
find a change of simulcast for one of Jacor's local outlets.  At 5 PM,
WYSY (106.7 Irondequoit), switched from soft AC "Sunny 106" to a
simulcast of dance-CHR WMAX-FM (107.3 Honeoye Falls, but already using
the CP city of license South Bristol).  Not entirely unexpected, since
the 107.3 signal will disappear from most Rochester dials when it
moves up to Bristol Mountain -- but here's the kicker: the "Sunny"
format lives on at WISY (102.3 Canandaigua), which is STILL calling
itself "Sunny 106," at least in the obviously-canned voice tracks
running today.  This'll be fun when WYSY's listeners get in their cars
Friday morning to listen to the "12 Hours of Holiday Music" the
station had been promoting all week...

The program director of Syracuse's WSYR (570) and WHEN (620) is moving
to Atlanta to hold down the same position at WGST (640/105.7).  It's a
nice jump in market size for Ken Charles, and he'll be competing
against his current employer, since WSYR/WHEN owner Cox also owns WSB
(750) in Atlanta.

Also in Syracuse: Pax TV's WSPX (Channel 56) fired up the transmitter
on Tuesday, and is now beaming 5 megawatts of family programming to
central New York.  And WSIV (1540 East Syracuse) has been granted 57
watts at night.

Further north, we neglected to note last week that WXQZ (101.5 Canton)
has dropped its own country programming to begin simulcasting nearby
WNCQ (102.9 Morristown), also country.

Five of Binghamton's biggest stations are falling into Citadel hands
as part of the $77 million sale of Wicks Broadcasting to Citadel.
Included in the deal are news-talk WNBF (1290), standards WKOP (1360),
dominant country WHWK (98.1), classic rock WAAL (99.1), and oldies
WYOS (104.1 Chenango Bridge).  "No format changes are planned," says
the Citadel release.

And downstate, Montgomery NYC Broadcasting has applied for another
small FM in the northern suburbs of New York, this time 88.3 in
Beekman NY, in Dutchess County just north of I-84.

*There's change in the airwaves in MASSACHUSETTS as well, most notably
in morning drive on CBS oldies station WODS (103.3 Boston).  Program
director John Morgan arrived a few months ago from WWBB ("B101") in
Providence, and now he's bringing some of B101's talent north with
him.  Ousted this week were morning host John Potter, who was called
in from vacation to get the pink slip, and newsman Dave Faneuf, who
was laid off but quickly rehired two years ago this month.  Inbound
are Paul Perry, who makes a return to the Soldiers Field Road building
where he worked for WBZ years ago, and Michele Hughes.  They start
Dec. 7.  Returning to WODS after several years is Little Walter, whose
Sunday night "time machine" now airs from 6 till 10 PM.

Also shuffling air talent is WEGQ (93.7 Lawrence), now under the
guidance of WAAF GM Bruce Mittman.  Steve York has moved from nights
to middays, Dave Breen comes over from 'AAF to do nights, Karen Blake
takes over afternoons, and Stella Mars and Jay Michaels end up with
fill-in gigs.

Out along the Connecticut River, there's a new signal coming from WPVQ
(93.9 Turners Falls).  Bob Shotwell checked in to tell us he's added
RDS encoding to the signal -- and at least two listeners called the
station to report they were picking up RDS text.

And over at Springfield's WHYN (560), this Saturday night marks the
annual Sock Hop Reunion, as DJs from WHYN's music past appear for a
live remote from Westover Air Force Base.  It'll also be available on
Real Audio at www.whyn.com.

*A retirement is making news in CONNECTICUT as well: After 24 years at
WFSB (Channel 3), Hilton Kaderli signed off for the last time on
Wednesday to head for retirement out in Oklahoma.  Hartford's mayor
declared "Hilton Kaderli Day" in the city to mark the occasion.
Joining WFSB's weather team for weekends is Scot Haney, who comes from
News 12 Westchester.

WFSB is also promoting *its* helicopter, "Sky 3," to compete with
WTNH's chopper down in New Haven.

*A sad passing to report in rural MAINE; the WDME "train" has pulled
out of the station for good.  FM 103.1 in Dover-Foxcroft moved into an
old Gulf Stream sleeper-lounger car parked along Route 15 back in the
early 1980s, and for many years made the train a regular part of its
IDs and sign-offs.  But new owner Richard Thau wanted more space than
the little train cars would provide, so he's moved WDME into a former
bank building in Union Square, Dover-Foxcroft.  The rail cars have
been sold and moved to Sebec, Maine.

WMSJ (89.3 Freeport) has been granted an increase in power from 5000
to 7500 watts.

*WNBX (1480) in Springfield, VERMONT has been sold by Robert and
Shirley Wolf to Spirit Broadcasting.

Want to see how to beat the FCC simply by declaring you've won?  Check
out <http://www.sover.net/~rfv> and see if you can understand any of
it...

*A RHODE ISLAND station was poised for a format change this week, only
to change course at the last minute.  Staffers at WXEX (99.7
Wakefield-Peace Dale) were told by Citadel that Wednesday would be
their last day as a modern rocker, to be replaced by a simulcast of
classic rock WHKK (100.3 Middletown).  But as jocks and programmers
began sending out demo tapes and resumes, Citadel changed its mind and
decided to leave the low-rated modern rock format in place until
year's end.

WQRI (88.3 Bristol) can now be heard on-line at <http://wqri.rwu.edu>.

*And that's it for two weeks, as NERW heads off to the wilds of Ohio
and Indiana.  We'll be back with our next regular edition December 11,
with updates before that as news warrants.

Happy Thanksgiving, and remember..."You can get anything you want,
at..."

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

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #242
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