NorthEast Radio Watch 3/12: WSRD Makes its Point in Albany

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

*It was "So long, Johnstown" and "Hello, Albany" as WSRD (104.9) got
down to "The Point" Wednesday morning.  The station has changed its
city of license to Altamont and its transmitter location to the
WXXA-TV (Channel 23) tower up in the Helderbergs with the big Albany
FMs, and under its new Albany Broadcasting ownership it's playing much
the same blend of modern AC that was heard until recently on WXLE
(104.5 Mechanicville).

No jocks have been heard so far on "104-point-9, the Point," but NERW
Albany bureau chief Gavin Burt reports the new transmitter site gives
WSRD solid coverage all over Albany, with the only trouble spots being
to the south and east, where first-adjacent WAMQ (105.1 Great
Barrington MA) begins fighting it.  

In other NEW YORK news, it turns out the actual new owner of
Kingston's WBPM (94.3) and WGHQ (920) is Roberts Radio, the same
company that owns hot AC WBWZ (93.3 New Paltz) and country WRWD (107.3
Highland) a bit further down the Hudson Valley.  All four stations now
have a new vice president, as Jeff Frank arrives from Clear Channel's
WODE/WIPI in Easton, Pennsylvania to become Roberts' director of
Northeast operations.

Down on Long Island, it didn't take former WLVG (96.1 Center Moriches)
PD Stefan Rybak to find a new job.  He starts Monday as general
manager of Long Island Multimedia, which includes WLUX (540 Islip)
among its print, Internet, and broadcast holdings.  

There's a new general manager at WQAR (101.3 Stillwater), Saratoga's
"Star 101," as well.  He's Scott Collins, former sales director for
WKLI-WABY in Albany.

Heading north, it's the end of an 11-year era at WPAC (92.7
Ogdensburg), as Tony DeFranco leaves his morning drive slot to head to
WIII/WKRT Cortland.  NERW North Country correspondent Mike Roach
reports the last song heard on DeFranco's last show on 93PAC was
Sinatra's "My Way" (a bit out of keeping with the station's usual hot
AC format!)  Morning news guy Doug Craig takes over the slot, and WPAC
is said to be seeking a replacement in the newsroom.  And insomniacs
in the St. Lawrence River valley will be pleased to hear that when Tim
Martz takes over WMSA (1340 Massena) in a few months, the station will
change its schedule.  No more 10 PM signoffs (8 PM on Sunday!) -- WMSA
will go 24/7 with syndicated shows.  

Heading south again, the FCC has approved the sale of WODZ (1450 Rome)
to Bible Broadcasting Network, so the call change to WYFY and the
format change to BBN's religious programming is probably imminent.  

More upstate New York sounds on-line: Geneva's WEOS (89.7) now has an
on-line feed for its non-NPR programming (including what's probably
the best lacrosse coverage on the radio anywhere in America); you can
get there through the WEOS website at
<http://www.hws.edu/NEW/weos/index.html>.  The site also lists March
21 as the target date for WEOS' transmitter to move to a new site on
Lake to Lake Road, south and west of the studios on the campus of
Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  When the new 4000 watt transmitter
signs on, WEOS will also add a Geneva translator, W212BA (90.3) with
88 watts, to serve the campus and other areas shadowed from the new
site.  

Another new webcaster is WGMC (90.1 Greece), the noncomm jazz station
in the Rochester area.  No pretense to impartiality here; NERW knows
many of the volunteers who staff this station, and they do a great
job.  You can find the webcast through the WGMC site at
<http://wgmc.greeceny.org>, and it's one of the better-sounding
RealAudio feeds we've heard lately.

The folks at Jacor's Rochester stations
(WHAM/WHTK/WVOR/WNVE/WKGS-WMAX) were shaken, but unhurt, after a man
tried to get into the Midtown Plaza studio facility this week.  When
he was denied entrance into the stations' lobby, he reportedly picked
up a signboard in the elevator waiting area outside and used it to
break the window that separated the lobby from the elevator area.
We're told several Jacor staffers, including WHAM news director Randy
Gorbman and WHAM talk host Bob Lonsberry, heard the commotion and
restrained the man.  

On a happier note, congratulations to Rick Mackenzie, who adds PD
duties at CBS' WCMF (96.5 Rochester) to his PD gig just down the
hallway at WZNE (94.1 Brighton).  Mackenzie fills the position left
vacant by Harry Jacobs when he departed for WIZN/WBTZ in Burlington,
Vermont earlier this year.

Southern Tier news: Justin Case has left the morning drive slot at CHR
WKPQ (105.3 Hornell) to "pursue other interests."  We're told WKPQ
will simulcast the morning show from sister station WHHO (1320) for
the time being.  The stations already simulcast overnight.

Religious translator news: Family Life Radio has won approval for a
translator on 89.7 in Albion; calls will be W209BF and the primary
will be WCOU (88.3 Warsaw), which comes in there pretty well as it is.
FLR is also applying for an 89.9 in Norwich to relay WCII (88.5
Spencer).  And the Northeast Gospel Network has dropped its
application for an 88.1 in Eagle Bridge.

*Heading back into New England, we'll start in Springfield,
MASSACHUSETTS, where Gary James has left his position as PD of WHYN
(93.1/560) and WNNZ (640 Westfield).  His replacement, as of March 8,
is Ron Roy.  

We're told the FCC paid a call on the Spanish-language 94.3 pirate in
Springfield earlier this week, but the word from western Massachusetts
is that the station barely waited until the taillights on the FCC van
had passed out of sight on the Mass Pike before turning the
transmitter back on...

A few quick notes from central Massachusetts: Univision affiliate WUNI
has a new Web site <http://www.wuni.com> with sections in both Spanish
and English so we can all comprende...Classic rocker WWFX (100.1
Southbridge) is importing Indiana's own "Bob and Tom" to serve as its
morning show...WSRO (1470 Marlboro) is indeed operating from its new
single tower in Hudson, having lost its old site just off Route 85,
and the word on the signal is "miserable."  The FCC database shows no
record of the new site, and we're left to wonder if there's a valid
STA for this or not...

Sandy Benson has hung up her headphones at Boston's "Oldies 103.3"
(WODS).  She had been out for maternity leave, and after returning for
a day after the birth of her third child, reportedly decided the air
shift was more stress than she needed.  WODS is looking for a
permanent replacement on the 6-9 PM shift.

A former WODS voice has surfaced in the overnight slot at WBUR (90.9
Boston).  Dave Faneuf is filling in for Charlie Kohlhase, who's on the
road in his other career as a musician.  Faneuf was WODS' newsman for
years before being dismissed a few months ago.

Is it a format change, or just an adjustment?  In any event, WROR
(105.7 Framingham) has dropped most of the '80s music from its mix and
is playing just the '60s and '70s now.  We'll go back to listing this
one as just "Oldies" on the Boston Radio Archives
<http://www.bostonradio.org/radio/bostonradio.html> unless someone has
a better suggestion.

Corrections and updates: Jeff Wilks, the new owner of WWFX, is in fact
the son of Wilks-Schwartz Broadcasting co-owner Don Wilks.  And we
hear WJYT (1320 Attleboro) will be back on the air any day now; it
reportedly went silent after some money problems with the Portuguese
broadcasters who were leasing time from owner ADD Media.

Where are they now?  Former WBZer Jim Harrington has resurfaced on the
radio after a lengthy stint off the air in Pittsburgh.  NERW's Ohio
bureau (now THERE's a tough job!) checked in to report that Harrington
is now PD and morning-drive personality at WHBC (1480) in Canton, a
station whose Art Deco studio building is worth checking out should
you find yourself in downtown Canton for some reason.  And we note, a
bit belatedly, the passing on February 26 of Frederic Meisner, a.k.a
"Doggy Daddy."  The Methuen kennel owner was also a radio personality
in the Merrimack Valley (on WCCM, WHAV, WCAP, and WLLH) and a frequent
guest on the Larry Glick show.  Meisner was 77.

*We'll head north next, stopping in NEW HAMPSHIRE to note that WKBR
(1250 Manchester) is claiming a 6 PM start time for the Tom Leykis
show, and then moving on to VERMONT to mark June 1 in the calendar as
the projected start date of Vermont Public Radio's latest outlet, an
88.5 in St. Johnsbury.  VPR is reportedly waiting for grant money to
finish construction and get the station on the air in the Northeast
Kingdom.  Meantime, Vermont Public TV host Jeff Kaufman is now
syndicating his "Talk of Vermont" radio show from WFAD (1490
Middleboro) to WVMT (620 Burlington), WSNO (1450 Barre), WBTN (1370
Bennington), and WYKR (1100 Wells River) weekdays from 9-noon.

*The FCC is paying close attention to the latest transaction in
MAINE.  It's flagged Cumulus' proposed purchase of WCTB (93.5
Fairfield) and WSKW (1160 Skowhegan) because Cumulus and Pilot
together control upwards of 70% of the radio revenue in the
Augusta-Waterville market.  

We've solved one call change mystery from last week: WXHT (95.3 York
Center) became WUBB because it's dropped its satellite modern rock for
satellite country as "Continuous Country B95.3."  An attempt by
Capstar to shave a point or two off Seacoast ratings giant WOKQ (97.5
Dover), which consistently leads the market with its heritage country
format?  We can't imagine this little class A station chipping more
than a point or so off WOKQ, in any event.  Still no word from our
Portland-area readers about the reported call change on WPOR (1490)...

*Congratulations to RHODE ISLAND's best-known broadcaster.  Salty
Brine has been nominated to the Radio Hall of Fame in the
"Local/Regional Pioneer" category for his 50 years of wakeup duty at
WPRO (630).  NERW wonders: If he wins, will they cancel school for the
day in Foster-Glocester in his honor?  (Brine's trademark line at WPRO
came during the winter roundups of school closings, when he'd bellow,
"No school in Foster-Glocester" in his distinctive New England
accent.  Though he's been retired from WPRO for several years, he
still does storm closings from home when the weather turns bad.  And
yes, he's the father of Wally Brine, half of the "Loren and Wally"
morning team at WROR Framingham-Boston!)

*CONNECTICUT baseball fans will have a bigger menu of games to choose
from on broadcast TV this season.  WBNE (Channel 59) in New Haven
keeps the Yankees for another season, picking up 50 games, but it
won't renew the Red Sox.  Instead, Gene Jankowski's New England
Network will put the Sox on WTXX (Channel 20) in Waterbury, which will
show the full slate of 80 games.  

WTIC-FM (96.5)'s morning team of Gary Craig "and Company" has added
another affiliate to its syndication lineup.  Already being heard in
Buffalo (WLCE 92.9), the show is now also going to Baltimore, on CBS'
WXYV (102.7).

Revival Christian Ministries is applying for 89.3 in Norfolk, up north
of Torrington in the state's northwest corner.  

Danbury's WDAQ (98.3) now has audio on the Web, at
<http://www.98q.com>.  

And we note the passing of former WAVZ and WDRC jock Joe "Highgear"
Hager.  After his Connecticut stints in the late 60s and early 70s,
Hager moved on to WIFE Indianapolis, KDWB and KSTP in
Minneapolis-St. Paul, and eventually to Florida, where he was last
working at WKQL in Jacksonville.  Hager was 54.

*We'll close out with some news from our Canadian friends...and NOT
the CBC strike this time (about which there's really nothing new to
report, although that may change on Thursday, when the union which
represents the CBC's air staff gets the go-ahead to go out on strike.)
Instead, we'll note that Conestoga College has applied for a
4000-watt station on 88.3 in Kitchener-Paris (presumably off the
Global TV "Paris" tower near Ayr, Ontario), and that yet another CBC
move from AM to FM has produced unexpected side effects.  It seems
that when Radio-Canada shut down its Quebec City AM outlet, CBV (980),
even 100 kilowatts of FM on 106.3 wasn't quite enough to replace it.
So CBV has gone back to the CRTC to ask for 124 watts on 96.7 in
Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec, to help fill in some reception gaps
along Highway 138.  What's the French word for "Oops," again?  

And what are we to make of the CBC's reported plans to launch a "Radio
Three" English-language service targeted at a younger audience?
Canadian papers report that the CBC will apply for 15 FM frequencies
in large markets across Canada.  But in big cities like Toronto and
Ottawa, the FM dial has no more room for new stations.  Could it be
that Radio One might - gasp! - move back to AM to accomodate Radio
Three on FM?  We can hope, can't we?

*That'll do it for this week; more, as always, next Friday...

- -=Scott Fybush - NorthEast Radio Watch - (c) 1999=-

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #329
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