NorthEast Radio Watch 2/11: Doing the Greater Media Shuffle

[Scott D Fybush <fybush@world.std.com>]

*The revolving door of radio talent spun again this week in
MASSACHUSETTS, with most of the spinning taking place at 55 Morrissey
Boulevard, the Greater Media broadcast center.  As we suspected last
week, WBOS (92.9 Brookline) morning host Robin Young is out the door,
with 'BOS veteran David O'Leary taking on wakeup duty at the AAA-ish
AC (and again, we'll forswear any format-change speculation!).  But
wait -- there's more, and it's happening down the hall at WROR (105.7
Framingham), where Jimmy Roberts and Dan Justin are both out.  The new
lineup after morning institutions Loren and Wally finds Stella Mars
handling middays, followed by fellow 'BOS survivor Julie Devereaux in
afternoons.  J.J. Wright stays on board but moves to evenings, with
Chuck Igo continuing on the overnight shift.  

Across town in Waltham, Ralphie Marino is leaving WJMN (94.5 Boston),
but this one's a voluntary departure, and for an awfully good reason:
he's headed to mornings in market #1, at WKTU (103.5 Lake Success
NY).  No word yet on who'll take over afternoons at Jam'n.

Boston-based Marlin Broadcasting is selling its remaining stations to
Cox for $125 million...but fans of the classical music on WBOQ (104.9
Gloucester) or the rock on Hartford's WCCC (106.9/1290) have nothing
to fear.  That's because Marlin owner Woody Tanger is buying those
stations back from Cox for $25 million, leaving Cox with the one
Marlin property it really covets: classical WTMI (93.1) down in
Miami.  Tanger has done buy-backs like this in the past: A few years
ago, he sold WTMI, along with Detroit's WQRS and Philadelphia's WFLN,
to American Radio Systems, then bought WTMI back.  As for those
classical music fans in Miami?  Hard to imagine there won't be a
format change down there sometime soon...especially with WTMI's
program director staying with Tanger's beethoven.net Webcasting service.

Don't call it "GBX/44."  Don't call it "GBH/44."  Just call it 
"GBH Select."  That's the new tag the folks on Western Ave. are
applying to WGBH's second television service, still legally known as
WGBX (Channel 44).  NERW supposes that whatever they call it, we ought
to be grateful that WGBH isn't trying to sell off its second channel,
like *some* public broadcasters we can think of...

Why should NERW have all the fun?  Now everyone can hear streaming
audio of talker WMEX (1060 Natick) -- well, everyone who can use
Windows Media Player, anyway.  Find it at the otherwise-sketchy
<http://www.wmex.com> Web site.

WORC-FM (98.9) is asking the FCC to change its city of
license...again.  You'll recall that the station was granted a change
from its original hometown of Webster to Spencer, closer to
Worcester.  Now it seems WORC-FM couldn't find a transmitter site it
could actually use for the new community of license, so they've asked
to stick with Webster instead.  

*Not much doing in northern New England, but we'll pass these bits
along: In NEW HAMPSHIRE, the new owners of WKXL (1450 Concord) have
ousted station veteran Gardner Hill from his morning "Party Line"
show.  After 31 years, Hill explained to his listeners Monday morning,
station owners wanted to replace him with sports guy Bob Lipman.  Hill
tells the Concord Monitor that he was offered a night shift at the
station, but preferred to move on instead.  Also out at WKXL is sports
commentator Don Duncklee.  Hill had been one of the partners in the
station when it was sold to Vox Media last year.  Up in MAINE, WTHT
(107.5 Lewiston) is asking the FCC to allow it to boost power to a
full 100 kilowatts -- by cutting WRUT (107.5 West Rutland VT) from a
Class C3 allocation back to its original Class A.  NERW's surprised
the FCC is even taking any time at all to think about this one --
after all, WRUT has never held a valid license!  The construction
permit has been held by Brian Dodge, a religious broadcaster who's
been in trouble with the FCC several times before, since the early
'90s.  He put it on the air in 1995 without valid program test
authority, only to be ordered by the FCC to shut it down again.  Why
is such an ancient CP even still active?  Seems Dodge has kept it tied
up in appeal after appeal of FCC rulings against him.  Reallocating
this non-station from C3 to A *should* be a slam-dunk...but then, this
*is* the FCC...

*One of CONNECTICUT's oldest radio station celebrated its 75th
anniversary Thursday (2/10).  WTIC (1080 Hartford) signed on February
10, 1925, and marked its big birthday with a special edition of its
morning show.  We can't wait to hear the tapes!

*The largest radio groups in two NEW YORK cities changed hands this
week, as Forever Broadcasting's sale to Regent Communications closed.
In Utica, Regent's new holdings include country giant WFRG (104.3),
news-talker WIBX (950), and AC WLZW (98.7), while the Watertown group
includes country giant WFRY (97.5), news-talker WTNY (790), and rocker
WCIZ (93.3).

Schenectady's WGY (810) has dropped the syndicated Tom Leykis show.
Former WABC host Lionel is now filling the evening hours on the 50kw
powerhouse with his own syndicated offering.

The FCC has settled the dispute over the 107.1 allocation in the
Catskills, ruling that the channel should go to the tiny town of
Livingston Manor, which has no radio stations, instead of to Walton,
which already has WDLA AM-FM. Livingston Manor is about 20 miles
southeast of Walton, along Route 17 in the sparsely-populated hills
outside Liberty -- an area that already has plenty of radio (well, for
the population there, anyway).  In fact, it finally has a format for a
station that's been stunting for months.  WDNB (102.1 Jeffersonville)
is now going by "All News 102," relying heavily on the AP's all-news
service.

Upstate, Syracuse's second TV station celebrates a big anniversary
next week.  WSTM (Channel 3, nee WSYR-TV) will broadcast an hour-long
special Tuesday night (2/15) at 8; rest assured NERW will be watching!

Buffalo news veteran Ray Marks has landed on his feet after the
shutdown of his old WGR (550) newsroom.  Marks has been named news
director at WJTN (1240) and WWSE (93.3) down in Jamestown, which is
great news for listeners down that way.  As for Entercom/Buffalo, we
note that in addition to the simulcast of WKSE-FM, WWKB (1520)
continues to run the "Road Gang" truckers' show overnight and a slate
of leased-time talk on Saturday mornings.  

*While the CRTC continues to mull the options for Toronto's open AM
and FM frequencies (including 740!), it has reached a decision on a
transmitter move in the Maritimes.  CJYC (98.9 Saint John) has again
applied for, and again been granted, a power decrease from its current
50 kilowatts.  The power drop will allow "C98" to move its transmitter
from a low hill overlooking Saint John to Mount Champlain, with a
clear signal into both Saint John and Fredericton.  (CJYC's previous
owner had won approval for the move, but had not completed it before
selling the station in 1998).  The CRTC dismissed complaints of unfair
competition from Fredericton's broadcasters by noting that all three
commercial stations in the provincial capital are now under common
ownership -- and thus should be able to stand some new competition.  

*Finally this week, we join much of the midwest in mourning the
passing of Bob Collins, morning man at WGN (720) in Chicago.
Collins' plane collided with another plane in the air over a hospital
in Zion, Illinois this week, ending the life of "Uncle Bob" just short
of his 58th birthday.  WGN management has some awfully big shoes to
fill now.

*That's all for this week; back next Friday with more!

---------------------NorthEast Radio Watch------------------------
                     (c)2000 Scott Fybush

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