NorthEast Radio Watch 8/21: The Dial Fills in Southern Ontario

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

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--------------------------NorthEast Radio Watch--------------------------
                             August 21, 2000

IN THIS ISSUE:

*CANADA: Two New FMs Take Air in Southern Ontario
*NEW YORK: TV Duopoly in New York and (Again!) in Buffalo
*MASSACHUSETTS: Joyner Arrives in Boston

-----------------------------by Scott Fybush-----------------------------
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*We're back from the first few phases of the summer's NERW travels
(about which, much more in a bit), and just in time to find the
mailbox overflowing with all sorts of interesting news from across the
region...

*In honor of our first stop on this August's travels, we'll start in
CANADA, where two new FM signals now grace the dial in southern
Ontario.  First up was 102.3 in London, the new CHUM Group FM.  No
calls have been heard yet, but it's running a test loop and wiping out
whatever reception of Erie's co-channel WJET might have been left in
the area.  We're hoping for an actual format on this one any day now.

Over in Hamilton, Doug Kirk and Rae Roe have started testing their new
1880 watt outlet on 94.7, and this one *does* have calls and a
format.  CIWV will program smooth jazz when it takes the air for real
in a few weeks.

*Just across the border, TV duopoly is once again coming to upstate
NEW YORK -- and just maybe it'll stick this time.  You'll recall that
Granite Broadcasting intended to add UPN affiliate WNGS (Channel 67)
to its ABC powerhouse WKBW-TV (Channel 7) in Buffalo, but pulled out
of the deal in May.  Now Sinclair is making Buffalo another of its
many duopoly markets with the purchase of Grant Broadcasting, which
owns WB affiliate WNYO-TV (Channel 49).  Adding WNYO to its own Fox
affiliate, WUTV (Channel 29), seems to make more sense for Sinclair
than its original plan from last year, which involved buying public TV
WNEQ (Channel 23) from the Western New York Public Broadcasting
Authority.  (That sale collapsed during Sinclair's financial problems,
which have apparently now been resolved).

NERW wonders what will happen now to the rumors that WNYO was planning
to partner with one of Buffalo's big three network affiliates for a
10PM newscast, something Sinclair still isn't offering on WUTV.  (We
believe that makes Buffalo the largest Fox market still lacking local
news.)  Sinclair will also likely need an FCC waiver for the overlap
between the WNYO signal and that of Rochester's Fox affiliate, WUHF
(Channel 31).  (WUHF and WUTV have a long-standing co-ownership waiver
that predates duopoly, so we don't really expect any problems on that
account.)

Speaking of TV duopoly, it's about to happen in a big way in New York
City -- that is, if Fox can overcome the regulatory hurdles that will
no doubt accompany its proposed purchase of the Chris-Craft/United
Television stations.  If the deal goes through, Rupert Murdoch will
add WWOR (Channel 9 Secaucus) to his WNYW (Channel 5) in the Big
Apple, as well as creating a 2-VHF duopoly (KTTV 11 and KCOP 13) in
Los Angeles.  [As an aside, those are about the only markets where V/V
duopolies are possible; almost anywhere else, they're ruled out by the FCC's
requirement that only one of the TV stations in a duopoly can be one
of the four highest-rated stations in the market.]

What might happen to UPN (make that the Paramount Network) if it loses
its affiliates in the two largest markets?  We'll know in a few
months, since the Paramount/United affiliation contracts expire in
January 2001.

Over on the radio side, Mega Broadcasting's AM 1380 in New York is
getting ready to return to the air under new calls.  As suspected, the
WNNY calls that landed on the former WINX (1600 Rockville MD) in the
Washington DC market were being parked there for use on Alfred
Alonso's new Spanish-language all-news station; 1380's former calls of
WKDM are headed down to Washington for new life on 1600.  Expect the
new WNNY on the air within a few weeks -- just in time to compete with
the stronger signal of WADO (1280), which has finally accompanied its
new towers with the 50 kilowatt day power (and 7500 watts at night)
for which they were designed.  (Thanks, but we'll take the old 5kw and
the now-destroyed Blaw-Knox diamond tower instead...)

Returning across the river from the swamps of New Jersey, we find that
CBS's (er, Infinity, um, wait, maybe that should just be Viacom)
flagships in the Big Apple are moving out of Black Rock.  After more
than thirty years at 51 W. 52nd Street, WCBS-FM (101.1) has moved in
with the Viacom FMs over in Times Square at 1515 Broadway, while
all-news WCBS (880) will make the move over Labor Day weekend out to
the Broadcast Center at 524 W. 57th Street.  

Returning upstate, Clear Channel's proposed purchase of WINR (680
Binghamton) has triggered the expected FCC concentration review; no
great surprise in a market with just two major owners, we guess.  (By
the way, we're hearing $1 million as the purchase price for this one).

Way up north, St. Lawrence University has been granted three new
translators: W219CT (91.7 Boonville), W205BW (88.9 Paul Smiths), and
W206BH (89.1 Lyons Falls), filling in little gaps in the coverage of
WSLU (89.5 Canton) and its many relays across the Adirondacks and
St. Lawrence Valley.  (While we're up this way, we note that 1070 in
Plattsburgh, which we believe to now be WLFE, has been transferred
from Family Broadcasting to McEwing Services LLC, though it's being
LMA'd to WLFE-FM across the lake in Vermont.)

Also up north, Jack Day departs as PD of Watertown's "The Border"
(WBDI 106.7 Copenhagen/WBDR 102.7 Cape Vincent), with John Spezzano
taking over programming duties at the CHR outlet.  Kevin Morgan
replaces Spezzano as assistant music director.

More than just a rumor: Reliable sources tell us that Ernie Anastos
will soon be adding now-dark WMVI (1160 Mechanicville) to his other
Albany-area stations, WUAM (900 Saratoga Springs) and WUAM (1240
Schenectady).  NERW thinks WMVI's daytime signal will fill the hole in
the "Moon" adult standards simulcasts that keeps it from being heard
well in Albany itself...

Here in Rochester, Anthony Brandon's American General Broadcasting
(through new subsidiary Winton Road Broadcasting) has sold
religious-ethnic WWWG (1460) to an entity called "HHH Broadcasting"
for $975,000.  Who's HHH?  Will there be a format change?  Will 1460
finally get a ground system and an audio processor?  We hope to know
more next week (and we note in passing that, at least as NERW heads to
press after midnight Sunday, 1460 is silent here in the Flower
City...)

One thing we do know in Rochester: Oldies WBBF (98.9) is looking for a
new "Breakfast Flake," to fill the morning co-host shoes (and big ones
they were!) vacated by Ellis B. Feaster when he escaped the snow for
PM drive at WWKA in Orlando.  Interested?  PD Bobby Hatfield wants to
hear from you...

Down in the Jamestown area, that 106.9 CP in "Lakewood" is being
transferred from Newman Communications to Cross Country
Communications.