NorthEast Radio Watch 11/13 - in its entirety!

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

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OK, enough business.  You e-mail-only folks still need to get caught
up with last week's news...so here's the November 13 issue:]

*Our news this week begins here at home in upstate NEW YORK, where
Entercom flipped formats on three out of its four Rochester stations
while most of us were busy paying more attention to voter turnout
Tuesday. That evening at 5, classic hits "The River" WQRV (93.3 Avon)
and adult standards WEZO (950 Rochester) were replaced by a simulcast
of the oldies format from sister station WBBF (98.9
Rochester). 

Twenty-four hours later, WBBF's oldies moved for good to
the 93.3/950 simulcast, as 98.9 flipped to this week's most popular
new format nationwide, 80s oldies. "The Buzz" is the new nickname for
the station once known as WHFM, WZKC, and WKLX, and we're pleased to
say we heard Moving Pictures' "What About Me" no less than four times
in the new station's first few days.

A new PD and airstaff for 98.9 is on the way, we hear, and in the
meantime "93BBF" launches the new Tom George morning show on Monday
(11/13). Still to come are new calls for 98.9, which we're told will
be WBZA (does that have a ring to it, or what?), with the WBBF calls
moving to 950 and 93.3. What's more, we hear 93.3 will be looking to
make a signal upgrade, changing city of license to one of those
east-side "P" towns, and tower location to the WBEE (92.5) tower on
Five Mile Line Road in Penfield, thus bringing that stick full circle
to its earliest days as WBBF-FM, almost 40 years ago. As for fans of
the adult standards once heard on 950, they're being directed just up
the dial to Crawford's "Legends 990", WLGZ, which has already claimed
about half of 950's audience anyway.

Remaining in Rochester for just a moment, WXXI has again been denied a
chance to simulcast its AM 1370 signal on FM. The FCC denied the
public station's petition to reconsider its denial of WXXI's 1997
application for 90.9 in Spencerport, third-adjacent to the WXXI-FM
signal on 91.5 from Pinnacle Hill. No word yet on what WXXI might try
next to improve its west-side signal from the AM station, whose null
towards Toledo's WSPD makes it hard to hear out there after dark.

One more Rochester note: a very happy 30th anniversary (of sorts) to
rocker WCMF (96.5). 'CMF really dates back to 1960 or thereabouts,
when it was founded by the Community Music Service as a classical
station, but the rock format Rochesterians have known for years does
indeed date back to 1970 or so. Congratulations in particular to two
WCMF veterans: Night guy "Unkle Roger," there since 1974, and 19-year
morning veteran Brother Wease!

Over in Albany, we hear Clear Channel will add "Valentine in the
Morning," voicetracked the night before in Los Angeles at KIIS
(102.7), to its "Kiss" CHR outlet there, WKKF (102.3 Ballston
Spa). Valentine seems to be on the way to becoming a staple at the
Kiss clones nationwide, for whatever that's worth...he's already heard
here in Rochester on WKGS (106.7 Irondequoit). Over at WKKF's
competition, WFLY (92.3 Troy), they're looking for a new night jock
now that Joey Kidd has headed to Boston and nights at WQSX (93.7
Lawrence).

Former WTRY (980 Troy, now WOFX) PD John Mounteer died Saturday (11/4)
in Albany at age 73. Mounteer had been working as a life-insurance
salesman after his days at WTRY in the sixties were over.
The FCC has flagged the proposed sale of Crystal's nine Hudson Valley
stations (NERW, 10/16) to Aurora for market-concentration
concerns. Across town at what's now Clear Channel, WKIP (1450
Poughkeepsie) drops talk for standards; no word yet on whether WELV
(1370 Ellenville) will follow suit.

Looking for country on Long Island? You'll have to look a little
harder, at least around Smithtown: Barnstable flipped WMJC (94.3) from
country to rock AC this week as "Island 94.3."

*Up in VERMONT, Clear Channel is expanding in the state with a buyout
of Excalibur's five stations. At the core of the deal are talk WSYB
(1380) and CHR WZRT (97.1) in Rutland, which Excalibur partner Joel
Hartstone acquired for $5.5 million back in 1989 as "H&D
Broadcasting." Since then, Hartstone, Marty Beck, and Jim Champlin
have added oldies WLCQ (92.1 Port Henry NY) and country simulcast WWWT
(1320) and WCVR (102.1) in Randolph. Clear Channel's purchase price: a
reported $5.8 million. Clear Channel also owns WEZF (92.9), WXPS (96.7
Willsboro NY), WEAV (960 Plattsburgh NY), and WCPV (101.3 Essex NY) in
the Plattsburgh market.

Down in Bennington, WBTN (1370) has dumped its Vermont Public Radio
simulcast in preparation for a return to local full-service
programming.

*One of central MASSACHUSETTS' oldest stations is being sold. WEIM
(1280 Fitchburg) will go to LiveAir, headed by David M. Wang, after 13
years under Frank Fillipone's ownership. Wang tells the Worcester
Telegram & Gazette he intends to keep the local flavor at WEIM, now
the last remaining full-service station in northern Worcester
County. No word yet on a purchase price.

A bit to the south, WORC (1310 Worcester) and WGFP (940 Webster) are
shifting focus a bit, ditching "Extreme Talk" for "Real Talk" under
new PD Jay Bailey. He's reunited with former WXLO colleagues John
Taylor and Roger X for "Worcester's Original Morning Show," which is
followed by Phil Hendrie, Ed Tyll, and Don and Mike.

WRCA (1330 Waltham) has submitted its application for 17 kW nighttime
operation from the WUNR facility on Saw Mill Brook Road in Newton's
Oak Hill neighborhood.

The religious broadcasters at CSN have had their application for 91.7
in Lexington reinstated, alas...

*One note from CONNECTICUT: noncomm WAPJ (89.9 Torrington) is being
transferred from the Litchfield County Committee on Higher Education
to the Nutmeg Community for the Arts.

*From MAINE comes word that the Cumulus group in Augusta has moved
into its new home on Whitten Road. Now operating from the shiny new
facility: oldies WABK (104.3 Gardiner), rocker WTOS (105.1 Skowhegan),
AC WKCG (101.3 Augusta), standards WFAU (1280 Gardiner), and
simulcasts WCME (96.7 Boothbay Harbor) and WIGY (97.5 Madison).

*There could soon be a new station in CANADA, as the CRTC prepares to
take applications for 97.9 in Ottawa/Hull. One broadcaster, Radio
Ville-Marie, applied for the frequency earlier this year, prompting
the CRTC to issue a call for others who might be interested.

Up in Quebec City, community broadcaster Radio Basse-Ville (CKIA 96.1)
is trying again to boost its power, applying to move from 6.8 big
watts at 96.1 to 350 watts at 88.3.

Telemedia has completed its takeover of Affinity's southern Ontario
properties, adding to the fold CHAM (820) in Hamilton, CHTZ (97.7),
CHRE (105.7), and CKTB (610) in St. Catharines, and CKSL (1410) in
London.

*Outside the region but worth noting: Salem will pay Infinity $29
million for the 1160 AM spot in Chicago. The station, once WJJD, has
been simulcasting Infinity's WXRT-FM (93.1) since its previous
occupant, "The Score" WSCR, moved to WMAQ's old 670 position in
August.

*One final plug for fybush.com -- if you visited a week ago and found
that many of the links weren't finished yet...come on back, won't
you?  I've been hard at work all week completing "Tower Site of 
the Week" and much more...and soon, there will be mid-week updates
to NERW, a NERW chat, and much more.  Stop by and say hello!

*The Boston Radio Archives/NERW TV Stock Index: 88.77 (as of 11/10).

See you next week...right here, or at fybush.com.

---------------------NorthEast Radio Watch------------------------
                     (c)2000 Scott Fybush
                        www.fybush.com

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