NERW - Last Three Issues

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

------------------------------E-MAIL EDITION-----------------------------
--------------------------NorthEast Radio Watch--------------------------
                            April 4-16, 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:

*APRIL 4: Take Me Out to the Ban Game
*APRIL 9: "WWZN Stole the Celtics!"
*APRIL 16: Clear Channel Buys Two in Maine

-----------------------------by Scott Fybush-----------------------------
-------------------------<http://www.fybush.com>-------------------------

[As we prepare to head out to Las Vegas for the NAB convention,
we realize that we've gotten behind in passing NERW out to the
mailing list readers.  Here are the last three issues; remember,
you can always find the current NERW at <http://www.fybush.com>]

APRIL 4:


*We're back!  Thanks for your patience over the last few days as we've
been tied up with some projects unrelated to the wild world of
Northeast radio and television (if anyone's interested in a magazine
article about a very interesting murder trial, e-mail your editor...)
Before spending six days in a courtroom in Niagara Falls, we piloted
the NERW-mobile into western Pennsylvania for a visit to the Frank
Conrad garage demolition; you'll be able to read more about that trip
in next week's issue.  

For the moment, though, let's take a look at the headlines around the
dial while we were away...

*Back when we toiled in the radio business in MASSACHUSETTS, the
buzzword du jour was "synergy," as radio stations, TV newsrooms and
newspapers fought to see who could create the most alliances with
erstwhile competitors.

This week, though, the object of the game appears to be just the
opposite, as radio, TV and newspapers all engaged in what looks like
one big catfight.

It all started, apparently, with the Boston Globe's 1999 decision to
ban its sports reporters from the Glenn Ordway show on WEEI (850
Boston).  That ban didn't provoke much of a media frenzy, but last
week, when the Globe extended the ban to WEEI's morning show, hosts
John Dennis and Gerry Callahan decided to make an issue out of it.

Globe columnist Eileen McNamara fanned the flames when she then wrote
a column (against editors' orders, it seems) about being banned.  The
Globe declined to publish the column, and McNamara then decided to go
on the Dennis/Callahan show in violation of the ban.

That's not the end of the cross-media fireworks lighting the sky over
Boston Harbor, though: WEEI itself has been playing the ban game,
exiling Globe writers from its other shows (which were still
acceptable to Globe editors, since the content actually focused on
sports instead of the typical male-oriented morning show fodder.)

Oh yeah...WEEI has also barred the Herald's Jim Baker from its
airwaves.

Meanwhile, across town on Soldiers Field Road, the once-friendly
relationship between WBZ (1030) and sister station WBZ-TV (Channel 4)
turned sour last week when radio talk host David Brudnoy invited WCVB
(Channel 5) anchor-icon Natalie Jacobson to be a guest on his 25th
anniversary show.  

The Herald's Monica Collins reported Saturday that the guest stint,
which put Channel 4 anchor Joe Shortsleeve in the odd position of
having to do a radio cut-in promoting his 11 PM show right in the
midst of his competitor's appearance, prompted a memo from 'BZ-TV
general manager Ed Goldman that put the brakes on the long cooperation
between the radio and TV sides at 1170 Soldiers Field Road.

Collins says the memo bans (there's that word again!) WBZ radio
personalities from appearing on Channel 4, stops radio news crews from
using the TV side's gear, and halts the shared promotions between the
two stations.  

(Not mentioned in the article is the biggest part of the WBZ TV-radio
synergy, WBZ radio's use of audio clips from and gathered by TV
reporters in the field.  At least in the days when we worked there,
the audio from TV was essential to supplement the output of all three
-- count 'em -- radio reporters in the field.)

Of course, radio and TV have shared one big (now presumably
not-so-happy) newsroom since 1996; we imagine there must be quite a
chill in the air there these days.

Just to make matters a little stranger at WBZ-TV, there's word that
veteran anchor Liz Walker may soon be leaving Channel 4 for good.
Walker left the station's evening shows last year, shifting to the
noon news to spend more time with her family.  Now the Herald's Inside
Track reports she's applied to Harvard Divinity School and will walk
away from TV news if she's accepted.

By the way, lost in all the acrimony: a very happy anniversary to
Dr. Brudnoy!  His radio career included stops at the old WHDH and
WRKO, if we recall correctly, before his arrival at WBZ in the eighties.

*Elsewhere in the Bay State, the new formats are now fully in place on
Ernie Boch's Cape Cod FMs.  WTWV (101.1 Mashpee), now doing hot AC as
"the Wave," even has an airstaff in place: Mina and Doug in mornings,
operations manager Boy Troy in middays and music director Lisa Garvey
in afternoons.  Down the hall at modern rock WDVT (93.5 Harwich Port),
music director Peter Maxx is also serving as production director for
the entire Boch group.  "The Vault" is jockless for the moment, but
we're told that will change.

It wasn't nearly as tasteless as that "Mayor Menino is dead" stunt
that got Opie and Anthony fired a few April Fools Days ago, but WFNX
(101.7 Lynn) suspended morning team "Jaxon and the Pharmacist" for a
day after a pre-April 1 stunt in which they claimed the foot-and-mouth
disease scare was forcing a recall of meat.  

Radio (and TV) people on the move: Lynn Hoffman is leaving her
sidekick position on WBMX (98.5 Boston)'s John Lander morning show to
pursue a career in TV and voice-over work.  We hear the Lander crew is
looking for a replacement.  Over on the TV side, Jodi Applegate may
finally have something to do at WFXT (Channel 25), which brought her
to Boston from NBC a few months back.  Published reports say the Fox
O&O will use Applegate as the main anchor when it launches a 6:30 PM
newscast in June.  And our best wishes for a speedy recovery to talk
legend Jerry Williams, who's at Mass General Hospital recovering from
a heart attack he suffered last week.  Williams' health problems ended
his most recent on-air gig, at the now-defunct WMEX (1060 Natick) last
year.  (Actually, it turned out to be a stroke...read on)

It's "beisbol" time, and it'll be a good year for Spanish-speaking Red
Sox fans: the team is moving its Spanish-language broadcasts from a
limited schedule on the old Carter network (flagshipped by WROL 950
Boston) to a full 162-game schedule on "Caliente 1330" (WRCA
Waltham).  No word just yet on whether the Spanish broadcasts will be
heard in places like Springfield or Providence this season.  (Next
week, we'll offer our traditional look at English-language baseball on
the radio around NERW-land...)

*We'll make VERMONT our next stop as we flesh out the rumors to which
we alluded last issue.  Clear Channel is indeed shifting some of its
Burlington-market signals, and it plays out something like this:

The smooth jazz that was this year's format on WXPS (96.7 Willsboro
NY) showed up on another spot on the dial Monday morning, replacing
oldies on WLCQ (92.1 Port Henry NY).  Once that temporary simulcast
ends, 96.7 will reportedly become WXZO, "the Zone," simulcasting talk
programming (including Imus in the Morning) from WEAV (960 Plattsburgh
NY).  96.7 was talk once before, doing sports back before its
smooth-jazz days -- and it was simulcasting WEAV back then, too!

We're also hearing about some tweaking going on down in the Middlebury
area, as Steve Silberberg gets to work on WRRO (93.7 Addison).  Gone,
we're told, is much of the classic rock, replaced by AAA-ish fare such
as Paula Cole and Elvis Costello.  And if that sounds reminiscent of
Silberberg's Boston-market "River" (WXRV 92.5 Haverhill MA), it
should: we're also told the River folks are advising WRRO on
programming.

*Just across the river in NEW HAMPSHIRE, Clear Channel is
consolidating some of its new acquisitions, rolling "Bob Country"
(WMXR 93.9 Woodstock VT/WCFR-FM 93.5 Springfield VT) in with "Kixx
Country" (WXXK 100.5 Hanover NH).  The stations are being programmed
from the Kixx facility, and we're told Bob Country PD Heath Cole has
left the group, landing instead at Vox's WWOD (104.3 Hartford VT).

We also hear WCFR-FM has been operating at exciter power for a bit,
thanks apparently to power problems from all that ice and snow at
winter's end.

And speaking of WWOD, Vox made its purchase of the station official this
week, paying $1.075 million to get the signal from Alex McEwing's
Family Radio group.

Just one lil' Granite State note away from the Upper Valley: WHOB
(106.3 Nashua) has launched a new Web site at
<http://whob.com/index2.cfm>.

*You want MAINE news?  We've got it...beginning with a partial break
of a long-running simulcast way Down East in Machias, where WALZ-FM
(95.3) has been nothing but a relay of Calais' WQDY (1230/92.7) for
the last few years.  Now it's doing its own thing from 6-11 AM
weekdays, spinning classic country tunes as "Classic Country Z95-3,"
then returning to the classic hits simulcast with Calais for the rest
of the day.  

(We're also told the soon-to-expire CP for WBEO 101.1 Machias will be
allowed to quietly die, what with the economic downturn and all.)

In Bangor, Clear Channel appears to be moving in on still more of the
market.  The company already owns a cluster of seven FMs (hot ac WKSQ
94.5 Ellsworth, classic rock simulcast WNSX 97.7 Winter Harbor/WFZX
101.7 Searsport, country WLKE 99.1 Bar Harbor, oldies WGUY 102.1
Dexter, talk WVOM 103.9 Howland and country WBFB 104.7 Belfast).  Now
there's word that Clear Channel is LMA'ing the Gopher Hill group that
includes Bangor's standards WABI (910) and AC WWBX (97.1) along with
Camden's AC WQSS (102.5) and Islesboro's standards WAYD (105.5), which
edge into Clear Channel's new holdings in Rockland, WRKD (1450) and
WMCM (103.3).  

Local media speculation up there suggests something would have to be
spun off, and the rumor is that WGUY might be the sacrificial
lamb...stay tuned.

One more little Bangor note: low-power W09CI changes calls to WBAN-LP.

*Next stop, RHODE ISLAND and a surprise station sale and format
change: Pawtucket's WICE (550) dropped its talk format ("550 the
Buzz") Monday morning (4/2) to become the second Radio Disney
affiliate in the Providence market.  Owner AAA Entertainment (formerly
Back Bay Broadcasting) is selling WICE to Disney for what we hear is a
price north of $3 million.

Radio Disney's already heard in part of Providence over WHRC (1450
West Warwick), but it appears that signal is being spun off to ADD
Media to become a relay of dollar-a-holler talker WARL (1320
Attleboro), which explains the apparently premature mention of the
1450 signal on WARL's site a couple of months ago.

Meanwhile, the format change on WICE (ex-WLKW, ex-WPNW, ex-WICE,
ex-WGNG, ex-WPAW...did we forget any?) takes Yankees day games off the
air in southern New England after years in which the Red Sox' chief
rivals were about the only constant thing on 550 kHz.  Night games, of
course, come in just fine on New York's WABC (770), if you're the kind
of baseball fan who believes a World Series can be bought -- oops, is
our bias showing here?  (WICE will keep Providence Bruins hockey on
the air through what's left of the AHL season.)

*A quiet week in CONNECTICUT, with just a few staffing changes to
mention: at Danbury's WRKI (95.1 Brookfield), Tim Sheehan arrives as
program director to replace Tom Bass, recently departed to Hartford
and WHCN.  Sheehan will also handle the afternoon shift being vacated
by Andy Carlisle, who's leaving "I-95" to become music director at
KVUU (99.9 Colorado Springs CO).  Across town at "98Q" (WDAQ 98.3
Danbury), news guy Guy Lambert has departed; a replacement is being
sought.

*NEW YORK's radio scene had the good graces to stay fairly quiet while
we were away...but there were still a few changes going on, starting
in Binghamton at the Clear Channel compound on Country Club Road.
That's where WINR (680) is now programming a classic country format
for most of the day.  Mornings on the city's best AM signal are now a
simulcast of the "Jerry and Dave Breakfast Flakes" show on Clear
Channel's country "B107.5" (WBBI 107.5 Endwell), but after that the AM
side breaks off for local shows with Bill Flynn (late of WNBF 1290,
and more recently hosting mornings on WINR's previous standards
incarnation) in middays and Ray Ross in the afternoon.

With B107.5 playing new country sounds and WINR catering to the Hank
Williams, Jr. fans, Clear Channel appears to be trying to steal every
ratings point it can from the market's top-rated country outlet,
Citadel's WHWK (98.1).  This should be fun to watch (and when was the
last time we said that about Binghamton radio?)

Up north, WNYF-LP (Channel 25) in Watertown is about to launch as the
city's new Fox affiliate, though color bars are all that's being seen
at the moment.  When the signal does sign on for real, as a
partnership between WWNY (Channel 7) and Smith Broadcasting, it will
feature a WWNY-produced 10 PM newscast anchored by Theresa Fulcher.

Down Route 3 a bit, Ackerley's WWTI (Channel 50) is preparing to
challenge WWNY's monopoly of weekend news.  April 21 is the scheduled
start date for WWTI's Saturday and Sunday shows at 6 and 11 PM.  NERW
hopes that by then, WWTI will have repaired its transmitter, which we
hear is currently down, relegating WWTI to cable-only status.

(Also a victim of recent storm damage: WNYV 94.1 Whitehall NY, on the
Vermont border north of Glens Falls.  We're told work is underway at
the station's mountaintop site to get back on the air, while simulcast
WVNR 1340 Poulteney VT keeps the signal going for most listeners.)

Two more notes from up north: WYSI (96.1 Norwood) is back on the air
for now, still running what appears to be an interim simulcast of
Canton's WVLF (96.7).  WRCD (101.5 Canton) has named Danny James its
new PD, bringing him up from Jackson, Mississippi.  Could this mean
more live programming and less satellite at "Rock 101"?

Albany weathercaster Norm Sebastian, who died of cancer late last
year, wanted donations in his memory to be made to Boston's
Dana-Farber Cancer Center, but a group of WNYT (Channel 13) staffers
is taking things a bit further this month.  "Norm's Team" will run the
Boston Marathon April 16, with all the money they raise going to
Dana-Farber.  Before heading to Beantown, the runners will get their
carbs at a pasta dinner April 8 at Albany's Armory Center.  The event,
being held from 5-8 PM, will also raise money in Sebastian's memory.

Down on Long Island, the FCC has given Polnet the go-ahead to purchase
WLIM (1580 Patchogue) from Jack Ellsworth's Long Island Music, so look
for the standards to give way to Polish any day now.

A petition to deny has been filed against WMNR (88.1 Monroe CT)'s new
translator in Mount Kisco.  Bruce Elving's "FMedia!" carried a letter
this month from a listener in the area who says the new W205BM (88.9)
is preventing him from hearing WFDU (89.1) over in Teaneck, N.J.  

*Crossing the Hudson into NEW JERSEY, there's still an attempt
underway to squeeze a 91.9 translator onto the dial, just two channels
away from New York's WXRK (92.3).  Auricle Communications, the folks
who own WFMU (91.1 East Orange), have filed a petition for
reconsideration for their Union City 91.9 translator application,
recently dismissed by the FCC.  WFMU just finished raising over half a
million dollars in its March pledge drive; it's also turned on WAJW
(89.9 Chesterton IN) outside Chicago, though we hear there are no
legals running on the midwestern outlet, just the East Orange (and
WXHD 90.1 Mount Hope NY) ID.  

Down at the other end of the Garden State, the WUSS calls have
returned to AM 1490 in Pleasanton, which has been serving Atlantic
City as sports WGYM for the last few years.  While WUSS reverts to its
old gospel format, the ESPN sports and the WGYM calls move down the
road to the former WONZ (1580) in Hammonton.  

*We'll have much more on PENNSYLVANIA next week when we recount our
trip to Pittsburgh and back, but in the meantime...

There's a new simulcast in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market, as WMGS
(92.9 Scranton) extends its already substantial signal to the north by
adding WEMR-FM (107.7 Tunkhannock).  WEMR-FM had been simulcasting
fellow Citadel station WBHT (97.1 Mountain Top), but the need for that
simulcast went away, in large part, when 'BHT added WBHP (94.3
Carbondale) to its roster last year.

Down the road in Williamsport, there are now call letters to go with
public radio WVIA's new construction permit on 89.7: WVYA Williamsport
will accompany WVIA-FM Scranton on 89.9.

Between those two markets, little WRPA (103.9 Laporte) has been sold.
Theodore Saul, Jr. hands over the station to Kevin Fitzgerald's Smith
& Fitzgerald Partnership, which means WRPA becomes a sister to
Binghamton's WCDW, Elmira's WPHD and still-unbuilt WMTG in South
Waverly.  WRPA was doing satellite rock a couple of years ago, but had
reportedly gone silent in the last year or so.

A change of titles at Philadelphia's WUSL (98.9) and WJJZ (106.1):
WJJZ operations manager Anne Gress takes on the same duties for WUSL,
while WJJZ assistant program director/music director Michael Tozzi
moves up to PD, accompanied by Glenn Cooper making the same move up at
WUSL.

Across the state line in Ohio, some shuffling in the Youngstown market
finds Clear Channel selling off two little AMs.  WRTK (1540 Niles) has
been simulcasting oldies WBBG (106.1 Niles), while religious WPAO
(1470 Farrell PA) was still owned by GOCOM, with Clear Channel holding
an option to purchase.  For $300,000, both signals go to Dale
Edwards' D&E Broadcasting.

*From CANADA comes a definite date for the end of music on Toronto's
1050 CHUM.  May 7 at 3 PM will be the transition to all-sports, and
you can bet a whole stack of loonies that NERW will be up there to
hear the changeover (with audio to follow on fybush.com by late that
evening!)  More details on the many retrospective programs will follow
in next week's issue...

Pink slips were the order of the day this week at two stations in
Toronto and Hamilton: CFYI (Talk 640) in Toronto let a reported 11
people go, with morning drive becoming a simulcast of the Humble and
Fred show from CFNY (102.1 The Edge).  Over at CIWV (94.7 Hamilton),
founding PD Jim Craig is out after just seven months, replaced by
Steve Kassay and a move towards less talk, news and traffic in favor
of more smooth jazz.

Kingston's CIKR (105.7) is now running full power as "K-Rock," and we
hear it's being well-heard across the St. Lawrence in New York's North
Country.  

And up in Montreal, the Expos began their season with no
English-language radio deal -- and they're unlikely to get one.
Standard Broadcasting's CJAD (800) and CHUM Group's CKGM (990) both
turned down Expos offers that reportedly called for the team to keep
all the revenues while the station absorbed all the costs of the
broadcast.  Listeners "qui parlent francais" can hear the Expos on
CKAC 730.

*That's it for another week; see you back here next Monday!

APRIL 9:

*The Boston Celtics are near the end of another lackluster season, but
as the team watches another year run down amidst memories of the glory
days of Auerbach and Bird, it's able to offer fans at least one
guaranteed change for next year.

When the 2001-2002 preseason starts in October, the Celts will be
heard on a new radio home.  Instead of WEEI (850), the team will
migrate up the dial to Sporting News Radio's WWZN (1510) for the next
five seasons, in a deal announced late last week.

The deal will give WWZN an opportunity to promote itself to an
audience that hasn't been paying much attention to the upstart sports
signal, whether in its earlier incarnation as One-on-One's WNRB or its
more recent makeover under Sporting News.  It also leaves WEEI with
only one of the "big four" Boston teams, the Red Sox -- meaning the
all-sports station will be without major-league local play-by-play
from September (or perhaps October, this year?) until March.  The
Bruins play their season on WBZ (1030), while the Patriots are still
locked in with Infinity's WBCN (104.1).  

If we remember correctly here at NERW Central, the last time the 1510
signal was home to major Boston sports was in the very early nineties,
when then-WKKU was doing country and carrying the Bruins.  Before
that, of course -- long before that -- 1510 was the Red Sox flagship
during its WITS era in the late seventies.  

*What else is happening in MASSACHUSETTS? Up on the North Shore, WNSH
(1570 Beverly) filed an unusual application with the FCC, seeking to
modify its construction permit to specify two-site operation.  It
seems that there are environmental issues holding up WNSH's
construction of a night array at its proposed Endicott College site.
The station is able to build the three day towers at that site, so now
it's been given permission to move day operation with 500 watts to
Endicott, while leaving the night operation, with two towers, at the
old WMLO site near the North Shore Mall.  Of course, last we heard,
WNSH was running a special temporary authority of 125 watts,
non-directional, from that rooftop in Hamilton...but perhaps the old
WMLO site is once again usable?  We'll keep you posted...

Over in Lunenburg, the FCC has dismissed "Living Proof,
Incorporated"'s application for a new station on 91.7, helping to
clear the way for the proposed UMass-Boston/Maynard High School joint
application for a power boost at WAVM (91.7 Maynard).  

Down on the Cape, Bob & Tom have moved stations, shifting from the old
WWKJ (101.1 Mashpee, now WTWV) to the new WDVT (93.5 Harwich Port,
formerly WYST) in mornings.

And this update on Jerry Williams: We're now told the former WRKO
talkmeister did not in fact suffer a heart attack.  It was a minor
stroke, and it caused some problems with his left hand.  Williams is
recuperating at the Hammond Point facility in Chestnut Hill, and we
wish him a speedy recovery!

*Next stop, VERMONT, where the big flip at Clear Channel's Burlington
cluster happened this morning (April 9).  As we reported here last
week, the smooth jazz that had been on WXPS (96.7 Willsboro NY) has
moved for good to the WLCQ (92.1 Port Henry NY) facility, something of
a rimshot from the southern end of Lake Champlain.  96.7 is now doing
talk as "the Zone" (and we hear the WXZO calls are on the way),
simulcasting with WEAV (960 Plattsburgh NY).  The 96.7/960 format
kicks off with Don Imus in the morning, and the rumor around
Burlington is that Clear Channel will eventually move Premiere's
Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh from their current homes at WVMT and WKDR
over to the new talk simulcast.

An update on WRRO (93.7 Addison): The station is most definitely now
doing AAA, but while sister WXRV (92.5 Haverhill MA) down in the
Boston market is providing plenty of consulting help, those who know
tell NERW the final programming decisions are still being made in the
Green Mountain State.

*One NEW HAMPSHIRE correction: that pirate in Londonderry that got
busted by the FCC was on 88.7.  90.7 is, of course, licensed WLMW in
Manchester (though we suspect the 88.7 had more power and a better
signal!)

*We had a feeling we'd omitted one of the many calls on 550 in
Pawtucket, RHODE ISLAND.  As several of you pointed out, WXTR occupied
that spot in the late sixties, between WPAW and WGNG and long before
WICE, WPNW, WLKW, WICE again...and that brief point where WBZU was
applied for but never used.  Whew!

(We'll leave it to our friends at M Street to have caught the big
irony in the 550 flip from talk to Radio Disney: it happened the very
day Providence mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci was making headlines for
his latest corruption charges.  There must have been some frustrated
talk hosts that day...)

*One change in CONNECTICUT, but it was expected: Hartford's WUVN
(Channel 18) finally switched to Univision from home shopping April
1.  We're told the station is planning Hartford's first local
Spanish-language TV newscast soon.

*A quiet, quiet week in NEW YORK, with just a few facility changes to
report: 

In Middletown, WRRV (92.7) has been granted a license to cover for its
power upgrade. The modern rocker jumps from 3 kW (at 97 meters) to 6
kW at 82 meters, altering its coordinates slightly to reflect the
actual location of its tower.  

Up in Elmira, Bob Pfuntner has straightened out a bit of confusion with
his two FM upgrade applications.  Both WLVY (94.3 Elmira) and WOKN
(99.5 Southport) want to raise their antennas -- but not, as the
initial round of applications mistakenly suggested, swap frequencies.
WLVY would go from 1750 watts at 152 meters to 900 watts at 227
meters, while WOKN would jump from 2650 watts at 149 meters to 1250
watts at 221 meters.  The stations would share a new, taller tower
just northwest of the stick they currently use, on a bluff east of the
studios overlooking route 17.  By raising the antennas and dropping
power, "94 Rock" and "OK99" would trade a bit of signal penetration
(not a big deal in low-rise Elmira) for better reach over the hills
that surround the city.

Over in Auburn, Clear Channel has applied for an on-channel booster
for its WPHR (106.9).  Could this be a sign that the Syracuse-market
urban outlet is getting ready to move its main transmitter closer in
to the Salt City?

*We can tell you more about those layoffs in CANADA's biggest city:
the axe-swinging at CFYI (640 Toronto) left 11 people jobless last
week, including news director James McPhee, three of his news
staffers, and morning guy Larry Silver.  

The Corus talker is now being reborn as "Buzz 640," with Humble and
Fred from CFNY (102.1 the Edge) simulcast in morning drive.  

Meanwhile, up Yonge Street, CHUM (1050) is pulling out every stop
known to mankind in its celebration of its 44-year rock'n'roll
heritage prior to the station's May 7 switch to sports.  Jock
reunions, daily broadcasts of historic 1050 CHUM airchecks -- it's all
happening at the 1050 spot on the dial, and now there's a Web site
listing all the festivities.  Find it at
<http://www.1050chum.com/go/Homecoming.htm> -- and enjoy!

Pirates in Canada?  You betcha...a dance-music signal calling itself
"Groove Radio" is being heard north of Toronto, around Brampton, on
100.3.

*Down in NEW JERSEY, religious WAWZ (99.1 Zarephath) has been granted
a change in its signal.  From its current non-directional 37 kW at 174
meters, WAWZ plans to raise its antenna (to 200 meters) and drop power
(to 28 kW), while adding a directional antenna.  

*From PENNSYLVANIA comes word that WCHE (1520 West Chester) will soon
be able to add a second tower.  The station was granted a power boost
to 1000 watts day, 500 watts critical hours (with a directional
antenna) from its current non-DA 250 watts daytime.

Northeast of Pittsburgh, WAVL (910 Apollo) is being sold.  Tri-Borough
Broadcasting will take home $400,000 from the sale to Evangel Heights
Assembly of God; expect little change to this station's religious
format.

Penn State's WPSU (91.5 State College) has a new translator: W221BD
(92.1 DuBois) was granted a license to cover this week.

Just over the state line in Ohio, Clear Channel was fined $25,000 for
unauthorized transfer of control of WBTJ (101.9 Hubbard).  The
Youngstown-market station was LMA'd to Clear Channel by Stop 26
Riverbend, but the Stop 26 folks complained to the FCC when Clear
Channel refused to allow them to pre-empt Clear Channel's programming,
something licensees must be permitted to do in any LMA deal (after
all, the licensee still has ultimate responsibility for the station!)
WBTJ was tied up in litigation between Stop 26 and Clear Channel for
several years; Clear Channel ultimately moved its CHR format from that
facility to what's now WAKZ (95.9 Sharpsville PA) and WBTJ is now
doing urban.

Speaking of Stop 26, it bought WASN (1330 Campbell OH) in the
Youngstown market this week, taking the talker out of the hands of Dan
Ott's Otter Communications.  WASN and Stop 26's WRBP (1440 Warren) had
been simulcasting for a while, though 1440 was later sold to Salem and
is now WHKW and apparently silent.

*And all this talk about Youngstown and vicinity gives us the perfect
segue into our little trip down to western Pennsylvania a couple of
weekends ago.

We started off by tuning to 96.5 as we sped through Chautauqua County,
New York, hearing the 80s-pop sounds of "Kix," WBKX (96.5 Fredonia),
where country long occupied the frequency.  No stop in Erie this time
-- instead, we wanted to spend a bit of time around Meadville to hear
all of Keymarket's maneuvers.

It plays out like this: At 94.3, there's now classic rock "Wuzz" (WHUZ
Saegertown), with liners like: "Because the music is, we is Wuzz" and
a nice live remote on a Sunday afternoon.  Not much of a change from
the old classic rock format as WMDE, really, but at least it was
live.  Up the dial at 100.3, "Froggy" country has arrived at the
former WZPR Meadville.  Now WGYY, it's simulcasting with WGYI (98.5
Oil City), another station with a long country heritage as WOYL-FM.
And where oldies once held forth, at WAQM (104.5 Cambridge Springs),
it's a sort of pop-CHR as "Kiss" WXXO, simulcasting with WOXX
(formerly AC WFRA-FM) 99.3 in Franklin.  Why those calls? "We spell
Kiss with two kisses and a hug..."  

A stop at the outlets in Grove City gave us a chance to hear the Clear
Channel "Kiss" over in Youngstown, the aforementioned WAKZ, as well as
the new urban format on WBTJ (101.9 Hubbard); alas, we were a few
hours too late to hear one of the two brief weekly activations of WSAJ
(1340 Grove City), which runs for just a few hours each week to keep
the license alive, or so we're told.

>From there it was over to Butler, a little three-station market
nestled at the northern edge of the Pittsburgh metro.  All three
stations are co-owned, but they still operate from two separate
facilities.  WBUT (1050) and WLER (97.7) -- BUT and LER, get it? --
share a guyed tower northeast of downtown and a modern-looking studio
facility north of town off route 8.  Standards WISR (680) has a very
old guyed tower next to a very old concrete-block building at the top
of a very rutted road on a hill just west of downtown.  The WISR
studios, complete with garish green awning and "680 kc" sign, are on
Main Street downtown.

After a night in Pittsburgh, we set off to see the historic Conrad
Garage, where amateur operator Frank Conrad built 8XK, which evolved
into today's KDKA.  First, though, we wanted to see a few Pittsburgh
sites that had escaped our attention on prior visits.  WQED
(89.3/Channel 13) and WQEX (Channel 16) share a candelabra tower that
rises over the Pitt campus in the heart of the city; the concrete
studio building is nearby on Fifth Avenue.  We had little trouble
finding the day site of WPTT (1360 McKeesport), a single stick in the
front yard of the Squirrel Hill Manor retirement home, or the WRRK
(96.9 Braddock) and WYEP (91.3 Pittsburgh) towers that rise behind the
home.  We did, however, spend a lot of wasted time looking for the
right road to WJAS (1320 Pittsburgh)'s two-tower site, which can be
seen from the entrance to the Squirrel Hill Tunnel but requires a
detour through Swissvale for a closer look.  Back on I-376 (the
"Parkway East"), we exited again at US 30 to check out WURP (1550
Braddock), a single stick a mile or so east of the Parkway; religious
WPCB-TV (Channel 40), a few miles east and a bit north in the hamlet
of Wall (with two very tall towers, one new, the other a bit older);
and WEDO (810 McKeesport), a bit south of US 30 with a fairly new tall
guyed tower replacing an older stick felled by vandals.

And then we headed west again, passing the WTAE (Channel 4) studios as
we drove through Wilkinsburg to the corner of Penn Avenue and Peebles
Street.  That's where Conrad lived, in an 1860s-era brick Victorian
house that's since been surrounded by an ugly 1950s-era brick Elks
lodge.  The lodge, and the land on which it sits, will soon be
demolished to build a new Wendy's restaurant -- and the drive-through
will go right where the garage now sits.  

Enter the National Museum of Broadcasting/The Conrad Project.  These
underfunded volunteers raised enough money to carefully demolish the
garage and put its bricks in storage, and that's just what was going
on when NERW arrived.  The two-story structure was down to one story,
with pallets of painstakingly-cleaned bricks sitting in front awaiting
transportation to a storage facility.  By now, it should be completely
demolished.  The NMB folks hope to find a site someday to reconstruct
the garage, working from a series of photos and laser measurements
taken before demolition began.  We hope they're successful...and we'll
report any developments right here as they happen.

>From the garage, we headed to Pittsburgh's north side and three more
sites we'd never had a chance to visit.  WAMO (860) now has three
towers on its hilltop site, reflecting its new night power (and change
of COL from Pittsburgh to Millvale).  The former WAMO-FM (105.9) still
uses the site as well, though it's now modern-rock WXDX.

A short drive away on the next hilltop to the west is religious WPIT
(730) and WORD (101.5), sharing a self-supporting tower.  From there,
it's easy to see (but not so easy to drive to) the newest stick on the
north side, the very tall strobed, guyed tower that's home to several
FMs.  WDSY (107.9) and WZPT (100.7) already use this tower, and WJJJ
(104.7) will be moving there eventually.

Traffic was surprisingly light as we crossed back through downtown to
the south side and a visit to Clarke Ingram at WJJJ's new home in
Green Tree, where all of Clear Channel's Pittsburgh stations are now
co-located.  WJJJ moved there a few months ago (with WWSW 94.5 and
WBGG 970) to join WKST (96.1) and WXDX at their 200 Fleet Street
facility.

The next morning found us heading home, searching unsuccessfully for
the WPGR (1510 Monroeville) towers before driving east through the
snow on US 22, turning off to see the unimpressive single sticks of
WRDD (1580 Ebensburg) and WEBG (1400 Loretto), up in the hills between
Johnstown and Altoona.  

We spent quite a while in those two towns in 1999, so this time we
limited ourselves to a bit of dial-scanning (WUZI 105.7 Portage, near
Johnstown, runs the same "Wuzz" format as Saegertown, and we did hear
WFJY 1470 on the air simulcasting the FM; WSPO 850 Johnstown is
simulcasting its sports format on WVSC 990 Somerset; Johnstown's CHR
"Power" WGLU has indeed moved from 92.1 to the more powerful
Ebensburg-licensed 99.1, relegating "Qwik Rock" WQKK to the weaker
92.1 Johnstown signal; what we'd heard stunting on 104.9 Hollidaysburg
in '99 is now "Magic" WMAJ-FM serving Altoona) and headed north on
I-99 (or, to roadgeeks out there, US 220!)

A brief stop in Tyrone took us past the quaint little studio and tower
of WTRN 1340, and from there it was north again to State College.
There we saw the three towers of WRSC (1390), with the bays of "Qwik
Rock" WQWK (97.1 University Park) hanging off one of the sticks.  With
the radio tuned to Penn State student station WKPS (90.7), we drove
around campus a bit (lots of traffic, nowhere to park) before heading
up to Bellefonte, past the single stick of standards WMAJ (1450).  In
Bellefonte, we saw the single tower of WBLF (970), simulcasting WRSC's
talk format, while waiting for the decks to finish rolling on the rest
of the market.  WTLR (88.9 State College) does religion; WPSU (91.5
State College) is typical NPR fare; WBUS (93.7 Boalsburg) is the
classic rocker; WFGI (94.5 State College) is "Froggy Country," not
quite parallel to Altoona's WFGY 98.1; WZWW (95.3 Bellefonte) is AC
"3WZ;" WGMR (101.1 Tyrone) goes for the students as "Revolution"
modern rock; WBHV (103.1 State College) does CHR as "Beaver 103;" WUBZ
(105.9 Phillipsburg) is more modern rock as "the Buzz;" and oldies
come in on WNCL (107.9 Port Matilda), or "Cool."

Last time we drove US 220 from Bellefonte to Williamsport, it was in
the middle of a storm.  This time it was clear and dry, so we pulled
off in Lock Haven to see WBPZ (1230), a single tower next to a nursing
home near the Lock Haven Hospital, and then again near Jersey Shore to
see the little hillside stick of religious WJSA (1600), half of an
AM-FM simulcast.  On the dial, we heard the new "Bill Country" WBYL
(95.5 Salladasburg) and the revived WWPA (1340 Williamsport), doing
talk and CNN Headline News, before pointing the car north towards
sunset and home.

*And that's it for this week...next time out, we'll run down the
baseball dial in the Northeast.  A happy and unleavened Passover to
those of you observing, a happy Easter if that applies...and we'll see
you next Monday.

APRIL 16:

*One of MAINE's oldest radio stations is getting a new owner.  After
announcing an LMA earlier this month, Clear Channel bought Bangor's
WABI (910) and WWBX (97.1) from Gopher Hill Communications this week
for $3.75 million.  The deal gives America's largest radio owner nine
stations in the market; in addition to the standards AM and the hot AC FM
outlets, Clear Channel already has AC WKSQ (94.5 Ellsworth),
country WLKE (99.1 Bar Harbor), rock simulcast WFZX (101.7 Searsport)
and WNSX (97.7 Winter Harbor), oldies WGUY (102.1 Dexter), talk WVOM
(103.9 Howland) and country WBFB (104.7 Belfast).  

Clear Channel says WABI morning fixture George Hale will remain at the
station.  Hale started at WABI back in 1956, and also spent some time
doing sports at former sister station WABI-TV (Channel 5).

Gopher Hill is apparently hanging on to its other properties, WQSS
(102.5 Camden) and WAYD (105.5 Islesboro) for now.

*While we're down east, we'll note that WMDI (107.7 Bar Harbor) has
reportedly gone silent in preparation for its relaunch soon as
classical "W-Bach," WBQI.  Any day now...

Meanwhile in Portland, there's a minor change of moniker at Saga
news/talker WGAN.  It's not "56 WGAN" anymore...instead, label it "560
WGAN" on the air.

Over at Maine Public Radio, the April pledge drive netted $166,000, up
slightly from last October's figures.  MPBC officials say the
increased donations show listeners are pleased with the network's
recent decision to restore some of the music programming it dropped a
few months back.

*With nothing happening in NEW HAMPSHIRE, it's down to MASSACHUSETTS
next, where former WJMN (94.5 Boston) GM Matt Mills moves into the
VP/GM office of Greater Media's Boston group, taking responsibility
for talker WTKK (96.9), oldies WROR (105.7 Framingham), country WKLB
(99.5 Lowell), AC WMJX (106.7) and AAA-ish WBOS (92.9 Brookline).
Mills takes the job held most recently by Frank Kelly, who gets
promoted to VP/Sales for the entire Greater Media group.

Speaking of WTKK, word is that the station will soon add a 7-10 PM
show hosted by conservative commentator Laura Ingraham.  The
syndicated offering is also apparently going to show up in Washington
DC on one of Clear Channel's reshuffled talk stations there, either
WWRC (1260) or WTNT (570 Bethesda).

We're hearing some wildly conflicting things about the CP we reported
last week for temporary two-site operation at WNSH (1570 Beverly).  A
source close to owner Keating Willcox tells NERW there are no plans to
return to the old 1570 site near the North Shore Mall, which flatly
contradicts the filing made in the most recent FCC actions involving
the talk station.  It appears Willcox is still trying to build three
very short towers for the station on the Endicott College campus;
until then, we're left to guess that the station is operating from
that rooftop in Hamilton where it's been for a few years.  

*The "leftover" RHODE ISLAND Radio Disney outlet is getting a new
owner.  Hall Communications, which owns Providence-market country
outlet WCTK (98.1 New Bedford MA) and New Bedford's WNBH (1340), is
picking up WHRC (1450 West Warwick) from Disney, which no longer needs
the station after adding WICE (550 Pawtucket) to the Mouse lineup.  No
word yet on Hall's plans for the station, which fits neatly between
the New Bedford group and its southeastern Connecticut stations.

On the FM side, WWLI (105.1 Providence) is getting a bit harder in its
AC mix; it's now "Lite Rock 105" instead of "Lite 105."

*CONNECTICUT's newest station now has a jock lineup; Hartford's own
Marc Bramhall checked in to let us know who's on "Hot 93.7" WZMX, and
it goes like this: from 6-10 AM, morning team J.D. Houston and Nancy
Barrow stay on from the old "dancin' oldies" incarnation; Lisa Lisa
does middays; at 3 PM it's Michael Maze, another veteran of the
pre-"Hot" 93.7; and Jenny Boom moves west from Providence's "Hot 106"
(WWKX 106.3 Woonsocket/WAKX 102.7 Narragansett Pier) to do 7-midnight.

Over in the "Quiet Corner" of the Nutmeg State, the Litchfield County
Committee on Higher Education transfers WAPJ (89.9 Torrington) to the
Nutmeg Conservatory of the Arts; no word on any programming changes
that might result.

*Across Long Island Sound, there's a low-priced station sale to lead
off our NEW YORK report: Barnstable is transferring WFOG (1570
Riverhead) to Five Towns College for the lordly sum of $72,000.  The
station on Long Island's East End has been on and off the air for the
last few years; we heard it in February simulcasting rock sister WRCN
(103.9 Riverhead).  Five Towns apparently plans to change the calls to
WFTU, and we presume it will become a student-run station.  

That's good news for the students at Five Towns, but we've got to
wonder: with the price that low, did the folks at Polnet make any
attempt to add 1570 to their just-purchased WLIM 1580 down the road in
Patchogue?  The stations did simulcast years ago (as WPAC and WAPC),
and the 1570 reaches a considerably larger Polish community than the
1580 signal (which cost Polnet $850,000!)

Passing through New York City, we note that Gerry Turro has filed to
transfer his two translators to Press Broadcasting, which may mean the
end of "Jukebox Radio" as we know it.  Turro, you'll recall, has been
battling the FCC for the last decade over his plan to use W232AL (94.3
Pomona NY) and W276AQ (103.1 Fort Lee NJ, across the Hudson from
Manhattan) to rebroadcast programming he feeds to WJUX (99.7
Monticello), a hundred miles or so upstate.  Turro had a deal last
year to sell the translators to Press to end his fight with the
Commission; the reported price then was over a million dollars.  We'll
keep you posted on the fate of these two translators.

Going way upstate, we hear a Tuesday format change is planned at
Utica's "Wow FM" (WOWB 105.5 Little Falls/WOWZ 97.9 Whitesboro), now
that the stations are owned by Clear Channel.  PD J.P. Marks stays
with former owner Ken Roser, helping to run "Bug Country" (WBGK 99.7
Newport Village/WBUG-FM 101.1 Fort Plain/WBUG 1570 Amsterdam).  As of
late Monday night, WOWB and WOWZ were simulcasting Clear Channel's CHR
"Kiss" (WSKS 102.5 Rome); we'll let you know if that turns out to be a
permanent move.

Also in Utica, Nelson Suggs' Bethany Broadcasting is selling religious
WVVC (100.7) to the Educational Media Foundation, which owns dozens of
religious stations and translators around the country.  The $1.25
million purchase of WVVC gives EMF its first foothold in New York.

Up north, Mike Roach tells us WYSI (96.1 Norwood) is becoming "96.1
the Valley," leaving WVLF (96.7 Canton) to get a new format
eventually, once the current simulcast ends.  Mike also reports the
debut of WNYF-LP (Channel 28) in Watertown, though the new Fox
affiliate is not yet available on cable.  It's operated by Smith
Broadcasting and Watertown CBS affiliate WWNY (Channel 7), which
contributes a 10 PM newscast that started Wednesday (April 11).

Here's a surprise from the Syracuse market: The booster for Auburn
rimshotter WPHR (106.9) we mentioned last week?  It won't be in
Auburn, though that's the community of license applied for.  Nope --
the 1720-watt, vertical-only signal will emanate from the heart of
downtown Syracuse, near the merge of I-81 and I-690, if it's approved
by the FCC.

Here in Rochester, Entercom is the latest stopping-off point for
peripatetic sports/news guy Steve Hausmann.  After stints at what's
now the Clear Channel group and more recently at Infinity's WCMF
(96.5) and WPXY (97.9), Hausmann is now the news and sports director
for country WBEE-FM (92.5), oldies WBBF (93.3 Avon/950 Rochester) and
80s WBZA (98.9).  Hausmann's also an alumnus of the Flower City's NBC
affiliate, WHEC-TV (Channel 10).

Finally for New York...the FCC released the full list of Empire State
LPFM applications this week, at the same time as it announced it will
merge the final two filing windows for the new service.  That means
would-be LPFMers in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont will have to
file their applications between June 11 and 15 to be considered.

In the meantime, here's who's applying in New York, in more or less
the order the FCC released it:

104.9 Lima Elim Bible Institute (which once held an unbuilt translator
CP)
94.1 Spring Valley Konbit Leg Nakay
95.7 Sanitaria Springs Living Water Ministry
94.3 Jefferson Jesus Christ's Community
91.9 Bronx Iglesia Impacto Evangelista Cristo Misionero
96.5 Bronx Iglesia De Dios La Hermosa
92.9 Bronx Iglesia De Cristo Misionera
(none of the above three are grantable, since they're way too close to
WXRK 92.3, WQXR-FM 96.3 and WPAT-FM 93.1 in Manhattan!)
105.7 Goshen Goshen Community Radio
104.3 Canandaigua Western NY Chapter American Red Cross
92.3 Norwich Advent Believers Broadcasting
105.9 Jamestown Lighthouse Baptist Church
100.1 Fort Plain Revelation Ministries
104.9 Hudson Falls Paul Dashnaw
104.9 Glens Falls Better Living Radio
(the above two would be mutually exclusive, it seems)
94.7 Sound Beach Christian Charities Deliverance Church
(not likely to be granted so close to WFME 94.7 Newark NJ)
91.9 Spring Valley Rockland County Crime Prevention Bureau
88.3 Freeport Centro Biblico
105.9 West Canada Christian Resources
107.1 Albany Peewee Communications
(this can't be granted, thanks to third-adjacent WPYX 106.5)
96.1 Delhi "New York State College" (SUNY Delhi)
93.5 Central Islip Calvary Chapel of Suffolk County
95.7 "42-01-30 N 76-01-05 W" New Life Free Methodist Church
(someone needs to learn how to fill out forms!)
95.7 Binghamton Latter Rain Network
104.7 Limestone Limestone Community Radio
97.1 Rochester Metro Justice of Rochester
(this was the frequency we'd have chosen for Radio Free NERW, until 
the third-adjacent rules were put into place for LPFM, thus dooming
this application because of WCMF on 96.5.  Oh well...)
97.1 Henrietta Rush-Henrietta Central School District
(which would have reincarnated the old 10-watt WRHR 90.5, later sold
to the Board of Cooperative Educational Services and now running
legal-ID-free as WBER 90.5)
105.9 Utica Planet Utica
94.7 Ridge Pine Barrens Broadcasting
93.5 Canton First Baptist Church
105.7 Geneva Finger Lakes Regional Arts Council
88.5 Brooklyn St. Catherine of Genoa Church
(not gonna happen with WBGO 88.3 on the first adjacent channel)
94.1 Clifton Park Friends of Good Music in Clifton Park
94.1 Niskayuna These Times Community Radio
(the above two would compete)
95.7 Windsor Johnson Broadcasting Company
94.7 Shirley Shirley Educational Radio
107.9 Ellenville Ellenville Central School District
93.7 Ellenville Outreach Services
98.5 Buffalo Victory Christian Radio
(Yes, an application for 98.5 in Buffalo, ten miles from full class B
WKSE 98.5 Niagara Falls.  Our enthusiasm for the LPFM concept fades
every time we see an applicant who obviously can't even be bothered to
turn on the radio to see what's already there.  And it gets
worse...keep reading!)
98.5 Buffalo M&M Community Development
(Somebody either got the worst contract engineer in America, or relied
on a database that was missing something here!)
107.9 Jamestown Arts Council for Chautauqua County
100.9 Horseheads Access to Independent Living
(where we bet someone actually listens to WPGI, the full class A
facility on 100.9 licensed to, yup, Horseheads.)
103.9 Kingston Outreach Services
107.5 Corning Christian Radio Corp.
94.1 Jamestown Advent Radio Ministries Corp.
100.3 Arcade Christian Broadcasting Corp.
103.3 Brooklyn Arthur Kents
(Yo, Arthur!  Did you notice there's a full B on 103.5, WKTU Lake
Success, just across the East River?)
89.1 Moriah Champlain Music Appreciation Society
"9000" Brooklyn Church of God of Remsen
100.3 Westhampton Aquila Broadcasting Corp.
93.3 Shoreham Shoreham Broadcasting Corp.
99.5 Wainscott LTV Corp.
106.3 Brooklyn Nayo Cultural Association
(won't happen, thanks to 106.7 WLTW New York)
100.7 Cortland Chris Perrine
100.7 Cortland Cortland Christian Radio
98.7 Amherst Mickey Turntable Foundation
(see the Buffalo 98.5 applications above for why this is a real
"Mickey" of an app!)
100.9 Center Moriches The Savior's Voice Broadcasting Co.
"9000" Brooklyn Anakwona Association
89.5 Brooklyn Anakwona Association
(what happened to one license per owner, anyway?)
98.7 Colonie Educational Radio Services
(won't be approved, what with 98.3 WTRY-FM nearby)
105.9 Mayville Chautauqua Lake Central School District
95.9 Oneonta Spirit and Truth Christian Assembly
95.9 Oneonta "New State College at Oneonta" (SUNY, licensee of WONY
90.9 there)
93.3 Shirley Radio Nuevo Amanecer of Shirley

But wait...there's more.  The New York State Thruway Authority wants
stations on 98.7 in Blasdell, Eden, Dunkirk, Ripley and West Portland;
the first three are definitely too close to that 98.5 Niagara Falls to
qualify, and Ripley probably is as well.  Was the FCC's channel finder
missing the WKSE information?

And the New York Department of Transportation is primed to become the
biggest band hog of them all, as it seeks: 

95.1 Witherbee, 104.1 Hunter, 98.7 Grafton, 97.1 Porter Corners, 97.5
Warrensburg (way too close to WZEC 97.5), 92.7 Hartford, 99.5 Blue
Mountain Lake, 100.5 Sloansville, 105.9 New Hartford (competing with
that "Planet Utica" above), 100.7 Blodgett Mills, 98.3 Mexico (which
would be interesting, since CFLY in Kingston, Ontario puts a healthy
signal into that Lake Ontario community), 96.1 Waterloo, 104.5
Geneseo, 106.5 Boswell Corners, 100.1 Albion, 105.9 Little Valley,
97.9 Belmont, 93.3 Coopers Plains, 94.9 Owego, 103.7 West Beekmantown,
101.1 Hornell, 94.7 Manorville, 107.9 Ellenville (competing with the
local schools, above), 94.3 Godeffroy, 96.9 Austerlitz, 102.5
Dickinson Center, 94.1 Watertown, 105.5 Martinsburg, 107.3 Russell,
103.9 Kingston, 95.7 Tunnel, 102.7 Stamford, 92.9 Walton, 106.1
Oneonta, 93.9 Monticello.

We'll try to keep tabs on these, and we'll keep you posted as the
FCC accepts or rejects them.

*Down in NEW JERSEY, there's a new morning team at "94.3 the Point,"
WJLK-FM Asbury Park, as Kevin Hilley and Suzanne Lewis move up the
coast from WCZT (98.7 Villas).  Former WJLK morning guy Eric Summers
is heading to Richmond and WMXB (103.7).

*A call swap in PENNSYLVANIA is in the works, with the new CP in
Cooperstown getting WHUG-FM, the longtime calls across the state line
at 101.9 in Jamestown, New York.  Jamestown gets the WMHU calls that
were on the Cooperstown CP; we'll have to get down that way to hear
whether a format swap is also taking place.

A few more call changes: dark WRPA (103.9 Laporte) becomes WQZI, while
little WEBG (1400 Loretto) becomes WBZV to match its "Buzz" slogan.

Two management changes in the Steel City: Dave LaBrozzi, PD of
Nashville's WMAK, moves to Clear Channel's WJJJ/WWSW to take the
operations manager post recently vacated by Chris Ostrander in his
move to Disney World.  Just down the road, former WDVE PD Garrett Hart
becomes operations manager at WLTJ (92.9) and WRRK (96.9 Braddock).

*There was no news from eastern CANADA this week, just the sound of
deals going down out west.  First CTV bought one of its last major
independent affiliates, Winnipeg's CKY-TV, for $35 million.  Then
rival CHUM Group took a giant leap into the British Columbia market
by outbidding Alberta's Craig family for CKVU (Channel 10) in
Vancouver, the station CanWest Global had to sell in order to acquire
WIC's "BCTV" (CHAN-TV 8 Vancouver) and CHEK-TV (Channel 6 Victoria).
If you're keeping score out west, that means BCTV will become the
Global affiliate, CHEK will become an independent similar to Global's
CHCH Hamilton (another WIC acquisition), BCTV's CTV affiliation will
move to "VTV" (CIVT Channel 32), which is owned by CTV but had been
operating as an indie, and Chum will likely turn CKVU into a
CityTV-style independent (in addition to its new license for CIVI-TV
Victoria, which will be "The New VI" when it debuts.)  Thoroughly
confused yet?

*That'll do it for this week, and in fact for next week as well.  (We
ran out of space for that baseball list -- we'll get to it, we
promise!)  There will be no regular NERW next Monday, April 23, since
we'll be in Las Vegas at the NAB convention.  But stay tuned to
fybush.com beginning next Sunday, as we offer convention floor updates
just as often as we can get to a computer.  We'll be back on our
regular schedule April 30...see you then!

-----------------------NorthEast Radio Watch------------------------
                       (c)2001 Scott Fybush
                          www.fybush.com

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