NERW 9/17: CFMT Launches "OMNI.2"

[fybush@gwind.pair.com]

------------------------------E-MAIL EDITION-----------------------------
--------------------------NorthEast Radio Watch--------------------------
                           September 17, 2002

IN THIS ISSUE:

*CANADA: CFMT Launches OMNI.2
*MASSACHUSETTS: WROR Flips Classic Rock
*CONNECTICUT: WAXB Becomes WDBY

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

*There's a new TV station on the air in CANADA - albeit with some
familiar faces and programming.

Rogers launched "OMNI.2" on Monday morning (Sept. 16) at 6,
broadcasting to Toronto on channel 44 with 179 kW visual. Industry
Canada (which regulates the technical aspects of Canadian
broadcasting) doesn't have a callsign listed for the station as of
Tuesday; it's shown as operating from a site north and west of
downtown Toronto, not the CN Tower where the rest of the city's TV
stations are located.

"OMNI.2" is a sister station to Rogers' established CFMT (Channel 47),
which will eventually be rebranded OMNI.1, keeping the European,
Latino and Caribbean portions of its multiethnic programming, as well
as its English-language lineup, including David Letterman. That leaves
OMNI.2 to pick up the African and Asian-language programming that had
been seen on CFMT, including an English-language newscast at 8 PM,
followed by "OMNI News" in Cantonese.

The new service had cable carriage from the start (which is only
fitting, since it's co-owned with Rogers Cable), as far afield as
London and Barrie. In most areas around Toronto, OMNI.2 is seen on
Rogers channel 14, displacing Buffalo's WKBW-TV to channel 18. That,
in turn, sends PBS outlet WNED-TV (which IDs as "Buffalo/Toronto") way
up the cable dial from 18 to 61.

NERW wonders whether that was the real reason WNED filed an
intervention against the grant of channel 44 in Toronto; the stated
reason was interference to the eventual WNED-DT signal on channel
43. (Also intervening was the new channel 45 license in Hamilton; the
CRTC said there would be no interference between that low-power signal
and the low-power channel 44 transmissions.)

And the Toronto dial is about to get even more crowded; the CRTC gave
the go-ahead to CITY-TV (Channel 57) to launch Canada's first DTV
signal, on channel 53. CITY-DT will have a whopping 600 watts from the
CN Tower when it debuts.

On the radio side of things, Milkman Unlimited reports John Divinski
is out as operations manager of the stations in Cornwall (CJUL "Jewel"
1220, CJSS-FM "Blaze" 101.9 and CFLG-FM "Variety" 104.5) after six
years; his position is being eliminated. Janet Trecarten is moving
south from the Bayshore Broadcasting group in Owen Sound (CFOS 560,
CKYC 93.7, CIXK 106.5) to become the new PD of CHML (900) in Hamilton.

In Ottawa, we hear Radio Nord is testing the signal of its new
French-language classical station. "Radio Classique" will operate on
97.1 from the Camp Fortune site in Quebec; its imminent debut has
several of the Camp Fortune FMs off the air overnight while the new
transmitter and antenna are being installed there. Mark down "CHLX" as
the calls for this one, set to debut for real September 23.

*We'll start the US side of things in MASSACHUSETTS, where the big
changes are taking place at Greater Media's WROR-FM (105.7
Framingham). The station is moving from 60s and 70s oldies towards
classic rock, and it's doing so in a big way: beginning this Friday
and continuing all weekend, WROR will turn over its airwaves to a
"Who's Who" of Boston rock radio history.

Among the jocks to be heard on the reunion weekend: Peter Wolf (who
made his name on WBCN before the J. Geils Band ever hit the charts),
Charles Laquidara, Ken Shelton, George Taylor Morris, Maxanne Sartori,
Harvey Wharfield, Jeff Gonzer, Annalisa, J.J. Jackson and Tom "Tai"
Irwin.

And when WROR returns to its usual lineup the next Monday, several
familiar voices will be missing, including middayer Stella Mars and
night guy J.J. Wright. J.J.'s already landed elsewhere; he's been
heard this week doing fill-ins at WODS (103.3).

Another Boston jock is also looking for work: Rocko is out of the
afternoon slot at WAAF (107.3 Worcester) after more than half a decade
there...

Digital radio is coming to Boston, as soon as next year: Radio One
told attendees at this year's NAB Radio Show, held last week in
Seattle, that it will install Ibiquity's newly-rebranded "HD Radio" at
WBOT (97.7 Brockton) and several of its other FM stations by the first
quarter of 2003. We'll be interested to see if there's any effect on
first-adjacent WOKQ (97.5 Dover NH), which has a loyal audience on the
North Shore. (And, hey: wouldn't Radio One's Boston daytimer, WILD
1090 be the ideal spot for the AM version of the system, which still
hasn't been approved for use after dark anyway?)

Very sorry to report the passing of Ron Landry, who died Monday (9/16)
after a yearlong battle with cancer. Landry came to New England in the
late fifties to be part of the team at WDRC (1360) in Hartford, then
headed over to Boston's WBZ in 1966 before moving to the West Coast in
1969 to team up with "Emperor Bob" Hudson and release several
best-selling comedy albums. Check out a tribute to him at Ed "Man from
Mars" Brouder's WDRC tribute site, www.wdrcobg.com...

*A familiar voice has returned to RHODE ISLAND's airwaves, for a few
months at least: Providence mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, fresh from
his conviction on corruption charges, began a stint co-hosting the
mid-morning shift on WPRO (630 Providence) with Steve Kass on Monday.

Cianci is due to report to federal prison in early December to begin
serving a 64-month sentence, so don't expect this to be as long a run
as Hizzoner's early-90s stint on talk competitor WHJJ (920)...

On the FM side, J. Love comes to town from Detroit's WKQI (95.5) to be
the new PD and midday guy at "Hot" WWKX (106.3 Woonsocket)/WAKX (102.7
Narragansett Pier).

*Local news is returning to MAINE's WB affiliate this fall. Sinclair's
WPXT (Channel 51) in Portland shut down its own local newsroom a few
months back; beginning October 21, it will carry a 10 PM newscast
produced by Gannett's WCSH (Channel 6) Portland and WLBZ (Channel 2)
Bangor. WCSH's Shannon Moss will anchor the new newscast.

*They're mourning a southern VERMONT PD who died far too young.

Bill Howard died August 30 at age 38, closing a 13-year history with
Brattleboro's WKVT (92.7/1490). For the last seven years, Howard had
been the afternoon jock at WKVT-FM; earlier this year, he was named PD
of both stations.

Morning jock Peter "Fish" Case takes over as PD, while former WPVQ
(95.3 Greenfield) jock Tom Mayo takes over the afternoon shift on
92.7.

*A veteran CONNECTICUT TV station manager has left his current job. Al
Bova, who led WVIT (Channel 30) for years, then returned to the state
four years ago to serve as GM of WFSB (Channel 3), resigned from the
station and parent company Meredith last week. Bova says he'll remain
in the Nutmeg State, consulting and perhaps going into TV station
ownership.

Congratulations to Connecticut-based Cox Radio head honcho Dick
Ferguson, who received the National Radio Award at the Radio Show in
Seattle. We hear Ferguson refused to accept the award for himself,
instead dedicating it to his entire staff...truly a class act, all the
way!

Another class act, CBS Radio's Charles Osgood, will be in Hamden
September 25 to mark the fifth anniversary of Quinnipiac College's
WQUN (1220). Osgood will deliver a speech at the college that
afternoon; we're told it's free and open to the public.

And while WAXB (105.5 Patterson) is licensed just across the state
line in New York, the Cumulus station really serves the Danbury market
- a reality that was driven home this week when the station adopted
the new call letters WDBY, dropping its oldies format in favor of a
hot AC (they're calling it "adult CHR") sound as "Y105." The new
format kicked off, appropriately enough, at 1:05 PM Monday (9/16),
with liners taking on Danbury's WDAQ (98.3) and Bridgeport's WEZN
("Star" 99.9).

*The rest of the news from NEW YORK? Another format change within
listening range of Patterson's 105.5 - and from the same company, no
less - found WEOK (1390 Poughkeepsie) and WALL (1340 Middletown)
dropping their ESPN sports simulcast to take on a new language.

The new Spanish tropical sound on 1390 and 1340 targets a growing
Hispanic population in the mid-Hudson region; until now, they've had
to listen through the static to New York City stations to hear
anything in their language. 1390/1340 keeps the New York Yankees - in
English - at least through the end of this season.

Congratulations to Clear Channel's WLTW (106.7 New York), which came
back from Seattle with a Marconi Award as the adult contemporary
station of the year.

Over in Binghamton, Bobby D. arrives as PD of Clear Channel's AC "Mix"
WMXW (103.3 Vestal); he won't have to reprogram the presets in his
car, since his last gig was at WLKC in Waterbury, Vermont, also on
103.3.

Ed Scala, who was news director at Binghamton's WNBF radio/TV and WINR
radio/TV in the sixties before going into state government as director
of communications for the New York Senate, died September 6. He was
83.

Powerful LPTV outlet W52CQ (Channel 52) in Moravia, near Auburn, has
new call letters: the Cornerstone TV religious station is now
WNNY-LP. (How powerful? We were watching it earlier tonight here in
Rochester, 60 miles away...)

After a decade at Rochester country giant WBEE-FM (92.5), Coyote
Collins is moving on. He's departed the Entercom station, where he
served as PD and afternoon jock; no replacements have been named yet.

Engineers from across the Northeast will be gathering at the Turning
Stone Casino in Verona (between Syracuse and Utica) next Thursday
(Sept. 26) for the Society of Broadcast Engineers' Chapter 22
Northeast Regional Convention. This is the 30th year for the event,
which has become the biggest broadcast engineering trade show in the
region; if you're not registered yet, visit
http://www.sbe22.org/html/convention/convhome02.html to get signed up
- and don't forget to say hello to your editor, who plans to be there!

And we're sorry to report the death of Greg (Lambiase) Allen, who was
heard on WRQI (now WNVE) and WRMM in Rochester, but was probably best
known in town as the voice of WHEC-TV (Channel 10). He died of
Alzheimer's disease last Wednesday (Sept. 11) at age 52.

*Thought rhythmic oldies was dead? Don't go to southern NEW JERSEY,
then, where the ailing format actually has a new convert. WUSS (1490
Pleasantville) is switching from ABC's Rejoice black gospel service to
become "Solid Gold 1490," with a live and local airstaff spinning
those R&B oldies for Atlantic City.

Up in New Brunswick, veteran broadcaster Jack Ellery is returning to
his old stomping grounds, WCTC (1450). His reappearance in the midday
slot there displaces Bernard Spigner to afternoons and leaves Ted Efaw
out the door at the Greater Media news-talker. We last recall Ellery
as having a brief stint in mornings at WJHR (1040 Flemington) during
its short run as a local full-service station for northwest New
Jersey...

*Another new set of calls to report for the only station on 850 in
PENNSYLVANIA: the former WJAC in Johnstown, latterly known as WODZ and
then WSPO, has ditched its sports format to go with classic country as
WLYE (matching, perhaps, its Forever Broadcasting sister WKYE on
95.5?)

Also switching from sports to classic country is 850's sister signal
to the south of Johnstown, WVSC (990 Somerset).

Congratulations to Sheridan's WAMO-FM (106.7 Beaver Falls), which won
the Marconi for urban station of the year; across town in Pittsburgh,
Garrett Hart is out as operations manager of Steel City's WLTJ
(92.9)/WRRK (96.9 Braddock), which eliminated his position.

*And that's it for another week. Our look back at the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks, from the perspective of the New York
broadcasters who lost their most important tower site, is still
available right here at fybush.com; follow the permanent URL of
www.fybush.com/wtc-recovery.html to find that article and learn more
about how the engineers, regulators and manufacturers worked together
to get TV and FM back on the air in the Big Apple.

(NOTE TO E-MAIL VERSION READERS: That URL will also take you to the
September 10 issue, which somehow never made it out to the e-mail
list. We're back to normal now...)

-----------------------NorthEast Radio Watch------------------------
                       (c)2002 Scott Fybush
                          www.fybush.com

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