NERW 10/21: "HD Radio" Launches at WOR

[fybush@gwind.pair.com]

------------------------------E-MAIL EDITION-----------------------------
--------------------------NorthEast Radio Watch--------------------------
                             October 21, 2002

IN THIS ISSUE:

*NEW YORK: WOR Launches in IBOC
*CONNECTICUT: WCNI Gets Power Boost
*RHODE ISLAND: WZRI To Become WKKB

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

*Like it or loathe it, Ibiquity's "HD Radio" system now has the
official blessing of the FCC (all day for FM, daytime only for AM) -
and New York's WOR (710) couldn't wait to be first in the country to
sign on with the system.

FCC approval came Thursday, October 10, and when the sun rose over New
Jersey the next morning, "WOR-HD" was on the air, to decidedly mixed
reviews. Since receivers for the digital system aren't yet available,
the initial reaction came from analog listeners. At least among the
trained ears of the medium-wave DX community, the initial reports
suggested that WOR's analog audio, constrained by the bandwidth
requirements of the digital signal, sounded much thinner than
usual. And since the "in-band, on-channel" system actually utilizes
bandwidth from adjacent channels as well, there were immediate reports
of significant digital hash as far down the dial as 690 kHz and as far
up as 730 kHz.

We'll have more thoughts in the weeks to come about the viability of
the "HD Radio" system for AM, in particular where night service is
concerned...stay tuned.

*Elsewhere in NEW YORK, the fight over the low end of the FM dial
continues in earnest. We've already reported on the battles between
WFUV (90.7 New York) and WFMU (91.1 East Orange NJ) over WFUV's
attempts to improve its signal; now we hear Seton Hall's WSOU (89.5
South Orange NJ) has filed a petition to deny against Columbia
University's WKCR (89.9 New York) as it attempts to restore the signal
it lost when the World Trade Center went down.

Disney made it official last week, filing with the FCC to convert its
LMA of WEVD (1050 New York) into a $78 million purchase from the
Forward Association.

Way up north, "New York Educational Broadcasters" was granted its
long-pending application for 88.7 in Rouses Point, just a hair to the
south of the Quebec border. The new station will run 3.4 kW with a
directional antenna from 45 meters above average terrain - but if the
goal is to serve Montreal, we don't think NYEB will get what it wants;
in the eight years since the application was first filed, the CBC
signed on CBME on 88.5 with its Radio One service from the heart of
downtown Montreal, which will keep that 88.7 from being heard anywhere
near the big city.

The folks behind Ithaca's even longer-running channel 52 construction
permit are trying once more to get the station built before the CP
finally expires on December 7: they've now asked the FCC for
permission to sign the station on with just 26 kW visual from 94
meters below average terrain, from the tower near Ithaca College. That
would be an interim operation while the station tries to negotiate a
deal with Syracuse's W51BA, which won Class A status while channel 52
wasn't looking, thus protecting it from being bumped by 52, which
hopes to serve the Syracuse market from the vacant tower next door to
WSYT (Channel 68) and WNYS (Channel 43) near Otisco.

Speaking of WSYT, it was admonished by the FCC this week for delays in
building WSYT-DT (Channel 19); owner Sinclair hopes to move the DT
operation from WSYT's current tower to the nearly-completed new WSTM
tower at Sentinel Heights south of Syracuse.

Here in Rochester, a judge has ruled that a $17 million lawsuit
against WCMF (96.5) morning host Alan "Brother Wease" Levin can
proceed; he's being sued by former sidekick Cindy Pierce for breach of
contract for saying nasty things on the air about Pierce after
reaching a settlement two years ago in Pierce's initial sexual
harassment suit against Wease and the station.

Suppose anyone else besides your editor and another local TV DXer have
noticed the absence from the airwaves of W47BM (aka WROH-LP), the home
shopping LPTV on channel 47 in Rochester? It's been gone for more than
a week now...

And down in Jamestown, the FCC has approved one more LPFM application
for processing: the Lighthouse Baptist Church wants 105.9 there.

*We'll go to PENNSYLVANIA next, and we'll start right at the western
edge of the state, where WAKZ (95.9 Sharpsville) will get to double
power to 6 kW as part of a three-way deal with other stations near its
frequency in adjoining parts of Ohio. WNPQ-FM (95.9 New Philadelphia
OH) will go up to 4.1 kW and WEEL (95.7 Shadyside OH) will go from a
class A to a class B1 operation with 6.75 kW. What's behind it all?
Clear Channel, mostly; WAKZ is the Youngstown market "Kiss" station
and WEEL is part of the company's Wheeling cluster, and CC was happy
to sign off on a bit more interference to its WAKS (96.5 Akron) and
WKST-FM (96.1 Pittsburgh) in exchange for more power in each market.

The real "more power" winner this week was WAMO-FM (106.7 Beaver
Falls), which left behind its old tower overlooking Beaver Falls
(still in use by former sister station WBVP 1230) in favor of a new
site in Wexford, along I-79 north of target market Pittsburgh. WAMO
lost some Pittsburgh audience a few years back when it traded away its
huge signal on 105.9 to Clear Channel (it's now modern rock WXDX) in
exchange for the Beaver Falls stick, which served Youngstown better
than Pittsburgh most days; this move will help the urban station get
its signal back to the neighborhoods it's targeting anyway.

And speaking of Pittsburgh, Keymarket's "Froggy 104," WOGF (104.3 East
Liverpool OH) filed this week to move its transmitter from East
Liverpool itself across the state line. The new facility, with 13 kW
directional at 219 meters, would be south of Georgetown, Pennsylvania,
quite a bit closer to the Steel City. (One final Keymarket-related
note from Da Burgh: the He's Alive folks returned their license for
translator W253AD in Glenshaw, which had to leave the air when
"Froggy" WOGI 98.3 moved in from Charleroi to Duquesne.)

Across the state in Chambersburg, Four Rivers Community Broadcasting
(the folks behind contemporary Christian WBYO 88.9 and its relays)
have a new CP: WZZQ on 88.3 will run 140 directional watts when it
signs on.

WISL (1480 Shamokin) will be back on the air November 1 under its new
Basic Broadcasting ownership; new GM Sam Jordan (late of WAAT 750 in
Olyphant) checked in with NERW to report he'll be running an oldies
format on the station, and he's taking resumes from announcers and
sales folks at 18 Rosecrans Lane, Loganton PA 17747-9811.

The Keystone State's LPFM applications are finally ready for FCC
processing. The Commission released its list of grantable applications
(non-mutually-exclusive and technically acceptable) last week, and it
looks like this:

92.7 Meadville Meadville Educational Assn. 
92.9 Cambridge Springs Cambridge Community Radio Assn. 
92.9 Gap Octave Electroplex LLC 
94.7 Marienville (M.O.G.U.L.)/(M.O.G.L.E.) (whatever that is - Ed.) 
94.9 Warren Calvary Chapel of Russell 
95.5 Erie EE Dept. of Gannon University 
95.9 Erie Erie Christian Broadcasting 
99.5 Brookville Brookville Area School District 
100.1 Beaver Springs Beaver Springs Faith Baptist Church 
100.3 Carlisle Fiat Educational Radio Assn. 
102.9 Chambersburg Dack, Inc. 
103.5 La Plume Keystone College 
103.7 Indiana Godstock Ministries 
104.5 State College Islamic Society of Central PA 
104.9 Shawnee-on-Delaware Shawnee Presbyterian Church 
107.3 Plymouth Abundant Life Ministries 
107.7 Altoona Lay Stewardship Educational Assn. 
107.9 Girardville Golden Age Communications 

*Not much from NEW JERSEY this week, just the granting of a license to
cover for Ibiquity's test station on 1700 in Warren (WI2XAM, which
will test whether the "HD Radio" system can work on medium-wave at
night) and the deletion of the CP for Mercer County Community
College's 91.3 translator in Long Branch (W217BG, which was to have
relayed WWFM from Trenton).

Oh - and one more LPFM app: 107.9 Lakewood, from the American
Institute for Jewish Education.

*Up to CONNECTICUT next, where a college station will be boosting
power considerably. WCNI (91.1 New London) was finally granted its
long-pending application to move to 90.9, becoming a class B1
operation with 8800 watts (vertical only) at 57 meters above average
terrain. The move should eliminate some adjacent-channel interference
with Connecticut Public Radio's WRLI (91.3 Southampton) across Long
Island Sound.

Over in West Hartford, classical WTMI (1290) wants to go 24 hours; the
former WCCC(AM) has applied to add 11 watts of night power to its
current daytime 490-watt signal. (NERW looked at the application, and
we note a complicated mess of post-sunset authorizations ranging from
75 down to 11 watts, not to mention 500 watts pre-sunrise!)

Sorry to report the passing (on October 16) of N. Thomas Eaton, who
served as news director at WTIC (1080) and WTIC-TV (Channel 3, now
WFSB) from 1941 until 1985. Eaton began at WTIC radio, covering World
War II. After the war, the Hartford Courant reports, he helped to
found the Radio News Directors Association (the ancestor of today's
RTNDA). Eaton was the first news director of channel 3, and stayed
with the TV side when it split from WTIC radio in 1974, retiring 11
years later. Eaton was 86; his survivors include son Robert Eaton, a
senior vice president and managing editor at ESPN.

And say goodbye to WHTX-LP; the LPTV had its callsign deleted this
week after failing to make the move from channel 10 (where it's being
displaced by DTV) to channel 28.

*From RHODE ISLAND comes what may be advance word of a call and format
change at what's now WZRI (100.3 Middletown). We've hinted in past
weeks that the Providence-oriented 80s pop station is dropping its
"Z100" nickname and format to focus its efforts on the New
Bedford-Fall River area, which gets a solid signal from 100.3's newish
home on the WLNE (Channel 6) tower in Tiverton; now we can even show
you a logo and calls, thanks to what appears to be an early leak of
the station's new Web site (if not, it's one heck of a smokescreen!)
It looks as though Michael Rock will be the morning jock once the new
format launches, and it appears the station will be run from Citadel's
WBSM/WFHN in New Bedford rather than from Citadel's East Providence
offices.

*Not much happening in MASSACHUSETTS, though we do have word this
morning that Radio One has managed to get the FCC to reduce the fine
against its WBOT (97.7 Brockton) from $21,500 to $9,500 after
demonstrating that the station did in fact have a public file when an
agent visited it a couple of years ago (though nobody was able to
produce it!)

New to the DTV scene: WSBK-DT (Channel 39) has taken to the air,
nearly filling out the Boston DTV dial. On the next tower over in
Newton, WBUR (90.9 Boston) was granted its application to modify its
directional pattern; we suspect this has something to do with the WCNI
move to 90.9, above...

Sorry to report that Peter George's license for translator W221AG
(92.1 Wareham) has been cancelled; the little transmitter hasn't been
on the air for a few years, and the FCC's finally catching up with
some back business and cancelling long-dormant facilities such as
this.

And we're hearing about a "Cape Ann 101" that's being listened to up
Gloucester way. We think we may know who's behind it, and if we're
right, that area's in for a treat at 101.3, license or no...

*One of the founders of WSCY (106.9 Moultonborough, NEW HAMPSHIRE) has
died; Brad Tiffany passed away September 29, though we're just getting
word about it now.

*The FCC has dismissed one VERMONT LPFM application; don't look for
Huntington Valley Arts to be getting 94.3 in Richmond. Meanwhile in
Burlington, we're still waiting for the new country format and WVAA
calls that are supposed to be replacing talk at WKDR (1390)...

*Just two bits of news from MAINE as well: In Farmington, the
University of Maine at Farmington's WUMF has made the move from 100.5
to 100.1, with a whopping 13 watts. And in the Bangor market, Glenn
Simpson has parted ways with the morning show at Stephen King's WKIT
(100.3 Brewer).

*The big news from CANADA is the passing of a veteran jock in the
Toronto market: Earl Warren, who was a key part of the CFRB (1010)
airstaff from his arrival in Toronto in 1961 until his dismissal in
1983, died Saturday (Oct. 19) at age 69. The Regina native moved over
to "FM108" CING (107.9) in Burlington after leaving CFRB, then landed
at CHWO (1250 Oakville), staying at the station with a Sunday morning
show that continued into the station's current incarnation as AM 740.

We're also sorry to report (via Wayne Harrett's On the Air in Atlantic
Canada) the passing of Ken Packham, the former morning host at
Halifax's CHFX (Country 101.9) and CFDR (Kixx 780). Packham died of a
heart attack October 11.

Back in Ottawa, the CRTC has given two new stations extensions of time
to take to the air: Aboriginal Voices Radio won't have to sign on at
95.7 until July 4, 2003, while the new ethnic station at 97.9 (a
project of Toronto's CHIN) gets until April 4 to make its debut.

In Quebec, religious CION (90.9 Quebec City) has applied for an 11 kW
relay in Saguenay (the former Chicoutimi) on 106.7.

And way out there on Prince Edward Island, viewers of the CBC's
CBCT-TV (Channel 13) are saying so long to Roger Younker, who's left
the station after 25 years as its evening news anchor, most recently
on the cut-back Canada Now broadcast.

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

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