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September 8, 2004
WPEN Turns to Oldies
*The "Station of the Stars" is
no more in eastern PENNSYLVANIA. Greater Media pulled
the plug on the standards format on WPEN (950 Philadelphia) last
Wednesday morning (Sept. 1) at 8, replacing it with a "Real
Oldies"-style format that focuses on 50s and 60s pop. Charlie
Bennett's doing mornings, followed by Kim Martin in middays and
Philly radio legend Jim Nettleton in afternoons. The new WPEN
also includes "the Geator," Jerry Blavat, with a show
at noon on weekdays and a longer shift on weekends.
And Philadelphia is getting closer to having a new AM signal:
out in McConnellsburg, WVFC (1530) changed calls to WFYL last
week, a sign (we think) that its move to 1180 in King of Prussia
(and a new life as a 510-watt daytimer) is impending. (An interesting
note: WFYL's calls are quite similar to those of Salem's WFIL
in Philadelphia, just as sister station WPYT 660 Wilkinsburg's
are to Salem's WPIT in Pittsburgh. Is something in the works
there?)
Out at the other end of the Keystone State, Magnum Broadcasting
(owner of WZYY 106.9 Renovo PA) is buying WUBZ (105.9) and WPHB
(1260) in Phillipsburg (just outside State College) for a reported
$2 million.
Dan Vilkie's Vilkie Communications is buying WGRP (940 Greenville)
outright for $50,000. And we can now put a price tag on Mercyhurst
College's purchase of what's now WYNE (1530 North East) from
Corry Communications - $110,000, of which Mercyhurst pays $30,000
in cash, with the rest being considered an $80,000 gift to the
college.
Plenty of translator news this week: new CPs were issued for
W238BD (95.5 Titusville) and W268BB (101.5 State College), to
Family Life Ministries; for W296BL (107.1 Athens), to Fitzgerald
and Hawras (WPHD 96.1 South Waverly); for W239AW (95.7 Mansfield),
to Europa Communications (WPGP 88.3 Tafton); for W257BW (99.3
New Tripoli), to Beacon Broadcasting (WJCS 89.3 Allentown); for
W291BL (106.1 New Cumberland), to Kevin Fitzgerald (WXPH 88.1
Harrisburg); for W250AU (97.9 Jeannette), to He's Alive; and
for W297AQ (107.3 Erie), to Starboard (to relay, get this, as-yet-unbuilt
WQOH-LP 92.7 Meadville).
*A bit of news from NEW JERSEY: a
settlement will yield two LPFMs, one to "Hunt County ESC"
on 107.9 in Flemington and the other to "The Profetic Voice,
Inc." on 107.9 in Readington. And one translator CP: W237CD
(95.3 Harrisonville), to Priority Radio (WXHL 89.1 Christiana
DE).
 *NEW YORK radio veteran Dan Daniel
is missing from his midday shift at WCBS-FM (101.1 New York),
with Holly Levis filling in. What's up? The station's describing
it as a "leave of absence."
Up the dial at WNEW (102.7 New York), there's a new morning
host on "Mix" - former WKTU (103.5) personality RuPaul
joined Rick Stacy on morning drive yesterday.
Eagle Broadcasting's attempt to sell its Ithaca cluster (WHCU
870, WTKO 1470, WYXL 97.3 and WQNY 103.7) is hitting community
opposition. Saying the four stations make up nearly the entire
Ithaca radio advertising market, the "Finger Lakes Alliance
for Independent Media" filed a petition to deny the transfer
- and it's asking the FCC to make Eagle shed at least one of
the stations from its cluster whether or not this sale goes through.
More to come on this, no doubt...
Rochester now has its full complement of DTV outlets: WUHF-DT
(Channel 28) signed on over the weekend with Fox programming.
New translator CPs: W286BF (105.1 Jamestown), to Vox (WNFX
103.1 Russell PA); W229AS (93.7 Corning) and W230BB (93.9 Elmira),
to Pembrook Pines (WLVY 94.3 Elmira); W277BK (103.3 Woodgate)
and W260BE (99.9 Watertown), to SUNY (WRVO 89.9 Oswego).
*CONNECTICUT Public Broadcasting is
making the big move from its longtime home at 240 New Britain
Avenue in Hartford to its new digs at 1049 Asylum Avenue. The
new studios will double the amount of studio space available
to Connecticut Public TV and "WNPR," Connecticut Public
Radio.
*In RHODE ISLAND, Ernie Anastos is
selling off WNRI (1380 Woonsocket), which changes hands to Roger
Bouchard's Bouchard Broadcasting for $900,000.
Down the road in Providence, the Journal reports that
WRNI (1290 Providence) has laid off one staffer (Tom Kogut) and
moved two others (Martha Bebinger and Deborah Becker) to the
mothership, WBUR in Boston, as part of an overall belt-tightening
at the public broadcaster. The move means the end of WRNI's weekly
"Focus: Rhode Island" public affairs show.
John Donofrio died August 27 at age 78. In addition to serving
as GM and chief engineer of the old WPFM (95.5, later WBRU) and
of WCRQ (101.5, later WLKW-FM and now WWBB), Donofrio worked
as an executive vice president of Boston's WCRB. Donofrio also
founded Full Channel Cable TV, the first cable company in the
state.
 *Robert
Fuller is getting out of broadcast ownership by selling off his
last remaining station, WNBP (1450) in Newburyport, MASSACHUSETTS.
Fuller is selling the station to another local North Shore
operator, Todd Tanger, who also owns WBOQ (104.9 Gloucester).
While WBOQ's soft AC/oldies format isn't all that far afield
from WNBP's standards/full service format, Tanger says there
won't be major changes to WNBP's staff or programming.
No purchase price has been announced.
*In NEW HAMPSHIRE, there's still no
replacement announced for Dan Pierce, who resigned as program
director and afternoon host at WGIR (610 Manchester) and its
network of simulcasts (WTSL 1400 Lebanon, WGIP 1540 Exeter, WGIN
930 Rochester) on August 27. We're hearing some buzz that Pierce's
departure may clear the way for Mike Ball, who was ousted as
the morning host last month (a slot fulled by Charlie Sherman.)
Two new translator CPs: W296BC (107.1 Concord) goes to Concord
Broadcasting, to relay WTPL (107.7 Hillsboro); Vermont Public
Radio gets W230BC (93.9 Sugar Hill).
*In VERMONT, Doug Daniels is the new
morning host and promotions director at WEQX (102.7 Manchester);
he arrives from the PD chair at WHDQ (106.1 Claremont NH).
Two new translator CPs here, too: W231BL (94.1 Randolph) goes
to Vox for WWFY (100.9 Berlin), while Vermont Public Radio adds
W258AZ (99.5 Newbury) to its growing collection.
*Fans of standards and the Red Sox in downeast
MAINE have been out of luck for several weeks now
- and it doesn't sound as though WDEA (1370 Ellsworth) is in
any huge hurry to fix the problems that have kept it silent since
August 19. The station tells the Bangor Daily News that
its main and auxiliary transmitters, which both date back to
the late fifties, have both died and that it's waiting on replacement
parts. That's a lousy situation to be in, we agree - but NERW
wonders: would Cumulus ever have let any of its FM signals stay
off the air that long, especially with at least one major transmitter
manufacturer (that would be Nautel) just a short drive away?
Two new translator CPs in Maine as well this week, and they
both go to the Bangor Baptist Church (WHCF 88.5 Bangor and WHMX
105.7 Lincoln): W229AT (93.7 Hodgdon) and W270BD (101.9 Calais).
 *One
of Radio-CANADA's national French-language radio networks
has a new identity this week. The former "chaine culturelle,"
the old Radio-Canada FM Stereo service, is now branded as "Espace
Musique," reflecting the change of programming away from
cultural talk and towards an all-music format that includes heavy
doses of jazz and rock along with classical music.
The CRTC opened a call for applications for new Ottawa-Gatineau
radio services a few months back, and plenty of broadcasters
responded. The commission will hold hearings on the applications
November 1, and here's what's on its agenda:
On 1630, Radio Rideau Inc. wants 1 kW for French service/information
programming.
On 88.5, Newcap wants to do English modern rock; Evanov
Broadcasting wants to do standards/AC (similar to its "Foxy
88.5" CKDX north of Toronto); Jean-Jacques Brunelle wants
a French community station and Corus wants to do French smooth
jazz.
On 96.3, Global wants to do a "Cool" new
easy listening (aka smooth jazz) format.
On 96.5, Radio 1540 Ltd. (Toronto's CHIN and Ottawa's
CJLL) wants to do English smooth jazz; Jack McGaw wants to do
travelers' information; John Wright (of Kingston's CIKR) and
Doug Kirk (of Hamilton's CIWV) want to do "Triple S,"
a mixture of smooth jazz, soft AC and standards; Radio Ville-Marie
wants to relay the French religious programming of Montreal's
CIRA - and Genex, which is facing the revocation of its license
for Quebec's CHOI, wants to do a similar French modern rock format.
And on 98.5, Christian Hit Radio (Ottawa's CHRI) wants
a second frequency in town to do contemporary Christian music;
Astral wants to do "Comfort Radio," a mix of soft AC
and world beat music; Evanov wants "Youth Contemporary"
(aka top 40); Levinson and Associates wants to do a low-power
travel information station; and Radio Nord wants to do French
urban pop-rock, with a relay station in Buckingham on 107.5.
A few final Canadian notes: At Quebec's CJMF (93.3), Robert
Gillet was back on the air last week after an absence of more
than a year, brought about in large part by the child-prostitution
scandal that gave rival CHOI's morning show much of the material
that's now leading the CRTC to try to pull its license.
In Cornwall, Ontario, CHRI (99.1 Ottawa) wants a 50-watt relay
on 88.1.
And in St. Catharines, Ontario, "Iron Mike" Bensson
moves from afternoons to mornings at CHTZ (97.7), joining Shannon
Stack there. Jon "Gonzo" Mark takes over in afternoons.
*And now, the moment you've all been
waiting for... (well, we've been waiting for it, anyway):
Tower Site Calendar 2005 is back from the printer and
sitting in several big boxes in the garage waiting to be distributed
to all of you!
 Attendees at last
weekend's National Radio Club convention got a sneak preview
of it, and it will be on the racks within days at Universal Radio
in Ohio, not to mention on the tables at the Society of Broadcast
Engineers' regional conference (the 32nd Annual SBE22 Broadcast
& Technology Expo) at the Turning Stone Casino September
23.
This year's calendar begins with WSTW/WDEL in Wilmington,
Delaware on the cover, ends with Sutro Tower in San Francisco
on the inside back cover - and along the way makes stops at WNBF
in Binghamton, CFNB in Fredericton, Poor Mountain in Roanoke,
KXNT in Las Vegas, WBBR in New York, Gibraltar Peak above Santa
Barbara, WDEV in Waterbury, Vermont, WRIB in Providence, WOOD
in Grand Rapids, KFJZ in Fort Worth, KYPA in Los Angeles and
the top of Chicago's Hancock Tower.
We're holding the price from last year, notwithstanding increases
in printing costs and PayPal fees - just $16 postpaid ($17.32
including sales tax to New York addresses). And as always, it's
free with your $60 or higher subscription to NorthEast Radio
Watch/fybush.com. You can use PayPal, below, or send your check
or money order, payable to Scott Fybush, to 92 Bonnie Brae Avenue,
Rochester NY 14618.
And here's an even better deal - We still have
plenty of 2004 calendars left, so how about this? For just $20
postpaid ($21.65 in New York), we'll send you both the 2005 and
2004 editions. It's almost like getting an extra calendar free!
(Or, if you just need the 2004 edition, that's still on clearance
at $8 - and if you buy two 2004 calendars, your third is free!)
So why wait until the last minute? Why make us wait until
the last minute? Why not let me park my car back in the garage
where it belongs? Buy your calendars now, won't you?
Don't want to order by credit card? You know the drill by
now - make those checks payable to "Scott Fybush,"
be sure to include sales tax (8.25%) for New York state calendar
orders only, and send them along to 92 Bonnie Brae Avenue, Rochester
NY 14618. (Sorry - we can't take orders by phone.)
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