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November 3, 2003
WABC-DT Returns to Air
*Two years and six weeks after the World
Trade Center was destroyed, New York City once again has DTV
service from all the major English television networks.
WABC-DT (Channel 45) signed back on the air last Thursday
(Oct. 30) from the newly-completed Four Times Square mast, restoring
ABC digital service to market #1.
ABC was the last of the major nets to get DTV back on the
air; CBS and Fox had been operating their digital signals from
the Empire State Building even before 9/11, and the ESB would
later become home to low-power signals for WNBC-DT and WPIX-DT
(WB). (UPN service was restored on a subchannel of Fox's WNYW-DT,
and PBS was restored by WNET via a low-power transmitter on the
roof of its studio building.)
With the arrival of WABC-TV at 4 Times Square, the building
begins a new era as a major primary site in New York. In addition
to ABC, Univision has signed a lease for space in the building,
and is already broadcasting a low-power Telefutura signal there
for WFUT-DT (Channel 53).
Another hopeful note in the ongoing restoration of full TV
service to New York: Pax's WPXN (Channel 31) moved its signal
from Eagle Rock Avenue in West Orange, N.J. to Empire last week.
*Elsewhere in NEW YORK: Some good news for Infinity's
WXRK (92.3) - the FCC declined to review its dismissal of Al
Westcott's petition to deny the station's license. Westcott is
a well-known crusader for morality in media, but since he lives
in Ojai, California, the Commission said he has no standing to
object to WXRK's renewal.
Clear Channel's WLTW (106.7) says this year, it'll follow
the national AC trend and go all-Christmas, beginning Nov. 28.
A flanking move against new AC challenger WNEW (102.7), perhaps?
Up in Westchester, Albert Pirro is the new noontime talk host
on WRTN (93.5 New Rochelle); he's the ex-husband of district
attorney Jeannette Pirro and recently completed a 17-month prison
term for tax fraud. He's co-hosting the show with lawyer Michael
Edelman and getting no pay for it.
 Moving up the Hudson
Valley, WRKW (92.9 Saugerties) is challenging Cumulus rocker
WPDH (101.5 Poughkeepsie) in a big way: it's picked up the "Waking
Up With the Wolf" show from Albany's WPYX, and it's hired
Mark Cooper (like Wolf, a WPDH alumnus) for afternoon drive.
Dave Hunter is doing middays, and Jay Wulff is doing nights and
serving as music director.
Albany's WGY (810 Schenectady) hired Joe Pagliarulo to do
a regular Saturday show. The WRGB newsman is a regular fill-in
host on WGY, and has been heard on Rochester's WHAM occupying
the former Bob Lonsberry slot.
Speaking of Rochester, WBBF (93.3 Fairport) morning host Tom
George is out of his job; afternoon jock Mike Vickers moves to
mornings and Tom Noonan replaces Vickers in afternoons.
More DTV news: Albany NBC affiliate WNYT (Channel 13) signed
on its digital signal on channel 12 last week.
And we're sorry to report the passing of Rod Roddy last week.
The nation knew Roddy as the flamboyant announcer on The Price
is Right (and before that, on Soap) - but Buffalo
listeners knew him as one of the best-loved jocks on WKBW (1520)
in the sixties. Roddy died Monday (10/27); he was believed to
have been 66.
*Three proposed call letters and several
rumored target dates later, the new talk station in MASSACHUSETTS
finally launches this week. Salem's WTTT (1150 Boston) began
stunting over the weekend with an all "Danny Boy" format,
which will end Tuesday (11/2) at noon when it launches its conservative
talk format, anchored by Don Feder, moving over from sister WROL
(950 Boston).
Where are they now? Former WQSX (93.7 Lawrence) middayer Ann
Duran has landed in Indianapolis (right down the road from where
we're sitting in Fort Wayne this week and next); she's doing
middays at Emmis' relaunched "Live 97.1" (WENS Shelbyville).
And former WODS (103.3 Boston) morning guy Paul Perry stays with
Infinity - he's taking on the big task of replacing Windy City
legend John Records Landecker in mornings on WJMK (104.3) in
Chicago.
In Worcester, WNEB (1230) ended its automated contemporary
Christian format and is now simulcasting religious WVNE (760
Leicester) - and continuing WVNE's format when the daytime signal
down the dial signs off.
And in New Bedford, Jack Peterson replaces Barry Richard in
afternoons on WBSM (1420).
 *A
long-running LMA in MAINE has come to an end: Mountain
Wireless is once again programming WSKW (1160 Skowhegan), WHQO
(107.9 Skowhegan) and WCTB (93.5 Fairfield) on its own, after
years of leasing them to Clear Channel's Augusta-based cluster.
No word yet on programming changes; WSKW was running a sports
simulcast with CC's WFAU (1280 Gardiner), WHQO was simulcasting
news/talk with CC's WCME (96.7 Boothbay Harbor), and WCTB was
doing AC.
*NEW HAMPSHIRE's WASR (1420 Wolfeboro)
is changing hands: Al Severy is LMA'ing the station to Paul Hatch
and his son in preparation for a sale sometime next year. Hatch
is on the Wolfeboro cable TV advisory board; he reportedly plans
to flip the station from standards to satellite AC and to keep
it on the air until midnight daily (Severy signs off at 6 PM.)
We hear the station and land will go for about $320,000.
Down in Nashua, Jim Clark moves from middays to mornings on
WHOB (106.3), where he's joined by Sarah Sullivan, formerly of
WERZ in Exeter. Former WERZ afternooner Brian Battle moves to
afternoons at WHOB, too.
*We hear the entire airstaff at WEBK (105.3)
in Killington, VERMONT was let go last week.
Albany Broadcasting is now imaging the station as "The Peak"
and edging in a more modern AC direction.
 *WWRX
(103.7) in Westerly, RHODE ISLAND is breaking away
from its parent network at Boston's WFNX; it's just launched
a new morning show with Jay Ferreira, formerly of WAAF in Worcester
and WCCC in Hartford, and now takes only a few weekend shows
from Boston.
*A CONNECTICUT radio enthusiast is
heading south: Paul Walker, Jr. is a regular fixture on message
boards and a former staffer at WCTF (1170 Vernon) - and now he
checks in to let us know he's doing a little of everything, from
air work to sales, at WQMA (1520) in Marks, Mississippi, one
of a tiny handful of AM top 40 stations still remaining. Paul
says he was cleaning out the station filing cabinets when he
arrived and came across a bumper sticker from "Mega 1150,"
one of the many pre-WTTT incarnations of that Boston frequency.
*A few NEW JERSEY tidbits: smooth
jazz WOJZ (104.9 Egg Harbor City) fills out its airstaff by naming
Lisa Leonard to do middays. And Jason Ulanet heads from MD/APD/midday
duties at WJSE (102.7 Petersburg) to MD/midday duties at KRBZ
(96.5) in Kansas City.
*Just two items from PENNSYLVANIA: Regular
contributor Clarke Ingram checks in from Pittsburgh to note that
he's heard WKTW (1530 Jeannette) testing its new signal on 770
kHz.
And Tag Martin returns to WCAT-FM (106.7 Hershey) after several
years' absence to do afternoons. PD Sam McGuire shifts from afternoons
to middays, replacing Lee Ann Taylor, who's moved to sister station
WCTO (96.1 Easton).
 *In
CANADA, Rogers' CIOX (101.1 Smiths Falls) played a Halloween
stunt on Ottawa listeners, who awoke to find that modern rock
"X101" had become "Frank," yet another incarnation
of the Jack/Bob/Dave/Joe musical mix that's all the rage north
of the border. If CHUM's Ottawa "Bob" (CKKL 93.9) was
worried, it needn't have been for long - "Frank" (as
in "-enstein") was history by day's end.
Speaking of CHUM, Toronto's CHUM-FM (104.5) has a new afternoon
host. He's Darren Lamb, who arrives at 1331 Yonge Street from
12 years at Vancouver's CKZZ (Z95). And best wishes to CHUM legend
Bob Laine, who was saluted last week upon his retirement with
"Bob Laine Day" at CHUM.
In Montreal, CKGM (Team 990) PD Mark Aflalo will leave the
station January 30, reports Milkman UnLimited.
And up north of Toronto, the CBC is testing new Radio 2 transmitters
in Huntsville (104.7) and Owen Sound (97.1), which means a new
signal on 90.7 in Orillia is probably soon to sign on as well.
 *The 2004
Tower Site Calendar is now available for ordering! Just as
in past years, the calendar features a dozen spiffy 8.5-by-11
inch full-color images of tower sites from across the nation
- everything from Washington's WTEM to New York's WCBS/WFAN to
Los Angeles' KHJ to WCTM in Eaton, Ohio. Unlike last year, this
year's calendar will feaure heavier paper (no more curling!)
and will be shipped shrink-wrapped on a cardboard backing to
make sure it arrives in pristine condition.
We'll be going to press soon, and hope to be shipping calendars
in time for Thanksgiving - but why wait? Order now and help support
NERW and Tower Site of the Week. Better yet, place your subscription
for 2004 at the $60 level by using the handy buttons below, and
you'll get your 2004 Tower Site Calendar absolutely FREE. What
more could you want? (Live overnight jocks, maybe?)
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 for New York state calendar orders,
and send them along to 92 Bonnie Brae Avenue, Rochester NY 14618.
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2003 by Scott Fybush. |