NorthEast Radio Watch 7/18/2022: NYC Doo-Wop Legend Dies

In this week’s issue… Remembering NYC’s Reed, NJ’s McNally, Ottawa’s Knight – WABC-TV loses news director – Scott sues WBLS – Bigger signal coming to Finger Lakes – CBS adds “Now” newscasts

By SCOTT FYBUSH

Jump to: ME – NH – VT – MA – RI – CT – NY – NJ – PA – Canada

(Programming note: It’s summer, we’re taking some vacation time here and there, and so it’s possible that there may be no NERW or a late NERW on some Mondays in July and August. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed @NERadioWatch or our Facebook page for updates.) 

*One of the most iconic voices in NEW YORK oldies radio has died.

Don K. Reed started at WCBS-FM (101.1) when it was still a progressive rock station in 1971, moving over from mornings at WLIR a year before CBS flipped the FM signal into one of the country’s first (and by far biggest) all-oldies stations.

Back then, the doo-wop music of the 1950s was still less than two decades old, and Reed made the music his own, hosting overnights and his signature “Doo-Wop Shop” show on Sundays, playing music that often wasn’t heard anywhere else.

Less flashy than some of the other big WCBS-FM voices, Reed was a survivor, lasting the station’s entire run with oldies from its 1972 flip until the controversial 2005 move to “Jack FM.”

After the end of the original WCBS-FM, Reed remained active in the music and radio community, appearing on the new WCBS-FM’s “Radio Greats” for a few years after its 2007 return, hosting streaming shows and emceeing doo-wop concerts. He had reportedly been battling kidney disease before his death last week at 77.

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*Shaila Scott isn’t taking her dismissal from MediaCo’s WBLS (107.5) without a fight. After nearly 30 years with the station, she’s sued MediaCo and WBLS’ previous owner, Emmis, in federal court, alleging age and gender discrimination. Scott, 59, says she was paid less than male colleagues at the station, while battling accusations from managers that the music she played was too “geriatric.”

*There’s a new brand coming to the 9 PM news on CBS-owned WLNY (Channel 55) and several of its independent sister stations around the country. Starting tonight, the show will be called “CBS News New York Now,” paralleling similar new brands in Boston (“CBS News Boston Now” at 10 on WSBK channel 38) and Philadelphia (“CBS News Philly Now on CW Philly” at 10 on WPSG channel 57). CBS is adding similar “Now” newscasts in several other markets that haven’t had prime-time news, including WKBD in Detroit and KTXA in Dallas.

*At WABC-TV (Channel 7), they’re mourning news director Rehan Aslam, who spent the last year fighting the awful brain cancer called glioblastoma. Aslam had joined WABC-TV, his “lifelong dream job,” just last year after seven years at sister station KTRK in Houston; he’d also worked in Cleveland and Chicago.

*In the southern Finger Lakes, Ithaca Community Radio is preparing for a big signal upgrade at its WINO (89.9 Odessa). Currently a 250-watt signal that reaches only the Watkins Glen/Montour Falls area, WINO went silent last week, telling the FCC it was preparing to build out its construction permit to move to 89.7 and increase power to 2 kW/170m DA from a new site near Newfield. From there, the 89.7 signal will reach Ithaca as well as Watkins Glen; it’s not clear whether it will continue to be operated as a relay of Binghamton’s WSKG public radio (which already serves Ithaca via WSQG 90.9) or whether it will carry ICR’s own community programming, which is currently heard in Ithaca via an 88.1 translator of WRFI (91.9 Watkins Glen).

At the other end of the Finger Lakes, WOKR (1310 Canandaigua) and its 95.5 translator are back on the air after a month or so of silence, and have returned to a classic country format after running classic hits.

*In western PENNSYLVANIA, Forever has applied for a new old callsign at its WLYE (103.5 Burgettstown). The Pittsburgh-area station will become WOGH on August 1, and we’d suspect that means a return to its former “Froggy” country simulcast with WOGI (104.3 Moon Township) and the end of its “Willie” classic country format.

State College-based Rev FM has picked callsigns for its three new FM CPs: they’ll be WPME on 88.7 in Bedford, WPMU on 89.5 in DuBois and WPMY on 89.3 in Jersey Shore.

In Philadelphia, Beasley has high hopes for its new afternoon show at WPEN (97.5 the Fanatic), where Mike Missanelli’s former afternoon spot will become home to “The Best Show Ever?” starting August 1. The new crew will include current co-host Tyrone Johnson along with WPEN weekend host Hunter Brody and former Phillies pitcher-turned-NBC Sports Philadelphia host Ricky Bottalico. Jen Scordo will produce the show as well as anchoring updates.

*Tom McNally was a NEW JERSEY radio institution for decades, starting on the air at age 18 in Atlantic City at WOND back in 1972. Over the years, he worked pretty much everywhere in south Jersey, whether as an engineer, PD or on-air host, as well as at Philadelphia’s WYSP, WEAZ and WIFI.

McNally built out several significant power increases at south Jersey stations, including at 50 kW WMGM (103.7) and the construction of WPUR (Cat Country 107.3). He served as chief engineer for several South Jersey station groups, most recently Townsquare, and spent many years as a weekend host on WKXW (New Jersey 101.5), as well as doing VO work in Atlantic City, Philadelphia and New York.

McNally died June 9. He was 69.

(You can see some of the pictures from a 2015 tour with Tom here and here on Site of the Week.)

*In CONNECTICUT, Savannah (Giammarco) is the new co-host on WKSS (Kiss 95.7)’s “Courtney and Kiss in the Morning), joining longtime hosts Courtney and Walmart Jeff. Giammarco had worked in iHeart’s promotions and events department in New Haven in 2019 and 2020 before starting her own social media company, Savvy Social Media Management.

*We can put a purchase price on EMF’s latest MASSACHUSETTS acquisition: it’s paying $1.75 million for WBOQ (104.9 Gloucester), plus a network affiliation agreement that began July 1.

After leaving iHeart’s WBWL (101.7 the Bull), Colton Bradford is taking on a bigger role as part of an anchor shakeup at NBC-owned WBTS (NBC10 Boston). He’s been hosting the “Hub Today” lifestyle show for five years there, and now he’s also the 4 PM co-anchor on the news desk.

Shannon Mulaire, who was part of the inaugural WBTS anchor team back in 2017, is out, with Priscilla Casper arriving from KVOA in Tucson to co-anchor at 4, 6 and 11.

*In northern RHODE ISLAND, Dick Bouchard is buying out two of his partners in Bouchard Broadcasting (WNRI 1380 Woonsocket and its 99.9 translator). He’ll pay $84,000 for David St. Onge’s 14% stake and $50,000 for Claudette Laliberte’s 14% stake, increasing his holdings in the company from 43 to 71 percent.

*In MAINE, mark down WMVF as the new calls for 91.1 in Rumford, the new CP held by the River Valley Community Association.

Where are they now? Cary Pahigian, who led Saga’s Portland cluster before joining Hearst’s WBAL/WIYY in Baltimore as president/GM, starts today as VP/GM of Salem Media Group’s Salem News Channel, a new streaming video service.

*In CANADA‘s capital city, Robert W. Knight was a familiar voice for decades, starting with his arrival at CFGO (then on 1440) in 1977. Knight had been on the air in his native Montreal under his real name, James Wilkinson, at CFOX (1470), but it was in Ottawa that he became a radio star and, briefly, a TV host, too, spinning music videos on CHRO-TV.

Knight stayed with CFGO through the frequency change that made it “Energy 1200,” then moved on to weekends at CKQB (106.9 the Bear) before taking on afternoons at CHEZ (106.1) and doing voiceover work.

In more recent years, he’d been working off the air at jobs that included greeting customers at a Costco. Knight was 69 when he died recently, reportedly the result of a scooter crash.

*In Hamilton, Paul Hanover was a fixture decades ago at CHML (900), where he was the city’s iconic “Mayor of the Morning.” Born Solomon Yanover, his career spanned from the 1940s until his retirement in 1991, also including many years as a TV game show host on CTV. Hanover was 96 when he died July 11.

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