NorthEast Radio Watch 3/9/2026: Spring Blows Winds of Change

In this week’s issue… Cumulus bankruptcy roils radio – BTPM announces Buffalo format shuffles – WMEX moves newer, ditches Justice – Sliwa returns to NYC AM – Denis to step down at CHUM

*We’re back from a much-needed couple of weeks out west, and still catching up from a lot of news, a lot of miles in the rental car, a lot of work and probably a little too much birthday cake over the weekend, too. (Somewhere along the way in the last few weeks, NERW itself also celebrated a birthday, turning 32 and still chugging along.)

So what’s been happening in our absence? If you read the national trades such as RadioInsight, you already know the biggest headline from the month so far, as Cumulus filed its pre-packaged bankruptcy plan in hopes of wiping out debt and continuing operations as a newly private company with even more of its costs reduced.

For listeners and staffers in most of its NERW-land markets from Providence to Buffalo to Harrisburg and York, there’s little immediate change on the horizon. Having already exited station ownership in the New York metro area, Cumulus’ bankruptcy filing does include the rejection of its existing lease for its New York headquarters at 300 Vesey Street in lower Manhattan, as well as several transmitter sites for AM stations it’s already signed off in San Francisco, Amarillo and western Michigan.

Any bigger changes for local Cumulus clusters are likely to remain on hold until and unless the FCC follows through on plans to raise local ownership caps, a move that would allow for greater consolidation that might lead to swaps and sales in places like Buffalo.

*Meanwhile on the AM dial, we’re continuing to see the disappearance of aging transmitter sites and the move of formats to FM.

As we get this week’s issue to you a little belatedly, there’s news just in from Burlington, Vermont of Vox AM/FM’s WVMT (620) having added a new full-market, full-power FM simulcast on WCPV (101.3 Essex NY), replacing the former “Wolf” country format that had been on the FM. With WVMT’s studios having long since moved out of their old facility at the swampy AM tower site, how much longer will that AM stay on the air?

And in Allentown, Pennsylvania, iHeart talker WAEB (790) had already consolidated from separate day and night transmitter sites down to a single five-tower site north of the city, but now that site is also on the verge of going away as iHeart applies to diplex WAEB on the WSAN (1470) three-tower site in the parking lot of the Lehigh Valley Mall a few miles to the south.

Instead of its current 5 kW days/1.5 kW nights, WAEB’s new facility would use 5 kW days from two towers and would drop to just 190 watts non-directional at night.

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*Things are finally getting back to normal in eastern MASSACHUSETTS and other areas that got hammered by such heavy snow at the end of February. While most of the stations that suffered power loss for days (including many Cape Cod signals) have returned to the air, Horizon Christian Fellowship reports its WRYP (90.1 Wellfleet) suffered antenna system damage that needs to be repaired before the station can get back to normal operation.

*In Quincy, Larry Justice and Tony LaGreca’s L&J Radio has sold WMEX (1510) and its 101.1 translator for one dollar, plus the assumption of all debt. The new ownership is Local Media Boston, with Tyler Nye as the operating partner with 55% equity and LaGreca retaining 45% equity as a silent partner.

Nye has already begun making changes at WMEX, moving the station’s music forward into the 1980s and 1990s from its 1960s base, removing the 86-year-old Justice from his midday slot and using a copyright challenge to try to shut down long-running WMEX Facebook fan groups that even preceded Justice’s ownership and the revival of the current WMEX.

When asked about his exit, Justice replied, “Experiencing some professional challenges, we hope will be cleared up soon and back on the air.”

(There’s also at least one silent station on Staten Island, New York, where WSIA tells the FCC it had to go silent because the storm took out the phone lines it uses to control its transmitter and it’s still waiting for repairs.)

*In Narragansett Pier, RHODE ISLAND, Horizon Christian Fellowship has calls for its new 91.5, which will be WJXP. (And which has until July 6 to get on the air…)

*In Burlington, VERMONT, Adri Stuhr joins Vox AM/FM’s WEZF (Star 92.9) as its new afternoon host. Her resume includes stops at WKKW in Morgantown, WV, as well as stations in Minnesota, New Mexico and southern California.

*In NEW YORK City, Curtis Sliwa is back on the air after his failed bid for the mayoralty, but not at his old stomping grounds of WABC (770). Instead, the Guardian Angels founder has joined Larry Mendte downtown at iHeart’s WOR (710), where they’re now paired for “Curtis Sliwa and Larry Mendte in the Morning.”

Sliwa says WOR was where he made his very first radio appearance as a kid in 1971, when he was interviewed by Arlene Francis. His return continues a Big Apple radio career that started in 1990, and it pits him against Sid Rosenberg over on WABC, who was making some headlines of his own last week with comments about Mayor Mamdani that were far enough over his usual bombastic line to merit an on-air apology.

*On Long Island, Darren DiPrima is the new station manager for Connoisseur’s station cluster, where he’s been promoted from director of sales.

“I’m excited to expand my role, focus on what I do best, and continue working closely with our advertisers. I’m grateful for this opportunity and look forward to serving our team, listeners and business partners in new ways,” DiPrima said as he continued his 20-year career with the stations.

Another promotion within the cluster finds operations manager and WALK (97.5) PD/afternoon host Patrick Shea adding a new title as director of technical systems for both Long Island and Connecticut.

*Connoisseur is also importing its “Chaz and AJ” morning show across the sound from WPLR (99.1 New Haven) beginning this morning, using the duo to replace Brian Orlando on WWSK (94.3 the Shark), where he’s been let go after a dozen years.

Chaz and AJ have history on Long Island – both had worked at WRCN (103.9) in Riverhead before moving to WPLR in 2003, and AJ had also worked at WBAB and WMJC on the island.

*In Brentwood, Red Apple has closed on its purchase of translator W296EK (107.1), which is now relaying another recent Red Apple purchase, WLID (1370 Patchogue), which in turn is simulcasting WABC programming via WLIR (107.1 Hampton Bays). The 107.1 translator formerly carried Radio Cantico Nuevo programming via WNYG (1580 Patchogue).

*In Syracuse, we’re watching Ed Levine’s Galaxy Media, which is in court fighting a lawsuit from one of its creditors. Last August, Galaxy took out a $1.1 million loan from the Rasselas Trust that was due to be paid back January 15, and the Post-Standard reports that the suit alleges Galaxy didn’t make the payment, leaving it at risk of losing its Taste of Syracuse business and its half-interest in the Syracuse Nationals racing event. Galaxy is also accused of withdrawing $500,000 from two events-related bank accounts in violation of the agreement.

Meanwhile, CNYRadio (which is marking its 25th anniversary!) reports Galaxy’s Ed O’Brien is retiring from his weekend “In the Corner” show on the ESPN stations in Utica and Rome (WRNY 1350/96.5), ending a career of more than half a century.

*Upstate, we know a little more now about Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s plans to restructure its FM signals now that it’s taking WNED-FM (94.5) commercial later this spring.

While not all the details have been nailed down yet, BTPM tells listeners it will shake out like this: while its existing full-time noncommercial classical music format will continue on WNJA (89.7 Jamestown) and streaming, and its current full-time NPR talk and news format will continue outside Buffalo on WUBJ (88.1 Jamestown) and WOLN (91.3 Olean), there will be bigger changes coming for Buffalo FM listeners.

Instead of full-time NPR talk and news, noncommercial WBFO (88.7) will go back to more of the hybrid format it used decades ago, carrying NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered in drivetime, then carrying classical music much of the rest of the day.

The bigger changes, of course, will come to 94.5, where schedule details are still being firmed up, but listeners can expect to hear some combination of new local talk shows, news updates from the existing BTPM newsroom, plus the high school sports and Bridge AAA music programming that currently fill evening and weekend hours on WBFO.

The Bridge will also continue as an HD2 channel on one of the Buffalo FMs, though the Radio Bilingue Spanish-language programming now on 88.7-HD3 will go away.

(And we note, as always, that Fybush Media has played a consulting role with BTPM leadership on occasion here.)

*Across town, Bill Yuhnke’s Kenmore Broadcasting is adding a translator for his WEBR (1440 Niagara Falls) with the $150,000 acquisition of W295BW (106.9), currently operating from Grand Island. The 106.9 translator will increase WEBR’s FM reach beyond its existing Niagara County translator on 105.3 in Lockport.

*And in Wellsville, we now have a price tag for the sale of WQRW (93.5) from the late Robert Pfuntner: Brian Adams and Robert Smith, doing business as Bulldog Sounds LLC, will pay $75,000 to turn their existing LMA of “Q93.5” into a purchase.

*On the NEW JERSEY shore, Townsquare has resumed operation at its WOBM (1310 Asbury Park) and WJLK (1160 Lakewood Township), as well as their translators on 96.7 and 104.1. The stations had been off the air since March 13, 2025, and have returned with the same “Beach Radio” oldies format they had been carrying.

In northwest New Jersey, Larry Tighe has sold his half of WRNJ (1510 Hackettstown) and its 92.7 and 105.7 translators to partner Norman Worth, who’ll pay $200,000 to take full control there. Tighe retains sole ownership of the third WRNJ translator, W284CQ (104.7 Hackettstown).

*Radio People on the Move in eastern PENNSYLVANIA: at Beasley’s WPEN (97.5 the Fanatic) in the Philadelphia market, Sean Brace is Jon Marks’ new regular midday co-host, bringing the pair back together after an earlier run from 2013-2015. After that, Brace moved to iHeart’s WDAS (1480), where he was hosting a local afternoon show until it was cancelled last fall.

Another victim of iHeart cuts, former WUSL (Power 99) morning co-host Muthaknows, is also back on the Philly airwaves. He’s joined Radio One’s WRNB (100.3), where he’s contributing gossip segments that will air during morning drive, as well as hosting Sunday afternoons.

*Scranton’s “92 Mix FM” has filled out its new lineup with the addition of the talent formerly known as “Fishboy.” Dan Breymeier spent a quarter of a century with Audacy’s WKRZ (98.5) as music director and night host, and now he’s joining Times Shamrock’s WQFM (92.1 Nanticoke)/WQFN (100.1 Forest City) to be APD and afternoon host on “Mix,” where he’ll be known on-air as “Flounder.”

*Over at Audacy, RAMP reports job cuts have eliminated at least two jobs in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton cluster: Tori Thomas, who’s been promotions director for WKRZ (98.5), WGGY (Froggy 101) and their sister stations for eight years, is out of that job and looking for new work.

*South of Pittsburgh, Bob Stevens’ Broadcast Communications group is applying to move WKTQ (92.3) north from Oakland, Maryland (and its existing transmitter site just over the West Virginia state line) into Chalkhill, where it would have a 355-watt/404m DA class A signal that would serve Uniontown and vicinity from a Skyline Drive site overlooking Uniontown from the south.

*One of CANADA‘s best-known radio hosts is stepping down. Marilyn Denis told her CHUM-FM (104.5) listeners last week that she’ll be leaving her Toronto morning gig later this summer, ending a 40-year run in that slot that started in 1986 when she joined Roger Ashby and Rick Hodge.

Denis, who’s 67, has been gradually winding down her half-century career, ending her daytime TV show in 2023, the most recent stop in a TV career that had started in 1989 on CityTV’s “Cityline.”

We’ll keep you posted as CHUM announces details of Denis’ farewell shows, and about who’ll take over the morning slot, where she’s most recently been paired with David Corey.

*Across town on Corus Quay, MK Bowyer is out of the midday shift at CFNY (102.1 the Edge), where the 10-3 slot is now being hosted from Vancouver by Jeremy Baker, who’s based at sister station CFOX and is also heard in Calgary and London.

And uptown at Rogers’ CKIS (KISS 92.5), Sam McDaid is the new afternoon jock, moving into that slot while retaining her national duties hosting both top-40 and country shows across the Rogers empire.

*On the AM dial, Neeti Ray is applying to swap the licenses of two of his AM stations in the Golden Horseshoe in order to save CINA (1650 Mississauga), which is losing its current transmitter site.

Ray’s plan calls for CINA’s license and current South Asian programming to move to the Hamilton-licensed 820 facility that’s now CHAM, with at least a 30-day simulcast period to move CINA listeners from 1650 to 820 before the May 31 drop-dead date for the current 1650 site to be vacated.

The “Big 820” South Asian-focused music format that’s now on CHAM would eventually return to the air on 1650, diplexed off the site south of Hamilton near Binbrook, Ontario that’s also used by Ray’s CKOC (1150).

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