August 19, 2002

WLAN Makes All-Sports Flip

By SCOTT FYBUSH

The steady decline of standards formats - and the growth of all-sports radio - is about to claim another convert in central PENNSYLVANIA. NERW has learned that Clear Channel is readying a format flip that will shift WLAN (1390 Lancaster) from standards to sports as "The Ticket."

If the format and the nickname already sound familiar to listeners in the region, it's no surprise: Clear Channel flipped WWKL (1460 Harrisburg) from oldies to standards two years ago as "The Ticket," WTKT, with a programming lineup (heavy on Fox Sports offerings) very similar to what will be heard on WLAN after the flip takes place in the next few weeks.

The new "Ticket" won't have a couple of key sports franchises: the Phillies air in Lancaster on Hall's all-sports WLPA (1490), while NASCAR is over on the FM dial at WIOV-FM (105.1 Ephrata).

Will the heritage WLAN calls disappear from AM and be relegated solely to FM use at 96.9? And how much local programming will remain on 1390? Stay tuned... (and in the meantime, we're wondering what the "new" 1390 site was doing over the weekend at the www.wkbo.com Web address of Harrisburg sister station WKBO 1230 instead of the correct www.1390theticket.com site that will be WLAN's new Web address.)

*While we're in central Pennsylvania, we're keeping an eye on the fate of the Brill Media stations. The group heads to a bankruptcy auction Tuesday, but we're told WSOX (96.1 Red Lion) won't be part of that sale, leaving only WIOV (1240 Reading) and WIOV-FM (105.1 Ephrata) as NERW-land stations in the auction. Results next week...

Over in Shamokin, Clear Channel is selling dark WISL (1480) to David Gorman's "Basic Licensing" for all of $65,000 - and with just a few months left to remain dark before facing license revocation.

And up in Erie, Beth Ann McBride has left the PD chair at "Star" WRTS (103.7 Erie), leaving the NextMedia CHR seeking a replacement.

*In NEW JERSEY, the new "Mix 97.3" (WIXM Millville) has a morning show after several months on the air. Eddie Davis is the new morning voice there, coming down from WHCN in Hartford (and a stint at Jersey's WPST before that.)

Asbury Park noncomm WYGG (88.1) got caught by the FCC, and now the Haitian gospel station wants to straighten things out. WYGG was issued a Notice of Violation back in May that accused the station of having moved its transmitter from 517 Cookman Avenue to 601 Bangs Avenue without permission. Now the station is applying to make the move legal, with 50 watts of power at 35 meters above average terrain. (As for the DX reports that have accused WYGG of operating an unlicensed on-channel booster all the way over in Brooklyn, we'll leave that to the Enforcement Bureau to sort out...)

*Next stop, NEW YORK, where noncomm WFUV (90.7), still embattled in a fight over its unfinished tower in the Bronx, has won one fight to improve its signal in the Big Apple. The FCC rejected protests from second-adjacent WFMU (91.1 East Orange NJ) and granted WFUV permission to put on-channel booster WFUV-FM2 on the air from the old WRVR (106.7, now WLTW) tower atop the Riverside Church in upper Manhattan. The 600 watt booster will be very directional, aimed south into Manhattan while avoiding the Bronx and upstate areas that already receive a decent WFUV signal.

Still more good news for 'FUV fans: after several months of repeats, Pete Fornatale has settled his dispute with the station and returned to his Saturday "Mixed Bag" show. Fornatale's beef with WFUV stemmed from some comments he made over the winter that station management felt were too political; in the meantime, he had been doing some work with WBJB (90.5 Lincroft NJ) down in Monmouth County.

Lynn Samuels is off the radio again: the left-leaning talker has been replaced on her WABC (770) weekend shift by the syndicated Suze Orman financial-advice show.

And those afternoon guys at that FM talk station would want all the publicity they'd get from their latest moronic stunt this week - so we're glad to deny them that satisfaction.

On the TV side, there's word that Dianne Doctor will move from the news director's chair at WNBC (Channel 4) over to WCBS-TV (Channel 2), part of a shuffling of news talent prompted by the move of O&O stations boss Dennis Swanson from NBC to CBS. Doctor's move to WCBS apparently means the end of Joel Cheatwood's stint as news director at the perenially ratings-challenged channel 2.

Out on Long Island, David Weiss has exited the morning show at WALK-FM (97.5 Patchogue).

Up in Albany, morning guy Ric Mitchell is out again at WTRY-FM (98.3 Rotterdam). Mitchell, whose career in the Capital District stretches back to the seventies, had been with the Clear Channel oldies station for six years this time - and this wasn't even his first stint with WTRY. No word yet on a permanent replacement for WTRY wakeups...

Over at Regent's Albany cluster, they're looking for a new PD for rocker WPYX (106.5), which is losing PD Dave Hill to a bigger gig programming Hearst rocker "98 Rock," WIYY (97.9 Baltimore).

Up north, some good news for Watertown public radio fans: their relay of WRVO (89.9 Oswego) is about to get a lot stronger. WRVO was granted its CP this week to move WRVJ (91.7 Watertown) from the top of an office building in downtown Watertown to the WPBS-TV (Channel 16) tower out near Copenhagen. With 1600 watts from 41 meters above average terrain, WRVJ should have a much-improved reach from the new facilities, especially in outlying areas such as Carthage and Lowville.

And back here in Rochester, it's still "Swifty 950" stunting on WBBF (950 Rochester) - but a few clues about the station's future have begun to surface - at least if you're looking for Allan Harris' radio history pages, which have moved to a new home at www.aharris950.com. (And is there any truth to the rumor that one of 950's new talents personally painted over all the graffiti on the 950 transmitter building?)

*From MASSACHUSETTS comes word that the Red Sox have a new TV deal for next season (if there is a next season, that is), moving their broadcast games from Fox's WFXT (Channel 25) to the Viacom duopoly of WBZ-TV (Channel 4) and WSBK (Channel 38). The two stations will carry between 25 and 35 games next season, with Sox-owned NESN increasing its load from this year's 86 games to between 115 and 125.

The FCC granted the transfer of WLYN (1360 Lynn) from ADD Media to Arthur Liu's Multicultural Broadcasting; Liu is paying $1.78 million for the 700-watt ethnic station.

And we're sorry to have to report the arrest of former WBCN afternoon guy Mark Parenteau, who's now running the comedy channel for XM down in Washington. Parenteau was arrested last Wednesday (August 14) on charges of first-degree sexual assault involving a 14 year old boy.

*NEW HAMPSHIRE's public radio network has a new voice, as of 5 PM last Wednesday. That's when WEVJ (99.5 Jackson) signed on as the latest addition to the statewide web, bringing a stronger NHPR signal to the Mount Washington Valley, where NHPR has been heard only weakly via WEVC (107.1 Gorham) on the other side of the mountain. WEVJ's running 4700 watts from 141 feet above average terrain, at a site just north of North Conway. (WEVJ's debut ends a long struggle to get this frequency on the air; an earlier CP expired a few years back, and it ended up in NHPR's hands as the settlement to a contested application process.)

Some sad news from NHPR as well: reporter Chris Bracken, whose work was heard often on the public radio network, as well as on Vermont Public Radio and NPR, died August 3 after a battle with liver cancer. Bracken was just 48 years old.

One more bit of Concord news: we can now tell you how much the new owners of WKXL (1450) are paying to buy the station from Vox - the sale price on the deal, which was approved this week, is $370,000.

*Just one bit of MAINE news this week: WQEZ (104.7 Kennebunkport) is picking up the syndicated Bob and Sheri morning show, effective next Monday (August 26); PD Ken McGrail checked in to let us know he'll be sleeping a little later when he moves off the morning shift and into middays.

*Just one bit of CONNECTICUT news as well: WNTY (990 Southington) is reshuffling its schedule, adding Neil Boortz from 3-5 PM, Rusty Humphries from 5-7, Michael Reagan from 7 till midnight and Jones Radio Network's "America Live" overnight, and getting rid of the last remaining USA Radio Network programming on the schedule.

*The big news from CANADA continued to involve Corus' new "Country 95.3" (CING 95.3 Hamilton ON), which made its sign-on official this morning at 7 with the debut of its first live jocks. Stu Jeffries comes over from sister station Y108 (CJXY 107.9 Burlington) to head up the morning crew, with Toronto radio vet Kenny Caughlin (the last country jock on the old CISS 92.5) holding down afternoons.

A correction from last week: that's Brian DePoe who's moving from the PD chair at 95.3 back to Toronto's "EZ Rock" (CJEZ 97.3), effective today.

And up in Ottawa, Milkman Unlimited reports the arrival of a new local show at sports "Team 1200" (CFGO). The "Sports Call" show that used to be heard on sister CFRA is being revived at 1200, filling the 9 AM to noon slot that had been occupied by Team national programming from CHUM in Toronto.

*Finally this week, we're happy to announce that our good friends at M Street have released the 11th edition of the M Street Radio Directory. With the disappearance of the old Vane Jones log and the declining accuracy of the Broadcasting Yearbook, the M Street directory is widely regarded as the most accurate, most comprehensive source of information on the US and Canadian radio scene - and we're thrilled to be able to offer it to you at a substantial discount!

The directory includes power, frequency, ownership, key personnel, formats, ratings and much more information for every radio station in the U.S. and Canada, and now runs almost 900 pages in an 8.5" x 11" softcover book. List price is $79 (plus $7 shipping/handling), but if you order through fybush.com/NorthEast Radio Watch, you can get this invaluable resource on your shelf for $69 (plus $7 s/h) - a $10 savings! And your purchase benefits the continued publication of NERW and Tower Site of the Week, so everybody wins!

You can order in either of two ways: to order by major credit card, call 1-800-248-4242, ask for Irene, and tell her you want the "NorthEast Radio Watch" discount. Or, send check or money order for $76 ($69 + $7 s/h) to Scott Fybush, 92 Bonnie Brae Ave., Rochester NY 14618. Either way, you'll put the most trusted, accurate information about the radio industry in print today on your bookshelf.

*And that's it for another week - back with more next Monday right here at fybush.com!

NorthEast Radio Watch is made possible by the generous contributions of our regular readers. If you enjoy NERW, please click here to learn how you can help make continued publication possible. NERW is copyright 2002 by Scott Fybush.