In this week’s issue… Great Eastern’s latest simulcast – Cumulus makes early flip – WBZ vets retire – WTPA rocks Harrisburg again – Remembering Gary Starr
By SCOTT FYBUSH
Here we go again – it’s the start of our 29th year of providing news and information to broadcasters all over the northeastern US and eastern Canada. We hope you enjoyed all five parts of our big Year in Review 2021 special that filled this space over the holidays, and if you were lucky enough to be completely away from the screen and keyboard for the last week, catch up by clicking on the link for part one and go from there.
As always, Lisa and I (a true independent “mom and pop” operation for over two decades) thank you for all the support you show, whether it’s buying a Tower Site Calendar (there’s still a limited quantity of 2022 editions available at the Fybush.com Store) or through your ongoing subscriptions to NERW. For as little as 39 cents a week, you can get the full NERW experience, every week, all year – and make sure we’re still here for year 30 and beyond of reporting on all the stories of the region’s broadcasters.
*In VERMONT, Great Eastern is ringing in the new year with a new format in the Burlington market. When it acquired WXMS (97.9 Dannemora NY) from RadioActive for just under $100,000 last year, it installed a Christmas format there as a holiday stunt. Now we know that signal, like Great Eastern’s sister stations “Froggy” (WJKS 104.3) and “Frank” (WWFK 107.1), will be simulcasting one of Great Eastern’s signals over in the Barre/Montpelier market.
After a call change to WSNO-FM, 97.9 rang in the new year with a new simulcast of WSNO (1450 Barre). WSNO had been doing rhythmic top-40 as “105.7 the Beat,” but both signals have flipped to new branding as “The Penguin” and a new variety hits format.
The new Penguin picks up three former on-air staffers from Burlington competitor WXXX (95.5). Pete Belair and Sarah Mitiguy had moved from WXXX to sister talker WVMT (620) back in 2019 before leaving Vox; now Belair will be doing mornings (“Pete and the Morning Chill Out”) and Mitiguy will be heard on the midday shift. Former WXXX middayer Jackie Steele, who left that station in September, takes afternoons, while Great Eastern VP/programming Matt Houseman is programming the station.
Looking to get into station ownership? Our StationSale division has some great new listings for you, including a turnkey profitable FM/AM/translator small-market combo that’s ready for a new owner, and a very successful multimedia combo including radio/digital/print in one of the finest small markets in the region. Drop me a line at scott@fybush.com and I’ll set you up with an NDA and all the details…
If your noncommercial FM station is ready to think about translators, there’s a filing window coming this fall from the FCC and it’s the perfect time to start making plans.
And whatever you’re using right now for automation playout, scheduling, archiving, remote connectivity, apps and streaming, I can help you do it better and probably less expensively now that I’m the US representative for Myriad broadcast software. It’s the best software package you haven’t heard of… yet. Let’s talk!
In this week’s issue… Hall sells WCTK, WNBH - Remembering NY's Anastos - WMEX sale withdrawn - Saga moves in western Mass - TikTok Radio launches on iHeart subs
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
In this week’s issue… Student radio survives, thrives at IBS - Kerr extends contract - WSAR sale falls through - WIVB GM departs amidst merger talk - WGR expands east
In this week’s issue… WGR to add FM - Canadian AM sets exit date - Remembering NYC's Ross, Ottawa's Green
2018 Tower Site Calendar 
