NorthEast Radio Watch 3/16/2026: Ernie Anastos Dies

In this week’s issue… Hall sells WCTK, WNBH – Remembering NY’s Anastos, PA’s J Kristopher – WMEX sale withdrawn – Saga moves in western Mass – TikTok Radio launches on iHeart subs

By SCOTT FYBUSH

*For all the TV news anchors who have passed through NEW YORK over the decades, few have been as universally respected and liked as Ernie Anastos, who died Thursday.

Over more than 40 years on the city’s TV screens, Anastos held down lead anchor positions at WABC-TV (Channel 7) from 1978-1989, WCBS-TV (Channel 2) from 1989-1995 and 2001-2005 and WNYW (Channel 5) from 2005-2019 – but here at NERW, we remember him well for his time as a station owner, too.

During his break between WCBS stints, while doing some anchoring at WWOR-TV (Channel 9) and hosting “Our Home” on Lifetime, Anastos began building a small empire of radio stations in small and medium markets that brought him back to his roots in New England.

A second-generation broadcaster – his father, Phillip, was the creator of the “Grecian Echoes” radio show that continues decades later on Boston’s WNTN – Anastos started in radio at WSMN (1590) in Nashua, NEW HAMPSHIRE while attending Northeastern University. From there, he moved on to Boston’s WRKO and WROR before starting his TV career in 1976 at WPRI (Channel 12) in Providence, RHODE ISLAND, where he was working when WABC-TV came calling.

As a radio owner, Anastos began with the 1998 purchase of WJKE (101.3) in Saratoga Springs, which he relaunched as “Star” WQAR, later adding several AM signals around the greater Albany market, including WVKZ (1240) in Schenectady, WMVI (1160) in Mechanicville and WABY (900) in Albany. To the east, his small-market New England holdings included WGAW (1340 Gardner) and WPEP (1570 Taunton) in MASSACHUSETTS, WNRI (1380) in Woonsocket, RI and a return to Nashua with the purchase of WSNH (900) there.

He sold off the stations piecemeal over the years, exiting with the Albany market where he started, selling that cluster of stations to Joe Reilly’s Empire Broadcasting group in 2012.

By then, he’d become inadvertently well known far outside the New York market thanks to an on-air flub at WNYW in 2009, during his usual on-air banter at the end of a weather segment in which he tried to say “keep plucking that chicken,” only to have it come out somewhat differently.

What might have ended the career of another anchor rolled off the back of the genial Anastos, who laughed it off, telling the Times, “This is New York. That particular word is basically ‘hello.'”

After retiring from the anchor desk at WNYW in 2019, Anastos kept on broadcasting, taking his “Positively Ernie” radio segments to WABC (770), where he was on the air right up to the end, along with his “Positively America” syndicated TV show on 200 stations nationwide.

Anastos was 82.

*The week’s other big story also comes from New England, where Hall Communications is selling WCTK (98.1) and WNBH (1340) in New Bedford, along with WNBH’s 101.3 translator, to John Fuller’s Red Wolf Broadcasting.

The $2.35 million deal brings “Cat Country 98.1,” one of the top-rated stations in the Providence market, along with WNBH’s “Big 101.3” classic hits, into the fold with Fuller’s existing Spanish-language WKKB (Latina 100.3).

“WCTK is an iconic station with tremendous reach, a powerful brand and an outstanding team. We are always looking to expand and grow with strong media brands and events. Hall Communications has done an exceptional job building a strong foundation for the past 55 years,” Fuller said in his announcement of the sale.

It’s the second recent big sale for Hall, which exited the Lakeland, Florida market with the sale of its remaining cluster there earlier this year to MARC Communications, and the second big commercial owner to exit the Providence market alongside Audacy’s pending sale of WVEI-FM (103.7) to Ocean State Media.

With his consolidation of WCTK/WNBH in with WKKB, Fuller gets a bigger presence in Providence to compete with the other two big players there, Cumulus and iHeart. As for Hall, it’s still present in New London/Norwich, CONNECTICUT, where it competes directly against Fuller’s cluster of stations (and Cumulus), as well as a single station in Burlington, Vermont.

*Meanwhile in Boston, the drama continues at WMEX (1510), where the proposed sale of the classic hits station to Tyler Nye’s Local Media Boston has now been withdrawn from the FCC.

What happened? You won’t learn much from the actual filing with the Commission, which says only, “Withdraw of application due to operational issues.”

Behind the scenes, though, we’re hearing the “operational issue” involved the partnership between WMEX’s current owners, Tony LaGreca and Larry Justice. While LaGreca signed the deal with Nye that would have created the new Local Media partnership, it appears Justice may not have signed on to the agreement, which may also explain why he suddenly disappeared from WMEX’s airwaves when Nye took control.

It’s not clear what happens next, whether Nye is still running the station or what becomes of the music shifts that WMEX made last week to more recent classic hits.

*In Springfield, Saga has new digs for its WAQY (Rock 102) and WLZX (Lazer 99.3/98.5). After leaving behind the stations’ longtime home in East Longmeadow (which had also been home to their now-defunct AM sister on 1600), the Saga cluster has relocated to 167 Dwight Road in Longmeadow.

*In PENNSYLVANIA, WBCB (1490 Levittown-Fairless Hills) has a new format, a year after new owners Fideri News Network took over. Instead of its previous full-service community mix, WBCB is now running podcasts from Fideri’s regional news and sports publications, with Fideri Sports VP Anthony Sanfilippo now serving as general manager.

The changes include the departure of 34-year morning host Jim Foxwell and the move of midday host Pat Wandling to a new role as an online columnist.

*In Scranton, the future of WARM (590) is in doubt again now that GEOS Communications has withdrawn its application to buy the station from Seven Mountains. WARM has been silent on and off in recent years, and its current silent period began last September.

*Over at WNEP (Channel 16), they’re mourning “J. Kristopher,” the 33-year station veteran who hosted the “Kommotion” teen dance show and “Dialing for Dollars,” called high school basketball, delivered the sports and weather and did so much more at the station. Kristopher, whose real name was Steven Kotch, started in radio at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, where he helped launch WRKC (88.5) before joining channel 16. His career also included serving as track announcer at Pocono International Raceway and work with ESPN, as well as founding a ministry in Dallas, PA.

Kotch, who died Friday, was 90.

*Congratulations to veteran central Pennsylvania engineer Dave Supplee. After more than 26 years with Susquehanna/Cumulus, he’s signed on with MaxxKonnect as a development and support engineer. The move brings Supplee full circle with MaxxKonnect owner Josh Bohn, who started his career in engineering working for Dave in Pennsylvania.

*The launch of iHeart’s new “TikTok Radio” last week came with some changes on the HD Radio subchannel dial in New York City.

The national service arrived on the HD2 of WAXQ (104.3), which had previously been the HD home of talker WOR (710), now heard on the HD2 of sister station WKTU (103.5).

Other NERW-land markets carrying TikTok Radio on HD subchannels include Philadelphia (WUSL 98.9-HD2), Pittsburgh (WWSW 94.5-HD2) and Providence (WWBB 101.5-HD2).

*Veteran Rochester country morning jock Terry Clifford has landed a new gig that takes her out of retirement. After 37 years with Audacy’s WBEE (92.5) that ended in 2023, she’s signed on with WCJW (CJ Country) in Warsaw as the new midday voice under new owners Tom and Desire Hoyt.

In addition to continuing her “Studio Diaries” podcast, Clifford will be heard from 10 AM-2 PM on WCJW’s AM 1140 and six FM translators that cover a wide swath of the region between Rochester and Buffalo. She fills the gap left by Kelli Carson, who left WCJW last year to become the advisor for WGSU (89.3) at SUNY Geneseo.