NERW midweek update: New MPBN head, Jonesy out at WUSL

Your Wednesday morning update from NERW Central:

*There’s a new leader coming to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network: next month, Mark Vogelzang takes over as president and CEO of the statewide public radio and TV service, replacing Jim Dowe when he retires at year’s end after five years on the job.

Vogelzang comes to Maine from WBFO (88.7) in Buffalo, where he’s served as interim general manager for the last two years, overseeing the station’s operations as it prepares to be transferred to crosstown public broadcaster WNED. Before that, he was at the helm of Vermont Public Radio.

*In Philadelphia, the big news comes from Clear Channel, where “Jonesy” (Tarsha Jones) is once again out of a job, this time as morning host at WUSL (98.9) after the station was hit with a defamation lawsuit over comments Jones made on the air about a local business. It’s not Jones’ first brush with controversy: she was pushed out of Radio One’s crosstown WPHI (then on 100.3) a few years back, and she was suspended from New York’s WQHT (97.1) in New York over an allegedly racist parody song in 2004. No replacement has been named yet at “Power 99.”

*Congratulations to a Boston media power couple on their new arrival: WFXT (Channel 25) anchor Sara Underwood and Comcast Sports Network anchor/WBZ-FM (Sports Hub 98.5) talk host Michael Felger are the proud parents of Tessa Rose, born Monday afternoon.

Much more in next week’s NERW!