Twenty-four hours later, WBBF's oldies moved for good to the 93.3/950 simulcast, as 98.9 flipped to this week's most popular new format nationwide, 80s oldies. "The Buzz" is the new nickname for the station once known as WHFM, WZKC, and WKLX, and we're pleased to say we heard Moving Pictures' "What About Me" no less than four times in the new station's first few days.
A new PD and airstaff for 98.9 is on the way, we hear, and in the meantime "93BBF" launches the new Tom George morning show on Monday (11/13). Still to come are new calls for 98.9, which we're told will be WBZA (does that have a ring to it, or what?), with the WBBF calls moving to 950 and 93.3. What's more, we hear 93.3 will be looking to make a signal upgrade, changing city of license to one of those east-side "P" towns, and tower location to the WBEE (92.5) tower on Five Mile Line Road in Penfield, thus bringing that stick full circle to its earliest days as WBBF-FM, almost 40 years ago. As for fans of the adult standards once heard on 950, they're being directed just up the dial to Crawford's "Legends 990", WLGZ, which has already claimed about half of 950's audience anyway.
Remaining in Rochester for just a moment, WXXI has again been denied a chance to simulcast its AM 1370 signal on FM. The FCC denied the public station's petition to reconsider its denial of WXXI's 1997 application for 90.9 in Spencerport, third-adjacent to the WXXI-FM signal on 91.5 from Pinnacle Hill. No word yet on what WXXI might try next to improve its west-side signal from the AM station, whose null towards Toledo's WSPD makes it hard to hear out there after dark.
One more Rochester note: a very happy 30th anniversary (of sorts) to rocker WCMF (96.5). 'CMF really dates back to 1960 or thereabouts, when it was founded by the Community Music Service as a classical station, but the rock format Rochesterians have known for years does indeed date back to 1970 or so. Congratulations in particular to two WCMF veterans: Night guy "Unkle Roger," there since 1974, and 19-year morning veteran Brother Wease!
Over in Albany, we hear Clear Channel will add "Valentine in the Morning," voicetracked the night before in Los Angeles at KIIS (102.7), to its "Kiss" CHR outlet there, WKKF (102.3 Ballston Spa). Valentine seems to be on the way to becoming a staple at the Kiss clones nationwide, for whatever that's worth...he's already heard here in Rochester on WKGS (106.7 Irondequoit). Over at WKKF's competition, WFLY (92.3 Troy), they're looking for a new night jock now that Joey Kidd has headed to Boston and nights at WQSX (93.7 Lawrence).
Former WTRY (980 Troy, now WOFX) PD John Mounteer died Saturday (11/4) in Albany at age 73. Mounteer had been working as a life-insurance salesman after his days at WTRY in the sixties were over. The FCC has flagged the proposed sale of Crystal's nine Hudson Valley stations (NERW, 10/16) to Aurora for market-concentration concerns. Across town at what's now Clear Channel, WKIP (1450 Poughkeepsie) drops talk for standards; no word yet on whether WELV (1370 Ellenville) will follow suit.
Looking for country on Long Island? You'll have to look a little harder, at least around Smithtown: Barnstable flipped WMJC (94.3) from country to rock AC this week as "Island 94.3."
Down in Bennington, WBTN (1370) has dumped its Vermont Public Radio simulcast in preparation for a return to local full-service programming.
A bit to the south, WORC (1310 Worcester) and WGFP (940 Webster) are shifting focus a bit, ditching "Extreme Talk" for "Real Talk" under new PD Jay Bailey. He's reunited with former WXLO colleagues John Taylor and Roger X for "Worcester's Original Morning Show," which is followed by Phil Hendrie, Ed Tyll, and Don and Mike.
WRCA (1330 Waltham) has submitted its application for 17 kW nighttime operation from the WUNR facility on Saw Mill Brook Road in Newton's Oak Hill neighborhood.
The religious broadcasters at CSN have had their application for 91.7 in Lexington reinstated, alas...
Up in Quebec City, community broadcaster Radio Basse-Ville (CKIA 96.1) is trying again to boost its power, applying to move from 6.8 big watts at 96.1 to 350 watts at 88.3.
Telemedia has completed its takeover of Affinity's southern Ontario properties, adding to the fold CHAM (820) in Hamilton, CHTZ (97.7), CHRE (105.7), and CKTB (610) in St. Catharines, and CKSL (1410) in London.
One final plug for fybush.com -- if you visited a week ago and found that many of the links weren't finished yet...come on back, won't you? I've been hard at work all week completing "Tower Site of the Week" and much more...and soon, there will be mid-week updates to NERW, a NERW chat, and much more. Stop by and say hello!
| NERW's Northeast Television Index | 88.77 |