Thanks to the Albany Times Union and Mark McGuire (probably the best daily newspaper reporter covering broadcasting in the northeast right now), we have some answers to offer. Gach was diagnosed with bipolar II mental disorder, which his wife Suzie blames for the outbursts that marked his show's final months on the air at WGY. In a lengthy narrative given to the paper, Suzie Gach says J.R. suffered a breakdown in mid-August while returning home from a weeklong vacation.
While Suzie Gach filled in on J.R.'s shift (she was eventually replaced on-air by Ed Martin, who continues to occupy the time slot), J.R. was undergoing inpatient, then outpatient treatment at a rehab center in Saratoga Springs.
Gach is now back home, and it's unclear whether or not he'll ever return to WGY's airwaves. Suzie Gach tells McGuire that her husband's personality has changed since beginning treatment (he's now going by "Jay" instead of "J.R."), while WGY management declined to comment specifically. We'll keep you posted here at NERW as we hear more, and we'll be keeping the Gaches in our thoughts.
In Utica, Peter Naughton has been promoted from assistant PD to PD at WLZW (98.7); he's still doing afternoons at the Forever AC station as well. In Binghamton, Don Giovanni's "Italian Carousel" show heads back to AM 1360 after six months at sister station WNBF (1290); the show now airs from 9 until noon on talker WYOS (1360), where it used to be heard under the old WKOP calls.
And in Syracuse, MTV2 affiliate WOBX-LP (Channel 35) has been granted Class A status. (Wonder what its "local" programming is?) On the DTV front, we took a ride up Sentinel Heights on Friday to see the nearly-complete WSTM tower; the station has its new analog and DTV antennas on hand, and we hear October 30 is the deadline for both signals to be on the air from the new tower, with WCNY-TV (Channel 24) and DT following soon after. We also noticed a new logo on billboards for WTVH (Channel 5) adorning several billboards in the Salt City; we hear the "Eyewitness News" name and the logo shown here will be going away soon.
On a happier note, WFBS is adding a weekend show from Philadelphia's "Geator," Jerry Blavat, to its schedule. Blavat was in negotiations to do a weekend show on the big signal of Philly's WPHT (1210) as well, but the two sides couldn't come to terms over a playlist (or lack thereof), we're told.
In Brookville, Renda Broadcasting finally has a license for WYTR (103.3); the CP for the station was cancelled at one point last winter, but the situation has been sorted out and the oldies station remains on the air north of Punxsutawney. (It's actually been on the air since at least the fall of 2000, originally as WBEU.)
And Calvary Chapel's CP for W202BX (88.3 Meakesville) has been deleted.
Just to the south, in Atlantic City, Lenfest Broadcasting has won permission from the FCC to shut down the analog side of WWAC (Channel 53), leaving the station as a DTV-only operation on channel 44.
While WWAC-TV's analog signal is a weak one (just 12 kW with a directional antenna) that barely reaches the Boardwalk, the DTV signal emanates from the New Jersey Network WNJS-TV (Channel 23) tower in Waterford Works, N.J., within sight of the Philadelphia market, which WWAC now hopes to serve via cable must-carry. NERW expects that WWAC's analog signal will stay on the air until Lenfest can find someone to buy that spectrum, at which point the station will go digital-only.
WLYN (1360 Lynn) has an unusual temporary format: while its sale waits to close, the station is simulcasting the folk music of WUMB-FM (91.9 Boston), in part because the stations share a chief engineer, Grady Moates. WLYN had been operating only sporadically until the simulcast began.
On the technical end of things, WGBH-FM (89.7 Boston) has resubmitted its application for 21 kW at 323 meters above average terrain, from the WBZ-TV tower in Needham. Yes, that's third-adjacent to Boston College's WZBC (90.3 Newton) just a couple of miles away, but WGBH says the move will actually reduce interference to that station and to WLNE-TV (Channel 6) down in New Bedford.
WRCA (1330 Waltham) submitted its application to move its day and night facilities from South Street in Waltham to the WUNR site in Oak Hill, Newton; the station would run 25 kW day from five towers and 17 kW night from four towers, if neighbors ever approve the reconstruction of the site to accomodate WUNR, WRCA and WKOX (1200 Framingham). It's not clear that the move would actually get WRCA much more coverage than it currently enjoys from the Waltham site, in any event.
And up in Lowell, your editor's old stomping grounds, WCAP (980) has dropped its ABC network affiliation after literally decades, signing up instead with USA Radio News.
Speaking of Corus, it's bringing Steve Parsons from its Winnipeg operations to be PD of CING (Country 95.3) in Hamilton.
The CRTC will consider still more FM applications at a hearing this fall in St. John's, Newfoundland, including several in southern Ontario: United Christian Broadcasters wants a 45 kw signal on 102.3 in Belleville, with a contemporary Christian format. Barrie Christian station CJLF (100.3) wants a transmitter in Peterborough, with 500 watts on 89.3, while in nearby Lindsay, CKLY (91.9) wants to move from the old CKLY 910 site just south of town to a tower 13 km southeast (close to Peterborough itself), upping power from 14 kW to 29.3 kW in the process.
In Quebec, the Université de Sherbrooke wants a student station on 88.3 with 490 watts.
And out in Newfoundland, several applicants want new stations in St. John's: Andrew Newman and Andrew Bell are applying for a 100 kW AC station on 101.1, while the Newfoundland Broadcasting Company wants a soft AC station on 95.7, with a heavy emphasis on Newfoundland music. The company is also flipping its NTV television service (based at CJON-TV, channel 6 in St. John's) from CTV to Global, keeping CTV only for morning and late-night newscasts. The move means Newfoundlanders will need cable or satellite to see CTV, at least until that network builds its own stations on The Rock.
One more Maritimes app: Tom Gamblin wants 49.6 watts on 103.5 in Ssint John, N.B. for an all-comedy station!
Finally, two obituaries: in Montreal, they're mourning Ted Blackman, the morning host at CKGM (Team 990), who died Wednesday (Oct. 2) of liver and kidney failure. Blackman had a three-decade history in Montreal print and radio circles, including stints as program director of the old CFCF, morning host at CJAD, and jobs at the Montreal Gazette and the defunct Star and Daily News. Blackman was 60.
On Prince Edward Island, they're mourning Mike Brooks, the former CFCY (630 Charlottetown) PD, who recently left the business. Brooks was killed in a car accident last Monday (Sept. 30); he was 41.
A few bits of late-breaking Canadian news to finish off the week: the CBC has released some details about its new morning offerings, which debut next Monday (Oct. 14). Shelagh Rogers' new 10 AM to noon program on Radio One will be called "Sounds Like Canada," replacing the current "This Morning" (which itself replaced the late, lamented "Morningside" a few years back.) In November, it will be joined by a new 8:30-10 AM program, "The Current," to be hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti. And on the TV side, Ron MacLean has come to terms on a new contract that will keep him next to Don Cherry on "Hockey Night in Canada" this season.