The 500-foot guyed tower of WIVT-TV (Channel 34) came down in the storm while the ABC affiliate's two master-control operators hid under the board for safety. When they came out, they found the station's studio/transmitter facility in shambles (it was later condemned), and their cars in the parking lot destroyed.
WIVT has not been on the air since the tower fell, as best NERW can determine.
Just up Ingraham Hill Road, one of the self-supporting towers of WNBF (1290) was toppled as well. WNBF is operating on the rest of its night array under special temporary authority.
NERW was planning a trip to Binghamton this weekend anyway (we have a knack for that sort of timing, it seems) -- and we'll provide a special update on Monday if events warrant.
Elsewhere in the region, the storm silenced several Rochester and Albany area stations briefly, including WDCZ (990) in Rochester and WPYX (106.5), among others, in Albany.
In New England, Brian Dodge's "LOVE Radio" translator network suffered a serious lightning hit to its facility at W259AB (99.7) Marlboro VT, as well as tornado damage to W288AM (105.5) Keene NH. Because Marlboro was the first link in the chain that relayed WJIV (101.9 Cherry Valley NY), the entire network of stations in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts is silent.
Also silent (although expected back on any moment now) is WSSH (101.5 Marlboro VT) and relayer WZSH (107.1 Bellows Falls); they too suffered storm damage. WNHQ (92.1 Peterborough) was also silenced after a failure of the audio link from WJYY (105.5 Concord).
The bankruptcy judge ordered WNHC owner Edie Rozier to sign the station's current urban fornat off the air, which she did at 10:20 Thursday morning, saying closing the station was "like losing two families" - one at the station, and the other in New Haven's black community.
WYBC isn't saying much about its plans for 1340, except that when it returns to the air, it will be from YBC's 165 Elm Street facility instead of WNHC's old Whalley Street studios.
We'll keep you posted as YBC gets its AM facility up and running.
Moving down the Connecticut River, the changes have begun with the new ownership at WCFR (1480/93.5) in Springfield. WCFR-FM is now simulcasting the classic hits/oldies format of Robert and Shirley Wolf's WMXR (93.9 Woodstock).
There's still no confirmation of last week's speculation regarding the sale of Keene's WKNE (1290/103.7) to Cumulus Media.
On the TV side of things, Paxson's WHCT (Channel 18) in Hartford has switched affiliations from InfoMall to Shop at Home Network.
Congratulations to Keating Willcox's WNSH (1570 Beverly), which has been granted a construction permit to use 500 watts day and night from a four-tower array near the Endicott College campus.
And it's old-home week for Arnold Lerner. The WLLH (1400 Lowell/Lawrence) owner is taking over as general manager after the departure of Perry Kapiloff.
Just over the state line in Ridgebury, Pennsylvania, long-silent WMKB (96.9) will soon be back on the air serving Elmira. Lighthouse, the owner of WLNL (1000 Horseheads), is selling the FM to religious WDBA (107.3) from Du Bois, PA.
Also just over the line, there are new calls to accompany the new format at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's "Cat Country." WSGD-FM (94.3 Carbondale) becomes WCTP, WDLS (93.7 Dallas) becomes WCTD.
More new calls: WRNJ-FM (107.1 Belvidere NJ), the newest member of Big City Radio's "Y-107" country quad-cast, becomes WWYY, joining WWVY, WWXY, and WWZY in the alphabet. And Heftel's "Caliente," WNWK (105.9 Newark NJ), becomes WCAA.
One TV person on the move: Mike Goldberg, former chief meteorologist at Rochester's WROC-TV (Channel 8), takes the same job at WTVR-TV (Channel 6) in Richmond, Virginia.
Still on hold is the Entercom call swap in Rochester, with "99BBF" on the FM side still doing its legal ID as WKLX, Rochester -- and no IDs to be heard at the top of the hour at all on AM 950, still legally WBBF(AM) but soon to be WEZO(AM). Every time NERW's tuned in for the last few days, we've heard the music fade out, a few seconds of dead air, and into CNN Radio News.
And one correction: Last week we said Denver's KQKS was 104.3. We forgot that it had moved...and is now 107.5 in Lakewood, Colorado.
A programming reminder: NERW will appear on its usual schedule June 11 and 18, but after that your editors head out on the "NERW Summer Excursion," with stops to check out the radio scene all along the coast of Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, far northern Maine, Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa. Look for regular updates from the road June 19-27, with the next regular NERW on July 2. (And if you're along our route, it's not too late to drop us a line if you'd like to see us in person!)