North East RadioWatch: March 28, 1997

Thawing Out and Unpacking...

by Scott Fybush

Sorry about the delays! The move into the new apartment has been more time-consuming than I expected, and that's why this NERW is coming out about two weeks later than planned. The good news is, nearly all the boxes are unpacked, and by mid-April things should be very much back to normal. On with the news, and there's plenty!

• Live, local, and late-breaking: There's another urban station in Hartford. Mega Broadcasting has flipped WNEZ (910 New Britain) from Spanish romance music to urban as "910 Jamz." There's no urban FM in Hartford; the competition is Windsor's WKND (1480).

• First, from the radio-with-pictures front: Boston's WCVB-TV (Channel 5) is getting a new owner. Hearst Broadcasting is merging with Argyle Broadcasting, and that means you can now list WCVB as a Hearst-Argyle station. The merger means the company will have to sell WNAC-TV (Channel 64) in Providence, a Fox affiliate operated under LMA by Clear Channel's WPRI-TV (Channel 12), because of the signal overlap between WCVB and WNAC. Late word is that Hearst is selling its radio properties in Milwaukee (WISN/WLTQ) and Pittsburgh (WTAE/WVTY) to SFX to help pay for the Argyle deal. The Providence market will have another LMA'd TV outlet by next week. WLWC-TV (Channel 28) New Bedford-Providence is due to sign on March 31, operated as a WB affiliate by NBC's WJAR-TV (Channel 10) Providence. Channel 28 will have a 10pm newscast produced by WJAR-TV. NERW would be less than surprised to find Boston WB affiliate WLVI-TV (Channel 56) disappearing from some Southeastern Mass. cable systems in the next few months. And in Connecticut, Al Bova is leaving his post as general manager of WVIT (Channel 30) after almost two decades with the station. He's joining CBS as general manager of KYW-TV (Channel 3) in Philadelphia.

• Boston's AM 1150 is being put to a good use, a month after the demise of KidStar. Greater Media is using WNFT as a test site for Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) experiments. Among the DAB experts in town for the testing, we're told, is Greater Media's VP of Engineering, Milford Smith, who chairs the National Radio Systems Committee. When WNFT is not running DAB tests, it's simulcasting country music from WKLB-FM (96.9).

• Say goodbye to traffic reports from Metro Networks on Boston's WBZ (1030). As of April 1, the CBS O&O will end its long relationship with Metro and start a new one with Shadow Traffic, which opened a Boston office last year. Shadow shares its CEO, Mel Karmazin, with CBS. The switch is bad news for Metro personalities like Joe Stapleton and Aaron Sawyer - they're reportedly bound by a non-compete agreement with Metro. Shadow was already providing traffic reports for WBZ sister station WODS (103.3).

• Call letter news: Boston University's FM station is no longer WBUR(FM). It's changed calls to WBUR-FM, allowing the former WUOK(AM) in West Yarmouth to become WBUR(AM). WBUR(AM) simulcasts the NPR news and talk programming from WBUR-FM for Cape Cod listeners on 1240. Another historic Boston call has returned to the airwaves. WVBF, the calls associated with 105.7 in Framingham from 1970 until 1993, now can be heard each hour on AM 1530 in Middleborough. The new WVBF(AM) is the former WCEG(AM), and broadcasts programming for the blind from the Talking Information Center in Marshfield. The new public radio station on 91.1 from Nantucket will be WNAN(FM), and Sound of Life's new religious outlet in Glens Falls NY will be WARD(FM). The WARD calls were last seen on what's now WKQV(AM) 1550 in Pittston PA. 96.1 in Poughkeepsie NY is no longer WNSX; the new calls there are WTND, reflecting its "Thunder Country" simulcast with WTHN (99.3) Ellenville NY.

• It lives! If there was any doubt that WEGP (1390) in Presque Isle, Maine was still on the air, a quick check of the dial early Saturday morning should fix that. WEGP has scheduled a DX test from 3 until 3:30 am, Saturday, March 29. WEGP will run 5,000 watts non-directional during the test, which will include marching music and Morse code. If you hear WEGP, let us know at NERW, and send your reception reports to Allan Weiner, WEGP, 3 State Street Place, Presque Isle ME 04769. If that name sounds familiar, there's a very good reason. Weiner was the owner of WOZI-FM (101.7) and WOZW (710) in the Presque Isle area in the 1980s, and he's well-known as the operator of many pirate stations over the years, including KPF-941 in Yonkers NY and Radio Newyork International off the Long Island coast.

• Speaking of the Pine Tree State, a NERW reader reports WCME (96.7) Boothbay Harbor has been off the air for several weeks. The classic rock programming continues to be heard on WXGL (95.5) Topsham. The folks at WCME/WXGL claim WCME's silence is permanent, but NERW suspects the 96.7 frequency won't stay silent for long.

• Local music and talk are making a bit of a comeback in the Boston suburbs. WSRO (1470) in Marlborough is now being run by Lindsy Parker, ex-PD at the Talk America Radio Network and at WSAR (1480) Fall River. Parker and owner Doug Rowe say they're committed to live, local talk. Further down I-495 in Norfolk MA, WDIS (1170) has dropped its Talk America programming, and is playing adult contemporary music with live, local DJs.

• The FCC is out with its latest list of proposed expanded-band allocations, and once again the Northeast gets the very short end of the stick. Only two stations up this way receive spots in the expanded band under the new plan. WTRY (980) Troy NY would move to 1640, and WZNN (930) Rochester NH would move to 1700. Like earlier FCC lists, the latest proposal raises more questions than it answers. Among the stations listed is WJRZ (1550) Toms River NJ - whose construction permit expired without ever being built! If the Commission's goal is to reduce interference, NERW thinks WJRZ(AM) has done its part for the cause without ever receiving an expanded-band slot. The FCC might also want to check the call letters on the list; many are quite outdated by now!

• In business news: Congratulations to Bob Bittner, whose purchase of WJTO (730) Bath ME was approved earlier this month. Bob's now sorting his way through all the old stuff he's finding buried deep in the WJTO studio/transmitter facility. WMDI (107.7) Bar Harbor ME has been sold by MDI Communications to Bridge Broadcast Corp. Pilot Communications has sold its radio properties in the Northeast to Broadcasting Partners Holdings LP. The stations include WTVL/WEBB (1490/98.5) Waterville ME; WEZW/WMME (1400/92.3) Augusta ME; and WLTI (105.9), WNSS (1260), WNTQ (93.1) and WAQX (95.7 Manlius) in the Syracuse NY market. WLTI has just been granted a power increase to 4 kW.

  WXZR (98.7) East Lyme CT has been sold from Group E Communications to Hall Communications, owner of WICH/WCTY (1310/97.7 Norwich) and WNLC/WTYD (1510/100.9 New London) in the Southeast Connecticut area. WXZR has been running satellite adult AC since the demise of its old Z-Rock format last winter; no word on what Hall might do to the format.

• More information from our friends at 1919 M Street, NW, in no particular order: Northeast Gospel Broadcasting has been granted a translator at 88.5 in Bennington VT, to relay its WNGX (91.7) Argyle NY. NGB is also applying for 105.5 in Scotia NY, near Schenectady, an interesting move given that the new WNYQ (105.7 Queensbury) blasts quite a signal into the area. Expect more translators of William Walker's WRWD (107.3 Highland NY) and WBWZ (93.3 New Paltz NY); he's bought construction permits for Newburgh NY translators on 94.1 and 106.5 from Paul Reid. The Monroe Board of Education has been granted a translator on 94.5 in Old Saybrook CT, relaying its WGRS (91.5) Guilford. The Educational Media Foundation is applying for a translator in Watertown NY on 89.7, relaying KLVC (88.3), in oh-so-nearby Magalia, California. NERW doesn't even know where Melrose Park NY is, but it must be somewhere in the Finger Lakes region, because WNYR (98.5) Waterloo has applied for a 98.1 translator there. Meantime, down in Elmira, the WSKG Public Telecommunications Council won't be building a new translator on 91.1. The FCC has deleted the construction permit for W216AB. WSKG already operates WSQE on 91.1 in nearby Corning NY. Here in our new home base of Rochester, another FM channel is about to bite the dust. WRCD (107.3 Honeoye Falls-Rochester) has been granted a translator on 107.9 in Rochester, W300AM. So much for listening to WWHT Syracuse on 107.9...

  Back in New England, WDEV-FM in Warren VT is doubling its power - from 48 watts to a whopping 96 watts, albeit from way up there in the mountains. We now know for sure where the new Vermont/New Hampshire joint public radio station will operate from. They've applied for 1700 watts vertical, 110 watts horizontal from way up on the WVPR (89.5) transmitter near Windsor VT. Family Stations has been granted permission to move its Burlington VT translator, now on 90.9, to 89.3 under the new calls W207AX. Whatever you call it, it rebroadcasts KEAR (106.9) San Francisco. Concord Bible Fellowship in Concord NH has been granted a 104.3 translator, W282AF, to relay WBCI (105.9) Bath ME. And yes, there's one secular translator to report: WZSH (107.1 Bellows Falls VT) has been granted W298AH, a 107.5 translator in Claremont NH.

• New England's religious broadcasters are engaging in some territorial squabbling when it comes to new translators. Christian Ministries, Inc. is fighting a petition to deny that was filed against its proposed translator on 96.3 in Quechee VT, which would have relayed WCMD (89.9) Barre VT. CMI is also applying for 91.7 in Woodstock VT, just down the road. Meantime, the folks at WPVQ (93.9) Turners Falls MA are fighting a petition to deny filed by Harvest Broadcasting Association against their proposed translator in South Hadley MA. Harvest is owned by Brian Dodge, who's developed a bit of an FCC track record for operating "outside the lines," including his 1995 activation of WRUT (107.5 West Rutland VT) long after said CP had expired. You can now hear WPVQ on RealAudio, by the way...look for www.wpvq.com.

• Aboard the pirate ship: NERW's friends in Syracuse tell us there's a pirate calling itself "WMIV - Jammin' Z90" operating weekends on 90.7 MHz. The signal is reportedly being heard throughout much of the Salt City.

• How hard is it to build a translator in downtown Boston? Ask the folks at the Boston Phoenix and WFNX (101.7 Lynn-Boston). They've filed for an extension of time to build W267AI, the planned 101.3 WFNX translator atop the John Hancock Tower.

• For the history buffs: Connecticut Public TV ran a special earlier this month called "You're on the Air! The Early Years of Connecticut Television." NERW is hoping CPTV repeats the show later in the spring so we can get a tape of it! And Boston's WCVB-TV (Channel 5), which celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special called "5 at 25" on March 19, will rebroadcast the show on Sunday, May 25 at 9 PM. NERW thanks the many folks who responded with offers to send a copy of the show to our new Rochester headquarters, a bit outside the Grade B contour for channel 5!

• We could zing Broadcasting&Cable for getting the idea that WSUB (980 Groton CT) and WBSM (1420 New Bedford MA) swapped call letters. We could zing them for having no idea of WLTI (105.9 Syracuse NY)'s current format. But we're getting tired of it.

• Anyway, NERW makes mistakes too - last issue, we told you WBMX (98.5 Boston) had been approved to move from the FM128 tower in Newton to the Prudential Center. Bzzzzt! As several sharp-eyed NERW readers reminded me, the CP actually authorizes a move just slightly to the south, to the Cabot Road, Needham candelabra that's home to channels 25 (for now), 38, and 56.

• Local radio? Yes, it still exists...just ask the folks at WQQQ (103.3) in Sharon CT, where a local family suffered a total loss from a fire in their rented home. WQQQ's "Marshall in the Morning" show stepped in just a few hours later, opening the phone lines to raise money to help the Rubino family, with the help of one listener who pledged to match the donations. Within just a few hours, Q103 brought in more than $9,000 in money, plus offers of housing, clothes, food, and construction assistance. You can't do that when your programming comes from Dallas or Denver. By the way, WQQQ owner Dennis Jackson now has WMEX (102.5 Westport NY - Burlington VT) on the air, running automated classical music.

• On a sad note: NERW marks the passing of Granville "Granny" Klink of Washington's WTOP (1500). Klink had been an engineer at the station for close to 60 years, and worked every day well into his 80s. He was a legend in his field. We also send our condolences to AIRWAVES moderator Bill Pfeiffer on the death of his mother, Asta Pfeiffer. Bill has been a good friend to NERW over the years, and he's in our thoughts this week.

• A reminder to those of you who read NERW on the Boston Radio Interest or NorthEast Radio Watcher mailing lists: those lists have moved. The new addresses to subscribe are:

  boston-radio-interest-request@radio.lcs.mit.edu
  nerw-request@radio.lcs.mit.edu
  

  Put subscribe in the body of your message and you're on. The BRI list includes discussion of New England broadcasting; the NERW list is just NERW, hot off the keyboard as it's published.

• Now that we've thawed out, we'll be back within a week (I promise!) with more tales of broadcasting in the Slightly Warmer Northeast. See you then!