North East RadioWatch: April 16, 1998

BBF is Back!

by Scott Fybush

• One of the best-known callsigns in Rochester radio has been revived on FM. In the 60s and 70s, WBBF (950) ruled the Flower City dial with top-40 music, and now many of those same songs are being played on the "New 99BBF."

  On Monday afternoon, Entercom's oldies station WKLX (98.9), a sister station to WBBF(AM), began calling itself "BBF" -- and, more important, ditched the satellite-delivered oldies format that it's been using in favor of live, local programming. The soon-to-be WBBF-FM is being programmed by Chris Whittingham (formerly with sister station "The River," classic rock WQRV 93.3 Avon), who's also doing middays. Former WKLX morning jock Mike Vickers moves to the 2-7 PM slot, and Ellis B. Feaster returns to Rochester from KBEE (98.7) in Salt Lake City to do mornings. Feaster handled AM drive duties on 98.9 in its WKLX incarnation before leaving for Salt Lake as well.

  NERW expects the WBBF revival to be just the first in a series of changes at the Entercom stations, which were purchased from Heritage (by way of Sinclair and News Corp.) just a month ago. Rumors are flying about a call change at WBBF(AM) to avoid confusion, although we're told there may not be any truth to the speculation that the new calls will be WEZO, last heard on 93.3 -- and before that on Rochester's AM 990 (later WRMM, WCMF, and now WDCZ), and most memorably for 16 years on 101.3 FM (now WRMM). AM 950 is now local in morning drive, with operations manager Todd Blide spinning the standards. And morning drive at WQRV is being handled by fill-in jocks now that Whittingham is across the hall at BBF-FM. As for Entercom's other Rochester outlet -- well, you don't fix what ain't broke, so expect no changes at top-rated country station WBEE (92.5, and the original WBBF-FM back in the sixties).

  NERW's enjoying the "return" of a station we fondly remember from our younger days -- and now we're just waiting for some savvy radio operator in Buffalo to find a way to resurrect "KB"!

• Elsewhere in NEW YORK...that construction permit on Long Island's East End is being rushed to the air. We're told 105.3 in "Calverton-Roanoke" (we like to call it "Riverhead") will be operated by Jarad Broadcasting, which owns WLIR-FM (92.7 Garden City) and WDRE (98.5 Westhampton), with a dance format. "Party Radio"'s calls will be WXXP, according to Long Island's Newsday. Those calls were last heard in Anderson, Indiana, on the 97.9 FM that's now religious WGNR-FM.

  There's a "1000 W AM daytimer near Albany" being shopped for sale in the trades.

  Across the border, Sunday is the big day for Toronto's CBL (740) and CBLA (99.1), as the CBC officially moves its Radio One service from AM to FM. The event will be commemorated by an all-day open house at the CBC Broadcast Centre at 250 Front Street West, as well as by an hour-long broadcast at noon. As crushed as we are by the imminent loss of CBC service to upstate New York (the AM transmitter will be turned off for good sometime this fall), NERW can't pass up a good open house, so we'll be up there checking out the scene and rolling tape on the Big Moment.

• On to MASSACHUSETTS, where we have more details on the changes to come at Costa/Eagle's Merrimack Valley stations. An article in the Boston Sunday Globe's North West Weekly section says the English-language programming and WCCM calls will move to Haverhill's 1490 within a few months, possibly as an all-news outlet. Replacing WCCM on 800 in Lawrence will be Spanish-language programming now heard on WNNW (1110) in Salem, N.H. And 1110 will get the Spanish-language tropical music that's currently on 1490 as WHAV. Costa tells Globe freelancer Christine MacDonald that he's now scouting stations in Worcester and Springfield.

  WBPS (890 Dedham) is getting a new owner, as John Douglas spins it to New England Continental Media...AKA Salem Media, the owner of WEZE (590) in Boston and dozens of other religious and conservative talk stations around the country. No word yet on format changes for the leased-time ethnic outlet. This is the second time in recent years that WEZE has had a sister station; Salem ran WPZE on WEZE's old 1260 frequency for a year or so before spinning 1260 to Hibernia and Radio Disney.

  Meantime, Marlboro's WSRO (1470) is being sold by Great Radio to Alexander Langer, the owner of two other Metro West AMs, WRPT (650 Ashland) and WJLT (1060 Natick).

  Congratulations to Boston College's WZBC (90.3 Newton), which celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend, perhaps just a little bit early. The station's Web page says that it was in 1973 that carrier-current WVBC (650) was granted an FM license, but NERW's records show a 1974 sign-on date for the FM. No matter; it's nice to see a college station that's aware of its own history.

  Down in Attleboro, WARA (1320) is reportedly about to switch to leased-time ethnic programming, supposedly by way of a week of "Aquarium Sounds."

  Opie and Anthony redux: The fired shock-radio pair could soon end up with a new Boston radio home, according to the Boston Globe. Rumor has CBS' WBCN (104.1) picking them up -- while their old home, WAAF (107.3 Worcester), has moved Rocko from nights to afternoons.

  And check out the brand-new Web site of Greenfield's WHAI (1240/98.3).

• In CONNECTICUT, "La Nueva Radio Musical" is putting up quite a fight in its effort to stay on the air sans license. The 104.5 microbroadcaster has been reaping page after page of (mostly sympathetic) newspaper coverage, especially after presenting a petition with over 5,000 signatures during a rally on the steps of New Haven City Hall yesterday. The station has been forced to change locations several times in the last few weeks after repeated FCC visits, but its owners say they'll keep moving as they attempt to bring local radio to New Haven's Spanish-speaking audience.

  WTIC (1080) in Hartford has named a new news director. Bill Pearse is a 20-year veteran of Connecticut radio news. He worked at WPOP (1410) and WWYZ (92.5 Waterbury) before joining WTIC.

  The Hamden zoning board has postponed a public hearing on WKCI (101.3)'s request to build a new tower; it'll now be held May 21.

• In VERMONT, Jack Healy has changed his mind. Last week, NERW reported he was leaving Rutland's WSYB (1380) to join WVMT (620) in Burlington, but we're now told Healy reconsidered and will stay at WSYB.

  Score it "Metropolitan Opera 1, Red Sox 0" in Brattleboro -- as WKVT (1490) sticks with the Met this coming Sunday, sending the Sox over to sister station WKVT-FM (92.7) for the afternoon.

• A few tidbits from NEW HAMPSHIRE: The new voice on WBYY (98.7 Somersworth) is Jack Casey, veteran of New England radio as far back as a 1967-68 stint on WKBR (1250) in Manchester. Speaking of 'KBR, NERW listeners in the Granite State have been reporting a lot of sloppy radio going on there -- including an unintentional simulcast of WRKO's Howie Carr show yesterday afternoon.

  WPEA (90.5) in Exeter was heard on the air last weekend for the first time this school year.

• No news from MAINE yet -- although we hear Portland Sea Dogs webcasts are on the way -- but we do have a couple of tidbits from RHODE ISLAND: WKFD (1370) in Wickford is running automated 70s oldies, for one. And do you wanna buy a TIS? For $80,000? If so, NERW directs your attention to the back pages of this week's Radio World, where the same folks from "WCTD in Westerly" who advertise their "legal, low-power AM transmitters" every issue are also advertising that their "licensed non-commercial 10 watt AM station" is for sale. NERW thinks this is WPKN270, the 1620 kHz TIS licensed to the "Washington County Chamber of Commerce." There's no such organization listed in the Westerly phone listings...and anyway, NERW wonders if it's legal to sell a TIS at all -- and if it is, how long until Jacor buys all of them, too.

That's it for this week; see you again next Thursday!