- It's been a busy week or so here at NERW central, as New England's
broadcasters wrapped up their business before the holidays. Here's
what's been happening:
- The Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont is losing an
adult alternative station -- and gaining a country simulcast. Radio
South Burlington, Inc. is selling WNBX (100.5) Lebanon NH to Bob and
Cheryl Frisch, who own WXXK (101.7) Newport-Claremont NH and WTSL
(1400) and WGXL (92.3) in Hanover NH. On January 13, a simulcast of
WXXK's ``Kixx Country'' format will begin on WNBX. This brings to a
close several years of ``The River of Music,'' the AAA format that began
when talker WNTK (1020) Newport NH ended its LMA on 100.5. For a
while, the River format was simulcast on WBFL (107.1) Bellows Falls
VT, but that station changed format and calls a few months ago,
becoming soft AC WZSH. Radio South Burlington continues to own WQQQ
(103.3) Sharon CT and the construction permit for WMEX (102.5)
Westport NY.
A little bit of historical trivia: When the WNBX/WXXK simulcast
begins, WNBX will have been a simulcast of both halves of the old WCNL
AM/FM in Newport. WNTK is the descendant of the old WCNL(AM) 1010,
and WXXK is the descendant of the old WCNL-FM 101.7.
- Michael Decker, the general manager of country station WYRY (104.9)
Hinsdale-Keene NH, was arrested last week and charged with possession
of child pornography. The Associated Press reports that Keene police
found pornographic photos of young boys on Decker's home computer.
Decker will be arraigned on federal charges next month.
- A silent station is back on the air in Connecticut. WSNG (610) in
Torrington left the airwaves on January 19, and would have lost its
license next February had it remained silent. WSNG was purchased last
month by Buckley Broadcasting, and returned to the airwaves last
weekend simulcasting Buckley's WDRC (1360) Hartford, with an adult
standards format. WDRC's daytime signal is adequate in the Torrington
area, some 24 miles west of Hartford, but at night WDRC has a deep
null in that direction to protect co-channel stations in Binghamton NY
and Newton NJ. WSNG will help fill in some of that gap, as suburban
sprawl keeps edging further west from Hartford.
- Remember the application filed a month or so ago for a new public
radio station in Norwich VT? It turns out to be the first step in a
potentially groundbreaking new joint effort by Vermont Public Radio
and New Hampshire Public Radio. VPR and NHPR both have stations
serving the Upper Valley region, WVPR (89.5) Norwich VT and WEVH
(91.3) Hanover NH respectively. The new station will complement them
with an all-classical format. NHPR will provide studio space in
Concord, and VPR will provide transmitter space at the WVPR facility
atop Mount Ascutney. The new station will also be the first step in
NHPR's plan to split into two separate networks, one news and talk,
based at the existing WEVO (89.1) in Concord, and the other
all-classical. The southern New Hampshire outlet for that network
would be a new Nashua station, for which NHPR has reapplied on 89.3
(although NERW believes that to be a typo for 88.3). NHPR and VPR
claim this is the first time two states' public radio networks have
combined to operate a single station.
- Will it ever end?: New England radio stations just couldn't get
enough of Tickle Me Elmo as the holidays approached. For whatever
reason, Elmo-mania hit especially hard up in New Hampshire...or at
least that's what the old NERW mailbag would suggest. Just a few
tales of Elmo from the Granite State:
At Dover's WTSN (1270), a listener donated two Elmos. Rather than
auctioning them, news director Don Briand decided to take suggestions
from listeners about needy children who could use an Elmo for the
holidays. The Elmos were delivered in person a few days before
Christmas. Further north at WNHI (93.3 Belmont) and WRCI (107.7
Hillsboro), one Elmo auction raised $250 for little Zachery McGee, a 6
year old who needs brain surgery. Later in the week, another Elmo was
donated to WNHI/WRCI's sister station WJYY (105.5 Concord), and this
one drew $1100 from a local law firm...plus $1000 that was donated by
a local Dunkin Donuts franchise. $2350 in all; not bad for a $30 toy!
- Out of work: Mat Schaffer, the ``Culture Vulture'' of Kiss-108 (WXKS-FM
107.9 Medford-Boston), and newsman Gordon Hill of oldies station WODS
(103.3 Boston). WODS changed its mind at the last minute, dismissing
Hill and re-hiring Dave Faneuf, who had been laid off just last
month. WODS is almost ready to move into its new studios, at the
renovated CBS Boston facility at 1170 Soldiers Field Road, the
longtime home of WBZ (1030) and WBZ-TV 4.
- Radio with pictures: Another long-darkened station has
reappeared. WHRC (Channel 46) in Norwell MA left the airwaves in late
1989, the victim of bankruptcy. It returned this month, carrying
religious programming from a 500 kilowatt transmitter in Brockton MA,
some 20 miles south of Boston. One of WHDH-TV (Channel 7)'s veteran
reporters has departed for the world of PR. Mike Lawrence was one of
a handful of holdovers from channel 7's previous ownership; he's now
joining Cone Communications. And former WCVB (Channel 5) news
director Emily Rooney is returning to town after a stint in New York,
where she was executive producer of ABC's World News Tonight for a few
months, followed by some time with Fox News. Rooney will produce and
host a new nightly public-affairs show called ``Greater Boston.'' It's
slated to debut January 27 on WGBH-TV (Channel 2), replacing the
strange talk show called ``The Group,'' which itself replaced the late,
much-lamented ``Ten O'Clock News'' four years ago.
- And in sports...: Congratulations to WBZ's Gil Santos, who's now a
proud grandfather...and to WEEI (850)'s Eddie Andelman, who just
signed a new three-year contract to stay at American Radio Systems'
sports talker. And a quick geography lesson might be in order for
Howard Green, the sports anchor at New England Cable News and WSBK
(Channel 38). When Roger Clemens flew the coop from the Red Sox to
the Blue Jays, Green proclaimed on the air that Toronto is even
farther from Roger's native Texas than Boston. Don't think so...but
we'll let it slide, seeing as how Green just got married -- and NERW
knows firsthand what that can do to you!
- More from the bloopers file: A big lump of coal to Boston Globe radio
columnist Susan Bickelhaupt, who proudly told her readers on December
19 that ``1150 is now WNFT-AM.'' True, true -- but we told you that
here in NERW back on October 22, just a day after it happened (but
then again, we actually listen to the radio...). Ms. B. then goes on
to tell her readers that ``an AM and FM can use the same call letters,
but neither gets credit in the Arbitron ratings if the listener
doesn't differentiate.'' Um, sure, whatever...as long as the listener
isn't using the radio listings in the Sunday Globe TV magazine, which
no longer bear even a vague resemblance to reality. And lest we seem
partisan, another lump of coal to the usually-reliable Jim Baker over
at the Boston Herald. We'll admit that a copy editor may well have
botched the frequency when he reported that Providence's WLKW was
picking up the rights to Pawtucket Red Sox baseball for the next three
years -- and placed WLKW on 740 instead of the correct 790. But to
call WLKW ``Providence's top-rated station''? Don't think so...
- We goof too: Last NERW reported that WXZR (98.7 East Lyme CT) had
switched from ABC's Z-Rock to local programming, which is not the
case. In fact, the new Z-98's programming comes from Jones' AAA
service. Jones is apparently adding WPLM (1390/99.1) in Plymouth MA
as well, at least if you believe the ad in a recent trade newsletter.
Also called into question was an NERW report last month that WKCI
(101.3 Hamden CT) had raised a million dollars in a fund-raiser...our
source may have erred on that one.
- On the pirate scene: Another of NERW's growing crowd of Connecticut
readers tells us that Hartford's unlicensed ``Praise 105.3'' is
soliciting postcards from listeners at PO Box 7361, Bloomfield CT
06002, and giving out a Hartford phone number on the air as well. And
another NERW reader reports hearing a pirate on 1620 on Christmas Eve,
claiming a Kingston NY location. Is there still an FCC? Just
wondering...
- Oh, there's the other shoe...: The FCC has deleted the license of
WLVC (1340) in Fort Kent ME, which signed off for good in March 1994.
Its sister station, WSJR (1230) Madawaska ME, lost its license earlier
this fall.
- Coming soon: Listeners along the Connecticut shore could be hearing
something new on 96.1 by February. That's the target date for
WLVG(FM) Center Moriches, Long Island to hit the airwaves. No word on
format, but the new WLVG will be owned by LI radio veteran Gary
Starr. The WLVG calls spent a decade in the Boston area, on what's
now WJIB (740) Cambridge MA.
- On the web: The Boston Radio Archives,
part of the ever-growing media empire of which NERW is a part, are now
home to a collection of essays by Boston
radio consultant Donna Halper, including a brand-new
treatise on the radio ventures of department store magnate John
Shepard.
Listeners in Eastern Massachusetts can also tune in "Let's Talk About
Radio," which often features yours truly along with Archives
co-creator Garrett Wollman and contributing editors Donna Halper and
Peter George. It's on the air Sundays at noon, on WJIB (740)
Cambridge-Boston and WNEB (1230) Worcester, with a rebroadcast the
next Saturday at 9:30 AM on WKBR (1250) Manchester NH.
And for you mailing-list fans, there's the Boston Radio Interest
mailing list, featuring NERW as soon as it's published, along with
stimulating conversation about New England broadcasting. You can sign
up by sending e-mail to the target of this
link with "SUBSCRIBE" in the body of the message.
- And with a hearty resolution not to wait this long between writing
NERW articles, we'll close things out for this week. Coming this
weekend, a final regular NERW for 1996, including the end of our Maine
history -- and then in time for your New Year's celebration, the
action-packed NERW Year In Review 1996. Stay tuned...