North East RadioWatch: May 29, 1997

The Curtain Closes

by Scott Fybush

• We'll begin this week's survey of Northeast radio and TV news up in NEW HAMPSHIRE, where the curtain has closed on "The Stage at 102.1." As Fuller-Jeffrey prepares to buy WSTG Hampton NH, it's turned off the AC format, replacing it with an automated countdown (coincidentally, the same way the Stage made its debut 18 months ago). "D-Day" is next Tuesday at 4PM, when Fuller-Jeffrey will debut WSTG's new format, which (rumor has it) will be a simulcast of F-J's AC WHOM (94.9 Mount Washington - Portland). That would put WSTG in direct competition with AC WBYY (98.7 Somersworth). We'll see in a few days...

• Down the coast in MASSACHUSETTS, one tidbit we neglected to mention last week: CBS's WODS (103.3 Boston) has quietly moved its studios from 30 Winter Street downtown to the WBZ facility at 1170 Soldiers Field Road. "Oldies 103" made the move for good on Friday, May 16. WODS's programming and sales departments had been at Soldiers Field Road since last fall, and some overnight programming was coming from the new studios earlier in the month.

  Over in Worcester, say goodbye to morning host John Taylor of WXLO (104.5 Fitchburg-Worcester). He's departed the AC station for the sunny skies of Florida after many years in Worcester. Harry Jacobs, the former WXLO midday host who now runs the ARS stations in Rochester NY, filled in one day, while WXLO ops manager Jim McKenna will handle most of the fill-in duties until a replacement for Taylor is hired. By the way, an apology to Upton Bell -- he's still the midday talk host on Worcester's WTAG (580); no "former" about it!

  Up in Andover, Greater Media is pressing ahead with its application for a 93.3 translator for WBOS (92.9 Brookline-Boston).

  Down on Cape Cod, Ernie Boch's talker WXTK (94.9) has been granted a construction permit to move to 95.1, reducing the co-channel interference from WHOM up on Mt. Washington.

  And out in the Springfield area, one translator is gone and another has taken the airwaves. W221AP, the Westfield-licensed translator that was supposed to relay WIHS (104.9 Middletown CT), was ordered off the air after the FCC discovered it was operating with 40 watts from high atop Mount Tom in Holyoke, rather than with 1 watt from down in Westfield as licensed. W221AP was relaying Brian Dodge's "Love Radio" network from WGLV (104.3 Hartford VT), and is just the latest in a long string of cases in which Dodge has been caught breaking the FCC's rules. Meantime, W246AM is on the air on 97.1 in Amherst MA, relaying the country sounds of WPVQ (93.9 Turners Falls). And congratulations to Sid Whitaker of WHYN (560 Springfield), who's been named news director at the Clear Channel-owned news-talker.

  And there's now some local programming on WRPT (650 Ashland). Alert NERW listeners have been hearing Indian-language programming on the station, replacing some of the TalkAmerica talk shows.

• Checking the news from MAINE, we start with another 560, WGAN in Portland, where morning talk host Pat Lamarche has resigned after not quite a year with the station. Lamarche was arrested on May 16 for driving under the influence of alcohol, and refuesed to take a breathalyzer test. She submitted her resignation a day before the story went public in the Portland newspapers, then devoted her last two shows to the subject before leaving the station last Friday. No word on where she's headed next.

  Elsewhere in Maine, Seacoast Broadcasting is expanding again. After adding Boothbay Harbor's WCME (96.7) last month, they're now buying WIGY (97.5) in Madison. WIGY now runs satellite oldies, but will soon be simulcasting the (also largely-satellite) oldies of Seacoast's WABK (104.3 Gardner-Augusta). No word yet on the fate of WIGY sister station WGUY (102.1 Dexter-Bangor).

• Just one little bit of CONNECTICUT news: News anchor Jon Crane has left ABC affiliate WTNH (Channel 8) in New Haven to start his own production company. Crane's contract was up June 30, but he'll leave immediately. No successor has been named.

• In VERMONT news, we now know more about the sale of Stowe's WVMX (101.7). It is indeed going to Radio Vermont's Ken Squier, Bill Riley, and Eric Michaels. Squier and Riley built the station back in its WRFB days. Their old business partner Brian Harwood will return to 101.7 to do mornings on the soon-to-be classical music station.

• And finally, some quick news from around NEW YORK: WZOS (96.7 Oswego) has been sold to Craig Fox, owner of several other Central New York stations, including WVOA (105.1 DeRuyter-Syracuse). WZOS has until August to return to the air. Fox outbid two other bidders, paying $65,000 for the license. Up in Watertown, there's hit radio on the dial once again. WBDR (102.7 Cape Vincent) is going by "The Border," replaing longtime CHR outlet WTNY-FM ("T93"), which left the air earlier this year in a multi-station call and format swap. In Albany, the Northeast League Diamond Dogs have found a radio home on WQBK (1300). The Rensselaer-licensed talker will carry weeknight games live and weekend games on tape delay. Corning's WCLI (1450) has moved its transmitter and is now on the air from its studio site on Davis Road, along with sister station WCBA (1350).

  And that's about it for this week...we'll be back next Thursday with much more, including a look at our recent trip to Toronto.