North East RadioWatch: April 9, 1999

WBOS Does...Very Little

by Scott Fybush

• We'll start again this week in MASSACHUSETTS, where a week of suspense for listeners of WBOS (92.9 Brookline) ended Thursday afternoon without much change in the station's AAA-ish AC format. You'll recall that the DJs were given a "week off" (not really -- they were still behind the board on Morrissey Boulevard, just not opening the mic) on April Fool's Day; the only big change in their absence was the addition of some more mainstream classic rock, apparently in an attempt to fill the gap just up the dial created by the end of the Eagle at 93.7.

  Speaking of WEGQ (which has yet to be formally granted the rumored WQSX calls), we understand the airstaff there are also still on the job, again without opening the mic, as they apply for their jobs again at the new "Star 93.7." The rumor mill suggests that former Kiss disco guy Vinnie Perruzzo could end up doing afternoons on Star; we'll keep you posted.

  It was probably only a matter of time before something called "Radio Free Cambridge" took to the air, and we're told just such a pirate is operating in stereo at 106.1 MHz, hitting the east side of town, along with Somerville, fairly well.

  Another Kiss 108 (WXKS-FM 107.9 Medford) jock is doing double-duty for parent company Chancellor Media. Night guy Ed McMann has been voice-tracking for Chicago's "Jammin' Oldies" (WUBT 103.5) since that station's debut last year; now we understand afternoon institution Dale Dorman's distinctive voice is being heard in Central Florida over Chancellor's new Orlando "Jammin' Oldies" outlet, WOCL (105.9 Deland). Should make for a fun summer in Orlando...

  A few historical notes: Springfield's WWLP (Channel 22) has a historical timeline, complete with a lot of neat 50s photos, on its Web site. And Boston University's student station, carrier-current WTBU, is looking for alumni who worked there, especially in its early years as "BU64." Contact Aaron Bishop, <pulse@bu.edu>.

  Where are they now? Aaron Schachter has moved on from the Bay State public radio scene, where he worked at WFCR Amherst and WBUR Boston, to a new job as "Morning Edition" host for Colorado Public Radio.

  Newspaper curiosities: The Boston Globe upheld its proud tradition of questionable accuracy with a mention of "WAAF (107.9)" this week, which must have come as a surprise to the folks at WXKS-FM. And the Herald, in a review of Boston radio station Web sites, is claiming that a new Webcaster will sign on this week at bostonradio.com. We checked and found that address still brings up an "American Radio Systems" page with links to WBMX (now CBS) and the now-Entercom WRKO, WEEI, WEGQ, and WAAF. And just to alleviate any confusion: The site where you'll find NERW's archives and a huge trove of Boston radio history, market lists, tower photos, station IDs, and more is www.bostonradio.org. Check it out; we've been adding more Boston histories, and there are still more in the works!

  Obituaries: Tom Shovan, the VP of New York's CD Media, died Friday morning (April 9) after suffering a fall at home earlier in the week. Shovan began his radio career up in New Hampshire, at Concord's WKXL, in 1954. In 1958, he came to Boston as one of the several "Melvin X. Melvin"s on WMEX (1510). Shovan was 59.

• Up in MAINE, the hallways are quiet this week at the Baxter Boulevard studios of WPOR (101.9/1490 Portland), now that the country giant's sales and management staff have moved to the Saga facility in South Portland. WPOR's studios will move later this year. Meanwhile in South Portland, Katie McClelland joins the news staff of WGAN (560) as afternoon anchor. She comes from WCCM (800) in Lawrence MA.

  And while we're at Saga, we'll note the closing of a strange circle with the hiring of Rob Steele and Joe Lerman for evenings at WMGX (93.1 Portland), where they'll do a morning-style "Rob and Joe Show." Steele and Lerman replace Kim Rowe, who moves down the coast to WRED (95.9 Saco). A few years ago, Rowe was fired from WCLZ (98.9 Brunswick) by then-PD Brian Phoenix, who was himself fired from WCLZ earlier this year. Phoenix then moved to WRED, where he fired Steele and Lerman, who now move to WMGX to replace Rowe. It's a small business, isn't it?

  False Alarm File: No sign yet of WAKN (97.7 Winter Harbor); we'll keep you posted.

• In NEW HAMPSHIRE, it was a large-scale anniversary celebration this week for WTSN (1270 Dover) morning host Paul LeBlanc, who marked 35 years with the station last month. Many of LeBlanc's guests over the years, including Governor Jeanne Shaheen, called in to wish LeBlanc well during the anniversary show.

  And another veteran of Granite State radio isn't retiring: Dick Osborne checked in from WKXL in Concord to let us know that no matter what we may have heard, he's not leaving the station when Vox Media takes over later this spring. Osborne says at 59, he's too young to retire -- and who are we to argue?

  One more Seacoast note: we hear Kenny Tibbets, late of WOKQ (97.5 Dover), is moving over to Capstar country entry WUBB (95.3 York Center ME).

• One VERMONT format change this week: WSKI (1240 Montpelier) dropped satellite oldies on April 1 to go satellite adult standards as "the Million Dollar Memory Station." WSKI remains live and local weekday mornings.

• Down in CONNECTICUT, Pat Sheehan ends his decade as 10 PM news anchor at WTIC-TV (Channel 61) in Hartford Saturday night. The Fox station will note the event with a special, "Ten Years of Fox 61 News at Ten," immediately following the news. On Monday, Brent Hardin takes over as weekday anchor.

  New calls on Channel 43 in Bridgeport: WSAH, for "Shop at Home," replaces WBPT-TV.

• Not much news in NEW YORK this week, except at CBS' Rochester stations, where two new general managers were named on Friday to replace Bob Morgan, who's heading to American Tower Systems. Terry Owen moves up from WPXY/WZNE station manager to become VP/GM of WZNE and WRMM, while Kevin LeGrett moves from director of sales to VP/GM of WPXY and WCMF.

  WPXY engaged in the first big head-to-head battle of Rochester's new CHR war last Friday, when rival Jacor CHR "Kiss 107" (WKGS 106.7 Irondequoit/WMAX-FM 107.3 South Bristol) jumped the gun on the new Backstreet Boys single well ahead of the record company's release date. Taking advantage of being live on the weekends -- Kiss is all voice-tracked -- PXY PD Clarke Ingram rushed the single on his air as well, along with a "Win It Before You Can Buy It" weekend featuring BSB greetings from a recent 'PXY morning show appearance. The next battleground is likely to be the summer concerts; "98PXY" announced its Summer Jam Friday afternoon; no word yet from Kiss.

  Also in Rochester, Mayor Bill Johnson visited WDKX (103.9) Tuesday morning (4/6) to help the city's only black-owned station celebrate its 25th anniversary. An article in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle last Sunday also marked the occasion (including a quote from your humble editor-cum-local media guru).

  Could the saga of Pax's Batavia-Rochester-Buffalo CP get any more confusing? The answer would seem to be "yes," as the yet-to-be-built WPXJ (Channel 51) applies for WPXJ-DT on Channel 53. Will Paxson build both at once? Neither? Will a DTV signal make it 30-odd miles from the tower site south of Batavia to Rochester or Buffalo? Does anybody else care?

  Down in Elmira, little WEHH (1590 Elmira Heights-Horseheads) is being sold by Raymond Ross to Pembrook Pines, which would be a bigger deal if Pembrook Pines weren't already operating WEHH under an LMA from a computer in a dark corner of the WELM/WLVY basement.

  In Syracuse, Radio Corporation owner Ed Levine is filing an objection to Clear Channel's purchase of Cox's radio group (WSYR, WHEN, WYYY, WBBS, and WWHT). Levine, whose group owns WTLA/WSGO, WKRL/WKRH, and WTKW/WTKV in Syracuse and Oswego, claims the Cox cluster dominates the local radio market and is "anti-competitive." Clear Channel notes that it has no other media interests in the market and will simply take over Cox's existing market share.

  Tim Martz is cementing his control of St. Lawrence Valley radio with the impending purchase of WVNC (96.7 Canton), which will join Martz' existing group of WYSX Ogdensburg/WYUL Chateaugay, WNCQ Morristown/WXQZ Canton, WICY/WVNV Malone, and the recently-purchased WMSA Massena. We really have to point the NERW-mobile north to hear all the changes up there soon...

  An Albany note: The change from "Point" to "Z" at WSRD (104.9 Altamont) was apparently prompted by CBS, which has the trademark on "Point" and has licensed the name to Telemedia, not WSRD owner Albany Broadcasting. NERW wouldn't be at all surprised to hear the "Point" name on still-transitioning WKLI (100.9)/WKBE (100.3 Warrensburg).

  A belated April Fools' gag from downstate: WSPK (104.7 Poughkeepsie) and WHUD (100.7 Peekskill) swapped formats for four hours that morning. We wonder who was more perplexed: the teens who found very soft AC in place of "K104"'s usual CHR, or the older folks who heard Britney instead of Barbra on 100.7...

• Just outside the region: WZMT (97.9 Hazleton PA) finally gets calls that match the "Bear" slogan it's been using for well over a year, becoming WXBE. It's still simulcasting with WKQV-FM (95.7 Olyphant PA).

  Up in Canada, CJKX (95.9 Ajax ON) is asking for a second transmitter. The country station known as KX96 says it needs the 2240 watts at 89.9 in Sunderland to serve the northern part of Durham region. Way up north, CJKL in Kirkland Lake wants to replace its current 560 kHz with 23 kW at 101.5 FM.

And that's it for another week here at NERW Central...see you next Friday!