North East RadioWatch: May 21, 1999

NHPR Goes North

by Scott Fybush

• NEW HAMPSHIRE's public radio network will soon have a new link. NHPR announced this week that it plans to purchase WXLQ (107.1 Gorham) from current owner Gladys Powell. WXLQ has been running a satellite classic rock format of late, although NERW still vividly remembers hearing the station with satellite country a few years back, complete with odd little cueing tones where they shouldn't have been heard. In any event, the addition of the Gorham signal will provide a significant northern extension to the NHPR network, whose WEVO (89.1 Concord) goes only as far as the southern flanks of the White Mountains, while WXLQ's signal is heard only to the north of Mount Washington. No word yet on when the sale will close.

  At the opposite end of the state, independent WNDS (Channel 50) suffered a transmitter fire Wednesday morning that left it off the air for (we hear) several days.

  Bob Vinikoor of WNTK (1020 Newport/99.7 New London) checked in to let us know he's still looking for a morning co-host to share wakeup duties with Pete Ferrand.

  And out on the seacoast, soon-to-be-Citadel country station WOKQ (97.5 Dover) is playing some 'Net games with Capstar competitor WUBB (95.3 York Center ME). Entering www.wubb.com or www.b953.com takes browsers to the WOKQ site. Real mature, guys...

• Just up the seacoast in MAINE, Steve Mindich has applied for the WPHX and WPHX-FM calls for what are now WSME (1220) and WCDQ (92.1) in Sanford. Expect the WFNX simulcast to start any day now on the FM side.

  Portland's WGAN (560) is reconfiguring its weekend schedule, pulling the satellite offerings of Bob Brinker, Mitch Albom, and David Essel and moving John McDonald's Saturday morning show to the 9-noon slot in place of its old 6-10 AM, now filled by taped reruns of the weekday "Dave & Willy" show. After McDonald, WGAN listeners now hear taped reruns of the weekday lineup of Rush Limbaugh, Howie Carr, John & Ken, and Dr. Joy Browne. On Sundays, McDonald now hosts the gardening show after the resignation of 20-year veteran Dr. Gordon "Bud" Johnston (who was reportedly upset that the program was being moved from Saturday). McDonald's "Tag Sale" show on Sundays has been cancelled. Sunday afternoons are now filled with Handyman Glenn Hague (moved from Saturdays), Handel on the Law, Kim Komando (both new to the station), and Dr. Dean Edell. While we're at Saga/Portland, we hear WBAE was to have debuted this week on 1490 (ex-WPOR) in Portland...more next week on this one.

• The top story in MASSACHUSETTS is the nasty rivalry between Infinity's WBCN (104.1 Boston) and Steve Mindich's WFNX (101.7 Lynn), which started when WBCN began running the "Loveline" show, long a WFNX nighttime feature. Mindich was telling Boston papers this week that he plans to sue Infinity for breach of contract -- and he's also been making loud noises about the rumors (apparently started on a Howard Stern fan page) that Infinity will soon require all Stern affiliates to clear a 24-hour lineup of talk radio. WBCN PD Oedipus told the Boston Globe this week that he'll wager $104,000 of his own money against Mindich's money that the rumor is untrue. Meanwhile, both stations are running "Loveline" for the moment.

  Over at 116 Huntington Ave., "Star 93.7" unveiled most of its new jock lineup this week, with Ann Duran coming back to the region (after a stint in Los Angeles that followed the demise of the old WBIX in New York) to do 10-3PM, Michael Knight doing 3-7PM, Danny Meyers coming from WPLJ in New York for nights, and sole Eagle survivor Steve York handling overnight duties. Still to be named is a morning show. A note, by the way, to the usually reliable Dean Johnson at the Herald: the calls on that Lawrence-licensed station are now WQSX -- or is this just payback for the Other Paper continuing to call 93.7 "WCGY" for years after it changed to WEGQ?

  Do Worcester TV viewers want to see religious programming from West Texas? Beats the heck out of us, but it's there if they want it, thanks to brand-new WYDN (Channel 48), which began operating late last month from Mt. Asnebumskit in Paxton, rebroadcasting the "Prime Time Christian Broadcasting" network from KMLM (Channel 42) in Odessa, Texas. Find more at their Web site.

  Gavin Spittle's leaving Cape Cod's WXTK (95.1 West Yarmouth)/WWKJ (101.1 Mashpee) for a new gig as program director of talk station KXNT (840 North Las Vegas) in sunny Nevada.

  And out west, Saga is parking a new set of calls on AM 1600 in East Longmeadow. WPNT has replaced WAQY on the AM side of that simulcast for the moment. The calls were recently benched by Saga's Milwaukee FM, which ditched the "Point" moniker for (what else?) rhythmic oldies as "WMJO." (Extra radio-geek points if you've noted that those calls were assigned to a now-defunct AM CP in Webster, New York...)

• Keating Willcox is switching stations in Woonsocket, RHODE ISLAND. His Willow Pond Broadcasting closed Thursday morning on its acquisition of WNRI (1380), and promptly took the station to an all-satellite talk format much like Willcox' Massachusetts and New Hampshire stations (WPEP, WNSH, WMVU). Some of the local hosts will move to WOON (1240), which Willcox is selling to station manager Dave Richards.

• VERMONT's newest TV news operation is beginning to fill some key staff positions. WVNY (Channel 22) in Burlington named Eric Greene as main anchor and executive producer, as the ABC affiliate prepares for an autumn expansion to a full news schedule from the current 5-minute newscasts twice daily.

• Is there a GM opening in CONNECTICUT? "All Access" reports this week that Jodi Long, GM at Infinity's WZMX (93.7 Hartford) and WRCH (100.5 Farmington), will leave the station in July, and that WTIC AM-FM GM Suzanne McDonald will run all four stations on an interim basis.

• We'll start down at the "other" end of NEW YORK, with some staffing changes at WBLI (106.1 Patchogue). PD J.J. Rice has promoted Al Levine from music director to assistant PD/MD; he's also hired Holly Levis from New York's WKTU for midday duties.

  Is that WABC legend Chuck Leonard being heard on "Jukebox Radio" across the river? (W276AQ Fort Lee NJ and alleged primary WJUX 99.7 Monticello NY)

  Heading upstate, Albany's "Z-104.9" finally has call letters with a "Z" somewhere in them, as the FCC officially replaces WAAP with WZMR on the Altamont-licensed station.

  Heading even further upstate, Rick DeFranco is moving from WGIX (95.3 Gouverneur) and WSLB (1400 Ogdensburg) to sister station WPAC (92.7 Ogdensburg), and switching from afternoons to mornings after 15 years. Replacing DeFranco (who's also manager of all three stations) is WGIX/WSLB weekender Nate Townsend. DeFranco will take over from current "93PAC" morning host Doug Craig on June 1, after a brief vacation.

  And we heard this week of the death May 10 of Si Goldman, who bought Jamestown's WJTN (1240) back in the early 1950s and ran it and sister station WWSE (93.3) for decades. Goldman had been living in Florida in recent years, but was still involved in running the stations.

• On the national front, pencil in a new name for Chancellor Media just as the company swallows all them Capstar stations. Now Chancellor is changing its name to "AMFM", to match its NASDAQ ticker symbol -- which might make more sense if it weren't for those rumors that the company is about to move its stock to the New York Stock Exchange, where it will be known as simply "AFM".

• From CANADA this week comes word of a new owner for Ottawa's CJMJ (100.3) and CFGO (1200). Rawlco, which sold its Calgary stations to Rogers earlier in the week, will spin the outlets in the nation's capital to the CHUM group, which already owns CFRA (580), CKKL (93.9), and CHRO (Channel 43/Channel 5 Pembroke) in the market. CJMJ's soft AC "Majic 100" is the market's ratings leader, and CFGO's new sports format makes a nice complement to CFRA's news-talk dominance.

Finally this week, we have more details to offer on the NERW Get-Together scheduled for Saturday, June 12 in Providence, R.I. After lunch at a yet-to-be-determined site, we will be able to take a private tour of the "Live from Studio 1-A!" exhibit on the history of Rhode Island television at the Rhode Island Historical Society. The RIHS has graciously agreed to open its doors on a Saturday when it would normally be closed, and we look forward to seeing many of our R.I., Massachusetts, and Connecticut readers there. There will also be opportunities to do some tower-hunting, sticker trading, and of course, plenty of good talk about broadcasting of all kinds.

If you've yet to RSVP, drop us a line this week. We'll have complete schedule and location information in next week's issue, or check the Get-Together page for all the latest details.

"Providence"...it's more than just a sappy NBC Friday night drama, it's a radio experience. See you there!