| Freq. | Community | Applicant |
|---|---|---|
| 92.5 | Dennis | Assembleia de Deus Dennis/Boston |
| 96.1 | Rockport | Assembleia de Deus -- Ministeria do Belem de Annisquam |
| 96.9 | Worthington | Worthington Educational Broadcasters |
| 97.1 | Pittsfield | Housatonic Educational Radio Fellowship |
| 97.7 | E. Harwich | Cape Cod Christian Broadcasting |
| 97.7 | Great Barrington | Berkshire Community Radio Alliance |
| 98.1 | N. Brookfield | Quabbin Educational Radio |
| 98.7 | Blandford | Pioneer Valley Planning Commission |
| 98.7 | Hinsdale | Hilltown Educational Radio |
| 103.1 | Shutesbury | Sirius Community |
| 104.3 | Pittsfield | Talking Information Center |
| 104.7 | Dalton | Berkshire Educational Radio |
| 105.3 | Montague | Montague Community Cable |
| 105.5 | Chicopee | Assembleia de Deus de Chicopee/Boston |
| 106.1 | Worcester | Assembleia de Deus de Boston/Worcester |
WHAV's "Radio Impacto" Spanish-language news-talk moves down the dial to daytimer WNNW (1110 Salem NH), which changes calls to WCEC ("Costa Eagle Communications"), while WNNW's Spanish tropical format and call letters move to Lawrence and the AM 800 signal.
A big change in the Boston TV market, even if the station in question is across the line in New Hampshire: NBC is buying WPXB (Channel 60) in Merrimack, N.H. from Lowell Paxson for a reported $26 million. The station, which now carries ShopNBC, will switch to NBC-owned Telemundo eventually, joining WTMU-LP (Channel 32) in Boston with the network feed. (Paxson's son Devon owns WWDP, channel 46 in Norwell, which had been carrying Telemundo until switching to home shopping earlier this year.)
One bit of Boston news: Diana Steele moves from WBMX (98.5 Boston) weekends to WQSX (93.7 Lawrence) afternoons, while former Hartford PD Mike McGowan gets the 10 PM-2 AM shift on Star.
And the FCC has released a new list of LPFM applications (shown at right) that are approved for filing. These are all uncontested and technically possible, and will thus be approved unless objections are filed. (Which reminds us: aren't LPFM owners limited to one station per owner? What's up with the "Assembleia de Deus," anyway?)
That's a lot of Western Massachusetts signals, isn't it?
Is Mariner adding to its "W-Bach" network? It's paying Gopher Hill $1.15 million for standards WBYA (105.5 Islesboro), which overlaps plenty with classical WBQX (106.9 Thomaston).
WTOS (105.1 Skowhegan), already one of the Pine Tree State's biggest FM signals, will get even stronger: it's been granted a slight power and height boost, from 50 kW at 2430 feet AAT to 57 kW at 2450 feet.
And Brunswick will soon be the test bed for an experiment in third-adjacent spacing. The FCC has hired a company called Comsearch to do the "testing" to determine whether 100-watt LPFM signals can coexist with full-power signals 600 kHz away; a 100-watt signal on 97.3 in Brunswick will be tested against WCME (96.7 Boothbay Harbor).
(NERW's comments: We've raged before about the inanity of the third-adjacent rules, and we'll keep on doing it. Look at Newton, where WZBC 90.3 is just down the road from full class B WBUR (90.9). Look at Corning, N.Y., where WSQE (91.1) shares a tower with a co-owned translator on second-adjacent 90.7. Look at Toronto, where CFXJ (93.5) gets along just fine with super-B CBL-FM (94.1) on the CN Tower nearby. The real-life evidence that third-adjacent spacing works is out there, and there's no need for another series of "tests." But it's all about the politics, not the engineering reality...)
There's one LPFM on the FCC's latest list from the Granite State: 101.1 Bartlett will be granted to the Jackson Ski Community Radio Association unless there's serious objection...
Down in Brattleboro, WKVT-FM (92.7) has been granted its on-channel booster across the river in Keene, N.H. WKVT-FM-1 will operate from the towers of AM 1290, still legally WKNE but soon to be WKBK.
Those LPFM tests will take place in Avon, as well, where Comsearch will run 100 watts on 107.5 to test interference to WCCC-FM on 106.9.
Heading upstate, WRIP (97.9 Windham) has been granted its booster. WRIP-1 will operate from Hunter Mountain, filling some gaps in the RIP's southern signal.
What's up with afternoons at WGY (810 Schenectady)? We keep getting e-mail about the mysterious disappearance of J.R. Gach from the timeslot, which Ed Martin is filling for now -- and we don't have many answers. Clear Channel isn't talking about what happened to Gach, or whether he'll be back, and his picture has disappeared from the WGY Web site...
| Freq. | Community | Applicant |
|---|---|---|
| 98.7 | Colonie | Colonie Educational Radio Services |
| 103.9 | Kingston | Kingston Outreach Services |
| 105.9 | Utica | Planet Utica |
| 107.9 | Ellenville | Ellenville Central School District |
Four LPFM applications made the FCC's list from the Empire State; see the table at right.
And a couple of Rochester notes: Andrew Langston transfers his WDKX (103.9 Rochester) to the "Langston Family, LLC." From the "Where are they now?" files, former WROC-TV (Channel 8) chief photographer Scott Orr can now put "news director" in front of his title -- after a stint at the assignment desk of KTVK in Phoenix, he's just been named ND at KFBB in Great Falls, Montana!
We were in Niagara Falls last Friday morning to hear travelers information CFLZ (105.1) move its programming down the dial to CJRN (710), while CFLZ became the new home of the modern AC "River" format that had been on 101.1. As "105.1 the River," CFLZ is running stereo for the first time, albeit with a signal that doesn't really go south into Buffalo; the travelers information on 710 now reaches most of western New York and southern Ontario, meanwhile!
Down the road in St. Catharines, CHSC (1220) has parted ways with GM Doug Setterington and PD Ted Yates, reports Milkman Unlimited.
In Toronto, Kevin Fox is the latest to occupy the PD chair at urban CFXJ (Flow 93.5).
Students in Kingston are mourning Austin Lowe, the former advisor to high school station CKVI (91.9). He died September 4 of a heart attack; no replacement has been named.
Up in Ottawa, they're saying goodbye to CFRA (580)'s Janice Dean. She's headed down to New York to become part of the cast of the Don Imus Show.
And in Sudbury, we hear CIGM (790) was admonished by the CRTC for leaving its daytime pattern on all night. Been hearing CIGM's country music down in the U.S.? You won't hear it as well anymore; we're told the station has fixed its long-broken equipment to switch to a directional pattern at night, aimed away from the States.
In PENNSYLVANIA, WJAS (1320 Pittsburgh) has been granted a CP to make its long-awaited tower move.
WJAS will move from its current two-tower site near the Squirrel Hill Tunnel to a piece of land in northwestern Allegheny County, at Highland Drive and Leech Farm Road near Penn Hills. The station will run 6000 watts day, 3300 watts night from a new three-tower array.
Over in Covington, on US 15 between Corning and Williamsport, WDKC (101.5) has been granted a tower-site change. The little country station moves north and west, raising power to 1900 watts from 1450 watts and lowering its antenna slightly; the effect should be at least some signal as far north as the Elmira-Corning market.
While we're up that way, we note that the FCC has flagged Backyard Broadcasting's purchase of the SabreCom group in Williamsport (WWPA, WBZD-FM, WCXR/WZXR, WILQ and WSFT) for market-concentration review; since the stations are all coming from one owner, we'd be surprised if this piece of the $42 million deal doesn't go through sooner or later.
Over in Scranton, WAAT (750 Olyphant) hires former WLYC (1050 Williamsport) GM Sam Jordan as its new general manager; expect a format change at this religious/standards/leased-time outlet soon!
And that's it for the week; back next Tuesday (Sept. 17) with more, and then we're back to Monday publication on Sept. 23.