North East RadioWatch: January 26, 1998

Ice Storm II: The Sequel

by Scott Fybush

A brief update this Monday; we'll be back with the full report later this week:

• MAINE: Ice Storm II was nowhere near as bad as the original -- but the storm that socked York and Cumberland Counties over the weekend still did its share of damage to the area's broadcasters. We're told WCYI (93.9 Lewiston), WBCI (105.9 Bath), and WXGL (95.5 Topsham) were all knocked off at one point or another, with WXGL still off at last writing. The good news is that WBLM (102.9 Portland) returned to its regular programming just as last Thursday's NERW was going to press.

  One station that stayed on throughout the first storm was WVOM (103.9) up in Howland. The 100 kilowatt talk station was the subject of a flattering article last week in the Boston Globe, praising its public service to the Bangor area.

• QUEBEC: Montreal's CJAD is sliding around the dial again. The station's attempt to return to the 800 kHz frequency with a single tower proved unsuccessful, since non-directional operation on the crowded 800 frequency meant extremely low power. The temporary use of CFMB's old 1410 kHz facility was also less than successful, since the 1410 directional pattern misses most of CJAD's Anglophone audience to the west of Montreal.

  Enter CKGM, the CHUM Group talk station on 990 kHz. After reportedly failing to interrupt its diet of US talk shows (Dean Edell, "Dr." Laura Schlessinger, etc.) for ice storm coverage, CKGM has now agreed to lease out its signal to CJAD until CJAD's own facility is rebuilt, which could take several more months. CHUM Group officials are making no promises that the low-rated talk format will return to CKGM once the CJAD lease is over; the CKGM facility has been troubled by low ratings and frequent format changes ever since dropping its CHR format, changing calls to CKIS, and moving off 980 kHz in the late 1980s.

We'll be back on Thursday with the week's full report...including a call-letter swap in Glens Falls, an ousted PD in Buffalo, and a downsized talk team in Lowell. See you then...