WNLC(AM) changed calls to WWJY earlier this year, and in April, notified the FCC it was surrendering its nighttime authority and removing five of the eight towers, leaving it as a 10 kilowatt, 3-tower daytimer...if it ever returned to the air.
Now it appears to be gone, which leaves some potential for a certain other station on 1510, WNRB Boston. The presence of WNLC in New London always forced WNRB to have a huge null to the southwest. With WNLC's departure (and the disappearance of CKRS Sherbrooke QC some years back as well), WNRB just might be able to become a much more potent night signal than its current highly-directional 50 kilowatts can manage.
There's only one other bit of Nutmeg State news this time out: W11BJ in Hartford is back, once again rebroadcasting WRDM-LP (Channel 13) and Telemundo.
Some big changes are on the way to the 1060 frequency in MetroWest. Last week, we reported the FCC had granted Alexander Langer a power boost to 40 kilowatts daytime for the station now known as WJLT. Now we hear that when 1060 powers up, it won't be with WJLT's calls or leased-time religious format. They'll move up the dial, we're told, to "another Langer station that will become a daytimer from a new location"...which sounds an awful lot like WSRO (1470 Marlborough). As for 1060, get ready for local talk (hmm...could that include Upton Bell, who just started a talk show on two Langer stations) and the resurrection of an historic Boston callsign. NERW thinks WGTR would be awfully appropriate...
Talker WRKO (680 Boston) has nabbed former mayor Ray Flynn for a Saturday talk show. Flynn's radio career begins November 21, and he'll hold down a 10 AM - 1 PM spot formerly occupied by Andy Moes. Down the hall, hot AC WBMX (98.5) is getting ready to issue a CD. "This is Mix Music, Class of 98-5" hits local stores November 27. It'll include in-studio performances from Mix favorites like Barenaked Ladies, and a portion of the $12.50 price will support breast cancer research.
Mo Vaughn's departure from the Red Sox prompted extended programming on several Boston stations this week. WBZ-TV (Channel 4) was first on with the story, and extended its 11 PM news to accomodate a live interview with the slugger. Over at WEEI (850), Ted Sarandis stayed on an extra hour, until 1 AM, to take calls on the topic, and WBZ (1030)'s Steve Leveille devoted the last hour of his show to Mo as well.
"Group W" ceased to exist as a separate company when Westinghouse bought CBS, and now it's vanishing into history completely. As part of CBS's spinoff of its radio assets, the name on WBZ's license will change from "Group W Broadcasting" to "Infinity Broadcasting." Similar changes will affect CBS stations currently operating under names like "CBS Corp.," "Hemisphere Broadcasting" (WBCN), "ARS," "EZ," and even "Infinity Broadcasting of Boston," the name on WZLX's license ever since Mel Karmazin's original Infinity was absorbed by CBS a few years back.
It's not even on the air, but it's live to the world on the Web: Bentley College's carrier-current station in Waltham, WBTY (530), has started webcasting. Look for them at www.wbty.com if you're curious. NERW vividly remembers a time a few years back when "something" went wrong with the carrier-current system and most of Waltham could hear that signal for a few weeks...
TV news: W67BA Dennis has applied to move to channel 33. This station is co-owned with WZBU (Channel 58) Vineyard Haven, and simulcasts Boston University's WABU-TV (Channel 68) in Boston.
Finally, a correction on the anniversary celebration for WMUA (91.1 Amherst); it'll be April 3, not June 3, 1999.
Rutland's WSYB (1380) and sister station WMNM (92.1 Port Henry NY; expect new calls there soon) also ran the original 1938 "War of the Worlds" on its 60th anniversary October 30.
And if we'd been paying better attention to our history, we'd have noticed that the WNBX calls that just returned to Springfield, Vermont on AM 1480 (ex-WCFR) started out in that very same community in the 1920s -- on the station that later moved to Keene, New Hampshire as WKNE (1290). M Street's reporting that WNBX (1480) is now running religion under an LMA-to-buy with Brian Dodge, simulcasting his WWNH (1340 Madbury NH), which still has no valid authority to broadcast according to FCC records. Very strange...
Moving along to the Albany area, Capstar (er, Chancellor) is starting to make changes at its newest acquisition, WXLE (104.5 Mechanicville). Gone is the "Zone" moniker the station used for the last year or so -- the station's now "Magic 104.5," leading us to wonder if its AAA-leaning modern AC format is heading towards a more mainstream brand of AC.
Across town at WFLY (92.3), we hear morning team Woody Wood and Jim Chandler may be about to say goodbye to the Capital District, to head off to WRVF in Nashville.
NERW readers in and around Saratoga Springs are hearing something new on 89.7 -- could it be Sound of Life's new religious outlet, WSSK? Also in the vicinity, WNGN-LP (Channel 26) applies for channel 51 -- another LPTV displacement.
Up north, the Educational Media Foundation has received a license to cover for W206AQ, the Plattsburgh translator of religious KLOV, Winchester OR, on 89.1.
High winds knocked several North Country FMs off the air earlier this week. WGIX (95.3 Gouverneur) and WOTT (100.7 Henderson) were both silenced for a few hours on Tuesday.
No sooner did it get a "WeB" WB affiliate on local cable, than WWTI (Channel 50) in Watertown is gearing up to start another station. The ABC affiliate has reportedly been talking with Fox about putting an LPTV Fox station on the air next year...
Tuesday is moving day for Rochester's WCMF (96.5), the first of Infinity's Flower City stations to move from the current cramped space in Henrietta to spiffy new digs on the 17th floor of the Marine Midland Plaza downtown. Next to go will be WZNE (94.1 Brighton) and WPXY-FM (97.9, heading for its sixth studio space in 20 years). WRMM-FM (101.3), which was the first station into 3136 S. Winton Road a decade ago (as WEZO), will be the last to move as well. The stations' new address: 1 Marine Midland Plaza, Rochester NY 14604. New phone: 716-262-2720.
A few new stops on the Web for area radio folks: WBBF (98.9) morning guy Ellis B. Feaster has his own site at http://www.ellis.feaster.com, and he's starting a "Classic WBBF" page there. He's hoping to hear from anyone with pictures, surveys, jingles, airchecks, or memories of Rochester's little top 40 giant. At long last, Buffalo's public broadcaster is on-line. The site at http://www.wned.org has coverage maps (including one that honestly shows how directional the AM 970 signal is), but the main page doesn't load up very well on our browser...maybe some HTML lessons are in order? And one that's disappeared -- all the fun TV-insider gossip at www.newsblues.com went away early this morning. More on this one when we find out...
Another new translator's on the air in Syracuse. W267AL operates on 101.3 from the WOLF (1490) stick just west of downtown. Its 12 watts add additional downtown coverage for modern rocker WKRL (100.9 North Syracuse), which is also heard on translator W249BC (97.7 Chittenango) and satellite station WKRH (106.5 Minetto) -- and in the Utica area on WKLL (94.9 Frankfort).
Coming soon: Syracuse Community Radio says December 4 will be the start of testing for WXXE (90.5 Fenner). Expect a petition to deny from WRVO (89.9 Oswego) against SCR's proposed Fenner translator on 89.9.
Anniversary time: With no fanfare, Rochester's WHEC-TV (Channel 10) turned 45 November 1. WHEC started as a share-time operation, with half of channel 10's broadcast day occupied by WVET-TV, also a CBS affiliate. The share-time lasted until 1961, when WVET's owners bought the other station in town, WROC-TV (Channel 5). WVET radio became WROC (1280, now WHTK), and WVET-TV was sold to WHEC and merged into a single channel 10. WHEC's affiliation changed from CBS to NBC in August 1989. Over in Lockport, WLVL (1340) celebrated *its* 50th anniversary on October 30 with a three-hour special. WLVL began as WUSJ, owned by the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, and the WUSJ letters can still be seen above the station door...
And finally, this note from Canada: The CBC is applying for a new transmitter at Paris. The 4000-watter on 90.7 would relay CBC Radio 2 programming from CBL-FM (94.1 Toronto) to the area around Kitchener and Cambridge that has a hard time hearing either CBL-FM or CBBL-FM (100.5 London). It'll share a tower with CBLA-FM-1 on 89.1, the new Radio 1 outlet in the area.
And that's it for this week...see you next Friday.