Boston/Providence Radio/TV/Media News Archive

Latest items listed first.....

---

January 28, 2008
WTTT Goes Spanish
WTTT (1150 AM) in the Boston area has flipped to Spanish language Radio Luz. The station used to run righty Anglo talk.

January 25, 2008
61 Launches Morning News
It's called the "Fox 61 Morning Show," but it'll be the early-bird special for viewers willing to get up for the 6 AM local newscast that starts March 3 on WTIC, Channel 61. Logan Byrnes, the former WVIT, Channel 30, news anchor, will anchor the "Morning Show" with Rebecca Stewart, a weekday reporter and weekend anchor at Channel 61, the station said Wednesday. Traffic reporter Rachel Lutzker and WTIC-AM (1080) meteorologist Joe Furey will also be part of the two-hour weekday show.

January 24, 2008
Jay Jones To WBMX & WODS
Jay Beau Jones' destination is now revealed: He's the new program director of CBS Radio's Boston hot adult contemporary WBMX, Mix 98.5, and oldies WODS, Oldies 103.3. Last week, Jones left the operations manager/program director chair just down the Mass Pike at Citadel/Worcester after five years, where he ran hot adult contemporary WXLO, classic hits WWFX, The Pike, and oldies WORC. Jones replaces Oldies 103.3 PD Pete Falconi and Mix 98.5 PD Jerry McKenna, who have both left CBS Radio.

January 14, 2008
WJMN Tops Boston Radio Ratings
Clear Channel rhythmic WJMN slipped slightly (6.9-6.7), but managed hold off CBS Radio news/talk WBZ's surge (6.1-6.5) to retain its No. 1 slot in the 12+ Arbitron fall 2007 ratings in Boston. Doing some surging of its own, Entercom sports WEEI leaps into the No. 3 slot (4.9-6.0), while Clear Channel CHR/top 40 WXKS slides back (6.2-5.7). Rounding out the top five, CBS Radio oldies WODS is popping champagne with its 3.9-5.0 leap. Elsewhere in the market, Entercom news/talk WRKO was off (4.9-4.2), but Greater Media classic hits WROR improved (3.2-3.8), as did Nassau classical WCRB (2.7-2.9). In the always-close rock wars, CBS Radio alternative WBCN was flat at 2.2, while Entercom active rock WAAF retreated (2.3-2.0).

December 26, 2007
WICC Fires John LaBarca
Longtime Hartford WICC (600 AM) radio personality John LaBarca was fired Monday, according Curtis Hansen, the station's operations manager and program director. "John's not here anymore. It had to do with some personnel issues," said Hansen, who declined to provide details on LaBarca's dismissal. He said Monday was LaBarca's last day on the air. "It wasn't something that just happened," he said. "It was a long time coming." Hansen admitted that LaBarca, known by his fans as JLB, has a large and loyal following and the station is concerned about keeping that audience in LaBarca's absence. LaBarca, a 30-year broadcasting veteran, started as the WICC midday personality in 1989 and became the morning host in 1991.

December 22, 2007
Jerry Kristauffer Back To DRC
Hartford's classic hits WDRC (102.9 FM) is bringing back former morning man Jerry Kristafer to do mornings, beginning 1/15. Former morning man John "Cadillac" Seville was just ousted. Kristafer most recently had been morning man and program director at WELI in New Haven.

December 21, 2007
6 Starts 4 PM Newscast
Providence's ABC6 will launch a 4 PM newscast beginning 1/14, which may be the first TV newscast at that time slot in Rhode Island. Jason Nye, a spokesman for the ABC affiliate, said yesterday that new anchor Allison Alexander, whose appointment takes effect 1/1 and who comes from the Cleveland CBS affiliate, will be part of the hour-long newscast on Channel 6. It was not clear who another anchor will be for the newscast, which Nye said will be a hard-news format, not a talk show.

December 19, 2007
Reese Hopkins To WRKO
Boston talker WRKO (680 AM) inks Reese Hopkins for the 10 AM to noon slot, filling the gap left when Todd Feinburg moved to mornings to temporarily co-host with Tom Finneran. The Entercom station says that Feinburg was "offered another assignment, but declined," although All Access hears that the resolution of Feinburg's situation remains open. Hopkins was a sidekick and producer for Star and Buc Wild at NYC's urban WWPR. He also has worked as a producer for Howard Stern's channels at Sirius.

December 12, 2007
Fred Cole Dies
Boston radio personality Fred Cole died on 12/6. He was 92. Cole, who started his radio career in the 1930s, has worked at WNAC, WBZ, WHDH, and WSSH, as well as at radio stations in NYC and LA.

December 4, 2007
New Anchor For 6
Channel 6/WLNE, which officially changed ownership last month, announced yesterday a new appointment to its anchor desk: Allison Alexander, who comes most recently from the CBS affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. She begins effective on 1/1.

November 16, 2007
Howie Carr Returns To WRKO
After losing his lawsuit last month against his employer Entercom - and exhausting any further legal avenues - Boston talk host Howie Carr (left) has decided to return to his afternoon drive slot on WRKO on 11/16. Carr had been trying since July to exit his contract with WRKO, which ended on 9/19, to join crosstown Greater Media talk WTKK in mornings, a slot once held by Don Imus, whose syndicated show was forced off the air in April for remarks he made about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

November 6, 2007
David Wade Lands At 4
David Wade has landed at Channel 4/WBZ, where he'll co-anchor the early morning and noon newscasts with Paula Ebben. Wade, who grew up in Somerville, was at Channel 25/WFXT for about nine years before leaving the station this summer. Wade's wife, TV reporter Bianca de la Garza, left Channel 25 a short time later, prompting speculation that the duo might land at a Boston station together. Since then, de la Garza has taken a gig as a freelance anchor and reporter with Channel 5/WCVB.

October 25, 2007
Urban WPPH Goes Alt Rock
Clear Channel flipped Hartford's urban contemporary WPPH (104.1 FM) to alternative rock "FM 104 One" on Thursday. It's targeting adults age 25-to-34 with tunes by the likes of the Clash, Smashing Pumpkins, the Ramones, Dave Matthews, Foo Fighters, and Green Day. There's a new website at 1041music.com. The station is jock-free for the time being and running a low commercial load.

October 16, 2007
Cape 104 Returns
New England natives are ecstatic about the return of "Cape 104" on Cape Cod, as heritage WKPE flips from classic rock to contemporary hit and brings the station back. Cape 104 has an eight-year run in the market as top 40 from 1983 to1992. "We're pretty excited and had good response so far," OM/PD Wayne White tells Radio And Records. "It's a nice fit for the company as well." Steve Binder, who was on the original incarnation of Cape 104 and has been with the station's current owner, Cape Cod Broadcasting, is back on-air doing mornings. "It was funny - we were jockless for the first weekend, and people knew Steve worked here, so they kind of assumed he'd be a part of the new station, and they were right on," says White.

October 11, 2007
News News Director & Ownership At 6
Providence's Channel 6/WLNE hires veteran anchor Walter Cryan as news director, as the station's new owner tries to revive the station's flagging newscasts. Providence-based Global Broadcasting announced in the spring it would buy WLNE from California's Freedom Communications. That deal closed Tuesday. Global hired Stephen Doerr in the dual role as general manager and news director. Doerr most recently ran a consulting firm out of Cleveland. Cryan came out of a four-year retirement in 2004 to take over the evening anchor spot at WLNE. Before that, he was an anchor for 35 years at Channel 12/WPRI.

October 10, 2007
WBOS PD Resigns
Greater Media adult alternative WBOS (92.9 FM) Program Director David Ginsburg has tendered his resignation. He will stay onboard until 10/19. Greater Media VP of programming development Buzz Knight and WBOS Music Director Dana Marshall will oversee programming of the station after Ginsburg's exit until a replacement can be found.

October 10, 2007
25 To Add 11 PM Newscast
Boston's Channel 25/WFXT will join the hotly contested 11 PM news hour next month. Its half-hour newscast, which will debut on 11/5, will be anchored by Maria Stephanos and Mark Ockerbloom, who anchor the station's 10 PM newscast.

October 2, 2007
WEEI NE Simulcast Delayed
Plans to simulcast Boston sports radio station WEEI over Portland airwaves have been delayed until around the end of 2007. In August, New Jersey-based Nassau Broadcasting reached an agreement with WEEI to simulcast its sports talk programming on 11 Nassau stations in New England markets, including Portland. Patrick Collins, senior vice president for Nassau in Maine said at the time that WEEI programming could be airing in Portland within three weeks. But Monday Collins said Nassau would probably not be airing WEEI in Portland until around January 1, 2008.

October 2, 2007
Sports Radio Vet George Bent Dies
George Bent, who hosted sports talk shows on Boston area radio from the 1960s through the 1980s, died on 9/29 of a heart-related illness. He was 86. Bent hosted "Sportsscope" on WBOS, and later on WITS, WMRE, and WEEI.

October 1, 2007
BZ Radio Signs Rea For Nights
The night time talk audience will be listening to a new voice throughout New England as WBZ News Radio 1030 introduces a new program. "NightSide With Dan Rea" makes its official debut Monday night as the new permanent talk show on WBZ (1030 AM). Vice president and general manager of WBZ radio, Ted Jordan, made the announcement this morning to the WBZ staff saying that "Dan Rea is clearly the best new talk show host on Boston radio. He lives here. He works here. He's from here. Dan's knowledge of Boston and New England is clearly unmatched especially with his experience as a reporter. His presence at night will be also be a tremendous benefit WBZ’s news operation because everyone from the politicians to policy makers will learn that Dan will be keeping an eye on them and will hold them accountable to the WBZ audience."

September 24, 2007
CT Sportscaster Found Dead In Home
From the New Haven Register: Bill Gonillo, an affable fixture of the southern Connecticut sports landscape for two decades, was found dead in his home in Woodbridge on Sunday. Gonillo, 44, was sports director at News 12 in Fairfield for the past 12 years. News12 did not release any information, other than to lead its 10 p.m. newscast with the tearful news. Gonillo was a diabetic and has suffered from bouts of diabetic shock in the past. Before assuming his role at News12, Gonillo was a familiar voice on WELI radio in New Haven and was Yale football play-by-play announcer in the mid-90s. He also worked as sports anchor on WVIT-30 and was a pregame and postgame host for Hartford Whalers hockey and Boston Celtics basketball on WTWS-TV in New London and WTXX in Waterbury.

September 11, 2007
New CBS Duties For WBZ TV Head
Angie Kucharski, station manager of CBS-owned Channel 4/WBZ, has been named VP of media strategies for the CBS Television Stations Group. She'll be relocating to NYC.

September 10, 2007
WBZ Radio's Paul Sullivan Dies
WBZ radio talk show host Paul Sullivan (left) died Sunday night after a battle with melanoma. He was 50 years old. "Sully" was a delightfully irreverent talk show host, according to a WBZ statement. He came to WBZ in 1999 after a decade behind the microphone at WLLH in Lowell. He attracted 200,000 listeners a night when he took over the 8-to-midnight slot at WBZ Newsradio 1030 upon the death of David Brudnoy.

September 10, 2007
Dennis & Callahan To Return To WEEI
John Dennis and Gerry Callahan do a last-minute deal to keep them on Boston sports talk WEEI. They've been off the Entercom station the past few weeks in a contract dispute. The word is the two have signed a new five-year deal. Some trade pubs are reporting that Dennis and Callahan were courted by a Boston area FM station that was preparing to announce a surprise flip to sports this week, but with D&C returning to WEEI that flip is off.

September 6, 2007
New ND At 4
Jeff Kiernan, news director at CBS-owned WCCO-TV Minneapolis, is moving to the vacant news director job at CBS sister Channel 4/WBZ. He starts on 9/24, replacing Jennifer Street, who left the station in August to become VP of communications at the Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary. Kiernan, who is being reunited with his former boss at WCCO, Ed Piette, now general manager at WBZ, becomes the station's fourth news director in the past 3-ish years.

August 30, 2007
Diana Rocci Jumps From 3 To 25
Diana Rocco, a reporter at Channel 3/WFSB in Hartford, is moving to Boston's Channel 25/WFXT. She started at News 12 Bronx.

August 22, 2007
John Jeski Dies
Former Hartford area polka show host and polka bandleader-accordionist John Jeski died on 8/19 after battling cancer. he was 53. Jeski hosted shows on WRYM and WRTC.

August 16, 2007
Nassau To Extend Entercom's WEEI Across New England
Nassau has lined up 11 of its stations to carry the programming content of Entercom Boston sports talker WEEI (850 AM). Nassau's stations are joining Entercom's already successful extension of its WEEI brand in three markets on its wholly owned stations: WEEI-FM in Providence, WVEI-FM in Springfield MA, and WVEI-AM in Worcester MA. The agreement with Entercom will provide WEEI's programming to the following Nassau Broadcasting radio markets: Portland ME, Cape Cod MA, Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction NH-VT, Concord (Lakes Regions) NH, and Montpelier-Barre-St. Johnsbury VT. A Boston radio guru tells DCRTV: "This move by WEEI will make things interesting. WEEI is not an ESPN rights holder, but some of the stations in the markets talked about are already sports stations, ESPN stations that is. There could be some problems flipping those to Fox Sports Radio which is what WEEI has the rights to. Might this be when WEEI goes local all-day like WFAN and WIP?? Hmmm."

August 16, 2007
Nassau & Entercom To Operate WCRB, Keep Classical
Nassau and Entercom have also signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture to own and operate Nassau's classical WCRB (99.5 FM) in Boston. Entercom will make a cash investment and own approximately 50 percent of WCRB. Entercom and Nassau intend to maintain the station's 60-year heritage classical music format. Nassau will continue to manage and operate the station. The parties will also seek opportunities to capitalize on Entercom's strong position in the market to benefit WCRB listeners and advertisers.

August 16, 2007
Former Providence Mayor Cianci Back To WPRO
Former Providence Mayor Vincent Buddy Cianci will be resuming his talk show career at Providence's WPRO (630 AM). He'll start on 9/20. Cianci, who got out of federal prison this spring, will host a show in a time slot that has yet to be determined. The station manager said a decision would be made in two weeks. The announcement was made on Thursday morning. There had been speculation that Cianci was going to WPRO's rival, WHJJ. And Cianci this morning didn't deny that he had looked at more than one proposal.

August 9, 2007
New Oldies Station For Cape Cod
The Cape Cod Times reports that a new oldies station is now playing on Cape Cod. Formerly silent WGTX in Truro has been reborn as Dunes 102.3. Operating from an industrial park on Route 6, the station is the second one based on the Outer Cape, joining WOMR in Provincetown. WGTX's three owners, Robin, Tom Troland, and Edmund Teo have broadcasting roots, with the former two having beeen associated with Boston's WBZ radio in the 1980s.

August 8, 2007
Longtime Taunton Radio Host Finds New Dial Spot
From the Taunton Gazette: The bad news is WPEP 1570 AM, Taunton's homegrown radio station since 1949, is no more. The good news is that its local programming will continue unabated a little further down the dial. Monday morning marked the re-launch of Tony Lopes and his "Hometown News," a grass-roots, call-in show the Taunton native had hosted for 16 years on WPEP. It was also the kick-off of a new station in the city - one whose owner said will not only serve Taunton and its surrounding towns, but whose stronger signal extends as far as Middleboro, Bridgewater, and Wareham. Lopes, and anyone else who would have normally bought air time on PEP, will now instead be found at 1530 on the AM dial, a frequency claimed by WVBF, a 2,200-watt Middleboro-based station.

August 2, 2007
July Ratings Good News For 5, 7, 25
Channel 7/WHDH pulled in the most viewers for its 11 PM newscast and attracted more total viewers than any of its late-night competitors during the July ratings period. The new numbers mark something of a shift in the local news race. During ratings sweeps in May and February - and with the benefit of an "American Idol" lead-in - Channel 25/WFXT drew the most total viewers with its 10 PM newscast. The new numbers, released yesterday, were also good news for Channel 5/WCVB, which dominated competitors in total viewers in almost every newscast.

August 2, 2007
4's ND To Leave
Channel 4/WBZ News Director Jennifer Street is moving on. Street, who started as an overnight writer at the station 17 years ago, is leaving to become the vice president of communications at the Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary. Married with two small children, Street said she's looking forward to spending more time with her family. A replacement hasn't been named.

August 1, 2007
Kim Khazel Returns To 7
After a six-year break from the airwaves, Kim Khazei will return to Channel 7/WHDH as an anchor on Monday. Khazei will anchor the 4 and 5:30 PM newscasts on WHDH and contribute to the 10 PM news on Channel 56/WLVI and the 11 PM news on WHDH. "It's nice when you can come back to your career," said Khazei, who spent the past several years at home, raising three kids. "I miss the adrenaline and being the one who is able to bring the news to people and provide that service." Khazei's return is a homecoming of sorts for the Winchester resident, who worked at the station from 1994 to 2001.

July 30, 2007
WADK's Bob Sullivan Dies
Bob Sullivan, 57, a host on Newport RI news talker WADK (1540 AM), died on 7/27 of cancer. He'd been on the local airwaves since 1982, having hosted the "The Open Form" show.

July 11, 2007
Natalie Jacobson Prepares To Leave WCVB
Boston TV news anchor Natalie Jacobson (right) announced her plans to transition off the anchor desk after 35 years at Channel 5/ WCVB. Jacobson and WCVB President/General Manager Bill Fine made the announcement in a station meeting on Tuesday. Jacobson, who will officially sign off on 7/18, is working on a new multimedia business she hopes to launch later in the year. However, the Boston Herald says that Jacobson's departure may not have been as amicable as WCVB would have viewers believe. The word is that she was seeking a big pay raise that station sultans were disinclined to grant.

July 9, 2007
WRKO's Howie Carr Drives To WTKK
WRKO (680 AM) host Howie Carr is jumping to rival talk station WTKK (96.9 FM), where he'll take over the morning drive slot. Carr, whose contract to do afternoons with WRKO expires in September, replaces shamed syndicated talk jock Don Imus, who lost his national show after the "nappy-headed hos" scandal. Carr, who inked a five-year deal with WTKK, hopes to debut on 96.9 in early October. However, WRKO owner Entercom expects to hold onto Carr and prevent him from heading to WTKK.

June 28, 2007
WBZ Takes Top Radio Spot
WBZ, WJMN, WXKS, WMJX, and WEEI take the top slots in the latest monthly radio ratings trends for Boston.

June 27, 2007
Fox 25 To Launch 11 PM Newscast
Boston's Fox 25 is planning a major assault in the late-night news wars by launching a half-hour 11 PM newscast in the coming months. The move would shake up the local news scene as Channel 25/WFXT, which already dominates the 10 PM news slot, would instantly become a formidable challenger in the 11 PM market, taking a bite out of viewership at Channel 7/WHDH, Channel 5/WCVB, and Channel 4/WBZ-TV. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporporation-owned station would likely recycle a lot of content from its 10 PM news in the extended half-hour, sources said. Channel 25 has been trying to keep details of its plans quiet, but sources said a launch could come in the fall. Fox 25's 10 PM newscast has been a strong ratings performer, particularly buoyed by the success of Fox's "American Idol."

June 21, 2007
Sullivan Leaves WBZ Radio
Paul Sullivan exits CBS news talker WBZ (1030 AM). Sullivan, who has been battling cancerous melanoma, sent an open letter to his colleagues at WBZ saying that: "After a two and one half year personal battle against cancer, including four brain surgeries, it's become clear to me that it's unfair of me to ask my support group, my wife Mary-Jo, my family, my friends, my WBZ colleagues, to continue to bear this burden. The toll my surgeries and treatments have taken on me makes it unlikely that I will ever have the energy to return to a four-hour daily talk radio program.

---

All original material on this website is copyright by Dave Hughes/DCRTV.