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DCRTV Front - Boston - Contact Us - Mailbag - Advertise - Support DCRTV - DCRTV Plus Boards: RI NYC Radio - RI Philadelphia Radio - RI LI Radio - RI NJ Radio - NYRMB Stern To Replace Cowell On "Idol"? - 2/5 - "American Idol" producers are eager to hire Howard Stern to replace Simon Cowell as the show's tough-talking judge, the NY Post reports..... Comcast To Launch Xfinity Brand - 2/4 - Comcast plans to rebrand its cable TV, internet, and phone services as Xfinity TV, Xfinity Internet, and Xfinity Voice in 11 markets starting next week. Comcast will remain the name of the parent company. A Comcast spokesman said that last year's switch from analog to digital cable laid the groundwork for the switch to Xfinity by freeing up bandwidth for new services, including 100 megabit-per-second broadband, additional high-def channels, and a larger On-Demand catalog. More at comcast.com and seattletimes.nwsource.com..... AirAm Has $17M In Liabilities - 2/4 - The media has been pouring over the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing court papers to see who is an unsecured creditor for lefty radio network Air America, which went belly-up in January. Air America lists assets of $1,549,910 and liabilities of $17,152,302..... Citadel Hopes To Erase $1.4B In Debt - 2/4 - Speaking of bankruptcies, Citadel Broadcasting has filed its Chapter 11 reorganization plan with the court, which it's hoping will extinguish $1.4 billion in debt. The firm, which owns locals WABC-AM and WPLJ-FM, hopes to have about $72 million cash on hand by the end of April. More from Reuters..... 4 To Start AM News At 4:30 - 2/3 - Channel 4/WNBC will start its morning news "Today In New York" program a half-hour earlier starting March 1, when it will kick off at 4:30 AM. B&C..... Prior Leaves WKTU - 2/2 - Diane Prior exits the midday post at urban adult WKTU (103.5 FM) in NYC..... Metro Traffic Plane Lands On NJ Turnpike - 2/1 - AllAccess tells us that a Metro Networks plane reporting traffic for CBS's all-news KYW-AM and Channel 3/KYW in Philadelphia made an emergency landing on the New Jersey Turnpike during morning rush hour on Monday. The Cessna plane leased by Metro from Out One The Blue landed on the turnpike's northbound lanes near Cherry Hiill NJ at about 6:45 AM. Neither the pilot nor a passenger were injured in the incident, which caused a backup of several miles. More at philly.com..... Joe Kelly Adds PD Duties - 2/1 - FMQB tells us that Joe Kelly, program director at country WPUR in Atlantic City-Cape May, adds similar duties at hot adult contemporary sister WSJO. Kelly takes over for Eric Johnson, who will concentrate on the programming of talker WKXW in Trenton..... Minervini Fills In On MSG - 2/1 - DCRTV hears that Long Island native Craig Minervini filled in for Howie Rose as play-by-play announcer on Sunday's MSG Plus broadcast between the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers. Minervini worked for MSG Network during the late 1980's as Craig DeGeorge on World Wrestling Federation monthly broadcasts from Madison Square Garden..... Tom Brookshier Dies - 1/30 - Former Philadelphia Eagles star Tom Brookshier has died at 78. The Eagles said he had cancer and died Friday night. Brookshier was an All-Pro defensive back who played on the Eagles' 1960 championship team. He had 20 interceptions in seven seasons with the team, earning All-Pro honors in 1959 and 1960. After he retired, Brookshier announced NFL games for CBS. He teamed with Pat Summerall to form CBS's top telecast team. He was also heard on the old WCAU (now WPHT) radio. He is one of seven Eagles to have his number retired. ESPN has more..... WLTW & WBEB Win Holiday Radio Ratings Race - 1/28 - WLTW tops the NYC radio heap. Ditto with WBEB in Philly. In the "Holiday" 2009 PPMs..... Engineering Cuts At ABC - 1/27 - ABC's Broadcast Operations And Engineering group laid off dozens of employees. The bulk of the cuts came from the group's NYC work force, including many individuals from ABC's studios on West 66th Street. The Observer has more..... Changes For WDHA - 1/26 - North Jersey active rocker WDHA (105.5 FM) is making a few changes. Current midday personality Kim Mulligan will join Jim Monaghan on the morning show, and WDHA veteran Terrie Carr will return to the station for middays..... Clear Channel Talking To Stern - 1/25 - Tom Taylor at Radio-Info.com reports that radio giant Clear Channel is talking to Howard Stern (left), with the shock jock's contract expiring soon at Sirius XM. There've been rumors-a-plenty that Stern might return to terrestrial radio, which he left in 2005 for satellite radio. Stern used to work for CBS Radio and was heard on WXRK in NYC and WYSP in Philadelphia..... Ken Matz Dies - 1/25 - DCRTV hears that Ken Matz, 63, has died of throat cancer in Florida. Matz, who was also known as "Gary Smith," also worked at Channel 10/WCAU plus other TV stations in Baltimore and Miami, and at radio stations across Pennsylvania, including Harrisburg's WFEC and Philadelphia's WIBG and KYW. More from philly.com..... CACI Demands NYT Retraction - 1/22 - Arlington VA-based CACI International is demanding a retraction and correction to an editorial published in the New York Times on 1/11. "In the process of commenting on a matter involving a private security contractor, the Times editorial falsely characterized CACI's personnel who worked in Iraq as mercenaries," a CACI statement says. "The editorial then asserted that CACI personnel were involved in 'proven incidents of abuse in 2003 and 2004 in the Abu Ghraib prison' and implied that they had committed crimes for which they have not been held accountable." CACI says the statements are "maliciously false." More at caci.com..... Steve Harvey To Host "Family Feud" - 1/22 - National morning radio man Steve Harvey will be hosting TV game show "Family Feud" starting this fall. He takes over from John O'Hurley. Harvey is no stranger to TV, having starred in sitcoms "The Steve Harvey Show" and "Me And The Boys," plus other video work..... More: Stern Leaving Satrad? - 1/22 - More rumblings that Howard Stern will end his money-laden deal with Sirius XM satellite radio and jump back to "regular" terrestrial radio. At FMQB..... AirAm To Shut Down - 1/21 - DCRTV hears that lefty talk radio Air America is shutting down. Company Chairman Charlie Kireker notified staffers today that the company will be filing for bankruptcy and terminating programming. All current employees will be paid through today. A severance package will be offered tomorrow to fulltime current employees with more than six months of tenure. More from Politico..... Ken Duffy To WABC Radio - 1/21 - Fox News Radio's Ken Duffy jumps to Citadel talker WABC-AM to anchor weekday afternoon newscasts..... Party Ends At 87.7 - 1/21 - FMQB tells us that Island Broadcasting announces it is ending WNYZ-LP/New York's "Party FM" station at 87.7. In a statement, JVC Media President/CEO John Caracciolo announced, "Effective immediately, we will no longer simulcast our Party FM programming on WNYZ 87.7 LP-TV. There were a few factors that went into our decision to terminate our agreement with WNYZ. The FCC contemplating the fate of low-power TV 6 as a radio signal was one. It's soon expected conversion to digital was another. It's hard to invest in a radio station when you don't know if the government will shut it down tomorrow. Spending time, manpower, and dollars to grow a property with a very limited lifespan does not fit our business model." The Party format will still be heard in Suffolk and Nassau Counties..... FCC Forbids Cable From Denying Sports To Rivals - 1/21 - The Federal Communications Commission has voted to prevent cable operators from withholding sports programming from competing paid television providers such as DirecTV and AT&T. DirecTV has complained that Comcast has used the policy loophole to shut out competitors from the Philadelphia market, where it owns coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia Phillies. Comcast dominates that programming through its Comcast regional sports network. More at washingtonpost.com..... George Jellinek Dies - 1/20 - Radio-Info.com tells us that George Jellinek has died at 90, after a long career associated with classical music - especially singing - in New York City and beyond. He was the music director of WQXR, then owned by the New York Times, before he retired in 1984. He hosted "The Vocal Scene" for WQXR for 36 years, and he was also heard on the intermission segments of the Metropolitan Opera’s nationally-broadcast Saturday performances..... FAN's Giannotti To Pittsburgh? - 1/19 - Gregg Giannotti, a midday producer and fill-in host on CBS Radio sports talker WFAN (660 AM), is leaving NYC to host a sports talk show in another market. There are rumblings that he could be moving to Pittsburgh, where CBS is starting a new FM sports talker..... Ann Allen To WHYY-FM - 1/18 - Ann Allen, a former Air America and WNYC (93.9 FM/820 AM) news anchor, becomes anchor of the local "Morning Edition" on Philadelphia's WHYY (90.9 FM). She replaces Brenda Jorett..... Former Inquirer Editor Dies - 1/18 - Steven Lovelady, 66, a former Philadelphia Inquirer managing editor whose sharp prose shaped Pulitzer Prize-winning stories, died of cancer yesterday in Key West, Florida. More at philly.com..... WCBS-AM Top Biller - 1/18 - CBS all-newser WCBS-AM the top-billing station in the NYC market in 2009. More from crainsnewyork.com..... NYT Prepares To Charge For Website - 1/17 - The New York Times is finally ready to start charging users for access to content online, according to New York magazine. The paper has allegedly agreed on a "metered" system that will ask users to subscribe after a certain amount of free content..... Village Voice Faces Bankruptcy - 1/15 - The Village Voice, a New York City alternative newspaper, could soon face U.S. Bankruptcy Court proceedings after its parent, Village Voice Media LLC, lost a $15.9 million judgment for ad-price fixing. Bloomberg has more..... Dominic Carter Sentenced - 1/15 - The NY Daily News reports that a Ramapo judge has sentenced former NY1 anchor Dominic Carter to 30 days in jail for attempted assault..... Sirius XM Touts Arbitron Study - 1/14 - A recent Arbitron study of Sirius XM finds that "listenership is larger than previously estimated and scores much higher on key demographic criteria compared to the general population and AM/FM radio listeners," according to the satrad firm. More at prnewswire.com..... Judge Slams Lane's Suit Against 3 - 1/14 - A Common Pleas Court judge has struck down ex-CBS3, KYW-TV anchor Alycia Lane's lawsuit against her former colleague Larry Mendte and bosses at CBS Broadcasting, but the legal battle wages on. More at philly.com..... Ed Beach Dies - 1/14 - Ed Beach, the host of a popular jazz radio show in the 1960s and 1970s, who attracted listeners in New York and elsewhere with his sonorous voice, eclectic taste, vast erudition and pleasurably irascible temperament, died on 12/25 in Eugene, Oregon. He was 86 and lived in Eugene. Mr. Beach died of natural causes, his son, Mark, said. “Just Jazz,” Mr. Beach’s show, played on WRVR (106.7 FM in New York), the radio station of Riverside Church, from 1961 to 1976. It was rebroadcast in several other cities. The NY Times has more..... Court Endangers FCC Indecency Policy - 1/14 - A federal appeals court in NYC seems poised to toss out a government policy that can fine broadcasters for using even a single curse word on live television. All three judges on a panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan Wednesday kept a government lawyer on the defensive with dozens of questions suggesting that the current policy violates the First Amendment. The judges then reserved decision. AP has more..... Art Rust Dies - 1/13 - Art Rust Jr., pioneering black New York City sportscaster, had died at age 82. After getting his start on WWRL, he worked at WABC-AM. He also worked at WBLS and at Channel 4/WNBC, in addition to authoring several books, including a biography with boxing great Joe Louis..... Graves To WSTW Mornings - 1/13 - Spencer Graves joins that "Dana And Nancy" morning show on Wilmington's hot adult contemporary WSTW (93.7 FM). He continues doing his weekend show on Delmarva's co-owned WDEL-AM..... Chapter 7 For Former Pulse Operator - 1/13 - Radio-Info.com tells us that former Pulse 87.7 New York operator Mega Media goes into Chapter 7 liquidation. The federal bankruptcy court judge approves the motion converting Mega Media's Chapter 11 status (protection from creditors) to Chapter 7, after the company says it's unable to re-structure its debt. Mega lost its right to program New York-market low power TV WNYZ-LP about two months ago. That was the end of Pulse as an over-the-air station. 87.7 is now occupied by Long Island-based JVC Media..... More Missanelli On WPEN - 1/13 - Radio-Info.com tells us that Mike Missanelli has renewed his contract to anchor afternoon drive for Greater Media's sports-talk "Fanatic" in Philadelphia. That's WPEN-AM (950) and WPEN-FM at 97.5, with the FM just added into the simulcast late last year, giving Missanelli two frequencies to hammer on rival Howard Eskin at CBS Radio's WIP-AM (610)..... WRKS Sues Hughley - 1/12 - A New York City radio station is suing DL Hughley's reps for threatening to yank the comedian off the air in a pay dispute. Hughley's lawyers claimed Emmis's urban contemporary WRKS, 98.7 Kiss-FM, owed their man roughly $359,000 for his successful 6 AM to 10 AM weekday show, launched in July. Some quick negotiations kept Hughley on the show while the money problems are ironed out. The NY Daily News has more..... WJBR Tops Wilmington - 1/12 - WJBR takes the top spot in the Wilmington radio ratings. Radio-Info.com has all the numbers..... WDBY Goes Country - 1/11 - Danbury CT's WDBY flips from hot adult contemporary Y105 to country as "Kicks 105.5." The Cumulus station is licensed to Patterson NY..... Gary Froseth Dies - 1/11 - Longtime news anchor and editor at Washington DC's WTOP, Gary Froseth (right), has died. Froseth has been a member of the WTOP news team for 16 years. During his long news career, he's worked for KFI and KFWB radio in Los Angeles, KYW radio in Philadelphia, and was news director of WOWO radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and at KDKA radio in Pittsburgh. According to wtop.com, Froseth passed away in Managua, Nicaragua. He was in Managua as part of a delegation from his hometown of Gettysburg PA. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack. His wife of 32 years, Paulette, was with him. A service will be held in Gettysburg..... Fox To Pay Palin - 1/11 - The NY Times tells us that former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is joining Fox News Channel to be a paid political commentary contributor..... Star & Bucwild Start Web Show - 1/11 - Star and Bucwild, the former syndicated morning duoat NYC's rhythmic contemporary Power 105, WWPR, and later dance-oriented Pulse 87.7, will resurface together on Shovio.com, hosting a weekday evening show starting tonight at 8 PM..... FUV Finishes Tower Work - 1/7 - FMQB tells us that adult alternative WFUV (90.7 FM) has completed work on its new main broadcast tower, making the station more widely available in the NYC metro area..... Artie Lange Attempted Suicide - 1/7 - The NY Post reports that troubled comic Artie Lange landed in the hospital after stabbing himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt. Lange's frantic mom called 911 Saturday morning after she entered his Hoboken apartment and found the bloodied funnyman. Lange sustained six "hesitation wounds" and three deep plunges. A source close to Lange's management team confirmed that the Howard Stern Sirius XM sidekick stabbed himself, adding that his mother had come to visit him that day to drop off food. Surgeons managed to save Lange despite heavy bleeding. "We all have our demons," Stern said on-air this week, referring to Lange's past battles with addiction..... Mosey Lands Fulltime Gig At 29 - 1/7 - SallyAnn Mosey, a former reporter at Channel 6/WPVI and Channel 4/WNBC, jumps to Channel 29/WTXF to do morning weather and traffic. She's been freelancing at Philadelphia's Fox station since summer..... Rush Limbaugh: The Musical - 1/7 - Heads up, Dittoheads and Feminazis. Rush Limbaugh is about to get the Second City treatment, from the team that last year set Rod Blagojevich's woes to song. The theater is set to announce next week a February premiere for "Rush Limbaugh! The Musical," a tuneful send-up of the right-wing radio talker with talent on loan from God. The Chicago Sun-Times has more..... Food & HGTV Shows To Air On Tribune TVers - 1/6 - Scripps is taking its battle with Cablevision to the next level, offering selected Food Network programs over the air in the NYC market this weekend. Scripps pulled its Food Network and HGTV channels from Cablevision at midnight on 1/1 after it could not reach a carriage agreement with the cable firm. Scripps said "Iron Chef America: Super Chef Battle," which features an appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama, will air on broadcast stations WPIX in New York City and WTXX in Hartford on 1/10 at 8 PM. HGTV's "HGTV Dream Home Tour 2010" will air on WPIX on 1/8 at 3 PM. WPIX and WTXX are owned by Tribune Broadcasting, which also owns a minority interest in the Food Network. Multichannel News has more..... Citadel Makes Allentown Changes - 1/5 - George King has been named operations manager of Citadel's Allentown radio cluster, as well as program director of country WCTO. Also at Citadel-Allentown, Laura St. James is named program director of adult contemporary WLEV..... Artie Lange Hospitalized - 1/4 - Radio Online tells us that NYC-based Sirius Radio satellite radio personality Howard Stern's sidekick, Artie Lange, 42, has been hospitalized in New Jersey for an undisclosed ailment. In a statement his publicist said, "We can confirm that Artie is in the hospital. Artie has chosen to keep all information on this matter between him and his doctor"..... Fox & Time Warner Do Deal - 1/2 - Time Warner Cable, which owns a batch of cable systems in the NYC area, and Channel 5/WNYW-owner Fox have reached a deal to keep carrying Fox Networks programing after the companies negotiated through New Year's Day to avoid a blackout of TV shows like "The Simpsons" and college and NFL football games in 13 million US homes. The cable carrier and Fox announced the deal late on Friday after an 11th-hour contract extension following months of negotiations that failed to produce a deal ahead of the 12/31 deadline. However, Cablevision, which also owns a batch of NYC area systems, dropped HGTV and Food Network in a dispute with Scripps. More from Reuters..... December Radio Ratings - 12/31 - WLTW tops the NYC monthly radio ratings for December. And WBEB takes first in Philadelphia..... WNYC's Henry Lewis Dies - 12/30 - Henry Lewis, who worked parts of six decades at NYC public radio outlet WNYC, died on Christmas day. He got his start as a teenager on WNYC-AM in 1945. He'd also worked at classical WQXR..... Keith Sweat To BLS - 12/29 - Keith Sweat heads to NYC's adult urban WBLS (107.5 FM) to do his "Quiet Storm" in evenings. The show is syndicated to more than 50 stations. Sweat will begin on 1/4..... Deadline Approaches For Fox & Time Warner - 12/29 - The deadline of 12/31 approaches as Fox and Time Warner see who'll blink first in a battle of hiked payment fees the former is demanding of the latter. Will Fox and its family of networks and stations, including Channel 5/WNYW, be yanked from many NYC area TV screens? More from the NY Times..... Roger Holmes Dies - 12/29 - Roger Holmes, 86, died on 12/26. He worked at a variety of Wilmington and Philadelphia area stations from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, including WDEL, WAMS, WNRK, and WIP. While at WAMS, he hosted "Roger's Record Room," where he played the "Top 40" countdown. As operations manager at WAMS, he mentored many young disc jockeys who went on to careers in other markets such as Miami, Nashville, and Philadelphia. For the past 15 years, Holmes hosted "In A Mist", a Sunday night big band/swing show on WVUD, the radio station of the University Of Delaware. We have his obit in DCRTV's 12/29 Mailbag..... Dave Davies To WHYY-FM - 12/28 - Political reporter Dave Davies, who has been with the Philadelphia Daily News since 1990, often substitutes for Terry Gross on WHYY-FM's "Fresh Air" and frequently hosts its "Radio Times" show, joins the public radio station as a full-timer. Romenesko has more..... DirecTV Dropping Sirius XM Channels - 12/28 - DirecTV is replacing its selection of Sirius XM satellite radio channels come February with audio channels from SonicTap. DirecTV offered a variety of satellite radio music channels, but did not offer all, including the Howard Stern talk channels. So far, the Sirius XM deal to provide a selection of audio channels to Dish Network continues. Orbitcast has more..... Inner City Founder Percy Sutton Dies - 12/27 - Percy Sutton, one of NYC's most-influential black political leaders who founded Inner City Broadcasting, which owns WLIB and WBLS, died on 12/26. He was 89. The NY Times has more..... WFIL, WABC Legend George Michael Dies - 12/24 - DCRTV hears that legendary DC sportscaster George Michael (right) died early this morning after battling cancer for two years. He was 70. A native of St. Louis, Michael anchored the sports desk at Channel 4/WRC from 1980 to 2007. He also hosted numerous sports programs for the NBC station, including his "Sports Machine," which was nationally syndicated. Previously, he was a DJ at NYC "top 40" outlet WABC, where he was noted for his boisterous personality and energetic style. Before that, Michaek was the popular evening deejay at Philadelphia's "top 40" WFIL radio from 1966 until his move to WABC radio, where he also did sports work at sister WABC-TV before joining WRC. Lots of reaction in DCRTV's 12/24 Mailbag..... Sliwa To WNYM - 12/23 - Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and longtime Citadel WABC-AM (770) staple, jumps Salem Communications-owned WNYM-AM (970), The Apple, starting 1/11. He'll be doing morning drive on the North Jersey righty talker..... More: Stern Threatens To Leave Satrad - 12/21 - Howard Stern is threatening to leave Sirius XM Radio now that the shock jock and the satellite radio provider are getting set to enter contract talks in 2010. AP has more..... Larry Hoff Gone From 11 - 12/21 - Channel 11/WPIX doesn't renew the contract of morning news reporter Larry Hoff. He's been with the Tribune station for nine years. The NY Daily News has more..... Citadel Files For Bankruptcy - 12/20 - Citadel Broadcasting, which owns NYC's WABC-AM and WPLJ-FM, has filed for bankruptcy protection in Manhattan, as expected. The company listed assets of $1.4 billion and debt of $2.5 billion in its Chapter 11 filing today in US Bankruptcy Court. Forstmann Little, a NYC-based private equity firm, owns 29 percent of the company's common stock. Citadel hired financial advisers in May to aid in talks with lenders on a possible refinancing. Citadel reported a loss of $21.3 million in the third quarter as revenue fell 14 percent. Bloomberg has more..... KYW Vet Fred Honsberger Dies - 12/18 - Fred Honsberger, a radio talk show host for Pittsburgh's KDKA, died following a long battle with various health issues. He was 58. Honsberger was once a news anchor for Philadelphia's KYW radio. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has more..... More Cuts At NY Times - 12/17 - With 74 New York Times staffers taking the recent buyout offer, management has been left with the tough decision of cutting 26 people from the newsroom. Politico has more..... KYW's Lancer Has Cancer - 12/16 - Longtime KYW-AM (1060) news anchor Don Lancer reveals on his blog that he had been "diagnosed with lung cancer and (is) undergoing chemotherapy"..... Anastos Close To Re-Signing With 5 - 12/16 - NYC TV news veteran Ernie Anastos is on the verge of signing a three-year deal to remain as the lead anchor for WNYW/Channel 5. The new deal came together as Anastos was in the last year of a five-year contract that paid him nearly $2 million a year. The NY Daily News has more..... FCC To Protect Sports Broadcasts - 12/16 - The Federal Communications Commission is moving to prevent cable operators from withholding local sports broadcasts from other television providers, including satellite and telecom companies. If approved, cable rivals would be able to gain access to all sorts of programming that previously has been off-limits. Dish Network, for example, would no longer be locked out of Philadelphia sports games owned by Comcast. AT&T's U-verse customers could get access to San Diego Padres games that it complains Cox is withholding from competitors. And Verizon Fios could obtain the rights to show high-definition sports events at Madison Square Garden. The Washington Post has more..... Nick Cannon To 92.3 - 12/15 - The Hollywood Reporter tells us that actor/comic Nick Cannon is making his foray into radio with a daily morning drive show on CBS Radio's WXRK-FM in NYC, 92.3 Now. He debuts on the hit-oriented station on 1/19. CBS only recently announced that Cannon would be heard on CBS's KAMP, its Amp contemporary hit station in LA..... Citadel Ups Scott Shannon - 12/15 - Citadel names radio veteran Scott Shannon as its vice president for nationwide programming. He will assist program directors at the Citadel major-market stations. Shannon will continue as program director at Citadel's hot adult contemporary WPLJ in NYC and as the creator and producer of Citadel Media's True Oldies Channel..... Jim Keating Dies - 12/14 - DCRTV hears that Jim Keating, who was the vice president and general manager of DC's 94.7 back when it was adult contemporary W-Lite, WLTT, has died. He passed away on Sunday from cancer, four years after he retired as Clear Channel's market manager in Ft. Myers/Naples FL. He started his career in Philadelphia in the 1960s with CBS. He also worked with ABC Radio Network and Beasley..... Cousin Brucie At Nat'l Press Club - 12/13 - Legendary "top 40" radio DJ "Cousin Brucie" Morrow has a new book to plug and he did it Thursday in front of the National Press Club in Washington DC. We have pics in DCRTV's 12/13 Mailbag. Morrow spent decades on the air in NYC at WABC-AM and WCBS-FM and joined Sirius when CBS blew up 'CBS-FM to go "Jack FM" in 2005. His book is "Rock & Roll: And The Beat Goes On"..... Newsday Sees Traffic Decline With Web Pay Wll - 12/11 - Newsday's decision to begin placing web content behind a pay wall resulted in a 21 percent drop in traffic in November, the first month the charge was in place. More at mediapost.com..... New Editor At Newsday - 12/11 - After five years as Newsday editor and 20 years with the paper, John Mancini is leaving the Cablevision-owned paper. Effective today, managing editor Debby Krenek becomes editor-in-chief and executive vice president of Digital Media. Romenesko has more..... Tim Herbster To WIOQ - 12/11 - Tim Herbster has been named program director of Clear Channel contemporary hit WIOQ (102.1 FM) in Philadelphia. He'll also be the cluster's director of digital content and do afternoons on Q102..... Dave Roberts Says Adios To 6 - 12/11 - Tonight's the last night for Dave Roberts at Channel 6/WPVI. He's leaving after doing the weather for 31 years..... More Cuts At NYT - 12/11 - The New York Times prepares to cut at least two dozen employees. More from the NY Post..... Citadel Prepares For Bankruptcy - 12/10 - Citadel Broadcasting, the US's third-largest radio broadcaster, is preparing to file for bankruptcy by the end of the year, the WSJ reports. Citadel's long-expected move involves a "prearranged" Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan supported by many creditors. Lenders owed $2 billion would swap a substantial amount of that debt for around 99.5 percent of the equity in a reorganized company. The restructuring would give the group of some 90 lenders control of Citadel. Current shareholders, as in most bankruptcies, would be wiped out. Locally, Citadel owns WABC-AM and WPLJ-FM..... Stensland Eyes Congressional Race - 12/10 - Via NewsBlues: The Philadelphia political website PaTownHall.com floats the rumor that Dawn Stensland, former news anchor at Fox-owned Channel 29/WTXF "is seriously considering a bid for Congress in the 7th District - as a Republican"..... H. Paul Jeffers Dies - 12/9 - H. Paul Jeffers, 75, of New York City, died on 12/4 at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, Manhattan. Jeffers was a journalist who wrote news for WINS, WABC, WNBC, and WCBS. In the 1960s he was a Fulbright Scholar and also reported from Vietnam with Peter Jennings. He taught journalism and communications in Thailand and Pakistan during the 1980s. More at pottsmerc.com..... Back To Regular Radio For Stern? - 12/9 - Radio shock jock legend Howard Stern (left) says he won't be re-signing with Sirius XM next year. As he approaches the end of a 5-year, $500 million dollar cash/stock deal with the satellite radio firm. Some industry insiders say that Stern, whose audience is much smaller - and cultural influence much more limited - than when he was on "regular radio," could be jumping back to terrestrial broadcast..... WaPo & NYT Partner With Google - 12/8 - The Washington Post and the New York Times team with Google to create "living story pages" to improve web searches and boost online views. More in the Post..... Subscriber Sues Sirius XM For Price Hikes - 12/8 - A customer of Sirius XM Radio sued the satellite radio company on Monday, saying it deceptively increased prices in breach of subscriber contracts. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, said that since a July 2008 merger of NYC's Sirius and rival DC-based XM Satellite Radio, the only two satellite radio providers in the USA, monthly charges had risen by nearly 30 percent for certain subscribers with multiple accounts. Reuters has more..... Cousin Brucie To Nat'l Press Club - 12/8 - Tom Tayor at Radio-Info.com tells us that "Cousin Bruce" Morrow (right) has a new book to plug and he'll do it this Thursday in front of the National Press Club in Washington DC - a pretty swell audience, for a "top 40" DJ. Bruce tells the New York Daily News that "usually, their guests are a little more highbrow." Bruce spent decades on the air in NYC at WABC (770 AM) and WCBS-FM (101.1) and joined Sirius when CBS blew up 'CBS-FM to go "Jack FM" in mid-2005. His new book is "Rock & Roll: And The Beat Goes On"..... Melissa Magee From 5 To 6 - 12/8 - NewsBlues tells us that Melissa Magee, who was laid off in June from New York City's Channel 5/WNYW, has been hired do weekend weather at Philadelphia's Channel 6/WPVI. She replaces Erica Grow, who left last week after just two years at the ABC station..... Egypt Joins WBLS - 12/7 - Egypt joins NYC's adult urban WBLS (107.5 FM) for middays. She comes from rival WWPR, Power 105.1. She's also worked in Philadelphia and Baltimore..... More Cuts At Journal News - 12/4 - Gannett's Westchester NY newspaper, the Journal News, will close its printing plant and lay off 166 employees. More at gannettoid.com.... Black Caucus Wants Funds For Minority B'casters - 12/4 - Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have chosen to buck their party and President Obama in a bid to stall financial regulation reform. Inner City Broadcasting has put forth an aggressive lobbying campaign asking the administration to help minority-owned businesses, including Inner City. Inner City, a troubled New York City-based radio broadcaster, which owns 17 commercial stations including WBLS (107.5 FM), is facing a possible financial collapse because of pressure by Goldman Sachs and GE Capital to repay n$230 million in debt. More from Radio Online..... Stephy Likely To Land At "GMA" - 12/3 - ABC has offered the DC-based host of "This Week," George Stephanopoulos, the coveted job of co-hosting NYC-based "Good Morning America," and negotiations are under way. So reports Howie Kurtz at washingtonpost.com..... Easton To Be XTU PD - 12/3 - Shelly Easton has been named program director of Beasley's country WXTU (92.5 FM) in Philadelphia. She is currently the operations manager of Citadel's country WCTO and adult contemporary WLEV in Allentown. She also co-hosts mornings at WLEV and serves as a country format captain for Citadel..... It's Official: Comcast Buying NBC - 12/3 - As expected, Comcast, the largest US cable-television company, makes the official announcement today that it will start a joint venture with General Electric's NBC Universal unit, creating an entertainment company valued at about $37 billion. Comcast will merge cable channels worth $7.25 billion with the NBC Universal assets, valued at $30 billion, the companies said today in a statement. Comcast also will contribute $6.5 billion in cash. The cable operator will own 51 percent of the new entity, which Jeffrey Zucker will lead. The deal gives Philadelphia-based Comcast the USA, CNBC, MSNBC, and Bravo cable channels, NBC's broadcast networks and stations, including NYC's Channel 4/WNBC and Philadelphia's Channel 10/WCAU, a film studio, and amusement parks. Bloomberg has more..... November Radio Ratings Released - 12/3 - WLTW tops the November PPMs for NYC and WBEB rules Philly..... DJ Envy To WWPR Afternoons - 12/2 - DJ Envy jumps from Hot 97, WQHT, to Power 105.1, WWPR, where he'll do afternoon drive. Malikha Mallette moves from afternoons to 105.1's mornings to co-host with Ed Lover, Current WWPR morning co-host Free is out..... Comcast Purchase Of NBC Gets Closer - 12/1 - General Electric has reached a tentative agreement with the French media conglomerate Vivendi that clears the way for the sale of NBC Universal, including the flagship NBC network, to Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator. The NY Times has more..... Nat Wright Dies - 11/30 - Radio-Info.com tells us that Nat Wright, 82, died on Thanksgiving Day, after a career in Washington DC at the old WWDC and at Philadelphia's WIP. He came to WIP in 1961 and got the "Dawn Patrol" all-night shift in 1967. He also had worked at WEEU in Reading PA and WDOV in Dover DE. Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers has more..... Batchelor Replaces Sliwa On WABC-AM - 11/25 - John Batchelor will replace longtimer Curtis Sliwa in the 9 PM to 1 AM slot on Citadel talker WABC (770 AM). Apparently, Sliwa's contract is up and Citadel's not renewing. Over the years, Sliwa's worked just about every shift on the WABC-AM schedule, including morning drive, when he partnered with Ron Kuby..... Erica Grow Leaving 6 - 11/25 - Channel 6/WPVI is not renewing the contract of weekend weatherperson Erica Grow. She'll be leaving the ABC station by the end of the year..... CBS Starts "Digital Newsstand" In Philly - 11/24 - The CBS-owned TV and radio stations in Philadelphia have joined forces to launch 39 "digital newsstands"-HD televisions airing 24-hour news-around Philadelphia. The newsstands went live this morning and will be expanded to 120. Channel 3/KYW and its sister station, CW outlet Channel 57/WPSG, provide the TV news updates and the five local CBS Radio stations, including all-newser KYW-AM, do the marquee content. More from B&C..... WNYZ To Stay On 87.7 For Now - 11/24 - Low-power TVer WNYZ has applied with the FCC to move its digital transmitter application from channel 6 to channel 22. According to sources, the long build-out for the change will allow the station to continue to operate its analog TVer on channel 6 for the forseeable future. That outlet is operated as a FMer on 87.7 and current relays Long Island's urban contemporary Party 105..... Geronimo To Fill-In On CBS-FM - 11/24 - DC radio personality Don Geronimo has signed up to some weekend work on CBS's classic hits WCBS-FM - on Saturdays 12/22 and 12/26. You'll may recall that about six or seven years ago, Geronimo's talk show, which had been based at DC's WJFK, was heard on NYC's 102.7 and Philly's 94.1, both CBS stations that used to have guy talk formats..... Dominic Carter Guilty - 11/20 - AP is reporting that cable television newsman Dominic Carter, an influential reporter on New York politics, was convicted Friday of an attempted assault on his wife. The Rockland County district attorney's office issued a one-sentence statement Friday saying Carter, 46, was found guilty of third-degree attempted assault. The maximum sentence is three months in jail. Carter, who was political anchor on NY1 until the station learned of the accusation, had been accused of the more serious charge of third-degree assault. His wife, Marilyn Carter, called 911 last year from their home in Pomona and claimed he hit her. Photos presented at trial showed a swollen lip, a cut ear and a bruised arm and leg. However, she recanted her allegation on the witness stand during Carter's October 29 trial..... Sorenson Returns To CBS-FM - 11/20 - "Big Jay" Sorenson returns to CBS Radio's classic hits WCBS-FM (101.1) for part-time duties. He'll be heard on Thanksgiving and then on weekends..... Batchelor To Be Syndicated - 11/19 - John Batchelor, does a show for NYC's WABC radio, will be syndicated nationwide. His satellite-distributed show will air from 9 PM to 1 AM on Saturdays and Sundays..... 6's Dave Roberts To Retire - 11/19 - Channel 6/WPVI weatherman Dave Roberts announced his retirement during Wednesday's 11 PM newscast. Ending a 56-year career in television and 31 years at WPVI. Roberts, 73, whose real name is David Thomas Boreanaz, joined Philadelphia's WPVI in 1978 and co-hosted "AM Philadelphia." He moved to the evening newscasts in 1983 after the skydiving death of his friend and colleague Jim O'Brien..... FUV Promotes Wardrop - 11/18 - NYC adult alternative rocker WFUV has promoted music interview producer Sarah Wardrop to acting assistant program director. Wardrop will assist in the development of programming content for broadcast and the web, including overseeing WFUV's music interview production staff..... NYC Rags In Corruption Probe - 11/18 - Investigators in NYC raided offices for some of the nation's largest newspapers Tuesday as part of a corruption probe into a powerful union that has long faced accusations of ties to organized crime, a law enforcement official said. Police officers working with the Manhattan district attorney's office searched for paperwork related to the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers Union in circulation, production and delivery offices of the New York Times, the New York Post, the Daily News, and El Diario, said the official, who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing..... Sy Syms Dies - 11/17 - Sy Syms, the clothing retailer who coined the TV ad phrase that became his company's trademark - "An educated consumer is our best customer" - died Tuesday of heart failure in NYC at age 83. More from northjersey.com..... Tom Collins Leaves KYW Radio - 11/17 - After a two-decade run doing traffic in Philadelphia and overnights on CBS all-newser KYW (1060 AM), Metro Networks reporter Tom "Hey, Bud" Collins is leaving radio for a job with PENNDOT..... Karmazin Says He'll Stay At Sirius XM - 11/17 - Sirius XM honcho Mel Karmazin denies rumors that he might leave the satcaster to manage a merged Comast-NBC Universal. In a Fox News interview yesterday, Karmazin also said that he would not accept a job as number two to Warren Buffett, and that and that no amount of money could convince him to leave Sirius XM and run another large media company..... Many Hurdles For Former 29er Stensland - 11/17 - The Philadelphia Daily News talks to former Fox 29 anchor Dawn Stensland. In the last 18 months, she lost her TV anchor job, suffered a miscarriage and watched as a sexually charged public scandal humiliated her TV anchor husband Larry Mendte and led to his firing, conviction, and house arrest..... Former 2 ND To 11 - 11/17 - WPIX/Channel 11 is on the verge of naming Bill Carey as its news director. The former WCBS/Channel 2 news director is expected to - perhaps as early as this week - get the top job at the Tribune-owned station. There, he'll fill a seat left open when Karen Scott suddenly exited the station in early September. The NY Daily News has more..... Dobbs Eyes NJ Senate Run - 11/16 - Now that Lou Dobbs has hung up his microphone on CNN, the populist New Jersey resident could be a viable candidate for the Garden State's US Senate race in 2012. More in the NY Post..... Ken Johnson To WUSL & WDAS - 11/12 - Ken Johnson becomes director of urban programming for Clear Channel's WUSL and WDAS in Philadelphia. He comes from gigs at Citadel in Dallas and at Cumulus in Atlanta..... Q102's Brooks To Toronto - 11/11 - Joey Brooks is leaving his afternoon drive, assistant program director, and music director duties at Philadelphia's contemporary hit WIOQ, Q102, to join Toronto's CHUM-FM, where he'll be afternoon drive host..... Diane Allen Fights Cancer - 11/10 - Diane Allen, a former news anchor and reporter at Channel 3/KYW and Channel 10/WCAU, disclosed Monday that she is fighting cancer. According to NewsBlues, Allen expects to undergo surgery as early as this week for an illness described as "aggressive." She gave no details and asked that her family's privacy be respected..... Maire Mason Out At CBS Radio - 11/10 - Veteran New York executive Maire Mason is out at CBS Radio. No official word from CBS, but two sources tells Tom Taylor at Radio-Info.com that it happened yesterday. Maire had held a variety of positions over many years at CBS Radio, including being the general manager at WCBS-FM (101.1), “Fresh 102.7” WWFS and then-“K-Rock” WXRK (92.3). She’d recently been a cluster sales executive..... NY Post Slumps - 11/9 - The New York Post's circulation sags. So reports the NY Times..... Trey Morgan To Z100 - 11/9 - Trey Morgan jumps from night duties at Hartford's WKCI, KC101, to do late night duties at Clear Channel contemporary hit sister WHTZ, Z100, in NYC. He replaces Joe Rosati, who heads to CC's Detroit radio cluster..... Prez Of 2 To Head CBS TV Group - 11/9 - Channel 2/WCBS President/General Manager Peter Dunn has been named president of CBS Television Stations, with oversight of the 29-station portfolio. He will report to CBS Corp. President/CEO Leslie Moonves and will retain his current title at WCBS. Current station group president/CEO Tom Kane is exiting his post. More from B&C..... Citadel Eyes Bankruptcy - 11/9 - Credit-crunched Citadel Broadcasting, which owns WABC-AM and WPLJ, inches closer to a bankruptcy filing. Radio Online has more..... Applegate & Corning To 12 - 11/6 - Former Channel 5/WNYW co-anchors Jodi Applegate and Ron Corning are to reunite on News 12 Long Island. The NY Daily News has more..... New Editor Of NY Observer - 11/6 - Kyle Pope, who has been an editor at the Wall Street Journal and Conde Nast Portfolio, is the new editor of the NY Observer..... Sirius XM Sees Light At End Of Recessionary Tunnel - 11/5 - Sirius XM Radio announced its 2009 third quarter fiscal results today, with the satcaster reporting its fourth straight quarter of "positive pro forma adjusted income from operations." The firm ended the quarter with 18.5 million subscribers, adding just over 102,000 since Q2 2009, but still down two percent from a year ago. FMQB has more..... CBS Sees Profit Despite Sluggish Ad Market - 11/5 - CBS says that it has moved to a third-quarter profit even as an impairment charge and decreased advertising revenue cut into the bottom line. Television revenue rose to $2.27 billion from $2.08 billion. Radio revenue declined to $319 million from $392 million. MarketWatch has more..... WNYG Relays WNSW - 11/5 - Contemporary Christian WNYG in Babylon NY is now carrying the ethnic and brokered programs from its Multicultural sister station, WNSW in Newark NJ..... Trish Bergin To Islip Council - 11/5 - Trish Bergin, a former reporter at Channel 2/WCBS and Cablevision's News 12 Long Island, has won a seat on the Islip town council..... LTW & BEB Top PPMs - 11/4 - WLTW tops the October Portable People Meter radio ratings for NYC and WBEB tops Philly..... Sirius XM Gets In Holiday Spirit - 11/4 - Sirius XM announces its holiday music line-up. Holly (Sirius-3, XM-23) will feature contemporary holiday tunes from 11/16 to 12/31. Holiday Traditions (Sirius-4, XM-4) will feature traditional holiday recordings from the 1940s through the 1960s from 11/16 to 12/25. Holiday Pops (Sirius-79, XM-77) will feature classical Christmas carols from 12/7 to 12/25. Country Christmas (Sirius-62, XM-10) will run from 12/7 to 12/25. And Radio Hanukkah (Sirius-76 and XM-28) will run from 12/7 to 12/19..... Will CSN Merge With NBC Sports? - 11/4 - With all the talk that area cable TV giant Comcast is buying NBC, with a deal to be announced any day now, there come rumblings that Comcast could consolidate its regional sports networks with the sports departments of local NBC-owned TV stations. And Jim Williams wonders how this could impact Philadelphia-based Comcast SportsNet and NBC-owned Channel 4/WNBC and Channel 10/WCAU. This is "very much in the talking stages at this point, but (we're in) in a marketplace where TV stations are cutting back on sports or doing away with sports departments." More at washingtonexaminer.com..... WSJ To Start Local NYC Bureau - 11/3 - The Wall Street Journal is starting a local news desk in NYC, to be staffed by around a dozen reporters, according to the NY Times..... Pre-News Cocktail For Simmons - 11/3 - Channel 4/WNBC news anchor Sue Simmons admits that she would occasionally have a cocktail before doing her newscasts. More from the NY Observer..... Charlamagne Leaves WPHI - 11/2 - After six months, Charlamagne is out as the morning man on Radio One's urban WPHI (100.3 FM), "The Beat" in Philadelphia, as the station flips to a more music-intensive morning show..... LI's Party 105.3 To Air On 87.7 - 11/2 - Radio-Info.com tells us Mega Media’s deal with low power Channel 6 TV station WNYZ-TV has ended, and now Long Island-based JVC is taking over the 87.7 frequency via lease. JVC’s Hamptons-based “Party 105.3” WPTY, Calverton-Roanoke, NY will begin simulcasting on 87.7 on Monday. That restores a dance format to the Big Apple. It’s also a return to the New York airwaves for Vic Latino, who is a principal of JVC, where he’s known as Victor Canales. Vic once jocked at Clear Channel’s rhythmic WKTU (103.5). The Hamptons station now known as WPTY (105.3) just changed its call letters from WDRE..... WFAN To Florida - 11/2 - CBS Radio puts NYC sports talker WFAN on the digital HD3 channels of three stations it owns in Florida, Orlando's WOCL, Tampa's WLLD, and West Palm Beach's WEAT. Also, CBS puts new Boston sports talker WBZ-FM on the HD3 of Hartford's WTIC..... McLaughlin Leaves FUV For CC - 11/2 - Rich McLaughlin, content director at Fordham University's WFUV, jumps to Clear Channek to be program director of its NYC digital services. McLaughlin previously programmed Sirius's Alt Nation channel..... Transmitter Upgrade For FUV - 11/2 - FMQB tells us that NYC non-comm adult alternative rock WFUV will be upgrading its main antenna over the next several weeks, making its signal stronger in Manhattan and parts of New Jersey. The work will knock them off the air from 8 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays from 11/15 through 11/18. WFUV will resume normal broadcasting from 4 PM to 8 AM during these weekdays, while regular weekend programming will continue uninterrupted..... NYC's Pulse Stops - 10/30 - Radio-Info.com tells us that after weeks of rumors and months of turmoil for Mega Media's dance-oriented Pulse 87, the NYC station officially announced on air that it would stop broadcasting as of 5 PM Friday. In recent weeks, the station's web stream has gone on and off. Back in August, Mega Media and its Echo Broadcasting Group subsidiary filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Mega then staged a one-day fundraiser from listeners, and followed that up with the sale of nearly $70,000 in new debt. But it was not enough to keep the station going. In today's announcement, Mega Media CEO Alex Shvarts thanked the station's DJs, behind the scenes people, advertisers, and fans, and Tony Santiago of the NY Dance Music Coalition..... Cuts Coming To Time - 10/30 - Signaling that worse times are ahead for magazines, Time is expected to announce next week that it will cut $100 million from costs, including another big round of layoffs. Possibly more than 500 jobs or about 6 percent of its workforce. More at nytimes.com..... Entercom Liable In Sacramento Radio Death - 10/29 - Philadelphia-based Entercom has been found negligent in the January 2007 water intoxication death of 28-year-old mother of three during a contest at KDND in Sacramento. The jury found that KDND's talent and management acted negligently in the $16.57 million case..... New Calls For LI's 105.3 - 10/29 - Long Island's Party 105 (105.3 FM) has changed call letters from WDRE to WPTY..... New AM Team For WKJY - 10/29 - Barnstable Broadcasting's WKJY (98.3 FM) on Long Island brings back former hosts Steve Harper and Maria Garcia for mornings, starting Monday, 11/2..... NuMetal To 92.3's HD2 - 10/29 - CBS Radio's WXRK (92.3 FM) is adding NuMetal to its HD2..... Last Show For McCaffrey - 10/29 - After more than 30 years on Poughkeepsie's WKIP (1450 AM), the "Solid Gold Juke Box" with Rick McCaffrey will spin its last show on Saturday, 10/31..... Former 5er Pleads Guilty In Horse Collision - 10/29 - A police detective-turned-TV news reporter has admitted driving impaired in a collision with a police horse in Manhattan. Former Channel 5/WNYWer Michael Sheehan pleaded guilty Wednesday to driving while impaired by alcohol, a traffic infraction. His penalties: a $500 fine, five days of community service and a 90-day driver’s license suspension. The NY Post has more..... NYC's Pulse Resumes - 10/28 - From Radio-Online.com: Financially-troubled Mega Media Group's rhythmic contemporary WNYZ (Pulse 87)/NYC is back on the air after going dark Sunday night. The station told listeners that technical issues kept the station off the air. Pulse did manage to stream online during its "STL" outage. Mega filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August. According to court papers, Mega owes creditors more than $3.5 million. But that's not all, frequency owner Island Broadcasting, has reportedly put the signal up for sale with a price tag of $15 million. Even so, the station pulled 831,000 last month according to Arbitron's PPM..... Kidd Chris To Oregon - 10/28 - Former WYSP morning man Kidd Chris moves to Portland, Oregon, to do the morning show at revamped rocker KUFO..... Morrison From 4 To 2 - 10/28 - Former Channel 4/WNBCer Rob Morrison now anchors weekends at Channel 2/WCBS..... WFAN & WIP Team Up For World Series - 10/27 - From FMQB: Following up on the success of their original New York Giants versus Philadelphia Eagles NFC Playoff joint simulcast in January, CBS sports radio outlets WFAN/New York and WIP/Philadelphia are at it again. With the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies set to battle for the 2009 World Series, beginning this Wednesday, October 28 at Yankee Stadium, the two stations will again team up to host an energetic live simulcast on both stations and their respective streams, wfan.com and 610wip.com. The event will take place from 10 AM to 1 PM to help get fans of both teams psyched for the game. Each station will present the case for why its team will win, which will help get fans pumped up and further fuel the massive rivalry between the two teams and cities. Team WFAN will be represented by Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, while WIP will be represented by Anthony Gargano and Glen Macnow, along with special guests..... NYT Circ Down 7% - 10/26 - E&P is just out with the latest circulation numbers for newspapers around the country - and it ain't pretty. The New York Times saw a plunge of about 7 percent. The New York Daily News was down 14 percent, while the New York Post plunged a staggering 19 percent..... Soupy Sales Dies - 10/23 - Kiddie show TV legend and comic Soupy Sales has died at age 83 of cancer. He did his show from NYC's Channel 5/WNEW, then a Metromedia station. More in the LA Times..... AM Changes At 11 - 10/23 - Channel 11/WPIX is giving its morning news show a makeover. The NY Daily News has the details..... NY Times Losses Continue - 10/22 - The New York Times Company reported a $35.6 million loss for the third quarter on Thursday, as newspaper advertising revenue fell nearly 30 percent, but it managed to beat expectations based on continued deep cost-cutting and newspaper price increases. The Times has more..... Dawn Stensland Leaves 29 - 10/22 - Philadelphia news anchor Dawn Stensland is leaving Fox-owned Channel 29/WTXF. "Fox is not renewing my contract," Stensland Tweeted. "I wanted you to hear that directly from me." She will be replaced at 10 PM by Kerri-Lee Halkett..... Newsday To Charge For Website - 10/22 - Starting next week, those who aren't customers of Cablevision's Optimum Online or the print edition Newsday will have to pay to get full access to Newsday.com. $5 a week..... FCC Fines Brooklyn Pirate - 10/22 - The FCC has hit two alleged Brooklyn pirate radio station operators with a $10,000 fine for running an unlicensed station at 90.5 FM. According to All Access, an antenna was observed by FCC agents atop the pair's apartment building, but upon a subsequent visit, the equipment had been removed. The duo claimed claimed that someone other than themselves lived in the apartment in question..... 97.5 Becomes WPEN - 10/21 - Greater Media sports outlet WNUW (97.5 FM) in Philadelphia switches call letters to WPEN-FM to go along with sports sister WPEN-AM (950)..... Chris Walus To CC Delaware - 10/21 - Chris Walus has been named market manager for Clear Channel's Wilmington and Dover radio clusters in Delaware. He's had worked at Delmarva Broadcasting's WDEL and WSTW in Wilmington..... Dhila Leaves YSP - 10/20 - CBS classic rocker WYSP (94.1 FM) cuts Shila from the Danny Bonaduce morning show..... NY Times To Cut 100 - 10/19 - The New York Times plans to eliminate 100 newsroom jobs, about 8 percent of the total, by year's end, offering buyouts to union and non-union employees, and resorting to layoffs if it cannot get enough people to leave voluntarily..... Joe Rosati To Detroit - 10/16 - Joe Rosati, late night host at Z100, WHTZ, jumps to Clear Channel's sister contemporary hit outlet in Detroit, WKQI, to do an airshift and imaging..... 97.5 Wants Phillies - 10/16 - Greater Media, which just started a Philadelphia sports talker on 97.5 FM, "The Fanatic," says it plans to challenge CBS Radio for the rights to the Phillies baseball club when its current contract to be carried on talker WPHT, 1210 AM, expires at the end of the 2010 season. The new station is also on the prowl for more local sports rights..... New Identity For NYC's 96.3 - 10/15 - Radio-Info.com tells us that "X96.3 WXNY" is the new identity for Univision's former "La Kalle," Spanish contemporary WCAA. It's been a week since Univision acquired the 96.3 frequency from the New York Times and moved La Kalle there from the lesser-signal 105.9. It's a change in identity, but not a format flip for the old WCAA..... Ho Ho Ho For WOGL's HD2 - 10/15 - CBS's classic hits WOGL (98.1 FM) in Philadelphia launches "Christmas Classic"�its digital HD2 channel and via its website and the websites of its CBS radio sisters in town. WOGL Program Director Anne Gress says the XMAS tunes will run through 12/31..... NY Times Won't Sell Globe - 10/14 - The New York Times Company said it has decided not to sell the Boston Globe, saying the paper’s financial performance had “significantly improved” in recent months. The company had been exploring a sale of New England’s largest newspaper and had received two bids to buy the lobe and the Worcester Telegram And Gazette, which it also owns. The Times Company said it is continuing to assess "strategic alternatives" for the Worcester paper. The Boston Globe has more..... Bloomberg Nabs BizWeek - 10/14 - Bloomberg, the global financial data and news empire created by NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, is the winning bidder for BusinessWeek. More at businessweek.com..... Imus Boosts FBN - 10/14 - Don Imus gave the Fox Business Network the boost it wanted in his first week on the air. The Imus show, a simulcast of the radio program heard on WABC (770 AM), averaged 148,000 viewers a day for the first week, which began on 10/5. That put Fox Business a few thousand viewers ahead of CNBC for the first time since FBN went on the air two years ago. The NY Daily News has more..... Star-Ledger Cuts - 10/13 - More cuts at the Newark Star-Ledger. Up to 50 more could be let go. The NY Times has more..... Mark Olds Dies - 10/13 - Mark Olds died on 10/8 after suffering a stroke. He was 88. Olds retired in 1982 after a career that included holding the general manager positions at NYC's WWRL and the old WRVR..... Gospel WEHA Sold - 10/13 - Radio-Info.com tells us that non-commercial WEHA (88.7 FM) in Port Republic NJ sells for $375,000, and the buyer is local Christian group Spread The Gospel. The seller is WXXY Broadcasting of Delaware. There’s an FM translator along for the ride - W260BW, Egg Harbor NJ, broadcasting at 99.9 FM. WEHA does black gospel, using the phrase “Spreading the gospel one song at a time"..... DCRTV's On Twitter & Facebook - 10/11 - Get local radio and TV news, gossip, and commentary the instant it fires on DCRTV Dave's brain synapses at twitter.com/dcrtv. Also, check us out at facebook.com/dcrtv..... Berman To Be Heard On WOR - 10/10 - Veteran Channel 4/WNBC sports reporter Len Berman joins WOR radio's John Gambling to provide sports updates on Mondays and Fridays..... More: 97.5 Becomes Philly's "Fanatic" - 10/10 - From Radio-Info.com: Greater Media may have moved up the simulcast of WPEN (950) and WNUW (97.5), because of the rampant speculation online, at Radio-Info and elsewhere. The market’s first FM sports station hit the air at 5pm Friday (Oct. 9). It’s not just a simulcast of sports WPEN-AM, but a fresh imaging package as “The Fanatic.” That’s a play on the famed Philadelphia Phillies mascot, just as the defending World Series champs are in post-season play. Here’s the lineup: 6-10 AM, ESPN’s Mike and Mike. 10 AM-noon, to be announced, with Dan Schwartzman and Steven A. Smith as “special guest hosts” for now. Noon-2 PM, Harry Mays and Vai Sikahema. 2-7 PM, Mike Missanelli. Then a variety of shows in the evening including “The Linebackers Show From Chickie’s And Pete’s” sports bar on Tuesdays, and Sal Paolantonio from Connie Mac’s, Thursdays. “The Fanatic” is also using former Philadelphian Tony Bruno’s “Into The Night” from the Content Factory from 10 PM-1 AM. Then “All Night With Jason Smith”, 1-5 AM. The target is CBS Radio’s WIP (610), which has been in the format for most of 20 years - which has been beating Great Media rocker WMMR (93.3) with 25-54 men in the recent Arbitron PPMs. The new simulcast ends the days of WNUW, Burlington, NJ (97.5) playing music – most recently as an AC..... Local Group To Get WLIU - 10/9 - Newsday reports that Long Island University has signed a letter of intent with Peconic Public Broadcasting to sell them the license for WLIU in Southampton. The grassroots group was fighting to save WLIU by creating its own not-for-profit entity. LIU says it is committed to keeping public radio on the East End and that the group offered the most money. The group offered a package worth $2.7 million, half in cash, a promise to pick up about $400,000 in operating costs, and another promise to keep the college radio station at CW Post going for another year, which they say is worth $1 million, sources say..... Sports Comes To Philly's 97.5 - 10/9 - Radio-Info.com is reporting "strong rumors" pointing stronger competition for CBS Radio’s sports powerhouse WIP-AM (610). Greater Media-owned WPEN-AM (950) may join the growing national ranks of sports stations on the FM dial, moving into the dial position currently occupied by WNUW-FM (97.5), which segued from smooth jazz as WJJZ-FM to adult contemporary to hot adult contemporary, all within the span of 13 months. In the most recent Arbitron PPM ratings in Philadelphia, while WIP was in the top-10 rated stations, both WNUW and WPEN each scored a 1.4, toward the bottom of the market's ratings. More: A DCRTVer tells us that the announcement putting WPEN on 97.5 was made Friday afternoon, with the flip taking place at 5 PM. ESPN's Mike and Mike will do mornings..... Studio Move For WFAN - 10/9 - CBS sports talker WFAN-AM (660) is completing its move from Astoria in Queens to their new studios in Lower Manhattan. The new studio debuts at 10 AM Saturday..... LTW 1st Again - 10/7 - Adult contemporary WLTW tops the NYC radio heap. Classic hits WCBS-FM takes 2nd, classic rock WAXQ 3rd, with all-news WCBS-AM and contemporary hit WHTZ tied for 4th. All the numbers are at Radio-Info.com. In Philadelphia, WBEB and KYW top the ratings. Those numbers are also at Radio-Info.com..... Banks Don't Like CC's Debt - 10/7 - The NY Times is reporting that several big banks are reportedly not feeling the love for Clear Channel after being forced to uphold lending commitments in the buyout of the radio and billboard giant last year. Clear Channel's private equity owners have gone hat in hand to some big banks to help them keep Clear Channel from defaulting on its loans. However, the banks are have rejected the requests for help, which could mean Clear Channel could default by year-end or early next year..... ABC News Radio Makes Cuts - 10/6 - First on DCRTV. We tipped you at noon Tuesday and now we hear more. About 20 staffers at ABC News Radio in DC and NYC were given layoff notices today. Mainly behind-the-scenes employees, including news writers and engineering staff. Some management positions have also been eliminated. On the outs: Robert Garcia and Peter Salinger. More: We're told that among those cut is 13-year ABC radio correspondent Pam Coulter, who worked many years at CBS and WTOP, and nearly all tape editors and desk editors. "There is a skeleton staff now in DC," a source tells DCRTV. "Rumor is it is because of the likely implosion of Citadel, which contractually owes money to ABC to continue carrying its product after they bought the ABC radio stations. If Citadel goes bankrupt, the contract is void and the money stops flowing to ABC"..... Rob Morrison To 2 - 10/6 - Rob Morrison, former anchor of the early-morning "Today In New York" on Channel 4/WNBC, has been hired to co-anchor weekends at Channel 2/WCBS and report three days a week..... John Rivaa Dies - 10/5 - John "Mr. Magic" Rivaa died of a heart attack on 10/2 at age 53. He hosted "Rap Attack" on NYC's WBLS in the 1980s..... Easu Davis To XRK - 10/5 - Esau Davis joins CBS's 92.3 Now, WXRK, for weekend shifts. He comes from WQBT in Savannah..... Don Imus Debuts On Fox Biz - 10/5 - Howard Kurtz has a lengthy piece on Don Imus's TV debut this morning on the Fox Business Network. MSNBC simulcast his radio show for 11 years until the spring of 2007, when the channel, and CBS Radio, fired Imus over racially insulting remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. He's still heard on NYC talker WABC radio. More in the DC Post. Also, Kurtz will host a Q&A on Imus at noon Monday at washingtonpost.com..... WNYH Back To Korean - 10/5 - Radio-Info.com tells us that Long Island AMer WNYH (740) in Huntington has dropped oldies and gone back to Korean-language programming. It used to do Korean when K Communications bought then-WGSM in 2001..... Jim Nettleton Dies - 10/4 - KYW is reporting that cancer has claimed the life of longtime Philadelphia radio personality Jim Nettleton (right) at the age of 69. He was one of the original "Boss Jocks" of "Famous 56" WFIL in the 1960s. He also worked in Hartford, New York, and Tampa..... Imus Rants On Rather & Letterman - 10/2 - WABC radio personality Don Imus calls Dan Rather "crazy" and David Letterman "a creep." Imus starts his Fox Business Network morning simulcast on Monday. More at Mediaite..... New GSM At CBS-FM - 10/2 - CBS Radio names Chad Lopez as general sales manager of classic hits WCBS-FM in NYC. He jumps from his GSM gig at all-newser WCBS-AM. Cathy Murphy will become GSM for the latter..... Eagles Sue WZXL - 10/2 - The Philadelphia Daily News reports that the Philadelphia Eagles' lawyers are busy throwing penalty flags at a South Jersey radio station. In a 124-page lawsuit filed in Camden federal court recently, lawyers for the Eagles contend that they've warned a Pleasantville, Atlantic County-based communications company about violating the team's trademarks and licensing agreements on its stations in the past, and that now they're coming with a full legal blitz. In a 2004 e-mail included in the complaint, Equity Communications President Gary Fisher wrote that he fully understood that Eagles logos and unofficial partnerships were "off-limits" and apologized for the infractions to 94.1 WYSP, the Eagles' official radio station in the area. According to the lawsuit, however, Equity continues to give away tickets on its rock station, 100.7 WZXL, and is accused of using team logos to draw business..... 2 Join 7 - 10/2 - Some additions to Channel 7/WABC. Rob Powers, sports director of Toldeo's WTVG-TV, becomes weekend sports anchor at WABC. And, Darla Miles, a reporter and anchor at Dallas/Fort Worth's WFAA-TV, becomes a general assignment reporter for WABC..... Comcast Stock Sinks After Denying NBC Rumor - 10/1 - Area cable TV giant Comcast is denying reports that it is close to a deal to buy NBC Universal for $35 billion, speculation that sent its stock down more than 7 percent in early trading Thursday. Multichannel News has more..... Jim Nettleton "Gravely Ill" - 10/1 - Radio-Info.com tells us that Jim Nettleton is gravely ill, according to several folks associated with Philadelphia radio. He's dealing with lung cancer, and the terrific Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers chapter traces his "top 40" career from WFIL to WABC, then to Toronto's CHUM, back to Philadelphia - and a whole raft of voiceover work for commercials and broadcasting station clients. He was also an active syndicator and program producer, and very creative as a programmer with early automation..... Lange Pleads Guilty - 10/1 - Howard Stern's Sirius XM sidekick Artie Lange has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of a habit-producing drug in a minor traffic accident, reports AP. The accident occurred in July in Toms River NJ. Lange entered his plea Wednesday and had his drivers license suspended for seven months..... More: QXR Changes - 10/1 - The NY Times has more news about all the changes at classical WQXR when it moves from 96.3 to 105.9 on 10/8..... Peconic Bids For WLIU - 9/30 - Locally-based Peconic Public Broadcasting has submitted a bid of more than $2 million for non-commercial WLIU in Southhampton, Long Island. The bid, with $1.3 million in cash and $1 million in support of Long Island University's WCWP in Brookville plus about $400,000 in costs of operation before closing, is one of at least three submitted for the station, which LIU has put up for sale..... Court Dismisses Rather Suit - 9/29 - A New York appeals court Tuesday dealt a bitter blow to former CBS News anchorman Dan Rather when it ruled unanimously to dismiss his $70 million lawsuit against his former network for what he characterized as an effort by his bosses to run him off the job by denying him meaningful assignments after he stepped down from the anchor desk. More at baltimoresun.com..... Eagle To Do WPEN Show - 9/29 - Philadelphia's sports talk WPEN (950 AM) adds Philadelphia Eagle DeSean Jackson to do a bi-weekly Monday show..... WW1 Unveils Cuts, Furloughs - 9/29 - DCRTV tipped you last week. And now we hear that Westwood One, which operates Metro Traffic, is unveiling more "cost saving" measures. Pay cuts that amount to five days' pay in the fourth quarter, on top of recent 5 percent salary cuts, to go with five furlough days. Employees are being told that every other week, from 10/12 to 12/20, their pay will be reduced by one day's pay. Basically, 10 days pay lost the rest of the year. For all full-timers. Those unpaid furlough days will include Thanksgiving and the day after. Part-timers aren't affected by today's plan. There's more at rbr.com..... FCC Yanks WIP Fine - 9/28 - The FCC has entered into a consent decree with CBS sports talk WIP in Philadelphia, cancelling a $4000 fine issued to the outlet after it "failed to announce the material terms" of its annual Wing Bowl. WIP also allegedly failed "to conduct the contest in accordance with its material terms." Radio-Online.com has more..... AirAm Continues WWRL Deal - 9/28 - Air America renews its deal with NYC flagship WWRL (1600 AM) and its owner, Access 1. For the continued carriage of Rachel Maddow, Montel Williams, and Ron Reagan..... "Evangelical" Groups Bid For WLIU - 9/28 - On eastern Long Island, at least four bids are now in for public radio outlet WLIU in Southampton (88.3 FM), and Newsday says "three were connected with evangelical broadcasters"..... William Safire Dies - 9/27 - William Safire, 79, conservative political columnist and word maven, died today at a hospice in Rockville MD, reportedly of pancreatic cancer. Safire, who won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1978, had been writing the New York Times' "On Language" column since 1979. The column examined the origins of words and phrases and their proper usage. Before joining the Times, Safire worked as a speechwriter at the Nixon White House in 1968. He was credited with coining the phrases "nattering nabobs of negativism" and "hysterical hypochondriacs of history" that Vice President Spiro Agnew used to describe the US media. More at washingtonpost.com..... 102.7 Adds "Acoustic Sunrise" - 9/25 - CBS Radio expands Dan O'Brien's "Acoustic Sunrise" from hot adult contemporary WBMX in Boston to four additional markets, including NYC's DC's 102.7 Fresh FM, WWFS. It'll air Sunday mornings..... Buyouts At NYT - 9/25 - Romemesko tells us that the New York Times has agreed to voluntary buyouts..... Doug McIntyre Joins WABC - 9/24 - Doug McIntyre jumps from KABC radio in LA to WABC radio in NYC. Where he'll do the 5 AM hour, leading to the Don Imus show. Both stations are owned by Citadel..... John Atwater Leaving 29 - 9/23 - NewsBlues tells us that John Atwater, weekend news anchor Philadelphia's Channel 29/WTXF since 2005, is leaving the station to be "closer to family" in Boston. No word on his TV plans..... Jade McCarthy To NESN - 9/23 - Jade McCarthy, who does news and sports fill-in work for Philadelphia's Channel 10/WCAU, is getting married this weekend and moving to Boston, where she'll join New England Sports Network in January..... Jim & Kim Replace Dave & Danni At Fresh - 9/22 - Jim and Kim from Barnstable's adult contemporary WKJY, 98.3 FM, on Long Island are the new morning team at CBS's like formatted Fresh 102.7, WWFS, in NYC. They replace Dave and Danni. Prior to working at WKJY, Jim Douglas was heard on WHN and at the old Mix 105 in NYC. Kim Berk once worked at LI's WLIR..... Steve Friedman Dies - 9/22 - Steve Friedman, who'd done movie reviews for Philadelphia talker WPHT and other area stations, has died of kidney disease at home on 9/20 at age 62..... Mays Leaves Hughley's RKS Show - 9/21 - Raquiyah Mays gets dropped as co-host from the Kiss-FM, WRKS, DL Hughley morning show..... Stanley Bardot Dies - 9/21 - Stanley Barbot, a leading voice in NYC's Haitian community, and the host of WLIB (1190 AM) "Moment Creole" show, has died of colon cancer in his Queens home. He was 47..... Fresh 102.7 Axes Morning Team - 9/21 - Dave & Danni are out after just five months together as the morning team at NYC's Fresh 102.7, WWFS. Dave Packer tells Radio-Info.com that "after the show [Friday], we were both brought into the office and they told us they have other plans for mornings - they have another morning show in mind." Danni came to Fresh from CBS sister WXRK, as it changed from a rocker to contemporary hits..... Anastos Apologizes For F-Bomb - 9/18 - B&C tells us that Channel 5/WNYW anchor Ernie Anastos apologized for the peculiar and profane-bit of anchor banter he uttered on the air Wednesday night. Anastos, who co-anchors the 10 p.m. news, echoed old Perdue ads when he told meteorologist Nick Gregory, "It takes a tough man to make a tender forecast." Anastos then told Gregory to "keep f***ing that chicken." Last night at 10:37 PM, Anastos said he "misspoke" during Wednesday's 10 PM news. "I apologize for my remarks to anyone who may have been offended," he said. His mea culpa came out of Gregory's weather forecast, just as the fateful chicken quip did the night before. WNYW, a Fox O&O, chastised the veteran anchor yesterday in a statement. "We are disappointed with Ernie's comment on the air last night," said VP/General Manager Lew Leone. Fox management has not indicated that Anastos will be punished or fired..... Citadel In Deal To Finance Debt - 9/18 - Citadel Broadcasting offered a deal to exchange a major part of its debt for equity to senior lenders owed $2 billion, including JPMorgan, Chase, GE Capital, and ING. On Wednesday, Citadel faced a deadline to make a $2 million interest payment, but the status remained unclear. Discussions have slowed in recent days in part as some lenders have been caught off-guard by Federal Communications Commission rules intended to limit concentrated holdings of media firms. More from Reuters. Locally, Citadel owns WPLJ and WABC radio..... 5's Anastos Drops "F-Bomb" - 9/17 - From NewsBlues: Legendary New York anchor Ernie Anastos briefly went insane last night, dropping the live "F-bomb" on Channel 5/WNYW. During some playful cross talk with weather guesser Nick Gregory, Anastos complimented him by saying, "It takes a tough man to make a tender forecast, Nick." Looking confused, Gregory replied, "I guess that's me." Without missing a beat, Anastos added, "Keep fucking that chicken," a completely bewildering phrase that made co-anchor Dari Alexander's eyes bug out like a cartoon character. Video at YouTube..... "The Pit" For MMR - 9/17 - Philadelphia rocker WMMR (93.1 FM) rebrands Matt Cord's night show as "The Pit," with 52-minute, commercial-free music marathons, greater listener interaction, and a mix of 1990s and current music..... 770's Bruce Anderson Retires - 9/16 - After a five-decade career, the last 25 years on NYC's WABC-AM, newsman Bruce Anderson hangs up his headphones after his Thursday afternoon newscast..... Fred Sherman Dies - 9/14 - Longtime KYW radio financial commentator Fred Sherman died on 9/12. He was 86 and pass away from complications he suffered in a traffic ccident several weeks ago. Sherman was let go from all-news KYW in January..... WLIU Sale Protested - 9/14 - Hamptons.com reports about protest against the upcoming sale of SUNY Stony Brook's WLIU (88.3 FM) in Southampton. A local group is attempting to raise enough money to buy the fincially strapped non-comm and operate it. Bids on the station are due later this month..... WQXR-WCAA Flip Set For October 8 - 9/11 - From All Access: With the FCC's approval of the three-way deal that will result in a frequency swap for classical WQXR and tropical WCAA (La Kalle), the date for the big switch is now set for 10/8. Univision is buying the 96.3 FM facility of WQXR from the New York Times and will move the WCAA format from 105.9 FM on that day. A the same time, noncommercial WQXR will take over the 105.9 frequency and will install the calls and classical format of WQXR there at 8 PM with a live broadcast from Carnegie Hall, simulcast on WNYC-FM, which will be operate the new WQXR..... Suit Against O&A's Norton Settled - 9/11 - A lawyer and "anti-feminist" who had lost a bid to get a court to declare "ladies' nights" at bars as unlawful discrimination has settled his suit against Opie and Anthony sidekick and comic Jim Norton for defamation after the lawyer appeared on the XM Satellite Radio edition of the show. The NY Post has more..... Reese To Co-Host Afternoons On WIP - 9/11 - Ike Reese, evening host at WIP and former Philadelphia Eagle, becomes afternoon co-host with Howard Eskin on the CBS sports talker. Comcast SportsNet's Rob Ellis takes over Reese's evening show on Philadelphia's 610 AM..... Bob Grant Back To 770 - 9/10 - Bob Grant (right) returns to the NYC airwaves. He's making his third go-round at talker WABC, 770 AM, where he will do Sunday afternoons from noon to 2..... WLTW Widens Lead - 9/10 - NYC's "Lite" grows brighter. Clear Channel soft AC “Lite 106.7” WLTW has improved 6.2 to 6.5 to a 7.1, with age 6+ AQH shares in Arbitron. That extends its lead over #2 WCBS-FM, though the classic hits station is also on an upward curve, moving 5.2 to 5.5 to 5.7. In the CHR battle, Clear Channel’s “Z100” WHTZ is tied for fourth at a 4.6 share, while CBS Radio’s “92.3 Now” WXRK has grown 1.8 to 2.1 to 2.3. The highest-ranking urban station is Clear Channel’s “Power 105.1” WWPR, flat at a 3.3. Commercial-classical WQXR – about to be relocated from 96.3 to 105.9 and run as a non-commercial station – has a 1.7, tied with Emmis' “Rock Alternative” WRXP. Adult contemporary WBEB takes the top spot in Philadelphia, with oldies WOGL second, and newser KYW third. More from Radio-Info.com..... NYT Reporter Freed In Afghanistan - 9/9 - For the second time this year, a New York Times journalist is now free from captivity in Afghanistan. Stephen Farrell was rescued in commando raid earlier today, which killed a British soldier and the reporter's interpreter, Sultan Munadi. More at politico.com..... Bonnie Bernstein To WEPN - 9/8 - ESPN's Bonnie Bernstein joins NYC's ESPN Radio sports talker WEPN (AM 1050) as a part of the Michael Kay afternoon show..... Changes At WCCC - 9/8 - Hartford rocker WCCC-FM (106.9) moves afternoon driver and Program Director Mike Picozzi to mornings. Afternoon drive co-host Klonk will now do afternoons solo..... Mo' Bounce To Z100 - 9/8 - Mo' Bounce jumps to Clear Channel's contemporary hit WHTZ, Z100, for the 6 PM to 10 PM shift. He comes from Houston's KKHH..... Confirmed: Imus To FBN - 9/3 - We've hinted many times in the past month. Now it's now official. Don Imus (right) is moving the TV simulcast of his WABC radio-based morning radio show from the rural RFD network to the more urbane Fox Business Network. Starting on 10/5, from 6 AM to 9 AM. Fox says its biz correspondents will appear on the show, reporting on breaking financial news as well as pre-market action..... New VP For 5 & 9 - 9/3 - Nick Gardner will replace Patrick Paolini as vice president and director of sales for Fox's Channel 5/WNYW and Channel 9/WWOR..... Gibson To Give Up Evening News Gig - 9/2 - Charlie Gibson announces that he will leave "ABC World News" at the end of the year. Dianne Sawyer will take over the reins of the half-hour evening newscast in January. "With Sawyer's new role, two of the three major network's evening news broadcasts will now be anchored by females, a first in television history," according to a statement at abcnews.com. The Politico has more..... Booster For FUV - 9/4 - FMQB tells us that adult alternative WFUV in NYC has received FCC approval to mount a booster antenna on West 31st Street in Manhattan. With a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting and another grant in negotiations, the campaign is well on its way. Additionally, FJC, a foundation of donor-advised funds, has offered a challenge grant of $25,000 if the station's listeners will contribute the remaining $75,000. Since WFUV's original 90.7 FM signal, coming from the Bronx, gets blocked by Manhattan skyscrapers, an additional transmitter would "boost" the signal and bring it to over a million new listeners in pockets of NYC..... LIRB Moves - 9/2 - Long Island Radio Broadcasting, which owns WEHM-FM (92.9/96.9), WBAZ-FM (102.5), WBEA-FM (101.7), and WEHN-FM (96.9), is moving from Amagansett to a showcase studio in the Citarella Shopping Center in Water Mill, Radio-Info.com tells us..... Cred Crunch May Force Citadel To Sell - 9/2 - Today's Wall Street Journal reports more rumblings that Citadel is facing a severe credit crunch, lending more creedence to the rumblings that the radio firm may sell its radio stations, including WABC-AM and WPLJ..... Judge Tosses Star Suit - 9/2 - A judge has tossed out the federal lawsuit DJ Star filed after Power 105 fired him for making crude comments about a rival's 4-year-old daughter three years ago. Manhattan Federal Judge Peter Leisure ruled that Clear Channel "did not breach the employment agreement" when it took him off the air. More from the NY Daily News..... Karen Scott Out As 11's ND - 9/1 - Karen Scott has resigned as news director of Tribune's Channel 11/WPIX. She's been with the station 16 years and assumed the job of ND in 1999. The NY Daily News has more..... Ken Dyball Dies - 9/1 - Ken Dyball, a graphics designer at C-SPAN, died on 8/27 after a long illness. He'd been with the DC-based cablecaster since 1997, after stints at CNN, ABC, and NYC TVers WCBS and WPIX..... Jay Lamond Leaves WPEN - 9/1 - Jay Lamont will do his last weekend show for Greater Media's Philadelphia sports talker WPEN (950 AM)on 9/6. He's hosted "All About Real Estate" for 31 years..... Copyright Dave Hughes/DCRTV.....

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