Citadel/ABC Merger almost there
Pittsburgh, National News: According to Radio Ink, Walt Disney Co. has released the details for the spin-off of ABC Radio and programming operations to Citadel Broadcasting. The 22 radio stations (NOT including Pittsburgh's WEAE 1250 as it is an ESPN Radio Outlet) and ABC Radio Network will be transferred into ABC Radio Holdings Inc. - a subsidiary. Stock for the new company will be distributed to current shareholders. The new subsidiary will then merge with a wholly owned subsidiary of Citadel thereby allowing Citadel to exchange one share of stock for each share of ABC Radio Holdings. The proposed merger was announced in February 2006 and the closing will happen 6/12.New entries for "Where are they now..."
Pittsburgh: Visit PBRTV's Where Are they Now?" page to see new entries for John Cross and John Poister. If you have any updates on folks listed on the page or know of someone who isn't listed, send us an email!Local Rep opposes XM/Sirius Merger
Pittsburgh, National News: US Representative Mike Doyle (D - Forest Hills), as vice-chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee has voiced his opposition to the merger of Satellite Radio rivals XM and Sirius. (Story found in the McKeesport Daily News 5/29 - not online.) Doyle's letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzoles, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras says the merger would be harmful to subscribers and is not in the public interest. In addition Doyle stated that the FCC knows that "licensing at least two providers will help to ensure that subscription rules are competitive, as well as provide for a diversity of voices." Apparently neither satcaster heeded an FCC order to provide a receiver able to switch between network software.Jericho fans say 'nuts' to CBS
Pittsburgh, National News: Fans of the cancelled Skeet Ulrich drama "Jericho," set in a small Kansas town after a mysterious series of nuclear blasts rip major U.S. cities, are socking CBS television brass with bags of nuts in protest. The idea was inspired by a line in the series' last episode. (The line itself recalls the story of an American general during the Battle of the Bulge who received an ultimatum from the Germans to surrender. "Nuts," responded Gen. Tony McAuliffe.)As of Sunday night, a whopping 24,000 pounds of nuts had been pledged, according to the company handling the shipments, NutsOnline.com.
One of the lead "Jericho" protesters, reports a sci-fi fan website, is Pittsburgh's own Clarke Ingram, operations manager for WKHB (620) and WKFB (770). Another local fan, Kyle Atherton of Kittanning, is also participating in the protest, reports the Leader Times. "It was one of the few really great shows on anymore," he tells the newspaper. 'It was one that you had to watch every week to know what was going on and you never knew what the characters would do next.
Aaron Barnhart, host of TVBarn.com and critic for the Kansas City Star, says "Jericho" fans can hope for a special episode or one-shot movie to wrap up the series, but doubts their protest will inspire CBS to bring back the series, or that another network will pick it up. "All indications are that 'Jericho' was well-sampled in the fall and that people had 11 opportunities to check it out before it went off the air," he argues.
Indeed, a CBS spokesman tells the New York Times that the network is "impressed" but hasn't changed its decision about the show.
But E!'s Kristin Veitch thinks the network seriously underestimated the strength of the "Jericho" fan base. "Nielsen can measure butts in seats, but it sure can't measure hearts and minds," she says, adding that the ratings for "Jericho" "don't tell the whole story" in this case.
Mix 98.9 HD Update
Youngstown: Clear Channel has signed on with it's second HD FM station in the Youngstown market. WMXY "Mix 98.9" is now broadcasting in "Hybrid Digital." I'm not too clear as to when Mix put the HD signal on, but I will be looking into it. Update - WMXY HD2 is no longer simulcasting Mix's main signal on a 10 second delay. The channel is now carrying one of Clear Channel's satellite music offerings, called "Endless Love." All Love Songs, 24/7.Who does this guy think he is?
Pittsburgh:
There's this guy who recently started doing his first radio show on 620 KHB on Monday nights at 7:15. (He and the station's "Sunday night guy" used to do a program on WRCT together.) So far he has won over a couple of listeners.
So then, this guy thinks he's some sort of "big shot" cause he has this website and newspaper reporters are asking him all of these questions...sort of like the article in 5/24's Trib PM.
Sheesh! At least you'll never see that kind of behavior at PBRTV.com...
This set looks strangely familiar
Pittsburgh, National News: Quoting a Fox TV news release: "In the '90s, the local TV news scene in Pittsburgh was dominated by one team: Chuck Darling and Kelly Carr."Blasphemers! Everyone knows it was Don and Sally! You take that back, Fox!
Ahem. Sorry. Fox has the first clips of its new fall sitcom, Back To You, available for viewing, and there seems to be a better than average chance that it won't be a complete suckfest, unlike other sitcoms nominally set in Western Pennsylvania like Hope and Gloria (and we're especially looking your way, Mr. Belvedere). From what we've seen, Kelsey Grammer turns on the smarm as Darling, an anchorman bumped from his gig in Los Angeles after embarrassing himself on the air and forced to return to fictional WURG-TV (9) in Pittsburgh, where he's reunited with Carr (Patricia Heaton), who can't stand him.
If the early clips are any indication, Grammer's character has a harder, more cynical edge than the somewhat neurotic, unsure psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane --- there's a little more Sideshow Bob in the mix, if you'll pardon that reference --- which could be very entertaining.
And the talent on both sides of the camera is impressive ... besides Heaton (best known from Everybody Loves Raymond, frankly not one of my favorites), Back To You also has the always-fun Fred Willard as a slightly-dim sportscaster, its director is James Burrows of "Cheers," and its executive producers are Steven Levitan ("Frasier," "Just Shoot Me!" and "Wings") and Christopher Lloyd ("Frasier" and "The Golden Girls").
Yes, it's a bit derivative of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (which Willard also appeared in), but it's also a little bit The Mary Tyler Moore Show and WKRP in Cincinnati, and those didn't work out too badly, as I recall.
Back To You would seem to have a lot going for it, but as others have pointed out, Fox has a terrible track record at developing live-action comedies. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to name a single successful Fox sitcom since Malcolm in the Middle, but maybe Back To You can break the jinx (and rinse away the terrible aftertaste of Bob Uecker and Christopher Hewett ... "Beaver Falls" my butt!).
Back To You is tentatively scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Wednesdays (before the dreadful Til Death, starring Heaton's fellow Raymond alum Brad Garrett).
I just hope that WURG --- unlike Pittsburgh's real Fox affiliate, WPGH-TV (53) --- isn't owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Otherwise the entire news department might get canned even if Fox doesn't cancel Back To You.
Conneaut Lake Park closed for summer
Erie-Meadville: A devastating blow to the Conneaut Lake & Meadville region yesterday when it was announced that Conneaut Lake Park will not open this summer. The closing cancels every scheduled public & private event for the park, including the annual "Doo Wop Weekend" event. The Rock & Roll sounds of "Doo Wop Weekend" has been a major event for the park on both Memorial Day & Labor Day weekends for several years. The "Doo Wop Diner" on WMVL "Cool 101.7" (every other Saturday from 10am - 1pm) has certainly made this event well known in the region every year. If anyone from the "diner" would like to comment, please leave a response here or email me at Laveryman@hotmail.com. I must say that I was impressed with Y-103 in Youngstown for mentioning the park & to donate to their token drive. On a personal note, to see what was once a great park fall under hard financial times is very sad. I took many field trips there before summer vacation & it was something I will always remember. Unfortunately, my daughter may not be able to experience Conneaut Lake Park like I once did all those years ago.XM problem repaired
National News: XM Satellite listeners can rejoice after the problem which plagued one of the satellites was fixed around mid-day today. Several news outlets are saying that the problem occurred after software was installed for a critical satellite broadcast piece. The result was a loss in signal from one of the four satellites.XM Outage
National News:Around Noon yesterday, I was headed out to work when something happened to my XM signal. Suddenly, in places where I should receive a perfect signal, I had very spotty reception. Every overpass I went under faded the signal down to nothing. Thinking it was the receiver, I pulled the plug in disgust and tuned into WJAS.
After my 8 hour work day (into the night) I got back in the car and plugged in the ole receiver only to have the same misfortune of spotty coverage. The same thing was happening with my home receiver...which didn't pick up a thing.
As it turns out, many people experienced the same problem. According to DCRTV, the problem was due to XM-3 the Satellite itself which lost its downlinking abilities. The reason for this is unkown. According to XM's statement, the outage is temporary and will affect some customers. A fix was expected by early evening, but as of this writing (the following early morning) the fix doesn't seem to have taken place.
Y-town activist, ex-WYSU host dies
Youngstown: Former WYSU-FM (88.5) talk-show host Robert Fitzer died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer, reports the Youngstown Vindicator. Fitzer, who was also an accomplished clarinetist and an instructor at Youngstown State University, attacked local corruption on his weekly show "Commentary Cafe" from 1995 to 2001. But some Youngstown officials criticized him after he was found hiding in the bushes outside a restaurant, spying on people attending a meeting with a local developer. "He kind of saw himself as a community watchdog sometimes in conventional ways and sometimes in unconventional ways," said Gary Sexton, former program manager at WYSU-FM. "He really wanted the community to be better, and he knew it wouldn't happen if corruption were not exposed."O'Connor, moe headed to Warhol
Pittsburgh: Hide your pictures of the Pontiff: Scott Tady of the Beaver County Times reports that Sinead O'Connor, moe ("yes, they spell it 'moe'") and other artists will be at the Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh's North Side in June to tape performances and interviews for public radio's syndicated "World Cafe," produced at Philadelphia's WXPN-FM (88.5) and heard locally on WYEP-FM (91.3). There will also be a free concert 5 p.m. June 23 at Allegheny Landing, Scott says.'Hi' in the middle, round at both ends
Misc. Ohio:
Since I'm the resident propeller-head of PBRTV.com, it should come as no surprise that I recently attended the annual international geek-out known as "Dayton Hamvention." I thought I'd pass along a few tidbits of Pittsburgh interest. (more)
Hillgrove to receive the Schenkel Award
Pittsburgh:Bill Hillgrove, as the voice of the Pitt football play-by-play announcer, has been chosen as the 2007 winner of the Chris Schenkel Award. The award is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. He will be presented with his award in December at the organization's 50th banquet at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC.
Hillgrove started out as an announcer at WTAE-TV in 1968 and quickly moved on to disc jockey work at sister station WTAE-AM. Nearly 40 years later, he is the voice of Pitt football and basketball as well as the play-by-play announcer for the Steelers.
Complete details in the Post-Gazette.
O&A: The Aftermath
Pittsburgh, National News:FMQB reports that Opie & Anthony were pretty quiet about their XM suspension on their show on 5/16. Their 3-hour CBS Radio (including Pittsburgh's WTZN 93.7) airshift continues as normal. Meanwhile XM maintains that they want the duo back after 30 days and that the time off isn't about the segment last week in which a homeless man said he desired to have sex with Condoleezza Rice and others. A spokesman for the Satrad company told the industry insider that CEO Hugh Panero is an advocate for free speech that the suspension is for discussing the material several days later on their 5/14 program.
Meanwhile O&A fans have been cancelling their XM subscriptions. Several blogs like this one have even said that people have destroyed their XM receivers in protest. Although PBRTV cannot confirm it, there are rumors that XM is offering a few months of free service for those cancelling their subscription due to the suspension. Some other blogs and industry analysts suggest that the move was so XM would be in good graces of the law makers who will have the authority to approve a pending merger with Sirius.
WWVA, other CC stations sold
West Virginia:
OK, so we missed this one when it happened last week. Well, we're better late than ... ahem ... anyway, Pat Cloonan of the McKeesport Daily News points out the recent sale of WWVA (1170) Wheeling and 186 other Clear Channel stations (mostly in smaller markets) to GoodRadio.TV of West Palm Beach, Fla., which is owned by Dean Goodman. Five other CC stations in the Wheeling area are part of the deal, including WBBD, WEGW-FM, WKWK-FM, WOVK-FM and WVKF-FM.
The Mighty Blog of Fun (tm) known as Ohio Media Watch reported last week that Clear Channel stations in Lima, Findlay, Tiffin, Sandusky, Chillicothe and Marion, Ohio, are also going to GoodRadio. Cloonan notes Goodman had been CEO of Paxson Communications Corp. during the ill-fated attempt to swap WQEX-TV (16) for WPCB-TV (40).
There's more in the Wheeling News-Register/Intelligencer and Radio and Records.
In a related story, the Capitol Music Hall, once home to the WWVA Jamboree and previously owned by Clear Channel, is closing because of fire code violations (the radio stations, which are based in the music hall, are not affected). The Post-Gazette and the News-Register/Intelligencer report that city leaders and community groups are trying to purchase and reopen the hall. (more)
Oh-oh, O&A
Pittsburgh, National News: XM Satellite Radio has suspended shock-talkers Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia for 30 days, effective immediately, over a segment in which a guest (supposedly a deranged homeless man, though some reports suggest it was an act) discussed raping Condoleezza Rice, Queen Elizabeth II and other women.
According to an XM press release, "Comments made by Opie and Anthony on yesterday's broadcast put into question whether they appreciate the seriousness of the matter." (Wired magazine's Epicenter blog has speculated that XM was quick to act over fears the controversy might jeopardize its proposed merger with the competing Sirius satellite service. The merger must be approved by federal regulators.)
No word yet on what might happen to O&A's simulcast over more than 20 conventional broadcast stations, including Pittsburgh's "The Zone" WTZN-FM (93.7). The offending remarks were carried only on XM, not on the simulcast, but given how quick CBS Radio was to throw Don Imus under the bus, one suspects O&A could be the next casualty.
WCTL adds two more Translators
Erie-Meadville:Residents in Jamestown, New York & Warren, Pa. can now listen to WCTL 106.3 on two translators. The Christian Contemporary station can be heard in Jamestown at 98.7 and in Warren at 100.7. The station now has 4 translators with two in Erie county. One is in North East at 99.1 & in the City of Erie at 105.9.
'TAJ's Rohall profiled
Johnstown-Altoona-State College:
WTAJ-TV (10) nighttime reporter and Duquesne University grad Kristina Rohall is profiled in the Altoona Mirror. The 25-year-old native of West Chester, Pa., who holds a master's degree from Syracuse, says she became a "news junkie" during a summer internship at WTAE-TV (4) in Pittsburgh. (She also interned at WPXI and WQED, according to the 'TAJ website, and was named a "Division I Scholar-Athlete of the Year" while at DU ... not too shabby, we think.)
TV, really
Pittsburgh: Have we ever mentioned that we like Kelly Bradish's Real TV blog at the Tribune-Review's website? No? Consider it mentioned. May 7's entry discusses the end of WB's "Gilmore Girls" and the news that ABC's "Lost" is going to a 16-episode season. (Hey, since Rob Owen's TV Q&A keeps getting mentioned around here, we thought equal time was appropriate.)Will they or won't they?
National News: "The real television drama begins this week," when NBC announces its fall schedule, says Terry Hazlett in the Observer-Reporter. "Will fans learn the identity of the traitor in 'Jericho,' or will the real traitor be CBS, which may cancel the series without resolution of any of the series' lingering questions? Will 'Law and Order' continue to pursue 'Gunsmoke' for the longest-running drama record, or will NBC send it to permanent syndication? Or, as rumored last week, will TNT opt to pick up the series for another run of first-run episodes?" Fox's most likely pickup is the new Kelsey Grammer/Patricia Heaton sitcom set in a Pittsburgh TV station, "Back To You," but as Hazlett notes, "Fox has a horrible record for developing successful sitcoms and, for that matter, successful anything that premieres without help from the 'American Idol' juggernaut." (Gee, did Terry forget about "Action," "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "Greg the Bunny," "Grounded for Life," "The Winner," "That '80s Show," "The Tick," "Undeclared" ... )Alice is Coming to WUZZ 94 /107
Erie-Meadville: No, it's not the "Alice" who used to work @ Mel's Diner or Erie's own Ann B. Davis who played housekeeper "Alice" on "The Brady Bunch." Starting Monday, WUZZ 94 & 107 will be adding Alice to it's evening schedule. Alice, as in "Alice Cooper" with his syndicated program "Nights with Alice Cooper." I have listened to this program on a station near Harrisburg & the original "Shock Rocker" certainly lives up to his reputation. You can hear the program weeknights from 7pm - Midnight on WUZZ 94.3 from Saegertown / Meadville and on WUUZ 107.7 from "Cooperstown" (I kid you not.) / Oil City.XM pays tribute to "Groovy QV"
Pittsburgh:All you XM Subscribers might want to tune in to the "60's on 6" at 4:00 PM (EDT) today (5/11) for their "Sonic Sound Salute" to Pittsburgh's own top-40 KQV. Relive the PAMS jingles, hear clips of some of the memorable personalities and relive the days when KQV was "King of the Quaker Valley!"
XM 60's on 6 host Terry "Motormouth" Young is your host for this event which features a different vintage top-40 station each week.
Non subscribers are able to listen to the program by signing up for a free 3-day trial - visit www.xmradio.com for more information. More on this story is in the Post-Gazette.
Clear Channel Ashtabula stations sold
Erie-Meadville: Ohio Media Watch has confirmed that the Clear Channel Ashtabula stations have been sold. Surprisingly, it was one of the few Clear Channel groups in Ohio not sold to "GoodRadio." The group was sold to "Sweet Home Ashtabula" broadcasting, which is owned by Tom Embrescia. Tom is the brother of Jim Embrescia, who owns Media One. "SHA" will own WREO 97.1, WFXJ 107.5, WZOO 102.5, WYBL 98.3 and WFUN 970 once the sale is approved. In addition, Clear Channel applied for a translator in Erie at 96.7. The application was approved back in 2004, but is set to expire on August 2nd of this year.SLB adds new affiliate
Pittsburgh:The Saturday Light Brigade has added a new affiliate station to its group. Beginning 5/12 WIUP (90.1 FM - Indiana PA) will begin carrying the first 3 hours of the program from 6:00 - 9:00 AM. SLB's weekly email says the new affiliation will allow better coverage in Westmoreland and Cambria Counties.
Since late 2003, SLB's flagship station has been WRCT (88.3 Pittsburgh). The program then created affiliations with WSAJ (91.1 - Grove City) and WLFP (1550 Braddock; formerly WURP). WIUP is the first station to sign on to carry just a portion of the program. SLB can also be heard by way of its website at www.slbradio.org. The program is broadcast on Saturdays from 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM from a state-of-the-art studio at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum.
A traffic killer Dahntahn
Pittsburgh: Spike TV's new series "The Kill Point" will "kill" traffic in Downtown Pittsburgh next week, writes Joe Grata in the Post-Gazette. According to various websites, the seven-episode series, scheduled to premiere July 22, focuses on a group of Iraq war veterans who stage a bank heist and take more than a dozen hostages. Much of the filming will take place in Market Square around the old G.C. Murphy store, which is standing in for the fictional bank. A fan website reports that Donnie Wahlberg will play a hostage negotiator, while Internet Movie Database says John Leguizamo will also appear.Baker's Internet TV gig launches
Pittsburgh: Former WTAE-TV anchor Scott Baker launched his new Internet newscast over the weekend according to the Post-Gazette. The website at Breitbart.com featured a 12-minute interview with a possible Republican presidential candidate. The site also features links to news stories from other sources such as the AP and Reuters, but it also says original programming is due to come soon.New calls at 1550
Pittsburgh:
In this week's NorthEast Radio Watch, Scott Fybush reports that Braddock-licensed WURP (1550) is now WLFP after requesting a call-letter change from Funny Cousin Charlie. The old calls stood for "Urban Radio Pittsburgh," a holdover from 1550's previous owner, Inner City Broadcasting. I'm going to assume that the new calls allude to "Lifestyle TalkRadio Network," which is related to Business TalkRadio Network, WLFP's new owner.
It's apparently a prelude to an upcoming format change --- according to the station's website, Lifestyle TalkRadio programming will be coming to the station soon, so say goodbye to G. Gordon Liddy and Don & Mike. Will the new WLFP also carry Doug Stephan's "Good Day America" (once heard on WPTT), and Bruce Williams (currently heard on KQV)? And what happens to the local weekend shows? Your guess is as good as ours.
WPSU / WPSX adds HD2 Channel
Erie-Meadville:You might be saying to yourself, "why is Tom covering a State College area station?" Well, I am but I am also covering it's 17,000 watt translator that covers the eastern half of Warren county. (Which is part of the EMRTV coverage area.) WPSU 91.5 in State College and WPSX 90.1 in Kane, Pa. are the first stations in both areas to broadcast HD Radio. Now, both stations have added an HD2 sub channel called WPSU2. The second channel will be news / talk by day, Jazz & World music by night. Of course, you will need an HD Radio in order to receive the additional channel.
Youngstown TV History
Youngstown:I found a very interesting website while reading the Ohio Media Blog. Tim Lones created "Cleveland Classic Media", which covers the history of media in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Right now, you can read about the historic debut of TV in Youngstown back in 1953. Both WKBN 27 & WFMJ (then at channel 73) signed on within days of each other. Read more at http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/.
Winter book is out - Musings
Pittsburgh:The 12+ Arbitron Book for Winter 2007 was released yesterday and although little has changed, there are still some noteworthy happenings. (If you are looking for the 25-54 Category, the Post-Gazette has the numbers.) Read on for a "Musings" about the 12+. (If you'd like to follow along with the grid, please visit R&R
(more)WPXI in new digs by fall
Pittsburgh:WPXI-TV's new facility - which overlooks the McKnight Road offramp of I-279 - will officially become the station's new home in late summer according to the Post-Gazette. The first broadcast from the new studio will air at 6:30 PM following the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon which would be 9/3.
The new facility comes as a "50th Birthday Present" for the station which signed on the air as WIIC-TV on September 1, 1957.
KDKA names midday host
Pittsburgh: KDKA (1020) has a new midday host. Kevin Miller, late of "Supertalk" WWTN-FM (99.7) in Nashville, Tenn., will take over the airchair from 12:15 to 3 p.m. weekdays starting May 14. The move truncates the 12 p.m. "total news hour" and also bumps Fred Honsberger back to the 3 p.m. afternoon drive shift he had held at KDKA until fairly recently.
In a prepared statement, KDKA program and news director Marshall Adams said he was impressed with Miller's ability to take "ownership of hot issues, and how involved he gets in his material." That includes Miller's coverage of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when he paid his own way to New York City to report from "Ground Zero."
A native of northeast Ohio and a former Army reservist, Miller previously worked in North Carolina, Alabama and New Hampshire and has also contributed to MSNBC, Fox and CNN; various websites and articles describe his politics as conservative (among other indications, he's been a guest of the Heritage Foundation, which supports generally conservative causes and candidates).
Miller is a good "get" for KDKA. A rising star in the talk radio field, Miller was five times named "Commentator of the Year" in Alabama broadcasting by the Associated Press and also was a finalist for the NAB's Marconi Award. While at WPTF in Raleigh, N.C., he regularly appeared on Nancy Grace's CNN talk show to discuss the Duke University lacrosse team investigation. His stay at WWTN was relatively brief, running from August 2006 until his show was canceled abruptly in March. (The station still hasn't deleted his bio from its website.)
Besides his obvious news-talk credentials, Miller also brings to Pittsburgh what the Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh called "a self-deprecating humor typified by the description he chose for himself as 'the round mound of sound.'"
A KDKA release quotes Miller as saying that working in Pittsburgh is "a dream come true ... Personally and professionally, it's thrilling to be a part of the heritage and tradition of KDKA." In addition to his 3 to 5 p.m. hosting duties, Honsberger is expected to become a key contributor to KDKA's hourlong newscast that begins at 5 p.m., Adams said. The noon news will become a 15-minute broadcast anchored by KDKA's Barbara Boylan.
Is anyone in the Youngstown area listening to HD Radio?
Youngstown: Over the past few months, there have been a few stations in the Shenango / Mahoning valley signing on with HD Radio. I wrote a while back about Y-103 & Hot 101 going HD, but there have been other stations since then. K-105, WYSU 88.5 and 93.3 WNCD. The last station is also carrying a second channel featuring all Blues. I am able to pull these stations in with my new Accurian HD radio I recently purchased from Radio Shack in Erie. I was surprised to find one there since there are not any stations in Erie broadcasting in HD. I had to use my rooftop antenna in order to pull in the HD signals, but I was very impressed with the sound quality. If anyone in the Youngstown region has an HD radio, feel free to drop me a line & tell me about the local and out of town HD stations you are able to pull in. I will be writing an article on the potential of HD radio in the near future.Adam Cadabra to leave WUZZ 94/107
Erie-Meadville: WUZZ 94/107 evening personality "Adam Cadabra" will be leaving the station on May 11th. Adam has been with the Forever Broadcasting classic rock outlet for 4 years. He is heading to Williamsport to work for their minor league baseball team, the Crosscutters. Adam's replacement will be announced soon.Something new at WQED
Pittsburgh:In recent months, WQED Multimedia has begun broadcasting in High Definition and is the first station in Pittsburgh to remodel their facilities for hi-def production.
In one of their eConnection E-mails, WQED has introduced Pittsburgh inSite which premieres this month. The program is the first web-only program for the region. Pittsburgh native Mike Lee hosts Pittsburgh inSite which will show viewers things the region has to offer - dining, arts, shopping, events and much more. The program will be available 24 hours a day every day for viewers' convenience.
To view the program, visit WQED's Website and click on the "On Demand" button. There, in addition to Pittsburgh inSite, you'll find other local programs like OnQ, Black Horizons, and some PBS programs to view at your leisure.
Goodbye Rosie, hello Rosie?
National News: Numerous sources claim that Roseanne Barr has the inside track to replace Rosie O'Donnell on ABC's "The View," seen locally at 11 a.m. weekdays on WTAE-TV (4) and WYTV (33) in Youngstown. UPI quotes Barr's spokesperson as saying no offer has been made, but says the New York Post has talked to a source at ABC who calls Barr an ideal fit: "She's a piece of work, she's a character, she says what's on her mind and she's funny. Other names being floated for the midday gabfest include Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathie Lee Gifford, Connie Chung, Bette Midler and Kathy Griffin, according to UPI. ... Meanwhile, WJAS's Jack Bogut says that if ABC waits a few months, they can hire Katie Couric for "The View." Ouch! Conservative websites like NewsMax.com and Newsbusters are gleefully reporting the terrible ratings of the CBS evening news and predicting Couric's imminent ouster. But Liz Smith of the New York Post says there's a backlash building against the dump-Katie brigade. "The stories about Katie are what happen to women in TV," Lesley Stahl of CBS' "60 Minutes" tells Smith. "We are made into caricatures. It happened to Barbara [Walters], it happened to Diane and to Connie Chung. Katie is working really hard, and you can see it in the broadcast now."WUZZ to change call letters
Erie-Meadville: Classic Rock WUZZ 94 & 107 will be changing it's call letters on the Meadville side of the simulcast. WHUZ 94.3 will become WUZZ after those became available from a Lima, Ohio station that had them when Forever broadcasting owned that station. WUUZ will remain the call letters for 107.7 near Franklin. Tom Lavery - EMRTVRetraction
Pittsburgh:PBRTV has retracted a story regarding Porky Chedwick's return to radio at WLSW on 5/7. We have since learned that there is no confirmation that Chedwick will return to the station on a weekly schedule as originally stated. However, he may appear on other station oldie programs from time to time.