Tom's Rants

November 27, 2003

From Tom Lavery's Desk with the Fiber Optic Christmas Tree. - Happy Thanksgiving emrtv fans!!! It'll be soon be that time of year for Christmas songs to start appearing on your radio. Scan your dial for those holiday favorites. I already heard Christmas music on AM 740 mixed in with their regular favorites. Be thankful that no Erie or regional stations have gone "All Christmas, All the Time" like other markets before Thanksgiving. "I cannot get into the holiday tunes until after Thanksgiving!" Then I will turn on the holiday music channel on Directv (Channel 806) on occasion. Would you be for or against any radio station playing wall to wall holiday hits before the holidays? Let me know ho ho (sorry but I thought it was funny) at Laveryman@hotmail.com with your thoughts.

It was great to chat with Bill Dorrion last Saturday night & easy to get through to the "Saturday Night Oldies Style" program he hosts each week on SE93 (WWSE 93.3) out of Jamestown, New York. The region's only local all request oldies program serves a huge area & you can make a request at 1-800-879-7393 or satoldies@hotmail.com & tell Bill I sent ya.

Where has WEYZ been? The 1,000 watt daytimer has not been on in quite some time. Corry station WWCB 1370 was simulcasting it's station on WEYZ 1530 which was great for NASCAR fans in Erie who could catch the races on the radio.

Don't forget, you can catch NOAA weather radio forecasts on AM 1640, All Weather, All the Time. OK, it's not exciting news but the way the weather changes in Erie, it's very handy.

Well, enjoy your turkey & remember to keep in touch with me with any radio or TV related news you may stumble upon.
March 23, 2003

Tom's Radio Rants - Yes it is I, Tom Lavery with another column from EMRTV Land. What format do you want Kenneth? I know Kenneth knows what the frequency is, but what format not currently heard in the Erie region does he or any of my loyal readers want on that frequency? A good question posed by Dr. Rock in Thursday's Showcase section of the Erie Times. He has 5 choices you can choose from including Urban, Adult Alternative, Smooth Jazz, Hot AC, & Newer Album Rock. Good choices though Smooth Jazz is losing steam across the country. Of course there are other choices as well & you can send your choices to me at Laveryman@hotmail.com anytime.

Of course I wouldn't mind an Adult Alternative or a station that plays newer rock that is not angry new rock. I have found newer rock on 105.3 Kool FM from Kitchener, Ontario. It's not the best signal around here but they do play rock that has real variety comparable to a Adult Rock format. In a market that is over saturated with 2 classic rock stations that play from the same stale 100 song playlist, someone should lean towards newer rock without the edge of Planet Radio 93.9. I noticed that in Nearby Ashtabula, Ohio 107.5 The Fox does play more harder edged classic metal at night to add some variety to their classic rock sound. As for other formats I would like in town or nearby, a station playing classic country. On my trip to Hanover, Pa. I found FOUR AM stations on the way playing classic country. While it may not be as hot as new country in terms of listeners, older country fans & people like me would like a station that played a good mix of country music from those that paved the way for today's "bubblegum country." I'm not saying that all new country is bad but some of it frankly sounds "too pop" for my taste. I like the stuff that sounds more traditional. I just do not think there should be just limited play of the classics on Sunday evenings on Country 98 or Froggy 100.3 / 98.5. My trip in the state proves that there is room for this format in this region. It doesn't have to be a big station, just any AM station that wants to get some listeners & there are a couple around here that are low or do not even register in the ratings. Until then, I will tune into WSM at nite until I get an XM or Sirus satellite radio. It's hard for me to be content with what is played on Erie radio in general because of the lack of variety.

By the way, if you haven't tuned into WSAI 1530 from Cincinnati at nite, by all means do so! Talk about Old School Radio, this station definitely does play real 50's & 60's oldies with personalities to match. Even some rarities that are not played on most FM Oldies stations. The signal is real strong at nite in 38+ states & is a must listen! WWKB 1520 from Buffalo is also pretty good. They are also playing the songs that they played in their heyday (50's - Early 70's) & they have a decent signal in the early evening before WSAI drowns them out.

I hope to hear from you & let me know also if you'll miss the Pirates on the radio locally? Thanks as always for reading EMRTV.
February 25, 2003

Greetings fans of EMRTV - Yes it is Tom Lavery, I'm Back in the Saddle again. (To quote Gene Autry & Aerosmith.) Yes it has been a long time but I am back with another "None award winning column."

WFNN considers dropping Pirates - NextMedia Erie reports that they are considering dropping the Pittsburgh Pirates from WFNN "SportsRadio 1330 The Fan" this year. No reason was given but my guess is that the all sports station would become the new home of the Erie Seawolves. This would free up sister station WJET 1400 to carry more of it's syndicated talk programming during the evenings. As for the Pirates if they are no longer on The Fan, they can be heard day & night on KDKA 1020. Other stations include WMGW 1490 from Meadville, WTIV 1230 from Titusville & WNAE 1310 from Warren, Pa. Those are regional stations that can be picked up in Erie during the day. Maybe WPSE 1450 could pick up the games & get some ratings since their business talk format has very low numbers.....Meanwhile some news from Rochester reports that Erie native John DiTullio was let go at the Fox affiliate there. He along with the entire news team was let go & will be replaced with a news service from Maryland of all places. He was the sports anchor there as he was on Fox 66 in Erie a few years ago. He can still be heard on The Fan on occasion & we wish him well. Maybe he & Chris Red Hughes could team up somewhere in the area or on ESPN. Just a thought on my part.

My travels in the region was a trip to Cochranton, Pa. to see some new friends. My friends have no cable but the area is perfect for on air reception from Erie, Youngstown & even some Pittsburgh TV & Radio stations. It was my first chance to see Dr. Phil on WKBN 27 @ 4pm since he is currently not on in Erie. I assume that will change in the fall. Also I watched KDKA, WTAE & WPXI. Though a little snowy, it was very watchable. I know where I'll be going when the Steelers are not on WSEE this year. Also, I picked up WEXC 107.1 from Greenville. They were running the Pure Gold Oldies Network that was on in Meadville on the former Cool 104.5. However, WEXC was running the network without any local breaks. No automation whatsoever. Hopefully this is going to change & the station will run the network more effectively on it's air.

I am off for a road trip to Harrisburg later this week. It will be fun to scan the dial on the way there. I'll have a full report. And a quick hello to Jennifer S. Bliss of Kinzua Broadcasting in Warren, Pa. The home of Kinzua Country 104.3, WRRN 92.3 "92 Gold" & WNAE 1310. Keep up the good work there! Thanks for reading, this is Tom L. reporting from a non Dr. Phil market.
October 7, 2002

A Few Things

Greetings EMRTV fans, It is Tom L. with another collumn to keep you awake & interested what's going on around these parts.

Part One - Did You watch the Steelers or Bills game on Sunday? Both were on the tube for free. Steelers were on WSEE 35 while The Bills were on Global Channel 6 from Toronto. Between those 2 games & the NASCAR Race, it was a busy day for Yours Truly. Keep tuning in to Channel 6 off the antenna for more NFL games!

Part Two - WSEE changes with new ownership. The sale of WSEE 35 has been approved by the FCC to Initial Broadcasting of Pennsylvania. Kevin Lilly is owner of Initial & is son of George Lilly, who owns WICU 12. The two will be merging several departments & could result in about 40 job losses with 25 to 30 remaining to oversee programming at WSEE.

Part Three - Oldies getting younger. I was reading a collumn on the Tribune Review website concerning Oldies getting younger. It is true that the 50's are being pushed out of Froggy 94.7 for more 70's Rock & Disco tunes. It is sad but it's a part of what makes the format attract younger listeners who are not into Buddy Holly. Fear not though, there are stations still playing Older Oldies across the pond. Just check out the AM dial for some of those lost classics or go to www.radio-locator.com & put in Erie, Pa. for local & some Canadian Stations well received in this area. Also select Fringe stations for more stations outside of the GEA (Greater Erie Area). A couple of stations I found include OLDIES 1150 CKOC from Hamilton, Ontario. Great day reception but not as clear at nite unfortunately. Another is AM 740 CHWO from Toronto who plays a mix of Oldies & Standards plus Rock & Roll Oldies shows Saturday & Sunday nites. The 50k Blowtorch can be well received day & nite. Also back on the dial is All Oldies 1050 CHUM after failing at being an all sports station. There are options for Rock & Roll from it's early days. Let's hope that there are choices on the dial for the lost classics. Turn on & keep tuning into EMRTV.
September 8, 2002

Are you Ready for Some Football?

As a sports fan of a few different types of sports, it is time for Tom's multiple TV system now that College & NFL Football is getting into high gear. Of course, this comes during a very competitive season in the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit. Fortunately, the first 2 Steelers games will not conflict with the races since the first 2 games are on Monday & Sunday nites. But when they do, more than One TV will be fired up. However, I know there are people who are strictly into football like I was years ago and there is a way to watch up to 3 games at 1pm for free on any given Sunday in the Erie area. (This might upset the folks at Directv for me telling you this but why pay for Sunday Ticket if you don't have to?) Of course WSEE 35 covers the AFC while WFXP 66 has the NFC, however there is one more choice over the air you can tune into as well. It's not a local station but it usually comes in fairly well from over the border. If you purchase or have a good rooftop antenna with a signal amplifier, you can tune into Global TV Channel 6 from Canada. (Or 87.7 FM on your home or car radio.) There are weeks where they carry the same game as 35 or 66 but other times, it is a completely different game which could give you up to 2 or 3 games at 1pm for nothing more than an antenna purchase if you do not already have one. Yes, there may be areas where the signal may not come in as well as others but it's worth a shot for bragging rights with your friends as you watch 3 games at once. I keep the antenna aimed in a NorthWest direction towards the local stations from where I live. Of course it can vary if you are facing the stations south, then turning the antenna north would have to be be done for Channel 6. Let me know if this works for you by email at Laveryman@hotmail.com & share your results. Tom L.
June 17, 2002 It has been awhile since I've had a good rant on this board but something I saw recently has awaken the beast within. This is over something I saw off the DCRTV board concerning a 4th of July special to air on ABC. Country artist Toby Keith was asked by ABC to appear on the show to perform his new song "Courtesy of The Red, White & Blue." (If You have not heard the song yet, by all means listen for it on Country 98 WXTA or Froggy 100.3 & 98.5.) The song speaks volumes about the anger we all felt about the September 11th attacks. The artist & song were both REJECTED by ABC's Peter Jennings because of the qusetionable lyric about "Putting a Boot up his (blank)." Refering to Osama bin Laden of course. Radio does sometimes play a tamer version with the lyric "Putting a Boot in his Eye" but it still sends a strong message either way. Mr. Jennings said he wanted the special to capture the American Spirit, However, they are missing the boat without Toby Keith's song which does capture how upset we all are at the attacks. G. Gordon Liddy liked the song & cancelled his upcoming appearance on ABC because of the song being dropped. Keith's song was the other side to Alan Jackson's incredible hit "Where were you when the World stopped turning." That will probably be REJECTED by ABC as well because of the reference to CNN. And that's my 2 cents worth for today. God Bless The USA!
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