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 :// For DirecTV viewers, WSKY-TV channel 4 goes dark  | Wednesday, December 31, 2008DirecTV subscribers in Hampton Roads may turn on their sets Thursday and discover a piece of local TV fare has vanished. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Wednesday, December 31, 2008Raycom Media "CBS6" WTVR Richmond anchor/reporter Lee Mahaffey has exited the station. Her bio has already been pulled from the station's website at WTVR.com. Mahaffey came to WTVR in August 2002 from the CBS affiliate in Norfolk, WTKR (3).
| Wednesday, December 31, 2008We hear that Hoffman Communications fired the entire staffs of Standards "EZ100.5" WZEZ Goochland and Gospel "Amen 820" WGGM Chester yesterday. Also exiting yesterday was long-time Vice President and General Manager Paul Scott. More to come...
Business and Women’s programming for the DC Metro Region | Tuesday, December 30, 2008  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Allbritton Communications is pleased to announce the launch of two new programs on News Channel 8 – Let’s Talk Live and Washington Business Tonight. The programs, to begin on January 5, 2009, will help the station reach its goal of live programming for over 15 hours per day. (read more - News Channel 8)
| Tuesday, December 30, 2008A few thousand viewers in parts of Caroline, Sussex, Crewe and the Northern Neck could be losing WWBT on their cable TV lineup at midnight on December 31. (read more - NBC12)
Cable subscribers would also lose Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, others | Tuesday, December 30, 2008Time Warner Cable subscribers may wind up starting the new year without MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1 and other Viacom-owned cablers on their channel lineup. (read more - Variety)
Cox subs in West Point, New Kent, King & Queen County could be spared | Tuesday, December 30, 2008In the latest—but unlikely the last—retransmission-consent flap, Raycom Media is threatening to pull stations New Year’s Eve in several markets from several cable operators, including Cox Communications. (read more - Multichannel News) Editor's note: According to a statement on NBC12's website, Raycom and "Cox ha(ve) reached a preliminary agreement."
Owned WPAK/1490 Farmville for nearly two decades | Tuesday, December 30, 2008A bad breakup for Rick Darnell led to a great song. The end of a relationship would prompt Mr. Darnell to co-write one of the best-known blues songs, the B.B. King standard "The Thrill is Gone," said Carl Eggleston, a friend of Mr. Darnell's... (read more - Richmond Times-Dispatch)
| Tuesday, December 30, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WVEC Television, Inc. announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) for retransmission of the station’s analog and high-definition signals.(read more - WVEC)
Cox Radio and Virginia Blood Services Team Up for Annual Blood Drive | Tuesday, December 30, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Cox Radio Richmond (WKHK K95, WKLR 96.5, WMXB 103.7, WDYL Y101.1) and Virginia Blood Services have joined forces for the Resolution Blood Drive 2009, happening Monday, January 12th 7am-7pm in the ballroom of the Sheraton Park South, 9901 Midlothian Turnpike. (read more - Cox Radio Richmond)
| Tuesday, December 30, 2008The FCC recently granted Greensboro NC based WVJT, LLC (headed by Todd Robinson) to relicense "Big Country 101" WIQO/100.9 from Covington to Forest (eight miles west of Liberty University,Lynchburg). The application was heavily challenged by Positive Alternative Radio (PAR). The CP (construction permit) is for the Class A station to do 210 watts from an antenna height of 1,676 feet from a location in east Charlemont ("Rocky Mountain," the same location as WYYD/107.9, 11 miles NW of Forest). The new location will give the 100.9 signal local coverage in Lynchburg, Bedford, Buena Vista and closely surrounded areas.
| Monday, December 29, 2008 WGTS-FM broadcasts from a converted World War II-era Quonset hut squeezed into a corner of Columbia Union College's shoe-box campus in Takoma Park. The building's roof leaks. Inside, the station's cramped offices are outfitted with enough hand-me-down furniture to stock a Goodwill store. (read more - The Washington Post)
 Red Zebra Broadcasting Sports "102.1 The Game" WXTG 1490 Hampton//WXTG-FM Virginia Beach is broadcasting the final round tonight of the 2nd Annual Ronald Curry Christmas Classic from Hampton. Tonight's matchup will be called by Greg Bicouvaris, Chris Park and Sonny Dearth. Audio is available over the air and online at
| Monday, December 29, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Max Media announced that 100.5 MAX-FM will carry NFL playoff games on Saturday, January 3rd and Saturday, January 10. This is the second straight year that the Saturday games will be heard in Hampton Roads on 100.5 MAX-FM. Tony Mercurio, Program Director of ESPN Radio 1310, made the announcement. (read more - VARTV Press Room)
| Monday, December 29, 2008Haley Harrison has moved up to (Gray Television's) WHSV’s 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. co-anchor spot, joining Val Thompson. (read more - bridgewaterva.com)
| Saturday, December 27, 2008WVEC's parent company Belo Corp. has reached a tentative agreement with Charter Communications regarding carrying WVEC's signal on their cable systems. (read more - WVEC)
| Friday, December 26, 2008 Last January, WINA welcomed the conservative voice of former City Councilor Rob Schilling with a six-day-a-week talk show. But just before Christmas, the AM news radio station abruptly pulled the plug on the Schilling Show... (read more - Charlottesville The HooK)
| Wednesday, December 24, 2008An official from Charter Communications said he hopes to avoid losing WVEC-TV, Channel 13, for viewers by striking a deal before a Dec. 31 deadline. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Tuesday, December 23, 2008  Mark Clifford, co-host of 'Fredericksburg Today' on "NewsTalk 1230" WFVA, was let go early last week. He had been at the station for five years and also served as the station's Program Director. Along with Clifford's exit was news anchor/reporter Kathy Stewart. This leaves news director Ted Schubel as the only local live body on the station.
| Tuesday, December 23, 2008On last Monday's winter weather special on "CBS6" WTVR Richmond, station chief meteorologist Zach Daniel announced that Carrie Rose would be joining the "CBS6 Storm Team" starting yesterday. In from Griffin Communications' "News9" KWTV (CBS) Oklahoma City OK, Rose will be handling the morning and noon newscasts. Daniel, who became WTVR's new chief meteorologist last year, is also from KWTV. Rose replaces Jennifer Haynes, who left a few months ago to join CNN International.
No competitors for Charter; Verizon and Cox have no plans to enter Suffolk | Tuesday, December 23, 2008Thousands of residents could soon lose their cable signal to WVEC-TV, Channel 13, because of failed negotiations between one cable provider and the television station. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Tuesday, December 23, 2008Rob Schilling, a local (Charlottesville) conservative and often controversial radio talk show host, says his weekday show on WINA-AM has been canceled, an apparent victim of corporate budget cuts. (read more - Charlottesville Daily Progress)
Suffolk, Dare County (mainland and beaches) and Currituck Outer Banks affected | Monday, December 22, 2008Charter Cable will drop local ABC affiliate WVEC from its lineup at the end of the year, affecting about 60,000 customers, the TV station announced today. (read more - The Daily Press)
| Monday, December 22, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Charlottesville’s CBS19, ABC16, and WAHU FOX27, announced today that Jim Hanchett has been named News Director of the station group, effective January 19, 2009. Hanchett was most recently Anchor and Managing Editor of WECT-TV in Wilmington, NC. Prior to that, he spent 9 years as a national and international correspondent for NBC News Channel. (read more - Gray Television Charlottesville)
| Monday, December 22, 2008Shentel announced plans this week to provide new and expanded cable and HD-TV services to customers in the Shenandoah Valley, and in their other service areas throughout West Virginia and Alleghany County, Va. (read more - The Shenandoah Valley-Herald)
Raises $4500 for the Central Virginia Food Bank | Monday, December 22, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Due to the Governor of Illinois’s attempt to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, 107.3 BBT (WBBT-FM) recently decided to sell its own DJ Seat! Listeners could call in or email their bids and the one with the highest bid won a chance to come into the studios and help host either the morning show or afternoon show. (read more - WBBT)
After a major outage Wednesday morning, CapSan Media "Your Country 97.1" WYND Hatteras is back on the air doing all-holiday music thru Christmas day... (12/21/2008)
| Friday, December 19, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WVEC-TV13 today confirmed that effective December 31, 2008, Charter Cable will no longer provide its subscribers with WVEC-TV13’s signal as Charter and WVEC-TV13 have been unable to reach an agreement as to terms. This action follows years of carriage negotiations between WVEC-TV13 and Charter. (read more - WVEC)
| Friday, December 19, 2008 Sky Television's WSKY-DT (4/IND) is being pulled off of DirecTV's local-in-local (LIL) service at midnight January 1, 2009.The station is asking viewers via its website at 4HamptonRoads.com to get the decision reversed. No reason is given why the satellite provider is dropping the station from the Hampton Roads LIL service on DirecTV.
| Friday, December 19, 2008When national radio personality Steve Harvey said he wanted to help residents of Norfolk this Christmas, local DJ Theresa Brown knew just where to go: home. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Friday, December 19, 2008Cox Communications Inc., the cable company based in Atlanta, is laying off 2 percent of its national work force. Cox officials at its regional headquarters in Chesapeake said they will provide no information about the number of Hampton Roads workers who would lose their jobs. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Friday, December 19, 2008When National Public Radio said last week that it would cut 64 jobs - or 7 percent of its work force - no heads rolled at WHRO. The local public broadcasting company, contrary to public impression, is not controlled by NPR. "They are a source of programming for us; they do not make decisions for us," said Bert Schmidt, WHRO's president and chief executive officer. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Thursday, December 18, 2008As many already know, analog television received with an antenna will disappear on February 17, 2009. While the word has gotten out about the converter box for analog TVs, a far less-known problem exists with this transition, and that is that with digital TV, you will probably need a new antenna. (read more - The Southside Messenger)
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 Three of the most familiar on-air faces at WWBT-Channel 12 have been laid off.Long-time sports director Ben Hamlin, anchor Gene Lepley and Henrico and Hanover County reporter Rob Richardson are among the seven employees from several departments whose jobs were eliminated today. (read more - Richmond Times-Dispatch)
| Tuesday, December 16, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... The official 2008 November Nielsen Ratings book is released and confirms that WTKR NewsChannel 3 experienced growth in every newscast in key demographics. (read more - WTKR)
| Monday, December 15, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Steven Soldinger has been nominated to be inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. Soldinger, who has a phenomenal 35-year career in broadcast is currently the Vice President and General Manager of CW 27, WGNT-TV (Norfolk, Va.), CW 69, WUPA-TV (Atlanta, Ga.) and CW 44, WTOG (Tampa, Fla.). (read more - WGNT)
| Monday, December 15, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Vinnie Kice, Operations Manager of Monticello Media, has announced the hiring of Lisa Allen as program director of Your Country 99.7 WCYK. Allen, a 23 year radio veteran, spent the last ten years as program director of Free Country WFRE in Frederick, Maryland. (read more - WCYK)
DISH Network and Young Broadcasting reach an agreement; WRIC (8/ABC) Petersburg/Richmond returns to the satellite provider's channel line-up later this evening... (12/14/2008) (read more - WRIC)
Last airing will be December 28 | Friday, December 12, 2008After 17 years as a mainstay of Sunday morning television, Joel Rubin's "On the Record" program has been cancelled as of year's end. The reason: Channel 13 is losing money on the 30-minute talk show... (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Friday, December 12, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Due to the Governor of Illinois’s attempt to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, 107.3 BBT (WBBT-FM) decided to sell its own DJ Seat! But this one’s for charity! (read more - WBBT)
LIN TV WAVY (10/NBC) anchor Tom Schaad told viewers (including me) during the 5 p.m. newscast that after February 17, 2009 my TV which is connected to an antenna won't work. Oh, really? That statement is simply not true. I've been getting digital signals with my TV and antenna for the past four years.Two minutes later, Schaad teased viewers about the DVD / Blu-ray format war piece the station was doing at 5:30. Format war? Between DVD and Blu-ray?? Don't think so. During the commercial break following the tease, Checkered Flag BMW, flashed in big letters, it's name... spelled wrong... no fault of the station, of course, but definitely 5 minutes of "interesting" viewing this evening on Channel 10... (12/11/2008) 
WRVQ-HD2 Richmond included | Thursday, December 11, 2008Verizon Wireless has become the first national brand to sign on to sponsor HD2 radio stations. (read more - FMQB)
| Thursday, December 11, 2008Victor Starr is the new PD at Rhythmic "99-3 The Vibe" WWVB Spotsylvania/Fredericksburg and "Classic Rock 96.9" WWUZ Bowling Green/Fredericksburg. Starr most recently held the PD post at Radio One "92Q" WERQ/92.3 Baltimore, after stints in Hartford and El Paso. He replaces Jim Spector, who left in October to Program Journal Broadcast Group's rocker "Z92" KEZO/92.3 Omaha NE. “Victor’s track record is programming great Contemporary Urban stations,” said Free Lance Star OM Paul Johnson. “He was our first choice, and we’re excited to see where he can take The Vibe. We’ll ease him into the Classic Rock station over time.” Starr’s first day will be December 15th.
| Thursday, December 11, 2008VARTV reported 13 months ago that Nancy Epperson's Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corp (CPBC) and Stuart Epperson's Truth Broadcasting filed concurrent applications with the FCC to reduce the power of Truth's WLVA/590 Lynchburg and to swap frequencies with CPBC's WLES/580 Bon Air/Richmond. WLES has now made the move to 590AM. When WLES was on 580, they are were doing 201 watts day and 27 watts night. Now on 590, power is 600 watts day and 58 watts at night. CPBC just recently agreed to buy silent WLVA for $560,000. When it was on the air on 590, WLVA was doing 5kW during the day and 1 kW at night. When they sign back on on 580, they'll be doing 250 watts day and just 15 watts at night. WLES (and eventually WLVA) is simulcasting Christian Talk "The Truth" WTRU/830 Kernersville/Greensboro NC.
| Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Dear DISH Subscriber:DISH's contract with WRIC-TV8 expires on December 10, 2008. WRIC-TV offered a short extension of the contract to allow more time to reach a new agreement with DISH. The extension was not accepted by DISH. (read more - WRIC)
City has franchise agreements with Cox, Verizon and Cavalier IPTV | Wednesday, December 10, 2008The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a renewed cable franchise agreement with Cox Communications Inc. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Wednesday, December 10, 2008The Internet and cable technology have become staples of modern life - in homes, businesses, schools and hospitals. But on Virginia's Eastern Shore, the 21st century has been slow to arrive. Read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Last week, we reported that VerStandig's "Country Legends 105.1" Bridgewater/Harrisonburg changed its call letters from WBHB-FM to WTGD on Monday, December 1st. Well, there was a reason why. The station jettisoned the Classic Country format for Bustos Media's Spanish Top 40, La Gran D ("The Great D") which targets 18-34 year old Latinos.With the new format launching at midnight Tuesday morning, this gives Vox Communications' "Real Country 96.9" WSIG Mount Jackson/Winchester/Harrisonburg the lone Classic Country formatted station on FM in the Harrisonburg market.
| Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Thomas was most recently the midday host in Fredericksburg at Centennial Broadcasting's Hot AC "B101.5" WBQB. Prior to that, she was long tenured at K95 in Richmond.Thomas replaces the departing Lisa Parker, who announced to station officials several months ago that she would be moving to Boston in mid December. “You can’t replace the unique perspective of a Lisa Parker,” said group OM Paul Johnson. “But Kay brings just the right blend of meticulous execution and spicy attitude. Lisa’s listeners will miss her, but Kay will fill the void quickly.” Thomas enters the building on December 15th, and begins on air for afternoons the day after Parker’s departure on December 17th.
| Tuesday, December 9, 2008Fox Business Network has plugged one of the three holes in its distribution lineup, inking a carriage contract with Cox Communications. (read more - Multichannel News)
| Tuesday, December 9, 2008The Richmond Times-Dispatch laid off 18 employees yesterday, citing the economic recession and a decline in advertising revenue that has hurt newspaper publishers. (read more - Richmond Times-Dispatch)
| Monday, December 8, 2008Dear Readers, As you may already know, (our) parent company, Tribune, and its individual media properties, which includes The Daily Press, have filed to restructure their debt obligations under the protection of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. (read more - Newport News Daily Press)
| Sunday, December 7, 2008Former WAVY-TV 10 anchor David Nelson has filed another lawsuit against the television station, this time accusing his former employer of defamation. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Friday, December 5, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WAVY-TV 10 continues to dominate morning and late news in the November Nielsen ratings period. The Station ON YOUR SIDE was once again a strong #1 at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., featuring Hampton Roads’ favorite morning news team of Don Roberts, Kerri Furey, Jon Cash, Cheryl Tan and John Massey. (read more - WAVY)
| Friday, December 5, 2008 American Family Radio (AFR) has sold Adult Contemporary Christian WRIH/88.1 Richmond and "The Love Station" will cease broadcasting on December 31, 2008. A new format debuts January 1, 2009.No word yet on current morning show personalities Jim Herring and Jeny Jenny and where they may end up though it will not be on 88.1 as "the frequency will become basically a translator of a national network (Editor's note: give you three guesses, the first one is probably right) with no live local presence at all." AFR will continue to own and operate Christian Preaching WAUQ/89.7 Charles City/Richmond, broadcasting out of 6000 Wilkinson Road.
| Friday, December 5, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Join Mount Lebanon Baptist Church, Gethsemane Baptist Church and 103 JAMZ Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at a Holiday Shopping Spree you won’t forget! Fifteen (15) lucky JAMZ KIDZ will each receive a $500 Shopping Spree!! (read more - WOWI)
| Friday, December 5, 2008Newsplex news director/VP Jeremy Settle, who moved to Charlottesville four years ago to work with the upstart WCAV and start news programs on WVAW and WAHU, has moved back to the Washington, DC, area from whence he came. (read more - Charlottesville's The HooK)
Major League Baseball's new channel, MLB Network, to be added Jan. 1 | Friday, December 5, 2008 Cox Communications has added 14 new channels to its cable lineup, including 13 in high-definition, the company announced Thursday.Most Cox subscribers had access to the channels Nov. 26, but the company delayed its announcement until Thursday for testing purposes, a spokeswoman said. (read more - Newport News Daily Press)
| Friday, December 5, 2008Rollie Bristol, who worked 32 years in Hampton Roads radio, was found dead today. He was 67. Bristol, host of “Rollie Radio” on WHRV-FM until he retired in 2004... (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Thursday, December 4, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WVEC-TV13 is the most watched station in Hampton Roads for local news*.More Hampton Roads’ viewers turned to WVEC-TV13, making it the most watched station for local news Monday through Friday. More viewers continue to watch the longest standing anchor team around – led by Regina Mobley, David Alan, Sandra Parker, Janet Roach, Jeff Lawson and Scott Cash. (read more - WVEC)
| Thursday, December 4, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WTKR NewsChannel 3 proved to be a tough competitor in November. NewsChannel 3 experienced growth across the board and displayed strong rating and share trends. (read more - WTKR)
Online auction will benefit Children’s Hospital of Richmond | Thursday, December 4, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... 96.5 KLR presents Rock’n Stock’nz, an online auction to benefit the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Richmond during the holiday season. To participate in the auction, log on to 965KLR.com. (read more - WKLR)
“Feed Richmond” created to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank | Wednesday, December 3, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Cox Radio Richmond (WKHK K95, WKLR 96.5, WMXB 103.7, WDYL Y101.1) wrapped up a two week food drive called “Feed Richmond” on November 20th, to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank. During this food drive, over 90,000 meals were donated Central Virginia Foodbank. (read more - Cox Radio Richmond)
VerStandig's "Country Legends 105.1" Bridgewater/Harrisonburg changed its call letters from WBHB-FM to WTGD on Monday, December 1... (12/3/2008)
| Tuesday, December 2, 2008Kay Thomas, middays at Centennial Broadcasting's Hot AC "B101.5" WBQB Fredericksburg has exited the station. Thomas was a 20+ year vet down I-95 at Cox Radio Country "K95" WKHK/95.3 Colonial Heights/Richmond before being let go there in September 2007. Thomas was with WBQB for just 10 months. Part-timer Bill Carroll covers the shift, for now. OM/PD/night slammer Chris Carmichael has promoted himself to mornings with Dee Daniels to form "The B101.5 Morning Show with Chris, Dee & Robert." The new show replaces "Baxter & Bonnie" who left in October. To cover Carmichael's departed slot, Production Director Chuck Archer takes to the air for weeknights.
| Tuesday, December 2, 2008Stuart Epperson's Truth Broadcasting is selling silent (was religious "The Truth") WLVA/590 Lynchburg to Nancy Epperson's Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corp (CPBC) for $560,000. CPBC will be swapping frequencies in Richmond and Lynchburg; "The Truth" WLES/580 Bon Air/Richmond going to 590AM with more power while WLVA will move to 580AM and reducing it's power.
| Monday, December 1, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WTKR NewsChannel 3 grew its’ market share in every newscast during the Nielsen November 2008 ratings period (October 30-November 26).“This is truly an exciting time to be at NewsChannel 3,” said Jeff Hoffman, WTKR General Manager. “This success would not have happened without the hard work and dedication of our entire staff,” Hoffman added. (read more - WTKR)
| Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Classical music listeners who've tuned in to WHRO-FM weekdays between 3 and 7 p.m. for the "Afternoon Delights" show are missing the subtle wit and cordial voice of announcer Taylor Green, who died Saturday at age 60, but perhaps his real genius was in the way he programmed the music selection himself. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Wednesday, November 26, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WVIR TV (NBC29), Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley’s leading high definition television station, will begin tests to educate viewers about the February 17, 2009 shut off of analog television service from our main transmitter on Carters Mountain. (read more - WVIR)
| Wednesday, November 26, 2008Gene Cox just got a little busier. The venerable NBC12 anchor has been tapped to anchor a new CW newscast starting Jan. 5. (read more - Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Is LIN TV's WAVY (10/NBC) and Belo's WVEC (13/ABC) going to continue to interrupt their newscasts everytime President-elect Barack Obama holds a press conference? Augh... (11/25/2008)
| Monday, November 24, 2008Plagued by advertising declines, The Virginian-Pilot is cutting at least 125 positions - or 10 percent of a 1,260-person work force - mostly through layoffs and shutting affiliated publications, publisher Maurice Jones said Friday. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Monday, November 24, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... This week The Ill-Eagles will release the much anticipated CD “The Babies” featuring Jimmy Ray and Jen from 97.3 The Eagle. In celebration of the release Jimmy Ray and Jen will be making personal appearances at several locations. Only 3000 CDs of “The Babies” are available for $10 each. Proceeds from “The Babies” go directly to the March of Dimes. (read more - 97-3 The Eagle)
Top-rated morning show to be broadcast in Miami, Orlando, Richmond & Ft. Myers | Monday, November 24, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge®’s top-rated talk morning program, currently heard on Cox Radio stations WHPT-FM/Tampa (102.5 The Bone) and WFYV-FM/Jacksonville (Rock 105), will soon be heard on four more radio stations, covering the Florida cities of Miami, Orlando, Ft. Myers and Richmond, Virginia. (read more - Bubba The Love Sponge)
| Monday, November 24, 2008 Hampton Roads residents now can experience first-hand the superior quality and innovative features of Verizon's all-fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services at the company's new Virginia Beach store. (read more - Verizon)
The website for Media General's newspaper Richmond Times-Dispatch (timesdispatch.com) recently got a makeover and readers are beating up the paper for the changes... (11/21/2008)
"Jericho" repeats and MGM movies slated | Thursday, November 20, 2008Looking to pump up its disappointing Sundays in an otherwise surprisingly-solid fall, effective November 30 the CW has decided to dump the entire Sunday night lineup that was farmed out to Media Rights Capital. (read more - Broadcasting & Cable)
David Symonds, former PD for Entercom Soft AC KOSI/101.1, Hot AC KALC/105.9 PD Denver and OM for Entercom Rochester, has accepted the Operations Manager position at Clear Channel Richmond, replacing Bill Cahill who now programs WASH/97.1, WBIG/100.3 Washington. Symonds will also serve as PD for Soft AC "Lite 98" WTVR/98.1... (11/20/2008)
Final Push for donations to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank | Wednesday, November 19, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Cox Radio Richmond (WKHK K95, WKLR 96.5, WMXB 103.7, WDYL Y101.1) is calling all listeners to come donate food at area Kroger locations. (read more - Cox Radio Richmond)
| Tuesday, November 18, 2008 Former news anchor David Nelson has sued WAVY-TV 10, saying it repeatedly rebuffed his and his doctor’s requests for time off to take care of chronic back problems before firing him last November. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
Company measures Fredericksburg for WBQB/WFVA | Tuesday, November 18, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... In response to Nielsen's proposed entry into the radio ratings business announced earlier today, Eastlan Ratings President/CEO Mike Gould suggests, "today's announcement is absolutely inconsistent with what we are hearing daily from small and medium market broadcasters nationwide. (read more - Eastlan Ratings)
| Tuesday, November 18, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Tony Mercurio, of ESPN Radio 1310, has won the Sportscaster of the Year Award for the 14th time. Mercurio, who is in his 23rd year as host of the “Tony Mercurio Show”, was named Sportscaster of the Year by the prestigious Chesapeake Athletic Club for 2008. (read more - VARTV Press Room)
Cumulus New River Valley is included | Monday, November 17, 2008 Look out Arbitron! There’s a new competitor in US radio ratings – and a big one. Cumulus Media has completed its RFP process for ratings in its markets ranked 100+ and announced a deal with The Nielsen Company to provide audience measurement and radio ratings in 50 small- and mid-sized US markets... (read more - RBR.com)
Hampton Roads drops, Richmond is up, Roanoke way up   | Tuesday, November 18, 2008Arbitron announced several days ago a new list of Metro Population estimates (12+ persons) for radio markets for the Fall 2008 to Summer 2009 ratings periods which started on September 18...
| Monday, November 17, 2008Cox's cable systems in Fairfax and Fredericksburg are getting another helping of HD goodness and two additional SD channels.The first set of new HD channels arrive on Tuesday, December 16: Hallmark Movie HD (channel 743)Between mid-December and February 2009, 9 new HD and 2 SD channels will be added: Fuel (SD channel 259)
Target of $500,000 and large media buys were key to win Beach mayoral race | Monday, November 17, 2008Change was in the air on Election Day, but dollars—606,000 of them—were required for Will Sessoms to mount a successful campaign to unseat 20-year incumbent Meyera Oberndorf in the Virginia Beach mayoral race. While the amount of money Sessoms raised seemed excessively disproportionate —roughly 7 times the amount in Oberndorf’s war chest—his steering committee and media advisor, Dave Iwans of dia, inc... (read more - Port Folio Weekly)
 (Tom) Taylor on Radio-Info from Radio-Info.com speculates "Did Cox Radio cut five full-time positions in Richmond? Heard that over the weekend."We've gotten word that Traffic Reporter Kyla Thomas, Production Director Steve Forrest and "96-5 KLR" WKLR morning show (John Boy & Billy) producer Lee Michaels were the only three let go on Friday... (11/17/2008)
Y101 Morning Show hosts five day food drive | Monday, November 17, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Starting this morning through Friday, November 21st Y101 Morning Show hosts Sludge, Abe and Dash from “The Morning Sludge” will broadcast live 24 hours a day at the Carytown Kroger in order to raise food donations for the Central Virginia Foodbank. (read more - Cox Radio Richmond)
| Monday, November 17, 2008Four radio towers that broadcast Clear Channel Radio Winchester's SportsTalk 610 will soon be coming down to make way for development of a new retirement community west of the city. (read more - The Northern Virginia Daily)
| Monday, November 17, 2008 Three months from today, the television broadcast system that most Americans watched growing up will sign off forever.Through a handful of measures since 1996, Congress has ordered most broadcast stations to phase out their use of conventional analog transmission and switch their signals to digital technology by the end of Feb 17, 2009. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
| Saturday, November 15, 2008LOCAL TV STATIONS pulled in millions this year from election ads, profiting from Barack Obama's huge campaign bankroll and Virginia's emergence as a battleground state. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
Toy drive begins this Saturday! | Thursday, November 13, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Main Line Broadcasting (WLFV-93.1 The Wolf, WWLB 98.9 Liberty and WBBT-107.3 BBT) will once again team with the United States Marine Corps Reserve to help put a smile on a child’s face this holiday season with the 2008 Toys for Tots Campaign. (read more - Main Line Richmond)
Z104 is the first station to launch | Thursday, November 13, 2008 SplashCast, a content syndication service for emerging media, announced Entercom will go live with SplashCast technology on the websites of 70 music stations. (read more - RBR.com)
| Wednesday, November 12, 2008More than half of Americans believe in angels. That's according to a poll of more than 1,6000 people by Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion. Count Karen West, a disc jockey at 97.3 The Eagle, among them and she often talks about it with her listeners. (read more - WVEC)
Entercom Soft Rock "2WD" WWDE/101.3 Hampton/Norfolk late last week started broadcasting its signal in digital. 101.3-2 is also live with "Deep Tracks..." (11/11/2008)
The new channel line-ups for SiriusXM Satellite Radio subs have been released. The new line-ups for XM and Sirius subs debut tomorrow at 12:01... (11/11/2008)
EZ100.5 FM & AMEN820-AM bring communities and troops together for the holidays via radio and Internet | Tuesday, November 11, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... EZ100.5-FM & AMEN 820-AM launch their Richmond area & world wide promotion bringing families and troops together for the holidays.Beginning Veterans' Day, EZ100.5-FM and AMEN820 AM invite loved ones in Richmond area communities to send a little bit of "Home for the Holidays" to troops and those serving around the world. EZ100.5 and AMEN 820 offer families and the community the opportunity to record a personalized message... (read more - VARTV Press Room)
| Monday, November 10, 2008After 20 months, CW Richmond WUPV/65 Ashland has dropped its 10 p.m. newscast, anchored by Ric Young and Lee Mahaffey from (produced by) Raycom Media "CBS6" WTVR. WUPV has replaced the news with CW repeats of Tyler Perry's House of Payne and syndicated fare King of Queens. The 10 p.m. newscast on Sinclair's "FOX Richmond" WRLH/35 easily beat the news WUPV. A "new product" will hit the airwaves soon on Channel 65.
Takes hybrid approach to launching HD networks | Monday, November 10, 2008 Several television engineers have said that the move to digital television has turned stations into “bit managers, not broadcasters,” as they balance the multiple services—HDTV, multicast channels, data and perhaps even mobile TV—that can be offered within the 19.4 megabit per second (Mbps) payload of their digital spectrum. (read more - Broadcasting & Cable)Editor's note: ION has O&O's (owned and operated) stations in Hampton Roads (WPXV/49), Roanoke (WPXR/38) and Washington DC (WPXW/66)...
| Friday, November 7, 2008The Virginian-Pilot and its affiliated companies are considering layoffs to make up for steep declines in advertising revenue, its publisher said Thursday. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot)
Entercom Soft Rock "2WD" WWDE/101.3 Hampton/Norfolk became the state's first all-Christmas music station this morning just after 8 when Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's version of "The Little Drummer Boy" aired... (11/7/2008)
LIN TV's WAVY (10/NBC) gets a website makeover at WAVY.com as FOX Interactive Media takes it over... (11/7/2008)
| Thursday, November 6, 2008Verizon Communications Inc. has launched 55 new channels on its FiOS TV lineup in Hampton Roads, including 53 in high-definition. Only customers who receive the FiOS TV Extreme HD package, which costs $57.99 per month, will receive the new channels. (read more - The Virginian-Pilot) (read more - Richmond Times-Dispatch)
| Thursday, November 6, 2008 Sirius XM Satellite Radio is telling subscribers to both services that new channel positions are coming next Wednesday, November 12. Jocks and sweepers on both services are alerting listeners to the channel moves. It's also expected that most, if not all, format duplication will be eliminated at that time.So far, it appears that the decade channel names on XM (40s on 4, 50s on 5, etc) will live on but the format of these channels could be tweaked.
| Wednesday, November 5, 2008Catching up on several FCC happenings the past two weeks: The Commission has granted Virginia Tech a new radio station licensed to Lexington on 88.7 with the call letters WRIQ requested and granted. The Class A station is planned to do 3.9kW at 220 feet from a tower location north of Lexington near Fairfield, off I-64. Coverage is expected from Stauton southeast thru Lexington and Buena Vista... A new FM radio station has been granted to Roanoke Rapids-based Roanoke Valley Communications. This Class A station is planned to do 6kW at 157 feet from a tower location in Owens on 91.9FM. Coverage is expected from Emporia on north to Templeton/Lees Mill... Clear Channel Urban AC "105-3 Kiss FM" WKUS is officially licensed to Windsor (listen here for the new on air legal ID). WKUS and sister WJCD/107.7 are swapping COLs (community of license). WJCD has a CP (construction permit) to "move" its signal to Norfolk... The FCC recently slapped a $7,200 fine on Washington and Lee University's Variety/College WLUR/91.5 Lexington for missing information in the station's public file. The University had the fine reduced from $9,000...
Two week food drive begins today to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank | Wednesday, November 5, 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... Cox Radio Richmond (WKHK K95, WKLR 96.5, WMXB 103.7, WDYL Y101.1) and First Community Bank are kicking off a two week food drive called Feed Richmond, going on now through November 20th, to benefit the Central Virginia Foodbank. (read more - Cox Radio Richmond)
| Tuesday, November 4, 2008As if joining in a great chorus, the broadcast and cable news networks called the presidential election for Democrat Barack Obama at 11 p.m. ET. (read more - Broadcasting & Cable)
| Monday, November 3, 2008 PD/Morning host Leslie "Les" Humble has left East Carolina Radio's Country "Dixie 105.7" WRSF Columbia/Outer Banks NC. He was with the station for just eight months.The new on-air lineup debuts today: 5:30-10 a.m.: The Breakfast Table with Tom Charity
Richmond-based Circuit City, the #2 CE chain in the country, announced it will close 155 stores; 3 being in Virginia (Albemarle Sq in Charlottesville, Davidson Pl in Manassas, Chain Bridge Rd in McLean)... (11/3/2008)
Sarah Palin was heard this morning on Max Media Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH and Entercom Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE... (11/3/2008)
| Monday, November 3, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE... WAVY-TV and Partners On Your Side: Farm Fresh and Langley Federal Credit Union, are pleased to announce the 2008 Coats for Kids campaign. (read more - WAVY)
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