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 :// Mike McClain to exit MainQuad   Mike McClain, Promotions Director and midday jock at "Oldies 107-3" WBBT/WARV Richmond, will be heading to Hagerstown MD to accept the Director of Programming position with VerStandig Broadcasting's five-station cluster. McClain will oversee programming for Hot AC "Star 92.1" WSRT//WHGT/1380, Country WAYZ/104.7, WCBG/1590 and Adult CHR "Magic 101.5" WWMD where he'll also be handling the afternoon airshift. He's no stranger to the company, McClain worked for VerStandig in Harrisonburg VA in the late 90's. He exits MainQuad on Friday, July 9..... (6/30/04):// Ozone is moving; new show on Oldies 107-3 Former Hot AC "B103" WMXB/103.7 Richmond Saturday night guy Ozone makes his way to MainQuad "Oldies 107-3" WBBT/WARV to take Saturdays 7PM-midnight. This Saturday, he'll be one of several voices doing the Firecracker 500 countdown promotion... On the 10th, Oldies 107-3's "Saturday Night Fever Dance Party" premieres -- it's all '70's disco and dance, all night long..... (6/30/04) :// AllAccess profiles OM/PD Walt Ford of Mel Wheeler's Urban AC "Vibe 100" WVBE-FM/AM Roanoke and night jock Andrew "Crash" Young of CC Alternative "102-1 The X" WRXL Richmond are featured on All Access' "10 Questions With..." Go there quick, the links have been up for awhile now..... (6/30/04) :// Bopst Show moving... ... to a new time. Starting Monday, July 5, The Bopst Show will move to it's new schedule on WCLM/1450 Highland Springs/Richmond. The new hours are Monday thru Friday 1-4PM. WCLM LIVE audio stream can be accessed on the Internet at: wclmradio.com..... (6/30/04) :// Entercom Norfolk to sue Sinclair Communications/Jay West? That's what the folks at Entercom are threatening. They don't like the fact that longtime jock/PD Jay West (who they fired) is now on the air at Sinclair's "106-1 BOB-FM" WPYA Poquoson. They're wanting to enforce a non-compete clause when West was at Entercom. Wednesday morning's The Virginian-Pilot has the complete story on this saga..... (6/30/04)  A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. MainQuad Richmond has multiple positions available for their existing stations and the new one on the way! Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/28/04):// WXGI to drop the rest of its Country programming, big announcement soon  Gee Communications' "ESPN Radio 950" WXGI Richmond is taking one more step to being all sports. As of July 1, WXGI will have dropped the last two paid programs -- "The Real Estate Hour" and "The Dividend" during the week. Additionally, the station will have their first all sports Saturday this holiday weekend...Also, stay tuned this week to WXGI. On July 1, during the 7AM hour of Big Al's show, ESPN Radio 950 will have a big programming announcement..... (6/28/04) :// New Charlottesville CBS affiliate names News Director  WCAV (19/CBS) announced today that they have hired Ric Barrick as News Director and anchor for their new CBS station now under construction in downtown Charlottesville. Barrick was most recently the News Director at WMDT the ABC affiliate in Salisbury MD/Dover DE. He is no stranger to the area, Barrick was born in Charlottesville, attended Charlottesville High School, and graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Meteorology. "Growing up in Charlottesville shaped my life and it is where I got my start in broadcasting. I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity" Barrick said. Barrick has 15 years of television news experience including work in Richmond (WRIC), Norfolk (WTKR), Baltimore (WBAL), Washington, DC (WUSA, WJLA, WDCA, WTTG), and Philadelphia (KYW, WTXF).Bill Varecha, GM of the startup stations WCAV (CBS) and WVAW (ABC) said "Ric comes to us with a great deal of experience. He has a proven record of success and will build the most trusted news team in Central Virginia. The station needs to be an active member of the community and I know that Ric's professional and local background will help get us off to a great start." WCAV and WVAW expect to be broadcasting by August 15th and will provide a full range of news and entertainment programming. The station has already hired reporters, anchors and support staff who will debut "News19 at 6 and 11" by October. The station says it will place a strong emphasis on community involvement, covering important community news and participating in community events. The station also plans to emphasize its weather coverage and aims to provide the area's most accurate forecasts. Coverage of high school and UVA sports will also be high on the priority list. WCAV/WVAW is owned by Gray Television Inc..... (6/28/04) :// Hampton Roads tidbits Larry Bonko of The Virginian-Pilot reports that Kerri Mattson, 32 and co-anchor on the top-rated "WAVY News 10 Today (NBC)," will get married this Friday in Massachusetts. Her and her new husband Kevin plan a honeymoon in Ireland. When she comes on-air, look out for Kerri "Furey" Derek Wing, reporter/anchor on WVBT (43/FOX), has exited for Seattle WA. It's the #12 TV market in the country where Wing will be reporting and anchoring on Tribune's FOX affiliate "Q13" KCPQ Tacoma. Cheryl Tan has been named the new anchor for LIN TV's "FOX 43 News at 10" where she has been a reporter and was also reporting for WAVY. Tan is new to this market but not new to news. She came from Young Broadcasting's "8News" WRIC (ABC) Petersburg/Richmond just seven months ago where she was for five years -- beginning as a weekday morning reporter, then moving to weekend anchor/weekday reporter in 1999... Remember news anchor Sandra Kelly at WAVY and WTKR in the late 70s thru the mid-80s? She's now an associate rector at St John's Episcopal Church in Tampa FL. No link on hamptonroads.com for the story; gotta pick up today's paper to read it..... (6/27/04) :// More websites made over Entercom Norfolk has completed the redesign of all of their radio station websites. Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ and Urban AC "95-7 R&B" WVKL websites just received a new look from First MediaWorks. The first to get a makeover in the cluster was Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE then Mainstream AC "2WD" WWDE. Z104's new website is at Z104.com and 95-7 R&B's new website is at 957RnB.com..... (6/26/04) :// A handful of translators granted  The FCC has granted 11 CP's (Construction Permits) for translators in Virginia -- all to Positive Alternative Radio. Translators "repeat" (rebroadcast) programming from an origination (main) station and are very low-powered -- anywhere from 10 watts to 250 watts of power. The new stations are W271AR/102.1 Hot Springs, W250AR/97.9 Clifton Forge, W244BP/96.7 Charlottesville, W241AL/96.1 and W287AR/105.3 Marion, W284BB/104.7 Wise, W226AT/93.1, W231BC/94.1 and W292CU/106.3 Christiansburg, and W231BD/94.1 and W222AQ/92.3 Dillwyn. According to the applications, all the stations will rebroadcast Positive Alternative Radio's full-power Contemporary Christian "Spirit FM" WPIN/91.5 Dublin which rebroadcasts the main signal of WRXT/91.3 Roanoke. All the translators are very low powered at or just above 10 watts each..... (6/25/04) :// Hokies, Triad Broadcasting expand basketball coverage  ISP Sports, who produce a variety of marketing opportunities involving Virginia Tech Athletics, and Triad Broadcasting have announced a multi-year extension of the station's affiliation contract to broadcast Tech sports in southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia. The new arrangement will increase exposure for Virginia Tech basketball on "Eagle" WKOY/100.9 Princeton (Bluefield) WV // WKQY/100.1 Tazewell VA.  Both stations had been carrying Virginia Tech football games for several years, but will now also carry all Tech basketball games, the Monday night "Advance Auto Parts Hokie Hotline" with Tech coaches Frank Beamer and Seth Greenberg, and the daily "Davenport Virginia Tech Sports Quiz," a daily show which airs weekdays from August through March."We're extremely excited about the future of Tech basketball and the ACC," said Triad Broadcasting Market Manager and VP John Halford. "ACC basketball is just another level of excitement and higher level of fan interest... This is Hokie Country. From Bluefield to Richlands to Tazewell, you see nothing but Hokies and we're proud to be associated with Tech..." (6/25/04) :// Website makeover  Young Broadcasting WRIC (8/ABC) has a revamped website at WRIC.com. It's still "powered by" WorldNow -- the company getting more and more popular for doing/developing television station websites. The look at WRIC.com is now more in line with other WorldNow websites. On the website, they are now branding as "8 News: Straight to the Point" vs. the old "8 News: Live. Local. Late Breaking." (6/25/04):// New station on by September 1  Delmarva Educational Association's new WWIP/89.1 Cheriton VA, we hear, could be on the air by September 1. As reported here last month, we think the call letters stand for "Word In Praise" which is a satellite radio network owned by Salem Communications, WWIP's ultimate parent company. The WWIP owners also run Bright AC "K-Love" WAZP/90.7 Cape Charles. Word In Praise offers praise and worship with a limited amount of music. We believe you can get a taste for that programming on WPMH/1010 Portsmouth. That station, owned by ABC, is LMA-ed to another Salem subsidiary -- Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting. "Word In Praise" was heard instead of Christian Talk yesterday. All the Talk programming has been moved to the much stronger signal on 670 -- WRJR. WPMH will eventually go dark -- soon. Back at WWIP, we hear that the station will have two studios -- one in a church in Kempsville (section of Virginia Beach) and one in Cheriton..... (6/25/04):// Station is back on the air Convergent Broadcasting's "Classic Hits 104.9" WFMZ Hertford NC returned to the air yesterday evening at 6PM. They were silent the past two days for "fine tuning its signal." This fine tuning means better reception on the Outer Banks, Corolla to Ocracoke..... (6/25/04) :// The extreme in Richmond Richmond readers of Style Weekly have made their choices known for the extremes of life in Richmond. Style Weekly calls it "The Most." Included in "The Most" list are several radio and TV selections, including WRVQ, Juan Conde and Chesley McNeil of WRIC, and WCVE. You will need to scroll down the page to see all these selections. One to include that is in the paper version of this list, but not online is "Richmonder most in need of a visit from the Fab 5." Jim Duncan of WWBT ties for this honor with former Richmond City Councilman Chuck Richardson. The complete story is on StyleWeekly.com..... (6/25/04) :// Outer Banks gets new station After seven weeks of stunting, East Carolina Radio debuted Active Rocker "The New 98X - New Rock for The Outer Banks" WOBX/98.1 Manteo at 4PM. We hear there was a delay getting the satellite dish up -- readying it for the syndicated Lex & Terry morning show. Here's their new on-air line-up beginning Monday:
10AM-3PM -- OPEN (get your T&R's out) 3-7PM -- Cuervo Curtis (heard on "95-3 The Rock Experience" WOBR) and 98X's PD 7-Mid -- Bam Bam That's what we hear. Atlanta GA based Cumulus will be officially taking over New River Valley Radio Partners either at the end of this week or early next week. We hear a final check of the stations will be happening today. Several longtime employees are gone from the cluster in recent months -- Collins in the Morning (former PSK morning show host), Robbie Raggs (former Bear afternoon show host), Kris Fisher (former Bear evening show host) and Courtney Quinn (mid-days/PD for the Bear). She leaves tomorrow leaving the Bear down to one part-time jock until they hire a new PD for the station. With Cumulus taking full control over the cluster, we hear changes will be coming soon to some of the formats currently heard. At WFNR/100.7, the simulcast of WFNR/710 will be dropped for a CHR/Hot AC format... possibly a mix between "K92" WXLK and "Q99" WSLQ. This station will get new call letters. At WBXW/101.7, currently "Bubba" playing Classic Country music, will become "SuperTalk 101." We hear Tom Leykis will be dropped in favor of a new evening talk show. This frequency has a much better southerly signal than WFNR/100.7. This station is also set for new call letters. WPSK/107.1 has already started integrating some Bubba music, with a new slogan of "Today's Best Country and Your All Time Favorites." WBRW/WBWR (105.3/106.9) "The Bear" will remain a mix of new and old rock. No changes to WFNR/710 or WRAD/1460. Stay tuned to see if this pans out..... (6/24/04) :// And another bolts to Sinclair Bob Rischitelli, formerly GSM (General Sales Manager) for just seven weeks at Clear Channel Norfolk, and seven years at Entercom Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ Norfolk has bolted to Sinclair Communications' Alternative "96X" WROX" Exmore and the Sinclair sales staff at Dominion Tower Norfolk. That makes three former Entercom employees joining the Sinclair-owned stations in just three weeks. Jay West, now heard in the afternoon on BOB and Brian Smith heard on Alternative "96X" WROX/96.1 Exmore are the other two..... (6/23/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Voiceover talent available for you. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/23/04):// Z jock to move to Hampton Roads Justin "The New Guy" Wright will be exiting Mel Wheeler CHR "K92" WXLK Roanoke this Friday. In addition to jocking on K92, Wright was voicetracking the night shift for Entercom Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ Norfolk. Wright will be LIVE on Z104 this coming Monday after voicetracking the shift the past three months. The New Guy will also handle the imaging duties for the entire Entercom cluster..... (6/23/04) :// Live and local on WYYD, Market Manager exits Clear Channel Country WYYD/107.9 Roanoke/Lynchburg VA has dropped the syndicated CC show -- Ben & Brian for a new live and local morning show. The new morning team that is "exploring" the market is (Lisa) Lewis and (Dave) Clark. Lisa Lewis is no stranger to Virginia. She has had previous stints at WUMX/Clear Channel Charlottesville, and before that a long time Richmond fixture, both at CC "Lite 98" WTVR and the former Hot AC " B103" WMXB (now Mix 103-7)... CC Market Manager for the six station Roanoke/Lynchburg cluster Chris Clendenen has resigned. Clendenen takes a similiar position with Cumulus for their four station cluster in Lexington KY. He starts there on July 20..... (6/23/04) :// WFMZ to be reborn Thursday  No, it won't be Contemporary Christian. Convergent Broadcasting's "Classic Hits 104.9" WFMZ Hertford NC is off the air today and will be most of tomorrow. The station is "fine tuning its signal" and will return late Thursday with more "Classic Hits without the Hard Rock." This fine tuning will probably mean better reception on the Outer Banks, Corolla to Ocracoke. There could be a slight deterioration in the reception for Hampton Roads listeners where VARTV received its first tip about WFMZ being off the air..... (6/23/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Clear Channel Norfolk is looking for a Sales Representative for their cluster. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/22/04):// Discovery HD coming to Comcast; Cinemax-HD on COX In a widely anticipated deal that will bring much wider distribution to Discovery HD Theater, Comcast said it has finalized a multiyear agreement to begin offering Discovery's HD service in Comcast's HD markets. At the end of March Comcast rolled out HD to 19 million of 21 million customers. Comcast will start the Discovery rollout later this summer. As part of the deal, later this summer Comcast will introduce 75 hours of VOD programming from Discovery free of charge to its on-demand lineup in markets where it offers the service. Discovery HD Theater is currently available through DirecTV, EchoStar, Voom, Time Warner, Charter, Cox, Brighthouse, Insight, Mediacom and other cable operators. Source: TelevisionWeek... Recently, COX Cable Hampton Roads added Cinemax-HD to their HD Tier on channel 751. Cox HR now offers nine HD channels to digital cable subscribers..... (6/22/04) For those of you that have VARTV bookmarked using our IP address, it has changed... again. The new address is http://67.19.19.150/. "Please make a note of it." (6/22/04) Star City (Roanoke) May 2004 TV sweeps results coming soon..... (6/21/04) According to All Access, Sinclair Communication's PD for Alternative "96X" WROX Exmore and "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA Poquoson Michele Diamond got married to Michael Johnson on June 6. Congrats! (6/21/04):// WSLS reports WJJS looking for morning show hosts "A local radio station is looking for “America's Next Greatest Morning Show." WJJS//WJJX held auditions for morning show DJ's at the River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg and the Valley View Mall in Roanoke. WSLS (10/NBC) meteorologist Jamie Singleton and "Fox 21/27" Anchor Jenn Waddell were two of the judges. WJJS hopes to hire two DJ's from Saturday's auditions..... (6/21/04) :// AM 1110 is back; More power to WVAB? WCKO/1110 Norfolk, the 50kW daytimer, is back on the air. Word Broadcasting of Louisville KY is running the station and has programming back on it. We hear WCKO's programming is coming from the network's homebase WJIE/88.5 Louisville KY while the studios are still in the process of being built in Norfolk. Ronn Cowan of "1450 The Buzz" WBVA Bayside (Virginia Beach) and "CNN Headline News 1550 " WVAB Virginia Beach has agreed to allow Word to share office space in the Raddison Hotel. In return, Word has agreed to allow WVAB to have exclusive use of their newly rebuilt four tower directional tower array (they go off at night). This will allow WVAB to go to 500/2500 watts at night, and possibly increase their daytime power at this site from 10,000/50,000 watts if they "roll up the sleeves" to spend the extra cash. Cowan says "... we want to increase WVAB's authorization soon, to coincide with WVAB's 50th anniversary this year." Back at 1110, we were told that once everything settles down, the station (to get new call letters) will focus on Charismatic, Pentecostal Talk & Health..... (6/21/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Sinclair Communications' "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA has an immediate opening for an Account Executive. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/16/04):// Another bolts to Sinclair Brian Smith who went by Brian Thomas when at Entercom Norfolk, is now in Downtown Norfolk with Sinclair Communications. This past Sunday was his first on-air shift at Alternative "96X" WROX Exmore. We hear Smith will also be helping with Promotions at sister station "106-1 Bob FM" WPYA Poquoson. Smith previously had on-air stints at Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE Virginia Beach and on Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ Norfolk..... (6/16/04) :// "Gimme The Mike!"  Hampton Roads and NE North Carolina's version of "American Idol" will premiere Thursday July 8 – 8:00pm on WSKY (4/Ind). New episodes will air each week at 8PM on Thursdays during July and August. The show's three judges are Kensey Wright, President/CEO of Fifth Degree Records; Kristen Croot from Country "93-7 Kick FM" WKCK and Skip DeRupa, a musician, engineer/producer for Windmark Recording Studio. "Gimme The Mike Hampton Roads!" has selected Eric Worden, heard mornings on "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA, to host the local music reality show. (pictured from left – Skip DeRupa, Kensey Wright, Kristen Croot and Eric Worden). (6/16/04) On Top Communications' Urban "Hot 102.1/107.9" WWHV/WWBR Virginia Beach has an immediate opening for a Business/Traffic Manager. InsideRadio.com has the complete details..... (6/16/04):// Z104 on top, Kiss continues to grow  Arbitron recently released the Spring 2004 Phase I radio ratings for Hampton Roads. This period covered February, March and April. It's still not a full period for stations who made significant on-air changes i.e. new shows, a new station or a new format. Things are looking up for Sinclair's "106-1 Bob FM" WPYA, On Top Urban "Hot 102.1/107.9" WWHV/WWBR (especially mornings) and it appears Barnstable's Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH has fought off Sinclair's new Country "93-7 Kick FM" WKCK. Wait and see what CC Soft AC "92.1/107.7 Lite FM" does. Both frequencies trended down. Again, this is just a Trend...The most listened to station (12+) was Entercom Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ. Second was sister Mainstream AC "2WD" WWDE, 3rd CC Urban "103Jamz" WOWI, 4th Entercom Urban AC "95-7 R&B" WVKL, 6th Barnstable Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH, 7th sister Contemporary Inspirational "Star 94.1" WXEZ, 8th Saga Active Rock "FM99" WNOR, 9th Entercom Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE and 10th (tie) Saga "Classic Hits 106.9 The Fox" WAFX and 60s-70s Oldies "92.9 WFOG." See where your favorite station and/or jock stand. Other selected demos... WOWI, WNVZ, WNOR, WVKL, WPTE, WXMM, WWDE, WROX, WGH, WXEZ WVKL, WWDE, WXEZ, WNVZ, WGH, WKUS, WPTE, WAFX, WNOR, WOWI and WFOG WWDE, WKUS, WNOR, WNVZ, WGH, WVKL, WPTE, WXEZ, WAFX, WOWI WWDE, WGH, WNIS, WVKL, WNVZ, WFOG, WAFX and WOWI, WXEZ and WPTE WOWI, WNVZ, WWDE, WVKL and WGH, WXEZ, WPTE, WNIS, WFOG, WAFX WOWI, WNVZ, WKUS and WVKL, WWDE, WNOR, WXEZ, WWHV/WWBR, WXMM, WGH WNVZ, WXEZ, WOWI, WVKL, WWDE, WNOR, WKUS, WGH, WXMM, WFOG..... (6/16/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Gee Communications' "ESPN RADIO 950" WXGI is looking for a full-time Live Sports/Talk Producer. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/16/04):// WZFM Narrows has been saved VARTV reported back on April 12 that the FCC had canceled WZFM/101.3 Narrows VA license and deleted its call letters for a lack of a broadcast signal for more than 12 consecutive months. Over the last several years the station has had anemic broadcasts -- basically to satisfy FCC rules. Well, the owners, Old Dominion Communications, filed a petition for reconsideration with the FCC. The FCC granted this on June 9th. The license will be renewed and the call letters have been reinstated. Just yesterday, WZFM filed a STA (special temporary authority). That authorization is not yet available online. They were previously granted a CP (Construction Permit) to increase their coverage area but never got it off the ground due to site problems. WZFM's signal generally covered a very economically-challenged area between Blacksburg and Bluefield VA..... (6/15/04) :// Carla Isaac returns  Communications Systems' Contemporary Inspirational "Rejoice 100.9" WFMI Southern Shores NC has announced that Carla Isaac has just joined Mike Chandler in the mornings as co-host for "Morning Praise." Issac, a native of Lynchburg SC, began her career in radio and television at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa AL. She's no stranger to Hampton Roads listeners. She was heard on the defunct Urban Oldies "Soul Classic 92.9" WWSO as Carla Clarke and on sister station Contemporary Inspirational "Star 94.1" WXEZ as Carla Isaac. She exited Star last November. The station says "Look forward to Carla sharing God's love and that genuine Southern Hospitality Monday thru Friday. You can catch her along side Mike, 6-9 AM for Morning Praise on WFMI REJOICE 100.9 FM covering NE North Carolina and flowing into SE Virginia."The station wants a part of the Hampton Roads radio pie -- using Metro Traffic in the mornings and has an advertising campaign on HRT buses around Hampton Roads. The corporate office is in Town Center of Virginia Beach in Virginia Beach..... (6/15/04) :// Lowell Melser has exited WAVY UPDATED: Reporter Lowell Melser exited LIN TV's WAVY-TV (10/NBC) recently and has resurfaced on Hearst-Argyle's WBAL (11/NBC) Baltimore as a part-time reporter. We hear that Melser was hired by Michelle Butt, who used to be a producer at WAVY in the early 90's and News Director at WTKR (3/CBS) in the mid-90's. However, the two have never worked together. Melser wanted to be closer to his girlfriend, who lives in New York. The commutes were becoming difficult. Since his work is part-time, don't be surprised to see him also reporting for DC's "FOX5" WTTG as a freelancer until a full-time opening becomes available at WBAL. (6/15/04) :// Eagle fills night slot  Barnstable Broadcasting's Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH Newport News/Norfolk has filled their open night slot. Carol Lewis previously of WAFX/106.9 and WGH-FM has recently been hired for the vacated 7-midnight shift at Eagle. Zak Tyler, the previous night jock, has been doing middays for awhile. He replaced Nikki Landry who left for Entercom's Country WBEE/92.5 Rochester NY. Lewis starts on Monday..... (6/15/04):// New translator coming to VB Radio Assist Ministry was recently granted a CP (Construction Permit) for a translator in Virginia Beach. Religious broadcaster Radio Assist is made up of former Calvary Church members in Twins Falls ID. As far as we know, almost all of Radio Assist's properties are translators that rebroadcasts a signal already available in the market. The new one in Virginia Beach is no exception. To be located at 97.7, the translator will rebroadcast Contemporary Christian WJLZ/88.5 Virginia Beach at just 10 watts from the Great Neck section of Virginia Beach (Mill Dam & Great Neck Rds)..... (6/15/04) :// Stuff An alert VARTV reader pointed out something interesting on the Radio & Records website. As you probably already know, their website has been recently redesigned including the Ratings pages. For smaller markets only rated twice a year, they have listed ALL the stations rated in a given period -- this includes the non-commercial outlets (88.1~91.9FM). Even though these figures are for the All Persons demo (12+), it does provide some interesting information. In Charlottesville, Rocker "3WV" WWWV or "Country 99.7" WCYK aren't the most listened to stations. It's Virginia Tech's News/Classical/NPR WVTF and its satellite outlets. WVTF/WVTW/WVTU garnered a 12.4 share of all listeners vs. 3WV's 11.8 in that market's last Book -- Fall '03. WVTF also placed fifth overall in the Roanoke/Lynchburg market. In Harrisonburg, JMU's News/Classical/NPR WMRA and its satellites placed fourth overall. Go to R&R's website for more..... (6/15/04) :// Congrats to Channel 3 Sports, WAVY-TV This past Saturday, the "Locker Room" sports show locally produced and seen on "NewsChannel 3" WTKR (CBS) was awarded a Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy. The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Sports Programming. The Locker Room beat out shows like the Baltimore Ravens report, Comcast Sports Nite and a Ravens Pre-game show. WAVY-TV/DT (10/NBC) won in the Magazine Format: "Road Rebels: 24 Hours on the Road," reported by Andy Fox. There were many more winners and nominees. Go to natasdc.org for the complete list..... (6/14/04) :// Richmond's radio Trends Arbitron released the Spring Phase I ratings for the Richmond radio market this past Thursday. In first (12+), was CC's Soft AC "Lite 98" WTVR/98.1 which continues to slip from their great Fall numbers. They're still in double digits. In second and a point and a half from Lite, is Cox Radio Country "K95" WKHK/95.3. "K95" has slightly pulled away from 3rd place CC Urban "106-5 The Beat" WBTJ. The Beat did remain even since the final Winter Book. Fourth was Radio One Urban AC "104.7 Kiss FM" WKJS which continues its rise -- to sit all by itself in fourth place with a 7.0. Fifth was CC "NewsRadio 1140" WRVA, 6th Cox Classic Rock "96.5 The Planet" WKLR, 7th Radio One Urban "Power 92" WCDX/92.1. Power has now dipped below a 5.0. Eighth was MainQuad "Oldies 107.3" WBBT//WARV knocking on Power's door, 9th Contemporary Inspirational "Praise 99.3" WPZZ and shooting up to 10th was CC Alternative '102-1 The X" WRXL and tied with sister CHR "Q94" WRVQ/94.5... Other notables, Cox Radio's Alternative "Y101" WDYL bounced back from a dismal Winter Book with a close 3.0. Still not enough to catch The X which pulled further away from Y. Other selected demos... Persons 18-34 (M-S 6a-mid): WBTJ, WCDX and WRXL; WKHK; WRVQ Persons 25-54 (M-S 6a-mid): WTVR; WKJS; WKHK; WKLR; WBTJ Persons 35-64 (M-S 6a-mid): WTVR; WKHK; WKJS; WBBT; WKLR Morning drive (Persons 12+): WTVR; WKHK; WBTJ; WRVA and WKLR Middays (Persons 12+): WTVR; WRVA and WKHK (tie); WBTJ; WBBT Afternoon drive (Persons 12+): WTVR; WKHK; WBTJ; WKJS; WBBT Evenings (Persons 12+): WBTJ; WCDX; WKJS; WTVR; WKHK Weekends (Persons 12+; 6a-mid Sat/Sun): WKHK; WTVR; WKJS; WBTJ; WPZZ :// News from BOB  VARTV hears from several sources that former APD/MD and afternooner Jay West at Entercom Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ has landed a slot on another Hampton Roads radio station -- Sinclair Communications' Adult Hits "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA Poquoson. Tune your radio to 106.1 at 3PM. We hear current afternooner Johnny Crook has already shifted to mornings with Eric Worden...Speaking of BOB, we also have been hearing that the station has increased its power by 60%. A "deal" has been worked out with CC Raleigh for that cluster's WRDU/106.1 to accept some interference from WPYA/106.1 Poquoson in the far NE reaches of RDU's coverage area. Some mornings here in Virginia Beach near the Courthouse, it had been heard numerous times where WRDU was battling with WPYA's signal. It appears that this is now less of a problem. On the air, BOB is mentioning buying a new transmitter. Stay tuned..... (6/14/04) :// Alice Cooper to 96.9 Free Lance-Star "Classic Rock 96.9" WWUZ Bowling Green/Fredericksburg welcomes Alice Cooper for nights, picking up the nationally syndicated show for weeknights 7PM-12mid. The show consists of Classic Rock music, mixed in with interviews and Alice observations. (6/14/04) :// More speed  Cox Communications Hampton Roads has publicly launched it's new "Premier" package of Cox High Speed Internet (HSI). Priced at $79.99/mo for Cox customers ($89.99/mo non-customers), Cox says that its Premier package is, "Up to 30% faster than Cox High Speed Internet Preferred Package Service. (Up to 4 Mb downstream / 384 Kbps upstream speed) Designed for power users who need maximum speed and bandwidth. It's faster (up to 9 times) than DSL high-speed Internet and more than 100 times faster than dial-up." Current Cox HSI customers are automatically defaulted to the "Preferred" package -- the original offering of 3MB/256Kb. More details at cox.com/hr..... (6/13/04) Have you heard Ken Crandel, the former morning host of "Burnt Toast and Coffee Time" on the now defunct WANT/990 filling in on Radio One's Urban Oldies "Magic 105.7" WJMO Richmond? Is this a one time deal or more??? (6/13/04) :// Former 8 anchor invited to Reagan funeral According to yesterday's Richmond Times-Dispatch, former WRIC (8/ABC) morning anchor John Reid received an unexpected invitation to President Reagan's funeral Friday. Reid, who now works as chief spokesman for Senator George Allen, said that when the funeral invitation came, he thought it was intended for the Senator. However, the invitation was mean for him [Reid]. "I just about fell over," Reid said. Reid's connection to the former president dates back shortly after he graduated from college. He landed an eight month job as an intern in the office of former President Reagan after his graduation. In the article, Reid tells of an afternoon where he watched "Knute Rockne - All American" with the former president and listening to stories about its filming. As for Friday's service at the National Cathedral, Reid said it was a "mind-blowing experience, to look around and see these people [referring to people such as Henry Kissinger, Prince Charles, and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney], and very humbling to know that [he] and some other people who were very low on the ladder, were included in the invitation." ..... (6/12/04) :// WVEC/LNC5 off the air this morning? Not exactly. No power outage. If they had been, they would probably be showing snow. It was one of those "Murphy's Law" situations where several things go wrong in rapid succession, keeping Channel 13 in black for the better part of an hour during "Good Morning America," while engineering did all they could to get a handle on what happened. Both WVEC (13/ABC) and LNC were in black. "In black" is not the same as "off the air." When a station is in black, they're still broadcasting a signal, but they just don't have a picture or sound -- like dead air in radio. In the end, they were tiny, tiny mishaps, but big enough to knock them down for a while. The stations are back up and running now..... (6/11/04) :// NBC29 welcomes new reporter  WVIR (29/NBC) has hired Mark O'Brien as a general assignment reporter in its Charlottesville newsroom. Mark is no stranger to central Virginia, having been born in Richmond's Short Pump area. From 1999-2003, he worked part-time in a Charlottesville radio newsroom. He's also a member of the UVA class of 2003. And in 2002, Mark was an intern at WTVR (6/CBS). Mark recently relocated to central Virginia after spending a year in New York City..... (6/11/04):// Mix has its new afternoon personality? Former Cox Radio Alternative "Y101" WDYL/101.1 Richmond night guy Chris Centore has been holding down the afternoon drive this week over at sister station "Mix 103.7" WMXB Richmond. It's not known at this point though if this is a temporary gig, or something more permanent? (6/11/04) Mike Klein checks in from Entercom Norfolk Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ Norfolk to let us know they are looking for part-timers. Send your mp3s to Mklein@entercom.com..... (6/10/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Sinclair Communications' "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA is looking for a red-hot, experienced music radio DJ/air personality and is accepting T&Rs for part-time air staff. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/10/04):// WVKL gets new GSM  Kevin Hemmings has been announced as the new GSM (General Sales Manager) for Entercom Urban AC "95-7 R&B" WVKL Norfolk. Hemmings is a 23-year radio veteran, spending the last 14 years at Cox Radio Urban "99 Jamz" WEDR Miami FL in the same capacity. He replaces the exiting Suzanne McGovern. Entercom Norfolk VP/Market Manager Skip Schmidt says, "We are fortunate that a person of Kevin's caliber and boasting his credentials made the decision to join the Entercom team. Kevin's leadership will help guide the WVKL sales department to an even greater level of success." (6/9/04) :// MBC to change name  Major Broadcasting Cable Network is expected to announce Tuesday that it is changing its name to Black Family Channel beginning Oct. 1, according to sources close to the network. The name change will correspond with a revamping of the network to feature more variety and reality programming targeted toward African-American families. The network last month hired producer and actor Robert Townsend as its president of original productions, and it is talking with former Discovery Health Channel general manager Bob Reid about heading up day-to-day operations. MBC is seen on Cox Cable Hampton Roads channel 242 and possibly on other cable/satellite systems. Source: R Thomas Umstead/Multichannel News..... (6/8/04):// FM CP apps go into deep freeze Effective immediately, the FCC is putting a freeze on all applications for facility modifications for commercial and noncommercial FM stations, pending completion of 290 station allotments as part of Auction #37. The long-delayed auction is scheduled to take place 11/3/04. It was originally earmarked for 2/21/01. The purpose of the freeze is to expedite the auction process. Also, any proposals to amend the FM Table of Allotments which would impact on any of the 290 stations, either primary proposals or counterproposals, will be dismissed. The date upon which the freeze period will end will be announced later. Source: TVBR (6/8/04) :// Cablevision adds ESPN-HD to its High-Def offering ESPN has reached a deal with Cablevision to add ESPN-HD to Cablevision's high definition programming slate, which will now feature 14 HD networks available to its iO: Interactive Optimum digital cable customers at no cost, along with high definition video on demand service. ESPN-HD will be available to Cablevision's iO customers who have high-definition boxes this week. Cablevision has approximately 70,000 high definition customers. John Consoli/Mediaweek..... (6/7/04) :// WSET to open new newsroom  Word from the Roanoke market has it that Allbritton Communications' "ABC13" WSET will open a Blacksburg newsroom within the next few months. WSET has had amazing success recently in dominating the eastern side of the Roanoke/Lynchburg market. Though opening a Blacksburg newsroom won't help them beat the longtime market powerhouse, WDBJ (7/CBS), it should solidify their lead over NBC affiliate and Media General property "NewsChannel 10" WSLS. Having a Blacksburg newsroom will allow the station to cover Virginia Tech and the growing New River Valley much easier. Currently, the station's presence is almost non-existent in that portion of the viewing area..... (6/7/04) We're hearing that Clear Channel Norfolk Sales manager Bob Rischetelli has been shown the door. No word as to why Rischetelli leaves the Norfolk Square complex..... (6/7/04):// Upstart cable nets can first get exposure on VOD "To watch these programs on cable, you have to find them first" read the headline in The New York Times. New networks like AMP TV, Wisdom Television, The Anime Network and others get their shot on VOD (video-on-demand) first which could lead to a permanent channel position on cable's digital tiers. The entire story is in the Times' Business section at nytimes.com..... (6/7/04) Gray Television is advertising several positions available at their two new Charlottesville stations -- WCAV (19/CBS) and WVAW-LP (16/ABC). WCAV's website -- WCAV.tv has all the details..... (6/7/04) Some Q&A with in today's Richmond Times-Dispatch with WRIC's Christina Feerick..... (6/6/04):// WVNZ's great ratings too good to be true  Literally. RadioRichmond's Spanish "Selecta 1320" WVNZ garnered spectacular ratings (relatively speaking) last ratings period. We hear that instantly raised speculation about the diaries Arbitron received. We hear at least one Richmond radio group sent PDs last week to look through the diaries. Arbitron said "...Arbitron has learned that two of the dairies returned from a Winter Phase II Richmond household, which contained significant listening and were in-tab for Winter 2004, were not eligible for inclusion in the sample. The household, which returned three diaries for the week of February 19-25, initially reported a composition of three individuals in the Male 18-34 demo, when in fact, the household has now confirmed that only one male resided in the household during the survey week." The Spring 2004 Phase I Arbitrends report for Richmond, originally scheduled to release Monday, June 7 has been rescheduled to release on Thursday, June 10. Arbitron says the rescheduling is needed "to accommodate deletion of the two diaries." Arbitron will also be issuing revised quarterly audience estimates for Winter 2004, that excludes the two diaries.What does this all mean? Arbitron says the "Winter quarterly estimates for WVNZ-AM may vary significantly from the originally-published estimates." This could also have a much smaller effect for other stations in the revised report as well..... (6/4/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Free Lance-Star "Classic Rock 96.9" WWUZ Bowling Green is looking for an experienced part-time On Air Personality. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/4/04) East Carolina Radio's WOBX/98.1 Manteo NC has stopped stunting. But, it's now broadcasting "dead air." Are they thisclose to debuting the new format? (6/4/04):// LNC5 names new anchor  Vince Kelly has been announced as the new anchor/reporter for LNC5 (Local News on Cable), the partnership between Cox Communications, The Virginian-Pilot and WVEC. Kelly replaces Eric Turner who is leaving to take a position with the US Department of State. Kelly is currently a reporter/anchor for Hearst-Argyle's "Eyewitness News 25" WPBF (ABC) West Palm Beach FL. He's a native Floridian; starting at WPBF as a sports anchor in July 1998. Before WPBF, he was the weekend sports anchor/reporter for Sinclair Broadcasting's WSYX (6/ABC) Columbus OH and previously worked in Cincinnati, Ft. Meyers, Midland/Odessa TX and Columbus MS. Vince is somewhat familiar with Hampton Roads already, as his sister used to live in the area, and he and his wife have visited on several occasions. His first day will be July 12th..... (6/4/04):// WRIC names new "Good Morning Richmond" anchor; Chip is back in the "chair"  WRIC (8/ABC) has named Luke Duecy co-anchor of Good Morning Richmond. Duecy comes from "News2" WKRN, another Young Broadcasting station located in Nashville TN. Duecy is no stranger to the Richmond area, having attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in both Mass Communications and International Relations. Duecy replaces John Reid, who left the station in early April. And the weekend edition of WRIC's Good Morning Richmond begins tomorrow at 6AM with Christina Ferrick and Chesley McNeil...Chip Tarkenton has also return to the 6 and 11pm Sports Anchor chair for WRIC. He made the switch Tuesday evening from his temporary gig as co-anchor of Good Morning Richmond. Tarkenton made the comment that he was glad to be back in "this chair" (the sports anchor chair) rather than "that chair" (which he pointed to Juan Conde)..... (6/4/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Hampton Roads Radio Group is looking for an Accounting Supervisor. Current Account Supervisor, Michelle Kelsey, is exiting to move out West. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (6/3/04):// Ed Hughes' funeral to be covered But that's not what the family originally wanted. Wavering a bit, Ed Hughes' family has decided they will allow TV coverage of the funeral Friday morning. There will be one camera in the church -- WTKR's. Channel 3 will provide pool coverage feed to WAVY and WVEC of camera in church. Camera will be located high in the upper balcony. (Most people will not even know that it is there.) The burial will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The family has asked that the media stay away from the immediate family during the wake and the burial. They're not ready to talk, "believing the best people to talk are Ed's friends and fans. The family asks that we (the media) be non-intrusive at the wake and burial." The only restricted event is the funeral; coverage of the wake and burial is open to all..... (6/3/04) :// Will Delilah move from 2WD The folks at Entercom Norfolk don't think so. Her program is currently hear on Mainstream AC "2WD" WWDE Hampton. Delilah is moving to the Premiere Radio Networks (a Clear Channel property) as of July 1, 2004. She's now on Jones. Entercom management, they say, have been assured by Premiere that present Delilah affiliates have nothing to be worried about. They point out that they have a great relationship with Premiere and noted other Premiere products carried by Entercom Norfolk like Leeza Gibbons' "Hollywood Confidential" on 2WD and "The Weekly Top 40 with Rick Dees" on Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE Virginia Beach. Clear Channel recently launched a new Soft AC in Hampton Roads -- "92.1/107.7 Lite FM" WCDG/WJCD -- which Delilah's show would fit well on..... (6/2/04) :// Listen to BOB online Sinclair Communications' Classic Hits/Hot AC "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA Poquoson is now streaming their audio over the Internet. To hear the station that bills itself "We Play Anything," go to bob-fm.com..... (6/1/04) We have learned of some disheartening news. WTKR (3/CBS) Anchor/Reporter Ed Hughes has lost his battle with cancer. He passed away just before 2PM this afternoon. There's a short bio on WTKR.com, a video tribute on WVEC.com and a story on dailypress.com..... (6/1/04):// JerryLeeScottBand.com keeps on growing The Jerry Lee Scott Band website at jerryleescottband.com just keeps on growing. The Band now offers its own Online Store, through a special partnership with CafePress, to provide T shirts, hats, coffee mugs and even calendars complete with the new band logo. The logo was designed by former WBYM midday jock Dakota, who also worked with Jerry Lee and David Lyons. "We are excited to offer yet one more way for fans of Jerry Lee to show their support," said Lyons, the Band's webmaster who will soon take on promotions and booking duties. "Fans also can contact the band directly to purchase copies of Jerry Lee's latest CD entitled 'The #1 Hits,' which has some of the most requested songs ever aired on the radio, such as 'Merle Haggard, Jack Daniels and Me.' The site is updated almost daily, so we don't want anyone to miss out on the latest updates." For those wondering where Dakota is now, she is living and working in Newport News, and about to celebrate her first wedding anniversary in October..... (6/1/04) :// Max Media suits in restaurant biz  The biggest steakhouse chain is coming to Town Center of Virginia Beach in Virginia Beach. Ruth's Chris is putting a very high-end restaurant in Virginia Beach's "downtown" and its managing partners include Gene Loving, CEO of Virginia Beach-based Max Media and John Trinder, Max's COO. Max Media is a broadcast ownership and management firm with a growing list of radio and TV properties, largely in the Midwest and West, but do have a radio cluster in NE NC (WCXL, WGAI, WWOC and WQDK)..... (5/31/04):// Better sounding satellite radio is making AM and FM stations obsolete So says “Today” show tech editor Corey Greenberg. Read his take on the XM and Sirius satellite radio services on MSNBC.com..... (5/31/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Linda Salvin, a renowned psychic, metaphysical healer takes her show to radio syndication. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/30/04) The Daily Progress sheds even more light on the new TV stations popping up in Charlottesville, including the fact when the new network affiliated stations sign on, the Richmond based equivalents could be dropped by local cable provider Adelphia..... (5/30/04):// CC Roanoke/Lynchburg cleaning house We're hearing from a reliable source out of Lynchburg that CHR "Jammin'" WJJS Morning man and PD David Lee Michaels, Mornings/APD Melissa Morgan, Morning Show Producer "Bonezini" and Promotions Director Bobbie Crowder were all let go on Friday. Michaels had been the PD there since the early 90s. Over at Country 108 WYYD, afternooner Steve Stroud is also let go..... (5/30/04) :// WLSA now doing Oldies Piedmont Communications has closed on (bought) WLSA/105.5 Louisa VA and flipped the format to the long-rumored Oldies. The station has new call letters -- WOJL (requested from the FCC on 5/4) -- and is now known as "Oldies 105." The crew pulled all nighters Thursday and Friday to get the new 105.5 on the air in time for the Memorial Day weekend. Piedmont took control Thursday night at midnight, installed new equipment, made transmitter repairs, and still got the station up at noon Saturday -- just 36 hours. This weekend, "Oldies 105" is doing a special "Sixties Beach Party" -- the regular format debuts on Tuesday -- "Good Times and Great Oldies" focusing on the 60s and 70s..... (5/29/04) :// Franchise renewal  Cox Communications has applied to renew its cable television franchise with Virginia Beach. The city has commissioned a phone survey of cable subscribers, seeking information about residents' experiences with Cox and suggestions for future service. Four hundred randomly selected households will be called by June 10. City residents also can call in comments at 427-4411 or e-mail them to cabletv@vbgov.com..... (5/27/04):// It's a boy! Brooke Shealy welcomed her first child, a baby boy named "Field", into the world on May 20, 2004. She and her husband are thrilled! Brooke most recently has been filling in for the weather department at WRIC (8/ABC) in Richmond. She also worked for WVIR-TV (29/NBC) and co-hosted "The Mix Morning Show with Vinnie and Brooke" on WUMX-FM in Charlottesville VA..... (5/27/04) If it hasn't been reported already, John Reid formerly of 8NEWS (WRIC) is now the Communications Manager for Sen George Allen..... (5/28/04):// Translator CPs granted A whole slew of FM translator CPs (Construction Permits) were granted recently by the FCC -- two in Virginia. Translators usually will rebroadcast programming from a distant station. The first CP was granted to Radio Assist Ministry at 95.9 Gainesville VA. Gainesville is near the crossroads of I-66 and Rte 29 (Lee Hwy). According to the application submitted to the FCC, the translator will rebroadcast WTRM/91.3 Winchester at just 6 watts. The call letters are W240BH... New Covenant Educational Ministries (one of many subsidiaries of Salem Communications) was granted a CP for a translator at 97.3 Petersburg. 97.3 will rebroadcast WAUQ/89.7 Charles City. WAUQ is highly directional and doesn't cover Petersburg very well. The new signal will be at 80 watts and has the calls letters W247AV..... (5/27/04) :// Storms blow thru Richmond This is how the Richmond stations handled the severe weather yesterday evening. WTVR's (6/CBS) Mike Goldberg was on air around 7:50PM for a severe weather update, when the Tornado Warning was issued for Goochland County. WRIC (8/ABC) broke in with John Bernier about 7:55PM for its own weather update, and was followed moments later by WWBT (12/NBC). Meteorologists Jim Duncan and Tom Patton provided WWBT's coverage. Both WWBT and WTVR returned to regular programming at 8:00PM. WRIC remained on air with weather for a few moments after 8PM but that didn't last long -- returning back to live weather updates around 8:15PM. Lisa Schaffner and Juan Conde joined WRIC's coverage about 8:40PM. Why did 8 stay with weather thru the 8PM hour? One thought is because of the new weather graphics WRIC recently began using on air. Also, ABC's regular programming was matched up against some tough competition with the CMA awards on WTVR, American Idol on WRLH and Law & Order on WWBT..... (5/27/04) :// Syndicated radio host Delilah jumps to Premiere from Jones Delilah, one of Jones Radio Networks' marquee radio personalities, is switching syndicators to Premiere Radio Networks, the radio programming division of Clear Channel. Her contract with Jones expires at the end of June. Delilah is carried on more than 200 radio stations and draws nearly 6 million listeners each week. It's not unusual for Delilah to command shares of 20 and higher among her target audience of women 25-54. "This is a program I have long sought to bring to Premiere," said Kraig Kitchin, president of Premiere. No doubt Premiere's access to Clear Channel's 1,200 radio stations had something to do with Delilah's decision. "The time has come to move on," said Delilah. "I'm confident we will soon be celebrating huge growth in No. 1-rated stations and in audience from shore to shore." JRN will replace Delilah with a show hosted by Alan Kabel, a radio host who skews to a younger audience. She'll continue to broadcast from her home base in Seattle. Source: Mediaweek..... (5/26/04) :// Mix 96 debuts in NE NC  East Carolina Radio debuted a Soft AC format on WKJX/96.7 Elizabeth City NC just after 6AM this morning. Mix 96 kicked off with a live jock - Randy Jones. The first artists to be heard were Hall & Oates, Huey Lewis, Beyonce (covering the Bee Gees' tune "Emotion"). The station had been simulcasting with Adult Standards WCNC/WZBO after it broke from the original simulcast with Rocker "The Rock Experience" WOBR/95.3 Wanchese. That station will now focus on the Outer Banks. Mix 96 is using the Soft AC format from Westwood One outside of the morning drive and afternoons. WKJX recently upgraded their signal to 50kW and moved their antenna further east. Mix's new website is at WKJX.net.For listeners in NE NC, Mix will play more currents than Convergent's Soft AC "The Wind" WYND/97.1 For folks on the Southside of Hampton Roads, Mix fits in between Clear Channel's Soft AC "92.1/107.7 Lite FM" WCDG/WJCD and Entercom's Mainstream AC "2WD" WWDE/101.3..... (5/26/04) :// Engineers at 3 being kept busy  New York Times owned WTKR-TV (3/CBS) continues to be at reduced power -- very reduced power. Channel 3 had a transmission line burn out on Saturday morning just before 5:30. We hear that the parts needed have already been shipped in and the station should be at full power by mid-morning tomorrow. This really hasn't had any effect on cable or satellite subscribers. Over a week ago, WTKR-DT had to deal with a small fire that had the digital channel reducing its power for a day..... (5/24/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Radio Disney Richmond is looking for a Creative Sales Professional. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/24/04):// New station to debut Wednesday East Carolina Radio Inc's WKJX/96.7 Elizabeth City dropped it's simulcast with Adult Standards WCNC/WZBO at 11AM and is stunting with 80s/early 90s TV theme songs. An on-air announcement is stating "The only station you'll ever need, the new 96.7 FM WKJX Elizabeth City is coming Wednesday at 6AM." WKJX recently upgraded to 50kW and moved their antenna eastward. The new signal covers all of Eastern NC and is listenable on the Southside of Hampton Roads. Another ECRI station, WOBX/98.1 Manteo NC, is still stunting with "disclaimers" -- "For External Use Only..." "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service." ..... (5/24/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. 4M Communications/RadioRichmond, operator of WLEE Talk Radio 990, WVNZ Selecta 1320, WHAP Unforgettable 1340 and WREJ Rejoice 1540 in Richmond, is interviewing candidates for Sales Manager. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/24/04) A little Q&A with "CBS6" WTVR's Chief Meteorologist Mike Goldberg in the Richmond Times-Dispatch..... (5/23/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. MainQuad Richmond is looking for a General Sales Manager and Account Executives for their cluster. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/21/04):// Rachel returning to her roots  Rachel Lupton, current weekend jock on Sinclair Country "93-7 Kick FM" WKCK Chesapeake, and former morning show co-host on Oldies WFOG/92.9, is returning to Metro Traffic this Monday, May 24th. Rachel started out in Hampton Roads -- at Metro Traffic in 1997 as news/traffic anchor for various radio stations and Don DeIulio's fill-in on WAVY (10/NBC), and also WVEC's (13/ABC) former midday traffic report. She went on to become the late-night jock on Barnstable Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH Newport News/Norfolk with stints at sister station, WCMS and later became morning show co-host with Barry Michaels on "Oldies 92-9" (now known as 92.9 WFOG). Rachel will be the traffic anchor for Entercom Urban AC "95-7 R&B" WVKL, On Top Urban "Hot 102.1/107.9" WWHV/WWBR and on camera for 13NEWS' 5:00PM traffic report. She'll continue her Saturday afternoon show on Kick FM..... (5/21/04):// LIN Television on the block?  According to a Reuters report, quoting unnamed sources, LIN Television [owns WAVY (10/NBC) and WVBT (43/FOX)] has hired Morgan Stanley to advise it on financial options, including a possible sale of the company. A LIN spokesman told TVBR the company would not comment on the report. Observers on Wall Street had already been wondering what might happen to the large stake in LIN that's owned by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst. With Tom Hicks retiring next year from the investment firm he founded, there's been widespread speculation that Hicks, Muse wants to sell its stake in Clear Channel Communications. Hicks, Muse owns an even larger stake - - 47%, but non-voting - - in LIN. It owned all of the company prior to a 1998 IPO. Source: Television Business Report..... (5/21/04):// Former 6 anchor resurfaces on TV Former WTVR (6/CBS) Anchor Ray Collins has resurfaced in Tampa FL at FOX O&O WTVT-TV/DT. He is the Sarasota Bureau Chief for "FOX13." According to his bio on WTVT's website, Collins also was a fill-in talk show host on news/talk radio station WMAL in Washington DC -- as well as for WRVA in Richmond. More in his bio at WTVT.com. By the way, his radio work came after he left WTVR..... (5/20/04) :// Dolby Digital 5.1 on NBC The National Broadcasting Network (NBC) will broadcast it's first program in DD5.1 on Tuesday May 25th when the network will air the movie "Traffic" in HD. Both CBS and ABC have already shown a limited amount of programming in DD5.1..... (5/20/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Barnstable Broadcasting is still looking for the RIGHT night jock for Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH". Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/20/04) Barnstable recently changed things around at Rock "100.5 MAX FM" WXMM Norfolk website. Check out the new stuff at maxfm.fm..... (5/20/04):// ABC affiliate to Charlottesville It seems that there will now be an ABC affiliate coming to Charlottesville. Gray Television will be operating a "duopoly" at their new Charlottesville operation. In addition to WCAV-TV, the city's new CBS affiliate on Channel 19, the company will also operate WVAW-LP, an ABC affiliate. The station will also offer a full slate of news programming from a news department separate from WCAV. A News Director for WVAW has already been hired and she will be no stranger to Charlottesville, Central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley viewers. The News Director is Tara Brown, the current anchor of the 6 and 11PM newscasts at WHSV (3/ABC), a Gray property in Harrisonburg. WHSV issued a memo to employees this week to inform them of Tara's move. In addition to her duties as News Director, Tara will also serve as an anchor for WVAW newscasts. No further hires have been made for WCAV or WVAW, but both stations plan to post out for positions soon..... (5/19/04) Clear Channel CHR "98-3 Kiss FM" WKSI Winchester gets a Program Director. JB Wilde becomes Kiss' first PD, inbound from sister CHR "99-3 Kiss FM" WHKF Harrisburg PA. (5/19/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Mid Atlantic Network is looking for a Creative Services Director for their Fredericksburg stations. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/19/04):// Roanoke radio station WWWR going digital A Roanoke Valley radio station plans to begin broadcasting in digital format in the fall. A Lynchburg area station and two translators of Virginia Tech's public radio station may join it later this year. WWWR/910, which plays gospel music and sports from its studio on Clay Street in Southeast Roanoke, has acquired an "HD Radio" license from iBiquity Digital, the Columbia, Md., company that developed the digital radio technology. HD Radio allows AM stations to broadcast in a clear signal similar to current FM radio, and for FM stations to broadcast in CD-quality digital sound. The technology also will allow stations to deliver text information through the receivers, such as news, traffic reports and sports scores. Listeners must have a receiver capable of handling digital signals to get the best sound and extra features. Read the rest from Ryan Basen at The Roanoke Times..... (5/19/04) :// Richmond Broadcasters Hall of Fame, 12th Anniversary Awards Celebration The Richmond Broadcasters Hall of Fame presented the 12th Annual “Frank Soden Lifetime Achievement Awards” Tuesday, May 18, 2004. The Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to local radio and television broadcasters with at least 10 years experience in the Richmond market… inducting them into the Richmond Broadcasters Hall of Fame. A “Broadcaster of the Year” award is also presented annually to a member of the local radio or television community for outstanding work during the past year... The 2004 Frank Soden Lifetime Achievement Award winners include posthumous awards to former radio personalities Eric E. Stanley and Scott Stevens. Also receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award was Dick Hemby, former WRVA Afternoon Personality who currently works at WZEZ. The 2004 Broadcaster of the Year Award was presented to Casey Krukowski, Program Director and Midday Personality at New Rock 102.1 The X (WRXL). This annual event is an opportunity for current and former local broadcasters to honor outstanding members of the radio and television industry. Past winners of the Frank Soden Lifetime Achievement Award are: Alden Aaroe, Harvey Hudson, John Shand, Ben Miles, Roger St. John, Charles Fishburne, John “Tiger Tom Mitchell, Lou Dean, Jess Duboy, Bill Bowman, John Tansey, Norma Blalock, Floyd Henderson, George “Pop” Popkins, “Dandy” Don Beagle and Bill Adams, Bob Gilmore, “Sailor Bob” Griggs, Ed McLaughlin, John Harding, Kirby Carmichael, Treeda Smith, Tim Timberlake, Steve “Mr. Beach” Leonard and Fred Haseltine... Past Broadcasters of the Year are: Leslie Taylor-Cox Radio News, Adam Stubbs-Lite 98, Lisa Schaffner-WRIC-TV8, Cheryl Miller-WTVR-News 6, Rita “Betty Bodine” Bentley-Q-94, Bill Bevins-WTVR-FM Lite 98, and Chris Dennison-Metro Traffic... Check out ALL the photos from the event at kirbycarmichael.com..... (5/18/04) :// Culpeper soldier killed, WJMA tie Leonard Cowherd, 22, of Culpeper was killed by a sniper in Iraq on Sunday. He was the commander of a platoon of four tanks. Leonard was a 2003 graduate of West Point. His father, Leonard Cowherd, was once the Chief Engineer of WJMA in Orange. He leaves a wife in Yorktown, a two brothers, a sister and his parents..... (5/18/04) :// Another Q94 alum gets a PD slot We hear that Travis Dylan, formerly heard in the afternoon on CC CHR "Q94" WRVQ/94.5 Richmond, makes the move down I-64 to program CC Norfolk's new Soft AC "92.1/107.7 Lite FM" WCDG/WJCD. We believe he'll also handle the afternoon duties at Lite. Dylan had been heard on Entercom's Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE Virginia Beach just until he got on his feet..... (5/17/04) :// Surf to the Coast Apex Broadcasting's Hot AC "Coast 92.5" WCSQ Charleston SC has announced that former CC CHR "Q94" WRVQ/94.5 Richmond PD Billy Surf has accepted the same position at the Coast. Surf starts his new gig on June 1, taking programming duties from OM John Anthony. It is a return to Charleston for Surf, who was PD of crosstown Citadel-owned CHR WSSX/95.1 in 1998..... (5/17/04) :// WVIR-DT files for new CP Virginia Broadcasting Corp's "NBC29" WVIR-DT Charlottesville has filed for a new CP (Construction Permit) to move their FCC authorized DT (digital TV) antenna location 150 feet to a new tower. The WVIR-DT antenna site is located on the Carters Mountain Orchard, east of Route 20, about 3.5 miles south of Charlottesville. The station is operating under a STA (Special Temporary Authority) at just 6.5kW at 1005ft up on digital channel 32. The new antenna will be directional -- just slightly -- it's 206ft higher than the maximum allotted to WVIR-DT. It'll be throwing out 1,000kW of power..... (5/17/04):// WRIC to start weekend morning newscasts... WWBT reporter jumps ship to be new anchor... WWBT-Channel 12's loss is WRIC-Channel 8's gain as Christina Feerick joins WRIC to anchor "Good Morning Richmond - Weekends," which will premiere June 5. Feerick, who has been Chesterfield County reporter for WWBT, will anchor 6-to-8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday newscasts. She'll be joined by weekend meteorologist Chesley McNeil. Feerick, who worked for WBTV in Charlotte, N.C., before coming to WWBT five years ago, also will work as a reporter three days a week. Starting Sept. 4, WRIC's Saturday and Sunday mornings will also include a new weekend edition of ABC's "Good Morning America," which will air from 8 to 9. NBC and CBS already offer weekend versions of their "Today" and "The Early Show." WTVR-Channel 6 also offers a local newscast from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturdays. "We looked at an opportunity; we looked at what we thought would be a positive place to go with news. The 6-to-8 a.m. time period made sense to us," said Matthew Zelkind, WRIC's station manager. Bill Foy, WRIC's news director, said the weekend newscasts would look a lot like the weekday newscasts - "although we're assuming that people don't need a lot of traffic information." "But there is information you'll need on a Saturday morning that will help you get your day started. And that's the total focus of 'Good Morning Richmond' every day as well. "Beyond that, we want to give viewers information they need to make plans for Saturday. Obviously, lots of weather. And we'll be live at weekend events... It's important to note that news doesn't stop on the weekend." Note: It'll be interesting to see if WTVR adds a Sunday morning newscast... it has been broadcasting a Saturday morning newscast since the mid 1990's ... also will this make WWBT also enter the weekend morning news? Speaking of 8News, WRIC also has a new Morning Reporter. Amy Lacey has joined WRIC replacing James Black. Lacey comes to WRIC from WCTI (12/ABC) New Bern NC. More in her bio at: WRIC.com. Source: Douglas Durden/Richmond Times-Dispatch..... (5/17/04) :// BBN shopping for a new tower We hear that BBN's (Bible Broadcasting Network) WYFI/99.7 Norfolk is looking around for a new tower space. The station's current antenna is on the same tower as Entercom Mainstream AC "2WD" WWDE Hampton VA..... (5/17/04) :// Radio Disney Richmond gets boss  As of this past Monday, Laura Haemker was announced as Station Manager for ABC's Family Oriented "Radio Disney AM 1290" WDZY Colonial Heights VA. Haemker was a Radio Disney employee from 1999-2002, when she left to go to Cox Radio to be an Account Executive at the former Hot AC "B103" WMXB/103.7 Richmond. She returned to Radio Disney in November 2003..... (5/17/04):// D&M gone in Richmond Apparently so. Fifth Estate Broadcasting's "Hanover's Own" WHAN/1430 Ashland was carrying the Don & Mike show in the afternoons and had been for the past 4-5 years. They have been replaced with "The Stock Doctor" from 3-4PM and "The Drive Thru with Rog" from 4-7PM. The reason for pulling the plug? The lack of support..... (5/17/04) :// Another station stunting We hear that East Carolina Radio Inc started stunting on Hot AC "98-1 OBX" WOBX Manteo just after 1PM on Friday. This is the second station in the Group to do so. WKJX/96.7 Elizabeth City NC dropped its simulcast of WOBR/95.3 Wanchese, and the station has been doing a trimulcast with Standards WCNC/1240 Elizabeth City & WZBO/1260 Edenton NC for over a week. Currently, WOBX is running liners -- "A NEW radio station is coming..." along with some rather interesting "disclaimers" -- "For External Use Only..." "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service." Stay tuned for more..... (5/17/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Communication Systems' Contemporary Inspirational "Rejoice 100.9" WFMI Southern Shores NC is looking for a Full-time Administrative Assistant. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/15/04):// Hampton Roads reporter dead  Danielle Roach, a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot and for WVEC (13/ABC) and LNC, has died. Roach was killed in an overnight car crash off Shore Drive in Virginia Beach. Police are still investigating this accident, but it appears that it was a one-car crash. Roach started as an Intern at Channel 13. She was just 26 years old. For the full story, go to WVEC.com. Danielle Roach is of no relation to 13NEWS anchor Janet Roach..... (5/14/04) :// A meltdown at WTKR-DT We posted the other day that New York Times owned WTKR-DT (CBS) Norfolk was dealing with a small fire in the afternoon. This actually prompted the station to reduce it's power by half. We hear now that all is well and WTKR is at full power again. A $1,100 resistor network was the culprit. The aluminum bracket to hold the resistors were fried..... (5/14/04):// Z104 news Wednesday afternoon from 3-7PM, Entercom Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ Norfolk held an additional food drive. This time to benefit the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula at Kroger Food and Drug off Victory Blvd in Yorktown. Afternooner Mike Klein broadcasted his entire show live soliciting for food and monetary donations for Foodbank. "Z104" raised almost as much food in this four hour food drive as they did in the 12 hour one in November of last year at the IcePlex. All of the efforts pulled in over 1,000 pounds of non perishable food donations for the Foodbank. Over the last several days, the station collected almost one ton of food...Also Wednesday, the Z Morning Zoo started building a cardboard boat for the 2nd Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta to be held at Ocean Breeze Water Park (my daughter's fav) next Friday afternoon. It is a fund-raiser to benefit the Seatack Neighborhood Assistance Program. Next week, the boat will be painted and entered into the Regatta with the entire air staff as the crew. The boat holds 10 people. Also, Joe Flanagan of 13NEWS (WVEC/ABC) gave the event some extra exposure with his "Joe's Job" segment which featured on-air time for the Z Morning Zoo's Nick, Tricia, and Shaggy..... (5/14/04) :// Q94 news When Joey Hoops of Clear Channel CHR "Z104" WZEE Madison WI decided to stay put there, "Q94" WRVQ Richmond PD Wayne Coy decided to rehire night guy Jake Glenn. Glenn starts immediately... Notice the Q leaving the air at midnight the last several nights? They're painting the tower..... (5/13/04) :// Laura Lynn to exit Laura Lynn, the current PD/MD and midday queen at East Carolina Radio Inc Classic Rock "95-3 The Rock Experience" WOBR Wanchese, has resigned. Laura has decided to pursue her business, Redfire Creative Services, on a full-time basis. Her last with ECRI is Tuesday, May 18. ECRI is looking for the right person to fill those soon-to-be-empty shoes..... (5/12/04) :// New night jock There's a new 7PM - midnight guy at Free Lance Star Alternative "99-3 WYSK" Fredericksburg. Jay Kole takes the duties previously held by Eric Hill. Hill moves to middays - (10AM-3PM). Kole, by the way, is a graduate of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Arlington..... (5/12/04) :// U-turn After much debate, Clear Channel CHR "Z104" WZEE Madison WI Assistant Program Director/Promotion Director/night talent Joey Hoops has decided to stay put. Hoops had recently been named night slammer for sister station CHR "Q94" WRVQ Richmond. Source: All Access..... (5/11/04) :// Urban Format Is “Unwavering,” says Katz study Katz Dimensions has released a study entitled "City of Dreams: The growth and importance of Urban Radio." The study analyzes Urban Radio beginning with the format’s origins and moving to the development of a variety of format niches (Urban AC, Rhythmic CHR, Gospel, etc.), the spending power of the African-American population, and radio as the medium of choice to reach African-American consumers. Most prominent among the study’s conclusions were: • Black/Urban Radio provides a variety of different formats that each deliver their own unique characteristics. • The exact make-up of a specific Urban format may vary based on market conditions. With less choices on a market by market basis for black listeners, each of these formats often reach outside of their main target audience and deliver to a broad demographic spectrum. • Urban Radio is the best way to deliver to the lucrative African- American consumer market. Today’s, 36.3 million African-American consumers provide marketers with an explosive $688 billion in spending power. • Urban formats tend to skew a bit younger than their general market counterparts, mirroring the younger skew of the African -American population. “The popularity of the Urban format is unwavering,” says Lisa Chiljean, VP/Director of Research Dimensions and the study’s author. “The changing U.S. demographics have made it one of the fastest growing formats in the country. The number of stations programming various forms of Urban radio continues to grow. And according to Katz Media’s National Format Average report for Fall 2003, average shares for Urban formatted stations have increased by nearly 30 percent in just the last five years.” (5/11/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. East Carolina Radio Inc is looking for a Program Director for "95-3 The Rock Experience" WOBR Wanchese. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/10/04):// WRAR to receive award  The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) announced the winners for its 6th annual Service to America Awards. Hot AC WRAR/105.5 Tappahannock will receive the "Friend in Need Award." This award, given to one television and one radio station, honor broadcasters for outstanding service in the face of natural disasters and other potentially life-threatening situations. All the winners will be honored at the Service to America Celebration in Washington DC June 14 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More on the winners at nab.org..... (5/10/04):// Channel 19 Charlottesville has a new website and call letters Gray Television has launched a brand new website for Channel 19 Charlottesville at WCAV.tv; its brand new call letters. The following message is included on the site... Gray Television, Inc. has announced plans to bring a new television station to the Charlottesville area. WCAV, Channel 19, is expected to be on the air by mid-August 2004. WCAV will be a CBS affiliate, giving residents access to award-winning shows like C.S.I., Survivor, 60 Minutes, Late Night with David Letterman and much more. In addition, WCAV will launch local newscasts, beginning with 6 and 11pm newscasts. Morning newscasts will also be added in the foreseeable future.Gray Television will be building a new broadcast facility to support the station, and hiring a full staff. Bill Varecha has been hired to serve as General Manager of WCAV. Mr. Varecha is no stranger to startup television stations. He launched KKCO in Grand Junction, Colorado, and quickly led it to the number one position in the market. WCAV’s brand of television will be Where Community Counts. The station will place a strong emphasis on community involvement – from covering important community news to participating in community events. Coverage of local sports will also be high on our priority list. We want to be a part of the community and we want the community to be a part of the station. A final footnote, the WCAV call letters were taken by the FOX affiliate in Christiansted, Virgin Islands who recently dumped them for WVIF..... (5/7/04) :// Format wheel to spin in NE NC Yesterday (5/6), East Carolina Radio Classic Rock WKJX/96.7 Elizabeth City NC dropped its simulcast of WOBR/95.3 Wanchese, and the station is now broadcasting a tri-mulcast with Standards WCNC/1240 Elizabeth City & WZBO/1260 Edenton NC. The WKJX signal has also moved from its original 282' 3 kW (class A) in Elizabeth City to its new 407' 50kW transmitter (C2) in Jarvisburg NC. Now, the WKJX tri-mulcast is only a temporary measure while the final work on the new tower site continues. The format wheel will soon be in spin, and we're being told that staff at the new version of the station is falling quickly into place. WOBR has repositioned itself by dropping all on-air references to WKJX and now is known as "95-3 The Rock Experience." The new signal puts in a listenable signal on the Southside (of Hampton Roads). Source All Access..... (5/7/04) :// WFLS radiothon went well Free Lance-Star Country"93.3 WFLS" Fredericksburg PD Jon Reed reports the success of their first ever radiothon to benefit Children's Miracle Network . Over two days (4/30-5/1) they raised $67,088. Area Wal*Mart stores matched the amount dollar for dollar so that a total of $134,176 goes to local CMN hospital Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC. Source: All Access..... (5/7/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Max Media is looking for a PD/Morning Show Host for "Water Country 94.5" WWOC. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/6/04):// New station takes calls The new station recently granted to Delmarva Educational Association at 89.1/Cheriton (four miles NE of Cape Charles) has taken the call letters -- WWIP. The station will be a directional Class B doing 20kW at 449 feet -- should be receivable in the immediate Hampton Roads area. The WWIP owners also run Bright AC "K-Love" WAZP/90.7 Cape Charles. We think the call letters stand for "Word In Praise" which is a satellite radio network owned by Salem Communications, WWIP's parent company. That format offers praise and worship with a limited amount of music. The Word In Praise website at salemmusicnetwork.com/twip/ says the format targets the 35-54 year old adult demo. That same website even offers a one hour scoped aircheck (scoped down to 18 minutes) of the network..... (5/6/04) :// Sonny on TV Sonny Andre of the highly popular "Sonny In The Morning" show on Entercom Urban AC "95-7 R&B" WVKL Norfolk was featured on "Joe's Job." Joe Flanagan of 13NEWS (WVEC/ABC) visited Sonny this morning in connection with Luther Vandross who will appear on Oprah this afternoon (on WVEC). Vandross is a core artist on WVKL and also is the station's voice. You can catch the segment again by watching the rebroadcast on LNC5 (Cox Cable 5) throughout the morning until noon..... (5/6/04) :// Hughes back in the hospital NewsChannel 3 WTKR (CBS) told its viewers during their 6PM newscast that longtime WTKR anchor Ed Hughes was back in hospital. Hughes has been fighting inoperable cancer for quite awhile. He had been on a second round of chemotherapy. Viewers were asked to go to the WTKR website to send get well wishes..... (5/5/04) A brand new classified ad has come into VARTV. Word Broadcasting is close to getting silent WCKO/1110 Chesapeake back on the air. They need someone to head up the new station -- a Station Manager with Sales experience. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/5/04):// Starz! signs with Adelphia Starz Encore Group completed a new, multiyear affiliation agreement with Adelphia Communications. Adelphia will roll out all of Starz's premium movie services, including Starz! on Demand, Starz! Kids and Starz! HD. The deal replaces a 1997 agreement which did not cover the new services. Starz's offerings also include the Starz Super Pak, with up to 13 digital movie channels. Source: Mediaweek..... (5/5/04) :// The Beat continues to soar in Richmond, CC has three in Top 5  Arbitron released the Winter ratings book for the Richmond market yesterday. It's no surprise who's on top -- CC's Soft AC "Lite 98" WTVR though they did slip from their high Fall numbers. In second, almost 2 1/2 points behind, is a tie between Cox Radio Country "K95" WKHK and CC Urban "106-5 The Beat" WBTJ. The Beat gained 2 points from the Fall. Fourth was Radio One Urban AC "104.7 Kiss FM" WKJS, 5th CC "NewsRadio 1140" WRVA, 6th Radio One Urban "Power 92" WCDX, 7th Cox Classic Rock "96.5 The Planet" WKLR, 8th Contemporary Inspirational on the new "Praise 99.3" WPZZ, 9th MainQuad on the new "Oldies 107.3" WBBT//WARV and 10th was a tie between CC CHR "Q94" WRVQ and Cox on the old Hot AC "B103" WMXB...Other notables, in what we think is the most impressive showing of all in Richmond, is RadioRichmond's Hispanic outlet "Selecta 1320" WVNZ. The station dumped the "Music Of Your Life" format for Spanish in mid-September 2003. They weren't even rated (12+) in the Fall and shoot up to the high-2s in this Book. Still not impressed? Well, WVNZ is the third most listened to station in the entire Richmond market in the 18-34 All Persons demo. Only The Beat and Power did better. The Alternative battle is still going to Clear Channel but the X's (WRXL/102.1) lead is now just a half a point over Y. "Y101" WDYL remained steady from the Fall. The Sports battle for now belongs to Clear Channel. "SportsRadio 910" WRNL holds a one-tenth of a point lead over "ESPN Radio 950" WXGI. WXGI signed-on in the middle of the ratings period. It must be a mixed blessing over at MainQuad. "Oldies 107.3" does quite well in its first showing but must be scratching their heads about "Smooth Jazz 93.1" WJZV. The station lost a third of their audience (12+ demo) in this past period -- sinking below a 1.5...In the money demo, 25-54 All Persons, first was "Lite 98" WTVR, second "104.7 Kiss FM" WKJS, 3rd "K95" WKHK, 4th "96.5 The Planet" WKLR and 5th "The Beat" WBTJ..... (5/5/04) :// FOX Sports now 24/7  Barnstable's "FOX Sports AM 1050" WCMS is now on the air. It replaces the short lived Classic Country format. Barnstable is the only one in a handful of operator in the country to have dueling Sports stations (FOX vs ESPN) in the same market. Their other property is "ESPN Radio 1310" WGH. Tony Mercurio is programming both stations. WCMS' complete on-air lineup can be found at WCMS.com. (5/4/04):// 103Jamz, 2WD on top   Arbitron released the Winter ratings book for Hampton Roads earlier this morning. Tied at the top (12+ demo) was CC Urban "103Jamz" WOWI and Entercom Mainstream AC "2WD" WWDE. Right behind them was Entercom Urban AC "95-7 R&B" WVKL, 4th (!) was Entercom Rhythmic "Z104" WNVZ (more than a point behind the leaders), 5th was Saga Rocker "FM99" WNOR, 6th a tie between CC Urban AC "105.3 Kiss FM" WKUS and Entercom Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE, 8th was a tie between sisters -- Barnstable Country "97-3 The Eagle" WGH and Contemporary Inspirational "Star 94.1" WXEZ and 10th was Barnstable Oldies "92.9 WFOG."Other notables, Barnstable Mainstream Rocker gets a high-2 in its first full book -- good for 15th place (12+). Sinclair gave up the Triple A format on 93.7 for the dumped country on WCMS. "93-7 Kick FM" WKCK gets a mid-3 for 13th place. On Top's Urban "Hot 102.1/107.9" gets back to a 2 -- for 17th place. Sinclair's Adult Hits "106-1 BOB FM" WPYA, signing-on deep into the Book, garners a low-1 for the first time for a three-way tie at 21st place... It's too early to tell what CC's Soft AC "92.1/107.7 Lite FM, Hot 102.1/107.9 (with the demise of The Beat) and "106-1 BOB FM" will likely end up at. Those changes happened later on in the ratings period..... (5/4/04) :// More, earlier news  Free Lance-Star is adding a local 5AM newscast to Country "93.3 WFLS." They had been running a 2-minute net cast at that time, but they have found that more than 40% of the area’s radio listeners commute outside the Fredericksburg metro and they get up REAL early...So, starting next Monday, May 10 WFLS will begin Fredericksburg’s first early morning local newscast. Assistant News Director Penny Wack has been anchoring the WFLS morning news for more than four years, will also anchor the early morning newscast. Morning traffic reports will also begin in that newscast and are now heard every 10 minutes in AM drive. The station said "This is something we’ve been planning for several months as we constantly look at ways to improve service to our listeners." If you will remember back in March, Free Lance-Star added three afternoon newscasts to sister "Classic Rock 96.9" WWUZ..... (5/4/04) :// Peninsula LPFM news The FCC has granted a new LPFM on 103.7 to be licensed to Hampton. The Calvary Reformed Presbyterian Church was granted the CP (Construction Permit) on April 29. The station's antenna will be located at the Church off of Wheaton Rd near Newmarket Fair. The Church's website is at clearlight.com/~crpc/... Williamsburg's second LPFM -- WYOU-LP/100.9 not yet on the air -- has found a new location for their antenna. The Popular Assembly Of New Horizons 3000 And His Successors could not secure the original location and now will locate their antenna on WMBG/740 Williamsburg tower. It'll cost the Church $500/mo to do so. The Church's website is at newhorizons3000.org..... (5/4/04) :// With the BIG NEWS of The Greaseman comes even more from the mighty 1490 Mike Allen (not from 92.9 WFOG) returns to the Hampton Roads market to reclaim his home territory on behalf of "1490 The Outlaw" WLRT Hampton as the Director of Sales. "1490 The Outlaw" is home of ‘The Greaseman, NASCAR and Good Time Oldies.’ Mike’s previous tour of duty in Hampton Roads included on-air and sales with WTID, WQRK, WNOR and WWOC. "We are looking forward, to Mike’s ability to ignite sales for our station... and specialty on-air shows that Mike will be involved with" says Chuck Hall Operations Manager. "1490 The Outlaw" is also looking for an Account Executive. Click "Classified Ads" on the left navigation panel for the complete details. If your station/organization has any positions available (media orientated), get them on VARTV! You would be surprised who reading..... (5/4/04) :// Russ In Review  Russ Cassidy, long-time WCMS personality (32 years), passed away Saturday, May 1. He was 53. A memorial service has been set for this upcoming Friday (5/7) to be held at the Portsmouth Moose Lodge on George Washington Hwy in Portsmouth. The "Russ's Rowdy Life In Review" will be held noon to 3PM and is open the public. Donations can be made to either Christian Action or the Chesapeake Firefighters Retirement Fund -- in honor of Russ's father, former firefighter, Lewis Cassidy..... (5/4/04):// 8 gets new look As of the 6PM newscast tonight, Young Broadcasting WRIC (8/ABC) Petersburg/Richmond introduced a new on-air graphics package, with the "square 8." The updated graphics are also set to new music. The lower third graphics are similar in style to those that WVEC (13/ABC) Hampton/Norfolk uses, however different shades of blue dominate the look. We hear the station also got new computers and software AP/ENPS and we're told the weather department is probably due for some new stuff too..... (5/3/04):// Official website for Jerry Lee Scott launched It's official! The website for the Jerry Lee Scott Band went online at 6AM today. The new website includes a streamlined look, additional features and more information than ever about one of Hampton Roads' most enduring bands. The new address: jerryleescottband.com. "A customized guestbook, along with a Message Forum are just some of the new features of this website," said David Lyons, the site's Webmaster. "Soon will be the ability to purchase CD's right from the site, as well as the ability to sample some of Jerry Lee's best original music. We're very excited about the future of the band, and the website!" The site is constantly updated to insure the most accurate listing of concert dates and venues. Jerry Lee is also available for bookings for any event, from weddings to parties and more. Those interested are encouraged to contact him, at bookings@jerryleescottband.com. He may also be reached at jerry@jerryleescottband.com. The temporary website will remain active for a short while longer, though the short url (http://wakeup.to/jerryleescott) now directs visitors to the new site. Both Lyons and Scott are veterans of radio in the Hampton Roads market...... (5/3/04) :// The Zoo is back in Richmond CC Richmond has brought back the "Q Morning Zoo" on newly relaunched CHR "Q94" WRVQ/94.5. It debuted this morning at 6AM. The new Zookeepers are new PD Wayne Coy, APD Darrin Stone and former "Surf's Up In The Morning" co-host Melissa Chase. The last time the Zoo aired on WRVQ was in mid-1995 when the Zookeepers where Corey Dietz (still doing mornings in Arkansas), Jay Hamilton and Betty Bodine..... (5/3/04) :// Third TV station planned in Charlottesville Channel 9 is set to debut Sept. 1, and will highlight local events A third local television station is coming to present a twist on local broadcast media: 24 hours of city news, home shopping Charlottesville, the funniest home videos and more. Local residents Denny King and Bob Sigman are planning to locate their studio for the new station, Channel 9 (W09CP - 3kW), below the Market Street parking garage on the Downtown Mall. Construction would begin immediately, King said, and they already are outfitting two news trucks to prepare to go on the air Sept. 1. The whole can be found on timesdispatch.com..... (5/3/04) The Washington DC media market is profiled this time around on mediaweek.com..... (5/3/04)://Virginia AP Award winners Winners of the 2004 Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters television contest, presented Saturday, May 1 at the group's annual awards banquet: OUTSTANDING NEWS OPERATION: Superior: WTVR, Richmond; Meritorious, WAVY, Portsmouth SPOT NEWS: Superior: WSLS, Roanoke, "Hurricane Isabel;" Meritorious: WWBT, Richmond, "Tornado." CONTINUING NEWS COVERAGE: Superior: WTKR, Norfolk, "Destination Iraq;" Meritorious: WVIR, Charlottesville, "Serial Rapist." YEAR-ROUND SPORTS: Superior: WJHL, Bristol; Meritorious: WSET, Lynchburg DOCUMENTARY/IN-DEPTH: Superior: WSLS, Roanoke, "Getting Out Alive;" Meritorious: WSET, Lynchburg, "Guarding Guantanamo." FEATURE/HUMAN INTEREST: Superior: WVIR, Charlottesville, "Mafia Man;" Meritorious: WRIC, Richmond, "Mad Skillz." INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Superior: WAVY, Portsmouth, "Adoption Scam;" Meritorious: WSLS, Roanoke, "Roof Ripoff." DOUGLAS SOUTHALL FREEMAN AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE: Superior: WVEC, Norfolk; Meritorious: WWBT, Richmond OUTSTANDING EFFORT BY INDIVIDUAL REPORTER: Superior: Tie: WSLS, Roanoke, "Virginia Tech Joins ACC" and WSET, Lynchburg, "Smoke Alarms and Children;" Meritorious: Tie: WVEC, Norfolk, "Unrestorably Incompetent" and WTKR, Norfolk, "Space Shuttle Tragedy." SPOT PHOTOGRAPHY: Superior: WWBT, Richmond, "Shoney's Fire;" Meritorious: Tie: WVEC, Norfolk, "Thank You, Jesus" and WTVR, Richmond, "Isabel." FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY: Superior: WTKR, Norfolk, "Putting Isabel Behind;" Meritorious: WTVR, Richmond, "Man's Best Friend." WEB SITE: Superior: WVEC, Norfolk; Meritorious: WSLS, Roanoke ROBERT S GALLIMORE AWARD: For distinguished service in Virginia broadcasting: Bob Corso, reporter, WHSV-TV, Harrisonburg Recently fired Travis Dylan from afternoons at CC CHR "Q94" WRVQ Richmond was heard on Entercom's Modern AC "94.9 The Point" WPTE Virginia Beach this weekend..... (5/2/04) The VARTV.com web address is again working..... (5/1/04):// "All The Hits... Q94;" expect less Hip-Hop and R&B More on the recent changes at Clear Channel CHR "Q94" WRVQ Richmond on WRIC.com, NBC12.com and Times-Dispatch..... (5/1/04) News Archives.....  |
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