Indiana RadioWatch: October 10, 2005
A colleague of ours who's not within listening distance of WSWI (820am, Evansville) wants to hear an audio cassette aircheck of the station. If you're within range and interested in doing this, drop IRW an e-mail (irw at well dot com)
Now, onto the news
Northeast
Federated Media Hot AC/WMEE (97.3fm, Fort Wayne) welcomes a new morning show. "Kerrigan and Company" features former WTUE/Dayton, Ohio morning man Steve Kerrigan along with WMEE personalities Erika Taylor and (former midday jock)
Chris Cage. "Kerrigan and Company" debuted on Wednesday (10/5) and runs daily from 5am - 10am.
Sarkes Tarzian's AC/WAJI (95.1fm, Fort Wayne) adds Dave Eubanks for afternoons and Imaging duties. Eubanks was last at cross-town Summit City Radio Group as OM of Rhythmic CHR/WNHT (96.3fm, Churubusco) and OM/PD of Hot AC/WYLT
(103.9fm, Fort Wayne).
Rhythmic CHR/WJFX (107.9fm, New Haven) night guy Travis Harrington ("Lil Rascal") exits.
Cliff Penfield is now handling middays at Federated Media's Classic Rock/WFWI (92.3fm, Fort Wayne).
Chevy Smith, MD/morning co-host and eight year veteran of Artistic Media Partners' Country/WBTU (93.3fm, Kendallville) has left the station. Smith's MD duties are now handled by Guy Forrest and Forrest also co-hosts mornings with
Kenny Edwards.
A check of the TV files as Don Bradley, fourteen year veteran News Director at Malara's WPTA-TV (Channel 21, Fort Wayne [ABC]) and Granite's WISE-TV (Channel 33, Fort Wayne [NBC]) exits the stations on Thursday (9/29). GM Chris
Fedele tells IRW no Interim News Director has been named.
Northcentral
Several changes at CHR/WNDV (1490am, 92.9fm, both South Bend): Night guy Todd Chance exits and Tommy Frank moves to mornings. Also, Casey Daniels picks up PD duties from Tommy Frank.
Federated Media AC/WLEG (102.7fm, Ligonier) replaces syndicated night guy Alan Kabel (dropped by Jones Radio Network) with local air personality Ron Davis.
Talking Stick Communications' Rhythmic CHR/WYPW (95.7fm, Nappanee) adds Radio Syndicate's Latin hip hop show "Pocos Per Locos" and R Dub's "Sunday Nite Slow Jams" show.
Northwest
The FCC grants American Family Association a station on 89.1fm, licensed to Lowell. The 3000 watt station will run from the Rock/WXRD (103.9fm, Crown Point) tower on IN-55, northeast of Lowell.
Central
Emmis N-T/WIBC (1070am, Indianapolis) wins this year's Marconi awards for Legendary Station and News/Talk/Sports Station of the Year. For Legendary Station, WIBC bested elite competitors such as KFI/Los Angeles, KSL/Salt Lake City,
KNBR/San Francisco, and WMMR/Philadelphia. "We are proud to win the most coveted awards in American radio. The Marconi Award for Legendary station puts WIBC in a class with the most elite stations in the country", said Jon Quick,
Director of Operations for WIBC and Network Indiana. Tom Severino, Vice President and General Manager of Emmis Indianapolis Radio added, "This is a great tribute to the great people who have indeed made WIBC a legend for almost
seven decades."
We missed a story from late August that's worthy of mentioning. Moody Broadcasting's Religious/WGNR (1470am, 97.9fm, both Anderson) dedicated a new Broadcast Center on August 30. The $1.5 million Broadcast center is just under 6000
square feet and houses on air studios, a news studio, two production studios, transmitters with backups, and offices. For further details, we turn to WGNR GM Ray Hashley:
"The longer distance from the new studios (built just east of the existing WGNR facility) necessitated slightly higher power to make up for the line loss. A Broadcast Electronics FM 30T transmitter was installed, with the older Harris
HT 20FM now serving as a backup. WGNR (AM) is being handled by a B.E. AM 2.5E transmitter with the older BE AM 1A serving as backup. New transmission lines were buried from the new building to the towers. The control room/studios
are equipped with Rubicon control surfaces/consoles interfaced with a Sierra Automated Systems 32 KD digital routing switcher. Each of the four Rubicons is connected to the SAS 32KD switcher via a CAT 6 cable. Local audio in each of
the four control rooms is routed into an SAS A/D converter known as a RIOLink and connected via CAT 6 cable also. Most of the audio wiring is located in a central equipment room containing the 32KD switcher, satellite receivers, the
automation equipment, and various other audio sources. Automated programming is handled by an RCS Master Control automation system that seamlessly integrates with RCS Selector. Six HP servers/computers are utilized in the
programming/automation system setup."
After stunting starting at 10am on Saturday (9/17) with Polka music, Religious/WIJY (95.9fm, Franklin) flipped formats at 7am Wednesday (9/21) to oldies, as "Gold 95.9." Gold kicked off with Bill Haley and his Comets - "Rock Around
the Clock." The new call letters are WIAU (IRW notes that AU = the chemical symbol for Gold. Clever!) "Gold 95.9" reunites several staffers of the former "Gold 104.5" (then Susquehanna's WGLD, Indianapolis). Steve Rich, formerly
middays, and Don Riley, formerly nights, have found homes at the new Gold 94.5. Here's the airstaff lineup:
Mornings: Jeremy Bialek ("Jeremy James") and Wendy Carroll (6:00AM - 10:00AM)
Middays: Steve Rich (10:00AM - 3:00PM)
Afternoons: Don Riley (3:00PM - 7:00PM)
Nights: Tom Kent (7:00PM - 12:00AM and overnights, syndicated via TKO Radio Network)
Former WIJY GM Randy Tipmore remains as GM of WIAU and Don Riley is now
PD.
At 8:30am on Monday 10/3, Entercom AC/WTPI (107.9fm, Indianapolis) segued to Adult Hits, as "107.9 The Track" and is jockless for now. "The Track," a reference to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was created by Entercom Senior
VP/Programming Pat Paxton, ACC Marketing and Consulting Chief Tom Watson, and Entercom FM Operations Manager Scott Sands. The Track's new website is http://www.1079thetrack.com and the station does stream online. The Track debuted
with this playlist:
Alicia Bridges - "I Love the Nightlife"
Steely Dan - "Reeling in the Years"
Billy Joel - "Tell Her About It"
Grass Roots - "Midnight Confessions"
Lionel Richie - "You Are"
Van Morrison - "Domino"
Rod Stewart - "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"
Former WTPI DJ's Mike O'Brien and Julie Patterson exit the station.
Peter Davison's Davison Media Group closes on its $2 million acquisition of Southern Gospel/WNTS (1590am, Indianapolis). WNTS was the last station owned by Emmis Chairman Jeff Smulyan's father Sam. Broker on the deal was John Pierce
and Company.
Where Are They Now? Former Hot AC/WZPL (99.5fm, Greenfield) PD Tom Gjerdrum is now OM for Backyard Broadcasting's Sioux Falls, South Dakota cluster as well as morning man on KELO with the air name "Tom Mitchell."
Taking a quick peek at the TV files, ABC affiliate WRTV (Channel 6, Indianapolis) welcomes Terry Heifetz as Assistant News Director, starting October 10. Heifetz was last the Managing Editor of NewsLink Indiana at Ball State
University.
Westcentral
Terry Forcht's Key Broadcasting sells Oldies/WPRS(AM) and sister Country/WACF-FM (1440am, 98.5fm, both Paris, Illinois) to Duke Wright's Midwest Communications. The $2.55 million sale, brokered by Ed Henson's Henson Media, includes
an addition $50,000 non-compete payment by Midwest Communications.
DOXA, Inc. sells Religious/WFOF (90.3fm, Covington) to Moody Bible Institute.
DePauw University's AAA/WGRE (91.5fm, Greencastle) is ranked the fourth best college radio station in the USA by the Princeton Review's 2006 Guide to Best Colleges. This marks the eighth straight year that WGRE has been ranked in the
top ten.
Southcentral
William Reynolds' Indiana Patoka Development Corp. sells Oldies/WSEZ(AM)-AC/WUME-FM (1560am, 95.3fm, both Paoli) to Blair Trask's Diamond Shores Broadcasting, LLC. The $750,000 sale is Diamond Shores' first acquisition. Inside
Radio reminds IRW that Trask has a Time Brokerage Agreement with Susquehanna Radio where Trask operates Soft AC/WZZB (1390am, Seymour), C+W/WAVG (1450am, Jeffersonville), and Country/WQKC (93.7fm, Seymour).
Southwest
Contemporary Christian/WYXY (107.1fm, Boonville) changes format on Friday (10/7) at Noon to Classic Hits, as "Jack-FM." Chuck Stinnett's report in the Henderson (Kentucky) Gleaner mentions that The Darin's song "Can't Stop" segued
into Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You For Letting Me By Myself Again." When asked about the former listeners of WYXY who have called and e-mailed the station, WYXY General Manager commented that there are three FM alternatives
for religious programming (WPGW, WCFY, and WYIR) and remarked "We now have more Christian stations than country stations."
Employment Opportunities
If you've got what it takes to keep us The Official #1 for Hip-Hop, then we've got THE opening for you. HOT 1079, WJFX / Fort Wayne, is looking for a HOT night jock and if you don't act fast, you might miss your chance at this rare
opening! Send us your best stuff ASAP - include an aircheck and resume.
That's it for this issue. See you in a week!
Back to the Archive Index
All pages Copyright
Blaine Thompson. Articles, photos, corrections, and other contributions should be
e-mailed to the editors.