dcrtv.com - boston/providence area radio/tv/media

SUPPORT DCRTV'S ADVERTISERS /\ \/

DCRTV - Boston/Providence Area Radio/TV/Media

DCRTV Front - NYC - Contact Us - Mailbag - Advertise - Support DCRTV - DCRTV Plus
Boards: RI Boston Radio - RI Providence Radio - RI Hartford Radio

Fontaine Resigns After Shoplifting Charge - 7/27 - WTNH Hartford TV personality Desiree Fontaine revealed Tuesday she has resigned her job at the television station and plans to travel abroad to do charity work, words that came even as the shoplifting case against her was resolved. Fontaine, who appeared at Superior Court in Milford Tuesday with her attorney, performed 25 hours of community service and the shoplifting case was dismissed. There's more from the New Haven Register.....

Red Sox TV Ratings Down - 7/26 - The Boston Red Sox’s six-year reign atop MLB’s local television ratings is about to end, as the team’s local numbers have plummeted from first to fifth this season. Entering the All-Star break, ratings for Red Sox games on NESN have dropped nearly 36 percent from last year, for a 6.25 average rating. Sports Media Journal has more.....

WRCH Tops Hartford - 7/26 - WRCH tops the latest Hartford radio ratings. More from radio-info.com.....

NESN Contract Extension For Jerry Remy - 7/22 - From the Boston Globe: Jerry Remy is in his 23d season as the Red Sox color analyst on NESN. Yesterday, the popular broadcaster and the network made it clear that both sides are looking forward to many more. NESN announced that it has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the 57-year-old Remy, who has returned to the booth full time this season after missing three months last year while recuperating from the effects of lung cancer surgery in November 2008.....

Hipolito Cuevas Dies - 7/21 - Veteran Connecticut broadcaster Hipolito Cuevas, 44, has died after battling kidney and heart problems and diabetes. He worked to establish Spanish-language radio in the New Haven area, including La Nueva Radio Musicale 104.5, a pirate operation that was shuttered by the FCC in 2000. He later established the Super Max WEPA radio station and WEPA-TV, an internet and cable channel.....

XKS Tops Boston Radio - 7/19 - Contemporary hit WXKS-FM, Kiss 108, tops the Boston radio heap for the month of June. More from radio-info.com.....

New Sports Show For NESN - 7/12 - "NESN Daily" will debut on August 6 at 11 PM, replacing “SportsDesk,’’ the network’s signature highlights show for the past 20 years. The Boston Globe has more.....

WBIX Sold To Catholic Group - 7/12 - Boston business talker WBIX (1060 AM) gets sold to Western New York-based Holy Family Communications for $1 million cash. Catholic-based Holy Family is HQed in Williamsville NY and owns religious WHIC in Rochester NY and WLOF in Attica NY. It also holds the permit for a future FMer in Lancaster NY....

Ann Wog To WTKK - 7/12 - Last week, DCRTV told you that Ann Wog was out after four years of producing WMAL's morning show in Washington DC. Now, she reveals on her Facebook page that she's heading to Boston to be executive producer of Jim Braude and Margery Eagan's show on talker WTKK, 96.9 FM.....

Robert Fish Dies - 7/12 - Robert Fish, 65, died on July 9. He started his legendary radio career in 1968 at WPRO-FM/AM in Providence. Her also ran WRKO-AM in Boston, and owned WHJJ/WHJY in Providence. Fish was also the President of the Rhode Island Broadcasters Association. Most recently, he was president of Providence PBS outlet Channel 36/WSBE, where where he also served as a board member. More at legacy.com.....

John Henning Dies - 7/8 - Boston broadcast legend John Henning died Wednesday night, according to a spokesman for his family. He was 73. Henning, a veteran news reporter and political analyst, worked at three Boston television stations during his long career. Henning worked for WCVB-TV during the 1970s, before leaving to work at Channel 7 in Boston. In 1982, he went to work for WBZ-TV, where he worked until his retirement in 2003. In his retirement, he continued as a political commentator for WBZ radio. More from WCVB.....

Rachel Rose To Milwaukee - 6/29 - Rachel Rose, who most recently served as a music assistant and announcer at Boston's WERS, has been named music director and afternoon drive host at adult alternative WYMS in Milwaukee.....

AP Vet Michael Collins Dies - 6/29 - Michael Collins, a longtime former broadcast editor at the Associated Press and a mentor to many radio journalists, died at his Connecticut home, police said Monday. He was 63. Police say that he was poisoned by ethylene glycol, an antifreeze. Collins ran the broadcast wire in the AP's New York City bureau from 1973 to 1988, feeding AP news to radio and TV outlets throughout the metropolitan area. Before coming to the AP, Collins was a newscaster at WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut. More from AP.....

WRCH Tops Hartford Heap - 6/28 - WRCH tops the latest batch of Hartford radio ratings. More at radio-info.com.....

WTNH Reporter Arrested For Shoplifting - 6/24 - NewsBlues tells us that Desiree Fontaine, the morning traffic reporter at Channel 8/WTNH in New Haven, has been taken off the air after getting arrested for attempting to shoplift several items from a Sears store at the Westfield Connecticut Post Mall. She is charged with taking a $40-bottle of cologne, two pairs of gold earrings valued at $3.99 each, and a necklace priced at $15 without paying for them.....

Slater Leaves WCCC - 6/23 - Slater leaves Hartford rocker WCCC, 106.9 FM. Craig The Pornstar takes Slater's old night slot.....

Kiss 108 Tops Boston Radio Heap - 6/18 - Kiss 108, WXKS-FM, tops the May Boston radio ratings. More from radio-info.com.....

Julie Donaldson Seen On CSN-DC - 6/12 - DCRTV hears that Julie Donaldson, who previously worked as a sports anchor and reporter at Boston's Channel 7/WHDH-TV, has been seen this weekend on Comcast SportsNet in Washington. Donaldson also worked for SportsNet New York, which she joined when that network launched in 2006. Both CSN Washington and SNY are owned by Comcast. Next, she heads to CSN's Philadelphia network.....

Gail Huff To DC - 6/7 - Gail Huff joins Washington's WJLA-TV as a part-time special project reporter. She's the wife of Scott Brown, the newly-elected Republican senator from Massachusetts. Huff will do medical, consumer, and investigative stories, but will steer clear of politics. She has been working at Boston's Channel 5/WCVB for 17 years.....

Wilber Becomes XRV PD - 6/2 - Catie Wilber, longtime music director and acting program director at Boston's adult alternative WXRV (92.9 FM), becomes program director.....

TIC Tops Hartford - 6/1 - News talk WTIC-AM tops the Hartford radio heap. More from Radio-Info.com.....

Kiss 108 Tops Boston Radio Heap - 5/21 - From Radio-Info.com: In Boston – CHR “Kiss 108” WXKS-FM came out of the PPM gate in Boston on top and has never looked back. Here’s the admirably consistent age 6+ AQH share trend since February – 8.7-9.0-9.0. Second place this time, as usual, goes to news/talk WBZ at a 6.2. Unusual drop for AC “Magic” WMJX (6.3-6.0-5.4) and nice bumps for country WKLB (4.4-4.4-4.9) and hot AC “Mix” WBMX (4.0-4.1-4.6). Chris Huff says the 4.6 for Mix is its highest PPM share on either its original 98.5 frequency or 104.1. But the real screamer is all-sports WEEI (hello, Red Sox Nation) – 3.4-3.4 and now a 4.6. Its newer rival “Sports Hub” WBZ-FM moves 2.3-2.3-2.5. Ready for the 25-54 rankings? The top five are Kiss 108, “Mix” WBMX, classic rock WZLX, “Magic” WMJX and rhythmic “Jam’n” WJMN. One thread on the Boston Board asks “is it normal” for a station like WEEI to jump when a team’s in the playoffs. "Normal" for Boston sports fans might be called "rabid" elsewhere.....

Carr Sues WRKO - 5/20 - WRKO radio host Howie Carr has lodged a trio of complaints against the station with the state Attorney General’s office, seeking unpaid bonuses and a pay raise in the three years since his bosses thwarted his attempt to defect to rival WTKK. The Boston Herald has more.....

Jonathan Wells From 25 To 4 - 5/20 - Jonathan Wells becomes an I-Team producer for CBS's Channel 4/WBZ. He had been the top investigative producer for Fox's Channel 25/WFXT.....

Back To College For Jim Boyd - 5/10 - Jim Boyd, 68, who retired in 2008 after 37 years as a reporter and anchor at Channel 5/WCVB, is now a junior majoring in sociology at Tufts University. He went to Long Island University for three years in the late 1950s but never finished. The Boston Herald has more.....

BUR's "Radio Boston" Goes Daily - 5/1 - Boston University public radio news talker WBUR will unveil its daily version of "Radio Boston" on Monday, 5/10. The show, hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti, used to air weekly - Fridays at 1 PM. Now, it will air weekdaily at 3 PM.....

Ownership Change For WGTX - 5/1 - All Access reports that Thomas Troland is selling his 51% interest in Dunes 102 FM LLC, licensee of oldies WGTX, Dunes 102 FM, in Truro MA on Cape Cod, his partners Ron Robin and Edmund Teo for $450,000. Robin, presently 25% owner, and Teo, 24% owner, will each end up with 50% of the company after consummation of the deal.....

Tom Melville Leaves NECN - 5/1 - Tom Melville, the news director at New England Cable News, has resigned from the 24-hour news cable outlet. The Boston Globe has more.....

Joe Joyce Joins 4 - 4/28 - New England Cable News weatherman Joe Joyce becomes a weekend weather reporter and weekday environmental reporter for Channel 4/WBZ.....

2 Days In Jail For 61er - 4/28 - From the Hartford Courant: A woman who was charged a year ago with drunken driving twice in the same night was sentenced Friday to two days in jail. Elsa Veisor, 30, an employee of Fox 61, went to jail Friday and served her two days over the weekend. Veisor pleaded guilty Friday to reckless driving. Veisor had earlier been granted admission to an alcohol education program for one of the driving-under-the-influence charges against her. She was also granted accelerated rehabilitation - a special form of probation - for a charge of driving with a suspended license. That charge and one of the drunken-driving charges will be dismissed if she completes the programs successfully.....

Medical Leave For NESN's Watney - 4/27 - NESN reporter Heidi Watney, who has been absent on Red Sox telecasts since the first week of the season, is on medical leave after suffering a concussion during spring training. She has not worked a game since the opening series of the season against the Yankees. Watney tells the Boston Globe that she will be evaluated this week by her doctor and hopes to be cleared to return to work soon.....

NY Times On Non-Comm Classical Music Rise - 4/27 - The NY Times looks at the rise of classical music radio on the public, non-commercial radio dial. Including the the changes at Boston's WCRB.....

Vicevich Returns To WTIC - 4/27 - Jim Vicevich signs a new deal with CBS Radio talker WTIC-AM in Hartford. He left his midday gig on March 31 as terms of the new deal were being worked out.....

RCH Tops Hartford - 4/27 - WRCH remains confortably atop the Hartford radio heap. More from Radio-Info.com.....

Surge For Rush Radio - 4/23 - The new “Rush Radio” station has taken off, nearly quadrupling its audience since flipping from a Spanish music station to a conservative news talker last month. WXKS-AM (1200) - which snagged Rush Limbaugh from right-wing rival WRKO-AM (680) - fetched a 1.1 share of all Boston listeners older than 6 during the month of March, according to Arbitron ratings released yesterday. The Clear Channel-owned station jumped from a 0.3 in February and a 0.3 in January to the March 1.1, putting it in 24th place - a strong start considering the station did little promotion until recent weeks. The March ratings period ran from March 4 to 31 - and Limbaugh debuted March 8 on WXKS-AM. The Boston Herald has more.....

XKS-FM Tops Boston - 4/23 - Contemporary hit WXKS-FM tops the Boston radio heap. More at Radio-Info.com.....

Brett Richards Dies - 4/20 - Brett Richards, a veteran of Boston oldies outlet WODS and classic rock WZLX, has died. He was 52. His real name was Brett Rushon. He'd also worked as a traffic reporter for Metro Networks and was the marketing director for Clear Channel's Portsmouth NH radio cluster.....

Suzanne Tonaire Leaves WPXY - 4/19 - Suzanne Tonaire leaves Cap Code rocker WPXY, Pixy 103, after a decade as program director, and 23 years in total at the station, many as an on-air personality.....

WRKO "Suspends" Carr - 4/19 - Howie Carr gets "suspended" from Entercom talker WRKO (680 AM) for one week for apparently criticizing the station. No word on just want bit of verbage got Carr sidelined. The Boston Globe has more. DCRTV wonders: What a great way to generate some publicity for the vacationing Carr.....

Spanish Sox Moves To WWZN - 4/5 - Brokered talker WWZN-AM in Boston is carrying all Boston red Sox games in Spanish according to a three-year-deal. The Spanish Sox had been heard on Spanish religious WWDJ-AM.....

Angela Anderson To Rush Radio - 4/2 - Angela Anderson leaves Clear Channel talker WGIR in Manchester NH for sister talker WXKS in Boston, also known as Rush Radio, as morning news anchor.....

Zito Leaves WODS - 4/1 - Radio-Info.com tells us that WODS (103.3 FM) says adios to morning co-host Zito. He teamed with Karen Blake at the CBS Radio oldies station in the fall of 2008.....

Vicevich Leaves WTIC - 3/31 - Jim Vicevich, a conservative talk show host at Hartford's WTIC (AM 1080), has parted ways with the CBS station as they were not willing to pay him what he wanted for a new contract, he said in his blog this morning. He will continue to blog on radioviceonline.com, and will be on Fox CT's morning show Thursday. The Hartford Courant has more.....

WRCH Tops Hartford - 3/30 - WRCH tops the latest batch of radio ratings for Hartford. More at radio-info.com.....

Mary Richardson Leaves 5 - 3/26 - Mary Richardson, a veteran of 30 years at Channel 5/WCVB, and the host of "Chronicle," the nation’s longest-running locally produced nightly newsmagazine, says she is leaving the station. She is not retiring, she says, but isn't sure yet what's next. “I am looking forward to the possibilities ahead." The Boston Herald has more.....

Ken Barlow Gone From 4 - 3/26 - NewsBlues tells us that Ken Barlow, who has been chief meteorologist at Channel 4/WBZ since 2006, is no longer with the CBS station. His contract was not renewed. WBZ thanked him "for his service, and wishes him luck in his future endeavors.” Morning weather anchor Todd Gutner will move to evenings. Melissa Mack, who arrived earlier this year from Cleveland, will do mornings.....

Jeff Katz To Rush Radio - 3/24 - Former WRKOer Jeff Katz is named the new morning host on new Boston righty radio talker Rush Radio, WXKS (1200 AM). He starts on 4/5. The Clear Channel station airs Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity. Katz has most recently been hosting afternoons on WFTL radio in Palm Beack, Florida.....

Old WRCA Towers Felled - 3/22 - The two towers in Waltham MA formerly used to transmit BEASLEY brokered ethnic outlet WRCA-AM have been taken down. The station recently moved to a new transmitter site in Newton MA. The Boston Globe has more.....

New Gig For WTIC-TV's Rebecca Stewart - 3/18 - Veteran WTIC, Fox 61, anchor and reporter Rebecca Stewart is making a career change. Stewart, who joined Fox 61 in 2003, will leave the station March 29 to become director of media relations at Hartford Hospital, a job she said she can't wait to begin. The Hartford Courant has more.....

Boston Band Member Sues Boston Rag - 3/17 - Three years after Boston lead singer Brad Delp committed suicide, guitarist Tom Scholz claims Boston Herald reporters Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa defamed him by writing that Delp's ex-wife blamed Scholz for the singer's death. The Boston Globe has more.....

Edmund Dinis Dies - 3/17 - Edmund Dinis, the former district attorney who directed the grand jury in the case involving the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and the fatal plunge from the bridge at Chappaquiddick, died Sunday evening, according to friends and colleagues. He was 85. Voters turned Dinis out of office in 1970. In 1975 he purchased Portuguese-language radio station WJFD and ran successfully for Bristol County treasurer. But he decided to try again for his old job as district attorney in 1978, and lost that bid, along with several successive attempts at a comeback. More from southcoasttoday.com.....

Alice Cook Leaves 4 - 3/4 - Well-known sports reporter Alice Cook, a former Olympic figure skater, is the latest casualty at WBZ-TV, joining her former colleague Bob Lobel on the bench as the station downsizes its sports roster. Cook, who has been at Boston's Channel 4 for 25 years, was told that her contract wasn't. The Boston Herald has more.....

New Line-Up For WPRO - 3/4 - News talk WPRO-AM/FM in Providence announces its new weekday line-up. Beginning March 15, Bill Haberman will anchor "WPRO's First News" from 5 AM to 6 AM, John DePetro and the "WPRO Morning News" will follow from 6 AM to 10 AM, Dan Yorke will air from 10 AM to 2 PM, followed by Buddy Cianci from 2 PM to 6 PM, and Matt Allen from 6 PM to 9 PM.....

Former WBZ Weatherman Don Kent Dies - 3/3 - Legendary Boston meteorologist Don Kent has died, according to his longtime employer WBZ. He was 92. Kent died early Tuesday at Franklin Hospital in New Hampshire and his family is currently making plans for a private memorial service, according to WBZ. In 1951, Kent began working for WBZ Radio and joined WBZ-TV in 1955. He retired from the station in 1983. More from the Boston Herald.....

4 Drops Marshall - 3/3 - Channel 4/WBZ has dropped Dr. Mallika Marshall as its “HealthWatch” reporter. Her last day was Friday.....

WRKO Drops Rush - 3/3 - Republican consultant Charley Manning is replacing the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh on WRKO radio starting Monday. Jason Wolfe, program director for WRKO-AM (680), confirmed to the Herald that Manning will take over the station’s weekday noon to 3 PM slot. Manning, who has served as a campaign adviser to former Governor Mitt Romney, emphasized that his new show, “The Charley Manning Show,” will be local. Limbaugh has been heard on WRKO’s airwaves for more than 15 years, but Clear Channel has been in talks to swipe him for its new local conservative talk station, WXKS-AM (1200), which debuts in April. Limbaugh is syndicated through Clear Channel’s subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks. The Boston Herald has more.....

Fortune Journalist Helped Romney With Book - 3/2 - From Romenesko: Fortune Washington Bureau Chief Nina Easton is one of the advisers and political experts who helped Republican Mitt Romney write "No Apology," according to the book's acknowledgments. Easton, a former Boston Globe deputy Washington bureau chief, says: "I offered some writer's advice on things like structure and how to better tease out themes in his writing." Fortune didn't respond to a request for comment, according to the Globe.....

WBUR To Take "Radio Boston" Daily - 3/2 - "Radio Boston," WBUR’s local public affairs program, is going daily. The program will launch Monday, May 3, on 90.9 FM, with a new host and a new format. The time slot is to be determined. Meghna Chakrabarti will be the lead host of "Radio Boston." Chakrabarti, since her beginnings in 2002 as a producer for "On Point," has grown quickly and formidably as a radio force and voice in Boston, in recent days filling in as host on WBUR’s national, daily news program, "Here & Now." More at wbur.org.....

WEEI Suspends Producer - 3/1 - The simmering feud between Boston's two sports radio powerhouses boiled over yesterday when a WEEI producer got slapped with a one-week suspension for texting “vulgar” messages to upstart rival the Sports Hub. Andy Massaua, who works for Glenn Ordway’s “The Big Show,” was suspended yesterday and has been banned from texting anyone at WBZ-FM (98.5). The Boston Herald has more.....

XKS Tops Boston - 2/26 - Boston CHR “Kiss 108” WXKS-FM is back in its accustomed spot at #1, moving 7.8-8.5 (age 6+ AQH share). Holiday-book #1 oldies WODS has been on this three-book ride since the December book - 7.4-8.6-4.6. All the numbers from Radio-Info.com.....

New Boston Talker Adds Beck & Hannity - 2/18 - From All Access: The lineup at the new Boston talk station being launched by Clear Channel on WXKS-AM on 4/1 includes, as widely expected, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Program Director Bill George says that the station will also carry Jason Lewis in evenings and will have a local morning show to be named later. "Coast To Coast AM" with George Noory is already airing on the station.....

WKSS Moves Prolifik To Nights - 2/17 - Prolifik moves from weekends to nights at Hartford contemporary hit outlet WKSS (95.7 FM). He replaces Skillet, who's jumped to an Orlando radio station.....

McGowan Leaves WEZN - 2/17 - Mike McGowan leaves the the morning gig at adult conteporary WEZN (99.9 FM) in Bridgeport CT. No word on his replacement.....

Entercom Planning Boston Radio Shake-Up - 2/11 - The Boston Herald reports that Entercom bigwig David Field is coming to the Hub next week, sparking fears among some radio station employees that more layoffs and other cutbacks are on the horizon. An all-staff meeting is set for Wednesday and employees got a one-sentence e-mail telling them their “presence” was requested. The visit comes as Entercom sports titan WEEI-AM (850) faces its biggest challenge on the dial in years - WBZ-FM (98.5) “The Sports Hub,” which launched in August and has been giving WEEI a run for its money in the ratings battle. Another Entercom-owned station, news talker WRKO-AM (680), is also facing some serious competition along with the exodus of some syndicated shows.....

John Mayer To Do PMs At KCI - 2/1 - FMQB tells us that contemporary hit WKCI in New Haven names John Mayer its new assistant program director and afternoon drive talent. Mayer fills the void left when Trey Morgan segued to contemporary hit WHTZ, Z100, in NYC.....

4's Hasbrouck To Chicago - 1/28 - Dawn Hasbrouck, a weekend anchor and weekday reporter at Boston's Channel 4/WBZ, heads to her native Chicago to anchor the noon news at Fox's WFLD-TV.....

Former GBHer Pleads Guilty To Embezzlement - 1/26 - A former accounting manager at Channel 2/WGBH pled guilty late Friday to embezzling nearly $500,000 from the station and using the cash on vacations, golf, dining, liquor and clothes.Philip McCabe, 49, was sentenced to two years in the House Correction, six months to serve, with the balance suspended. Superior Court Judge Peter Lauriat ordered the Reading resident to pay $25,000, the amount of the deductible not covered by the insurance which reimbursed most of the loss. The Boston Herald has more.....

5's Huff To Keep Job Despite Husband's Senate Win - 1/22 - Addressing husband Scott Brown’s historic US Senate win, Channel 5/WCVB reporter Gail Huff said she plans to keep her TV reporting job and won’t be granting any interviews - including to her own station. The Boston Herald has more.....

New Senator's Wife Works At 5 - 1/21 - The spotlight shining on Senator-elect Scott Brown now lands on a family member who largely avoided the campaign glare: veteran Channel 5/WCVB reporter Gail Huff, Brown’s wife, who has carved out her own niche as a broadcast journalist and working mother. The Boston Globe has more.....

WEEI Cans Pete Sheppard - 1/21 - Pete Sheppard, who spent more than 10 years as a contributor and fill-in host on sports radio WEEI's "The Big Show," has had his position eliminated by Entercom Communications, which owns the station. The Boston Globe has more.....

Former 7er Sentenced For Kiddie Porn - 1/20 - Bob Gamere, a former sports guy at Channel 7/WHDH who pleaded guilty in September to charges of transporting and possessing child pornography, was sentenced yesterday to five years in federal prison and a lifetime of probation. He's 71. The Boston Globe has more.....

Health Issues Sideline Vicevich - 1/14 - Hartford's WTIC-AM (1080) "Sound Off Connecticut" late morning host Jim Vicevich is off the air for health reasons. Until he returns, Ray Dunaway's morning show is extended until 10 AM, with a Sean Hannity repeat from 10 AM until noon.....

Clear Channel Plans Talk For New WXKS-AM - 1/14 - Clear Channel plans to debut a new conservative AM talk radio station in April and is trying to steal WRKO lynchpin Rush Limbaugh - who has been on ’RKO’s airwaves for 15 years. Spanish music station WXKS-AM (1200) - which recently upgraded to 50,000 watts and is based in Newton - is flipping to a news talk format. Clear Channel is currently in talks with its subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates Limbaugh’s show. Clear Channel also wants to snag Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck, whose show airs on WRKO-AM (680) on Saturday night. The Boston Herald has more.....

Clear Channel To Move WXKS-AM Calls - 1/14 - From Tom Taylor at Radio-Info.com: Clear Channel’s new 50-kw Boston talker will take the “WXKS-AM” calls. The station is the current WKOX at 1200 and Clear Channel has been waiting for years to get its 50-kw technical upgrade built and to install a new mainstream format. WKOX was historically licensed to suburban Framingham, out between the I-495 and Route 128 – halfway to Worcester, in other words. It operated with 10-kw daytime and 1-kw at night. Finally, it’s got 50,000 watts day and night, from new city of license Newton, closer in to Boston – and Clear Channel says they’ll launch a news/talk format on April 1. Boston is the one top 10 market where Clear Channel has a smallish cluster – just two FMs (top-ranked CHR “Kiss 108” WXKS-FM and rhythmic “Jam’n’ 94.5” WJMN) and two AMs. One of those is WKOX at 1200 and the other is the Everett-licensed WXKS-AM at 1430. It’s currently doing Spanish contemporary, and now we learn that Clear Channel will pull the calls off of 1430 (where they don’t do much for the Spanish format) and use them on the news/talker at 1200. We also know who will be running sales for WXKS-AM – Alan Chartrand. Before he managed Greater Media talker WTKK (96.9) for four years, he was the GM at Jam’n. Most recently he’s been running his own Simply Good Marketing. Tom McConnell is Clear Channel’s market manager for both Boston and Providence.....

WPRO's Cianci Eyes Political Run - 1/13 - Disgraced ex-Providence mayor and WPRO talk radio gabster Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr. said he's considering getting back into the political arena with a run against US Representative Patrick Kennedy or the city's current mayor. The Boston Herald has more.....

WRCH Tops Hartford - 1/13 - WRCH tops the Hartford radio ratings. The numbers are at Radio-Info.com.....

WDBY Goes Country - 1/11 - Danbury, Connecticut's WDBY flips from hot adult contemporary Y105 to country as "Kicks 105.5." The Cumulus station is licensed to Patterson NY.....

WAMG & WLLH Back To Spanish - 1/11 - Boston-area WAMG (890 AM) and WLLH (1400 AM) sell for $1.8 million and will go Spanish. The new owner is Ivon Gois of Gois Broadcasting. WAMG, Dedham, and WLLH, Lowell, had programmed Spanish tropical before J Sports flipped the combo to all-sports in 2005, when the stations sold for $9 million.....

Andy Gresh To WBZ-FM - 1/7 - "Mad Dog Radio" host Andy Gresh has exited Sirius XM and NYC regional cable sports network SNY to return to New England at CBS Radio's sports WBZ-FM, The Sports Hub. He'll be doing fill-in work, for the time-being. The Boston Herald has more.....

Bone Break For Lobel - 1/7 - Bob Lobel, the legendary Boston media personality who took a buyout in April 2008 from Channel 4/WBZ, slipped and fell in his yard last week, shattering his femur in four places. The break required surgery, his 11th trip to the operating room in 10 years, the Boston Herald has more.....

Boston Globe Loses Foon Rhee - 1/6 - Foon Rhee, the deputy national political editor for the Boston Globe, will be joining the Sacramento Bee as an associate editor starting February 1. Rhee, writing both editorials and columns, plans to cover national and local politics, as well as public affairs, for the California paper. The Politico has more.....

FNX Makes Changes - 1/4 - FMQB reports that Boston alternative rocker WFNX is starting the New Year with a new on-air lineup with major changes throughout the day. Beginning in AM Drive, the station has cancelled "The Sandbox" morning show, replacing it with a new show co-hosted by longtime WFNX personality and program director Keith Dakin and the "Sandbox's" Fletcher, with news and current events covered by morning mainstay Henry Santoro. Elsewhere, former ‘FNX and WBCN personality Adam 12 returns to the station to take on afternoons, replacing Big Jim Murray, who will focus full-time on off-air duties, including a creative role in the new morning show. Also, syndicated 10 PM to midnight program "Loveline" will no longer air on the station. Night-time personality Paul Driscoll will expand his shift to replace "Loveline." Julie Kramer's midday show, including the long-running "Leftover Lunch" music feature, will not be affected by the changes.....

Copyright Dave Hughes/DCRTV.....