Contents - News Archive Index - Front Page - Search DCRTV - Support DCRTV
January 1998 to March 1998
By Dave HughesMarch 26, 1998
DC Radio Veteran Doug Bailey Dies
Doug Bailey, 68, a veteran of Washington DC radio, died of pneumonia March 24, 1998 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. According to an obituary in the Washington Post, Bailey began his career in 1948 as a page at WMAL radio in the Trans Lux Building and then at NBC radio in the Wardman Park Hotel. In the 1950s, he played organ and piano for WBCC radio in Bethesda. He also served as program director for WDON and WASH, and was a programming director at WFCR radio in Fairfax. In the 1960s and 70s, Bailey served as co-host of a morning show on WFCR, which became WEEL and is now WDCT. He also played pipe organ for many stations including WEEL and WPIK, according to the Post. Bailey was also the founder of an advertising agency and produced many documentary and trade films for government and private industry before retiring in 1989.
March 26, 1998
Weasel Relieved Of Daily Duties At HFS
The Washington Post reported March 26 that long-time WHFS DJ Weasel, whose real name is Jonathan Gilbert, has been relieved of his daily DJ duties at the "modern rock" station. High-pitched voiced Weasel has been with HFS's many incarnations during the past 28 years, since its days as a free-form progressive station at 102.3 in Bethesda. He gives up his daily duties which included hosting the station's mid-day "Flashback" shows which played classic "new wave" of the early 80s. Weasel will continue to handle the weekend Flashback shows. The Post quotes HFS general manager Phil Zachary as saying, "The station continues to mature." WHFS is owned by CBS and is in a crosstown ratings battle with rocker DC101, which was recently acquired by another corporate media titan, Chancellor Broadcasting. Weasel says he is looking for another fulltime radio gig perhaps at classic rocker WARW, which is also owned by CBS.
March 20, 1998
Will Pax-Net Stations Be Sold?
Media mogul Lowell "Bud" Paxson had planned to start a sixth national broadcast TV network later this year called "Pax-Net" with a slew of family oriented programming. He had planned to use an ever increasing number of UHF TV stations he'd purchased -- including WPXW, Channel 66 in Manassas, VA, which serves the DC metro area. However, since late 1997 when Paxson announced his plans for the new network, his stock value has taken a major hit. And there is increasing Wall Street talk that Paxson may sell off all or some of his stations (which include stations in most major markets). This talk also raises questions about the launch of Pax-Net, which is still planned for late summer or early fall. Currently, most of Paxson's stations, including WPXW, run a steady diet of informercials with some ethnic programming during the evening hours and religious programming during the overnights.
March 15, 1998
Could Z-104 become Z-105?
There is talk that Bonneville, owner of struggling dance-oriented contemporary pair WWZZ (104.1) and WWVZ (103.9), being dubbed as a single Z-104, could be in the market to acquire 105.1, now owned by religious broadcaster, Salem. There is talk of a signal swap, such as what's taking place between WTOP and WUPP (see below). Both of Z-104's stations are rimshots -- 104.1 from Charles County, MD, about 30 miles south of the District, and 103.9 from Frederick, MD, about 30 miles northwest of the District.
March 15, 1998
Programming Shake-Up At WETA-FM
Mainly classical WETA-FM (90.9) is shifting around some of its non-musical programming. "Car Talk" is being moved to 10 am Saturdays while "A Prarie Home Companion" is being moved to 10 am Sundays. This results in a loss of classical music programming both mornings. But WETA will add "St. Paul Sunday," a classical performance and interview program at 4 pm Sundays. WETA is also dropping "The World," a BBC/WGBH-Boston production which had aired weekdays afternoons at 3. It is being replaced with "Fresh Air," an interview program. WETA is also scrapping "Schickele Mix," an eclectic mix of music from composer Peter Schickele.
March 9, 1998
WTEM/WWRC Swap Dial Positions
On March 9, as planned, Chancellor Broadcasting swapped the dial positions of WTEM and WWRC. All-sports WTEM moved from its 570 dial position, with 5,000 watts, to 980, with a much stronger 50,000 watt (daytime) signal. Meanwhile, WWRC, a business news and talk station, moved to 570. In related news, news reports indicate that much of the staff of the area's other business news station, WBZS at 730 am, has moved to WWRC. In the most recent ratings round-up (fall 1997), WTEM and WWRC had identically low ratings, somewhere around the 20th position overall.
March 9, 1998
WBFF & WNUV Start Multi-Channel Digital Broadcasts
Two Baltimore TV stations, WBFF, channel 45, and WNUV, channel 54, have begun broadcasting the nation's first multistation, multichannel digital television signals, according to an Associated Press (AP) report. Sinclair began broadcasting February 27 on digital channels assigned to the two stations. Unlike current television broadcasts, digital signals can carry four to eight program channels, raising the possibility of a 32-channel system using four broadcasters, said Nat Ostroff, vice president of technology for Sinclair, which owns WBFF and WNUV. AP says that Sinclair plans to demonstrate the system for Congress in April. Sinclair is considering a system that would be a mix of the current broadcast and cable systems where some channels would be free and others would charge a monthly fee, which would be less than current cable rates, Ostroff said.
February 20, 1998
Channel 28 Signs On
Billing itself as the "Information Super Station" (ISS), low-power Channel 28 came to the air in February 1998. It claims to be "a new program service focusing on the executive branch of government." It can be viewed primarily inside the beltway. Transmitting from a tower in Washington DC, channel 28's coverage area is largely inside the Beltway.
February 20, 1998
Chancellor Buys DC101, WWDC-AM
Chancellor Broadcasting gobbles up one of the last locally-owned FM stations in the Washington DC area -- rocker WWDC-FM, 101.1, also known as DC101. The deal also includes WWDC-AM, a nostalgia station on 1260. DC101 had been owned by Washington DC-based Capitol Broadcasting. Texas-based Chancellor announced the mid-February deal to purchase WWDC-FM/AM for $72 million. Chancellor owns approximately 100 stations across the country including several in the DC area including WBIG-FM (oldies), WASH-FM and WGAY-FM (both adult contemporary), WMZQ-FM (country), WTEM-AM (sports talk), and WWRC-AM (business news/talk).
February 15, 1998
WWRC Drops Talk For Biz News
Chancellor Broadcasting, owner of two ratings-starved Washington DC area AM stations, has announced a format flip. On March 9, WWRC, at 980, will move down the dial to 570, while 570's current occupant, WTEM, will move to 980. The move has been long anticipated and is expected to bolster the fortunes of sport-talk formatted 570 WTEM ("The Team"). The move to 980 will give WTEM access to 980's 50,000 watt signal. Right now WTEM operates with only 5,000 watts during the days and 1,000 watts at night. While WWRC will go to a less powerful signal, Chancellor is also making big format changes there. As of February 9, WWRC dropped its long-running, and long under performing talk format (which featured the likes of Ollie North and Mary Matalin) with a business news format featuring the Bloomberg Business News network. However, the station did keep some of its non-business oriented talkers such as Art Bell and his sci-fi talk show overnights. As for sports team programming, right now the basketball Washington Wizzards are on WWRC at 980. They will stay on 980 even after WTEM takes over that frequency. And the hockey Washington Capitals, now on 570 WTEM, will also stay on 570 after the shift. The latest ratings show the current incarnations of both WTEM and WWRC to be at the bottom of the ratings heap. Washington has traditionally been a poor AM radio market; currently the top rated AM station is WMAL, which is only the eighth most listened to station in the market.
February 15, 1998
Capstar Buys WFMD, WFRE
Texas based Capstar Communications has announced plans to purchase two Frederick, Maryland stations, WFMD, an AM station on 930, and WFRE, an FMer on 99.9. Both are currently owned by former Washington DC area sportscaster Jim Gibbons. WFMD is a talk formatted station carring the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Art Bell, plus a wide smattering of DC and Baltimore area sports teams including the Redskins. WFRE is a country formatted station.
January 20, 1998
KYS Tops Ratings Round-Up
Lanham, Maryland-based Radio One's WKYS-FM (93.9) tops the latest Washington area ratings book -- for late 1997. According to the Arbitron Ratings of the preferences of listeners aged 12 and up (as reprinted by The Washington Post on January 14, 1998), hip-hop/urban contemporary WKYS was tops with a 6.3 share, up from last summer's 5.9 share. Two other urban contemporary stations took the spots two and three in the ratings, CBS's WPGC-FM (95.5) and Howard University's WHUR-FM (96.3). WPGC (with a 5.6 share) has been marketing itself to a younger, "more hip" audience of late while WHUR (with a 5.2 share) goes for an older, more "adult" audience.
All original material on this website is copyright by Dave Hughes/DCRTV.
