Entries in 2000 Category

January 2000:

• WMOM-FM 102.7 Pentwater granted its license (new sign-on). Format is Adult Top 40


• Adult Standards WOAP-AM 1080 Owosso sold to 1090 Investments (owner of Catholic WCAR-AM 1090 Livonia) by Hartman Broadcasting


• Construction permit for WAAQ-FM 88.5 Mackinaw City transfered to Broadcast Music Ministries from Great Lakes Broadcast Academy


• Construction permit granted to News WWJ-AM 950 Detroit to increase daytime power to 50,000 watts from facilities in Monroe county


• FCC approved creation of LPFM service


• Citadel announced the acquisition of Active Rock WKLQ-FM 94.5 Holland, Classic Rock WLAV-FM 96.9 Grand Rapids, Oldies WODJ-FM 107.3 Greenville, and Sports WBBL-AM 1340 Grand Rapids from Bloomington Broadcasting


• FCC granted the transfer of license for W09AJ Republic Twp to Western Upper Peninsula TV from Republic Twp


• Martha Jean 'The Queen' Steinberg passed away. The longtime Detroit broadcasting legend was the owner of WQBH 1400 and was influential on the Detroit radio scene for nearly 40 years, many of them at WJLB

February:

• Construction permit granted to WB affiliate WDWB-TV 20 Detroit to change its transmitter location to WWJ-TV's stick from the facilities currently shared by WDWB, WKBD-TV 50, and WTVS-TV 56


• W214AY 90.7 Grand Rapids granted its license (new sign-on). Format is Religious (Calvary Satellite Network)


• Longtime Detroit Lions and MSU Spartans broadcaster Bob Reynolds passed away at the age of 85 from congestive heart disease and cancer. Reynolds was sports director at Detroit's WJR 760 from 1952-77, and retired from Lions broadcasts in 1983.


• Granted Scanlan Communications a construction permit for a new full-power TV station to operate on channel 10 from Ishpeming. The station will be an ABC affiliate and be paired with current Scanlan property WBKP-TV 5 Calumet


• WHCH-FM 98.3 Munising switched format from Country to Oldies as Oldies 98.3


• WFXD-FM 103.3 Marquette switched format from Oldies to Country as B-103


• Country WSAQ-FM 107.1 and Oldies WHLS-AM 1450 acquired by Liggett Communications from the estate of John Wismer for $3.2 million


• Country WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit raised over $950,000 during a two-day Radiothon to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital


• 'Mojo in the Morning' program debuts on WKQI-FM 95.5 Detroit. The station positions itself slightly away from Adult Top 40 towards a more mainstream Top 40 playlist


• Oldies WOMC-FM 104.3 Detroit morning host Dick Purtan and crew raised over $726,000 in a one-day Radiothon to benefit the Salvation Army's Bed and Bread Club


• WDWO-LP 18 Detroit returned to the air, having moved from channel 44. The station now carries programming from Tri-State Christian Television


• WDBC-AM 680 Escanaba dropped most of its music (Oldies) in favor of Talk programming

March:

• WMXG-FM 106.3 Stephenson/Escanaba began service as Mix 106.3, format is primarily Adult Top 40


• Detroit media icon Dick Osgood passed away yesterday at the age of 98 following a massive stroke. Mr. Osgood was the first person to appear on WXYZ-TV channel 7 when it hit the air in 1948 and also worked for many years at WXYZ radio (1270 AM).


• LPTV station WUPT Crystal Falls switched affiliations from the Outdoor Network to the American Independent Network


• FCC approved Citadel's acquistion of Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM 99.1 Lansing from Liggett Broadcasting


• Announced that AMFM will be selling 4 Grand Rapids area stations to Regent Communications as part of the Clear Channel/AMFM merger. The stations are Adult Contemporary WLHT-FM 95.7 and WTRV-FM 100.5, Modern Rock WGRD-FM 97.9, and News WNWZ-AM 1410.


• Liggett Broadcasting acquired the assets of Hanson Communications- Top 40 WBTI-FM 96.9 Lexington, WPHM-AM 1380 Port Huron, and WHYT-AM 1590 Marine City for $2.24 million


• WDOW-AM 1440 Dowagiac dropped its Country format in favor of News/Talk


• Goldsen Broadcasting (Jackson Radio Works) acquired WCFX-FM 95.3 Clare from Mackin-Hults Broadcasting for $1.1 million
  
• Construction permit granted to Midwestern Broadcasting for a new FM station at 107.9 licensed to Charlevoix

April:

• WFNT-AM 1470 Flint switched format from News/Talk to Adult Standards


• WBFH-FM 88.1 Bloomfield Hills became the first High School station in Michigan to simulcast its programming over the Internet


• The silent WSTD-FM 96.9 will be donated to Central Michigan University by owner Agri-Valley Commmunications


• WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo moved its format to Adult Contemporary from Hot AC


• Full Service WYUR-AM 1310 Dearborn ceased operations. The station began simulcasting Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM 100.3


• Announced that Wilks Broadcasting would be acquiring News-Talk WSGW-AM 790, Rhythmic CHR WTCF-FM 100.5, and Adult Contemporary WTCF-FM 100.5 from Citadel for $16.18 million


• Shareholders of both companies approved the merger of AMFM and Clear Channel


• Lake Michigan Broadcasting acquired Oldies WXYQ-FM 101.5 from Crystal Clear Communications for $300,000

May:

• Adult Contemporary WMXE-FM 102.5 Hudson switched its format to Hot AC, the station remains 'Mix 102.5'


• Winstar Broadcasting was granted a construction permit for a new full-power TV station on channel 19 licensed to Marquette


• Fife Lake Broadcasting was granted a construction permit for a new Class A radio station at 95.9 FM licensed to Fife Lake


• Clear Channel acquired Ann Arbor area stations Rock WIQB-FM 102.9, AC Gold WQKL-FM 107.1, Sports WTKA-AM 1050, and Business News WYBN-AM 1290 from Cumulus Broadcasting


• WBYW-FM 88.1 Gaylord signed on with Religious programming


• Rubber City Radio acquired Lansing/Jackson area stations Modern Rock WWDX-FM 92.1, Country WXIK-FM 94.1, and Rock WJXQ-FM 106.1 from 62nd Street Broadcasting for about $10 million


• Bible Baptist Church was granted a construction permit for a new radio station at 90.9 FM licensed to Rose Twp (near Rose City)


• Donald James Noordyk was granted a construction permit for a new Class A radio station at 93.7 FM licensed to Harrietta


• Dr. Don Carpenter exits the morning show at Country WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit

June:

• Bob Dyer marked his 50th anniversary at Oldies WKNX-AM 1250 Bay City


• Great Lakes Community Broadcasting was granted a construction permit for a new Class A radio station at 88.3 FM licensed to Onsted


• WYCE-FM 88.1 Wyoming/Gd. Rapids boosted its power from 1,000 to 7,000 watts


• The American Family Association was granted a construction permit for a new Class A radio station at 88.1 FM licensed to Muskegon


• On the air is new sign-on WWKK-AM 750 Petoskey as Oldies 'Kool 750'


• Fox affiliates WFQX-TV 33 Cadillac and WFVX-TV 45 Vanderbilt launched a 10pm newscast


• Full Service WHTC-AM 1450 Holland was sold to Midwest Communications by Holland Communications

July:

• Michigan Radio dropped its overnight classical music programming on its broadcast stations (WUOM-FM 91.7 Ann Arbor, WVGR-FM 104.1 Grand Rapids, WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint) in favor of 24 hour-a-day news and talk. The classical music programming moved to the web only 24 hours per day


• Kevin O'Neill joined the morning show on WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit


• The FCC granted Stafford Broadcasting a permanent waiver to the cross-ownership rule which will allow Stafford to take ownership of WPLB-AM Greenville from Kortes Communications while continuing to own The Daily News newspaper. The transfer of ownership of WPLB-FM Lakeview was also approved.


• WWJ-TV 62 Detroit was granted its license for its upgraded signal (1,000kW to 5,000)


• WOOD-TV 8 Grand Rapids sports Director Warren Reynolds passed away


• Wilks Broadcasting purchased WCEN-FM 94.5 and WCEN-AM 1150 from Sommerville Associates for $6 million


• Country WCMM-FM 94.7 Gulliver/Manistique changed frequency to 102.5

August:

• Silent stations WSRI-FM 92.1 Beulah and WSRQ-FM Bear Lake were sold by D & B Broadcasting to Fort Bend Broadcasting for $590,000


• WXYZ-TV and WXYZ-AM Detroit broadcaster Fred Wolf passed away


• Rhythmic CHR WTCF-FM 100.5 Saginaw changed format to Hot Adult Contemporary as Mix 100


• FCC officially blessed the merger of AMFM and Clear Channel


• Donald James Noordyk was granted a construction permit for a new Class A radio station at 106.7 FM licensed to Iron Mountain


• CIDR-FM 93.9 Windsor/Detroit changed its format from Adult Album Alternative as 'The River' to Adult Contemporary as 'Lite Rock 93-9'


• Citadel purchased Sports WTRX-AM 1330 Flint from David Lee Communications for $180,000

September:

• Doc Reno replaced Bill Gable on the morning show at Rhythmic Oldies WGRV-FM 105.1 Detroit


• Country WHYT-AM 1590 Marine City changed its format to Oldies, simulcasting sister station WHLS-AM 1450 Pt. Huron


• Clear Channel puchased 5 Muskegon area stations from Cumulus Broadcasting- Country WMUS-FM/AM 106.9/1090, Rock WMRR-FM 101.7, Adult Contemporary WSHZ-FM 107.9, and Adult Standards WMHG-AM 1600


• WB affiliate WDWB-TV 20 Detroit helped raise over $1.5 million during this year's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon


• Fant Broadcasting was granted a construction permit for a new full-powered TV station on channel 24 to be licensed to Ironwood


• Adult Contemporary WRSR-FM 103.9 Owosso changed its format to Classic Rock as '103.9 The Fox'


• 87 applications were filed with the FCC for new Low Power FM allotments


• Hot AC WIMI-FM 99.7 Ironwood was knocked off the air by a lightning strike that resulted in a fire that caused extensive damage to the station's transmission equipment


• WICA-FM 91.5 Traverse City signed on as Public News/Talk with programming from NPR, PRI, and WPR


• Broadcast rights for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings moved from WJR-AM 760 Detroit to WXYT-AM 1270 Detroit. WXYT announced plans to take on an All-Sports format


• WJKN-AM 1510 Jackson went off the air when station owner John Salov sold the property the broadcast towers were on to a developer


• Former WXYZ-AM midday jock Paul Winter passed away


• Classic Country WCUZ-FM 101.3 Grand Rapids changed format to Classic Rock as '101 the Fox'


• Oldies WOMC-FM 104.3 Detroit secured two Marconi Awards- for Major Market Station of the Year and Oldies Station of the Year. News/Talk WOOD-AM 1300 Grand Rapids won the Marconi for Medium Market Station of the Year


• Northern Michigan's The Zone (WAVC-FM 93.9 Mio / WLJZ-FM 94.5 Mackinaw City / WJZJ-FM 95.5 Glen Arbor) tweaked its format to a harder Modern Rock sound


• WJML-AM 1110 Petoskey dropped its Oldies programming and went back to all News/Talk


• Rock WIQB-FM 102.9 Ann Arbor changed its format to Country as W4 Country with new call sign WWWW

October:

• WDQV-FM 88.5 Mackinaw City took to the airwaves with a Contemporary Christian format


• WJZZ-AM 1210 Kingsley signed back on after being silent for nearly one year with an automated Urban Oldies format


• WHTV-TV 18 Jackson became a UPN affiliate


• WTVS-TV 56 Detroit became Michigan's first public station to broadcast its signal on digital facilities

November:

• WYUR-AM 1310 Detroit dropped its simulcast of sister-station WNIC-FM 100.3 in favor of Sports using Fox Sports Radio. The station ID's as Fox Sports Radio 1310, the X


• Northern Radio Network owned Oldies WBMI-FM 105.5 West Branch, Hot AC WHST-FM 106.1 Tawas City, and Country WHAK-AM 960 Rogers City all went silent


• The Michigan Talk Radio Network announced it will launch on January 1st, 2001


• WWCM-FM 96.9 Standish returned to the air, simulcasting the Classical and Talk format of co-owned WCMU-FM 89.5 Mt. Pleasant


• Classic Hits WDEE-AM 1500 Reed City dropped its simulcast of WDEE-FM 97.3 in favor of Classic Country programming


• News/Talk WCEN-AM 1150 Mt. Pleasant went silent


• The silent WVIC-FM 92.7 Charlotte has been sold to Rubber City Radio from B&B Broadcasting for $600,000


• Michigan Community Radio was granted a construction permit for a new Class A radio station at 89.1 FM licensed to Imlay City

December:

• Colrace Communications donated the license for the now-silent WJKN-AM 1510 Jackson to Spring Arbor University


• WVIC-FM 92.7 Charlotte returned to the air simulcasting Modern Rock WWDX-FM 92.1 St. Johns/Lansing, then later in the month switched to Sports as '92.7 the Ticket'


• WHYT-FM 89.1 Imlay City signs on with a Contemporary Christian format


• Results Broadcasting of Iron Mountain purchased the currently silent WOBE-FM 100.7 from Crystal Radio Company


• Talk WXYT-AM 1270 shifted its positioner to Team 1270 as the station continues to move to an All-Sports format


• 990 Investments purchased Sports WMAX-AM 1440 Bay City from Saginaw Bay Broadcasting for $485,000


• Midwest Broadcasting took over operations of WEVS-FM 92.7 Saugatuck/Holland


• 24 of 88 applications for Michigan LPFM stations were accepted for filing by the FCC

December 29:

* Arbitrend phase 2 ratings (September-November) were released yesterday for both Grand Rapids and Lansing.

Country WBCT-FM, Top 40 WSNX-FM, Classic Rock WLAV-FM, Modern Rock WGRD-FM, and News/Talk WOOD-AM were the top 5 12+ stations in Grand Rapids. WOOD-AM was the biggest winner this time, moving to 5th place from 7th with a ratings gain from 4.9 to 5.8 since the August-October trend.

Lansing's Country WITL-FM continued at number 1 overall, followed by Top 40 WHZZ-FM, Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM, Oldies WJIM-FM, and Rock WJXQ-FM. WFMK had the biggest ratings gain among the top 5 stations, improving on its phase 1 trend by moving to 8.8 from 8.0.

* Mt. Clemens/Detroit's WADL-TV 38 has added programming from the newly formed and co-owned The Word Network. Billed as Urban Religious Programming, The Word Network features local, regional, and national ministers, gospel music, and more.

* On December 21st, President Clinton signed into law legislation that limited the FCC's planned roll-out of low powered FM radio (LPFM). The FCC has accepted for filing 24 of the 88 applications for LPFM's in Michigan. These 24 are for stations that a) satisify the 3rd adjacent rule, and b) have only one applicant per frequency (Note: although 93.1 Grand Rapids and 105.3 Benton Harbor DO have 'competing' applications, the FCC has included these). Acceptance of filing for frequencies that have multilple applications will come at a later date.

December 28:

* Sold: SportsTalk WMAX-AM 1440 Bay City from Saginaw Bay Broadcasting to 990 Investors for $485,000. 990 Investors is controlled by Tom Monaghan, the current owner of Ypsilanti's Catholic WDEO-AM 990 (Ave Maria Radio).

* Midwest Communications is now LMA'ing WEVS-FM 92.7 Saugatuck from Conrad Communications- All Access

* FCC Actions: Granted licenses to cover for two FM translators- W19CA 91.7 Kalamazoo (Rejoice Broadcasting) and W203AX 88.5 Caro (Calvary Satellite Network)

December 26:

* WVIC-FM 92.7 Charlotte/Lansing has dropped the simulcast of WWDX-FM (The Edge) in favor of playing pre-recorded sports bits as '92.7 the Ticket'.

* WXYT-AM 1270 Detroit has shifted positioners from 'Talkradio 1270' to 'Team 1270' as the station continues to migrate away from conservative-based talk to all-sports programming.

December 22:

* Sold: WOBE-FM 100.7 Crystal Falls from Crystal Radio Company to Results Broadcasting of Iron Mountain for $800,000. Crystal Radio is owned by Lyle Evans, also the owner of WMXG-FM 106.3 Stephenson/Escanaba. WOBE is currently silent; the station has a construction permit to increase power from 350 watts to 100,000 watts. WOBE will be the second Michigan station for Results Broadcasting which also currently owns WJNR-FM 101.5.

December 21:

* Maureen Lesourd, currently vice president and general manager at Detroit's WYCD-FM, adds the same roles at Infinity-owned sister station WVMV-FM- Detroit Free Press

December 20:

* 'Tis the season for charity and fundraising- WOMC-FM Detroit raised over $238,000 for Children's Hospital of Michigan during its Christmas is for Kids radiothon; Bob Bauer of WKRK-FM Detroit gathered 96 tons of food for the needy during his 16th annual Marathon for Meals; Tic Tak of WDRQ-FM gathered more than 25,000 toys during 'Stuffabus'- donations filled two buses.

December 19:

* WHYT-FM 89.1 Imlay City has started preliminary on-air tests. The station is airing Adult Christian Contemporary programming.

* FCC Actions:
- Granted construction permits for 4 new translator stations:
-- W208BB 89.5 Royal Oak, 2 watts @ 62 meters, Calvary Chapel of Twin falls (KAWZ-FM 89.9 Twin Falls, ID)
-- W209BR 89.7 Columbia Twp (SE of Jackson), 10 watts @ 38 meters, W205BZ 88.9 Adrian, 10 watts @ 29 meters, W211BQ 90.1 Adrian, 10 watts @ 29 meters- all 3 Great Lakes Broadcast Academy (WAAQ-FM 88.3 Onsted)
- Granted licenses to cover for changes to WLNZ-FM 89.7 Lansing and W214BH 90.7 Mt. Pleasant; Granted WGRV-FM 105.1 Detroit its license to modify its auxiliary transmitting antenna

December 18:

* WJR-AM Detroit raised over $80,000 for the Children's Center of Detroit during its recent on-air auction- Detroit Free Press

December 15:

* It's official: Starting 3/1/2001, Detroit area listeners of the Rush Limbaugh program will have to tune to WJR-AM 760 as the show will be moving from longtime home WXYT-AM.

* Howard Stern announced on his show this morning that he is staying with Viacom/Infinity Broadcasting having signed a new 5 year contract. In Michigan, Stern's 6-10:30am show is heard on WKRK-FM Detroit and WKLQ-FM Grand Rapids.

December 13:

* WXYT radio today announced that The Locker Room is poised to take over the 3-6pm slot on WXYT 1270 Detroit effective January 5th as the station shifts to a Sports format. Locker Room, hosted by Eli Zaret, Kirk Gibson, and Gary Danielson, moves to radio after a run on WDIV-TV and Fox Sports Net. Zaret is a well-known Detroit sportscaster, his resume includes a stint as morning host at rival sports-talker WDFN and several years on television at WDIV and WJBK-TV. Gibson is a former Detroit Tigers star and current color commentator for Tigers broadcasts on Fox Sports Net. Danielson is a former Detroit Lions quarterback and current color commentator for ABC-TV's college football programming. "Gibby, Gary and Eli are franchise players. Adding them to the Red Wings, Lions and Tigers gives us an incredible line-up," said station vice president and general manager Rich Homberg. Danielson said the show will take sports listeners inside the locker room and give them the perspective of the players and coaches. WXYT plans to shift from its current Talk format to Sports as a result of landing play-by-play broadcasts of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings from WJR-AM earlier in the fall- The Oakland Press

* WNIC-FM continues its run at the top of the Detroit 12+ Arbitrend ratings. According to the fall phase 2 trend (Sept-Nov) released yesterday, the Adult Contemporary station continues to have a sizable lead over the remaining top-5 stations- News/Talk WJR-AM, Urban WJLB-FM, News WWJ-AM, and Smooth Jazz WVMV-FM. Of note for this trend was WJR's strength, even without Red Wings broadcasts, and Modern Adult Contemporary WPLT-FM slipping behind FM Talker WKRK-FM.

* Lesleigh Green has left her gig as morning show co-host at WGRD-FM 97.9 Grand Rapids; Nathan Reed, assistant program director/music director/midday host at WWCK-FM 105.5 Flint, has left the station in order to continue his education on a fulltime basis- All Access

December 12:

* WVIC-FM 92.7 Charlotte/Lansing has returned to the air simulcasting soon-to-be sister station WWDX-FM 92.1. WVIC is in the process of being purchased by Rubber City Radio Group, current owner of WWDX, WXIK-FM, and WJXQ-FM- closure of the deal is still pending FCC approval.

December 9:

* Bill Carey has been named as WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit news director effective Monday- Detroit News

December 8:

* Conservative talker Rush Limbaugh will be shifting stations in Detroit from WXYT-AM 1270 to WJR-AM 760- Detroit Free Press

* WYUR-AM 1310 Detroit will be getting new a new call sign, WXDX, to match is on-air positioner as 'The X'

* Jeff Sattler is leaving his role as vice-president/general manager at WVMV-FM 98.7 Detroit on December 31 after 8 years with the station. Sattler helped shape the station after its switch to Smooth Jazz from Rock and guided it to a top 5 rating- WVMV received highest shares ever for a major market station with the Smooth Jazz/NAC format in Summer 2000- R&R Online

* General sales manager Margaret LaHuis has been promoted to general manager at WGRD-FM Grand Rapids; John Patrick, currently program director at WBXX-FM Battle Creek, adds similar duties at sister station WWKN-FM Marshall- All Access

December 7:

* New afternoon driver at WATZ-FM 99.3 Alpena starting Monday is Rich Spicer, formerly midday host and promotions director at WCEN-FM Mt. Pleasant. Spicer returns to his hometown for a second stint at WATZ-FM, he was first with the station from 1988-95. The afternoon drive slot opened at WATZ-FM last month when Jack Scott left the station.

December 6:

* Congrats to WLLC-FM Detroit on raising over $331,000 for the Children's Miracle Network during its recent Alice Cares for Kids Radiothon; Also at WLLC, afternooner Steve Black adds the role of assistant program director; Shawn Sheldon is named operations manager at WKHQ-FM Charlevoix- All Access

* The FCC has assigned the call sign WHYT to the construction permit at 89.1 FM in Imlay City

* Spring Arbor College will be obtaining the license for WJKN-AM 1510 Jackson as a gift from John Salov, owner of Coltrace Communications. E. Harold Munn, president of Spring Arbor College Communications comments "At the present time, we are reviewing the options for the WJKN facility while awaiting FCC approval for the transfer. Spring Arbor College has the most extensive student training program in real-time broadcast communications in the midwest as contrasted to the professionally operated "educational" stations operated by other schools, primarily state universities. The FM facility, WSAE, provides coverage of the greater Jackson area and feeds translators in Kalamazoo, Lansing, Battle Creek and Albion. The AM facility, KTGG, provides an alternative service during daytime hours. A more definitive announcement of plans for reactivation of the 1510 kHz facility will be made in late winter after appropriate FCC actions are complete."

December 5:

* FCC Actions: Granted Central Michigan University a modification to its license for WWCM-FM 96.9 Standish; Granted the voluntary assignment of construction permits to MS Communications for the following LPTV stations- W67DN Houghton Lake from Harry W. Reed II, W52CO and W55CH Houghton Lake from Terry R. Evans, W21BS Houghton Lake from Marianne Healy; W64CK Petoskey from James Delahoyde, W15BM Traverse City from Stephen Saffold, W20BQ Petoskey from Roger L.D. Smith

December 1:

* Sale price of WVIC-FM 92.7 Charlotte from B&B Broadcasting to Rubber City Radio: $600,000- R&R Online

* Coltrace Communications has filed an application with the FCC to transfer the license of the now silent WJKN-AM 1510 to Spring Arbor College. Coltrace sold the land that the station's broadcast towers were on, forcing the station off the air. Spring Arbor currently owns and operates WSAE-FM 106.9 and KTGG-AM 1540 as well as several FM translators of WSAE. There is no word from Spring Arbor as to what their plans are for the license of WJKN.

* 2 sets of Arbitrend 12+ phase 1 ratings (Aug-Oct) for Michigan were released yesterday:

In Grand Rapids, Country WBCT-FM remained on top with Top 40 WSNX-FM moving from 4th place up to second, improving from 6.9 to 7.7. Modern Rock WGRD-FM and Classic Rock WLAV-FM tied for 3rd, each station suffered notable ratings erosion from the final summer book. Adult Contemporary WOOD-FM remained in 5th overall. Notable ratings winners along with WSNX included WOOD-FM, Adult Contemporary WLHT-FM, and Standards WMJH-AM. Rock stations overall suffered in the latest book; along with the declines at WGRD and WLAV, WKLQ-FM carded a 4.5 rating- it's lowest in quite awhile. Grand Rapids' newest station, Classic Rocker WBFX-FM wieghed in with a 2.8 as the trends begin to reflect the effects of September's format change from Country.

Lansing's Country WITL-FM stayed on top, increasing its ratings a full point from 12.2 to 13.2 since the summer book. The jump increased its lead over Top 40 WHZZ which remained in second place. Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM moved into a third place tie with Oldies WJIM-FM and Classic Rocker WMMQ remained in 5th place. Stations with upward trends include WITL, Urban WQHH-FM, Standards WILS-AM, and Battle Creek-based Top 40 WKFR-FM.

* Detroit native Fanchon Stinger moves from weekend anchor to the 5:30pm weekday newscast as co-anchor on WJBK-TV 2 Detroit, replacing longtime WJBK reporter Sherry Margolis. Sandra Ali takes over the weekend anchor desk.

November 30:

* Sold: The silent WVIC-FM 92.7 Charlotte from B&B Broadcasting to Rubber City Radio Group. The FCC has flagged this sale to further study ownership concentration in the Lansing/Jackson market. Rubber City currently owns WWDX-FM 92.1 St. Johns, WXIK-FM 94.1 Jackson, and WJXQ-FM 106.1 Jackson in Michigan.

* FCC Actions:
- Granted Michigan Community Radio a construction permit for a new non-commerical educational FM station at 89.1 in Imlay City. Station is to be 6,000 kW @ 243 feet, directional
- Granted WOOD License Company its license to cover for the move of its LPTV station from channel 59 Rockford to channel 33 Holland (WOHO-LP)
- Granted Tri-State Christian TV its license to cover for the move of its translator from channel 59 Jackson to channel 27 Ann Arbor (W27CJ)
- Granted Friends of Christian Radio its license to cover for the move of its translator at 101.1 FM in Coldwater (W266AE)

November 29:

* Confirmed: Dick Purtan stays with WOMC-FM Detroit for another five years, his new paycheck may be as high as $20 million- The Oakland Press, Detroit Free Press

November 28:

* WCEN-AM 1150 Mt. Pleasant has gone silent. The station, owned by Wilks Broadcasting, did not make the move to Saginaw with sister station WCEN-FM 94.5. Wilks is consolidating all of its Tri-Cities owned stations (WSGW-AM, WTCF-FM, WGER-FM) along with WCEN-FM into one facility. WCEN-AM marks the 4th Michigan station to go dark over the past few weeks, others include WHAK-AM Rogers City, WHST-FM Tawas City, and WBMI-FM West Branch.

* Dick Purtan, WOMC-FM 104.3 Detroit morning man, will sign a new five year deal today with the Infinity-owned station that could make him the highest paid local-only radio personality in the country- Detroit Free Press, Detroit News

November 27:

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary assignment of license for WTRX-AM 1330 Flint from David Lee Communications to Citadel Broadcasting on November 20th. The petition to deny this transfer was denied; Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permits from Audrey B. Tellefsen to MS Communications for these Traverse City LPTV stations- W52CP and W56DF.

November 20:

* WDEE-AM 1500 Reed City has dropped its simulcast of FM sister station WDEE-FM 97.3 (Classic Hits) in favor of Classic Country

November 18:

* Former Detroit radio announcer Fred Foy will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago tonight. Foy, who announced the opening for the Lone Ranger show ("Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear...") on then-WXYZ-AM (1270) also worked on the Green Hornet and Sgt. Preston radio shows. He moved to ABC-TV in New York in 1960 and now lives in Boston- The Oakland Press

* FCC Action: Granted the request of KMB Broadcasting to upgrade the license of WYKX-FM 104.7 Escanaba from a class C1 (max HAAT 299 meters) to class C (max HAAT 600 meters). This same order grants a new FM allocation at 105.1 in Sister Bay, WI

November 17:

* WWCM-FM 96.9 Standish returns to the air today as part of the Central Michigan University Public Radio network. The station went silent as WSTD-FM on November 23, 1999 after former owner Argi-Valley Communications decided to cease operations. CMU purchased the station earlier this year. WWCM becomes the 7th station on the CMU Public Radio network- Bay City Times

* Midday and afternoon host Mark Gilman has left WMUZ-FM 103.5 Detroit after 3 1/2 years as of November 15th. Gilman hosted the Monday-Saturday 1-4pm On the Mark show and was the co-host of the weekday 11am-noon program She's Right, He's Male with Nancy Rice; her services were not retained by the station. Gilman's departure ends an eight-year run for On the Mark which began in 1992 in Washington, D.C. on WAVA-FM and included stints on WEZE-AM in Boston and KKHT-FM in Houston. The On the Mark program provided the only live talk outlet for Christians in Michigan. Gilman is also ending a 25 year run in radio, television and newspapers to enter the corporate world as a public relations specialist. "It's time for me to get out of the fishbowl," said Gilman. "Not only will this move return me to a more normal life, it will also be an opportunity to provide more consistent employment and benefits for my family." Gilman was named Talk Show Host of the Year by the National Religious Broadcasters in 1995.

* WDRQ-FM 93.1 Detroit midday personality Jamie Reese will leave the station effective 12/1 to head for Seattle. She'll join fiance Jay Slater, ex of WPLT-FM 96.3 Detroit and WTCF-FM 100.5 Saginaw, at KYPT 'The Point'; Lisa Deangelo is officially elevated to morning show co-host at WIOG-FM 102.5 Bay City, joining Man At Large. The rest of the morning crew includes newsreader Lisa Farrell and producer Buzz. Deangelo is a former jock at Detroit's WYCD-FM; the WIOG morning co-host spot was opened up when former co-host Andie Lynn left for Ann Arbor's WWWW-FM- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted W237AW 95.3 its license to cover for changes (slight location change and change of city of license from Stambaugh to Iron River)

November 16:

* New operations manager for Cumulus' Flint and Saginaw stations (WWCK-FM/AM, WRSR-FM, WDZZ-FM, WTLZ-FM, and WFDF-AM) is John Shomby; WNWN-FM Coldwater (Win 98.5) midday host / assistant program director Jay Morris is leaving the station. Afternoon jock Phil O'Reilly picks up the APD role- All Access

November 15:

* According to the recently concluded Michiguide.com poll, many figure that the next hot format for FM radio has yet to be identified. The next choice was for All 80's music, then Sports. Thanks for participating!

November 14:

* There were no major changes for Detroit in the Phase 1 (August - October) 12+ ratings trend report which was released by Arbitron today. Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM remained on top, followed by News/Talk WJR-AM in second. Urban WJLB-FM finished third, News WWJ-AM was fourth, with Rock WRIF-FM, Oldies WOMC-FM, and Smooth Jazz WVMV-FM tying for fifth.

* Detroit's WKQI-FM 95.5 helped raise over $200,000 during last weeks Variety the Children's Charity Radiothon- Detroit Free Press

* Scott Meier has picked up GM duties at Citadel's WFBE-FM Flint in addition to the same duties at Citadel's Sagainaw cluster (WHNN-FM, WILZ-FM, WIOG-FM, WKQZ-FM, and WYLZ-FM). Once FCC approval is received for Citadel's acquision of WTRX-AM, Meier will also assume the GM role for that station. The former GM of WFBE, Zoe Burdine-Fly, heads to Citadel's Lansing operations as sales manager- Inside Radio

November 11:

* Starting January 1st 2001, a new Michigan-based talk radio network will start operations offering syndicated programming for stations across the state. The planned talent lineup currently features: Bob White, formerly of WKHQ-FM Charlevoix and WLXT-FM Petoskey, for mornings 5-9am; Dave Barber, formerly of WFDF-AM 910 Flint, mid-mornings 9am-noon; Ron Jolly of WTCM-AM Traverse City, noon-3pm; Bill 'The Captain' Vogel of WKHQ-FM Charlevoix, 3-6pm; and sports programming evenings featuring Kevin Wall. Joining Vogel for his shift will be Corrine "Coco" Corey, formerly of WKHQ, for newscasts. Jolly plans to leave WTCM as of December 15th for the new venture. Other announced talent includes Lansing sports veteran Tim Staudt, along with Detroit veteran Steve Monkiewicz. Network founders David and Chuck Scott comment in the Traverse City Record-Eagle that the network will kick off with between 5 and 10 unnamed stations. They hope to eventually expand the network's reach to over 30 stations across the state.

* Nancy Dymond is the new market manager for Cumulus' stations in Flint (WDZZ-FM, WWCK-AM/FM, WRSR-FM, WFDF-AM, and Saginaw's WTLZ-FM 107.1). Dymond, who is replacing Bob Woodward, was previously market manager for Rubber City Radio's Lansing cluster (WWDX-FM, WXIK-FM, WJXQ-FM)

November 10:

* Michigan Radio (WUOM-FM 91.7 Ann Arbor, WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint, WVGR-FM Grand Rapids set a new fund-raising record during this fall's campaign- Flint Journal

November 8:

* Reported silent are Northern Radio Network owned Oldies WBMI-FM 105.5 West Branch, Hot Adult Contemporary WHST-FM 106.1 Tawas City, and Country WHAK-AM 960 Rogers City

* WWCK-FM 105.5 Flint morning co-host and program director Scott Seiple has officially left the station for the same roles in Peoria, IL- All Access

November 6:

* Mike King moves from general manager at Jackson's WLAJ-TV 53 to the same job at Lansing's WILX-TV 10 replacing Chris Cornelius who moves up to vice president of WILX parent Benedek Broadcasting. In his new role, Cornelius will oversee a portion of Benedek's TV stations, including WILX.

November 3:

* At 9:00am today, WYUR-AM 1310 Detroit dropped its simulcast of sister station WNIC-FM 100.3 for syndicated sports programming from Fox Sports Radio as 'Fox Sports Radio 1310, The X'. Staff members from WDFN-AM 1130, also a sister station owned by Clear Channel, are expected to eventually provide live sports updates for the new all-sports entry. Gregg Henson is elevated to operations manager for both stations in addition to his morning show gig on 'DFN. WDFN executive producer Rona Danzinger takes over the role of program director from Henson- Detroit Free Press

* In addition to the 16 non-mutual exclusive proposals for new AM stations in Michigan that were filed earlier this year with the FCC, there were 5 mutually exclusive proposals for new stations or major changes that must either be settled or auctioned off.

* Changes at WGRD-FM 97.9 Grand Rapids: David Cuddohy joins as production director, Remy (Tom Neering) moves from nights to middays and gets the promotions director title on an interim basis, and Nik Thomasma shifts to nights from overnights- All Access

November 2:

* On hiatus: The syndicated Fieger Time Sunday evening radio show featuring Detroit-based lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. The previous syndicator for the program was let go by Fieger, taking the show off approximately 35 stations across the country including Windsor/Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Iron Mountain. The search is on for both new studios and a new syndicator.

November 1:

* A portion of the rock titles have returned to WMXG-FM 106.3 Escanaba (Mix 106). The rock selections will be running in a more limited fashion than before they were dropped entirely- recurrents have been added from Metallica & AC/DC, as well as Incubus, Good Charlotte, Fuel, Lifehouse, Collective Soul, Vast, and Orgy.

* Chris West joins WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo for afternoons and the music director role- All Access

* Your vote for the next President of the U.S.? By a margin of 47% to 38%, George W. Bush is the projected winner based on the totally unscientific Michiguide.com Poll.

October 31:

* Tom Baker moves from swing duties at Young Country WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit to afternoons at W4 Country WWWW-FM 102.9 Ann Arbor; W4 also has added the syndicated 'After Midnight' program for overnights.

* FCC Actions: Granted Best Media a construction permit for a translator of WGTE-FM 91.3 Toledo, OH in Hamtramck at 89.1 (W206BI)- to be 10 watts directional at 200 feet.

* Note: Arbitron has not released summer 2000 ratings for the Tri-Cities

October 28:

* WJR-AM 760 Detroit is bringing back Warren Pierce for a familiar time slot- 9-11pm starting Monday. Pierce held the same slot during his first tenure with the station in the 1970's before being shuffled to middays to make room for an expanded Sportswrap show. Now the reverse is true with the sports talk show losing its last 2 hours- it'll run from 7-9pm- Detroit Free Press

* Flint's WJRT-TV 12 has added a web presence. With the addition of WJRT, there are now only 2 full-power on-air television stations left without web sites- WJMN-TV 3 Escanaba and WADL-TV 38 Mt. Clemens.

* Comcast and ABC have agreed to a one month extension for carriage of ABC owned broadcast stations on Comcast's cable system. The extension expires November 29th, keeping ABC affiliates WJRT-TV in Flint and WTVG-TV in Toledo available through the November sweeps period.

October 27:

* Finishing at the top of the Summer 12+ ratings in Grand Rapids was Country WBCT-FM which improved from 3rd in the Spring book. Alternative Rock WGRD-FM also improved 2 positions, moving into 2nd from 4th. Classic Rock WLAV-FM, which was the number one station in the Spring fell to 3rd, followed by Top 40 WSNX-FM and Adult Contemporary WOOD-FM. Stations making ratings improvements along with WBCT and WGRD were Religious WJQK-FM and Urban Oldies WKWM-AM. Country Gold WCUZ-FM, now Classic Rock WBFX-FM, finished its last book in 10th place with its old format.

* Both houses of the US Congress have passed legislation that would dramatically limit the FCC's rollout of Low Power FM. On Thursday, the House passed the bill that appropriates funding for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State by a vote of 206-198. Today the Senate passed the same bill, which includes the LPFM amendment, 49-42. Provisions of the LPFM amendment include the following features:
- The FCC is allowed to move forward with licensing LPFM stations, but it must modify its current order authorizing LPFM by taking into account third-adjacent channel protections.
- It requires that a test of nine markets be conducted by an independent third party to see how LPFM (without third-adjacent channel protections) would affect current listening audiences. The FCC must report back to Congress by February 2001 on the findings of the nine test markets.
- The bill makes permanent the current third-adjacent channel protections until such time that Congress may choose to amend those protections.
President Clinton has promised a veto on the entire bill due to disagreements over not only the LPFM issue but also other provisions in the legislation. FCC Chairman William Kennard has commented that if this legislation does become law, over 80% of the current LPFM applications already on file will be affected.

* Michigan's first public TV station to begin its digital broadcasts is WTVS-TV 56 Detroit. The station recently completed the installation of its digital transmitter and started broadcasting with it as of a couple days ago.

* Country WITL-FM is the top station in the Lansing Summer 2000 12+ ratings which were released yesterday. Top 40 WHZZ-FM remained in second place overall even though the station lost 1.9 points since the Spring book. Rounding out the top 5 stations were Oldies WJIM-FM, Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM, and Classic Rock WMMQ-FM. Stations with ratings gains of .5 or larger since the Spring included WITL, WJIM-FM, News/Talk WJIM-AM, and News/Talk WJR-AM. Making appearances in the book were Kalamazoo Adult Contemporary station WQLR-FM and Midland rocker WKQZ-FM.

* WDMK-FM 102.7 Detroit program director James Alexander heads to Louisiana to be operations manager for a cluster of stations owned by Citadel- Inside Radio

October 26:

* Recent additions to the roster of Michigan area webcasters: WXOU-FM 88.3 Rochester Hills, WDOW-FM 92.1 Dowagiac, WAOR-FM 95.3 Niles/South Bend, WKQI-FM 95.5 Detroit, WMTR-FM 96.1 Archbold OH, WZOW-FM 97.7 Goshen IN, WOWE-FM 98.9 Vassar/Flint, WCMM-FM 102.5 Manistique/Escanaba/Marquette, WRKR-FM 107.7 Kalamazoo, WKAM-AM 1460 Goshen IN

* WRIF-FM 101.1 Detroit music director Troy Hanson officially adds the assistant program director role; Former WIQB-FM 102.9 Ann Arbor operations manager Mark Thompson lands in Dayton, OH as a program director; Former WRKR-FM 107.7 Kalamazoo program director Margot Smith lands in Arkansas in the same role- All Access

October 24:

* Effective tomorrow, WPLB-FM/AM Greenville will become WSCG-FM/AM to reflect the stations' new ownership by Stafford Communications Group. General Manager Tim Rogers comments that the AM station will maintain its present Adult Standards format with the FM taking on a new sound after January 1 after both studios and the production room are rebuilt. Also being added is a small studio in Big Rapids.

* Gidget moves from WKQI-FM 95.5 Detroit to WBTI-FM 96.9 Lexington/Pt. Huron for nights. Tim Timmerman shifts from nights to afternoons, replacing Keith Allen who has left the station for a radio job in Ohio- All Access

October 20:

* WDET-FM 101.9 Detroit wrapped up its fall fundraiser yesterday at about 9:30am when the station hit a record $575,000 in pledges over 110 hours.

* WJR-AM 760 Detroit morning host Paul W. Smith will be subbing for nationally syndicated Paul Harvey next week. Frank Beckmann will be holding down 'JR's morning show for Smith- Detroit Free Press

* Radio and Records is reporting that a Florida Senate candidate has filed consumer fraud charges against Clear Channel in all 50 states stemming from national radio contests that the company runs. Andy Martin alleges that the company defrauds listeners "by using contests that are portrayed as 'local,' but are in fact nationwide." Martin's claim goes on to state that Clear Channel is "defrauding listeners into thinking they are competing for a prize on only one station, when in fact they are competing with people listening on hundreds of stations." Martin has also asked the FCC to open an investigation into this matter. In Michigan, there are several Clear Channel owned stations that run these types of promotions, including Detroit's WKQI-FM 95.5 which is currently running "$100,000 Thursdays". When asked about these types of contests, many listeners express mixed feelings- they like the idea of winning large amounts of money, but don't like to compete against so many other listeners from across the entire country for the same prize.

October 19:

* Georgeann Herbert has been named as operations manager at WWJ-AM 950 and WXYT-AM 1270 Detroit effective November 27th. Herbert moves from sister station WBBM-AM Chicago and takes the role vacated by Ken Beck in August; Gary Shores will remain at Toledo's WKKO-FM 99.9 as program director instead of moving to Ann Arbor's WWWW-FM for that station's program director role; Greg O'Conner, formerly of the now silent WJKN, moves to WKHM-AM Jackson for late-mornings and sister station WIBM-AM for afternoons- All Access

* Andie Lynn has joined the on-air staff of Ann Arbor's WWWW-FM 102.9 for middays. She was last at WIOG-FM 102.5 Bay City as morning co-host and is a former jock at the old W4 Country (106.7 Detroit).

October 18:

* Mike Couchman has had the interim tag removed from his role of program director at 'The Light' (WLGH 88.1 Lansing/WLTI 89.3 Boyne City). In addition, he'll keep his swing activities at Detroit's WKQI-FM 95.5. Right now The Light has on-air openings for afternoon drive and morning co-host- if you're interested get your package together and contact Mike at: 148 East Grand River Avenue - Williamston, MI 48895

October 17:

* The latest Michiguide.com poll results show that the format switch to country at 102.9 in Ann Arbor has the most impact of the multiple changes that happened across Michigan in September.

* Post-Newsweek's TV operations are moving from Washington D.C. to Detroit effective early next year- Detroit News

* WRIF-FM Detroit's Troy Hanson was named Billboard Magazine's assitant program director/music director of the year for mainstream rock stations- Detroit Free Press

October 16:

* Summer 2000 12+ ratings were released today for Detroit. Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM continues to lead the ratings race, followed by News/Talk WJR-AM which moved up to second from 6th place in the Spring. Rocker WRIF-FM finished 3rd, Urban WJLB-FM was 4th, and Oldies WOMC-FM tied for 5th place with News/Talk WWJ-AM. Notable movements in this book included WJR's rise, Smooth Jazz WVMV-FM's slip from 3rd to 7th place overall since the Spring, Country WYCD-FM's ratings decay to 11th place down from 4th in the Spring, and Urban WDTJ-FM's move back into the top 10.

* Delayed: WHTV-TV 18 Jackson's launch of UPN programming. The station was still airing Bloomberg News this evening.

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary assignment of construction permits to MS Communications from James R. Karsten for the following LPTV stations in Houghton Lake: W24CG (Ch. 24) and W50CD (Ch. 50)

October 15:

* WHTV-TV 18 Jackson adds UPN programming effective tomorrow

October 14:

* On the air since October 1st is WDQV-FM 88.5 Mackinaw City. 'The Dove' is an Adult Contemporary Christian music station with programming provided by the Morningstar Network and national news from S.R.N. on the top of each hour. Local news updates are hosted by market veteran Karen Manzel and former TV 9 & 10 weather man Bill Spencer is providing weather forecasts. The 3,800 watt station has its studios in Cheboygan and transmits from an antenna located south of Mackinaw City. WDQV is owned and operated by Broadcast Music Ministries.

* Leaving WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo at the end of the month will be afternoon host/music director/assistant program director Tony Travatto as he's moving to Illinois for a program director job- All Access

October 13:

* Back on the air with an automated Urban Oldies format is Kingsley/Traverse City daytimer WJZZ-AM 1210. Owner Radio One brought the station back online to avoid losing its license while a buyer is sought.

October 12:

* The FCC has fined WKQI-FM 95.5 Detroit $4,000 for failure to make sponsorship identification announcements. This action comes as a result of the FCC finding that WKQI's airing of the Bryan Adams song On a Day Like Today during late 1998 was in consideration for a personal appearance by Adams at a concert promoted by the station.

* John Vance returns to WAOR-FM 95.3 Niles/South Bend for mornings along with Gary Hegland- All Access

* Jennifer Mefford moves from local sales manager at WRIF-FM 101.1 Detroit to general sales manager at sister WCSX-FM- Inside Radio

October 11:

* WUOM-FM's Tom Hemingway to retire after nearly 40 years at Michigan Radio- Ann Arbor News

* WYUR-AM 1310 Detroit will air all 82 Detroit Vipers games again this year. The Vipers had aired on AM 1310 last season when the station was being operated by AdVantage Communications- an arrangement that ended earlier this year. WYUR currently simulcasts most of its programming from sister station WNIC-FM 100.3. Matt Shepard and Dave Shand will handle the broadcast duties for the games, which includes a 21 game schedule on Fox Sports Net Detroit. Over in Grand Rapids, the Griffins will once again be heard on WOOD-AM 1300 with new play-by-play man Bob Kaser. Color commentators Larry Figurski and Don McSween will be in the booth for about 20 games each. Selected Griffins games will also be heard on WHTC-AM 1450 Holland and WDEE-FM 97.3 Reed City. WTKG-AM 1230 Grand Rapids will serve as the conflict station for WOOD-AM.

* Summary of changes at sister stations WKHQ-FM 105.9 Charlevoix and WLXT-FM 96.3 Petoskey/WLXV-FM 96.7 Cadillac- All Access:
- Joey B. trades in assistant program director/music director roles at WKHQ for the program director job at WLXT/WLXV. He'll keep his midday on-air gig at WKHQ too.
- Ron Pritchard, program director at WKHQ, is now the music director at both WKHQ and WLXT/WLXV
- Misty Moon, promotions director/overnighter at WKHQ, has left the station, as has news director Coco Welsh
- Overnights at WKHQ is Superradio's syndicated All Night Cafe' with Matt L.A. Reid

* FCC Action: Granted WMSD-FM 90.9 Rose City its license to cover for a new station

October 10:

* Clark Kent has left his gig as part of the 'Morning Revolution' on WDRQ-FM 93.1 Detroit's morning show for radio work in Seattle; Jack Johansson has been promoted to executive producer of special projects at Detroit's WXYZ-TV 7- Detroit Free Press

October 9:

* WMXG-FM 106.3 Stephenson/Escanaba (Mix 106.3) has dropped the harder rock titles from its playlist and moved to a more traditional Hot Adult Contemporary format. The station previously was airing harder rock selections from bands such as Metallica and AC/DC along with current pop hits.

* WTWR-FM 98.3 Monroe night jock Nick Craig moves to weekends only while he looks for other opportunities. Former afternooner Rick Nichols returns to the station for the spot vacated by Craig- All Access

October 6:

* WDIV-TV 4 Detroit and WHMI-FM 93.5 Howell weatherman Tom Sorrells is leaving the area for a TV weather job in Orlando- Detroit Free Press

* New market manager for Rubber City Radio's Lansing cluster (WWDX-FM 92.1, WXIK-FM 94.1, WJXQ-FM 106.1) is Dale Clarke who replaces Nancy Dymond; New general sales manager at WLLC-FM 106.7 Detroit (Alice 106.7) is Tom O'Brien (not to be confused with WPLT-FM Detroit's program director, also named Tom O'Brien, who moved from Alice 106.7 earlier this year)- All Access

October 5:

* A 20 station Detroit Red Wings' radio network is set to debut tonight; Wings and flagship station WXYT will work to add more affiliates in parts of the state not yet covered. Areas such as Lansing, Alpena, and Gaylord will be without radio coverage - along with parts of Metro Detroit on the fringe of WXYT's coverage area - as the Wings take the ice tonight.

* Low Power TV station WOWD-LP 15 Grand Rapids has changed its call sign to WXSP-LP to minimize confusion with 'parent' station WOOD-TV

October 4:

* Rock jock Aris Hampers has returned to the Grand Rapids airwaves on new classic rocker WBFX-FM 101.3 (The Fox) for afternoons 2-6pm. Also added to the lineup at The Fox is Allison Harte who'll handle the 6-9pm shift. Hampers' Grand Rapids resume includes stays at rockers WLAV-FM 96.9, where he was hired in 1972 and later fired from in August 1998, WKLQ-FM 94.5, and WCUZ-FM 101.3 during the early 1980's.
The lineup on The Fox:
6am-10am: Bob & Tom
10am-2pm: TBA
2pm-6pm: Aris Hampers
6pm-9pm: Allison Harte
9pm-12am: Ranger Bob

* Former WCUZ-FM 101.3 Grand Rapids morning host Carl E. will land at Ann Arbor's WWWW-FM 102.9 (W4 Country)

October 3:

* According the just completed Michiguide.com poll, there was a lot of interest in watching the Olympics live in Michigan- about half of the respondents caught the Olympics on Canada's CBC which offered live coverage versus NBC's tape delayed offerings.

* Rubber City Radio has closed on its acquisition of Lansing/Jackson area stations WWDX-FM 92.1, WXIK-FM 94.1, and WJXQ-FM 106.1. Rubber City has been running the stations with a Local Marketing Agreement since May- R&R Online

* John Flint has left his position as operations manager of Cumulus' Kalamazoo radio group (WKFR-FM 103.3, WRKR-FM 107.7, WKMI-AM 1360); Chris Winters joins WZUU-FM 92.3 Kalamazoo for middays- All Access

* WOMC-FM 104.3 Detroit has added the positioner "Greatest Hits of the 60's and 70's" while retaining it's "Oldies 104.3" slogan

October 2:

* Cumulus Broadcasting reportedly completed its purchase of Connoisseur Communications this afternoon, just barely making the deadline for closing the deal. Stations involved include the Muskegon area's WMRR-FM 101.7, WMUS-FM 106.9, WMUS-AM 1090, WSHZ-FM 107.9, and WMHG-AM 1600 along with the Flint and Tri-Cities areas' WDZZ-FM 92.7, WRSR-FM 103.9, WWCK-FM 105.5, WWCK-AM 1570, WTLZ-FM 107.1, and WFDF-AM 910. The Muskegon group of 5 stations will be spun off to Clear Channel by Cumulus once FCC approval is received- Inside Radio

* On-air: Low power TV station WOHO on channel 33 in Holland after moving from channel 59 Rockford. The station is part of WOOD-TV's LPTV network of stations across West Michigan that carry UPN programming, Detroit sports coverage from UPN 50 in Detroit, and a local weather service.

* WDRQ-FM 93.1 Detroit midday host Dave Fuller signs to stay with the station for 5 more years- All Access

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary transfer of license from D & B Broadcasting to Fort Bend Broadcasting for WSRI-FM 92.1 Beulah and WSRQ-FM 100.1 Bear Lake; Also granted WSRI-FM its license to cover

October 1:

* More on WCEN-FM 94.5 Mt. Pleasant's repositioning: At 7:00pm on Friday 9/29 Road Man by Big House was the last song played as 'Hot Rockin Country', which featured songs from 'fringe' artists such as Delbert McClinton, Steve Earle, and The Allman Brothers, ended. After 5 seconds of silence, the Star Spangled Banner was played with a ticking sound and a radio scanner on top of it. Once the clock stopped ticking, a mainstream county format was launched as 'The Tri-Cities Continuous Country, 94.5 The Moose'- the station will move its studios near Saginaw and focus more on the population centers of Bay City, Saginaw, and Midland. Most, if not all, of the current staff is believed to have been retained.

September 30:

* WCEN-FM 94.5 Mt. Pleasant has repositioned itself as 'The Tri-Cities Continuous Country, 94.5 The Moose', dropping 'Hot Rockin' Country'. The station is commercial free this weekend.

* WJKN-AM 1510 Jackson has gone silent; the station signed off at 3:15pm yesterday- Jackson Citizen-Patriot

* The Careers in Radio seminar scheduled for October 7th at Lansing Community College has been postponed until Spring.

September 29:

* Ann Arbor's 102.9 WIQB abruptly switched formats from Rock to Country this morning at 10:00am following the Bob & Tom Show, bringing back the name W-4 Country to Southeast Michigan. The WWWW-FM call sign currently resides on Clear Channel sister station 'Alice 106-7' in Detroit, the previous home to W-4 Country from 1980 until September 1999. Expect the WWWW call sign to move to 102.9 in Ann Arbor with 106.7 Detroit getting a new sign - WLLC - to go with its 'Alice' moniker. The format switch happened rather smoothly- during the Bob & Tom program, the advertisement breaks were replaced with rock songs and the former 'Rock 103' liners. Just before 10:00am, the station played its spotload and at about 10:03, announced 'Your listening to Great Country Favorites on 102.9 W-4 Country' followed by Toby Keith's Country Comes to Town. WIQB has had a rock-based format since 1975 until today's switch.

* Detroit's Public Radio outlet, WDET-FM 101.9, has added a live stream of the station's programming on their web site.
- Other recent additions to the list of stations webcasting in Michigan: WJSZ-FM 92.5 Ashley, WHZZ-FM 101.7 Lansing, WBBL-AM 1340 Grand Rapids

* The last of the Phase II ratings was released today for the Tri-Cities. Country WKCQ-FM remained #1, followed by Oldies WHNN-FM which moved ahead of 3rd place Top 40 WIOG-FM. Rock WKQZ-FM and News/Talk WSGW continue to hold spots 4 and 5. Gainers included WHNN, Adult Contemporary WGER-FM, Classic Rock WILZ/WYLZ-FM, and Detroit's News/Talk WJR-AM. WTCF-FM (now Hot AC Mix 100) slipped to its lowest ratings in quite awhile- this is the last trend before the ratings for the new format will be included.

* Chris Morgan takes the evening gig at Detroit's WGRV-FM 105.1- The Oakland Press

September 28:

* 2 Summer Phase II (June-August) 12+ ratings books were released today for Michigan markets-

In Grand Rapids, Country WBCT-FM pushed back on top of Classic Rock WLAV-FM, which lost 1.5 points since the Phase I book. B-93 increased its ratings .7 of a point. Top 40 WSNX-FM and Alternative Rock WGRD-FM maintained their spots, finishing 3rd and 4th respectively. Adult Contemporary WOOD-FM moved back up into the market's top 5 stations. Religious WJQK-FM also made an improvement, up .5 of a point.

Across I-96 in Lansing, Country WITL-FM stayed on top of the ratings, but this time all alone. Top 40 WHZZ-FM took second spot, followed by Classic Rock WMMQ-FM, Oldies WJIM-FM, and Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM. Stations improving their ratings by at least .5 included Urban WQHH-FM and Detroit's News/Talk WJR-AM.

* WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit production director J.R. Nelson is retiring effective Nov. 1- All Access

* FCC Actions: Granted licenses to 2 FM translators of WAPC-FM Terre Haute, IN in Rogers Heights (near Big Rapids)- W206BF 89.1 and W220CW 91.9

September 27:

* The Michigan Association of Broadcasters annual High School & College Broadcast Awards Competition is accepting entries until December 11th.

* Call sign change: 101.3 FM Grand Rapids is now WBFX, ex WCUZ-FM

September 26:

* Where would Infinity get $50 million for the rights to the Tigers and Red Wings? Easy- just sell an AM in Los Angeles to ABC/Disney for that amount. Ironically, the former rights holder to the broadcasts - WJR - is owned by ABC/Disney. Speculation is that the LA station, KRLA, will move from talk to ESPN radio.

* Earlier this year (Jan 28-Feb 1), the FCC accepted applications for new AM stations and major modifications to current AM stations. In Michigan, there were 16 non-mutually exclusive (only one per allotment) proposals filed.

* Coming February 21, 2001- the next FCC auction for vacant FM allocations. In Michigan, there are 8 vacant allocations:
94.9 Crystal Falls (Iron County), 6kW @ 100m
96.7 McMillan (West of Newberry), 25kW @ 100m
96.7 Republic (West of Marquette), 6kW @ 100m
98.9 Walhalla (East of Ludington), 6kW @ 100m
99.9 Carney (West of Escanaba), 6kW @ 100m
100.3 Gwinn (South of Marquette), 25kW @ 100m
103.7 Hubbardston (NW of Lansing), 6kW @ 100m
107.3 Powers (West of Escanaba), 25kW @ 100m

* The FCC has modified its LPFM rules to protect stations offering radio reading services by keeping in place the 3rd channel adjacent rules for these stations. In addition, the Commission has established a complaint procedure for those receiving unexpected from LPFM stations.

* FCC Action: Granted Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls a minor modification to their construction permit for a FM translator of KAWZ-FM near Baldwin on 88.1 (W201CF)- ERP to 55 watts from 13, HAAT to 0 meters from 118, location change to just east of Idlewild from just south of Wolf Lake.

September 25:

* Michigan was well represented at the Marconi Awards ceremony over the weekend:
- Infinity's WOMC-FM 104.3 won Marconis for Major Market Station of the Year and Oldies Station of the Year
- Clear Channel's WOOD-AM 1300 won a Marconi for Medium Market Station of the Year
WOMC's Dick Purtan hosted the awards dinner and show. Congratulations to all at both stations!

* 101.3 Grand Rapids to get new call sign WBFX, Paul Harvey commentaries move to WOOD-AM as a result of yesterday's format change at WCUZ-FM- Grand Rapids Press

* WWJ-TV 62 Detroit has started airing news and weather updates during NFL broadcasts using WKBD-TV 50's news personalities and facilities. The updates use the title 'Detroit's 62 CBS News' and promote WKBD's 10:00pm newscast.

* The Zone (WAVC-FM 93.9 Mio / WLJZ-FM 94.5 Mackinaw City / WJZJ-FM 95.5 Glen Arbor) has moved towards a more active rock sound under new program director Kimberly Fox. New artists include KoRn, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit, and Kid Rock.

* Petoskey's WJML-AM 1110 has moved completely back to a News-Talk format, dropping all its Oldies programming with the sign on of sister station WWKK-AM 750 which has an Oldies format. New programming on WJML includes Barry Farber, Michael Savage, Computalk, and The Motley Fool.

* Former WRSR-FM (Soft Rock 103.9) Owosso morning guy Jim Johnson has landed at Flint's WFBE-FM 95.1 for middays, replacing Anne Downey.

* FCC Actions: Granted WBLW-FM 88.1 Gaylord its license to cover for a new station

September 24:

* Grand Rapids Classic Country station WCUZ-FM 101.3 dropped the format this afternoon following NASCAR coverage in favor of a Classic Rock format as '101 The Fox Rocks'. New to mornings starting tomorrow will be the syndicated Bob & Tom Show, with former WMRR and WMUS personality Ranger Bob returning for middays. Clear Channel Communications, owner of WCUZ-FM, now takes on Citadel Broacasting owned Classic Rock WLAV-FM 96.9, which has been the recent ratings leader in Grand Rapids in hopes of fragmenting that audience, possibly in order to bring sister Clear Channel station Country WBCT-FM 93.7 (B-93) back to the top of the ratings heap. WCUZ-FM will keep its NASCAR coverage, at least through the end of the current season. Prior to the station's 1980 move to Country as WCUZ, 101.3 in Grand Rapids was known as '101 The Fox' (WFFX) with an Album Oriented Rock (AOR) format- today's change brings some of the same music back to the station. Program director Doug Montgomery commented that the new station was put together in about 3 days in order to fill a void identified by research in the Grand Rapids market. Due to current weaknesses in the Country format, a decision was made to move sister B-93 more mainstream by adding older songs on a regular basis- creating an overlap with the now former Country Gold format on WCUZ.

* Call sign change: AM 1590 Marine City has started using WHLX, dropping WHYT, to more closely match sister station/simulcaster WHLS-AM 1450 Pt. Huron

September 22:

* Notes from the press conference at Comerica Park about the switch of Detroit Tigers and Red Wings play-by-play radio flagship homes to WXYT from WJR:
- WXYT will go all-sports 24x7x365, but no official plan has been announced as to timing or future of current programming
- All Red Wings games for the upcoming regular season will be available on the Internet
- Goal is to build a similar network for both the Wings and Tigers that the Lions have, about 40 stations across Michigan
- Handshake agreements are in place for affiliates in Ann Arbor, Port Huron, Saginaw, Flint, and Toledo for the upcoming Red Wings season
- No official plan has been announced for resolution of conflicts- ie days when two or more of the teams WXYT has the rights to are playing simultaneously
- The upgrade process to WXYT's signal is expected to take a couple of years

* WJKN-AM 1510 Jackson will go dark on September 30th as owner John Salov has sold the property the station's broadcast towers are located on. Salov states he plans on bringing the station back on the air once new property can be located, hopefully within a year before the license for the station must be surrendered to the FCC- Jackson Citizen-Patriot

* Former WXYZ-AM 1270 Detroit disc jockey Paul Winter has passed away at the age of 77 from lung cancer. Winter was the station's midday jock during its Top 40 days.

* Joey B adds assistant program director duties to his current role as music director at WKHQ-FM 105.9 Charlevoix. Joey B also swaps on-air shifts with John Kelly, moving to middays from nights- All Access

September 21:

* Detroit's WXYT-AM 1270 has secured the broadcast rights for two more of Detroit's major league sports franchises, the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. The move gives Infinity Broadcasting rights to all 4 Detroit big-league teams with the Detroit Lions also on WXYT and the Detroit Pistons on WXYT sister station WWJ-AM 950. The move marks an end to the Tigers' and Wings' deals with WJR-AM 760, where the Tigers have been heard since the early 1960's and the Wings since the 1970's. The reported deal is for 6 years and worth over $50 million.

September 19:

* Interlochen Public Radio signed on their new station at 91.5 FM in Traverse City at 4:00pm last Wednesday (9/13) with NPR's All Things Considered, kicking off a News/Talk format on the frequency. The majority of programming will be from NPR, PRI, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

* Grand Rapids' B93 (WBCT-FM 93.7) raised over $568,000 during last week's Roof Sit benefit for Country Cares for Kids and abused and neglected children in West Michigan.

* According to the just-completed Michiguide Poll, the folks that cared to vote don't listen all that much to sports play-by-play. 41% of the votes were cast for the 'don't listen' selection, 39% only listen to local teams, and 20% tune in to hear both local and national broadcasts.

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary transfer of license to Central Michigan University from Agri-Valley Communications for WSTD-FM (to be WWCM-FM) 96.9 Standish. Also granted CMU a waiver to the main studio rule so the station can be operated as a satellite station.

September 18:

* The Phase II Summer 2000 Arbitrend 12+ ratings report was released for Detroit today. Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM stays on top with Rock WRIF-FM taking second place alone, breaking the tie with Urban WJLB-FM which fell to third. News/Talk WJR remained in 4th place, followed by Oldies WOMC-FM in 5th. Stations with .5 or better ratings improvements since the Summer phase I book included Alternative Rock CIMX-FM and Modern AC WPLT-FM. In July, WPLT modified its format from Alternative Classics to Modern AC- resulting in a rating of 2.5, up from 1.8 in the Phase I book. Other notable ratings changes: Sister stations Smooth Jazz WVMV-FM 98.7 and Country WYCD-FM 99.5 both suffered big drops; Bay City Oldies station WHNN-FM 96.1 made the Detroit book with a .4 rating.

September 16:

* WIMI-FM 99.7 Ironwood on September 14th fell victim to a lightning strike that resulted in fire at its transmitter site, destroying the transmitter, audio processing equipment, as well as much of the building. The station went dark, but hoped to return at low power sometime this weekend. Plans are to complete reconstruction in about 4 weeks- Upper Midwest Broadcasting

September 15:

* There were 87 applications filed in Michigan for the new low-power FM allotments. There are several instances of more than one applicant for a particular allotment, especially for 93.1 in Grand Rapids.

* Sonny Andre moves into the afternoon slot at Detroit's WGRV-FM 105.1 starting September 25th. Andre arrives from Kansas City

* Mark Thompson is no longer with Ann Arbor's WIQB-FM 102.9, leaving open his former position of program director

September 14:

* At noon today, WRSR-FM 103.9 Owosso launched its new format- Classic Rock. The new sound includes artists such as Van Halen, Queen, CCR, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, etc. and replaces Adult Contemporary. The stunting, which had started yesterday afternoon, ended with 12 chimes at noon, followed by a preview of the type of songs that will be heard on the station. 'The Classic Rock Authority, 103.9 The Fox' is the positioner for the station. First song played was It's Only Rock-n-Roll by the Rolling Stones.

September 13:

* The Adult Contemporary format at WRSR-FM 103.9 Owosso is apparently gone as the station has started stunting as of 4:00pm today by playing a novelty song repeatedly. Soft Rock 103.9 has never enjoyed much ratings success in the Flint market competing against WCRZ-FM 107.9 (Cars 108). WRSR-FM recently added Alan Almond's PillowTalk syndicated program from Detroit's WNIC to its evening lineup after losing Delilah to WCRZ. The new format on 103.9 is expected to debut at noon tomorrow.

* Brian Hayes is officially named the program director at Kalamazoo's WRKR-FM 107.7, with Jay Deacon returning for assistant program director, music director, and afternoon on-air roles- All Access

September 12:

* Call sign changes:
WXYQ-FM 101.5 Manistee has taken the sign of its new AM sister station as WMTE-FM. The now WMTE-FM was recently purchased by Lake Michigan Broadcasting, creating the duopoly.
New FM station at 93.7 in Harrietta has been assigned WKAD
New FM station at 106.7 in Iron Mountain has been assigned WHTO

September 11:

* FCC Action: Granted WWKK-AM 750 Petoskey its license to cover

September 9:

* WMSH-FM 99.3 Sturgis has returned to the air with its new transmitter after being silent for over a week; Jackson's WJXQ-FM 106.1 is operating at reduced power (1000 watts) while a new tower is being installed

September 8:

* FCC Actions: Granted Fant Broadcasting a construction permit for a new television station to serve Ironwood. Station will be on channel 24 with 5,000 kW ERP and 201.2 meters HAAT. The station will transmit from the current tower WIMI-FM is located on in Iron County, WI (just west of Ironwood). Fant once owned KQDS-TV in Duluth, MN, a Fox affiliate which is seen in the Ironwood area on a translator, W32CB (ch. 32).

September 7:

* WDFN-AM 1130 / WWWW-FM 106.7 Detroit general sales manager Elizabeth Hamma moves on to Louisville, KY to take on the role of general manager for a 4 station group; Overnighter Misty Moon at Charlevoix has been promoted to promotions director for the entire 6 station MacDonald-Garber group- All Access

September 6:

* WDWB-TV 20 Detroit helped raise $1,520,020 towards the national amount of over $54.6 million during the Labor Day Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon; WWJ-TV 62 and WKBD-TV 50 will report to the same general manager, 62 likely to use 50's news operation- Detroit Free Press

September 5:

* Clear Channel has agreed to purchase 5 more stations from Cumulus Broadcasting in Michigan, this time in Muskegon. The stations that will become part of the Clear Channel portfolio pending FCC approval are WMUS-FM/AM 106.9/1090, WMRR-FM 101.7, WSHZ-FM 107.9, and WMHG-AM 1600. The FCC has flagged this sale to study the market concentration level of Muskegon. Clear Channel currently owns WSNX-FM, which is licensed to Muskegon, plus 5 Grand Rapids stations and 1 in Holland- all in West Michigan. If this transaction is approved, it will push Clear Channel's Michigan station ownership number to 27.

* Is there enough financial support for a non-commercial broadcaster that would take on a classical format? The latest Michiguide poll results show a slight majority of the voters would contribute.

* Radio Sarnia-Lambton has laid off 9 people at its three Sarnia, ON stations- CFGX-FM 99.9, CHKS-FM 106.3, and CHOK-AM 1070. Included in the cuts were K106.3 afternooner Drew Carter and most of the part-time/weekend jocks on both FM stations. The group downsized after upgrading to digital broadcast equipment.

September 3:

* WHYT-AM 1520 Marine City has switched format from Country to a simulcast of new sister station WHLS-AM 1450 Pt. Huron. The Oldies stations are using the ID 'Oldies 1450 and 1590, the Blue Water's stations for good time oldies'. Both WHLS and WHYT were recently purchased by Liggett Broadcasting.

* WJBK-TV 2 Detroit sports anchor Dan Miller made his debut with Fox Sports NFL coverage today, handling play-by-play duties for the Detroit Lions - New Orleans Saints game. Miller had worked NFL Europe games for Fox this past summer.

September 2:

* WMSH-FM 99.3 Sturgis continues to be off the air while engineers work to build a new transmitter. The station hopes to be back on the air soon.

* Detroit's WVMV-FM 98.7 officially launched its website yesterday. Other recent website additions to the Michigan Broadcast Guide listings: WDTR-FM 90.9 Detroit, WGLQ-FM 97.1 Escanaba, WCMM-FM 102.5 Manistique, WGKL-FM 105.5 Gladstone, WCHT-AM 600 Escanaba, WTIQ-AM 1490 Manistique.

September 1:

* The Phase I Summer 2000 Arbitrend 12+ ratings report were released yesterday for Grand Rapids and Lansing.

Classic Rock WLAV-FM continued its run as the number one station in Grand Rapids with Country WBCT-FM moving up to 2nd place, switching spots with Top-40 WSNX-FM. Alternative Rock WGRD-FM remained 4th, while Active Rock WKLQ-FM and Adult Contemporary WLHT-FM improved to a 5th place tie. The move by AC WLHT passed rival competitor WOOD-FM. Among the largest ratings gainers since the Spring book were WLAV, WBCT, WGRD, and News/Talk WOOD-AM.

Top 40 WHZZ-FM and Country WITL were tied on top once again in Lansing, for the 3rd time in the last 5 ratings books. Classic Rock WMMQ-FM improved to 3rd, followed by Oldies WJIM-FM and Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM. Lansing's big gainers this time around were WMMQ, WJIM-FM, News/Talk WJIM-AM, Country WXIK-FM, and Religious WLCM-AM which debuted in the book with a .9 rating.

* The last of the Phase I Summer 2000 Arbitrend 12+ ratings report was released today for the Tri-Cities. The positions of the top 5 stations remained the same with Country WKCQ-FM 1st, Top 40 WIOG-FM 2nd, Oldies WHNN-FM 3rd, Rock WKQZ-FM 4th, and News/Talk WSGW-AM 5th. Stations trending up included WSGW and Country WCEN-FM.

* Sale price of WTRX-AM 1330 Flint from David Lee Communications to Citadel Broadcasting was $180,000- R&R Online

* Doc Reno switches from afternoon drive to mornings at WGRV-FM Detroit, replacing Bill Gable. Mitzi Miles and Foody stay with the morning show; Nikki VanDorne keeps the title of maketing director while switching from WDRQ-FM to WRIF-FM in Detroit- All Access

August 31:

* Channel 7's Mike Huckman heads to CNBC after failing to settle contract- Detroit News

* Colleen Adams takes over middays at WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo replacing Kristen Taylor

August 30:

* Sports Talk WTRX-AM 1330 Flint has been sold to Citadel Broadcasting by David Lee Communications. Once the sale gets FCC approval, WTRX will become Citadel's 17th Michigan property. In Flint, Citadel currently owns WFBE-FM 95.1.

* Two more stations join the Michigan roster of webcasters: Classic Rock WEEG-FM 97.3 Bay City, Country WKCQ-FM 98.1 Saginaw

* Jeff Wicker leaves his swing duties at WKQI-FM 95.5 Detroit for afternoons at WWWM-FM 105.5 Toledo; Brian Warkoczeski of WGRD-FM 97.9 Grand Rapids exits his producing/imaging job for a job outside radio- All Access

* It's now a done deal- Clear Channel and AMFM have completed their merger, giving the combined company a total of 22 stations in Michigan as of today, including 4 stations located in Ann Arbor that were obtained from Cumulus as part of the deal.

August 29:

* Noted off the air today is Sturgis' Oldies station WMSH-FM 99.3

* FCC Actions: Approved the voluntary transfer of licenses from Sommerville Associates to Wilks Broadcasting for WCEN-AM/FM 1150/94.5; Granted W31BO Alpena a construction permit to move to channel 32 as W32CG (translator of WFQX-TV 33 Cadillac)

August 28:

* The silent WSTD 96.9 Standish will take on the call sign WWCM once the sale to Central Michigan University is completed. The WWCM sign was last in use here in Michigan on AM 990 Ypsilanti prior to that station's swap to WDEO in October 1999.

* New morning host at Windsor's CIDR-FM 93.9 is Mitch O'Connor, replacing Dale Smith who was let go with the format switch to Adult Contemporary

August 25:

* Windsor's CIDR-FM 93.9 drained 'The River' late this morning and has become Light Rock 93-9 FM, taking on an Adult Contemporary format in favor of its previous Adult Alternative/Classic Rock hybrid format. This marks the second recent attempt to lure some of WNIC-FM's #1 rated audience to an alternative Adult Contemporary station. WDMK-FM 102.7 moved to an AC format in January 1999 but abandoned it by August of the same year. Lite Rock 93-9 FM is currently running without D.J.'s.

* The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will return to the FM dial in Detroit with this season's concerts being picked up by public radio outlet WDET-FM 101.9- The Oakland Press

* Sale price for silent stations WSRI-FM 92.1 Beulah and WSRQ-FM Bear Lake was $590,000 (from D & B Broadcasting to Fort Bend Broadcasting)- Broadcasting & Cable

August 24:

* Lucy Noland returns to WJBK-TV 2 Detroit's morning newscast on Monday after completing her maternity leave- Detroit Free Press

* Todd Kangas promotions director/mid-day host at WGRD-FM Grand Rapids has left the station for a program director position in Green Bay- All Access

* FCC Actions: Granted WWJ-DT 44 its license to cover for digital facilities

August 23:

* Although many of the participants of the just-concluded Michiguide Poll actively participate in Internet message boards by both reading and posting, just about as many only read without contributing.

* FCC Actions: Granted a construction permit for a new FM station in Iron Mountain at 106.7 to Donald James Noordyk (ERP 1,700 watts HAAT 190 meters); Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permits for the following LPTV stations to MS Communications- W66CY Petoskey from John DiGiuseppe and W18BX Petoskey from Dean R. and Mildred M. Foster.

August 22:

* The WRIF-FM 101.1 Detroit Drew & Mike morning show is the ratings leader- Detroit Free Press

* Dave Taylor has left Tri-Cities rockers WILZ-FM/WYLZ-FM/WKQZ-FM for a promotions position in Indianapolis- All Access

August 21:

* The Phase I Summer 2000 Arbitrend 12+ ratings report was released for Detroit today. Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM stays on top with Rock WRIF-FM moving into a second place tie with Urban WJLB-FM. News/Talk WJR and Smooth Jazz/NAC WVMV-FM tied for 4th place. Stations with .5 or better ratings improvements since the Spring book included Classic Hits WWWW-FM and Urban AC WMXD-FM.

August 17:

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Richard L. Bourassa to MS Communications for W55CG (LPTV channel 55) Ludington; Granted Pensacola Christian College its license to cover for the translator of WPCS-FM at 88.1 in Traverse City (W201CM)

August 16:

* Greenville's Oldies WODJ-FM 107.3 has added a live stream to their web site.

August 15:

* The last Spring 2000 ratings book was released today for Northwest Michigan. Country combo WTCM-FM/WBCM-FM remained the top station among listeners age 12 and above, with Rock combo WKLT-FM/WKLZ-FM coming in a second-place tie with Classic Rockers WGFN-FM/WGFM-FM. News-Talk WTCM-AM finished fourth, with Adult Contemporary combo WLXT-FM/WLXV-FM rounding out the top 5. Noteable ratings gainers since the Fall 1999 book were WGFN/WGFM, WTCM-AM, WLXT/WLXV, and Hot Adult Contemporary WBNZ-FM.

* WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo and WTCF-FM 100.5 Saginaw have both added the Rick Dees syndicated morning show to their lineups- All Access

* The FCC has granted the merger of Clear Channel and AM/FM

August 14:

* New hires at Michigan Radio (WUOM-FM 91.7 Ann Arbor, WVGR-FM 104.1 Grand Rapids, WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint) include Jackie Paige (formerly of WWJ-AM and WJBK-TV), Matt Shafer Powell, and Gina Carrier as news staffers and Bill Poorman as news director- Detroit Free Press

August 13:

* After stunting on August 10th with Sheryl Crow's 'A Change Will Do You Good', Saginaw's WTCF-FM 100.5 dropped the Pirate Radio positioner on August 11th and moved from Rhythmic-based Top 40 to Hot Adult Contemporary 'Mix 100' under new program director Mike McDonald.

* Operations manager Ken Beck of Detroit's WWJ-AM 950 and WXYT-AM 1270 will be leaving the stations for a new job with Entercom Communications- Detroit Free Press

* Program director Bob Olson of WJXQ-FM 106.1 Jackson has been promoted to director of operations for Rubber City Radio's Mid-Michigan Radio Group- WJXQ, WWDX-FM 92.1 DeWitt, and WXIK-FM 94.1 Jackson. Olson keeps his PD role at WJXQ; WKFR-FM 103.3 Battle Creek night jock Nick Taylor has moved to mornings- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted WICA-FM 91.5 Traverse City a modification to its construction permit- ERP to now be 4,000 watts at 228 meters above average terrain (from 4,400 / 216) at a slightly different tower location

August 8:

* Why do you watch your local TV newscast? According to the just concluded Michiguide Poll, voters were equally split between local news coverage and the weather.

* Fred Wolf, a veteran of WXYZ-TV and WXYZ-AM, passed away on August 5th.

August 7:

* There were another two Michigan markets with Spring 12+ ratings reports released today. In Muskegon, Country WMUS remained on top, where it has since the ratings for this market started in the Spring of 1999. Top 40 WSNX-FM remained in second place, with Rock WMRR-FM in third. Oldies WLCS-FM and Rock WKLQ-FM completed the top 5 along the Lakeshore. Stations with notable ratings gains since the Fall 1999 book included WSNX, WMRR, WLCS, and Adult Contemporary WLHT-FM.

Battle Creek's number one station was Country WNWN-FM, with Top 40 WKFR, News/Talk WBCK-AM, Oldies WWKN-FM, and Rock WJXQ-FM making top 5 appearances this time. Ratings gainers included WWKN, Nostalgia WRCC-AM, and Country WBCT-FM.

August 4:

* Detroit's WDIV-TV 4 came out on top during the July sweeps, winning the newscast ratings battles at 5am, 5:30am, 6am, noon, 5pm, 6pm, and 11pm. WJBK-TV 2 won the 10:00pm title- Detroit Free Press

August 3:

* Spring 2000 12+ ratings were released for the Kalamazoo market today. Top 40 WKFR-FM has kept its number 1 spot, followed once again by Rock WRKR-FM. Country WBCT-FM moved up to third place overall, followed by the then Hot AC WFAT-FM and Adult Contemporary WQLR-FM which tied for fourth position. Stations with the largest ratings gains included WKFR, WBCT, WFAT, WOOD-FM, WKMI-AM, WKLQ-FM.

* The Flint School Board and the owners of WFBE-FM 95.1 reached a final agreement on the details of the sale of the station- Flint Journal

August 2:

* The latest 12+ Arbitron ratings for Spring 2000 were released earlier today for Grand Rapids and Lansing. The top 4 spots in Grand Rapids remained unchanged from the Winter ratings with Classic Rock WLAV-FM first, followed by Top 40 WSNX, Country WBCT, and Alternative Rock WGRD. Adult Contemporary WOOD-FM round out the top 5 stations. Stations with notable ratings improvements since the Winter book were WGRD, WOOD-FM, Adult Contemporary WLHT-FM, and Country Gold WCUZ-FM.

Country WITL-FM returned to the number 1 spot alone in Lansing, breaking a tie with Top 40 WHZZ which dropped to second overall. Adult Contemporary WFMK-FM, Classic Rock WMMQ-FM, and Oldies WJIM-FM continued to be the 5 most popular stations in the Lansing market. Ratings winners since the Winter were WITL, WMMQ, Rock WJXQ-FM, Urban WQHH-FM, and Alternative Rock WWDX-FM.

* 4 Battle Creek radio stations have added live webcasts to their Internet presence- Adult Contemporary WBXX-FM 95.3, Oldies WWKN-FM 104.9, News/Talk WBCK-AM 930, and Adult Standards WRCC-AM 1400.

* Former WHZZ-FM 101.7 Lansing evening jock Mike Couchman takes over the morning show and interim Program Director role at The Light (WLGH-FM 88.1 Lansing / WEJC-FM 88.3 Gladwin / WTLI-FM 89.3 Boyne City) along with swing duties at Detroit's WKQI-FM 95.5. Leaving is current program director Tim Marx as he heads for Texas.

* The simulcast of WRWK-FM 106.5 on WJZE-FM 97.3 has ended on the east side of Toledo. WJZE has become 97-3 The Fox, Classic Hits of the 70's and 80's.

* Marketing director John Lassman has left WRIF-FM 101.1 Detroit for a program director job in Virginia; John Flint and Brian Hayes lose the interim tags off their titles and become operations manager/program director and assistant program director/music director respectively at Kalamazoo's WRKR-FM 107.7- All Access

* Sold: Silent stations WSRI-FM 92.1 Beulah and WSRQ-FM Bear Lake by D & B Broadcasting to Fort Bend Broadcasting, pending FCC approval

August 1:

* Flood damage at Detroit's public radio outlet WDET-FM 101.9 totals about $250,000

* WCSX-FM 94.7 Detroit's morning team of Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison helped raise $225,000 during last week's 10th annual radiothon for the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan; Former WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit morning host Dr. Don Carpenter has landed a new gig in Cincinnati

* WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit's lead investigative reporter Shellee Smith will be leaving the station this fall for a job with NBC- Detroit News

July 27:

* Just say no: Wayne State University has reaffirmed that they have no intention of moving the programming of WDET-FM 101.9 to 90.9 (current home of WDTR)- meaning there is no such deal in the works with Detroit Public Schools- Detroit Free Press

July 26:

* The new WB affiliate in Flint/Saginaw will be on Channel 46 once FCC approval has been granted and the facilites for the station are completed. Acme Communications has purchased W46CR from Three Angels Broadcast Network, which currently airs on channel 46 from Saginaw.

July 25:

* Your pick for the best Country station in Michigan? According to the just-concluded Michiguide Poll, it's Grand Rapids' WBCT-FM 93.7 (B-93) by a large margin over Detroit's WYCD-FM 99.5 (Young Country), Traverse City's WTCM-FM 103.5 (Today's Country Music), and Lansing's WITL-FM 100.7 (Wittle).

* Joey B (Joe Stevens) leaves weekend/swing duties at sister stations WKQI-FM 95.5 and WWWW-FM 106.7 Detroit for nights and the music director role at Charlevoix's WKHQ-FM 105.9- All Access

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary transfer of control from AMFM to Clear Channel for the following stations- WBXX-FM 95.3, WBCK-AM 930, and WRCC-AM 1400 Battle Creek, WLHT-FM 95.7, WGRD-FM 97.9, WTRV-FM 100.5, and WNWZ-AM 1410 Grand Rapids (WLHT, WGRD, WTRV, and WNWZ have been sold to Regent Communications).

July 24:

* Two more sets of Spring Arbitron 12+ ratings reports were released today. In Flint, Urban WDZZ-FM 92.7 moved back into the top spot, replacing Top 40 WWCK-FM 105.5. Adult Contemporary WCRZ-FM 107.9 finished second, followed by WWCK, Oldies WHNN-FM 96.1, and Country WFBE-FM 95.1. Notable ratings gainers since the Fall 1999 book included WDZZ (9.8 to 10.8) and 2 Detroit based stations- WRIF-FM 101.1 (1.3 - 2.0) and WDJT-FM 105.9 (0.8 - 1.7).

Up I-75 in the Tri-Cities, Country WKCQ-FM 98.1 continued in the #1 spot, increasing its ratings from 9.4 in the Winter ratings to a 13.0 mark for the Spring. The rest of the top 5 stations were Top 40 WIOG-FM 102.5, WHNN, Rock WKQZ-FM 93.3, and News/Talk WSGW-AM 790.

* Launched: WZZM-TV 13 Grand Rapids' web site.

July 21:

* The Spring Arbitron 12+ ratings report is out for Ann Arbor. News/Talk WJR-AM 760 continues to lead the pack, followed by Contemporary Hits WKQI-FM 95.5 which moved to 2nd from a tie for 5th place. Ann Arbor's Gold based WKQL-FM 107.1 finished 3rd and led the Washtenaw County stations. Detroit based WNIC-FM 100.3, WDRQ-FM 93.1, WYCD-FM 99.5, WRIF-FM 101.1, WVMV-FM 98.7, WCSX-FM 94.7, and Windsor's CIMX-FM 88.7 rounded out the top 10 stations. Among other Ann Arbor area stations, Rocker WIQB-FM 102.9 finished 14th overall followed by Full Service WAAM-AM 1600 in 15th. Sports talker WTKA-AM 1050 finished 23rd, behind Detroit rival WDFN-AM 1130.

* Mike Couchman has been let go from his evening slot at WHZZ-FM 101.7 Lansing. Couchman will continue to do swing shift duties at Detroit's WKQI-FM 95.5.

* Approved: The merger of Clear Channel and AMFM by the Department of Justice

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary assignment of licenses from Citadel Broadcasting to Wilks Broadcasting for WSGW-AM 790 and WGER-FM 106.3 Saginaw, and WTCF-FM 100.5 Carrollton.

July 20:

* Flint to get over-the-air WB affiliate: Acme Communications has made arrangements to obtain the license for an unspecified station that will become an affiliate of the WB network once the FCC grants final approvals. The target date for the new station to be operational is 2001.

July 18:

* The first of Michigan's Spring Arbitron 12+ ratings reports was released today for Detroit. Continuing to hold down the top spot is Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM, followed by sister station Urban WJLB-FM. Up from 8th place overall in the Winter into 3rd is Smooth Jazz/NAC WVMV which improved its rating from 4.4 to 5.6. 'VMV sister station, Country WYCD-FM also moved up the chart- moving from 8th to 4th overall with a ratings improvment from 4.4 to 5.5. Rock WRIF-FM, News/Talk WJR-AM, Oldies WOMC-FM, News WWJ-AM, Top 40 WDRQ-FM, and Classic Rock WCSX-FM round out Detroit's top 10 stations. In addition to WVMV and WYCD, stations with notable ratings improvements include WRIF, Top 40 WKQI-FM, and Alternative Rock CIMX-FM.

* WCMM-FM has completed its frequency change, moving from 94.7 to 102.5. The translator of WNMU-FM in Marquette at 102.3 is now silent.

* WUPY-FM 101.1 Ontonagon is running with a dayparted format: they are running with their original Oldies format from 5am-1pm and 3-7pm, and using Jones Soft Hits from 1-3pm and 7pm-5am.

* Contemporary Hits WKFR-FM 103.3 Battle Creek has added a live stream to its web site.

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary assignment of licenses to Rubber City Radio Group from 62nd Street Broadcasting for the following stations- WWDX-FM 92.1 St. Johns, WXIK-FM 94.1 and WJXQ-FM 106.1 Jackson; Granted Daniel L. Pierce a construction permit to move the current construction permit for W61DB channel 61 Pinconning to channel 9 as W09CK in Flint. Antenna location is to be in Otisville on the WFBE tower, ERP 2,520 watts.

July 14:

* Changes in the radio dial coming soon to the Upper Peninsula: WCMM-FM 94.7 Gulliver (Manistique) will be changing frequencies to 102.5 later this month to allow Green Bay station WZOR-FM (also on 94.7) to increase power from 6,000 to 25,000 watts. WCMM's frequency change will force the translator of WNMU-FM at 102.3 in Marquette off the air until a new frequency can be allocated. Due to the terrian of Marquette, the translator is used to fill in coverage of WNMU-FM's 90.1 signal. The owners of WZOR picked up the tab to move WCMM from 94.7 to 102.5.

* Margot Smith has left her job as program director at Kalamazoo's WRKR-FM 107.7- All Access

July 13:

* As promised, Governor John Engler has vetoed $15.9 million of funding for Michigan's public broadcasters. The money was to be used to assist stations in their conversion to digital technology, required of TV stations by 2003. Michigan's public broadcasters estimate a total bill of $44 million to complete the transition to digital technology.

"We are disappointed with the veto and that the Governor has expressed reservations about digital broadcasting technology," said Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters President Michael Walenta of West Michigan Public Broadcasting in Grand Rapids. The House of Representatives, the Senate and Michigan citizens all supported the funding and recognize the value of public broadcasting's programming and the increased number of new opportunities available once stations convert to digital technology."

The partial state funding of the digital conversion of public broadcasting stations would have aligned Michigan with the neighboring Great Lakes states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin which have already passed legislation to fund digital conversion in their states. Digital broadcasting will be a critical component of every state's information technology infrastructure in the near future. "Without state support for the digital conversion of public broadcasting, Michigan risks falling behind," Walenta said.

Michigan's public broadcasters plan to re-double their efforts to ensure that Michigan citizens continue to receive the educational information, quality programs and services, and truly state-of-the-art technology from public broadcasting in the new digital age.

* Another option for Classical music is available over the web now from WAUS-FM 90.7 in Berrien Springs. The station from Andrews University previously offered webcasts only to monetary supporters of the station. To listen, visit the station's web site.

* Sold: Mt. Plesant's WCEN-FM/AM 94.5/1150 from Sommerville Associates to WILKS Broadcasting for $6 million, pending for FCC approval- R&R Online

* Former WYCD-FM 99.5 morning host Dr. Don Carpenter will be back on the air next week, guest hosting for the vacationing Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison on WCSX-FM 94.7 Detroit.

July 11:

* Be listening to 88.5 in Mackinaw City for the debut of 88dot5 The Dove (WDQV), scheduled to launch later this month. The station will feature Contemporary Christian music and be affiliated with Morningstar Network and SRN.

* The results from the poll concluded today show that most radio fans enjoy checking out the local stations when they travel around the state on vacation- and many of these folks enjoy the difference they hear when out-of-town.

July 10:

* Former WOOD-TV 8 Grand Rapids sports director Warren Reynolds has passed away at age 64 from cancer. Reynolds has been on-air at WOOD-TV for over 30 years and was recently inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame- Grand Rapids Press

* WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit has been recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award for its 'From the Heart' segment featuring Howell Manor, a home for mentally challenged men- Detroit Free Press

* Spring 2000 Phase 2 (Mar-May) Arbitron ratings for Grand Rapids and Lansing have now been posted. The top 5 stations in Grand Rapids were Classic Rock WLAV, Top 40 WSNX, Country WBCT, Alternative Rock WGRD, and Rock WKLQ. Lansing's top 5 were Top 40 WHZZ, Country WITL (tie for 1st), Adult Contemporary WFMK, Oldies WJIM-FM (tie for 3rd), and Rock WJXQ.

* No longer with WGRV-FM 105.1 Detroit is evening personality Karla Foxe- All Access

* Call sign changes:
6/26- new 88.1 Muskegon assigned WPQZ
6/26- new 95.9 Fife Lake assigned WTCU
7/3- WAAQ 88.5 Mackinaw City granted WDQV
coming- new 88.3 Onsted assigned WAAQ

* FCC Actions: Granted W214BH 90.7 Mt. Pleasant its license (translator of WAPC); Granted WWJ-TV 62 Detroit its license to cover for increase in power to 5,000,000 watts from 1,000,000 and increase in HAAT to 327 meters from 296 at its new tower location; Granted a construction permit for WWJ-TV 62 Detroit for auxiliary facilities; Granted WOHO-LP Rockford a construction permit to move to channel 33

July 9:

* Michigan Radio has dropped its overnight classical music programming on its broadcast stations (WUOM-FM 91.7 Ann Arbor, WVGR-FM 104.1 Grand Rapids, WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint) in favor of 24 hour-a-day news and talk. The classical music programming has moved to the web only 24 hours per day.

* Kevin O'Neill joined the morning show on WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit on July 6th. O'Neill returned to the Detroit airwaves after a brief stint in Kalamazoo at WFAT-FM 96.5.

* No longer with WODJ-FM 107.3 Grand Rapids is Len O'Kelly who had been the station's program director and morning host

* Back on the air is the Coldwater translator of WFRN-FM Elkhart, IN at 101.1 FM (W266AE)

* The FCC has granted Stafford Broadcasting a permanent waiver to the cross-ownership rule which will allow Stafford to take ownership of WPLB-AM Greenville from Kortes Communications while continuing to own The Daily News newspaper. The transfer of ownership of WPLB-FM Lakeview was also approved.

June 27:

* WCHB-AM morning host Mildred Gaddis marks her 25th anniversary in Detroit radio this month- Detroit Free Press

* Sold: Holland's WHTC-AM 1450 to Midwest Communications from Holland Communications, pending FCC approval. Midwest currently owns 4 other stations in Michigan: WNWN-FM 98.5 and WTVB-AM 1590 Coldwater, WFAT-FM 96.5 and WNWN-AM 1560 Portage

June 26:

* New anchor at WEYI-TV 25 Saginaw is Valerie Jackson-Warner, replacing Leigh Moody who left the station for a job in Florida- Flint Journal

June 24:

* WDIV-TV 4 Detroit has relaunched their web site and rebranded it as 'ClickOnDetroit.com'

June 23:

* Spring 2000 Phase 2 (Mar-May) Arbitron ratings for the Tri-Cities were released today. Country WKCQ continued as the number one station in the market, followed by Top 40 WIOG. Rocker WKQZ improved to 3rd overall, dropping Oldies WHNN down to 4th place. News/Talk WSGW held its spot and rounds out the top 5 stations this time around. Notable gainers include WKCQ, WKQZ, Urban AC WTLZ, and Country WCEN-FM.

* Former WRIF-FM, and most recently WJR-AM, personality Ken Calvert moves into the afternoon drive slot at WCSX-FM 94.7 effective July 10th, replacing Steve Cooper whose contract is not being renewed- Detroit Free Press

June 22:

* Detroit radio vet Kevin O'Neill has resigned his duties as wakeup man for Kalamazoo's WFAT 96.5 in order to return on-air full time at a yet-to-be-named Motor City station.

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary transfer of license from Crystal Clear Communications to Lake Michigan Broadcasting for WXYQ-FM 101.5 Manistee.

June 21:

* Launched: on Monday, the Fox affiliates in Northern Michigan (WFQX 33 Cadillac, WFVX 45 Gaylord) premiered a local 10:00pm newscast that will air 7 days a week and run for 35 minutes. The local broadcast replaces WJBK-TV 2 Detroit's news.

June 20:

* Spring 2000 Phase 2 (Mar-May) Arbitron ratings for Detroit were released today. Adult Contemporary WNIC continued to hold down the #1 position for all listeners age 12 and above. Moving up to 2nd from 6th in the Phase 1 trend (Feb-Apr) was Smooth Jazz WVMV-98.7, followed by Urban WJLB and Country WYCD which tied for 3rd. WYCD's 5.5 rating is its best since former rival WWWW moved away from Country. Rounding out the top 5 was News/Talk WJR. Stations with notable improvements since the Phase 1 trend were WVMV, WYCD, and Rock Hits WWWW.

* Detroit's WNIC-FM 100.3 has added a live webcast of its programming.

* New morning duo at WXIK-FM 94.1 Jackson is Rob Bennett and Christy Love (Bennett and Love), replacing the departed Brian and Biff- All Access

* Former WODJ-FM 107.3 Grand Rapids jock Colonel St. James has left his job as program director and midday host on ABC Radio's Pure Gold service for mornings in Houston. Pure Gold is heard on various stations across Michigan.

* FCC Actions: Granted WDHS-TV 8 Iron Mountain a construction permit for its digital facilities on channel 22; Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Roger L. Aho to MS Communications for the following LPTV stations: W31BN and W36CE Houghton Lake, W48BY Ludington, W51CR Petoskey, W66CX and W68CD Traverse City; Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Harry D. Kaiser and Diane M. Collins to MS Communications for the following LPTV station: W62CR Petoskey

June 19:

* Heard on the air yesterday was new sign-on WWKK-AM 750 Petoskey with a satellite fed oldies format. Station is calling itself 'Kool 750' and will carry MSU football and basketball.

* New weekend weathercaster at WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit is Dave Rexroth

June 16:

* Look for WYCD-FM 99.5 night jock Jyl Forsyth to return to the airwaves soon after being off due to nodules on her vocal cords. Doctors orders were to not speak all week, requiring the break- The Oakland Press

* Just weeks after the announcement that Mark Elliot's 'People Helping People' program on Windsor's AM 800 CKLW was being picked up by a Toronto radio station comes this announcement: CKLW is dropping the program from its lineup. The show was airing at 11pm weeknights- Detroit Free Press

* FCC Actions: Granted the involuntary transfer of control from Martha Jean Steinberg to Trienere E. Steinberg for WQBH-AM 1400 Detroit; Granted 2 construction permits for translators of WAPC in Rogers Heights (Mecosta County)- W220CW 91.9 and W206BF. Both stations are to be 10 watts at 0 meters. W220CW is owned by Great Lakes Community Broadcasting; W206BF is owned by Great Lakes Broadcast Academy (One group with 2 names)

June 15:

* FCC Action: Granted the American Family Association a construction permit for a new FM station on 88.1 in Muskegon. Effective radiated power is to be 580 watts, height above average terrain 105 meters.

June 13:

* The best rock (not including alternative or classic rock oriented formats) station in Michigan? According to the recently concluded Michigan Broadcast Guide Poll, it's WRIF-FM 101.1 Detroit over WKQZ-FM 93.3 Midland and WKLQ-FM 94.5 Grand Rapids.

* Radio One's trio of Detroit area stations (WDMK-FM 102.7, WDTJ-FM 105.9, and WCHB-AM 1200 have all completed their moves to a new consolidated location on Franklin in Detroit- Detroit Free Press

* FCC Actions: Granted Great Lakes Community Broadcasting a construction permit for a new non-commercial FM station at 88.3 in Onsted (Lenawee County)- ERP 100 watts, HAAT 56 meters; Granted WYCE-FM 88.1 Grand Rapids its license to cover (assuming increase of ERP from 1,000 to 7,000 watts, HAAT increase from 22 to 51 meters- FCC database is not up to date); Granted WGTQ-TV 8 Sault Ste. Marie its construction permit for digital facilities on channel 56

June 12:

* Congratulations to WKNX 1250 Bay City's Bob Dyer who tomorrow will be celebrating his 50th anniversary with the station, making him the record holder in Michigan for longevity at the same radio station. His tenure at WKNX included 19 years of service at WKNX-TV (now WEYI). Bob is currently the morning host (6-9am) in addition to his duties as promotions director and sales representative.

June 9:

* Regent Communications will be acquiring WNWZ-AM 1410 from AMFM it was announced today. This follows the announcement in March of the deal that moves WGRD-FM, WLHT-FM, and WTRV-FM from AMFM to Regent- and keeps sister stations WGRD-FM and WNWZ-AM under the same ownership- All Access

* FCC Actions:
Granted the voluntary transfer of control from Venture Technologies Group to Frank Washington for WHTV-TV 18 Jackson
Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Lawrence E. Burns to MS Communications for the following LPTV stations: W18CB Houghton Lake, W23BM Petoskey, W58CN and W62CQ Traverse City.
Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Jeffrey A. Burns to MS Communications for the following LPTV stations: W25CD Petoskey, W34BZ Ludington, W57CQ, W59DC, W61CS, and W63CH Houghton Lake.
Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Lyn Guin to MS Communications for LPTV station W68DH Petoskey

June 8:

* Spring 2000 Phase I (Feb-Apr) Arbitron ratings for Grand Rapids were released today. Classic Rock WLAV continued in the #1 position, followed by Top 40 WSNX, and Alternative Rock WGRD which improved to 3rd overall bumping Country WBCT to 4th place for listeners age 12 and above. Rocker WKLQ and Adult Contemporary completed the top 5 stations with a tie. Stations with notable ratings improvements since the Winter book include WGRD and Country WCUZ.

* Also released today were Spring 2000 Phase I (Feb-Apr) Arbitron ratings for Lansing. Top 40 WHZZ recaptured the top spot over Country WITL, followed by Adult Contemporary WFMK, Oldies WJIM-FM, and Rock WJXQ. Big ratings gainers from the winter included WJXQ and Urban WQHH.

* WOMC-FM 104.3 Detroit morning guy Dick Purtan has been announced as the emcee of the Marconi Awards in September- All Access

* Call sign changes:
05/30/00 - 90.9 FM Rose Twp. assigned WMSD
05/26/00 - 103.7 FM WZTY Hartford now WYTC

June 6:

* Detroit Notes: Dave Manney has been promoted from executive producer of programming to assistant news director at WXYZ-TV 7; WVMV-FM 98.7 morning host Alexander Zonjic has re-upped for another year; New event coordinator at WRIF-FM 101.1 is Brett Panter, replacing Ben Perez who moves over to sister station WCSX-FM 94.7 as promotions director- Detroit Free Press, All Access

* FCC Action: Granted WLNZ-FM 89.7 Lansing a construction permit to increase effective radiated power from 100 to 420 watts

June 4:

* WRIF-FM 101.1 Detroit's Arthur Penhallow marks 30 years as the station's afternoon jock this month

June 3:

* Heard on WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit this morning was former WQKI-FM and current WFAT-FM Kalamazoo morning guy Kevin O'Neill

* Yesterday was the last day for WEEG-FM 97.3 Bay City's morning guy Tim Murphy as he's headed for Wisconsin for program director/morning show duties.

June 2:

* WNMU-TV 13 Marquette has applied for its digital facilities on channel 33

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary transfer of control from Media/Communications Partners III (Bloomington Broadcasting) to Citadel Broadcasting Company for WKLQ-FM 94.5 Holland, WLAV-FM 96.9 and WBBL-AM 1340 Grand Rapids, and WODJ-FM 107.3 Greenville.

June 1:

* More on the departure of Dr. Don Carpenter from WYCD- both sides report an impasse on the financial terms of a new contract. Also in the mix is a difference in opinion between station general manager Maureen Lesourd and Carpenter about the use of 'blue' humor on the show- Lesourd stating the morning show needed less of it, Carpenter stating this wasn't mentioned in contract talks. For now, Tom Baker will hold down mornings with Bob Schuman and Afentra until a permanent show is found- Detroit Free Press

May 31:

* According to All Access this evening, the parting of Dr. Don Carpenter from WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit's morning show is now permanent. Carpenter had been with the station since January 1993 when the short-lived WOW-FM talk format launched. He moved from talk show host to afternoon jock when Young Country was introduced in June 1993. The Dr. Don Show moved from afternoons to mornings twice during its nearly 7 year run on the station. No replacement has been named.

* The Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters is reporting that Michigan's public broadcasters on the verge of financial crisis because of required conversion to digital technology. A survey shows voters favor state support.

* WCCW-FM 107.5 Traverse City has added a live webcast of their signal

* Longtime Detroit jock Kevin O'Neill (WKQI, WKSG, WHND) is hosting the morning program on WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo- All Access

May 30:

* The latest Michigan Broadcast Guide poll results show that you feel being on-the-air is the best gig at a radio station, followed by an upper management position, then by something in the technical area.

* Detroit's most watched TV station according to May sign-on/sign-off numbers is WDIV channel 4, beating WXYZ channel 7 7.0 to 6.6; CKLW-AM 800 Windsor's People Helping People program, hosted by Mark Elliot weeknights from midnight-1:00am, has been picked up by Toronto station CFYI- Detroit Free Press

* The FCC has flagged the sale of WWDX, WXIK, and WJXQ from 62nd Street Broadcasting to Rubber City Radio in order to further study the ownership concentration of the Lansing/Jackson market.

* The first filing window for LPFM opened today and lasts until June 5th. Indiana is one of the group of 10 states plus Washington D.C. that are part of this filing opportunity- Michigan's turn comes later in the year.

May 27:

* Fieger Time set to launch on Sunday- Geoffrey Fieger returns to the airwaves on Sunday in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Marquette, and Traverse City with his new syndicated program. It's set to air from 7-10pm. Detroit listeners will have to wait a few weeks until CKLW clears its Sunday evening schedule before hearing the show- Detroit Free Press

* WYCD-FM 99.5 Detroit's morning host Dr. Don Carpenter bid a possible final farewell to listeners at the end of Friday's show- it seems Carpenter has been without a contract since April. While the negotiations continue, Tom Baker will be holding down the morning slot- Detroit Free Press

May 26:

* Spring 2000 Phase I (Feb-Apr) Arbitron ratings for the Tri-Cities were released today. Country WKCQ has returned to the number 1 spot overall for all listeners age 12 and over. Top 40 WIOG fell to second, followed by Oldies WHNN, Rock WKQZ, and News/Talk WSGW. Stations with notable improvements since the close of the Winter book include WKCQ up 1.8 points, Adult Contemporary WGER up .7 of a point, and Classic Rock combo WYLZ/WILZ up .6 of a point. Flint's WWCK also increased .6 of a point moving up to a 1.0 share for this trend- the station's best showing in the Tri-Cities in quite some time.

* Former WQRS-FM 105.1 and WYUR-AM 1310 Detroit personality Dick Wallace has landed the late afternoon/early evening gig at Toledo's WGTE-FM 91.3. The public station runs Classical music programming along with NPR news shows- The Oakland Press

* New station web site: WMRX-FM 97.7 and WMPX-AM 1490 in Midland have added a web presence

May 25:

* FCC Action: Granted WGTU-TV 29 Traverse City a license to cover for changes (ERP from 1000 to 1170 kW, HAAT from 396 to 398 meters)

May 24:

* WIOG-FM 102.5 Bay City's Mornings @ Large crew recent Million Penny Roof Sit has netted over $11,000 for agencies that seek to raise the awareness of, prevention of, and support for victims of domestic violence- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted Great Lakes Community Broadcasting a construction permit for a new FM translator of WAAQ-FM Mackinaw City on 90.1 in Ann Arbor (W211BI). Effective radiated power is to be 10 watts @ 0 meters.

May 23:

* Spring 2000 Phase I (Feb-Apr) Arbitron ratings for Detroit were released today. Adult Contemporary WNIC is still Detroit's #1 station for listeners age 12 and over with Urban WJLB second. Oldies WOMC moved into 3rd overall followed by All-News WWJ and Rock WRIF which tied for fourth.

* New program director at WPLT-FM 96.3 Detroit is Tom O'Brien. O'Brien's Detroit resume includes stints at WKQI-FM 95.5 and WWWW-FM 106.7- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted Donald James Noordyk a construction permit for a new station at 93.7 FM in Harrietta (Wexford County). Effective radiated power is to be 6,000 watts @ 100 meters.

May 22:

* 2 additions to the webcasting roster: WSGW-AM 790 Saginaw, WLCM-AM 1390 Charlotte

* Update on the possible return of Geoffrey Fieger to the airwaves: The Oakland Press on Friday reported that a deal with Windsor's CKLW still hadn't been reached. Once a deal is reached CKLW will be an affiliate for the show, not the flagship station. The article also confirmed that Fieger has indeed acquired some radio equipment from the now defunct WYUR, which will be used for a small studio next door to Fieger's legal office in Southfield.

* Former WKRK-FM 97.1 Detroit on-air personality Gonzo Greg has left his production duties at the station for a morning gig in Indianapolis- The Oakland Press

* FCC Action: Granted Bible Baptist Church in Rose Township (Ogemaw County) a construction permit for a new non-commercial educational station at 90.9 FM. Effective radiated power is to be 5,000 watts @ 21 meters.

May 19:

* Sale price of WTCF-FM 100.5, WGER-FM 106.3, and WSGW-AM 790 Saginaw in deal that moves stations from Citadel to W & W Broadcasting is $16.18 million; Estimated sale price of WWDX-FM 92.1 DeWitt, WXIK-FM 94.1 and WJXQ-FM 106.1 Jackson in deal that moves stations from 62nd Street Broadcasting to Rubber City Radio is $10-13 million- Broadcasting and Cable

* WTCF-FM 100.5 Saginaw now with 2 program directors- Morning host Leroy the Love Toy takes on the role of AM program director with evening jock Mason becoming the PM program director. The new on-air line-up at WTCF is:
5:30-10am: The Morning Sickness with Leroy the Love Toy and Dingo
10am-3pm: Coop
3-7pm: Matt Storm
7pm-Midnight: Mason
Midnight-5:30am: RayJay

* Promoted: WDIV-TV Detroit's Henry Maldonado from programming and promotion director at the station to a similar role at all of parent company Post-Newsweek's TV operations with the title of vice president- Detroit Free Press

* FCC Actions: Granted the following construction permits for digital facilities- WPBN Traverse City on channel 50, WTOM Cheboygan on channel 14, WLUC Marquette on channel 35, WILX Onondaga on channel 57

May 18:

* 4 new webcasters: WKQZ-FM 93.3 Midland, WILZ/WYLZ 104.5/100.9 Saginaw/Pinconning, WGER-FM 106.3 Saginaw, WKMI-AM 1360 Kalamazoo

May 17:

* Today's Oakland Press is reporting that attorney Geoffrey Fieger is planning a return to radio on Windsor's CKLW-AM 800 for a syndicated talk show that will run on Sundays from 7-10pm. The deal, which according to officials from CKLW isn't yet complete, is to include at least 6 stations and will kick off on May 28th. Fieger's previous radio experience includes a daily chatfest on Detroit's WXYT-AM which he gave up due to his heavy schedule.

* Call sign changes:
89.7 WMIH Harrisville (Alpena) became WJOJ on May 5
92.1 WVHQ Dowagiac became WDOW-FM on May 5

May 16:

* Sold: 62nd Street Broadcasting (WWDX-FM 92.1 DeWitt, WXIK-FM 94.1 and WJXQ-FM 106.1 Jackson) to Akron, OH based Rubber City Radio for an undisclosed amount; Interim program director at WTCF-FM 100.5 Saginaw is Mason Shraeder- All Access

* Here are the latest Michigan stations to add a live webcast of their signal: WMOM-FM 102.7 Pentwater, WTCM-AM 580 Traverse City, WLQV-AM 1500 Detroit, WSNL-AM 600 Flint

* Why has the sound of Michigan radio changed so much in the past 5 years? 48% of the voters in the last Michigan Broadcast Guide Poll feel that its because of all the corporate consolidation that has taken place during this period.

May 15:

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary assignment of license from Mackin Broadcasting to Goldsen Broadcasting for WCFX-FM 95.3 Clare

May 12:

* New general manager at WDIV-TV 4 Detroit is Joseph Berwanger replacing Alan Frank who was promoted earlier this year within Post-Newsweek, WDIV's owner- Electronic Media

* In for the local morning show at Detroit's WWWW-FM 106.7 is Mark Davis and Darla Jaye replacing the cyberjocking Ed McMann; Out as program director at WCTF-FM 100.5 Saginaw is Jay Slater. No replacement named as of yet; The closing date on Cumulus' acquisition of Connoisseur Communications has been pushed back to a September - October timeframe- All Access

May 11:

* Winter 12+ Arbitron ratings for the Tri-Cities were released yesterday. Moving into first overall was Contempoary Hits WIOG, followed by Oldies WHNN, News/Talk WSGW, Country WKCQ, and Rock WKQZ. Notable ratings gainers since the Fall included WIOG, WSGW, WKCQ, and Nostaligia WMRX/WMPX.

* The FCC has flagged Clear Channel's purchase of Ann Arbor stations WIQB, WQKL, WTKA, and WYBN to further study if the advertising revenue generated by these 4 stations would put the company over the limit in Southeast Michigan.

* Scholarship agreements have been worked out between former owners of Flint's WFBE and the Flint School Board. The scholarships were part of the deal when the station was sold off by the school district- Flint Schools

* Music director Chris Winters will be leaving Kalamazoo's WRKR effective tomorrow- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted WDWO-LP 18 its license to cover for changes (move to ch. 18 from ch. 44)

May 9:

* Winter 12+ Arbitron ratings for Grand Rapids were released today. First overall was Classic Rock WLAV, followed by Contemporary Hits WSNX, Country WBCT, Alternative WGRD, and Rock WKLQ. Stations making notable ratings gains since the Fall include WLAV, WSNX, and Oldies WODJ.

May 8:

* Winter 12+ Arbitron ratings for Lansing were released today. Tied for first overall were Country WITL and Contemporary Hits WHZZ, followed by Adult Contemporary WFMK and Oldies WJIM-FM which tied for 3rd place. Classic Rock WMMQ rounds out the top 5 stations. Stations making notable ratings gains since the Fall include Rock WJXQ, Nostalgia WILS, and News/Talk WJIM-AM.

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary transfer of control for WZPX-TV 43 Battle Creek from DP Media License to Paxson Communications

May 7:

* Heard on-air broadcasting in mono on May 2nd was Gaylord's WBYW-FM 88.1 with a Religious format

May 5:

* WIOG-FM 102.5 Bay City has added live webcasts

* WDFN's recent auction to support the medical care of personality Sabrina Black netted about $12,250. Of that, about $7000 will go to Ms. Black's treatment costs for Hodgkin's Disease with the remainder going to the McCarty Cancer Foundation- The Oakland Press

* New general sales manager at WWDX-FM 92.1 Lansing is David Hodges- All Access

May 4:

* Another new TV station coming to Marquette: On April 28th, the FCC granted Winstar Broadcasting a construction permit for a new full-powered commercial TV station (5,000,000 watts / 197 meters HAAT) on channel 19. No word on possible network affiliation.

* New FM station coming to Fife Lake (between Cadillac and Traverse City): Also on April 28th, the FCC granted a construction permit to Fife Lake Broadcasting Company for a new FM station (6,000 watts / 100 meters HAAT) at 95.9 FM.

* Ann Arbor stations WQKL-FM 107.1, WIQB-FM 102.9, WTKA-AM 1050, and WYBN-AM 1290 have been sold from Cumulus to Clear Channel as part of new deal between the two companies- CBS MarketWatch

* WNEM-TV 5 Bay City is now offering live webcasts of its noon newscast in a partnership between the station and MLive.

* Other FCC Actions: Granted license to cover for changes to W48CL Grand Rapids; Granted WEYI-TV 25 Saginaw its construction permit for digital facilities on channel 30; Granted WJMN-TV 3 Escanaba its construction permit for digital facilities on channel 48

May 3:

* WMXE-FM 102.5 has switched to Hot Adult Contemporary from Adult Contemporary. The station remains mostly satellite fed.

* Bob Simonson has accepted a weekend on-air role at Grand Rapids' WJKQ-FM 99.3- All Access

May 1:

* Program director Jamie McKibbin of WKHM-FM 105.3 Jackson has been promoted to operations manager of the Jackson Radio Works cluster in Jackson (WKHM-FM/AM, WIBM-AM)- All Access

* WFUM-TV 28 Flint has applied for its digital facilities on channel 52

April 29:

* Detroit's WYCD-FM 99.5 has added a classic country show on Saturday nights from 8pm-12am hosted by JR Nelson, Mike Williams, and Tom Baker; Former WWJ-AM 950 Detroit news director Steve Kay has passed away from a brain tumor- All Access

* No Nightly News for Pax stations- plans to rebroadcast the NBC Nightly News on Pax stations one hour after it airs on NBC stations has been delayed while the network negoitates with its affiliates- Broadcasting & Cable

* Sold: Manistee's WXYQ-FM 101.5 from Crystal Clear Communications (also owns WBNZ-FM 99.3 Frankfort) to Lake Michigan Broadcasting (WKLA-FM/AM 106.3/1450 Ludington, WKZC-FM 94.9 Scottville, and WMTE-AM 1340 Manistee) for $300,000- Broadcasting & Cable

April 28:

* Citadel yesterday announced the sale of Saginaw radio stations WTCF-FM 100.5, WGER-FM 106.3, and WSGW-AM 790 to Delaware based W & W Broadcasting for an undisclosed amount, pending FCC approval later this year- Saginaw News

* The shareholders of AMFM and Clear Channel this week both approved the merger of the companies. Look for the finalization of the merger to be complete about September 30th

April 27:

* Former WWDX program director Chris Brunt left the station for a position with a website development company in metro Detroit- All Access

* FCC Actions: Granted a construction permit for W59AJ Jackson (translator of WAPQ-TV Saginaw) to move to channel 27 as W27CJ and to move both facilities and city of license to Ann Arbor

April 26:

* The operators of WYUR-AM 1310 in Dearborn have decided to close down their operations. The station will revert to a simulcast of WNIC-FM 100.3 at midnight on Saturday- The Oakland Press

* Winter 2000 Arbitron ratings for Detroit were released today. Adult Contemporary WNIC continued as Detroit's #1 station for listeners age 12 and over with Urban WJLB second, All-News WWJ third, News/Talk WJR fourth, and Oldies WOMC fifth. Stations with notable changes since the fall include Urban WDTJ up to 3.7 from 3.1; Urban Oldies WGRV down to 2.0 from 3.1, and All-Sports WDFN down to 1.3 from 1.8.

* Mt. Pleasant's WCEN-FM returned to the air at reduced power today- full repairs are expected by the end of the week.

* Moving from morning show producer at WLHT-FM Grand Rapids to mornings at Muskegon's WSHZ-FM is John Roberts- All Access

* New program director at WWDX-FM 92.1 Lansing is Jeff Welling

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary assignment of licenses from Hanson Communications to Liggett Communications for WBTI-FM 96.9 Lexington, WPHM-AM 1380 Pt. Huron, and WHYT-AM 1590 Marine City

April 24:

* Sister stations WMPL-FM and WMPL-AM in Hancock now have a live stream of their programming available.

* FCC Actions: Granted the voluntary assignment of licenses from Wismer Broadcasting to Liggett Communications for WSAQ-FM 107.1 and WHLS 1450 Pt. Huron; Granted WWTV-TV 9 Cadillac/Traverse City its construction permit for digital facilities on channel 40

April 22:

* The problem causing Mt. Pleasant's WCEN-FM to be off the air since the early morning of Friday 4/21 is severe lightning damage to the transmission line. New parts--a new transmission line and possibly a new antenna--must be ordered, shipped and installed, and WCEN-FM is expected to remain silent through the weekend.

* Kam Carman will be co-hosting WJBK-TV 2 Detroit's morning show while Lucy Noland is out on maternity leave. Noland has been ordered to rest by her doctor.

April 21:

* WFAT has repositioned itself towards a more mainstream Adult Contemporary sound, moving away from Hot AC. Ace Armstrong signed off from the morning show for the last time after today's show- he'll remain with the station as a part-timer and web designer- All Access

* Off the air for much of today was Mt. Pleasant's WCEN-FM 94.5 due to transmission line problems.

* FCC Action: Granted WNEM-TV 5 Bay City its construction permit for digital facilities on channel 22

April 20:

* Nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame is WOMC 104.3 Detroit jock Dick Purtan. Purtan's Detroit resume includes WOMC, WKQI/WCZY, CKLW, WXYZ, and WKNR.

* Correction- Scott Seipel remains on the job as program director and morning co-host at Flint's WWCK-FM 105.5 instead of heading to South Carolina- All Access

* WWJ-AM 950 Detroit has named Pam Woodley as its news director- R&R Online

* In as producer of the morning show on WCSX-FM 94.7 Detroit is Jeff Williams, replacing Mark Blackwell- Detroit Free Press

* WKAR-TV 23 E. Lansing has applied for its digital facilities on channel 55

April 18:

* TV Notes from Detroit: Longtime anchor Bill Bonds is no longer doing commentary for WXYZ-TV 7- you might have seen Bonds doing ads for Garder-White Furniture in the past week; Returning to WXYZ effective today will be former anchor Frank Turner- he'll be doing weekend anchor duties alongside Carolyn Clifford as well as street reporting during the week. Turner left the station two years ago after personal problems became public. He's spent time hosting radio programs on WXYT-AM 1270 while off TV; Reporter Suzanne Wangler left WDIV-TV 4 about 2 weeks ago; WJBK-TV 2 main sports guy Dan Miller is off in Europe for the next couple of weeks doing play-by-play for the Fox network's NFL Europe telecasts- Detroit Free Press, Detroit News

April 17:

* Michigan's first high school station to broadcast its radio station signal (in stereo!) over the Internet is Bloomfield Hills' (metro Detroit) WBFH-FM 88.1.

* Agri-Valley Communications, owner of the currently silent WSTD-FM 96.9 in Standish, has reached an agreement to donate the station to Central Michigan University. The station will become part of CMU's public radio network once FCC approval is approved- expected sometime during the summer. CMU Public Radio expects to have the station back on the air by November- Central Michigan Life

* FCC Action: Granted WLLA-TV 64 Kalamazoo a construction permit to increase effective radiated power to 5,000,000 watts (from 1,450,000), increase height above average terrain to 331 meters (from 305)

April 15:

* Off the air for several hours today was WDMK-FM 102.7 Mt. Clemens/Detroit. The station is in the process of upgrading its antenna system and needed to take the station off the air while changes were being made. The station will be operating at reduced power until the FCC approves the station's license with the new antenna data.

* Another new station adds webcasting- WKQS-FM 101.9 Negaunee/Marquette

* Call sign for new station to be at 107.9 in Charlevoix is WCZW

April 14:

* The latest Michigan radio station to add a live webcasting feature is Bay City's WKNX 1250.

* A couple news director appointments in Detroit: At WKRK-FM 97.1 Rik Jagger (ex of WHYT/WPLT 96.3) gets the gig; Moving from Michigan Radio (WUOM/WFUM-FM/WVGR) to WDET-FM 101.9 is Joan Silvi- Oakland Press

* New program director at WAOR-FM 95.3 Niles/South Bend is John Vance- All Access

* Sale price of WCFX 95.3 Clare/Mt. Pleasant was $1.1 million (from Mackin Broadcasting to Goldsen Broadcasting)- Broadcasting & Cable

* The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that would prevent the FCC from rolling out the Low Power FM plan that was announced late last year. The legislation would dramatically limit the number of new LFPMs by keeping in place the '3rd adjacent rule'- something the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio insist is necessary to prevent interference to existing stations. While the bill passed the House easily, it fell short of securing a 2/3 majority- necessary should President Clinton veto the bill if and when it is approved by the Senate. The White House has stated it is favor of the original FCC plan.

April 13:

* Gone from AM 1470 WFNT Flint as of 2:00pm today is its News/Talk format in favor of satellite fed Adult Standards. The service is ABC Radio's Stardust. Gone from the airwaves of Flint (save for coverage from out-of-town stations) are Rush Limbaugh, G. Gordon Liddy, and Dr. Joy Browne, among others.

* Central Michigan University Television has applied for its digital facilities: WCMU Mt. Pleasant on channel 56, WCML Alpena on channel 57, WCMW Manistee on channel 17, and WCMV Cadillac on channel 58

April 12:

* On the air since March 1st is WMXG 106.3 Stephenson (Menominee/Escanaba). The Hot Adult Contemporary station is IDing as 'Mix 106'

* FCC Actions: Approved the voluntary assignment of licenses from Michigan Media to Citadel Broadcasting for the following stations: WBBL-AM 1340 and WLAV-FM 96.9 Grand Rapids, WKLQ-FM 94.5 Holland, and WODJ-FM 107.3 Greenville.

April 8:

* A couple of firsts on Tuesday the 11th: The Detroit Tigers will play their first ever game in Comerica Park, and for the first time a local Detroit over-the-air station will not be carrying the game. In order to check out both the opening ceremonies and the game, you'll need to have access to Fox Sports Net Detroit via your cable or satellite company- Detroit News

April 7:

* Only one change in the latest 12+ ratings trend for Lansing: Nostalgia WILS moved from 7th to 6th place with a rating of 5.4, up from last month's 4.0. The top 5 stations in Lansing remain WITL, WHZZ, WJIM-FM, WFMK, and WMMQ.

* Music director/assistant program director Tom VanderVeld has left WQKZ 93.3 Midland; Gary Lange plans to retire this spring/summer from his sports duties at WKZO 590 Kalamazoo after 27 years with the station; Changes in WKZO's news department: Ellen Wingertzan is leaving for Milwaukee and on May 1 Cathleen Orr will join the staff; WKFR 103.3 Battle Creek night jock Nick Taylor has added the role of music director- All Access

April 6:

* Classic Rock WLAV and Country WBCT continued as the #1 and #2 stations in the Dec-Feb 12+ Arbitrend report released today for Grand Rapids. Contemporary Hits WSNX moved up to third overall, improving its number from 6.1 to 7.0. Also improving was Alternative Rock WGRD which landed 4th this month. The increases at WSNX and WGRD moved the WOOD-FM/AM combo down to 5th and 6th place, followed by WVTI, WKLQ, WLHT, and WTRV.

* Call sign changes: WGKI 33 Cadillac is now WFQX; WGKU 45 Vanderbilt (Gaylord) is now WFVX.

April 5:

* The latest trend numbers were released today for the Tri-Cities. The results for listeners age 12 and up for Dec-Feb show that News/Talk WSGW had a good month, moving into the number 1 position. Country WKCQ moved into a second place tie with Oldies WHNN, with WKQZ and WIOG rounding out the top 5. The gap between Contemporary Hits rivals WIOG and WTCF widened a bit in this trend with WIOG increasing its lead to 1.4 points, up from .2 in the Nov-Jan trend.

* New program director and afternoon host at WZUU 92.3 Allegan/Kalamazoo is Mike Tinnes- All Access

* Over $95 million dollars was raised during 1999 as public service to local communities and charities by television and radio stations across the state according the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

* FCC Actions: Granted WADL-TV 38 Mt. Clemens its construction permit for digital facilites on channel 39; Granted WGTU-TV 29 Traverse City a minor change to its licensed facility (construction permit to increase ERP from 1000 to 1170kW, HAAT increase from 396 to 398 meters).

April 4:

* WLHT-FM 95.7 Grand Rapids has added the syndicated Delilah program evenings (7pm - 1am)

* Program director Dan Mason of WFAT-FM 96.5 Kalamazoo has left the station. PJ Lacey, PD at sister station WNWN-FM 98.5 takes over the same duties at WFAT. Tony Travatto continues his on-air, music director, and assistant program duties- All Access

April 3:

* WNIL-AM 1290 Niles switched from Oldies to Middle-of-the-Road today

* New afternoon (3-6pm) program on WOOD-AM 1300 Grand Rapids is the 'Neal Dionne Show'. Dionne will continue on with his morning show co-hosting duties on sister station WBCT-FM 93.7 (B-93) for now.

April 2:

* A few new additions to the list of Michigan webcasters: WMQT 107.7 Marquette, WUPX 91.5 Marquette, WNKW 1400 Sault Ste Marie

* Line-up changes in Kalamazoo effective Apr 3: Jim Rome adds WQSN 1660 as an affiliate from noon-3pm; Marci Persky takes the morning slot (6-10am) away from the syndicated Don Imus on WKMI 1360

March 31:

* When heritage Country station W4 (WWWW) in Detroit flipped format to Rockin' Hits last September, one of the more frequent questions heard was 'What about the Downtown Hoedown?'. Predictably, the show will go on in 2000 during the weekend of May 19-21. The radio sponsor? Young Country WYCD 99.5, which today is announcing the scheduled performers by having them call in to the station throughout the day. The Hoedown is one of the largest free concerts in the USA.

* FCC Actions: Granted a construction permit for a new FM station at 107.9 in Charlevoix. The station will be owned by Midwestern Broadcasting, which also owns 9 other stations in Northern Michigan.

March 30:

* The simulcast of sister station WVHQ-FM 92.1 has ended for Dowagiac's WDOW 1440. The station is now News/Talk, after being Country for many years before dumping that format in favor of the FM simulcast earlier this month.

* WCFX 95.3 Clare/Mt. Pleasant has been sold from Mackin-Hults Broadcasting to Goldsen Broadcasting for an undisclosed amount. Goldsen, owned by Bruce and Sue Goldsen, is the majority owner of Jackson Radio Works, which consists of Jackson stations WKHM-FM/AM and WIBM-AM. The new owners have no immediate plans for changes to either on-air staff or programming. FCC approval is expected in June.

* Nancy McCauley of WJBK-TV 2 Detroit has resigned from the station after 25 years- Detroit News

* New to nights at WKQI 95.5 Detroit will be 'Booker' (Tim Stevens) who will arrive from Utah- All Access

March 29:

* The FCC announced dates for the 5 day open windows for filing applications for Low Power FM dates. Michigan is part of a group of states that will have its window in late August of this year- All Access

March 27:

* The Winter phase II 12+ Arbitrend report was released today for Detroit. WNIC continues at #1, followed by WJLB which moves up to 2nd, with WWJ, WJR, and WOMC rounding out the top 5. WRIF moves up to 6th overall, bumping WYCD down to 7th. WDRQ, WVMV, and WCSX round out the top 10 this time around.

* Today was WJLB's turn for a free gas givaway- the first 98 listeners to a station in Detroit were able fill up this evening courtesy of the station.

* Joining the Deminski and Doyle afternoon show on WKRK-FM 97.1 Detroit as executive producer is Bill Tortoriello. Bill moves from New Jersey 101.5, where the duo's show aired before the move to Detroit- All Access

March 25:

* WZUU 92.3 Kalamazoo has affiliated with BroadcastMusic.com and is now available on the web. Visit the station's home page to listen.

* Detroit's WDRQ 93.1 joined the latest radio station trend- giving away free gasoline. The first 93 visitors to a South Lyon radio station yesterday evening were rewared with 10 free gallons of gas- the next 93 were able to buy gas at 93 cents/gallon.

March 24:

* Sale prices for two recent Port Huron area radio transactions: WSAQ/WHLS sold for $3.2 million, WBTI/WPHM/WHYT sold for $2.24 million. Liggett Communications was the purchaser of all 5 stations- WSAQ/WHLS were sold by Wismer Broadcasting, WBTI/WPHM/WHYT were sold by Hanson Communications- Broadcasting & Cable

* Chad Mitchell will be joining the 'Mojo in the Morning' show on Detroit's WKQI 95.5- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted Superior Communications a construction permit for a translator of WLGH Lansing on 89.1 FM (W206BD) in Hart Township (near Hart in Oceana county)

March 23:

* WDOW-AM 1440 Dowagiac has dropped country programming in favor of a simulcast with sister station WVHQ-FM 92.1. The format is Adult Contemporary- DX-midAMerica

* Former WKFR program director Dave Michaels will be doing weekend on-air shifts at Detroit's WDRQ 93.1 as he continues to search for a new programming opportunity- All Access

March 22:

* Your favorite all-time Detroit area radio station? According to the lastest Michigan Broadcast Guide poll, Oldies WHND over rocker WABX and The Big 8 CKLW. Although none of these stations exist in the form that made them famous, the impact these stations had on Detroit is still felt today.

March 21:

* WQXC 100.9 Kalamazoo has affiliated with BroadcastMusic.com and is now available on the web. Visit the station's home page to listen.

March 20:

* After stunting with David Bowie's Changes playing with teases of the station making 'changes' between replays of the song, Saginaw's WTCF didn't switch formats after all. The station remains 'Pirate Radio', rhythmic CHR.

* WIOG-FM 102.5 Bay City was also heard stunting this morning- they were playing The Bare Naked Ladies' If I Had a Million Dollars repeatedly before announcing a promotion to possibly give away $1 million dollars. New morning team at the station as of today is Man @ Large (who moves from evenings) and Andie Lynne (ex of WKCQ and WWWW). Demas moves from WTCF over to WIOG for nights.

* Free Gasoline! Detroit's WGRV-FM (The Groove) gave away free gas to the first 105 listeners to show up at a gas station in Southfield this afternoon- causing traffic headaches for the busy afternoon commute in the area.

* FCC Actions: Granted voluntary assignment of licenses from Connoisseur Communications to Cumulus Broadcasting for the following stations: WDZZ-FM 92.7, WFDF-AM 910, and WWCK-FM/AM 105.5/1570 Flint; WSHZ-FM 107.9, WMUS-FM/AM 106.9/1090, and WMHG-AM 1600 Muskegon, WMRR-FM 101.7 Muskegon Heights, WRSR-FM 103.9 Owosso, WTLZ-FM 107.1 Saginaw

March 19:

* Saginaw's WTCF 100.5 (was ID'ing as The Pirate Station) started stunting over the weekend, playing audio from Star Wars films. At 10:00pm, The Empire Strikes Back was being played. The station's website promises changes at 6:15am tomorrow.

March 17:

* Exiting Detroit's WPLT 96.3 for Seattle effective next Friday is program director Garett Michaels- All Access

* Classic Rock WLAV and Country WBCT continue to be the #1 and #2 stations in the latest 12+ ratings released for Grand Rapids. Moving into a 3rd place tie were WOOD-FM, WOOD-AM, and WSNX. Falling to 6th was WGRD, down to 7th overall was WKLQ. WLHT, WVTI, and WJKQ hold down spots 8-10, with Classical WFGR moving up to 11th spot overall.

In Lansing, Country WITL returned to #1 after falling to second in the Fall book, followed by Top 40 WHZZ, Oldies WJIM-FM, and Classic Rock WMMQ.

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary assignment of license for WZPX-TV 43 Battle Creek from DP Media to Paxson Communications

March 16:

* Liggett Communications is acquiring 3 more Pt. Huron stations, this time from Hanson Communications. Applications were filed with the FCC to transfer the licenses of WBTI-FM 96.9 Lexington, WPHM-AM 1380 Pt. Huron, and WHYT-AM 1590 Marine City from Hanson to Liggett bringing Liggett's station ownership total in Port Huron to 5. In February it was announced that Liggett would be acquiring WSAQ-FM 107.1 and WHLS-AM 1450 from the estate of the late John Wismer. Both Pt. Huron deals come on the heels of a larger transaction that transferred all of Liggett's previous stations in Lansing, Flint, and the Tri-Cities to Citadel Communications.

* Former WDRQ-FM 93.1 Detroit part-timer Beau Derek moves to South Bend for afternoons and the role of music director at WNDV-FM 92.9- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted construction permit for a new FM translator owned by Great Lakes Community Broadcasting- W207BL 89.3 Pinnebog (N of Bad Axe- translator of WAAQ Mackinaw City)

March 15:

* New midday host at WHZZ 101.7 Lansing is Paul Morgan- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted WHTV its application for digital facilities on channel 34

March 14:

* The shakeout involving the AMFM station group in Grand Rapids is now clarified. Regent Communications will be acquiring WTRV-FM 100.5, WGRD-FM 97.9, and WLHT-FM 95.7 in a deal with Clear Channel that involves the swapping of 11 current Regent-owned stations in smaller markets plus $67 million for the Grand Rapids group plus 5 other AMFM stations in Albany, NY. Currently, Regent Communications owns 3 other stations in Michigan- WCRZ-FM 107.9 and WFNT-AM 1470 Flint, WWBN-FM 101.5 Tuscola.

* WHFM AM 1060 Benton Harbor has switched format from CNN Headline News to Talk- Radio/DX Wisconsin

* FCC Actions: Granted construction permits for 2 new FM translators owned by Great Lakes Community Broadcasting- W205BQ 88.9 Brevort (NW of St. Ignace- translator of WAAQ Mackinaw City) and W214BH 90.7 Mt. Pleasant (translator of WAPC Terre Haute, IN)

March 13:

* WKFR-FM 103.3 Battle Creek program director Dave Michaels has left the station. Woody Houston moves up to that position from music director/assistant program director- All Access

* Pirate station operating from downtown Pontiac on 106.3 FM as 'Christian Musical Radio' has had its $5000 Notice of Forfeiture reaffirmed by the FCC.

* Call sign assignment: New TV channel 10 in Ishpeming has been assigned the call sign WBUP

March 11:

* Taking over the 9am-2pm shift at WWWW-FM 106.7 (Alice) Detroit is Carey Carlson who moves from weekends at WCSX-FM 94.7 Detroit- Detroit News

* Nov-Jan 12+ Arbitrends for Toledo have been posted. WKKO, WVKS, and WRVF continue to hold down positions 1-2-3.

March 10:

* More stations add webcasting: Country WIHC-FM 97.9 Newberry and Hot AC WQBX-FM 104.9 Alma.

* WDIV-TV 4 Detroit reporter Bob Bennett is retiring from the station this summer. Bennett will have been at the station for 32 years- Detroit News

* Named as news director at WXYZ-TV 7 Detroit is 22-year station veteran Al Upchurch.

March 9:

* Music Director changes at both Detroit Top-40 stations: In at WDRQ 93.1 is Keith Curry replacing Jay Towers who keeps his assistant program director title along with morning gig; Dana Lundon has resigned at WKQI 95.5- All Access

March 8:

* Big Rapids FM/AM combo WBRN 100.9/1460 has added live webcasts to its website. The stations have affiliated with broadcastmusic.com.

* Latest poll results: Michigan Radio (WUOM Ann Arbor / WVGR Grand Rapids / WFUM-FM Flint) was voted as the station with the best web site in the state by a wide margin over Grand Rapids' WBCT and Detroit's WRIF.

March 7:

* Nov-Jan (Winter Phase I) 12+ Arbitrend ratings for Detroit were released yesterday. Adult Contemporary WNIC-FM continued its run as #1, increasing is rating from 7.2 to 7.9. All-News WWJ remained second, followed by WJLB which moved into 3rd, up from 5th place in the Fall ratings. WJR, WOMC, WYCD, WVMV, WDRQ, WRIF, and WCSX round out the top 10 stations. Other noteables: Urban Oldies WGRV fell from a 3.1 rating in the Fall to 2.3, FM-Talker WKRK improved slightly, and Full Service WYUR failed to make the book.

* A few on-air changes at Detroit's WWWW (Alice 106.7)- Steve Black (ex of WWBR) moves to afternoon drive and Scott Adams shifts to evenings- All Access

March 6:

* Today's announcement that Clear Channel has reached deals to spin off 72 stations does not include any of the properties owned by either Clear Channel or AMFM in Grand Rapids- CBS MarketWatch

* WEYI-TV 25 Saginaw will launch a new morning news program on Monday March 13th. The 30 minute program will air at 6:30am and be anchored by Kathy Hoekstra. Weather will be handled by Brian James who is relatively new to the station, having arrived from WGKI/WGKU (Fox 33/45) in Northern Michigan- Flint Journal

* Menominee's WHYB 103.7 (Cat Country) has added a live feed to their web site.

* Heard on Ann Arbor's WQKL-FM 107.1 over the past weekend was former CIDR 93.9 and WCSX 94.7 jock Jeff 'Zippy' Crowe

* FCC Action: Granted voluntary assignment of license from Liggett Broadcast to Citadel Communications for WFMK-FM 99.1 E. Lansing

March 5:

* Petoskey's new 750 AM (WWKK) should be on the air in April with an Oldies format from Westwood One- DX-midAMerica

March 4:

* Tomorrow Detroit's WKBD-TV 50 will air the Michigan Humane Society's Petelethon from 2:30-5:00pm. Hosting the event will be WJR 760 newsman Michael Barr.

March 3:

* February sweeps results for Detroit's TV stations are in: Channel 7 wins the 5 and 6pm newscast battle, with WDIV capturing 11pm. WJBK continued its winning streak at 10pm over WKBD- Detroit Free Press, Detroit News

* Detroit's WDFN-AM 1130 (The Fan) will be the new radio home for Michigan State University football and basketball play-by-play coverage effective with this fall's football season.

* Leaving WWWW 106.7 (Alice 106.7) Detroit for more responsibilities at AMFM sister station WKQI 95.5 (Q95-5) is midday host/webdesigner Joe Stevens. Stevens has already been working for WKQI parttime- All Access

* New chief meteorologist at Lansing's WLNS-TV 6 will be Pat Michaels, replacing the departed Andy Provenzano- Orlando Sentinel

* Ex WKQI-FM Detroit morning man Steve Cochran is returning to his native Chicago for middays on WGN-AM.

* WDCP-TV 35 Bad Axe has applied for its digital facilities on channel 15

March 2:

* Congratulations to all the Michigan Association of Broadcasters 2000 Station of the Year Winners:
Market 1 Television: WJBK-TV 2 Detroit
Market 2 Television: WWMT-TV 3 Kalamazoo
Market 3 Television: WWTV/WWUP-TV 9/10 Cadillac-Traverse City-Sault Ste. Marie
Public Broadcasting: Michigan Radio (WOUM-FM 91.7 Ann Arbor, WVGR-FM 104.1 Gd. Rapids, WFUM-FM 91.1 Flint)
Market 1 Radio: WJR-AM 760 Detroit
Market 2 Radio: WOOD-AM 1300 Grand Rapids
Market 3 Radio: WHMI-FM 93.5 Howell

* WDCQ-TV 19 Bay City (University Center) has applied for its digital facilities on channel 18

March 1:

* Detroit media icon Dick Osgood passed away yesterday following a massive stroke that occured about a week ago. Mr. Osgood was the first person to appear on WXYZ-TV channel 7 when it hit the air in 1948 and also worked for many years at WXYZ radio (1270 AM). Dick Osgood was 98 years old- The Oakland Press

* Affiliation swap: Upper Peninsula LPTV station WUPT 49 Crystal Falls has changed its network affiliation from the Outdoor Channel to the American Independent Network (AIN), effective today. The Outdoor Channel declined to renew the station's contract resulting in the change. WUPT-LP can also be viewed on channel 9 in Republic (near Ishpeming- W09AJ).

February 29:

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary transfer of license from Rainbow Radio (Liggett Broadcasting) to Citadel Communications for WFBE 95.1 Flint

February 28:

* The last of the Fall Arbitrend 12+ ratings have been released for the final two rated markets in Michigan. In Muskegon, the top 4 stations maintained their postions: WMUS-FM/AM, WSNX, WMRR, and WKLQ. WLCS moved into 5th, flip flopping positions with 6th place WSHZ.

The #1 station in Northwest Michigan continued to be the WTCM-FM/WBCM combination, followed by WKLT/WKLZ, WKPK, WTCM-AM, and WCCW.

* Escanaba's WDBC 680 has dropped much of its Oldies programming and moved toward all Talk. New shows include The Fabulous Sports Babe and Mitch Albom.

February 26:

* Noted back on the air yesterday is Detroit low power TV station WDWO on channel 18. The station was forced off channel 44 when WWJ-TV started its digital broadcasts on that channel in July 1999. The station returned to the air with new owner Tri-State Christian TV (TCT) and programming from the TCT network, which includes WAQP-TV 49 Saginaw and WTLJ-TV 54 Muskegon. The previous owner of WDWO was the Detroit World Outreach Church.

February 25:

* Congratulations to WOMC Detroit's Dick Purtan and Purtan's People for another successful radiothon for the Salvation Army's Bed & Bread Club. The donation tally at the close of the 1 day event was $726,624, another new record for a one-day radiothon.

* New program director at Grand Rapids' WGRD is Dan Clark, who is promoted from creative services director/assistant program director. Dan replaces Tony Williams who has left the station; Margo Smith (former PD at WGRD) lands at Kalamazoo's WRKR as that station's new PD, replacing Ray Bauer; New music director at WTCF 100.5 Saginaw is Mason, who also moves into the evening shift- All Access

* FCC Actions: Rejected WXMI-TV 17 Grand Rapids' application to increase ERP to 5,000,000 watts; Flagged the sale of WLAV, WKLQ, WBBL, and WODJ from Michigan Media to Citadel Communications in order to further study the concentration of ownership in the Grand Rapids radio market; Granted WLAJ-TV 53 Lansing its license to cover for changes (decrease in ERP from 1660 to 1410kW with a polarization change from elliptical to circular).

February 24:

* Congratulations to John Mason, morning man at Detroit's WJLB 97.9, on winning the Gavin 2000 Urban Air Personality award.

* Lance Panton, music director/assistant program director at WDTJ 105.9 Detroit, is leaving the station to head for sister station WENZ Cleveland as their program director- All Access

* WGVK 52 Kalamazoo has applied for its digital facilities on channel 5

* FCC Actions: Granted WKBD 50 Detroit a construction permit for its digital facilities on channel 14; Granted the voluntary assignment of license from Hartman Broadcasting to 1090 Investments for WOAP 1080 Owosso

February 23:

* Congratulations to WTCM-FM Traverse City jock Ryan Dobry-Hunt on winning the Country G2 'Golden Ear of the Year' award from Gavin 2000; Bob Hite, former network announcer on WXYZ-AM Detroit for The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet, passed away at the age of 86- All Access

* Your selection for best TV station website in Michigan? WXYZ Detroit was the #1 choice over WDIV Detroit and WNEM Bay City in a poll that concluded yesterday

* FCC Actions: Granted voluntary assignment of licenses from Liggett Broadcast to Citadel Communications for the following stations- WJIM-AM/FM 1240/97.5, WITL-FM 100.7 Lansing, WVFN 730, WMMQ 94.9 E. Lansing, WHNN 96.1 Bay City, and WTCF 100.5 Carrollton; Granted involuntary transfer of control from Peter A. Bordes (deceased) to Estate of Peter A. Bordes, executors Lee Bordes and John M. Bordes for Greater Media stations WCSX 94.7 Detroit, WRIF 101.1 Detroit, and WGRV-FM 105.1 Detroit; Granted Rejoice Broadcasting a frequency change from 91.9 to 91.7 for its construction permit for a translator of WPCS in Midland.

February 22:

* Two new Abritron Fall books are out: In Kalamazoo, Contemporary Hits WKFR remained at #1, followed by Rock WRKR. Moving into third overall was Adult Contemporary WQLR, with WBCT, WKZO, WFAT, WNWN-FM, WQXC, WOOD-FM, and WKMI rounding out the top 10 stations.

Country WNWN-FM continued at #1 in Battle Creek, with WKFR staying second. WBCK and WBXX improved to 3rd and 4th position, with WJXQ rounding out the top 5 stations in the Cereal City.

* Taking over management Detroit's WQBH 1400 will be the daughter of the late Martha Jean 'The Queen' Steinberg. As stipulated in Ms. Steinberg's estate, ownership of the station will shift to her three daughters who will own common stock voting shares along with the Order of the Fisherman Ministry which will hold non-voting preferred stock. There are no plans to sell WQBH. Daughter Trienere Steinberg will take over the role of general manager- the station's current format of gospel, blues, talk, and preaching will remain in place. Martha Jean Steinberg passed away on January 29th- Detroit News

* Traverse City's WTCM-FM (simulcast on WBCM-FM Boyne City) has added live webcasting capabilities to its web site.

* Dave B. Goode has lost the interim title and is now the full time music director at Lansing's WHZZ 101.7- All Access

February 21:

* Debut day on Detroit's WKQI 95.5 as the station updates its CHR playlist to include a heavier focus on modern rock artists such as Pearl Jam, Third Eye Blind, Green Day, Filter, and more. The on-air lineup will be all new, starting off with today's debut of the 'Mojo in the Morning Show' (Tom 'Mojo' Carbello, with Spike and Sara, and Eric Harthen), Nikki middays, and J. Love will hold down afternoon drive. The station is now referring to itself as the 'New Q95.5' and has updated its website. Former afternooner Jo Jo Kincaid hosted his last show on Friday.

February 18:

* 2 new Arbitron 12+ rating reports for Michigan were released today- both feature a new station in the #1 spot overall. In Grand Rapids, Classic Rocker WLAV moved back into #1, bumping Country WBCT down to 2nd. Alternative WGRD moved to 3rd, followed by WKLQ, WOOD-AM, WOOD-FM, and WSNX. Nostalgia WMJH had one of its best ratings periods in recent history, coming in at 10th overall with a 3.7 rating, up from 2.5 in the summer.

Contemporary Hits WHZZ has knocked Country WITL off its #1 perch in Lansing by claiming the top spot overall. WITL landed second, followed by WJIM-FM and WFMK which tied for 3rd.

* Monday's new morning show on WKQI 95.5 Detroit will feature newcomer Tom 'Mojo' Carbello along with former WXDG 105.1 'The Edge' morning duo Spike and Sara and impressionist Eric Harthen. The show will be produced by Barb Adragna- Detroit Free Press

February 17:

* Detroit's WYCD 99.5 helped raise $950,000 for St. Jude Children Research Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday. Congratulations to all that participated.

February 16:

* Longtime Detroit radio vet Kevin O'Neill, recently of WKQI 95.5, has landed at 'The Groove' WGRV-FM 105.1 Detroit for weekend and fill-in duties.

* Lineup changes at WWDX 92.1 Lansing: Jeff Welling (APD/MD) moves from nights to afternoon drive and Chris Brunt moves from afternoons to middays- All Access

February 15:

* Lake Superior State University's student station WLSO 90.1 in Sault Ste. Marie has added live streaming to their web site.

* WDFN 1130 and WWWW 106.7 Detroit marketing director Cheryl Sparks has left the stations for work in Baltimore; The role of music director at WWCK 105.5 Flint has moved from Nathan Reed to program director Scott Seipel. Reed remains with the station in his on-air role- All Access

February 14:

* Coming soon to Detroit's WKQI 95.5 for middays is Nikki, who'll by moving to Detroit from Lansing's WWDX 92.1. Current middayer Lisa Taylor is cyberjocking from New York- All Access

February 11:

* Do you think that 30 years is a long time to spend at one radio station? Maybe 40? How about 50?!? Bob Dyer of Bay City's WKNX 1250 will mark his 50th anniversary with the station in June- he holds the record in Michigan for longevity at the same radio station. For 19 years of his 50 year career he worked both at both WKNX-TV (now WEYI) and WKNX. Congratulations Bob!

* WKQI 95.5 news and public affairs director Teresa Tomeo will leave the station Feb 18 as the station brings in a new morning show on Monday the 21st- The Oakland Press

February 10:

* Another Fall rating book is in with the release of the 12+ numbers from Flint. CHR WWCK takes over the #1 spot from WDZZ 92.7 which falls to second overall. WCRZ, WFBE, and WHNN match their Spring rankings, holding down spots 3, 4, and 5. WWBN improved to 6th place from 8th with a 4.9 rating, up from 3.3.

* Citadel and BroadcastAmerica.com have reached a deal that will bring 5 Tri-cities stations into the world of on-line streaming. WSGW 790, WIOG 102.5, WKQZ 93.3, WGER 106.3, and the WILZ 104.5 / WYLZ 100.9 combo will have live streams available via BroadcastMusic.com sometime during March as part of a pilot program between Citadel and BroadcastAmerica.com- Business Wire

* The Port Huron Times Herald reported yesterday that WSAQ 107.1 and WHLS 1450 have been sold to Liggett Broadcasting. WSAQ/WHLS are currently owned by the estate of John Wismer, who passed away in September 1999. This sale is not part of the Liggett-Citadel deal involving 9 stations in Lansing, Flint, and the Tri-Cities.

* New assistant program director and music director at Lansing's WWDX 92.1 'The Edge' is Jeff Welling

* The Detroit Tigers and WJR have agreed on a on contract extension with Ernie Harwell that will keep him in the radio booth through the 2001 season. Joining Harwell and color analyst Jim Price this year will be WJR's Dan Dickerson who will handle play-by-play duties for innings 4, 5, and 6- Detroit Free Press

February 9:

* The Fall Arbitron 12+ ratings for the Tri-Cities and Ann Arbor have been released. In the Tri-Cities, Oldies WHNN held on to its trends by grabbing the #1 spot overall over #2 WSGW, #3 WKQZ, #4 WKCQ, and #5 WIOG. Some of the upward movers since the summer along with WHNN included WSGW (5th to 2nd), WTLZ (up to 5.8 from 5.0), and WSAM (up to 4.3 from 3.7). Stations losing sizable shares included WKQZ, WKCQ, and WIOG. The classic rock battle between WEEG and WILZ/WYLZ finds the 'Wheelz' combo slightly ahead.

The Ann Arbor ratings find AC Gold WQKL surging back to second place overall behind Detroit's WJR with a 5.6 rating, improved from a 2.9 in the Spring. Ratings for other Washtenaw county stations were WAAM in a tie for 11th with a 2.5 rating, WIQB at 13th with a 2.2, and WTKA in a tie for 19th with a 1.6 rating.

* New music director and nighttime host at WKQI 95.5 Detroit will be J. Love. Jo Jo Kincaid will be leaving WKQI at the end of February to work on his cyberjock business out of his home- All Access

* WLNS 6 Lansing meteorologist Andy Provenzano has resigned from the station to take a position at Mid-Michigan rival station WILX 10. It could be until July before Provenzano appears on the air for WILX due to a contract dispute with WLNS. Provenzano was previously with WILX from 1986-89 before moving to WLNS- Jackson Citizen-Patroit
* Legendary WGN Chicago host Bob Collins was killed yesterday in a plane crash.

February 8:

* A couple Upper Peninsula format changes: Munising's WHCH 98.3 has switched from Country to Oldies as 'Oldies 98' using ABC Radio's Pure Gold satellite service. Marquette's WFXD 103.3 has switched from Oldies to Country as 'B-103'. Both WHCH and WFXD are owned by Great Lakes Radio.

* New TV station coming to Marquette: On February 4th, the FCC granted Scanlan Communications a satellite exception to the duopoly rule so that it may operate 2 stations in what is considered the Marquette TV market. The Commission then granted Scanlan a construction permit for a new station on channel 10 in Ishpeming. Scanlan will operate WBKP-TV 5 and the new channel 10 in the same manner as other Northern Michigan satellite stations (such as WGTQ/WGTU, WWTV/WWUP, WPBN/WTOM). The location of the new channel 10's tower near Ishpeming will be far enough away from Sault Ste. Marie's WWUP-TV to allow both stations to be full power, non-directional. TV 10 will replace a low powered translator on channel 28 in Marquette, and will be an ABC affiliate.

February 5:

* Longtime Detroit Lions and MSU Spartans broadcaster Bob Reynolds passed away on Friday 2/4 at the age of 85 from congestive heart disease and cancer. Reynolds was sports director at Detroit's WJR 760 from 1952-77, and retired from Lions broadcasts in 1983.

* New weekend reporter at WDIV 4 Detroit is Art Edwards who replaces Rick Edlund- Detroit Free Press

February 4:

* FCC Action: Granted license to cover for W214AY 90.7 Grand Rapids for a new translator

February 3:

* The Arbitron Fall 1999 12+ ratings report for Detroit was released today. WNIC continued to be the #1 station in Detroit, followed by WWJ which improved from 4th in the Summer. The third most popular station was WJR, followed by WOMC and then WJLB which has fallen to 5th from a first-place tie in the Summer ratings. WYCD pulls in at 6th place, followed by WVMV, WRIF, WDRQ, and WCSX. Stations that kicked off new formats for the Fall did not enjoy any dramatic ratings increases- WPLT moved from a 2.1 in the Summer to a 2.2, WWWW fell from 3.2 to 2.5, and WDMK remains under a 1 share. The Fall and Spring ratings are the most important books as far as advertisers are concerned- they are used to help set rate schedules for stations and station groups.

February 1:

* WJLB 97.9 Detroit's morning host John Mason will be featured on this Saturday's new BET show 'Live from L.A.'. The program airs at 10pm- Detroit Free Press

* FCC Action: Granted WDWB 20 Detroit a construction permit to move its antenna to WWJ-TV's tower on Meyers Road near 8 Mile. The CP is also for increased ERP from 1,000 to 1,510 kW and increased HAAT from 293 to 324 meters. The station will also switch from a non-directional to a directional pattern once it begins using the new facilities.

January 31:

* WIKB-FM/AM 99.1/1230 in Iron River/Crystal Falls has added a live stream to their home page. You'll need Real Player.

January 30:

* Martha Jean 'The Queen' Steinberg passed away on Saturday. The longtime Detroit broadcasting legend was the owner of WQBH 1400 and was influential on the Detroit radio scene for nearly 40 years, many of them at WJLB.

* Cassopolis' (Michiana area) WGTO 910 has added a live stream to its web site. To listen, you'll need Windows Media Player.

January 29:

* Back in Detroit at Sports talker WDFN 1130 is Damon Perry for weekend and fill-in duties. Perry, also known by his nickname 'The Dog', was the WDFN morning host in 1998 before moving on to a nationally syndicated program which has since ended.

January 27:

* Departing Detroit's WWWW 106.7 is program director Tom O'Brien, who leaves on a amicable basis. All Access reports that Alice's new PD will be Jay Nachlis, former PD of Alice in Buffalo NY; Former WWWW morning jock Jim Bosh is back in the area and is the new promotion/creative director at Howell's WHMI 93.5- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary transfer of license for W09AJ (LP TV channel 9) Republic Township from Republic Township to Western Upper Peninsula Television.

January 25:

* The 2000 Great Lakes Broadcasting Conference & EXPO has been set for February 28th - March 1st at the Lansing Center in Lansing. The GLBC attracts more than 1,000 broadcasters from throughout Michigan and the surrounding areas. The event features a free exhibit hall showcasing companies and suppliers in the broadcast industry and offers individual sessions for managers, engineers, radio programmers, sales, news, sports, and other broadcasters. The GLBC is Michigan's premier broadcasting event.

January 24:

* Citadel Communications, already in the process of aquiring the assets of Lansing-based Liggett Broadcasting, will announce today the acquisition of Bloomington Broadcasting. Bloomington is the owner of Grand Rapids based Michigan Media, license holder for WLAV 96.9, WKLQ 94.5, WBBL 1340, and recent addition WODJ 107.3. When all the deals have been completed, Citadel will most likely own 17 stations across Michigan. This most recent deal was worth $176 million and involves 20 stations across the country.

* Nominated for major market Personality of the Year from Country Radio Broadcasters Inc is WYCD 99.5 Detroit's midday host Erin Webber- Detroit Free Press

* Coming to overnights at WYUR 1310 Detroit effective January 31st is the syndicated Joey Reynolds who toiled in Detroit previously 2 different times.

* FCC Action: Granted WRKR 107.7 Kalamazoo a license to cover for a minor change to its height above average terrain

January 21:

* Bay City's WHNN 96.1 moved to new studios this morning on-air. After playing several different versions of Louie, Louie, the station kicked off operations from the new all-digital studios just after 9:00am with The Kingsmen's version of Louie, Louie which was accidentally restarted about halfway through the song. New request lines are (517) 298-WHNN from Saginaw/Bay City and (877) 479-WHNN from anywhere else in the state.

* FCC Action: Granted WNBY 93.7 Newberry a modification to its license to change Effective Radiated Power from 3,500 to 6,000 watts and Height Above Average Terrain from 80 to 77 meters.

January 20:

* The FCC voted today to approve a new low power FM (LPFM) service for the United States.

* Call sign change: WWON 1160 Fenton has been granted WCXI, effective 1/14/00. This is the second go-round with the WCXI call for Fenton's AM 1160.

January 19:

* Leaving the WCSX 94.7 Detroit morning show is Ed Kelly, who has been the voice impressionist for the past four years. According to the station, the parting is amicable- Detroit Free Press

* WGRD 97.9 Grand Rapids imaging director Dan Clark adds the role of assistant program director- All Access

* FCC Action: Granted WWJ 950 Detroit a construction permit to increase its daytime ERP from its current licensed 5,000 watts (with construction permit for 12,000 watts) to 50,000 watts.

January 18:

* Back on the air today from an 'extended vacation' is WRIF 101.1 Detroit afternoon host Arthur Penhallow after signing a new long term contract.

* The Michigan Radio stations (WUOM 91.7 Ann Arbor, WFUM 91.1 Flint, and WVGR 104.1 Grand Rapids) have added a live stream for most of the programming heard on the stations.

January 16:

* Interested in digital radio? the CHUM Ltd. group of Windsor stations (CKWW, CKLW, CIMX-89X, CIDR-The River) are now broadcasting via a new Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) transmitter. Currently the coverage in the USA seems to include most all of Wayne County and most of the Downriver area (along with Windsor in Ontario, of course). The stations have set up DAB receivers at their booth at the North American International Auto Show and are encouraging everyone to stop by and check it out. Some of the technical details: The frequency used by the CHUM stations is 1484.208 MHz and the power is 4.3 kW EIRP. Overall, the data stream is transmitting at a 1.5 megabit per second rate. In that stream are the two AM stations, at 128 kilobits per second (mono), and the two FMs, at 228 kb/s (stereo). There is plenty of bandwidth left over for auxiliary data services.

FYI, the currently proposed US system for digital radio is In-band, On-channel and will provide one stereo feed at 96 kb/s. Also of note is that The River is now running RDS- if your car radio is equipped with RDS it will display the artist and name of whatever song is currently playing. Watch for 89X to implement RDS soon.

Thanks to Dave Fazakas of the Engineering Department of CIMX, CIDR, CKWW, and CKLW for this info.

January 15:

* New to wakeups at WKQI 95.5 Detroit effective early February will be 'Mojo' (Tom Carbello) who comes from the same Tuscon, AZ station as new station program director Tim Richards; Rob Ryan moves from Mt. Pleasant's WCFX 95.3 to Kalamazoo's WFAT 96.5 for afternoons. John Carson leaves the WFAT afternoon shift for Wisconsin- All Access

January 14:

* Where's Poobah? Longtime WRIF Detroit afternoon jock Arther Penhallow has not yet been on the air in the year 2000. According to the Detroit Free Press, neither WRIF or Penhallow are commenting on the situation.

* FCC Action: Granted the voluntary transfer of construction permit from Great Lakes Broadcast Academy to Bible Music Ministries for WAAQ 88.5 Mackinaw City.

January 12:

* Catholic radio on the way to Flint? According to the FCC, a voluntary assignment of license from Hartman Broadcasting to 1090 Investments (the owners of Detroit's WCAR 1090) has been filed for WOAP 1080 Owosso. The station was purchased by William and Jessica Janego in 1998 from Connoisseur Communications. Current owner Bill Janego, reached by telephone, declined to make a public comment on the situation.

* WDIV 4 Detroit morning co-anchor Vickie Hamilton has left the station for a role as weekend anchor in Atlanta- Detroit Free Press

* FCC Actions: Transfered the control of WHLS 1450 and WSAQ 107.1 Port Huron from the deceased John F. Wismer to Douglas R. Austin and Frank O. Staiger, successor Trustees.

January 11:

* Bill Walters of Grand Rapids' WKLQ has added assistant music director responsibilities; Mike Gagliano is the new production director for WRIF Detroit, in from S. Carolina; WFAT Kalamazoo morning guy Dave Doran is promoted to web/production duties and former night guy Ace Armstrong moves to mornings- All Access

* Week #2 of the Spike and Sara show has kicked off on WKQI Detroit due to an illness in the family that is keeping Kevin O'Neill from returning to the morning shift.

January 8:

* Rich Griffin of CIDR 93.9 Windsor adds the role of music coordinator to his responsibilities- All Access

January 7:

* Reporter and weekend anchor Rick Edlund of WDIV Detroit has left the station to return to St. Louis- Detroit Free Press

January 6:

* The September-November 1999 12+ ratings for Grand Rapids and Lansing were released today. In G.R., WBCT and WLAV remain 1-2 respectively while WGRD falls from 3rd to 7th overall. WOOD-AM and WKLQ remain tied, but move up to 3rd place. Tied for 5th were WOOD-FM and the resurgent WSNX.

Lansing ratings positions 1-6 remained unchanged with WITL and WFMK leading WHZZ, WJIM-FM, WMMQ, and WJXQ. The only station to change positions was WQHH which moved into a 7th place tie with WWDX.

* FCC Action: Granted WMOM 102.7 Pentwater its license for a new station

January 5:

* Guest-hosting WKQI's Detroit morning show this week is former WXDG (105.1) tandem Spike and Sara. Current interim morning jock Kevin O'Neill is on vacation- the station has not announced a permanent replacement for the departed Steve Cochran.

* Syndication of Alan Almond's nighttime Pillow Talk show, based from Detroit's WNIC, is set to begin February 1st- All Access

* Due to computer problems, the release of the Fall Abitron books have been delayed for 3 weeks. Here's the new schedule for a few Michigan markets: Detroit- Feb 3, Tri-Cities- Feb 9, Gd Rapids & Lansing- Feb 18.

January 4:

* Flint's Fox 66 (WSMH) has added a web presence- leaving only 2 ABC affilates (WJRT Flint and WZZM Grand Rapids), 1 Fox Affiliate (WGKI/WGKU Northern Michigan), and 1 CBS affiliate (WJMN Escanaba) among major network stations in the state without an individual web site.

* Due to a power outage at their studios in Troy, Detroit's WDMK-FM 102.7 and WCHB-AM 1200 were off the air earlier this morning. The stations returned to the air from their respective transmitter sites in Mt. Clemens (WDMK) and Taylor (WCHB). WDMK was running a 20 song loop of disco music commercial free while the studios were off-line. Now that Detroit Edison has repaired the power problem, the stations have resumed normal programming.

* WKCQ Saginaw morning co-host Andie Lynne has left the station and joined Bay City's WIOG for part time duties as she searches for a full time gig.

January 3:

* WWTV/WWUP-TV Cadillac/Traverse City/Sault Ste Marie news director Jon-Michael Carter has left the stations.