Update 2:00pm: These changes are now confirmed by Citadel - see the full story.
SYRACUSE -- Looks like ESPN Radio 1260 (WNSS) will be branded as "The Score 1260" after it loses its ESPN affiliation later next week. The new name was revealed by a website that keeps a close eye out for new radio station website domain registrations. They've also uncovered a possible format flip for another station in the cluster.
Credit goes to the "Net Gnomes" at radioinsight.com, who noticed two domains -- Score1260.com and TheScore1260.com -- were recently registered by Citadel Broadcasting. And typing either address into your web browser will point you back to the existing WNSS website.
The radioinsight.com article came out on Saturday, but we're just posting it here today because we were hoping to hear comment from Citadel Syracuse Ops Manager Tom Mitchell first; however, he has not yet responded.
The Net Gnomes also report finding Citadel having registered 1059TheBigTalker.com and 1059BigTalker.com in late January. The article points out that, besides Syracuse's Lite Rock 105.9 (WLTI), Citadel only owns two other stations at 105.9FM in the entire country. The article goes on to explain why the other two 105.9 FMs are unlikely candidates for a format flip. Right now, surfing to either domain will only load a blank page (even the HTML code doesn't reveal anything specific enough to push this beyond the "rumor" stage).
This morning's edition of Tom Taylor on Radio-Info mentions buzz about Gary Nolan possibly coming back to Syracuse to host mornings on the rumored talk station that could be moving in on 105.9FM. The newsletter cites folks who identified Nolan as a former Syracuse personality who most recently has been hosting afternoons on an FM talk station in Columbia, MO. Taylor quotes a source who says Nolan "has already said his goodbyes" there, but didn't reveal where he's headed next.
Check back to CNYRadio.com for updates to this article if and when they become available.
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