UTICA-ROME -- The FCC's monthly list of call sign changes has been released today, and there are several changes on the list. There are a few we were expecting (such as WRCK becoming WUTQ-FM), but also a few surprises we didn't see coming.
As first reported here exactly one month ago, Roser Communications Network had requested permission to install the WUTQ-FM calls on 100.7FM. The FCC approved the change on March 23, at the same time approving the a move for 100.7 FM's former callsign, WRCK, to 1480AM/Remsen, the former WADR. These changes follow Roser's addition of the 100.7FM signal to the two AM stations and FM translator already carrying WUTQ's news/talk/music hybrid format. The WADR call letters, to the best of our knowledge, are now available for any other broadcaster to request.
To the northeast of Utica, West Canada Christian Resources' low-power 106.1 WKUY-LP in Newport has changed to WGLU-LP. That change became official on March 28. The station is currently authorized at 26 watts from a tower site just off State Route 8 east of Cold Brook (a few miles north of Newport), and there's a construction permit on file to move to a new tower location slightly south, which would increase power to 100 watts.
Last but not least, it appears Tune In Broadcasting is looking to bring some history back to the Copper City. As of April 1, the former WRUY has revived the long-gone callsign WKAL. We're not sure exactly when WKAL stopped being WKAL, but FCC records show several different callsigns for 1450AM dating back to 1991.
The "original" WKAL, on the same frequency, signed on in 1946 -- the second AM station to sign-on in the market behind WIBX. "KAL" are the first three letters of the original owners, the Kallet family. They owned the Capitol Theater in Rome, where WKAL's original studios were located. They're the same Kallets who opened the Kallet Theater in nearby Oneida, and their name is the "K" in the call letters for Utica NBC affiliate WKTV.
We are aware that our Utica-Rome station list still has the old info -- we'll hopefully have that list updated sometime tomorrow.