SYRACUSE -- The Mars Hill Network, headquartered at 102.9 WMHR in Syracuse, recently announced the arrival of a new morning host for its religious programming. A retired North Country pastor takes over the wake-up shift as the previous morning host moves to late afternoons and overnights.
SYRACUSE -- Mimi Griswold, a longtime employee of locally-owned Galaxy Media, died on Thursday at the age of 67. While she wore multiple hats within Galaxy, she was perhaps best known for hosting the "Blue Moon Cafe" which aired Sundays on Syracuse's TK99/TK105 (WTKV/WTKW) and Utica's 96.9 WOUR.
UTICA-ROME -- Some lineup changes to report at Townsquare Media's cluster in the Mohawk Valley, as Dave "Wheels" Wheeler exits mornings at Lite 98.7 (WLZW), moving literally right next door to join Polly Wogg on the wake-up shift at country powerhouse Big Frog 104 (WFRG).
UTICA/ROME - Former Rock 107 (WRCK) personality Michael Hotaling, known on-air as Lee Michaels, and later "Ug-Lee," passed away last month at the age of 64.
UTICA -- Mohawk Valley viewers of shows like "Sullivan's Crossing" and "Police 24/7" will be tuning to a different channel, after the Utica market's CW network affiliation moved up the dial last week. It's all due to recent ownership changes at the network level.
UTICA-ROME -- It's not often you hear one radio journalist interviewing another -- and it's even more rare when it involves people from two separately-owned radio stations in the same market. But that's what happened recently on "Hot Seat: Media Monday" on Phoenix Radio 95.5 (WUSP).
UTICA-ROME -- Longtime Mohawk Valley broadcaster Bill Keeler recently revealed to listeners of his WIBX 950 morning show that he's fighting cancer -- for a second time. While the type of cancer he has isn't curable, he says it's treatable and the survival rate is much higher than it was just 20 years ago.
UTICA-ROME -- The married morning duo of "Polly Wogg" and "Tadpole" have been named "Best Morning Show" by the New York State Broadcasters Association. The pair will collect their trophy on behalf of Big Frog 104 (WFRG) when the NYSBA holds their 2024 awards luncheons this fall.
SYRACUSE -- We're a bit late on this one, but big news for rock fans: Galaxy Media's KROCK stations are "rebooting" their legendary KRockathon concert series with a day-long concert featuring 6 returning bands at the New York State Fairgrounds in July.
UTICA-ROME -- One colleague described him as a local "broadcasting pioneer." Longtime local radio engineer Gary Morgan died on Monday at the age of 80, after a long career that included stops at RCA in New York City before returning to the Mohawk Valley to work for stations including WUFM, WRUN and WADR.