UTICA/ROME -- It's another victorious battle in the ongoing war against heart disease. The 40th WIBX Heart Radiothon, which started a week ago today, raised $36,000 toward the "Heart Weekend" total of $1.1 Million to benefit the American Heart Association. As per tradition for the Heart Radiothon, a long list of guests took turns sitting behind the microphones at Utica College.
OSWEGO -- NPR affiliate WRVO is putting out the call for applications for a Technology/Innovation Reporter. Ryan Morden, who currently occupies the post, is leaving early next month, so the clock is ticking to find a replacement.
SYRACUSE -- If you keep up with the national trades, you're well aware of the problems facing National Public Radio. Capping off a series of controversial headlines over the past several weeks, NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller "resigned" yesterday. Today, management at WRVO and WCNY say they're worried that the negative press on top NPR officials could have significant trickle-down effects on their stations and other local public stations nationwide.
UTICA/ROME -- You may have read in the national trades by now, about yet another round of cuts by Clear Channel. This time around, the cuts mainly targeted production staffers. One of those pink-slipped this week was Randy Spicer, who went to work for CC in Atlanta after more than a dozen years at Utica's Lite 98.7 (WLZW).
SYRACUSE -- It's not necessarily all broadcasting related, but at least two local media outlets will be in attendance for an upcoming career fair hosted by the Syracuse Crunch. The Crunch and several other professional teams from all over upstate New York will be on hand to discuss job openings within their organizations.
Updated 11:20am - ATLANTA -- After three weeks of "exclusive merger negotiations" between Citadel and Cumulus, the latter (and larger) of the two companies announced this morning that the deal is done. Cumulus Media will acquire Citadel Broadcasting, the owner of 225 stations, including four in Syracuse.
UTICA/ROME -- Bill Keeler's new show, which streams online at MOVARadio.com, is already running into some information superhighway speedbumps. Keeler says "it's been impossible for me to keep up" after losing two staffers, including one who unexpectedly exited for a competing station.
NEW YORK CITY -- Andrew Siff, who worked as a reporter for Syracuse CBS affiliate WTVH in the early 1990s, is making headlines in the Big Apple. Siff, who now works for WNBC-TV, has been chosen to portray NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg in an upcoming press corps roast of local politicians.
SYRACUSE -- Membership numbers have been booming for student-run media organizations on the Syracuse University campus... and starting this fall, the amount of floor space devoted to those organizations will begin to catch up. A grocery store inside SU's Watson Hall will be closed down to make way for an expansion of Z89 (WJPZ-FM) and CitrusTV.
UTICA/ROME -- Dick Nellis, who worked at a number of Mohawk Valley stations including WLFH, WADR, WALY and WUTQ, has passed away. Nellis, who also worked at stations in the Hudson Valley region south of Albany, was 70.