SYRACUSE -- Jack Abert, founding member of local band The Monterays, who went onto become what colleagues called a "trailblazing pioneer" in radio sales, died last weekend in Florida at the age of 63.

UTICA-ROME -- Nothing beats a nice HD big screen when it comes to football, but if you're stuck at work or on the road during any big games this season, Newsradio 950 WIBX has you covered.  The station has inked a deal to carry Westwood One's NFL Prime Time lineup, which includes the biggest game of all.

SYRACUSE -- A date has been set for this year's Bill Leaf Kickball Tournament, held in memory of the former WSYR(AM)/WTVH-TV journalist killed by a drunk driver in 2006.  The event will take place Saturday, September 26, but also mark your calendars for September 9th -- that's the registration deadline.

WATERTOWN -- Dustin Diamond may not be welcome at the upcoming Saved By the Bell reunion, but once upon a time, he was invited with open arms to the studios of Real Rock 100.7 (WOTT).

WATERTOWN -- If you've ever checked out the remarkable collection of radio station legal IDs at tophour.com (aka "Toppy" for short) you may have noticed the site had no clips from Watertown.  That changed today, as the site added more than a dozen Watertown IDs from 9 different stations.

OSWEGO -- The next phase in selecting the design for WRVO's commemorative 40th Anniversary Coffee Mug is underway.  The station has narrowed the entries down to their five favorite designs, and now they're asking for your help in choosing a winner.

CNY Television News has a new home.  Webmaster Mike Szewil checks in to tell us he has moved the site to a new domain, cnytvnews.com.  He hopes that's a bit easier to remember than the original address, cnytv.ath.cx.

Updated 8/19 @ 6:15PM with Buckley Press Release - SYRACUSE -- Buckley's three-station Syracuse cluster will soon have a new owner, pending FCC approval: James Johnson's Leatherstocking Media Group, the same outfit that recently purchased the WMCR AM/FM duo in Oneida.

ITHACA -- General Manager Frank Lischak at Z95-5 (WFIZ) says he has a job opening in his sales department.  The job posting from Frank reads as follows:

UTICA -- With just over a week until "Fireworks Over Utica," city officials have given their blessing to details surrounding the event.  The event is being organized by Strategic Partnership Services, a subsidiary of Galaxy Communications, who owns WOUR, WUMX and other stations in the market.  There were initially some safety concerns about plans to launch the fireworks from the roof of a downtown parking garage. More from the Utica Observer-Dispatch.