Last week Syracuse's Radio Disney affiliate, WOLF 1490 AM, began broadcasting a digital signal. After shelling out $80,000 for the upgrade, the station is now ready for the day that digital receivers become available to consumers later this year.

Former Syracuse jock, Kidd Chris, got a big thumbs up from Howard Stern yesterday in a visit to the syndicated morning show's New York studios. Stern called Chris's phony phone call with George Takei (Sulu of Star Trek fame) the funniest phone prank he's ever heard. While Stern has, in the past, featured other bits and parody songs by Chris, Thursday's appearance was his first in-studio visit.

Former WSEN program director and afternoon jock Jim Asker walked down the isle with longtime girlfriend Cate Sanfino on 2/28 at a private ceremony in Nashville. Asker, who worked at WSEN in the early 80s when the station's format was country, is currently the country editor at AllAccess.com.

Former Rock 107 (WRCK) jock and longtime Mohawk Valley radio personality Bill Keeler is headed to television.

There wasn't much shuffling of the order of the top dozen or so Syracuse radio stations in the latest monthly trends released by Arbitron. TK-99 moved up to tie with sister station K-Rock which slipped to a 4.5. 95X and 93Q showed drops in ratings but held on to their rank. 570 WSYR inched closer to market leader B104.7 with a 0.7 point increase, while New Rock 105 (WWDG) showed up on the radar with a 0.5.

Gary Kennerknecht, a former Utica-Rome radio and television journalist, died of cancer on 2/24 in the Bronx. Kennerknecht, who got his start in broadcasting as a jock at WOUR, moved on to news, first as news director at WRUN and WTLB, then switching over to television at WUTR. He later moved to Rochester and then to CBS television in New York City. Kennerknecht was 52.

New Rock 105 (WWDG) has collared a full roster of jocks. Bob Schmidt slides into morning drive, Laura Steele from Indianapolis's Q95 (WFBQ) takes on middays, Chad Erickson from WMRQ in Hartford signs on for evenings, and Jack Awfulnight (Jeremy Huntley) rounds out the crew on overnights. Scorch stays put on afternoon drive, where he's been since 'The Dog' flipped to alternative modern rock two months ago.

It looks like Bob Dakin will be busy over the next few months. Dakin, who up until last week was general manager of Regent Communications' Watertown cluster, will have an armful of new stations to manage in Evansville, IN. Regent announced this week that, pending approval, they plan to exchange four Duluth, MN stations and $2.7 million in cash for five Clear Channel stations in Evansville. Regent owns nine stations in the Utica-Rome and Watertown markets.
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NewsRadio 950 WIBX's 32nd annual radiothon netted $75,650 for the American Heart Association. Last weekend's event was held in conjuntion with Utica's 'Heart Weekend' which raised $1,066,515. The radio fundraiser was anchored primarily by Scott Carr, Jim Rondenelli, and Adam the Bull with the help of other current and former WIBX staff members.

All Access is reporting that 95X (WAQX) midday air personality Dave Frisina is stepping down from his position as assistant program director of the Syracuse active rock station. Frisina, whose long-running local music show, Soundcheck, was axed earlier in the month, is handing off all music duties to program director Bob O'Dell and will focus his efforts on his midday air shift.