It's that time of year once again, and area stations are out and about with plenty of live music and cheap breakfasts leading up to Christmas day. Here's what we've got so far...

Come the first of the year, syndicated talk show host Art Bell will sign off for good, and his web site www.artbell.com will go dark forever as well. According to Bell, the site, which is jammed full of articles and photos covering the topics discussed on his show over the past six years "will never appear online again, as either a public or pay web site! It will be gone, forever!" Bell's show is heard nightly on 570 WSYR in Syracuse and WIBX 950 in Utica.

Last year both Y94FM and Lite 105.9 opted for wall-to-wall holiday music for the weeks leading up to Christmas. Citing success with last year's effort, Y94FM switched to 100% holiday tunes just before Thanksgiving, while Lite 105.9 is broadcasting a mix of about 20%, and religious station WMHR is up around 75%.

Clear Channel Communications has retained Pat Pagano as the weather forecaster of choice for mornings on 570 WSYR, but for the rest of the day, WIXT TV 9 meteorologists now handle the task. With Clear Channel's acquisition of WIXT, Pagano was not surprised with the move. WSYR's programming head, Rich Lauber, has no complaints with the forecasting Metro Weather Service provided the station for 25 years, but given the station's relationship with WIXT, "it just seemed to make sense."

Listen for a new voice during the day over at Hot 107-9. Erin Bristol, Hot's new program director, slides into the midday slot, while Marty The One Party moves up to afternoon drive. Also new to the schedule, catch the hot songs of the day weeknights at 11:00 with Carson Daly's syndicated show Most Requested.

Bob 102.5 (WRBY) in Rome welcomes Paul Koffy as the station's new midday jock. Koffy, who hails from Greenville, South Carolina, took over from Shelly Easton in October.

Bob 102.5 (WRBY) in Rome welcomes Paul Koffy as the station's new midday jock. Koffy, who hails from Greenville, South Carolina, took over from Shelly Easton in October.

The 12th annual 95X Rock Auction held at Shoppingtown Mall this past weekend 'rocked'. Thanks to an Ozzy Osbourne autographed guitar which went for $5,000 and an AC/DC guitar which fetched $2,005, the station was able to raise $16,800 for the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year's grand total is more than double what was raised by the station at last year's event.

UTICA -- The dust hasn't settled yet over at 107 WRCK. The Utica Observer-Dispatch is reporting that Bill Keeler is considering legal action against Galaxy Communications over his termination from WRCK earlier this week. Galaxy had little comment about the shift in direction for the station except to say that Keeler's former sidekick Frank McBride will be taking over the morning show.

Watertown's Clancy-Mance radio group is adding three stations to its roster with the $1.45 million acquisition of classic rock WPAC 92.7 FM and talk WSLB 1400 AM in Ogdensburg and oldies WGIX 95.3 FM in Gouverneur. Clancy-Mance also owns five Watertown area stations.