SYRACUSE -- Funeral services will be held tomorrow for Saundra Smokes, the acclaimed longtime local journalist who added "radio talk show host" to her resume at Power 620 (WHEN) just six weeks before she passed away on Wednesday. According to her obituary, funeral services will be held at the Abundant Life Christian Center, 7000 All Nations Blvd. in East Syracuse, tomorrow at 11:00am. There will be no calling hours.
SYRACUSE -- We're looking back to the days of an era gone by in our latest Picture of the Week. Peter McElvein from Classic FM (WCNY-FM) sends along this photo, taken while he went by a different on-air name while working for a different station in the late 1970s.
UTICA-ROME -- Although it's been about a week since 95.5FM WUSP signed-on, it's taken about that long for us to find out what the Mohawk Valley's newest sports talk station is bringing to the table. On top of a network affiliation and deals with the New York Mets and the New England Patriots, owners are promising plenty of locally-produced programming.
Updated 7:45pm with more details -- SYRACUSE -- Journalist and radio host Saundra Smokes, who just started a new talk show on Power 620 (WHEN) in June, passed away today. According to published reports, Smokes collapsed in her home on Monday and died today after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 57 years old.
SYRACUSE and UTICA-ROME -- When the Buffalo Bills begin their pre-season schedule at home tomorrow, Central New York fans who want to follow it live will have only one option: radio. Syracuse CBS affiliate WTVH was going to air the game live, but it's been blacked-out.
ITHACA -- The weekly "All Things Equal" segment on News/Talk 870 and 95.5 (WHCU) recently marked two notable milestones: it was the end of the segment's fourth season and it was the segment's 200th broadcast.
UTICA/ROME -- Although word of a new format on two AM radio stations and an FM translator was first leaked in late July, it wasn't clear exactly when the new lineup would begin on WUSP 1550, WRCK 1480 and translator 95.5FM (W238CA). That question is answered now; an observant CNYRadio.com reader says the new lineup started on Friday.
UTICA-ROME -- Longtime residents of the Mohawk Valley might remember that the country format on Big Frog 104 (WFRG) has been around since 1988... but it wasn't called "Big Frog 104," nor was it located at 104.3FM until 1993. This week, a lucky find at a garage sale takes us back to the earliest years of mascot "Jeremiah B. Frog."
Starting this week, we're trying something different: rather than appearing at midnight, Picture of the Week will appear at 7:00am. If you're checking in early, we'll give you a hint... this week's pictures (there will be two) will take you back about 20 years into Utica-Rome radio history.
OSWEGO -- Public radio fans who live in or travel through northern New York have a new option to catch programming from WRVO Public Media. The station's newest full-power repeater, WRVH, is now on the air at 89.3FM.