SYRACUSE -- This week, NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV) morning traffic reporter and Bridge Street co-host Kaylea Nixon announced she's leaving the station. It appears that her replacement -- at least for the morning traffic portion -- will be Caroline Gable, who's been absent from local TV since exiting Utica's WUTR in March.
SYRACUSE -- Although Sinclair Broadcast Group and Dish Network failed to agree on a new "permanent" retransmission deal before the old one expired overnight, Fox 68 (WSYT) and My43 (WNYS) remain available on the satellite provider's lineups. The two sides have extended the old deal for two weeks as they continue to hash out a new contract.
UPDATED 8/16 -- Blackout averted temporarily; click here for newer story. SYRACUSE -- As of Wednesday evening, management at Fox 68 (WSYT) and My43 (WNYS) say they're pretty certain both channels will be pulled from Dish Network's lineup at midnight tonight. That's when a contract allowing the satellite provider to retransmit the two channels will expire -- and with less than an hour to go, there's still no new contract in place.
SYRACUSE -- Doug Logan isn't leaving his job as Director of Time Warner Cable Sports, but he's adding a new role to help shape the future of a local hospital. Meantime, Karin Franklin-King, one of Logan's former co-workers, has a new job of her own.
UTICA-ROME -- Several CNYRadio.com readers tell us Mary Jo Beach was relieved of her duties as General Manager and Vice President of Townsquare Media's four station cluster today. Multiple sources tell us the new GM will be Karen Carey, who brings GM experience from running Clear Channel's Rochester cluster. Her first day of work at Townsquare will reportedly be tomorrow.
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.