WASHINGTON, DC -- You're watching something on television. All the sudden, a commercial break begins and you're blown out of your seat by the abrupt increase in audio volume. Perhaps a family member yells at you to turn down the TV, even though you never turned it up in the first place.  Thanks to some new FCC regulations, viewers are counting down to the end of that annoying phenomenon.

ITHACA/CORTLAND -- Saga's Cayuga Radio Group cluster in Ithaca is accepting applications for a full-time traffic assistant. As you might have guessed, we're talking about the "scheduling commercials" kind of traffic, not reporting about road work and car accidents.

ITHACA/CORTLAND -- Lite Rock 97.3 (WYXL) is hosting a Christmas party for Ithaca-area children on Monday, December 18 from 6-8pm.  The station is looking for individuals, organizations and businesses willing to donate some time to help make the event a memorable success for the kids who'll be in attendance.

SYRACUSE -- Syracuse native Dusty Rhodes, who started his career at WOLF before graduating from SU and moving to Cincinnati, will be back on local airwaves again this Christmas Eve.  The 50th anniversary of the nationally-known "Dusty Rhodes Christmas Show" will be carried locally on WCNY-HD2.

SYRACUSE -- Viewers have been asking, and NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV) today explained the noted recent absence of longtime anchor Rod Wood.  He's recovering after "a minor surgical procedure," according to a statement released by the station this afternoon.

Updated 9:00pm with date correction -- SYRACUSE -- Longtime morning show host "Big Mike" Fiss is promising "the biggest line-up ever" for his annual Christmas broadcast on Sunny 102.1 (WZUN) on Wednesday, December 21.  That's because this will be the 30th year Fiss has hosted the live-on-location broadcast, featuring holiday favorites performed by local talent.  You can listen on the radio or attend in person. 

UTICA/ROME -- It's a joint effort between radio and TV stations in the Mohawk Valley, and organizers say this year's "Stuff the Bus" toy drive is on pace to surpass last year's total of 8,000+ toys.  The entire thing wraps up with two events taking place tomorrow -- in New Hartford and in Utica.

Every year, we put together various "year in review" stories.  This year, we'd like to try adding something new -- but we need your input.

ITHACA -- For nearly sixty years, listeners tuning in to News-Talk 870 WHCU may have heard the voice of Barbara Hall, the station's longtime Women's Editor. We're sorry to hear word from Ithaca of Hall's passing on Tuesday at the age of 89.

SYRACUSE -- Longtime local newspaper reporter Richard Long -- who logged plenty of time as a television documentary producer later in his career -- has died. In the late 1990s, Long produced Skaneateles Scrapbook, an 11-episode series which aired on local cable access channels. Of the two plays he wrote, one eventually became an award-winning made-for-TV movie.