Updated 11/4 — ONEIDA — From the “while we were on hiatus” backlog, longtime WMCR operations manager Joel Meltzer has exited the station–and the state. After 25 years with the station, Meltzer has reportedly decided to pursue other interests in Florida. His duties have since been assumed by someone familiar to longtime Syracuse-area radio listeners.
UTICA-ROME — Tower site vandalism is to blame for a full week — and counting — of silence from talk radio station WUTI 1150AM. The damage was so extensive, officials with Leatherstocking Media Group say repairs on the Oriskany transmitter site could take another three weeks.
VERONA — Longtime Onondaga Community College radio instructor and local sports radio broadcaster Vince “Vinny” Spadafora has died at the age of 65. His death is the result of a one-car rollover accident on Friday night.
Updated 4:40pm — SYRACUSE — Arbitron has released its Fall 2012 ratings for the Syracuse radio market. At first glance, it appears Clear Channel has captured four of the top five spots in the rankings, but then there’s the disclaimer: Arbitron continues to omit non-subscribing stations from the data it releases to the general public.
SYRACUSE — Two formats operated by Leatherstocking Media Group have made some changes to their respective evening lineups. At 92.1 WSEN-FM, Mike Harvey is now plugged-in for the 7p-Mid shift, replacing Tom Kent. And at CNY Talk Radio (WFBL/WMCR-AM/WUTI), the website schedule and logo banners still list Jason Lewis from 6-9pm, but a text scroller
UTICA-ROME — The latest audience estimates for radio listenership in the Mohawk Valley have been released by Arbitron. And just like when we saw the numbers for Syracuse earlier this week, it’s difficult to get a “complete” picture of the market.
SYRACUSE and UTICA-ROME — From the “better late than never” file, syndicated talk show host Neal Boortz is getting ready to hang up his headphones. Boortz made the announcement live on his own program last week, heard on over 200 stations nationwide, including the two-market CNY Talk Radio trimulcast (WFBL/Syracuse, WMCR-A/Oneida, WUTI/Utica).
UTICA-ROME — Townsquare Media’s quartet of stations finished #1-2-3-4 in the Fall 2011 audience estimates just released by Eastlan Ratings. With it’s 100,000-watt powerhouse signal, it’s no surprise to see country Big Frog 104 (WFRG) leading the pack once again.
SYRACUSE — Observant CNYRadio.com readers have noticed that CNY Talk Radio (WFBL/Syracuse, WMCR/Oneida, WUTI/Utica) has recently made some changes to its weekday lineup. The addition of an afternoon news block has pushed some talk hosts to different timeslots.
SYRACUSE — After three years outside of radio, Don Wagner is back in the biz. Wagner, who some may know by the name Don Christi, is the new General Manager for Leatherstocking Media Group’s properties in Syracuse, Oneida and Utica. He replaces Judy Kelly, who left for a new gig in Florida last month.
