WIXT

570 WSYR’s news director and director of programming, Bill Carey, has been honored by the Syracuse Press Club with a Bliven-Ganley-Rossi Career Achievement Award. Carey returned to radio last year after a long run in television news at WTVH TV 5 and WIXT TV 9.

WIXT TV 9 sports reporter and anchor Jim Lerch has been named the new program director at SportsRadio 620 WHEN. While at channel 9, Lerch presented the NewsChannel 9 ‘Athlete of the Week’ award every Wednesday and also anchored ‘Friday Night Fever’ coverage during the high school football season. Jim also works as a play-by-play

Veteran Syracuse broadcaster Sheryl Nathans announced this week that she has incurable lung cancer and has moved into a Pennsylvania hospice to “go as gently into the night as I can.”

Clear Channel Communications has cleared one more hurdle in its quest to acquire The Ackerley Group. In a special meeting held yesterday, Ackerley shareholders approved a plan to merge with the country’s largest radio group.

Clear Channel Communication’s addition of Ackerley’s television stations, including WIXT in Syracuse, came under fire from Douglas F. Elznic who describes himself as a “party-in-interest to this matter because I am a resident of Manlius, New York.”

A couple months ago, 570 WSYR’s afternoon newscaster Kevin Schenk started appearing as the weekend news anchor over at WSTM-TV 3. Schenk has since given up the radio microphone and is now a full-time member of the channel 3 news staff.

The Federal Trade Commission has given a thumbs up to Clear Channel Communications’ bid to buy the Ackerley Group, which includes WIXT (channel 9) in Syracuse. Clear Channel, which owns six Syracuse radio stations, must now get approval from the Department of Justice. If the deal goes through, it appears Clear Channel will have to

With its impending purchase of the Ackerley Group, which includes WIXT (channel 9), Clear Channel Communications may be forced to sell at least one of its Syracuse radio stations to adhere to federal regulations. Look for a couple of their AM stations in Utica to be sold as well.

Clear Channel Communications announced yesterday that it plans to acquire the Ackerley Group, which owns local television station WIXT Channel 9.

Clear Channel Communications wants to buy the Ackerley Group for $800 million. What that means for Syracuse is the addition of television station WIXT channel 9 to Clear Channel’s group of six local radio stations. The deal still has to be approved by Ackerley share holders, the FCC, and the Justice Department. Related Link: –