Harford County (May 1, 2002) -- By now, the dismissal of sportscaster John Buren by WJZ-TV (13) is old news. And while I never like to see someone lose their job, I for one will not miss the man in the Hawaiian shirt. For all of his 16 years here, Buren, 49, came across to me as pompous, arrogant and conceited. He was one of two reasons I stopped watching WJZ's news years ago (the other being Marty Bass). Mark Viviano is an excellent replacement for Buren, who will no doubt land on his feet somewhere, but could use a crash course in humility before returning to the air.
Arbitron released its winter radio ratings April 24th, and the big winner was country powerhouse
WPOC-FM (93.1), which finished in first place with an 8.8 rating, up from 7.1 in the fall. WERQ-FM (92.3)
fell to second place with a 7.8 (down from 7.9). Tied for third were WLIF-FM (101.9) and WBAL-AM (1090) at 5.4 ('BAL fell dramatically from 7.3, a loss of nearly 8,000 listeners). And oldies WQSR-FM (102.7) finished fifth with a 5.3 rating, down from 5.7. Rounding out the top 10 commercial stations were WWIN-FM (95.9), WXYV-FM (105.7), WWMX-FM (106.5), WIYY-FM (97.9), and WCAO-AM (600). Each ratings point equates to approximately 3,900 listeners per quarter hour.
Without fanfare, an era has apparently come to an end in radio. During April, an industry trade
publication reported that Delta Radio of Arkansas sold its quartet of stations in Pine Bluff, AR: KOTN-AM, KCLA-AM, KPBQ-FM, and KZYP-FM. What makes this significant is that Delta is owned by Winston (Buddy) Deane, one of the most popular disc jockeys in Baltimore radio history. Deane's success in the mid 1950's at WITH-AM led to a daily dance show on Channel 13 in 1957 which lasted until 1963 and would later inspire the John Waters film Hairspray. After leaving Baltimore, Buddy returned to his native Pine Bluff and formed Delta Radio. In recent years, daughter Dawn has served as company president. The sale of Delta's four stations (for the bargain price of $1,355,000 by the way) apparently marks the end of the line in the broadcasting career of Buddy Deane, who occasionally returns to this area to host dances and old-fashioned sock hops. He's earned his retirement, and we wish him well.
"The Ronnie Dove Show" debuts Monday, May 27th, 8 pm, on Bel Air's public radio station, 91.1, WHFC. The program will feature singer Dove, his songs and stories from the past 40 years, and special guest stars. Originally scheduled to begin April 29th, the show was delayed after Ronnie underwent elective surgery recently. Ronnie Dove, whose singing career began with The Beltones in 1955 but did not take off until he went solo in 1963, has charted more than 35 songs in the years since, in both pop and country music. Yours truly will serve as co-host of "The Ronnie Dove Show" on WHFC-FM, along with "Jukebox" John Hagy.
On the entertainment scene, area residents can be among the first to see Star Wars: Attack of the Clones when a special midnight showing takes place Friday, May 24th at Flagship Cinemas in the Campus Hills Shopping Center in Bel Air. A word of advice: get there early, like maybe the night before! This one's sure to be a sell-out.
The Darlington Herb Festival will take place this year on Saturday, June 1st, from 10 am to 4 pm, on Shuresville Road in Darlington. For directions or information, 410-457-4849.
The "Fridays In The Park" concert series takes place every Friday in June at Tydings Park in Havre de Grace. For information, the number is 410-939-5425.
Also in June, Havre de Grace's Steppingstone Museum hosts the annual Scottish Festival from 12 to 5 pm on the 9th. Their toll-free number is 1-888-419-1762.
And the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra presents an outdoor concert Tuesday, June 11th, 6 pm, at the Liriodendron. For additional details, phone 410-879-4424.
Have a question or comment about this column or local media? Email me at gwhelton@yahoo.com.
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