Harford County (June 26, 2002) -- Recently my car radio went on the blink. This of course poses a major obstacle for someone who writes a column about the local media. Nevertheless, we plod along with kudos to the recipients of this year's regional Emmy Awards. MPT was the big winner, capturing a total of 10 golden statues. Among other things, the state's public television network received Emmys for a documentary on pfiesteria, and for best children's show host. In all fairness, however, host Bob Heck and his program "Bob the Vid Tech" have no competition, as area commercial stations have long abandoned local kid's programming. More on that a little later.
Earlier in June, WBFF-TV (45) won the majority of awards presented to local stations by the Associated Press, including outstanding news operation. Anchor Jennifer Gilbert added to the station's honors by collecting an Emmy for her feature on the statue of Christ at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the impact it's had on patients throughout the years. By the way, congratulations to former WHFC-FM (91.1) staffer Erin Guthrie, a Bel Air resident, who recently left the local public radio outlet for a position as assistant producer at Channel 45. Erin will be involved in the production of national newscasts for parent company Sinclair Broadcasting, which are set to get underway this fall.
From the rumor mill, a local radio GM is said to be on his way out the door, and the search is already on for a replacement. The story was essentially verified recently over the phone by one of that station's high-level employees, however, nobody's making any public statements so far. The station involved is on the lower end of the FM dial.
Also out at WNST-AM (1570) is the morning team of Spiro & Swami. "Nasty" Nestor Aparico's sports talk outlet is suffering from anemic ratings and cash flow problems. When the number of listeners drops to around a thousand per quarter hour (now THAT'S Nasty), you can be certain advertisers aren't exactly lining up around the block to get in. And that's the situation at WNST. The station's weak signal and limited coverage area may prove to be insurmountable obstacles to success. My prediction: WNST will be sold or go dark before the end of the calendar year.
Over on the Eastern Shore, word is WFBR-FM (94.3), which currently simulcasts the poorly rated WRNR-FM (103.1), is dropping the WFBR call letters so long associated with Baltimore radio, and is being reincarnated as WINX-FM. Those calls belonged to a top DC station for years. Format for the new WINX had not been determined as of this writing, however, it's rumored longtime Baltimore/Washington dj Ed Rodriguez will be headed to the shore to do mornings. The current WFBR-FM is licensed to Trappe, MD, and serves the Easton/Cambridge areas.
So now that the historic WFBR call letters are supposedly up for grabs again, there's another rumor circulating that the old WFBR, now WJFK-AM (1300), will pick them up and convert to all sports talk. This of course would be the final nail in the WNST coffin, but it would be nice to see some of Baltimore radio history back where it belongs. In my humble opinion, 1300 AM has been totally worthless since being sold to JAG by Harry Shriver's Baltimore Radio Show in the late 1980's. JAG, which also owned WLIF-FM (101.9) at the time, tried to make a go of it by resurrecting oldies and hiring veterans like Bob Moke and Jack Edwards. But the stations were sold to the Viacom/CBS/Infinity conglomerate in 1989, and WFBR was dismantled, becoming first WLIF-AM, then WJFK-AM. In the most recent ratings, WJFK-AM managed a 1.2. That's roughly 4,000 listeners per quarter hour. Regardless of format and ownership, it would be nice to see 1300 AM become WFBR again, if just in name alone.
Second half spring ratings have been released by Arbitron, and country giant WPOC-FM (93.1) is still leading the pack with a 7.7. Urban WERQ-FM (92.3) remains in second place with a 6.8, followed by WBAL-AM (1090) with a 6.3. WLIF-FM (101.9) and WWIN-FM (95.9) tie for fourth, each with a 5.4. Rounding out the top 10 are WQSR-FM (102.7), WIYY-FM (97.9), WWMX-FM (106.5), WHFS-FM (99.1), and WCAO-AM (600).
The much anticipated (and oft delayed) power increases at nostalgia WWLG-AM (1360) and talk WCBM-AM (680) are now scheduled for mid-July and mid-August respectively. Harford County residents yearning for the pop and big band sounds from the 40's through the 60's should soon have little trouble pulling in the stronger WWLG signal, while look for WCBM to improve its reach on the Eastern Shore when it powers up to 50,000 watts. WCBM already gets respectable numbers in the Salisbury-Ocean City ratings, which should only improve as their conservative talk reaches deeper into Delmarva. The Mangione family of Turf Valley Golf Course fame own both WCBM and WWLG. Surprisingly, these are the only two locally owned commercial radio stations remaining in Baltimore.
And now as promised, more about local kid's television. You can enjoy a blast from the past by logging on to www.crabcitykidstv.com, to read about and see photos of your favorite Baltimore kid's show hosts of the past. And if, like me, you were lucky enough to also get the DC stations back before the proliferation of cable, you'll find that city's kiddie shows chronicled on the web at www.kaptainkidshow.com. Enjoy.
Upcoming social events include the Harford County Farm Fair July 25-28 at the Bel Air Equestrian Center (410-838-8663), the Bel Air Barbeque Cookoff at Main St. and Churchville Road August 9-10 (410-638-1023), and the 22nd Annual Havre de Grace Seafood Festival at Tydings Park, August 10-11 (410-939-1525).
Have a question or comment about this column or local media? Email me at gwhelton@yahoo.com.
GH
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