Y107 No More, Again

Once again, the plug is being pulled on Y107 in New Jersey. The owners of the four-station group that calls itself WYNY, simulcasting a country music format on their joint frequency of 107.1, will reportedly adopt a Spanish language format on Cinco de Mayo. I doubt the station will retain its name, as the letter Y in Spanish is the word "and" which is a rather silly radio station name - And 107?

The Long Branch affiliate, WWZY, was known as Y107 during the mid-80's as first a hit music station, then a rocker, until owner Mammoth Broadcasting sold out to the K&K Broadcasting LP and pulled the plug in the wee hours of January 20, 1989. The new owner fired the entire staff (including the proprietor of this web site), changed the calls from WMJY to WZVU and adopted a lite format and the name "Seaview 107". K&K later sold the station (as well as its sister station in Erie, PA), which then went to an oldies format using jocks like Big Joe Henry.

The actual WYNY station is licensed to Briarcliff Manor, NY, and the use of the calls goes back to the 70's when NBC had the station at the 97.1 frequency.

HEY FOLKS...

I've been receiving an awful lot of e-mails with attachments from people I don't know. If I don't know you and you attempt to send me an attachment, your e-mail will be immediately deleted. I must strictly enforce this policy due to the number of viruses and trojans circulating through e-mail. Thank you for your understanding of this policy.

Dave's Booc Klub

When Oprah comes off her high horse and decides to have a Book Club again - or when The Today Show starts theirs - they would be remiss in not at least considering Niagara Falls All Over Again. The second novel from Elizabeth McCracken has been out for some time, and Ms. McCracken has been sweeping up awards left and right for her work. I champion Ms. McCracken's work not because her brother (Harry, just named Managing Editor of PC World magazine) was in my wedding party. It's because she is one of the best new authors worth reading.

Happy Birthday, "Biography"

Fifteen years ago tomorrow, the A&E Network premiered the first episode of a resurrected "Biography" series, having previously seen success running the old Mike Wallace-narrated black and white films of the 1950's. Since then, over 900 new "Biography" series have aired and the series has become A&E's signature. A&E is to be applauded to have contributed so much to this country's knowledge of famous and infamous people over the last 15 years.

Cablevision Vs. YES

Here is a news story about the dispute between Cablevision and the new cable TV outlet for the New York Yankees, the YES network. Although I am no longer an active participant in the cable TV industry, I find this to be an interesting battle. Most of the other cable companies, including my former employer Comcast (of which I am still a customer), have cut a deal with Cablevision to air the Yankees games. As it stands, most New Yorkers who are still hanging on to Cablevision are going to see their first Yankees game tomorrow afternoon, when the home opener is aired on the new broadcast outlet for the Yankees, WCBS-TV. (Channel 2 will have about 30 games; the CBS affil was chosen perhaps because its sister station, WCBS-AM, was granted the rights to broadcast the Yankees on radio.)

Leo Hindery, the industry vet who is running the YES Network, is to be applauded for not kowtowing to Cablevision, which apparently wants YES on a premium tier, while the business plan has always been for basic-cable coverage.