Channel Surfing
by Laura Nachman
www.bradyresidence.com/channelsurfing.html

Bucks County Courier Times
August 30, 2005

 

WPEN 950-AM will try its third format in a year, as it becomes a sports-talk station October 3.  ‘PEN, which was Nostalgia for years, switched to Oldies around a year ago.  The ratings plummeted (In ratings measured August 20, it was in 21st place out of 30 stations for listeners 12 and above), and now it will try to compete with sports radio station WIP 610-AM.  Former WIP host Jody McDonald will host the afternoon drive timeslot from 3-7 p.m.  Jim Rome’s syndicated show will air from noon – 3 p.m.  WPEN will probably carry former WIP host Tony Bruno’s Sporting News Radio show for morning drive.  Other names being bandied around for inclusion on 'PEN include former WIP personalities Steve Martorano and Joe Conklin.  It’s almost a given that Conklin will be a contributor, since his contract with Greater Media Philadelphia, which owns WPEN, doesn’t expire until April. 

 

All of the disc jockeys on WPEN including Christy Springfield, Jim Nettleton, Charlie Bennett, and Jerry Blavat will lose their jobs. Also most of the brokered airtime shows on the weekend will be canceled according to WPEN general manager Bob DeBlois.  DeBlois said the station will be looking to broadcast more live sporting events.  Currently, St. Josephs’ basketball is the only team heard on WPEN, which took measures to boost its 5,000 watt signal earlier this year.

 

Today, every Channel 3 newscast will note the 40th anniversary of KYW (CBS3’s) “Eyewitness News.”  The first “Eyewitness News” newscast was a noon broadcast co-anchored by Tom Snyder and Marciarose Shestack.

 

Former Channel 3 (CBS3) anchor Denise Saunders has landed in Las Vegas, NV.  She’ll be anchoring the 10 p.m. news for the UPN affiliate there.

 

For viewers curious about the song that played during the great final ten minutes of the series finale of “Six Feet Under,” it was “Breathe Me” by Sia.  It’s available on the “Six Feet Under Volume 2 – Everything Ends” soundtrack.

 

We still have seven months until the season premiere of “The Sopranos.” 

 

WBCB 1490-AM sports director Dave Collins will move from the morning show to afternoon drive.  Margaret Kavanaugh will join Jim Foxwell in the morning.

 

Former “Apprentice” Heidi Bressler returns to “10” on NBC10 tomorrow at 10 a.m. to talk about “Battle of the Network Reality Stars” which airs on Bravo tomorrow at 9 p.m. I’ll admit it.  I love this show!