Radio Waves

Ray Tannehill passes
Sad news on the death of former KDKA-TV and then-WIIC (WPXI) anchorman Ray Tannehill. Mr. Tannehill was at his home in Santa Fe, NM when he passed away from a heart attack on 9/12 at age 73. Funeral services will be held 9/14 in Santa Fe.

AM goes HD
Not without debate, AM stations gained the power to begin broadcasting in HD after dark. Until now the 245 AM stations broadcasting in HD have had to switch back to analog at night. But the engineering community is sharply divided, and it may be months before anyone is proven right. Engineers worry the tightly-packed dial in the Northeast and Upper Midwest will face the most headaches.

Another female talk casualty - The Satellite Sistersand ABC part ways.
ABC will stop airing the weekday afternoon program on November 9th but will keep airing the Saturday show until January 5. Their exit from radio is another setback to female-targeted talk. Last month GreenStone Media closed its doors after it ran out of cash after failing to attract affiliates. Women love to talk, but apparently they don't like to hear other women talk.

Hey "The Zone"... Are You Listening???
To almost no one's surprise, CBS Radio FM Talker WYSP/Philadelphia flipped to Rock just after 5 p.m. yesterday (9/13). Morning hosts Opie & Anthony, whose syndicated show broadcast from Philly today, joined WYSP afternoon host Kidd Chris on the air a little before the flip, and Kidd Chris regular Constantine made the official announcement at 5:02, shrieking, "Finally, the rock has come back to Philadelphia!"

That was followed by a music montage that included both new rock and old, from Led Zeppelin to Papa Roach, and then the format kicked off officially with Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle."

After a jab at crosstown WMMR for having played Blondie's "Heart of Glass" this morning, WYSP played AC/DC's "Back in Black," Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Metallica's "Enter Sandman," and Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication." Reports predicting the flip in Philadelphia media said Opie & Anthony and Kidd Chris will remain in place under the new format.

If CBS is abandoning ship on FM Talk on the other side of the Keystone state, it's only a matter of time before taps is played for Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Zone.