In recent months, with 'IOQ out of the oldies business, 'OGL has added such well-known oldies jocks as Hy Lit, who came from WPGR-AM (1540), and, just weeks ago, Mike St. John, another 'IOQ casualty.
Could Holiday be in line for full-time work at 'OGL?
"Right now, we're just looking at the Sunday-night show," said Kelly.
UP, UP, UP. Meanwhile, the WIOQ juggernaut continues.
In the most recent monthly Arbitrends, released last week, the station continued to gain speed and ratings, climbing to seventh place overall from 11th place in the last report, apparently at some expense to Top 40 WEGX-FM (106.1).
Since it shed oldies in January, "New Q-102" has more than doubled its ratings. By contrast, 'EGX, its main competitor and the station that had been the hot new kid on the block, has seen its ratings ease downward. (It's in fifth place overall, from a tie for third place in the last report.)
Otherwise, the monthly trend report shows the usual suspects on top of the heap. In order: WMMR-FM (93.3), KYW-AM (1060), WUSL-FM (98.9), WEAZ-FM (101.1), 'EGX and WPEN-AM (950).
SO LONG, WFIL. Starting today, the call letters WFIL-AM will no longer be a part of the Philadelphia radio scene - at least not for a while.
WFIL owner Jerry Lee is temporarily "parking" the call letters, an industry term meaning he's not going to use them but he doesn't want to let anybody else use them, either. Lee recently yanked WFIL's oldies format in favor of simulcasting soft hits from sister station WEAZ-FM (101.1) over 'FIL's 560 frequency. Starting today, the 560 frequency will be known as WEAZ-AM.
But Lee also is trying to sell the AM facility to someone who wants the 'FIL call letters. So Lee has, in effect, lent the 'FIL call letters to a business associate, with the stipulation that Lee can get them back with 10 days' notice.
SILENCE GOLDEN? Remember the great radio silence of a few weeks ago, when stations across the country aired a industry-sponsored commercial with 30 seconds of dead air?
The National Association of Broadcasters deemed the exercise a resounding success, saying 80 percent of the nation's stations participated.
Well, Radio Business Report, an industry newsletter, has done some poking around and has concluded that only 50 percent, perhaps even as few as 30 percent, of the stations actually aired the "commercial" in its entirety.
STATIC. Former WSNI-FM (104.5) personality Valerie "Vibes" Knight, who most recently has been working part-time overnights at WIOQ, has been hired to do the 10 a.m.-to-2 p.m. shift there. She replaces Lindsey Burdette, who
quit radio to become a promotions representative for Virgin Records in Seattle.
That makes room for Bill "Dakota" Curry, who moves from 'IOQ part-time work to become full-time overnight man, from 2 to 6 a.m.
Tom Taylor, former program director at WPST-FM (97.5) in Trenton and a former editor of Friday Morning Quarterback, has jumped to another industry publication, Inside Radio, as news editor.
Otto Miller, former general sales manager of WMCA-AM in New York, has joined WPEN-AM (950) as sales manager.
Larry King's fans in South Jersey will be happy to learn that the late- night talker has been added to the lineup at WFHM-AM (1270) in Vineland, airing weeknights from midnight to 5 a.m.
Jay Sorensen, most recently at WNBC-AM in New York, has joined WKXW-FM (101.5) in Trenton as the afternoon jock.
Mel Taylor, known as Mel Toxic back in his WIFI days, is now doing overnights at WPST as well as hosting a Friday night "modern" rock show.
WHYY-FM (90.9) halted its mini-fund-raising event last weekend after raising $113,000. That puts the station on schedule for its annual fund drive.
