Programming Newsline

FCC AT NAB 98. New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Bill Kennard will be the featured speaker at NAB 98, the annual spring convention sponsored by the National Assn. of Broadcasters. Kennard will provide a look at his regulatory vision for broadcasting. Joining the chairman at the show will be his four fellow commissioners, scheduled to participate in a 'regulatory dialogue' session. NAB 98 will be held April 5-9 in Las Vegas.

SURPRISE--CAPSTAR ADDS OUTLETS. Capstar Broadcasting Partners has acquired KASE and KVET-AM-FM Austin, Texas, from Roy Butler for $90 million. According to The Austin American-Statesman, Clear Channel and CBS also bid on the stations. KASE and KVET-FM will remain country. KVET-AM will stay N/T. Ron Rogers remains GM.
SWAP SHOP. SFX and Dick Broadcasting are busy in Nashville. On Feb. 2, AC WLAC-FM and classic hits WGFX will perform an 'intellectual property' swap, including call letters, programming, and air talent, with the exception of WGFX PD J.J. Duling, who remains with Dick. The former WGFX at 104.5 becomes WLAC-FM, while the former WLAC at 105.9 becomes Arrow. Concurrently, WRVW/WSIX operations manager Charlie Quinn is upped to operations manager for SFX Nashville, including country WSIX, top 40 WRVW, WGFX, and jazz WJZC.
GOODMAN TO WNSR. WWMX (Mix 106.5) Baltimore PD Adam Goodman returns to New York as PD of Chancellor's AC WNSR. Also, with Chancellor closing on the Gannett Radio properties, Gannett has shuttered its radio offices.
'AFTER MIDNITE' TRIMS PLAYLIST. Syndicated overnight country program 'After MidNite With Blair Garner' has cut its playlist from 37 to 28 records and may drop to 26 later. Music/talent coordinator Mandy McCormack says that the show will become more gold-based and 'concentrate on the currents we are playing' to give them 'more bang for the buck.'
KMPS UPS DECKER. KMPS Seattle general sales manager Linda Decker is promoted to GM of KMPS and classic rock sister KZOK, picking up duties previously handled by Fred Schumacher, who remains GM of sister stations KYCW (Young Country) and top 40 KBKS and continues as market manager over all four outlets. Becky Brenner, general program manager of the four stations, adds PD responsibilities at KYCW, replacing Matt Bruno. Ichabod Caine, who hosted mornings at KMPS for 10 years before leaving in 1993, returned to the station for mornings Jan. 5.
ODYSSEY GOES PUBLIC. Odyssey Communications, owner of New York country trimulcast Y107 (WWVY/WWXY/WWZY), goes public on the American Stock Exchange and changes its name to Big City Radio Inc. It is traded under the symbol 'YFM.' Former WXTU Philadelphia GM Rich Marston has been named VP/station manager at Big City's newly acquired Chicago-area properties, WVVX and WJDK, which both broadcast on 103.1.
JOYNER FLIES RIGHT. ABC Radio Networks syndicated morning man Tom Joyner will bring his show to Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 20, broadcasting from the city's Civil Rights District. The live broadcast precedes HBO's Feb. 23 premiere of Spike Lee's 'Four Little Girls,' a documentary detailing the events and aftermath of the 1963 16th Street Church bombing there.

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