Apex Broadcasting flipped alternative rock WAVF "96 the Wave" to a Jack-like "Chuck FM" at 5pm Friday, playing a variety of adult hits. The Wave signed off with "Take This Job and Shove It," while "Chuck FM" came on with the Clash's classic "Should I Stay Or Should I Go." PD Lance Hale has made the cut and will stay on to program the new station. Listen live to the new "Chuck FM" here. And to discuss it on Radio-Info - ##discussit##

Consultant Tom Kelly bought WHAT, Philadelphia (1340) last Fall for $5 million and installed a unique "Skin Radio" format to attract younger music listeners back to AM. Now he's switching to a "contemporary standards" format he's dubbed "Martini Lounge Radio" - reminiscent of what others have tried (like St. Louis' now-gone "Red 104"). The playlist ranges from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee to Michael Buble, Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall. The sign-on stunt is smart for a town that's still in love with Sinatra - "September with Sinatra." Kelly's multi-racial, multi-format Skin Radio will continue online at skinradio.com.

It's a pre-holiday switcheroo for rock WRDX "the River 94.7" and WDSD "Delaware's Continuous Country" at 92.9 FM in Dover - and a homecoming for WDSD, which was at 94.7 until a decade ago. The calls change along with the formats, and the WDSD website says "We're back."

Deanne Saffren, APD/MD at Hot AC KYSR "Star 98.7" Los Angeles has exited the Clear Channel station. No official word yet on who will replace Saffren - or whether there will be a new APD/MD in the near future.

Mike Tierney's been the PD at CBS rocker KUFO, Portland, OR for less than a year - and now he's flying back to New York, to serve as the APD/MD at sister WXRK "92.3 K-Rock." There, he's reunited with Tracey Cloherty, K-Rock's program director. In the 90s, Cloherty and Tierney worked together at Emmis' hip-hop outlet WHQT "Hot 97."

Clear Channel flipped Portland, Ore., smooth jazz KIJZ to classic hits as "Kool 105.9." CC regional VP Tony Coles will program the new station, which launched on Thursday, August 30.

That's a change, because the Washington Caps are currently heard on two Clear Channel stations, either sports WTEM (980) or talk WTNT (570). The Washington Post's Tarik El-Bashir reports that the new deal "puts nearly all the team's regular season games on 3WT", with the only exception being conflicts with the Washington Nationals baseball team, next Spring. Read El-Bashir's story on the two year deal here.

Cumulus GM Pat Fant tells Radio-Info he's looking for a PD for the re-named "KHJK", but he's got one crucial hire made: imaging director Dan Kennedy. The attitude-heavy "Jack FM" requires intensive production and localization of the "Jack" character, since he's basically the only voice on-air. Cumulus thus pulls out of its attempt to try to wrest classic rock and rock listeners away from the entrenched Clear Channel stations in Houston, and cuts its own path. (Adult hits stations typically look to siphon listeners away from a wide range of other formats, from AC to oldies to rock.) The rock-to-Jack rumor surfaced days ago - correctly - on the Radio-Info boards, and the flip - and the Cumulus execution of "Jack" - will cause more talk: ##discussit##

The sometimes tortuous trail to a $19 billion-plus buyout is easier going now, and the raised $39.20 price was enough to tempt private equity firms Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners. The proxy details the choice between the "cash election" - taking the $39.20 and cashing out - or the "stock election", claiming part of the ongoing "stub" equity that won't be publicly traded. Management expects the deal to close by December 31 - and if it doesn't, shareholders get an additional cash payment. If the deal's terminated for certain reasons, there's a substantial $500 million fee. How about future management? In the privately-held company, 50-year-old John Hogan will serve as President/CEO of Clear Channel Radio. The shareholder vote is September 25, and San Antonio will be vigorously beating the bushes for "yes" votes - or any vote at all, to meet the strict Texas state law.

Effie Rolfe, host of the Sunday morning gospel show at Clear Channel's urban WGCI Chicago, is shifting over to urban ac sister WVAZ "V103" to handle the Gospel program on Sundays, from 8 am to noon. She replaces Ron Baker Jr. Rolfe will continue to handle her full time gig as midday host and APD/MD duties at gospel sister WGRB-AM. Back at WGCI, Dana Divine will be the new Sunday morning Gospel Host. She is a singer/songwriter, in the gospel music industry for over 25 years.

Even with decent ratings--top three in the latest Spring book--Cox country WWKA "K92" Orlando has opted to let morning man Ellis B. Feaster go, just a month after morning co-host Melissa Moore exited. According to a report in the Orlando Sentinel, management has been considering a move for some time. Read the entire Sentinel story here.

WRSA went off the air in the middle of the night early Wednesday, and (says the Huntsville Times) the engineer who went to Brindley Mountain to check out the problem was shot at by two vandals, as he approached the transmitter building. He wasn't hurt, but the intruders rammed his car. The tech discovered they'd used a crowbar to gain entrance to the building, which gave them the chance to damage the transmitter. "Lite 96.9" was off the air from early Wednesday morning until about 7:30am. Read the Huntsville paper's story here.

Several recent studies have predicted this, and the latest is from eMarketer senior analyst Ben Macklin (reported in Forbes). Macklin sees sluggish growth ahead for traditional radio advertising, but thinks radio's most promising opportunities lie in its websites and streaming: "There are many synergies between radio and the Internet and for the most part, they complement rather than compete with each other." He forecasts online to grow to $21.7 billion this year (versus $20.4 billion for radio). And he thinks it will mushroom to $44 billion by 2011 - putting it about where broadcast television is. Read the Forbes story here.

Long-time station vet and middayer Chris Roberts, takes over programming duties at Corpus Christi hot AC KLTG "The Beach." He replaces Bert Clark, who left earlier this month.

Bonneville filed to sell longtime sports KMVP (860) to John Douglas' AIM Broadcasting back in June, and the LMA just kicked in, with Douglas switching languages and probably business approaches - he's a specialist in brokered-time broadcasting. "Radio Vida Abundante" replaces the sports on 860, a month or two ahead of the closing on the deal worth $3.8 million. Bonneville will opt to keep the KMVP call letters, and likely move them to another market.