INFINITY GOES BEYOND
WITH 102.7 BLINK N.Y.
As expected, Infinity Broadcasting unveiled their latest refurbished Manhattan property today, the brand-spanking-new 102.7 Blink, which is the new identity of legendary rock station WNEW.
The new format is being described as "rich with contemporary music mixed with a heavy dose of entertainment and celebrity news and gossip." What, no Scott Muni? The Night Bird must be turning over in her grave. Where’s Roscoe when you need him?
WXRK PD Steve Kingston now adds Operations Manager duties for the new station to his business card, while MSNBC news producer Gloria McDonough-Taub will be executive producer, according to VP/GM Scott Herman. The stentorian tones of 24’s Kiefer Sutherland will provide the voice of the new station.
The new format will try to take advantage of parent company Viacom’s brands, like ET, MTV and VH1, while partnering with the likes of AOL Broadband and US magazine.
Infinity Broadcasting Chairman/CEO John Sykes said: "Just like all media, great radio stations constantly reinvent themselves. Blink is not only a music format, but a brand that targets savvy New Yorkers that crave entertainment, gossip and information. And it’s so fun to say. Blink… Blink… Blink. Like that thing you do with your eye."
President of Programming Andy Schuon called it "like nothing else on radio today… We have assembled a first-class team of operators and created an innovative, highly entertaining and absorbing format of Top 40 music and insider Hollywood news and gossip designed to become the Zeitgeist of entertainment and pop culture for New York radio listeners. And it’s just the type of format the liberated Iraquis might enjoy, too, on the new Rumsfeld Broadcasting System."
The "Blink Morning" show will be hosted by ET’s Chris Booker and J.Lo’s sister, E!’s Linda Lopez. E!’s Todd Newton will also host a live broadcast from the station’s Hollywood studios, while N.Y. DJ Erika "E-Love" Hamilton, will host her own show and double as the station’s music supervisor. All that’s missing is Joan and Melissa Rivers.
Kingston is a radio veteran who was previously VP Programming at N.Y.’s Z100 as well as PD at WPGC Washington D.C., WBSB Baltimore and WBZZ Pittsburgh. Infinity owns 185 radio stations across the country.
