Reception Reports: July 2012 (Part 2)

Greetings TV Garth readers! July was jumpin' with so much reception, it's going to take a few reports to cover it all! Part 2 details encounters with Rochester, Syracuse and Utica, NY plus Cleveland, OH and Erie, PA!

July 10, 2012

Two public television stations and two "Kids" themed IDs! I captured a logo from TVO's analog repeater in Peterborough (channel 18) which was shutting down roughly a week later. I also caught Erie, PA's WQLN (RF50) with an image illustrating that they tower over the competition!




Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) came in just in time for me to go GAA GAA for the hunky Josh Elliot on Good Afternoon America! Lara Spencer co-anchored!



What I love about Rochester, NY's WROC (RF45) is the natural fun and chemistry the team has on screen. Kevin Doran & Scott Hetsko always WROC the house!



Bill Kardas was Nice & Hot during a promo on Utica, NY's WKTV (RF29) that showed just how scorching the Summer was shaping up to be!



I didn't get much reception of Utica, NY's WUTR (RF30) during the Summer. But it did show up briefly with ABC's World News Now featuring one of my favourite anchors Sunny Hostin! Hoping that the 2013 tropo season will let WUTR scrape in long enough for me to catch one of their newscasts!



Meanwhile, Utica's WKTV (RF29) aired an episode of LatiNation that featured guys in speedos blasting all over each other with bottles of champagne. I'm TV Garth and I approve this message!



Steve McMurray of Utica's WKTV (RF29) was promoted to station manager a little over a week after I saw this promo!



When Utica reception comes in, I always check RF27 to see if I might catch WFXV. However, Peterborough's analog Global repeater often comes in astoundingly strong, as pictured below.



Who's On Your Side? Cleveland, OH's WEWS (RF15) certainly is!



Anchor Danita Harris looked like she was ready to shoot a reality show about her life at WEWS with that cameraman behind her!



I almost squealed when I noticed Toronto's TVO had shut down their transmitter for maintenance, allowing Syracuse, NY's WSYT (RF19) to come back for their second appearance in the Summer!



It also didn't hurt that WSYT's Country Network subchannel had Shania Twain prowling around in a Divatastic leopard print outfit!



It's been awhile since I had a Half & Half reference on the blog, but WSYT brought me Essence Atkins guesting on Tyler Perry's House Of Payne!



I caught a promo on WSYT for Jeremy Kyle, which fellow DXer Fritze perfectly summed up as, "Springer-style ringless pro-wrestling with a British accent."



July 11, 2012

WSYT's Country Network subchannel didn't string me along when they provided a great station ID at the top of the hour!



Even Jenel Boston of Utica, NY's WKTV (RF29) threw her hands in the air with joy over the appearance of the rare FOX 68! Bill Kardas didn't know weather or not he should join the celebration, though...



I was spinning with glee and felt like I had won a fabulous prize when I caught WSYT's well branded Wheel Of Fortune promo!




Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) spun things in a more serious direction with Evan Dawson's report on the dangers of bath salts.



Over on Rochester's WHEC (RF10) Rich Caniglia allegedly confessed, "I tried bath salts once, but all I got out of it were some extra bubbles in the tub!" Rebecca Leclair and Christine VanTimmeren were both surprised by the splashy revelation.



New Channel Alert - I caught Buffalo, NY's low powered TCT repeater WBNF (RF15) for the first time. Despite a very directional pattern toward Canada, people from Stouffville, Oshawa and even Toronto have reported catching it. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Hamilton, ON's CHCH moves to RF15 in 2013.



July 12, 2012

Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) featured a great backdrop of Rochester behind Jennifer Johnson and Doug Emblidge!



WHAM's Marty Snyder looked like he had the power of weather radiating from his fingertips that morning!



Erie, PA's WQLN (RF50) featured This Old House with one handyman allegedly insisting, "Sometimes you just gotta wave your hand in the air, and wave it like you just don't care."



July 13, 2012

Rochester, NY's WROC (RF45) gave me something to crow about as the Red Wings weren't afraid to welcome the San Diego Chicken to the Flower City!



WROC also showed that it's important to have a can do attitude when supporting Foodlink's hunger relief efforts, especially when a dance party breaks out!



I'm not ribbing you when I say that I enjoyed Stacey Pensgen's tasty report on WROC about the various barbecue booths she checked out!



WROC's Bounce subchannel was once again running To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar and once more I have to rave about what a fun, fabulous, feel good movie it was! Great performances and empowering messages!




WROC's Kevin Doran introduced a story about the annual duck drop that had viewers quacking up!



Scott Hetsko, though, showed that it was nearly impossible to duck the heat that was surrounding Lake Ontario in July!



There was a hole lotta fun in the ad for Paula's Donuts seen on Springville, NY's WBBZ (RF7.) Even Drew Cerza the "Buffalo Wing King" didn't chicken out when it came to promoting the tasty treats! (Check out those cute animated pastries at the bottom too!)



Syracuse, NY's WSYR-2 (RF17-2) arrived with meteorologist Dave Longley looking pretty excited about those donuts!



WSYR's Rod Wood and Christie Casciano, though, look a little more skeptical. Too much sugar!



Meanwhile, WSTM's CNY subchannel (RF24-3) was airing a repeat of their CW6 newscast! Sports director John Evenson isn't a Yankee, but that's A-ok with me, since he's a fellow Canuck!



WSYR-2 featured a great promo with Jim Teske, Chris Brandolino, Julia Weiden and Dave Longley being declared the "Most Accurate" weather team in Central New York!



When I first caught Syracuse, NY's WSTQ (RF24-2) digitally they were running a marathon of Sun car commercials, so all these years later I still consider them a bright spot!



WSYR's Sports director Steve Infanti caught wind of being labelled my Syracrush and allegedly said, "You stop that right now, or I'm sending you to the showers to cool down!"



The awesome Jackie Robinson was anchoring over on CNY and recently retired after an amazing run at the station! Robinson knocked it out of the park at WSTM for 34 years!



I also caught a great promo featuring a look a WSYR's history as they celebrate 50 years of being on air!




Rochester, NY's WHAM (RF13) had John Holmes presenting What's Hot In The Roc with a Divalicious singer belting it out on the left!



WHAM also advertised a salon where the woman getting her hair done looks concerned her stylist might have a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction!



Speaking of wardrobe malfunctions, I certainly wasn't laughing when Rochester's CW-WHAM (RF13-2) featured a half naked hunk sandwich on Who Wants to Date A Comedian?



July 14, 2012

I think the trio above were really just trying to form a Gay Straight Alliance like the ones George Stroumboulopoulos talked about on Toronto, ON's CBLT (RF20.)



Stay tuned to TV Garth for more of the ROCkin' reception that made my Summer Syr-iously exciting!

My Sensational Syra-crew Visits Syracuse, NY (Nov. 17-18, 2012)

Greetings TV Garth readers! For my birthday this year, five pals joined me for a trek to a city in Upstate New York that I hadn't thoroughly explored - Syracuse! The journey involved two cars, two days and two groups of 3 coming together to form our Cool Wicked 6 (CW6)! We got to meet the awesome Niko Tamurian of WSTM, plus checked out a few other stations and the scandalicious nightclub Trexx! So sit back and get ready for a recap that's part travelogue, part TV-log! (All television pics are from my reception in Markham, unless otherwise noted!)

Saturday Nov. 17, 2012

It's a tradition to capture a Cellino & Barnes billboard every time I cross the border! I know I've said it before, but seriously, they own Western New York! (Check out their ad as seen Sept. 17, 2012 on Rochester, NY's WROC, RF45.)




We stopped to eat at the same rest stop as my 2011 road trip that had a Checkers fast food outlet. Their baconzilla called, and I answered! I've seen them advertise a lot on Ohio stations like Cleveland's WEWS (RF15) as seen back on July 14, 2011.




After a few hours, we arrived in Syracuse and I caught some cool pics of their downtown area.



The historical Bank Of America building near Clinton Square really stood out with some great vintage architecture and lettering! (Also loved the holiday wreaths nearby!)



We then made our way to WSTM! I was in talks with Niko Tamurian to get a full tour of the station, but last minute repair work inside prevented it from happening. However, Niko graciously agreed to come outside and meet with our Syra-crew for a bit! (He was also recently named one of the successful "alumni faces" of Onondaga Community College!)



The Village People's "YMCA" sparked a huge dance craze with folks spelling out the song's letters. Since we were in Syracuse, our group preferred to do the W-S-T-M!



My friends were like a documentary crew during the trip, capturing the WSTM action from all angles! This was the moment when Niko came out and introduced himself to all of us!



When Niko noticed my TV Garth shirt he teased me about the fact that WSTM wasn't on it!



I printed out a screencap of the CW6 logo just to use in the group shot with my Cool Wicked 6, but when Niko offered to autograph it I got that crazed look of delight seen in the pic below! I was totally geeking out!



Check out Niko & I posing with the newly autographed CW6 sign! (Also check out the interview I did with Niko earlier this year, as well as his Twitter and Facebook! He rocks!)



What was great about meeting Niko was seeing that he's just as awesome in person as he is on screen during his sports reports! He was friendly, personable, enthusiastic and spend a good 10 to 15 minutes chatting with us about CNY Central.



I've gotta Hand it to my pal Mr. A for getting Niko and I to spell out the CNY Central channel numbers!



Niko then went back into the station to grab a CNY Central photo card, which he also autographed. It's too bad the Olympics were over, because I almost did a couple of record setting backflips when he gave it to me! It was also neat to see fellow Canadian John Evenson on the card! Evenson's hometown is Toronto and he worked for Global and CITY Winnipeg before coming to the 'Cuse!



Our Cool Wicked 6 posed under the WSTM letters just before we left the station! It was a great experience and I was very grateful for the warm welcome my group received!



After leaving CNY Central, I was excited to find that Syracuse's WSYT and WNYS (Fox and MyTV respectively) were only two buildings away!



My pal Brian took this breathtaking pic of the WSYT/WNYS satellite tower.



I remember WSYT from back in the analog days when they were on channel 68. I finally caught them digitally a couple of times this past Summer when Toronto's TVO shut down their transmitter for maintenance.



Some people think Taylor Swift has a stiff personality, but she was a real stand out when I met her in Walgreen's. She had to help me calm down after the buzz I was experiencing from all the TV visiting I had just done.



Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has been recommended by many Upstate New Yorkers, including Niko Tamurian on this very blog! I LOVED the animated murals they had outside the building.



It took us almost an hour to get our table at Dinosaur, since the place is such a gargantuan attraction! But the food was so worth it! Tasty ribs and huge portions!




We came back to our hotel to rest and relax, and I pulled out my portable digital Eviant TV to channel surf. It was a chance to see some familiar faves, as well as many of the Syracuse stations I can't catch from home. WSTM (RF24) along with their CNY subchannel came in with Mike Brookins doing a weather report.



Someone call a doctor because I haven't had my Phil of CBS affiliate WTVH (RF47.) The station is impossible to get from Toronto due to CFMT being on the same frequency. It's also noteworthy that WTVH has been the CBS affiliate for the Utica market for several decades.



It was a long Trek, but WSYR (RF17) finally got their MeTV affiliation beaming up on subchannel WSYR-2!



PBS affiliate WCNY (RF25) is another station I remember from the analog days when they were on channel 24. Their DTV signal is on 25, which is blocked by CBLFT in Toronto. Like WTVH, WCNY is the PBS station that serves Utica.



WNYS (RF44) made me wanna say My My My as a shirtless hunk popped up on screen. Also note the "My 43" branding in the bottom right corner.



At home I always keep my ION reception coming from Syracuse! WSPX (RF15) is one of the few stations from the city able to visit Markham on occasion!



I've only seen Fox affiliate WSYT (RF19) a couple of times in my own neck of the woods. The hero below is talking about a "super delicious citizen" and I'm sure he's referring to the shirtless guy seen a couple of pics back!



It was almost 10pm and I tuned to WSTQ (RF24-2) just in time to see a great display of the CNY Central logos!



Katie Corrado was anchoring the WSTQ news that evening!



It was great to see Niko Tamurian on the newscast after meeting him earlier that day!



Relatively new hire Tom Eschen was also reporting on the CW6 that night!



WSTQ broadcasts on both WSTM's subchannel and as a low powered analog signal on channel 14, seen below with meteorologist Mike Brookins!



There were a few other low powered analog stations in the area, including Cornerstone TV affiliate WTVU on channel 22.



I wrestled with my reception of WOBX, which provides AMGTV programming on channel 35!



WHSU offered deals from the Home Shopping Network on channel 51. Capturing this glam fashionista right before leaving for Trexx was very appropriate because...



...upon arriving at Trexx, I encountered even more fabulous divas!



I loved the rainbow themed discs mounted on the wall!



I also loved the male dancers that brought some Magic Mike action to the club! Their Magic really did make it a very happy birthday indeed!



The Drag Diva below became a whirling dervish to Jennifer Holliday's "Woman's Got The Strength (Thunderpuss Mix)". During the climactic breakdown of the song, she started spinning her arm like a windmill, did a "death drop" and bounced right back up to finish the song. Just WOWSA all around!



There were also some shout outs to RuPaul's Drag Race right before this fly, ferocious lady performed to "Glamazon." She certainly knew how to sashay on the runway and as a Drag Race fan, I loved getting to hear Ru's song!



Our Cool Wicked 6 had a blast dancing, roaming around the club and getting snaps with fabulous folks!




The most dangerous part of letting your friends treat you to birthday drinks all night is that it eventually catches up with you! I only look slightly glazed in the pic below, but I really felt it the following morning.



Sunday Nov. 18, 2012

I caught this shot of the Time Warner Cable guide shortly before we checked out of our hotel. It was too bad we didn't have time to stick around for the exciting new show Best Pillow Ever! Apparently it's been accused of being filled with too much fluff and not enough substance!



I caught a pic of the famous Clinton Square, which includes the Soldiers and Sailors' monument, constructed in the early 1900s to honour Syracuse and Onondaga County Civil War veterans.



We initially stopped to eat at the fabulously named Miss Syracuse Diner, but unfortunately they were closed.



We also came across Niko Tamurian's secret restaurant, which specializes in pasta, pizza and deli items! Also check out the Canadian flag at the top!



There was a neat 2-way radio shop called Nu-Tronics that we passed in our travels.



We made our way to way to Mother's Cupboard, which was the perfect place to have breakfast after our raucous night out!



The delicious (and huge) omelette from Mother's Cupboard really helped steady my hangover from all the drinking at Trexx! You can see I'm already bouncing back in the pic below!



After our meal, we drove by the wonderfully retro looking Palace Theatre! The landmark venue has been owned by the same family for over 80 years!



Blue skies, great pals and a cool overview of downtown Syracuse made it a fabulous Sunday!



Time Warner Cable's headquarters for news outlet YNN (Your News Now) also made an appearance during our drive. Note the painting under the logo, which is a nod to the historic former New York Central train station that once existed there!



I couldn't leave Syracuse without stopping by ABC outlet WSYR, especially since they introduced me to my original recipe Syracrush Steve Infanti. (Although WSTM's Niko Tamurian has battled him for the title since 2011!) I've also enjoyed ordering WSYR's annual weather calendar for the last couple of years!



I was glad to see the older WSYR logo on their building, since that was the ID I got to know in 2009 when I first started tracking all my DTV reception! (Their branding eventually switched to the "blue circle" style used by many other ABC stations.)



I happily posed under the gorgeous archway of the the WSYR complex!



The station's current "blue circle" logo appeared on one of WSYR's news vehicles, which really got my motor going!



I love taking this opportunity to dish with readers about my adventures in Syracuse!



After leaving WSYR, we passed by Olum's Appliances & Electronics which I had seen advertised on WSTM (RF24) back on Sept. 3, 2011!




I also spotted the Bill Rapp Superstore, which frequently airs infomercials on CNY Central stations! For a Rapp Superstore, though, I'm disappointed that they don't carry any Snoop Dogg CDs. (Check out the pic from WSTQ, RF24-2, seen March 23, 2012!)




Our Syra-crew made a stop over at the Waterloo Premium Outlets for some shopping before heading home. I picked up calendars featuring I Love Lucy and New York Firefighters! (Check out the ad seen Sept. 16, 2010 on Rochester, NY's WROC, RF45.)




Our last stop as a group was a KFC/Taco Bell in Geneva. It felt appropriate, since only a week earlier I caught a weather report for Geneva on WSTM's CNY subchannel!




Below is a montage of all the awesome stuff I collected during the trip! I brought home the amazing autographed cards from CNY Central along with newspaper TV magazines from Hamilton, Syracuse and the Finger Lakes! I also grabbed the latest TV Guide, along with the Lucy and NYC Firefighter calendars!



A HUGE thanks to Niko Tamurian and all my Syra-crew for making my birthday road trip so fun and memorable! Stay tuned to TV Garth for more mayhem from Central New York!