Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page A12

Page12A DemocratandChronicle. com nejewelers.com 1855 Monroe Avenue at 12 Corners Brighton Commons 242-8777 Special Special Round 1.50 ct. SI 1 GIA $14,200 Round 1.20 ct SI 2 I GIA $5,200 IN MEMORIAM Merzke, Gilbert Rochester: January 24, 2016, age 80. Predeceased by his parents, Albert and Leona; sister, Elvira Sirus and step-daughter, Wendy Stell. Survived by his wife Patricia (Garrett) (Stell); children, David (Cynthia), Daniel, Dwayne, Darlene (Jake) Goulette and Donna; step- children, David (Laura) Stell and Debra (James) Arney; 9 grandchildren; 1 great-grandchild.

He retired from Kodak and Cortese Dodge and was a devoted 30 year member of the St. Paul Blvd. Fire Association. Friends may call Saturday 1-4 PM at the Dierna Funeral Home, 2309 Culver Road. In lieu of ers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.

Metzger, Richard A. Greece: January 26, 2016. Predeceased by his wife, Lorraine; brothers, Gerard and Paul; brother-in-law, Robert Corbin; sister-in- law, Margaret Metzger. Peacefully surrounded by his loving family: his children, Andrea (Timothy) Nolan, Richard (Kathleen) and Robert; grandchildren, Michael Lara) Nolan, Matthew Christopher Nolan, Carrie (Nick) Shawna Metzger, Kaitlyn (Adam) Smith; great-grandchildren, Mae and Benjamin brother, Frederick (Lorraine) Metzger; sister, Carolyn Corbin; sister-in-law, Lois Metzger; nieces and nephews. Richard was a WWII Navy Veteran serving in the The family would like to thank Lifetime Care, the management and staff at Fleming Point, especially Pat and Her Helpers for their compassion and care.

Friends may call Friday 4-7 at the funeral home, 777 Long Pond Road (between English Latta). Funeral Mass, 9:30 Saturday at Holy Cross Church. Interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of contributions may be made to Honor Flight, PO Box 23581, NY 14692. A nn since1983.Predeceasedbyher husbandFrankG.Mordengaand sonFrankGeorgeMordengaJr.

Sheissurvivedbyherchildren Rosemary(Ron)BuyckofOrmond cousins. FriendsmaycallFridayfrom 5-8PMattheDiPonzioFuneral Gates.OnSaturdaymorning,all areinvitedtoattendherFuneral Church.Interment,HolySepul- chreCemetery. 2016atage77.Predeceasedby Myers.Survivedbyhislovingwife dr Jackisaproudveteranofthe UnitedStatesArmy.Heisaretiree inthechurchchoirandworkingon homeimprovements.Hewillbe deeplymissed. Chapel.HisFuneralMasswillbe St.JohntheEvangelistChurch, SepulchreCemetery.Inlieuof madetoSt.JohntheEvangelist Church2400W.RidgeRd,Roch- Formoreinformationandtosign MeesonFamily.com eegor, Joyce M. Avon: January 19, 2016 at age 75.

She is survived by her daughter, Diane mother, Rose VanVorst; sisters, Eleanor LaPlant, Nancy Bausch, Doris Hymes, Anita Gardner; brother, Henry Van Vorst; grandchildren, Chelsea, Dylan Pike. She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas Her Memorial Service will be held Saturday at 10 AM at the First Church of God, 334 Clarissa Rochester. Arrangements Stephenson-Dougherty Funeral Home, Avon. Battle, Marion Scelfo Rochester: Passed away January 27, 2016, at Woodside Manor Nursing Home. Marion is predeceased by her parents, Josephine and Charles Battle; husband, Charles Scelfo; brothers, Sam and Lewis Battle; nephew, Robert Battle.

She is survived by her nephews and nieces, Charles (Barbara) Battle, Stephen (RoseAnne) Battle, Mark (Charlene) Battle, Anne Marie (Kurt) Battle-Weissend, Tom Battle, Bill Battle, Mary Jo (Richard Hanley) Battle-Hanley, JoMarie Battle, 17 great nieces and nephews, 11 great great nieces and nephews. A Funeral Mass will be held Friday, 11 AM at St Louis Church, 64 South Main St, Pittsford. Interment at White Haven Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Saints Place, St. Louis Church, 64 South Main St, Pittsford NY (14534).

To share a memory of Marion or send a condolence to the family visit www.anthonycha- pels.com. ageof94.Predeceasedbyher JohnandHarryShepherd.She issurvivedbydearfriendsNora andfriends.SheworkedatGen- eralElectricfor26.4yearsandwas anactiv ememberoftheNorthBer- genPresbyterianChurch. FriendsmaycallonSaturday theFowlerFuneralHomeInc.340 rialservicewillbeheldat2pmin theNorthBergenPresbyterian Church. Welch, Thomas S. Rush: Suddenly, January 22, 2016 at age 31.

Survived by his wife, Lily Allyson; son, Thomas Gabriel Welch; step children, Gwen, Emily and Ryan Borgen; mom and step dad Karen and Tom McHale; sister, Cindy Bishop; brothers, Bobby Bishop and Sean Welch; niece, Coral Bishop; nephews, Riley Diegert and Colton Bishop; aunt, Elaine Powell; cousins, Jesse, Emily, Rebecca, Dave and Gary. Predeceased by father Thomas Welch, grandparents Bob and Cleo Eisenberg and uncle Donnie Powell. Friends may call Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm at the Merton H. Kays Funeral Home, Inc.

59 Monroe St. Honeoye Falls where Services will be held Saturday 11 am. Burial Pine Hill Cemetery. In lieu of contributions to Gabriel Welch, Robert Bishop, 1167 Rush-W. Rush Rush, NY 14543.

To light a candle or to leave a remembrance of Thomas, please visit www.mer- tonkaysfuneralhome.com Wrightstone, Ronald L. Fairport: Passed away January 26, 2016 following a several month illness. He is survived by his children, Tracey (Frank) Chiricosta and Terri (Chris) Yohe; his siblings, Richard, Mary and Debbie; and friends and family. His Memorial Service will be held Saturday 9:30 AM at the Dierna Funeral Home, 2309 Culver Road. Cianciotto, Joseph been a year ago today and not a day goes by that we think of you.

Our hearts will be with you always. We love and miss you very much. Love, Wife, Children and Grandchildren. continuedfrompage11A OBITUARIES OBITUARIES ONLINEATWWW.DEMOCRATANDCHRONICLE.COM/LEGACY An urban contemporary format, periods of talk radio with listeners on trending topics, and an involvement in a variety of community-based vents have helped vault the independently owned station back to the top. The station traces its roots back to 1974, and is one of the oldest minority- owned radio stations in the country.

WDKX ended WBEE- (92.5) nearly four- year run on top of Niels Topline ratings, according to Rochester-area audience data of those 12 and older released earlier his month. exclude the community from this said Andre Langston, station operator and on of Andrew Langston, ho founded the station in 1974 and died in 2010. are family. If it for them we be here. We are ot kidding.

We want you get a laugh (and) learn Nielsen reported that WDKX had a 9.3 percent share of the local audi- nce last fall, compared to 8.1share. News talk WHAM-AM (1180) came in third with a 7.3 share. the first time since he spring of 2012 that a station other than WBEE has held the top spot. The No. 1station at that time was also WDKX, the only locally owned station in he top 13 spots of the rankings, according to a spokesman for Nielsen.

The data do not include i nformation for such stations as WARM-FM (101.3) owned by the Step hens Media Group and other stations that do not subscribe to Nielsen, said Scott Fybush, editor of Northeast Radio Watch, a Brighton-based trade publication. It is still a tremendous a chievement for any independently owned station aiming at a minority Fybush said. be No. 1, you see that many places. WDXK i one of the great local radio success stories anywhere in the country.

hey are the community voice. If all they did was it there and play music, they might get half the ratings that they do. They ave such a deep community Fybush said drop of 2.2 percentage points from the summer the fall of last year might be partly due to staffing changes at that station and gains by ARM. can sort of read the numbers by he said. you look, nobody got double digits his time Same voices, new laces The fall was the first ull period with WBEE alk host Terry Clifford out of her old morning slot in favor of a 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m.

shift. It was a move similar to Scott Spezza- jump a year earlier etween WPXY-FM (97.9) to WBZA-FM (98.9), Fybush said. Both moves, he said, were designed to put per- onalities in spots with the largest audiences. is good reason to believe that the changes they have made, at least in the short term, a re at least (partially) responsible for what you are seeing Fybush said. are playing a trategic game there where I think the goal has been to try to make shows a ppeal to younger audiences without losing too much of the older All five of local stations are on the Nielsen rankings, with lassic rock station CMF-FM (96.5) holding the largest audience with a5 percent share.

Seven the top 13 most listened to stations, according to Nielsen, are operated by I HeartRadio. Its top station is WHAM-AM (1180) with a 7.3 share. I HeartRadio has worked in recent years to ring popular hosts Brother Wease and Kimberly Beck to WAIO-FM 95.1) in an effort to boost ratings. Recently, it moved sportscaster John Ditullio from his early evening talk show on HTK-AM (1280) to join ill Moran for a 11a.m. to 3p.m.

show on 95.1. The team debuted earlier this month with Dan Moriarty taking slot on HTK. can play the same music, but to me the difference is the said Joe Bonadonna, program director of WHAM a nd WAIO. connect with people. You put Ditullio and Moran together, this is just excit- i ng radio.

You have a friend sitting next to you in the car. They are engag- i ng and fun and you know where it is Ditullio and Moran also are getting some help. Broadcasters from WHAM provide news up- ates on their show, a ove part of a larger strategy to share talent among the two stations. imberly Beck, booted off Entercom for some off-color remarks, joined I HeartRadio about 18 months ago. Listeners can hear them on both WHAM a nd WAIO at various times.

AIO was ranked sixth by Nielsen with a 4.3 share in the most recent ata. share Bonadonna said. ould think that people would say, is my stat ion, go But everybody helps everybody out. And that is for the great benefit of the Fybush said some of the moves at WAIO are ikely being made to pre- are for the day that Brother Wease retires from radio, even if it is simply to have another team in place that could potentially move into his morning time slot. Bonadonna said the long-running morning radio host still has two or three years left on his current contract, adding that othing is in the works to replace Wease.

are not making changes like he added. speculates about everything in radio and my job is to live in the moment because I have to win day-by-day, New leader Andre Langston, who has his own show at DKX, said the station spends a long time listening to what its audience wants and that includes music, talk and trending opics. A rea politicians and community leaders have been on-air guests, including Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who app eared on the station dur- i ng her run for office against Tom Richards. Warren won that race, to the surprise of many. helped Langs ton said.

this tation, I think she would have been elected. Maybe I say that, but there was no place else that warmed up Lovely except us. We had the door open so she could come in and be heard. say a fan of anybody, but I respect er. I am the kind of guy that sits in the back and kind of watches he black-owned station currently employs about 25 people and has a nother studio in the works at its headquarters on East Main Street near North Union Street.

Despite the loss of general manager Marietta Avery, who died last April a nd was involved in a diz- ying number of community activities, WDKX and its staff remains near- as equally involved. Andrew Langston was recently honored by the city ith a street named after him to recognize his community involvement. he station has helped pull off workshops to ass ist residents in finding jobs, and supported debates for political candid ates, Black History Month events, free concerts, senior dinners and everal other events. should aid Andre Langston. has a heart (and) that heart is the community itself, so you need to know what is in the community and be a part of com TINA PHOTOGRAPHER Several platinum albums awarded to WDKX-FM (103.9) hang on the walls inside the station on East Main Street.

TINA PHOTOGRAPHER Tariq Spencer listens to a caller during a recent Feedback Friday segment. Ratings Continued from Page 1A TOP STATIONS Share of the local audience by subscribing stations of individuals 12 years old and older as reported by Nielsen for fall 2015: WDKX-FM (103.9) ............9.3 WBEE-FM (92.5) ...............8.1 WHAM-AM (1180) ...........7.3 WCMF-FM (96.5) .............5.0 WPXY-FM (97.9) ..............4.4 Other stations, in order, include: WAIO-FM (95.1), WDVI-FM (100.5), WBZA-FM (98.9), WKGS-FM (106.7), WHTK-AM (1280), WVOR-FM (102.3), WROC-AM (950) and WNBL-FM (107.3)..