WOIO/WUAB Pick Up Some Sister Stations

It probably doesn't mean much for Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19 and UPN affiliate WUAB/43, but their parent company (Raycom Media) is taking over the Liberty group of 15 TV stations.

With nearly all of its operations in the Southeast, Liberty's only Ohio station is Toledo CBS affliate WTOL/11 - better known as "Toledo 11". It's possible the merger will mean more cooperation between WTOL and the Raycom operations in Cleveland, at least in the area of news.

And no, Toledo TV watchers, don't expect naked anchorwomen after the deal becomes final. WOIO's ratings stunt, when anchor/reporter Sharon Reed doffed all her clothes to join the "naked art" photographing session with Spencer Tunick, did not sit well with the conservative ownership of Raycom, based in Montgomery, Alabama. (By the way, while we're in the Land of Naked Newswomen, OMW notes that former WKBN/27 Youngstown anchor Catherine Bosley was seen - fully clothed - doing fill-in reporting on "19 Action News" recently. Our only question: What took 'em so long? And when are the breathless "the ONLY station with TWO anchors who dared to bare it all" promos going to hit the WOIO airwaves?)