The I-77 Shuttle Is In Full Gear

OMW's hearing a LOT of rumblings about various local air personalities moving up and down Interstate 77.

Our first tidbit - the Local Rumor Mill(tm) tells us that oldies WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7" Cleveland's now-former midday personality Mike Ivers could land in the same time slot down in Akron, taking the opening at WAKR/1590 - recently posted right here on OMW - for a midday personality and music director. Along those lines, the move could very well mean that WAKR moves away from standards, and becomes more of a 50's/60's oldies outlet. With the migration of standards into soft AC, especially by satellite networks like WAKR's own Westwood One feed, this would seem to make sense, and Ivers could certainly deliver the oldies goods for WAKR.

A side note: Starting today, at Ivers' old home, afternoon driver Don "Action" Jackson picks up an extra hour on his shift...he's on the air now starting at 2 PM on "Majic 105.7". Presumably, this is so that Chuck Collier's midday WMJI voicetracks don't fill up as much hard drive space on Prophet NexGen...

Our second tidbit - it's very well possible that a Cleveland program director and an Akron/Canton area program director both had a hunger for sushi for lunch this afternoon, and both at the same time and place. Imagine that! Last we checked, downtown Cleveland is a bit far to drive just for sushi...they do have sushi places down this way, you know.

It'd be pointing out the obvious to note that the Cleveland station recently lost its afternoon drive personality, who's headed for a programming job elsewhere. Can you FIGure out what we're talking about? OMW hears that the open afternoon slot in Cleveland could come with APD stripes as well...

Oh, and part of the I-77 Shuttle that does not involve actual people...as first reported exclusively here on OMW, MediaCom talk WNIR/100.1 Kent/Akron has now joined up with the ABC Information Network for its hourly newscasts. But sister sports talk rimshot daytimer WJMP/1520 Kent ("Fox Sports 1520") is hanging onto the CBS newscasts that ran on WNIR for many, many years. We don't know if this is permanent, or if they just haven't gotten around to programming WJMP's automation computer....