Triv's Marathon and 102.1

Two thoughts this late night:

* WTAM/1100 afternoon motormouth Mike Trivisonno is in the midst of his all-night remote, which lasts on the Clear Channel Cleveland talk station until Bill Wills and company show up in the early morning hours.

And the program managed to get some attention for Triv and company, thanks to a blockbuster interview with former Browns owner Art "Pariah in Cleveland" Modell, who moved the team to Baltimore after the 1995 season...an event Cleveland sports fans usually have marked on their calendars in blood. It was apparently the first Cleveland media interview by Modell in many years, perhaps the first since the move itself.

UPDATE: We're been told by Alert OMW Readers that there have indeed been other interviews with Modell, apparently including one on WEWS/5 a few months ago. We missed those, and note that WTAM has been promoting last night's interview as "the first LIVE interview" from Modell since the move. WTAM says it'll air the segments again during Triv's show this afternoon.

Since even 10 years and a new Browns franchise later, he isn't exactly welcome in Northeast Ohio...Modell did the interview by phone from his home in the Baltimore area. And he held nothing back, despite saying he wouldn't really "name names". He ripped local politicians for reneging on promises, and said a "prominent state official" told him he'd be better off moving the team, since he "wasn't going to get any money out of those people (Cleveland et al.)".

Despite not "naming names", Modell did let listeners know that the aforementioned "high ranking state official" was having lunch with his wife Janet, and well, wouldn't you know, George Voinovich was governor of Ohio at the time...and his wife is named...well, you get the picture.

Voinovich got wind of Modell's comments and came onto the WTAM airwaves to take up the gauntlet, even cutting short an interview with Browns general manager Phil Savage. The former Cleveland mayor, governor and now U.S. Senator took a few shots of his own at the former Browns/Ravens owner on Triv's show...basically saying in the calmest possible way that Modell wasn't exactly the straightest shooter.

It was pretty interesting radio, and for once, Triv's "regular guy" interviewing style served him well...particularly with Modell. And it got Triv and the station some face time on local TV news tonight, as well. Unfortunately, after tonight's edition, the show will be back to normal...but it was Must Listen Radio this afternoon and evening.

* Just in case you were one of the three people in the Cleveland market who wondered if CBS' registration of the "1021freefm.com" domain meant possible changes for rock-solid AC station WDOK/102.1...feel free to jump off that train of thought. AllAccess reports that the OM/PD of CBS' AC station KSRC/102.1 Kansas City ("Star 102.1") is out. Chris Taylor also oversaw the cluster's CHR station. The VP/market manager of the KC CBS cluster says "additional developments" will be announced in the next 10 days or so.