Back Home, And Catching Up With The WTAM Mid-Morning Race

While we did indeed find it possible to update the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) from the road, we didn't find it easy without a laptop. Then, we learned we could use E-Mail to update OMW, though it looked kinda funny as far as spacing goes. Then, we realized we had a keyboard for our PDA with us, but...well, we're back home again. For now.

While within the range of the 50,000 watt blowtorch-delivered signal of Cleveland Clear Channel talker WTAM/1100 last night, we happened to catch "Sportsline's" Kevin Keane taking on-air votes about the rotation of local talk show hosts - and would be hosts - heard the past week and change on the "Big One's" mid-morning airwaves. Included in the list since last we updated - former Fox Sports Radio co-host and Euclid resident Chuck Booms ("Kiley and Booms"), who did Monday and Tuesday of this week.

We also heard Keane pass along what he'd heard from station management. After Brad Sussman (Wednesday) and Rick Gilmour (Thursday/Friday) wrap up their stints, the competition is over...and next Monday, according to Keane last night, you'll hear the permanent occupant of the 9-11:30 AM stint on WTAM.

OMW's standing by our first prediction - that former WTAMer and current WSPD/1370 Toledo evening host Bob Frantz will be cracking open that microphone next Monday as the newly minted mid-morning host. As we've stated before, we believe this was his gig to lose, and nothing we've heard so far changes that opinion - either on the air, or from our various sources.

It's not that the other hosts - Sussman, WOIO/19-WUAB/43's Chuck Galeti (also a regular WTAM fill-in and former "Sunday Morning Sports Page" host), and Booms did anything to take themselves out of the running. Booms, who's also done fill-in sports talk work for Clear Channel's Akron/Canton cluster, has non-sports talk on his resume via a stint at Clear Channel flagship talk WOAI/1200 San Antonio.

We just believe that aside from our earlier reporting on this, the kind of show Frantz does is the kind of show WTAM wants to put in the mid-morning slot - a local, issues-oriented show with the ability to poke a few hornets nests when need be.

As for Rick Gilmour, it's hard to see the former WTAM weekend and night host (who even had a turn at afternoons once, we believe) taking the slot. We're not sure his brand of talk radio works at 9 AM, or that WTAM would - as we mentioned - "go back to the future" with a host who worked his way down the schedule until leaving a ways back. But, as always, we'll be listening...