Bob & Tom Off Mid-Ohio Classic Rock Combo

If there's one thing that seems to be as certain as death and taxes, it's a small market Clear Channel Ohio classic rock format station carrying Premiere's syndicated morning show "Bob & Tom". So much for certainty - we'll have to check that death and taxes thing.

An alert reader on Radio-Info's Columbus board points this one out...as it appears Clear Channel's "Fox Rock Network" near Mansfield/Ashland (WFXN/102.3 Galion, WXXR/98.3 Fredericktown and WXXF/107.7 Loudonville) has dumped Bob & Tom. The combo now touts a local show in morning drive, "Jeffro's Morning Jam".

And "Jeffro" is rather open about the changes, which apparently made quite a few "Bob & Tom" fans unhappy. On his web page, "Jeffro" (how can we NOT put that name in quotes?) says the Indianapolis-based duo's contract "got too big for small-market radio". He advises B&T fans that if they want to hear talk, "pick up a good book on tape". Yipes.

Some wondered about the move, noting that Clear Channel owns both the WFXN trio and Premiere Radio Networks, which sells Bob & Tom. But we remind them that these contracts aren't just shuffling money back and forth among different Clear Channel pockets.

It's "pay" to Bob & Tom for their show being used in other markets...it's part of their syndication deal that they get money for new stations. It's pretty standard stuff. Infinity/CBS stations often paid dearly for Howard Stern when he was around, many times well into 6 digit numbers. It's not like Clear Channel can pick up the show for free on WFXN...the ones being paid are Bob & Tom.

Clear Channel Mid-Ohio apparently decided that they'd pay less for a local guy in morning drive.