Odds and Ends and Sides

ODDS: Exiting "Kiss FM" Cleveland PD Dan Mason weighs in with AllAccess on his appointment as PD of sister Miami top 40 outlet "Y100": "It's an honor and privilege to be part of one of the most legendary Top 40 stations in America. This is my dream job and I look forward to working alongside DAVE DENVER and (RVP/GM) MIKE CRUSHAM to make an already great station even greater."

Radio and Records Online has their version of the story here. It reminds us of how Mason, by far WAKS' first programming employee, guided the station's move from class A rimshot 104.9/Lorain (now upgraded and used by Seaway classical WCLV) to the much stronger 96.5 signal once occupied by Akron's WKDD (now on Canton-licensed 98.1 out of an upgraded stick in Hartville).

As far as the opening caused by Mason's departure south, Clear Channel regional programming VP Kevin Metheny is heading up the search at WAKS. He's soliciting resumes and audio via E-Mail at his CC E-Mail address. For those who don't know the mailing address of the Clear Channel World Domination HQ by now, it's 6200 Oak Tree Boulevard, 4th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44131-2510.

We're far from experts in the realm of Top 40 radio, but we'd have to say that Kasper has a good shot at shedding the "acting" from his new "Kiss FM" title. For one, he's been alongside Mason as APD/MD for some time at WAKS, except for a brief stint doing afternoons at Clear Channel Philadelphia top 40 outlet WIOQ "Q102"...

ENDS: The Toledo Blade finally picks up on the exit of long-time WSPD/1370 news director Tom Watkins from the Toledo Clear Channel building, which OMW first reported last week.

The Blade's Russ Lemmon characterizes the move as "getting the boot", though Watkins (and WSPD program director Brian Wilson) will not comment on the specifics to the newspaper as the parties work out a separation agreement. Watkins will NOT call the move a "retirement", and says he's "on the market" for a new gig. Clear Channel Toledo's news department is now overseen by Wilson's wife, veteran radio news anchor Cassie Wilson.

Meanwhile, WSPD's newest employee - former WNWO "NBC 24" reporter Kevin Milliken - has been filling in news-wise. And Milliken also continues hosting the talk show "Eye on Toledo" (weeknights 6-7 PM). Despite burning the radio candle at both ends of the day, Milliken continues to update his new blog. Hmm. Either he's a reader of OMW, or he just happened to pick the same Blogspot template...

SIDES: AllAccess reports that there's a new local show in evenings at Clear Channel sports talker WONE/980 Dayton ("980 Homer"). "The Sports Mafia" features Steve Huggins, a station weekender and former host at a Sarasota station, and producer/host Dave Alexander.

"The Sports Animal" is primarily a repeater for its sister Cincinnati station, WSAI/1360 ("1360 Homer"), and mirrors the Cincinnati-based station's programming from 6 AM to 6 PM, including affiliations for both stations with Premiere's Jim Rome. But the 6-8 PM slot has been local for some time...we're just losing memory of the show/hosts who held down evenings before on the Dayton station. WSAI airs Premiere's Phil Hendrie in the 6-9 PM slot, when it isn't pre-empted by sports play-by-play.

And a side note to our side note - NBC TV has declined to pick up Hendrie's sitcom, "Teachers", for the 2006-2007 TV season. But Phil was well aware of that prospect even before announcing he was leaving his radio show to concentrate on acting...