WNIR's Newest Voice

The newest voice on Media-Com Akron market talker WNIR/100.1 is not a regular denizen of Broadcast Park.

The voice is none other than ABC TV "World News Tonight" anchor Charlie Gibson, who is officially following a tradition started by his predecessor, the late Peter Jennings. Gibson, starting today, is opening up the 5 PM (Eastern time) newscast for the ABC Information radio network on weekdays. WNIR is the Akron market's Information network affiliate.

The use of the 5 PM (ET) newscast as a platform for a radio network's TV anchor is not limited to ABC. We don't know if Bob Schieffer still does it, but Dan Rather opened the 5 PM CBS Radio News cast for some time...we're assuming it started as a response to Jennings doing so on ABC. (We'd check for Mr. Schieffer, but we have to twist our best radio and endure static to catch the nominal Akron market CBS Radio News affiliate, WNIR sister station WJMP/1520 Kent-Akron-Cleveland-Mars-Jupiter.)

And listeners to the top-of-the-hour FOX News Radio casts on Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron hear FOX News Channel anchor Shepard Smith at 5 PM local time, doing that network's own version of the "Promote Your Anchor Newscast"...