Monday, July 24, 2006

Roger's Monday Column

Our apologies for a delayed update...but Blogger is having indigestion this morning, and we haven't even had access to the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) for the past couple of hours!

It's Monday, and that means it's time to pick out the useful pieces from Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Roger Brown's Monday Media Column...

STO PROGRAMMING: Roger follows up on an item we mentioned over the weekend...the new in-house programming by the folks at SportsTime Ohio, which showed up on the station's new website schedule last week.

Brown tells us that the Browns "Training Camp Daily" show, which premieres Wednesday at 10:30 PM, will be handled by WKYC/3 sports director Jim Donovan (an STO regular), Plain Dealer Browns beat writer Tony Grossi, and former team coach Sam Rutigliano.

Donovan also tells The Artful Roger that he hopes to bring ex-Browns lineman Doug Dieken - his Browns Radio Network partner - aboard the show.

The moves will bring STO to its previously announced goal of a seven-day a week evening schedule from 6 PM to midnight. STO boss Jim Liberatore says it starts a "new era" for the regional sports network, though we'd be more impressed if that new era involved a full-time channel.

As we've personally told Mr. Liberatore, many people even forget STO exists if they're not looking for an Indians game. Being lit up each evening will help, but STO really needs to move to the next step...a 24/7 channel. It won't take THAT much more to get there, as channels like FSN Ohio only have a certain number of shows that repeat during the day...

BROWNS TIFF: Roger goes over some of the past run-ins between Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 and the Cleveland Browns, as evidence that the most recent difficulty between the two organizations is just the
latest problem.

In addition to the K2 Blowout between Browns receiver Kellen Winslow, his father and WOIO lead sports anchor Chuck Galeti (where we think Winslow Sr. overreacted), Brown reminds us of "unease" with 19's Sharon Reed and her behavior - and dress - at Berea. Well, we guess someone would dress that way if she were hoping to date players, not just interview them.

The PD columnist also says the team wasn't thrilled with the station's handling of the team-related shows, including spotlighting the station's personalities...and the low ratings those shows have gotten on WOIO.

But Brown doesn't mention our earlier report that the station came in last year with a "we own this place swagger" in training camp, not to mention the fact that such behavior got 19 Action News types placed on a short leash in Berea.

He also intimates that WKYC/3 is "drooling" over the prospect of swiping the Browns rights from WOIO, due to apparent personal dislike between WKYC general manager Brooke Spectorsky and his counterpart at WOIO/WUAB, Bill Applegate. If we recall correctly, Spectorsky was formerly the GM at 43...before the stations combined forces in the mid-90's.

WKNR/ESPN: Brown also fills column space with the laundry list of gripes that ESPN Radio may have had with Salem sports talk WKNR/850...which he said "tested ESPN's patience". Among them - pre-emption of network programming with infomercials and Lake County Captains games, not to mention repeats of Premiere host Jim Rome's show.

We're sure the brass in Bristol weren't thrilled with any of that, but our guess is that the move to drop WKNR was pro-active on the part of one Craig Karmazin, who runs the network at his sports outlets in Milwaukee and West Palm Beach FL.

Karmazin's Good Karma Broadcasting also has a sports station on FM in the Madison WI market, but it runs FOX Sports Radio... for at least one reason, possibly, because Clear Channel's WTSA/1070 owns the ESPN rights in that market.

To that end, Roger finally notes that current gospel daytimer WABQ/1540 is expected to take the ESPN Radio affiliation when WKNR loses it in mid-October. But he does not mention Karmazin at all, or his recent move to purchase WABQ. That's a surprise, because Roger Brown's column was the very first place Karmazin's name was mentioned locally...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The WKNR "programming mess" is one of the many reasons I've already migrated to satellite radio and I'm never looking back. I couldn't be happier, I've taken back my radio from stations that insult consumers with their lame programs and programming choices. Infomercials?! Give me a break, I felt like I could tell when they turned out the lights and went home.

Anonymous said...

The informercials, financial talk and "A"-ball?? games (not to mention GOLF shows, of all things) are several reasons I will not listen to WKNR after 7pm or weekends after 1pm. Which is a shame, because I used to listen a lot when they had a signal at 1220. Now it's hard to pull in, even when you want it.

On the Browns, does ANYONE actually watch those coach's shows? Didn't Butch prove they were nothing but propaganda fluff? And with the antagonistic relationship the Browns have had with the un-pros at WOIO/WUAB, why did they sign this 3-yr. deal in the first place? Maybe another of that ex-team president's (John something-or-other) "wise" business moves?

Anonymous said...

I never understood why Chuck Galeti harrassed Kellen Winslow like he did. If Kellen Jr. says "I'm sorry" through a statement, let it be. He'll talk when he's good and ready. That was a circus that Galeti created on to himself.

As far as Sharon Reed and dressing too provocatively is concerned, that's no surprise. See 'Body of Art' for further reference.

Anonymous said...

As far as STO 24/7:
They could do what New England Sports Network did at one time..Fill off hours with ESPN News..Its not ideal, but it beats infomercials..and it does fill time..I'd like to eventually see a "Cleveland Sports Report" type of show eventually.

Anonymous said...

Nobody can seriously fault Chuck Galeti for his reporting around the Winslow story. Kellen Sr. was CLEARLY OUT OF LINE, rude, arrogant, pushy, hateful, demeaning ("little man"?? come on)---it's all caught on tape. Chuck wasn't trying to BE the story; Winslow and his ridiculous secrecy made it that way.

Then he had the nerve to "bar" Chuck from inside the press-conference before he'd even speak?! And even THEN, all he did was belittle the media and fans, because of something HIS IGNORANT SON did. There is no defense whatsoever for Kellen Sr.'s actions, and I hope we never see his mug on a Cleveland TV station again. Hopefully his kid is NOT a "chip off the old block," or he's in for big trouble in this life, man.

Ohio Media Watch said...

Just a thought about Galeti vs. Winslow(s):

I don't remember the exact sequence of events, but I seem to recall that Galeti - while probably being typically 19-style aggressive - was mainly in the right.

Papa Winslow overreacted, and was not exactly a model of restraint.

Anyone who reads OMW regularly knows we don't exactly cut WOIO much slack, but it would appear Mr. Winslow Sr. brought most of THAT on himself.

-OMW

Anonymous said...

Correct, that was one instance that a Ch. 19 reporter can certainly be defended. Winslow made an utter fool of himself and brought further shame/embarrassment onto his son, if anything. That was a legitimate news story, however. The 6th pick in the NFL draft violated his contract and ruined much of the Browns' season & perhaps (at that time) his entire career. Fans had a right to hear a statement from the family.

Differs completely from the daughter of the Browns' owner's sister drowning, and then 19 exploiting the gut-wrenching cries of an hysterical mother.