Weekend Catchup

We've been so busy with the ESPN/WKNR/WABQ thing this week that we haven't had time for much else. So, here's some of the "much else":

LAYOFFS HIT HOME: We don't know the details yet, but more information is trickling out around the country about the massive CBS Radio layoffs earlier this week. And to follow up on our earlier report, there may have been an exit or two at the company's Cleveland cluster.

We have no details, though...and we'll pass them along to you as they become available....

WNCX MORNING SHOW: More sketchy rumors here, but at least some chatter suggests that CBS Cleveland classic rocker WNCX/98.5 has finally settled on a morning show. The credibility of this chatter is about 2 on a scale of one to five, so we're not going to spend a lot of time on it... we're just "throwing it out there" as something we'll be watching in the next couple of weeks or so.

WIDER NET: Heading south for a bit, Clear Channel Columbus top 40 WNCI/97.9's morning show is starting its long-rumored in-house syndication.

AllAccess reports that starting Monday, "The Dave and Jimmy Morning Show" begins airing on its second station, Clear Channel Louisville KY top 40 outlet WZKF/98.9 "Kiss FM".

WZKF program director Chris Randolph calls the incoming team "the hardest working morning team I've ever seen", and other such Incoming Morning Team Praise.

How far will the Dave and Jimmy Train go?

The show has a pretty generic looking flashy new website, complete with a professional logo and no up-front mentions of Columbus. (Well, aside from at the bottom - the small print address of the company which developed the website.) Are they tabbed to become an east coast morning drive option for Clear Channel top 40 stations?

MOVING DAY: Radio One Cincinnati urban outlet WIZF/100.9 Erlanger KY "The Wiz" was scheduled to make its move to 101.1 this week. The "nudge up the dial" was set for Friday morning, with a contest winner doing the official "switch flipping" honors. Or...whatever method the station used. (Clicking a computer mouse?)

The move is needed to make way for the company's incoming FM station in the Cincinnati market, the current WIFE-FM/100.3 Connorsville IN, which will be planted smack dab in the middle of Cincinnati with a COL of Norwood OH. WIFE's longtime calls will be left behind on 1580 AM in Connorsville, with the latter station's oldies format...

HALL OF FAMER: Our congratulations to Rubber City Radio/Akron programmer Kevin Mason...the country WQMX/94.9 operations manager will be inducted into the Ohio Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame on October 8th at the Hilton in Fairlawn.

Mason's also heard on-air on WQMX from 9-11 AM.

Well, at least we think it's him. The picture next to his entry on the station's staff page is of a cat. Meow!

Seriously, whether he has to use his paws to turn on the microphone or not, congratulations to Kevin. He joins broadcast luminairies such as Allan Freed, Phil Donahue, Bob Hope and ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick in the Akron-based Hall...