Ch...Ch...Changes

Northeast Ohio radio and TV go through cycles of change, we've figured out.

Covering the local media beat reminds us of being a fireman, only without the flames and danger part. We could be sitting around here with nothing going on, and all of a sudden, changes seem to happen in bulk. And those changes may not even be related to each other.

This is another of those weeks.

We don't have any confirmation on it, so we won't run the full item yet, but OMW hears there could be programming personnel changes in one Northeast Ohio radio cluster, following Don Hallett's exit from Clear Channel hot AC WMVX/106.5 "Mix 106.5" yesterday.

(This could also be your clue, as an OMW reader, to drop us a private note helping us to confirm such a change in your cluster. Our E-Mail link is conveniently located up at the top left.)

As far as Hallett's exit is concerned, our moles at the Clear Channel World Domination HQ on Oak Tree tell us it appears to be genuinely related to the company's budget concerns, and that similar moves have happened at other Clear Channel clusters.

In fact, one of those moves involves Clear Channel news/talk programming guru Gabe Hobbs returning to the day-to-day programming world, taking over the PD reins again at the talk station which originally launched him into his company-wide role...Tampa's WFLA/970 (and sister WHNZ/1250).

Hobbs also keeps that role, adding the WFLA/WHNZ programming responsibilities to his plate...