Monday, November 20, 2006

Still Here, So Here's More

We're not yet stuffed with turkey and the trimmings, so here's some more random items:

MEDIA SHAKEUP: We can't give any more details yet, as we have yet to nail this down.

But OMW is hearing pretty solid rumors of a major shakeup at one Northeast Ohio media outpost, including people being let go...and the way that operation does business being drastically changed.

Expect to read more about this in the next day or two, as we're trying to get an official response from an executive of the operation in question.

But if you're out there worrying, don't.

If this news doesn't ring a bell with your own situation, it's not you... OMW hears that those affected by the changes are already aware of them. And you'll notice our wording is very careful.

And no, it has nothing to do with a Canton AM station...or FM, for that matter. That's all we'll say...

SAVAGE MOVE: AllAccess reports that Cumulus talk WTOD/1560 Toledo is picking up TRN's Michael Savage, after "The Savage Nation" was dumped by Clear Channel talk competitor WSPD/1370.

Savage will air on WTOD in his live time slot from 6-9 PM. Well, eventually. Not yet.

Like WWGK/1540 "Cleveland's ESPN Radio 1540" and its planned clearance of owner Craig Karmazin's evening show "Steve and Craig", WTOD can't air Savage yet because it is a daytimer...and the show will not actually be heard on 1560 in Toledo until roughly March, according to the FCC's website.

If you tune to 1560 in Toledo between 6 and 9 PM until then, you'll hear Radio Disney booming in...due the signal of 50,000 watt WQEW in New York City booming into the region.

Now, that'll be a jolt in the Spring...from Savage to Radio Disney without re-tuning a radio!

We ordinarily would get this kind of stuff from regular OMW reader Chuck Matthews, who's WTOD's program director, but we haven't heard from him on it...

20 YEARS: And congratulations to Mount Vernon non-comm WNZR/90.9.

AllAccess reports that the Mount Vernon Nazarene University CCM outlet recently celebrated 20 years on the air with a 20 hour live broadcast.

And there's a reason the small college station has such a professional outlook.

Former WQIO/93.7 station manager Joe Reinhart took over as MVNU's Director of Broadcasting when he left the outlet once owned by Clear Channel, which is now BAS Broadcasting's "Eagle 93.7".

And his wife Marcy is station manager and morning co-host. She also has experience at the city's commercial broadcast duo, and is also an MVNU graduate (1991)...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brian Wilson is a moron. It's no wonder Ross Brittan sent him packing years ago.

Anonymous said...

Brian Wilson's not the only one to carry a grudge here. Mark Levin has been ripping Savage on HIS show as "The Wiener Nation" and blatenly called him a "false prophet" of conservative values. (Of course, if you listen to Levin, he makes fun of EVERYONE, and could have posed as a real-life character on Phil Hendrie's now-deceased faux talk show.)

Note too that WABC once carried Savage, then dropped him for Levin and Laura Ingraham at the same time as the MSNBC-Savage debacle.

But remember, Wilson's also the same guy who basicially fired Bob Frantz from the morning gig - one that was ranked #3 overall. This move sure doesn't surprise me one bit.

- Nathan Obral

Anonymous said...

what was the big announcement on WJW this morning....I apparently missed it.

Anonymous said...

WABC---ABC? Levin is from ABC no?

Anonymous said...

Yes. ABC/Citadel syndicates Levin's show from WABC (though it actually originates from sister station WMAL/Washington - aka the "hidden bunker").

All the ABC O&O's carry him (WABC, KABC, KSFO, WJR, WBAP, WMAL) plus CC stations 55KRC/Cincinnati, WFLA A/F Tampa, KTLK-FM/Minneapolis, WRNO/New Orleans, KPRC/Houston, and WSPD.

However, for 55KRC and KPRC, they didn't drop Savage to add Levin - or even scuttle him to a different time slot. The WSPD case is the first straightforward show swap that I know of. Given the typical ratings Savage gets, it doesn't make sense.

- Nathan Obral

Anonymous said...

what was the big announcement on WJW this morning....I apparently missed it.

On Monday I did not hear any big news on ch 8 and I was in town for an MRI and EKG at University Hospital and I watched ch 8 in the waiting room and did not see anything.

But on a side note, I was down at tower city during lunch in between my 2 appointments and decided to park on the street and ch 19 thought it would be a nice hello by blocking my car in and almost hitting it and the engineers and camara man was about as unhelpful and rude as can be.

firebird said...

Any news of the big shakeup? We just had a big one today at CC/Atlanta's WGST. Tom "The King" Hughes, Denny Schaffer and Kim "The Kimmer" Peterson were all let go. WGST, in market 10, is now a 24/7 all syndicated radio station. This station is supposed to the flagship station for the Atlanta Braves, but that will probably change once the team is sold. Since the arrival of Randall "Colonel Klink" Bloomquist less than a year, WGST has let go over 21 hosts and news staff.

Let's see if Cleveland can top this.

firebird said...

Denny is off the WGST website and there is a story on Radio & Records about the WGST changes. He was 1 year into a 3 year contract, so he could end up on another CC station.

Anonymous said...

Denny would have to go back to Toledo. He and the GM and Billy are buds. Its his comfort zone.

Anonymous said...

perhaps wilson won't be around? he aint setting the world on fire.

Ohio Media Watch said...

We're aware of the WGST changes, and will put up an item as soon as we can.

-The Management

Anonymous said...

Fred Lefevre was one of Denny's sidekicks on his old WVKS-FM morning show. Denny teaming up with Fred is totally plausible, and would help rebuild the station's reputation of late...

- Nathan Obral

Anonymous said...

What about letting Ops. Manager Bill Michaels go and hiring an on-air PD for KISS? Hmmmm.

Anonymous said...

Metheny no longer is the RVPP for the glass city. It's either Romano or Doug Montgomery.