In an earlier item, we'd noted that we'd expected Good Karma to operate WWGK/1540 "Cleveland's ESPN Radio 1540" "with a primarily network lineup, carrying sports events and programming overflow from WKNR, as its broadcast hours permit."Some of that "spillover" from 850 to 1540 is happening as soon as this weekend.
Long-time OMW reader/tipster Nathan Obral tells us that WWGK is carrying an Ohio State University basketball game against Michigan State on Saturday, starting at 3:30 PM. The swap of the OSU game to WWGK was made necessary by WKNR's obligation to the Cleveland State University Vikings basketball team - they're playing Wisconsin-Green Bay that same afternoon.
WWGK will carry the Buckeyes basketball game until signoff, though they should be able to fit it right under the wire - since college basketball games usually don't last much more than a couple of hours. If WKNR carried the OSU contest, it would have to break off early due to the CSU pre-game show likely starting at 5.
We heard some of the other evidence of this ourselves today on "Cleveland's ESPN Radio 1540". The station is promoting the "ESPN Super Bowl Party" at Fox and Hound in Mayfield Heights. You know, the same party being promoted on WKNR under its own name.
But there's one WWGK-only oddity here, noted on ESPNCleveland.com:
Stop by and meet ESPN Radio's Neil Bender as he hosts the Wine and Gold post game show from 5 until 6.
That's right...the Cavaliers post-game show that usually airs on WKNR immediately following the game will air on WWGK instead on Sunday. You know, there's the little matter of that football game, which WKNR will air, preventing it from airing on Good Karma's more powerful station.
(For what it's worth, we believe we've heard Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 also promoting radio coverage of the NFL's biggest game on Sunday. Could both stations be airing the game?)
Anyway, it's the first Good Karma Cleveland sports radio crossover that we know about, at any rate, aside from Tony Rizzo appearing on both stations - but both times, not yet a full-time employee of either station...
17 comments:
Yes, WTAM is also carrying the Super Bowl, which is good for those of us who want to hear it Sunday night, when WKNR can't be heard beyond broadview rd
CursedCleveland.com is very excited about all this synergy between WKNR and Good Karma. We're also particularly excited about the "Steve and Craig" Show. Very good radio (or technically, very good internet at the moment).
Speaking of WKNR.....Am I dreaming or did I hear a promo on their air this morning for a new Saturday morning show with Tony Rizzo?
I heard that promo for Tony Rizzo on 'KNR for the Saturday show too. I believe that was the time slot that Catan, Bender, et. al. were manning for the past year.
The Super Bowl is syndicated by CBS/Westwood One.
I'm assuming WKNR will have that feed.
How can WTAM also have the game?
I think people are mistaken about WTAM.
Thanks makes a ton of sense. Move your most talented host to the weekends, then give the least talented hosts morning and afternoon drive. Hmm.
Oh darn does that mean we wont be able to hear the Board ops do a talk show anymore?
Westwood One has a site at http://superbowlstations.com that has a listing of all stations that will be carrying the game.
Both WTAM and WKNR are on the list of affiliates.
Philadelphia, PA is the only other market that seems to have multiple stations carrying the game. Salem's 560 WFIL and CBS' 610 WIP are both listed along with suburban rimshots in Wilmington, DE and Trenton, NJ.
Oh great, Karmazin comes in and destroys the best thing 'KNR has going for it---the great Sat. morning show. I listened to those guys every week. Will I be there for Rizzo? Yeah, right.
If the rotation of Sat. guys have moved to a different timeslot or station, can someone please post it here? It's nice to hear some colorful, frank, intelligent viewpoints.
um, the post above IS sarcasm, right?
right?
or one of the hosts ;>)
I love the little faces you computer folks can make with the keyboard characters.
Very cool!
Ah yes, the two above posts show that the usual cynics are still alive. They should give it a rest. If they like hearing the same tired takes over and over by the daily guys, fine. The Saturday morning foursome offers a breath of fresh air, everyone from the HS guy to the 10-1 show. I suggest these cynics go listen to some other channel.
It's sad that the Saturday sports show could be considered the BEST part of the station right now. But that's solely due to ineptness from the previous ownership and management.
If anything, the insistance of Salem to refuse to hire anyone with previous major market experience (aside from Drennan, who co-brokered air time with Tom Kelly on WRMR prior to taking the AMD slot) let the station deteroriate into what Craig had to pick up. I guess people liked the Saturday sports show only because they didn't want to listen to Gary Sullivan's fix-it show or to the Mighty Adam Bold Mutual Fund Hour.
The best of that lot are Mike Catan and Jason Gibbs. Neil Bender, Mike Gelsinger and Josh Sabo are perfectly suited to be good update anchors (as Bender is doing now on WWGK, filling in for Aaron Goldhammer), and Gene Winters is a good show producer.
I'm pretty sure that parts of that lot will probably become a part of this new Saturday "rotation" so to speak. But it plays into the key item: an actual bench of good weekend hosts MUST be built, and then can be relied on for fill-in duty or future weekday host considerations. You can't get that now with the current crop of producers/board ops... (not counting Catan and Gibbs)
- Nathan Obral
WTAM is definitely carying the game! Is WKNR saying on the air that they are carrying the play-by-play? I went to their website and here is the quote "WKNR is your Cleveland radio home for Super Bowl XLI Sunday February 4 in Miami!
For the most complete coverage from a local and national end of Super Bowl XLI, tune into Sportstalk 850 WKNR!" Note that it says "super bowl Sunday" and not the super bowl GAME. could it be one of those radio-hype things like WTAM's "Best Buckeyes Coverage" (they don't carry the games) or for that matter a rock station saying, WXXX "welcomes" (insert band name nere) to The Q when they are really not staging or co-sponsoring the concert. I'll have to remember to dial over to 850 during the game and see if they're actualy running the p-b-p or some infomercial.
As it turned out... same feed (Westwood One) on both stations. Not quite sure how both stations got to clear it, but that's what happened.
As it turned out... same feed (Westwood One) on both stations. Not quite sure how both stations got to clear it, but that's what happened.
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