Sometimes, before we expect to publish one of these items, we wonder if enough news will be available to us to put up a post.
And then, it just happens...
ANOTHER HIRE ON EUCLID AVENUE: Though it appears to be no closer to solving its sports problem, Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" in Cleveland has tapped a permanent co-anchor for "Good Morning Cleveland".
OMW hears that the station is bringing aboard Kimberly Gill, who's been morning anchor at Media General CBS affiliate WBTW/13 in Myrtle Beach/Florence SC for five years. (We believe the market was once just known as Florence, until major population growth in the popular beach resort city of Myrtle Beach and nearby.)
Gill will join recently named permanent co-anchor Paul Kiska, weather anchor Susanne Horgan, traffic reporter Trisha Skidmore, airborne reporter Jack "Air" Marschall and news reporter Joy Benedict on the show...which we assume means that WEWS has finally landed on a permanent configuration for the morning show.
Umm, maybe. We'll see...it is "NewsChannel 5" we're talking about, here.
OMW hears Gill starts at 3001 Euclid on August 6th.
Wither Lorna Barrett, the former Channel 5 reporter who's been filling in on "GMC" and elsewhere? OMW hears that though she did not get the permanent morning co-anchor gig, she'll continue to do both anchoring and reporting fill-in...
VETERAN CLEVELAND TV NEWS NAME PASSES ON: John Herrington, a long-time local news reporter at Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC/3, has passed away.
The tip comes from WKYC's own blogger, senior director Frank Macek, on his Director's Cut blog.
Frank's item reminds us that Mr. Herrington was with Channel 3 for some 25 years (!). But we didn't remember that he actually started in the Cleveland market as anchor of what would have to have been the area's first effort at a 10 PM newscast.
No, not the "10 O'Clock News" started by WUAB/43, which quickly established a beachhead and featured, among others, current WKYC anchor Romona Robinson.
We didn't know or remember that Kaiser Broadcasting independent outlet WKBF/61 produced a show by the same name years earlier, with Herrington as its anchor.
RIP, Mr. Herrington...you were a fixture in this market for anyone who watched local news...
NO, NOT YET: Some comments to an earlier item indicate that it's believed Rubber City Radio country WQMX/94.9 in the Akron market started broadcasting in HD Radio.
As the owners of one of approximately 10 HD Radio units in Northeast Ohio, we pulled ours out of the closet and at least as of now, the country powerhouse isn't yet regularly broadcasting a digital carrier.
If they do have such plans - and we know a lot of people in the Radio Center read here - they'd have a ready-made HD2 subchannel...the well-designed "Classic WQMX" classic country format already running as a streaming audio feed on WQMX.com.
That'd be the second such HD2 subchannel in Northeast Ohio, with Clear Channel's WGAR/99.5 in Cleveland operating such a channel already.
And while we're at it - we wonder when someone's going to put aside a low-bandwidth HD3 channel for a simulcast of a co-owned AM news/talker...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Was someone tricked by the new WQMX liners saying "digital 94.9" and "our digital frequency is 94.9 on your FM radio dial"?
I suppose it could be that the phrasing is leading up to an HD launch in the future. But I'd love to hear an AM station do the same....say "digital 1590" LOL
John Harrington was a class act all the way. I met him once and mentioned WKBF's 10P news and he laughed and said, please don't remind me.
It was a funny newscast. They had no more than two reporters, and John anchored everything...news...wx...sports.
Sorry to hear of John Harrington's passing.
His 10:00 PM show was part of a simpler time. No HD graphics, no million dollar sets..... More just like a guy sitting at a glorified card table reading the news. I remember the old Ch. 61 news as being rip and read for television.
Too bad we lost another good guy-a good newsman with a good sense of humor.
A number of off-topic comments, unsolicited blog plugs and arguments spilling over from message boards have been deleted.
-The Management
Chuck Collier & Mike Trivisonno have been nominated for Marconi Awards. How fitting, at least in Trivs case, that it's for Large Market Personality of the Year
I remember Marty Sullivan {aka Superhost} doing news breaks on WUAB. Was always waiting for him to whip out that silly red nose and put it on.
Why you won't hear AM signals rebroadcast on FM (from Dave Hughes):
CC Yanks AM Talker Relays From FM HD - 7/23 - It looks like Clear Channel has discontinued its recent FM HD Radio relays of its lowish-powered AM DC talkers. A few weeks ago, Clear Channel put lefty talker WWRC (1260 AM) on the HD3 digital signal of the more powerful adult contemporary WASH (97.1 FM). Followed by the righty talk signal of WTNT (570 AM) on the HD3 digital signal of the more powerful country WMZQ (98.7 FM). However, DCRTV heard complaints from other DC area broadcasters who pointed out that the current agreement with the promotional alliance of HD Radio stations forbids commercials on stations' additional HD2 and HD3 digital signals. Both of the Clear Channel DC talker HD relays featured ads.....
At first I confused him with John Hetherington, originally from WUAB 10 O'Clock news.
I meant "Bob" Hetherington.
Note that WTNT/570 and WWRC/1260 have horrible signals (WTEM, even though with 50kW in the daytime, has the same night signal problems as does WKNR). To make it worse for WWRC, it is a 1kW signal on a graveyard channel.
As such, WWRC and WTNT both have low-rated and little-noticed programming where virtually none of it is locally-based. Both are overtly political talkers: WTNT is 3rd-tier conservatalk and WWRC is AAR libtalk. And both simulcast Imus for over a year in morning drive.
Then again, WWRC could go back to its nanoscent brokered "buisness talk" format. Or to their (no kidding) simulcast/relay of WTEM.
I'm sorry for this detour, but it help to put the HD2 picuture into perspective. But why can't CC substitute the ads with PSAs or promotional spots on the HD2 signalif they wanted to simulcast the stations? The same practice is done with the online streams...
- Nathan Obral
John was classic, and one of the greats. Hard-nosed reporter with a huge heart. I produced him for many years. Producers and who worked with him can tell you that even his mic check was unique: he recited the entire Gettysburg Address instead of doing the "Test...1..2..3" bit.
We'll miss you and your wicked humor too, John.
I call for a Del Donahoo Tom Haley Today in Cleveland reunion! Del Rules!
Post a Comment