Followups And Other Stuff

UPDATE 9:01 AM 8/7/08: OMW has confirmed that WJW "FOX 8 News" Columbus bureau reporter John Damschroder is a victim of the station's recent round of layoffs, as the station is closing the bureau entirely at the end of the month.

We hear out of South Marginal that the bureau's existing photographer will head back to home base in Cleveland.

With the WJW bureau closing, will anyone come in and take over a ready-made TV news bureau in the State Capital?

We don't know if there's any interest out of other Cleveland stations, or other market stations. At least one Cleveland market station gets Columbus news, Scripps' WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5"...but via an existing agreement with Dispatch/WBNS' Ohio News Network, so it has no need for its own bureau.

And in an era of continued cutbacks in broadcast media, can anyone afford it?

JIM MARTIN UPDATE: Our item on the we-don't-know-when-it-happened format change at Keymarket's WOHI/1490 East Liverpool - from ESPN sports to classic hits "The Pickle" - included a musing about former WOHI host Jim Martin...we wondered what happened to him, and wondered if he still was an OMW reader.

As it turns out, he's fine, and yes, he still is.

Jim dropped us a note to let us know that he landed safely:

I am still in radio, and I have been BLESSED very much. I am now doing mornings 6-10 am on The Light 95.9 WNPQ-FM in Canton, Ohio. Keymarket was very GOOD to me over the years. They finally let me go in 2007 in October. I have been filling in at The Light, then I was hired full-time.

Sure enough, Jim's right there on the Christian contemporary station's website under morning drive. The Youngstown market veteran (WFMJ, etc.) is now using his real name, Jim Berni.

Thanks for the note, Jim, and best to you in your current position!

PIECING TOGETHER THE BROWNS: For whatever reason, the NFL's Cleveland Browns don't have a list of all of their pre-season television network affiliates...at least not one we can find the morning before the team's pre-season opener against the New York Jets.

So, we'll cobble it together market by market.

Cleveland - This one isn't in question, as Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 is the Browns pre-season TV flagship for the second year of a three year contract. In addition to tonight's live broadcast of the game, cable network partner SportsTime Ohio will re-air the games. We know that because our TiVo guide lists two repeats on Friday...

Youngstown - It's Parkin Broadcasting MyNetwork TV affiliate "My YTV" (WYTV-DT 33.2) that'll carry the games this year. The station is being touted by Parkin and/or LMA partner New Vision Television (WKBN/WYFX) as "The Valley's New Home For Local Sports". It'll also carry two Pittsburgh Steelers pre-season games, and is the market's home this year for the Cleveland Indians' over-air telecasts - which also originate at WKYC...

Toledo - We believe Matrix MyNetwork TV affiliate WMNT-CA/48 "My 58" is once again aboard for Browns pre-season football in the Glass City, along with sister talk radio outlet WNWT/1520...

Columbus - It's Dispatch CBS affiliate WBNS/10 "10TV" carrying the Browns this year in the State Capital area...at least according to local TV listings...

Dayton - OMW reported earlier that Cox CBS affiliate WHIO/7 signed up to be the Browns affiliate in Dayton this year...for at least two pre-season games, including tonight's contest...

Of the four Browns pre-season games, only three will air on the WKYC-hubbed network. The second contest against the New York Giants on August 18th will be a national game on ESPN's "Monday Night Football".

WKYC will once again air all three of its Browns pre-season games in HDTV, though we have no idea if the other affiliates will have an HD feed. "MyYTV" and WMNT "My 58" do not have HD feeds to begin with, being an SD digital subchannel and an analog LPTVer, respectively...