Midweek Random Stuff

We've had a lot of items that have needed their own space, but this one's just a grab bag...much of it with the help of the good folks at AllAccess...

WATCHING IT HERE: AllAccess passes along a release about ABC News Radio's coverage of Thursday's vice-presidential debate, where Democrat Sen. Joe Biden and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin will face off at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

And though St. Louis is nowhere near Northeast Ohio, this area will be a part of ABC News Radio's coverage. Reporter Aaron Katersky will be based Thursday night in Akron - to gauge the reaction of a group of apparently undecided voters. (It's that whole "Ohio As Battleground State" thing that's leading him to the Rubber City.)

OMW doesn't know where Katersky will be in Akron, or if the gathering is private or open to the public...but don't expect cameras, as Katersky generally only reports on the radio side for ABC News.

ABC News Radio still exists under the Disney/ABC/ABC News umbrella, despite the sale of most of ABC Radio's stations and networks to Citadel. As part of that sale, Citadel has a 10 year deal to handle sales rights for ABC News Radio.

And of course, Disney/ABC still owns the ESPN Radio network and stations, and the Radio Disney network and stations - among them, WWMK/1260 Cleveland...

MIDDAY OPENING: AllAccess also reports that that Clear Channel rock WIOT/104.7 Toledo is making a change in middays.

WIOT's Kelly Brown is no longer in the building after a two year run. WIOT programmer Bill Michaels is looking for a new middayer for the heritage rocker...CD's and resumes to him at WIOT, 125 S. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43604.

He asks via AllAccess for "no MP3's, please"...

ONE JOB: DCRTV.com reports that talk WHFS/105.7 Baltimore is no longer airing Brian Wilson's midday show on the CBS Radio FM talk outlet.

Of course, that news item is one for our scroll today, because Wilson's "day job" is as program director and afternoon drive talk show host for Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 Toledo.

OMW hears that it was Wilson's decision not to continue doing the Baltimore show, and that regular WSPD fill-in Mike Pintek (the former KDKA/Pittsburgh host now hosting Pittsburgh Cable News Channel's "NightTalk" program) is doing the same in Wilson's now-former WHFS time slot.

Local Clear Channel managers in Toledo have always characterized his Baltimore remote hosting work as a "fill-in", much like Wilson has done for many years via his ISDN "Vacation Relief" fill-in service for talk radio stations across the country. He did a similar "long-time fill-in" for ABC Radio talk KSFO/560 San Francisco.

Wilson would generally do his Baltimore show via ISDN from the Clear Channel studios in Toledo, then turn around (immediately) and do the WSPD program "live and local" - the WHFS show aired weekdays from 12-3 PM, and his WSPD afternoon drive show is weekdays 3-6 PM.

With many ties to the Baltimore area, Wilson would occasionally do the Maryland local show from WHFS.

As far as we know, he'll continue in his role as WSPD's program director and afternoon drive host - and now with more time to concentrate on the work in Toledo.

And those who have done more than one full-length talk show a day, over a six hour daily period, could probably tell you that it's exhausting...let alone with PD duties on top of it...