"THE CAT" FLIPS TO RTN...ER...RTV: As reported earlier and expected, Media-Com LPTV duo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland did indeed go back...into its TV future.
The station is now running programming from the Retro Television Network, the same classic TV shows that are now also being run down I-77 at Canton-based Image Video LPTV combo WIVM-LP 52 Canton/WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown(/Dover/New Philadelphia)/WIVX-LP 65 Loudonville.The snowy picture - featuring Telly Savalas as "Kojak" - comes from a modest antenna pickup of the 35 part of the 29/35 combo here at the OMW World Headquarters. (Terrain and location favor 35 for us, vs. 29.) It's actually one of the better pickups we've had of either station here, and the audio was fine.
We're forced to bring out the antenna for a reason...29/35 have no cable carriage in the Cleveland-based former Adelphia system now run by Time Warner Cable...though the station does get carriage on TWC analog channel 14 in Akron, and elsewhere (TWC systems in Macedonia and Kent, Cox systems in suburban Cleveland, and Wadsworth's city-run cable system).
And judging by the legal ID shown above, it appears Media-Com has abandoned "The CAT" branding for its two simulcasting LPTV stations...which are now known as "Retro TV / Channels 35 and 29".
It's just as well. "The CAT" ("Cleveland-Akron Television Network") branding never really caught on...and "Retro TV" is likely to be a much better name.
The local logo shows the newer "RTV" logo the network is starting to use now... note, we say "starting" because even the network feed still shows the old "RTN" logo going into and out of its own commercial breaks.
OMW reader and WNIR fan "Wayne in Akron" reports that this morning on the WNIR morning drive show, Akron Media Icon Steve French said his "Sportstalk" show will continue on 29/35, and will return tonight at 6 PM on the new "Retro TV".
Whew...we were worried we'd lose the ability to watch you on TV through heavy snow, Steve...
WHILE WE'RE AT BROADCAST PARK: The Media-Com folks are dominating our news lately, becuase of all the changes happening across the street from the Wal-Mart between Kent and Ravenna....and another change is likely to take place a week from today.
For now, the company's Akron market daytime rimshot AM station, WJMP/1520 Kent, is still "Fox Sports Radio 1520", running the sports network it's about to lose to crosstown Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 "SportsRadio 1350" on June 8th.
We particularly chuckle at WJMP still running those liners from FSR personalities in its automation: "Fox Sports Radio has a NEW home in Akron". Well, it will, after the network moves to WARF next week... but the liners date back to 1520's change from Air America Radio programming.
Anyway, while the wait for the one-lung station's move to syndicated conservative talk continues, we thought we'd share WJMP's new weekend talk schedule in detail.
SATURDAY
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7-11 AM: The new "TalkRadio WJMP 1520" will open with repeats of its afternoon drive host, United Stations' Lou Dobbs...airing highlights from previous weeks' shows by the man better known for his hosting work on CNN.
11 AM-12 Noon: WJMP will air "The Motor Trend Show", which is actually distributed by the folks at Talk Radio Network...provider of most of 1520's new weekday lineup.
12 Noon-2 PM: The WOR Radio Network part of the WJMP weekend schedule kicks in, with "Health Talk" with Dr. Ronald Hoffman.
2-4 PM: "The Car Doctor" show with Ron Ananian, another WOR Radio Network offering.
4-7 PM: The previously listed "Bob Brinker's Moneytalk", syndicated by Citadel...which WJMP sister WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" aired many years ago (when Citadel was still ABC Radio).
SUNDAY:
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8-10 AM: Aside from Mr. Brinker, the Sunday WJMP schedule is all WOR Radio Network offerings...starting off with garden show host Ralph Snodsmith.
10 AM-12 Noon: "Culinary Wizard" Michael Colameco brings in food talk from the WOR Radio Network schedule.
12 Noon-2 PM: Travel expert Arthur Frommer and his wife, also out of WOR.
2-4 PM: Pet talk with WOR's Warren Eckstein.
4-7 PM: As listed above, Citadel veteran financial host Bob Brinker and his "Moneytalk" show.
We haven't checked to make it official, but we believe all of the WJMP weekend shows will be live off the satellite, save for the Lou Dobbs repeats on Saturday morning.
And, of course, the new talk radio incarnation of 1520 will not carry any local programming. That's handled quite ably by the one Media-Com station that people actually can hear without straining through static, "The Talk of Akron", WNIR.
Not that we needed verification of this story, but WJMP is already showing up on affiliate lists for its coming morning drive show, "Mancow" (where WJMP is the only Ohio affiliate listed), and for mid-morning TRN host Laura Ingraham...
AND A CLEVELAND RADIO ASSIST: One of our readers points out this article on the Plain Dealer's Cleveland.com...where an electric lineman recently helped police end an Amber Alert peacefully in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake.
You probably saw it on the TV news a few days ago...but it's this detail our reader points out from the PD article that catches our interest:
Doug Haldi said he was slightly annoyed when his favorite Steppenwolf song was interrupted on the radio Friday morning by an Amber Alert about abduction from Elyria.
Then, he pulled into the BP Gas Station at Detroit and Bradley roads for his morning coffee and saw a 2007 Ford Fusion that fit the description of the vehicle described in the alert.
"I was trying to remember the license plate when the disc jockey repeated it," he said. "That was the exact plate."
As our reader points out, Haldi was probably listening to CBS Radio Cleveland classic rock WNCX/98.5, which we presume would be the most likely area station to play Steppenwolf. And since Cleveland-area Amber Alerts don't interrupt satellite radio classic rock channels, the whole situation doesn't happen if Haldi were listening to XM or Sirius.
The PD article says Westlake police swooped in and caught up with the suspect, who was taken into custody peacefully at another nearby gas station.
No word on if WNCX played the Steppenwolf song again...but we're guessing that's a staple of the station's playlist anyway...
8 comments:
Steve French has a playful side.
Perhaps one of the upcoming episodes of SportsTalk will have him wearing a fedora with a business card saying "PRESS" sticking out of the hat band (ALA Steve Allen) or a displaying a big "IN COLOR" sign as part of the show opening.
The RTV website lists WAOH as a Cleveland affiliate. No mention of W35AX, WIVM, WIVN, or WIVX.
WMJI would play Steppenwolf
WONE would play Steppenwolf!
Mancow also has "Talk FM" WTDA/103.9 in Columbus as an affiliate. Odd that they would not list him there...
It was CBS that played the Steppenwolf song. Just look at yes.com logs...the alert came down after 7:40AM, and WNCX was playing "Born To Be Wild" at that time.
hey the kmart radio network and buehlers pineapple radio BOTH play steppenwolf. the pineapple will even play led zep doing the live version of whole lotta love with the moans and guitar solo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cincy's WOTH still airs ads and on-screen slides with the RTN identification on 25.3 and its other channels, but as I'd said, they've done nothing else to advertise or otherwise build up this new network in our area.
Could it be that they're waiting for the entire network to "re-brand" itself as RTV? Hard to say.
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