Midweek Potpourri

Here we go, again...as our list of items continues to grow...

C-BUS TO DETROIT: OMW hears that Clear Channel Columbus top 40 WNCI/97.9-AC WLZT/93.3 program director Michael McCoy is heading to Michigan, and not to watch the Buckeyes play the Wolverines.

McCoy is heading for a new job at Clear Channel sister top 40 outlet WKQI/95.5 "Channel 95-5" in Detroit. We hear his last day will be this Friday.

Back in Columbus, OMW hears about the temporary shuffle to fill-in for the exiting McCoy, which takes place starting Monday.

1) WBWR/105.7 "The Brew"-WRXS/106.7 "Radio 106.7" programmer Laura Lee will take over as interim program director at WNCI, in addition to her current work.
2) Country WCOL/92.3-CC Columbus cluster programmer John Crenshaw adds interim PD duties at WLZT.
3) "Daveman" will add music duties at WBWR, in addition to his role as the cluster's online content director.
4) Former WTVN/610 midday talker (and still primary fill-in host) Joel Riley adds the WBWR "Brew" morning drive shift to his current work on WTVN and WLZT.

We hear that the station's search for McCoy's replacement starts "immediately", and that the above list of changes is only in place until a new programmer is found...

WOOF, THEY'RE ON TV: Here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), we generally studiously avoid giving a lot of digital ink to radio or TV promotional events...unless there's some reason to write about them.

Thus, not a word was written about Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7's "Roverfest" over the weekend, though we were certainly aware of it, and it has apparently grown to some size.

The show passed along a "recap" to us earlier this week, and we'll note one item - "Roverfest" was videotaped in HDTV format, and a program about the event will air on the cable network "MavTV".

That should ring a bell or two here, as MavTV is the young male-oriented HDTV network recently added to the Time Warner Cable lineup, roughly about the time that Mark Cuban's HDNet and HDMovies were yanked.

We haven't watched much of it, but MavTV seems like it's a 24 hour version of HDNet's late night "guy" shows hosted by one Art Mann. The station's on-air logo features a silhouette of a curvy, bikini-clad woman...need we say more?

Anyway, MavTV's aiming at the same young-drooling-male-swilling-brew demographic that's home to many "Rover's Morning Glory" listeners, so it'll probably be a good fit...

SPEAKING OF PROMOTIONAL EVENTS: Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 certainly has enough promotional muscle, between its on-air signal and the NewsNet5 website, to drum up votes... so we declined to mention this before the voting ended.

The station has been pushing for morning anchors Kimberly Gill and Pete Kenworthy to be granted a spot guest hosting on the syndicated talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly", as part of that show's own promotion. Of course, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa's daily show airs on - wow, what a surprise! - WEWS.

(Well, we didn't expect WJW's Stefani Schaefer to be in the running, or WKYC's Mark Finan, or whoever does mornings on a certain CBS affiliate at Reserve Square. It's an affiliate promotional event, not a real contest.)

As such promotions go, best of luck to Kimberly and Pete, who seem well suited to take the promotional gig...

SPEAKING OF TV SIGNALS: A reader passes along a tip that Parkin Broadcasting ABC affiliate WYTV/33 Youngstown has officially received FCC approval to build its 1000 kW full-power digital TV facility.

But, can the station afford to build it out?

WYTV has lagged far behind the market's three other full-power stations in terms of power levels. Until now, WYTV-DT RF 36 has been broadcasting with a quite-less-than-impressive 50 (!) kW power level. That may be enough to get its signal to Warren, on a good day.

The new facility won't instantly turn WYTV into the market's strongest signal, we're told. It is licensed for just 177 meters above average terrain, just a bit higher up the tower than the current facility.

New Vision now-LMA sister station WKBN-DT RF 41's signal is running with just slightly less power (700 kW), but the digital antenna is much higher above average terrain - somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 meters high. We're not sure if it'll land at 384 meters or 418 meters, based on its applications.

The low-slung WYTV digital antenna may be fine within the station's market area - the immediate Mahoning Valley - but those of us in neighboring markets like Cleveland and Pittsburgh may have more difficulty trying to catch the new facility.

Well, at least receiving a digital signal over air from this market's ABC affiliate (WEWS) is not a problem for the most part...unlike the CBS and Fox affiliates.

Anyway, you'll note that we said "can the station afford to build it out?"

WYTV's ownership is now officially listed as "PBC Broadcasting of Youngstown, LLC, Debtor-in-Possession"...with Parkin Broadcasting and its entities filing for bankruptcy earlier this month...along with the filing by WKBN/WYFX LMA partner New Vision, which we already reported.

Maybe they've already budgeted for the WYTV power increase, and it'll happen as scheduled...

AND MORE: And stay tuned to your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) later today, for some more items, including the story of a retirement party for a local TV veteran in Cleveland...