All Over The Map

It's a typical Monday, as we let items free that need their freedom...

GOING DOWN: It's no surprise to anyone who follows population figures, but the folks at Nielsen Media Research have announced that the Cleveland TV market continues to lose position in its market rankings.

From the TV ratings giant's release:

The Top 10 local markets, known in the industry as Designated Market Areas or DMAs, will remain the same this season, with a few rank changes in the Top 20. Moving up are Seattle, from 14 to 13, and Denver from 18 to 16. Tampa, Miami and Cleveland are each down one rank.

That drops Cleveland on the new list (PDF link) for 2009/2010 to America's 18th largest market, down from 17. Cleveland's still a top 20 market, but hanging by a thread...if the current population trends continue, that will change in about three years.

Columbus faired worse, actually, as far as losing rank. It fell two ranks, from 32 to 34. Cincinnati gained one place, and moves ahead of Columbus to become the 33nd largest TV market in the country.

Dayton drops one rank, from 64 to 65. Toledo holds steady at 73. Youngstown drops one place to 110. Wheeling-Steubenville is unchanged at 159. Lima is unchanged at 186. Parkersburg(/Marietta) drops one place at 194. And tiny Zanesville is still the 203rd largest market in America...

NO GAMES FOR NOW: OMW informed you earlier that Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio Network ("NEON") was trying to add more Akron area games to its extensive high school football broadcast schedule...which already had plenty of games for Cleveland and Canton area viewers.

Well, not yet, at any rate.

TWC local VP and OMW reader Bill Jasso tells us that the cable company was "unable to get an agreement with the local production company to do the Akron area games" due to financial terms, as in the pricetag presented by that unnamed production company being too high for TWC.

TWC's Travis Reynolds says if any Akron area games are added, they'll be announced on a "game by game basis", with the package deal apparently out of consideration now...

GLENN BECK...WHERE?: We had to ask around, double-check and confirm this one.

Premiere syndicated radio talk show host Glenn Beck has landed a Youngstown-market affiliate, and it's not at all the kind of station you'd expect.

An OMW reader tipped us that "The Glenn Beck Program" started airing live, 9 AM-noon, last week...on...oh, wait, we have to drag this out.

No, not on Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown, which would be the natural affiliate choice for the syndicated conservative talker. WKBN programs the 9 AM-noon time slot locally with program director Dan Rivers' show, in the time slot long occupied by the late Dan Ryan.

Beck's program, indeed, shows up nowhere on the WKBN program schedule, even in weekend or repeat form.

It has, however, landed on a quite unusual affiliate - Beacon Media Group Christian/eclectic rocker WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA, the Youngstown market rimshot known as "Indie 107.1".

No, we're not kidding.

Our ears in the market tells that despite running Beck's show Monday through Saturday in the 9-noon slot (yes, even a weekend repeat), "Indie" maintains its locally programmed mix of Christian rock music and other compatible tunes outside of those hours.

That noise you hear is coming from Central Point OR, where Talk Radio Network sales folks are probably trying to talk to Beacon's Harold Glunt as we put up this item, trying to get him to surround Beck's show with their own programming. (OK, so we're just speculating. TRN's Michael Savage and Phil Hendrie air weeknights on WKBN.)

HE'S ADAM STEVENS, SAMANTHA'S SON, APPARENTLY: Like most local TV stations do during locally-aired NFL football broadcasts, Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 in Cleveland airs "halftime news" during its Cleveland Browns contests.

Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 did so last year when it was the local outlet for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcasts involving the Browns. The NFL requires that cable networks sell local rights to cable-only broadcasts in markets where the teams in the game are based.

And like WJW, WKYC records these spots...it makes no sense to force anchors to sit around in the studio when the time of the report depends on the timing of the game. And these mini-newscasts are almost extended promos for the late news, anyway.

WKYC's "halftime news" in the middle of Saturday night's Browns preseason game with the Tennessee Titans featured a couple of news stories, a weather forecast, and sports...delivered by weekend sports anchor Dave Chudowsky.

Then, two minutes after the newscast ended, it was back to the live broadcast of the game, and right before kickoff, a recap from sideline reporter Dave Chudowsky.

Huh?

If you didn't know the news was taped before, seeing Chudowsky transform from a suit (on the WKYC set) to wearing an orange-colored polo shirt with the WKYC logo (on the field) in two minutes was enough to make you wonder if his name is really Clark Kent.

Even if Channel 3's helicopter was still in service, it couldn't transfer him from 13th and Lakeside to the stadium site in under two minutes, with a clothing change, even if the copter landed on the field right where Chudowsky's live shot took place.

Heh.

A suggestion to our friends at WKYC - skip Chudowsky's presence in the taped halftime news entirely, and have anchor Jeff Maynor read whatever sports headlines lead back into the game.

Or, put a big red "C" on Chudowsky's chest...and rush him to the helicopter pad at 13th and Lakeside.

Or maybe invoke the classic TV memory of "Bewitched"'s Samantha Stevens, as we did in this subheader. Adam was her warlock son...

SPEAKING OF WKYC'S BROWNS PRESEASON GAMES: It took us a while, but we found out which Dayton outlet has been running the Browns' practice contests this preseason.

And as pointed out in a graphic during last Saturday's game, it's Cox CBS affiliate WHIO/7. Well, sort of.

We can't find the original item about it on WHIO's website, but the Dayton station committed to three Browns preseason games this year from the feed based at WKYC.

However, only one of those games, the Browns' contest with the Detroit Lions, aired on WHIO's main signal. The other two games, including last Saturday's game with the Titans, aired on WHIO's weather subchannel (WHIO-DT 7.2).

Notice that we're talking about it in the past tense, and we said WHIO committed to "three" games...the station is not carrying this Thursday's pre-season final Browns preseason game against the Chicago Bears, either on the main WHIO signal or 7.2.

As Dayton's CBS affiliate, WHIO will air at least some Browns games from the national feed in the regular season, though we presume the nearby Bengals will have priority...