The Big One

Our two items are both about "The Big One", the colloquial name for Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland (a name borrowed under common ownership from sister Clear Channel talk WLW/700 Cincinnati)...

TRIV SHOW EXIT: OMW has confirmed that "Mike Trivisonno Show" technical producer "Dirty Kurt" McLaughlin is no longer with the station.

We hear that Kurt resigned from his position on the afternoon drive show Friday evening, due to what is being called "personal reasons".

And no, not only do we not know what that means, we're not pursuing any specifics. It would appear he resigned of his own accord.

The move means that the Triv show had to change its "Dirty Word of the Day" segment to take out Kurt's name...

AND BEFORE KURT: McLaughlin's long-time predecessor on the Triv show is getting some publicity.

The Plain Dealer's John Campanelli gives former Triv show producer/sidekick "Big Daddy" Marty Allen the PDQ Treatment this morning.

Campanelli informs readers of Allen's Internet talk radio show, which we mentioned some time ago, and that he's now a technical producer for the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network.

WTAM is the Cavaliers' flagship, but we believe the radio network is run separately through the team itself. We don't know if the team's radio network is physically produced out of Oak Tree, or at Quicken Loans Arena.

We were going to mention this anyway, as we heard Cavs radio voice Joe Tait mention Marty Allen during Saturday's first playoff game with the Chicago Bulls. (And yes, once again, we hope the team "Wins One for Tait".)

Marty doesn't quite rip into his former host in the PDQ item, but...quoting a line that probably says it all about his relationship with Triv post-show:

Let's say you're driving on 480 and see Mike Trivisonno, and he's got a flat tire on the side of the road.

I wouldn't help him.

Allen says he hasn't listened to the Triv show since he exited, and declines to blame the host for his departure in April 2009. He talks about his attendance at the funeral for Linda Trivisonno, telling the PD that he knew "he would probably never speak to (Triv) again" afterwards.

He also believes that whenever Trivisonno leaves his job, WTAM will replace him with a national host, saying a local host won't get "that opportunity".

Oh, and there's this "Editor's note":

Editor's note: Some of the remarks were critical of his former colleague and employer. When informed, Trivisonno responded, on the air, "Are they [PDQ] that hard up?" Asked if he wanted to respond, he said, "For me to respond to that, that would be an absolute joke." When asked if Clear Channel wanted to comment, WTAM Program Director Ray Davis replied via e-mail that he "enjoyed working with Marty Allen and he wishes him nothing but the best," and that the station can't comment about personnel matters.