Ohio Media Watch

Move Complete

2010-05-09T16:37:00.002-04:00

As promised a week ago, Ohio Media Watch is now officially at its new home:

http://ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com/

The original Blogger version of OMW will no longer be updated, and all future posts will be found on the WordPress site.

You will still be able to find old posts at ohiomedia.blogspot.com, but no new content.

The ohiomediawatch.com domain will now redirect to the WordPress site. That's a change we just put in, and it may take a while to make its way through the Internet.

As a side note: we are unable to migrate the comments on existing items to the new site. The Blogger-to-WordPress migration tool found and moved them, but the comments are not linked to any posts for whatever reason. Of course, new comments on the WordPress site work fine.

For the moment, comments on the new site require no login, but are moderated before posting. That may change in the future.

New comments on the Blogger side of things will be shut off at some point soon.

Now, onward to a new era for OMW...

Cleveland Connections

2010-05-06T06:17:00.002-04:00

Three items with at least past connections to the Cleveland radio and TV market...

LEEANN'S DENVER EXIT: AllAccess reports that a former Cleveland radio personality is out at her Denver station, in an item posted earlier this week:

ALL ACCESS confirms that WILKS Hot AC KIMN (MIX100) middayer LEEANN SOMMERS exits

LeeAnn was heard in Northeast Ohio on Clear Channel hot AC WMVX/106.5 "Mix 106.5" from 2001 to 2005, and was previously heard on stations like WENZ/107.9 and the old "Jammin' 92.5", then-WZJM/92.3 (now CBS Radio alt-rock WXRK). Her resume (PDF) also includes entertainment reporting for Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5.

LeeAnn snagged a Northeast Ohio cell phone number with WMVX's frequency - AllAccess says she can be reached at (216) 526-1065.

She can also be reached through her own website.

And she also has a Twitter account, though we can't find any tweets going to it:

LeeAnn apparently made many friends while she was in Northeast Ohio, and we wish her the best. Would she come back to Cleveland? That, we don't know...

DOUG'S CHANGE: Doug Podell was program director of WNCX/98.5 in the early 1990s, but he's much better known for his long-stint at Greater Media Detroit rocker WCSX/94.7.

Podell is staying there, but unlike program directors who give up airshifts to concentrate on programming the station...he's doing the opposite.

AllAccess reports that Podell is stepping down as Director/Rock Programming for the Greater Media cluster in Detroit, to focus on his afternoon drive airshift on WCSX:

"After 30 years of programming some of the best rock stations in AMERICA, I have decided to shift gears and focus on what I truly love -- being on the air. After being off the air for a year and recently returning, I realized just how much I missed it and how my contributions are better suited for what's happening today."

We don't remember much about Podell's time at WNCX, now a CBS Radio-owned classic rocker.

But the Wikipedia article about WNCX credits him and owner Norman Wain with hiring rocker Michael Stanley...who is WNCX's afternoon drive personality today..

ILLINOIS HIRING: The new general manager of Eastern Illinois University's WEIU-FM/TV has a Cleveland background.

Indiana Radio Watch's Blaine Thompson passes the word of the hiring of former WVIZ/25 programmer/promotions director Jack Neal.

Neal returns to the midwest (Charleston IL) after a stint as station manager of Houston TX PBS affiliate KUHT, writes the local newspaper in the Eastern Illinois region:

“I grew up in Ohio and have worked in both Ohio and Indiana,” he said. “I’m a small-town guy, looking forward to returning to the Midwest. It’s very much like coming home for me.”

Blaine tells us that Neal's stint at the Cleveland PBS affiliate, now owned by Ideastream, lasted from 1978 to 1987.

He also worked in Syracuse NY (PBS affiliate WCNY) and in Indiana, giving Neal the rare three-media-watch hat trick between IRW, OMW and Scott Fybush's NorthEast Radio Watch...

Jeff And Jimbo

2010-05-04T10:22:00.004-04:00

Thus, marking the only time in history where these two men will be mentioned in the same breath...

JEFF THOMAS EXITS: OMW has confirmed that long-time Good Karma WKNR/850 sports update voice Jeff Thomas is no longer with the station. According to his WKNR bio, Jeff started being heard on the station in 1996.

Thomas' bio has now been removed from the WKNR "hosts" page, and station utility player/producer/Browns beat reporter Daryl Ruiter is doing the updates this morning.

OMW hears that WKNR expressed a wish to go in a "new direction", which of course in radio, means that direction is away from the previous host.

Of course, OMW readers know that Thomas doesn't actually work for Good Karma Broadcasting.

OMW hears from numerous sources that Jeff Thomas is actually still employed by Metro Networks, which provides sports update and traffic services to the Good Karma station.

But as far as we know, WKNR is Metro's only client that takes sports updates. (We believe what's left of Metro's Cleveland office is no longer providing updates to Main Line sports WING/1410 in Dayton, for example, and hasn't been for a few years now. And the company stopped doing sports for Salem talk WHK/1420 when Good Karma bought WKNR.)

Regular readers know we always considered Jeff Thomas an under-used player at the Galleria, even when he moved in-house when Metro's local studios closed late last year. Thus, we consider the move a bad one.

As we are writing this update just now, "Really Big Show" host Tony Rizzo has confirmed on the air - in a testy response to a caller - that Thomas is indeed "no longer with the station".

Rizzo told the caller that he doesn't know why Thomas is no longer on WKNR, and says it's difficult to work "without someone you've been working with for years". Later, peppered with calls and E-mails from listeners, Rizzo called Thomas a "pro's pro", and says he will be missed, directing callers' questions to WKNR program director Jason Gibbs...

OTHER WKNR STUFF: Our friends at CursedCleveland.com also report on their Twitter account that WKNR evening host Kenny Roda "has been suspended".

We don't have any more information than that.

And occasionally, we get a reminder that you can't rely too much on official station websites.

A WKNR staffer passes along that Jimmy Hanlin is indeed still heard on that station's weekend golf show with Greg Brinda, Saturdays from 7 AM-9 AM. That information is indeed reflected on the station's current weekday schedule.

In an earlier item, we said that Hanlin was "apparently no longer" hosting the Golf Show, since he was added to the website for Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100's similar program with Gary Trivisonno.

We said "apparently" because we hadn't actually listened to either show - we are most assuredly sleeping early Saturday morning. So, we appreciate the heads up.

The item was prompted by a listener question about the status of apparently (there's that word again) former WTAM golf show host Russ Jeske. We still don't have that answer...

JIMBO'S MOVE: "Jimbo", in this case is Northeast Ohio's most known Jimbo...former congressman-turned-ex-con Jim Traficant, who made his current political aspirations known officially on Tuesday.

The Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland weekend host has always been able to play with the media, and he did so on Tuesday.

Traficant, as expected by many (including This Space), filed petitions to run as an independent in the 17th Ohio congressional district. The Man With The Toupee held that seat for many years, before being expelled from Congress and finding a new involuntary home in the federal prison system.

Traficant passed on running as a Democrat against former aide Tim Ryan, now the incumbent congressman in the reconstituted 17th - which now includes portions of Portage and Summit County. Back when Traficant ruled the 17th roost, it almost exclusively covered the Mahoning Valley.

After filing for the 17th district, the WTAM Saturday host told reporters he was headed for Columbiana County, where he was asked if he would also file petitions to run in the 6th congressional district. That district, now represented by Charlie Wilson, covers the southern reaches of the old 17th district.

As it turns out, Traficant was a no-show in Columbiana County, and will only run in the 17th.

The Youngstown Vindicator reports that Traficant apparently had decided to run in both districts, but received what later turned out to be "incorrect information" from local elections officials that he could not do so.

But yes, the Vindicator reports that Traficant was indeed having fun with reporters following his every move on Tuesday:

When asked at the Trumbull elections board if he was filing for the 6th District, Traficant said, “You never know with me. I might file in West Virginia.”

Federal law requires Traficant to be a West Virginia resident in order to file in that state.

As for his WTAM show, Traficant spokesman Dennis Malloy tells the Plain Dealer that indeed, the ex-congressman-ex-con-new candidate is giving up the program - which he pretty much has to do due to election "equal time" laws. (We assume WTAM has no interest in giving 3 hours of weekend airtime to Tim Ryan or to the Republican candidate for the seat.)

As far as we know, the official filing means last Saturday's WTAM show was Traficant's last, and we know already that Jimbo has an "early out" clause in his contract with the Cleveland talker that allowed him to exit if he runs for office.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Sabrina Eaton reports that Traficant, of course, is not prohibited from appearing on WTAM as a newsmaker guest:

Since the beginning of this year, Traficant has hosted a radio talk show on WTAM in Cleveland. Malloy says Traficant is giving up the show because of his congressional run, but will be a guest (Monday) afternoon on Mike Trivisonno's WTAM show.
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We're Moving

2010-05-01T19:51:00.006-04:00

OMW is in the process of moving to a new home.

We're setting up on the WordPress blogging system, after nearly 5 years on Google's Blogger platform. The address is as simple as our Blogspot address:

ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com

(Please note that unlike on Blogger, the full name of the blog is in the URL.)

We have imported all of our existing posts. We will continue to publish on Blogger for another week or so, maybe sooner, then the old blog will remain "as is" from that point on. (Consider the move like a radio station moving from AM to FM, with a brief simulcast period.)

For the time being, the ohiomediawatch.com domain will continue to forward to the original Blogger site. At some point, probably when we stop "simulcasting", that will change. That's also when we'll change the direct feed that notifies you of new posts on Twitter.

Why are we making the change?

Aside from the fact that we just wanted to change things up a bit, WordPress is also more mobile device-friendly than Blogger.

WP has a native mobile app (for Android, in our case) that will allow us to post and manage OMW easily while on the go. There are similar solutions for Blogger, but they are third-party apps that still are somewhat bug ridden or lacking in some features. (This is rather odd in the Android world, considering that Google both owns Blogger and develops Android, and has a number of native Android apps for existing Google services.)

Similarly, if you're on an iPhone, iPod Touch, Android or WebOS device, WP actually has a dedicated mobile skin that allows quick access to the blog.

Yep, it's increasingly a mobile world, and OMW is getting with the times.

The image in the theme on the new blog is a temporary placeholder, as we try to figure out how to get some sort of image in the 770x140 space alloted by the WordPress theme we're currently using. We could change the theme, as well, at some point.

Some notes: right now, there is no login for comments, but they will be held for moderation. This could be changed in the future, depending on what workload this adds to our plate. Moderation will be quick, due to the aforementioned ability to moderate from a smartphone.

And the Ohio Digital TV blog is not making the move to WordPress, since we haven't updated it since shortly after the digital TV transition. We'll keep it up on Blogger, as we will also keep the original OMW blog on Blogger after the transition...at least for some time...

5's New GM And Other TV News

2010-04-28T14:12:00.005-04:00

NEW BOSS ON EUCLID: Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 has found its new general manager.

After hearing from our sources that former Tampa FL general manager Sam Rosenwasser had been introduced to employees as the new VP/GM at the Cleveland station, we did a Google search - and found that Plain Dealer TV writer Mark Dawidziak had already posted an item about Rosenwasser's hiring:

Rosenwasser, 57, was the president and general manager of WTSP Channel 10, the Gannett-owned CBS affiliate in the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., market. He was at helm of WTSP for seven years, accepting an early retirement package in late 2008.

Of course, in Cleveland, Rosenwasser will be competing with Gannett's NBC affiliate, WKYC/3.

Rosenwasser tells Dawidziak that he just "couldn't stay away" from the local TV game, noting that he got a tour of a local TV station when he was just four years old. (Rosenwasser has us beat by about 6 years in that distinction.)

Akron Beacon Journal pop culture writer Rich Heldenfels also has an item on WEWS' new leader, and notes of the departure of former GM Victoria Regan:

A spokesman for Channel 5's owner, E.W. Scripps Co., said at the time that Scripps and Regan ''mutually agreed to part ways.'' Which observers treated with some skepticism.

That might be an understatement.

Heldenfels also notes that Rosenwasser's early retirement in Tampa "raised eyebrows", according to a blog item we also found by St. Petersburg (FL) Times TV writer Eric Deggans on TampaBay.com, but says the new WEWS boss insists that "the time was right" to leave.

Rosenwasser has top TV management experience in both Sacramento CA and Austin TX on his 35-year-long resume.

He tells the PD's Dawidziak:

"My job right now is to do a lot of listening and ask a lot of questions," Rosenwasser said. "The goal always is to get everybody together at a station and pulling in the same direction. That's vital to being successful. And although I'm just getting to know my way around, I'd like to see the station more involved with the community. We have a lot to offer, and I believe that multiplatform operation like this has a responsibility to be as involved as possible with the community."

As he turns from his computer and asks a WEWS colleague "what's an Ohio Media Watch?", we have some advice Rosenwasser has probably heard...spend a lot of time actually in the building at 3001 Euclid, directly supervising the station's personnel - in person.

We hear that'd be a change from the recent past...

MORE SCRIPPS NEWS: The Beacon Journal's Heldenfels also notes that Bob Sullivan has been named Scripps' new vice president in charge of (television) content, adding another layer of oversight in its local TV stations division.

Separately, Scripps' cable network division is launching "The Cooking Channel", a digital TV network that will replace its "Fine Living Network" on digital cable (SD only for now, we believe) lineups. Scripps' release says there will be an HD version of "The Cooking Channel", though we don't know what kind of carriage it will get.

Press accounts of the new network call it a "younger, edgier" companion to the sister Food Network.

Though the network will appear on the massive Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio system (digital channel 158), the bigger local news is that a Northeast Ohio food TV staple - so to speak - will have his own show.

Akron Beacon Journal food writer Lisa Abraham says Cleveland's Michael Symon (of the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" fame) will host "Cook Like an Iron Chef" for the new network:

Symon, owner of Cleveland area restaurants Lola, Lolita, B-Spot and Bar Symon, and Roast in Detroit, will teach viewers the skills and techniques needed to cook like an Iron Chef. He will be joined by chef challengers and other Iron Chefs who reveal how they deal with secret ingredients.

Cook Like an Iron Chef is scheduled to premier in July.

We don't care if Symon came to the OMW World Headquarters in person and took over our kitchen...we couldn't "cook like an Iron Chef" no matter what. But we wish him the best on his new show...

TWITTER FOR HELP: Though they've been doing it for a while, OMW recently discovered that Time Warner Cable is using Twitter for customer support.

The TWCableHelp Twitter account is staffed most of the day, and the company uses private direct messages or E-mail when needed - mostly so customers can pass along account information needed to help them. (Of course, sending your billing/home address in a public tweet is not exactly a good idea.)

Our colleagues at Tri-State Media Watch note that they became aware of this recently, when they were trying to find answers about an HD broadcast snafu seen on TWC's Cincinnati-based system...

Supersized Update

2010-04-27T14:17:00.004-04:00

As promised, here's our update that spans all over the map, and with updates on just about every subject area we cover. How big is it? Let's just put it this way...we're lucky Blogger doesn't charge at all, let alone by the kilobyte...

WVPX HD: Put on hold by Ion Media Networks' bankruptcy a while back, the HD upgrade at Ion's local owned-and-operated station is complete.

Over-air viewers of Akron-licensed WVPX/23 are now seeing an HD feed on 23.1, and viewers of Time Warner Cable will get the station on their HD cable boxes soon...if it has not happened already.

We can also pass along word that in the former Adelphia Cleveland-based system, those picking up clear QAM feeds can find WVPX's HD feed on RF channel 78.2.

Another oddity of the clear QAM feeds - though they do not appear on cable boxes in the Cleveland-based arm of the TWC NEO system, Western Reserve PBS' HD WEAO/49.1 and its subchannels are available to those picking up the QAM feeds, mapped to their over-air channel numbers.

WEAO's main feed is still available on analog cable channel 9 in the former Adelphia system, and WEAO/WNEO's HD feed and subchannels are on cable boxes in the "legacy" Time Warner Akron/Canton/Youngstown area systems. Time Warner lists the feed as "WNEO" even in the WEAO signal area.

Anyway, back to WVPX. We don't have a complete list of programming in HD, but it appears that prime-time off-network shows (such as "Ghost Whisperer") and at least some movies are in HD. Shortly after the launch, we saw an Ion movie in the daytime hours that was not only in HD, but using its original aspect ratio...which should make some movie buffs very happy...

YOUNGSTOWN HD/DIGITAL ACTIVITY: It seems the dust has settled, and Parkin/New Vision ABC affiliate WYTV/33 in Youngstown is now pumping out a million watts of power.

Viewers all over the Mahoning Valley and beyond report drastically improved reception from the new facility. (No, we can't get it from the OMW World Headquarters...but we also have trouble with New Vision sister CBS affiliate WKBN/27 from this far out on our modest setup. We imagine those in the far eastern suburbs of Cleveland and Akron should have a better shot at it.)

WYTV is indeed more powerful than WKBN, by a few hundred kilowatts, but the station's antenna is much lower than the WKBN antenna.

Elsewhere on Sunset Boulevard, the multi-station combo is preparing to add the Youngstown market's first HD newscasts.

It was supposed to happen back on April 19th, but viewers/OMW readers in the market, including PBRTV's Tom Lavery, tell us that newscasts on WKBN and its sister stations are still in SD.

We can't find a reference right now, but we seem to recall the update will also bring WYTV's MyNetwork TV subchannel (33.2) into the world of HD...

WIN IT FOR JOE: When will local sports radio legend Joe Tait hang up his headphones, and turn the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network microphone over to someone with very big shoes to fill?

We don't recall when he said it, but a recent profile of Tait in the Chicago Sun-Times -"Tait, as in great" - has this:

Tait, 72, has said that next season will be his last. If he sticks to that, the breed of working NBA broadcast greats will be down one.

We reported earlier that Tait's contract was renewed, indeed, through the end of the 2010-2011 season, thoguh even at age 72, Dan Gilbert is likely to keep the iconic Cavs broadcaster behind the microphone for basically as long as he wants.

Tait tells the Sun-Times:

''I feel old, fat and tired,'' the signature radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers said. ''Some days, I feel like I could go on forever. Other days, I'm not sure I'll make it past noon.''

and...

'In a year, the house will be paid off,'' said Tait, Evanston (IL)-born and a graduate of Monmouth College. ''Then all I want to worry about is taking care of Jeannie and enjoying the sunsets.''

Though he does sound like a man ready to retire after a long and illustrious career, he tells the newspaper he very much still enjoys his work...enjoyment, presumably, that will be magnified ten-fold if the Cavaliers manage to do what no Cleveland-based major professional team has done since 1964...win it all.

Win one for Tait, indeed.

By the way, tonight's Game 5 of the first round NBA playoff series against the Chicago Bulls will air on Fox Sports Ohio, and will also be simulcast on broadcast partner Raycom Media MyNetwork TV affliate WUAB/43. The WUAB broadcast of FSOhio games are also in HD, giving over-air viewers a chance to see the game in the crisper TV format.

And by the way again, we've confirmed through numerous sources part of an item we ran earlier: The Cavaliers Radio Network is indeed produced at Quicken Loans Arena, not at the facilities of flagship Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100. That means new Cavs Radio Network producer Marty "Big Daddy" Allen doesn't have to go back to Oak Tree for his new job.

We should have realized this, since the Cavs' post-game radio show gives 420-exchange phone numbers, the same exchange as used by the team and arena. WTAM uses the standard 578 exchange, an old "choke" exchange used by local broadcasters for years.

Back in the day, the 578 exchange was used so floods of radio contest and request calls didn't bring down other phone network users, though technology has rendered that problem obsolete...

WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OAK TREE: A former WTAM staffer is making quite a career change.

Former WTAM news director R.C. Bauer left the building in October 2006, taking a news management gig at sister Clear Channel talk WFLA/970 in Tampa FL.

He got a promotion to the top programming job at the successful Florida station in early 2009, after Gabe Hobbs felt the Clear Channel downsizing axe.

Bauer is leaving WFLA on his own...and to a higher "station" as it were.

Radio-Info.com columnist Tom Taylor provides us the confirmation of a tip we received late last week, in his column which landed in E-mail boxes Monday morning:

RC Bauer hears the call of the ministry and is leaving radio – and his job as Director of Information and Services and PD of talker WFLA, Tampa (970) – to become a full-time minister. RC’s departing the Clear Channel roster at the end of May to become executive pastor at the Generations Christian Church in Trinity, Florida.

Taylor notes that R.C. will remain on WFLA's local programming advisory board, and could even do some fill-in for the station once he moves to his new role as a pastor...

THE TRIBE IN THE 'BULA: That's Ashtabula, and the Indians are getting some FM air-time in that extreme Northeast Ohio community.

Media One Group features both the Indians and the team's nearby minor league affiliate, the single-A Lake County Captains, on sports WFUN/970 "ESPN 970".

Conflicts this year will push the major league club onto sister country WYBL/98.3 "The Bull", with the April Indians/WYBL schedule here.

Last Sunday was a conflict of particular note, with the Captains on WFUN, the Indians on WYBL, and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Media One's WZOO/102.5 "Oldies 102.5".

SPEAKING OF MINOR LEAGUE BALL: By the way, according to a Captains release, Spirit Media talk/brokered WELW/1330 Willoughby is resuming its role as the team's flagship outlet in 2010, with "selected games" on WFUN and WZOO.

Over in Lorain County, we neglected to inform you that the Lake Erie Crushers, the Avon-based independent minor league team, gets a partial broadcast presence this year, with Sunday afternoon home games heard on Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria.

It's not the entire schedule, but the team had no over-air call in its initial season.

Former WOBL/1320-WDLW/1380 and Metro Networks staffer and voice of Oberlin College sports, Dave DeNatale, called the games online via SportsJuice.com. DeNatale was the afternoon sports update voice at Metro for Good Karma sports WKNR/850 "ESPN 850" in Cleveland, until the local Metro Networks operation closed its Independence facility.

For WEOL, staffers Tim Alcorn and Rob Polinsky are calling the Captains' Sunday afternoon contests...

TWC AWARDS: The local arm of Time Warner Cable picked up a lot of hardware at the Ohio Cable Television Association's annual award ceremony - for a number of programs on its Northeast Ohio Network (NEON) and associated Local On Demand (LOD) channel.

Here's the list, courtesy of a TWC release:

The 9 Awards:
Excellence in Local Programming – NEON/LOD programming
Education Outreach – Connect A Million Minds
Product Launch/Promotion – Viewer’s Choice LOD Contest
Community Outreach – Connect A Million Minds
Live Action Sports Programming – High School Football Game of the Week
Community Affairs Programming (2) – Helping Hands and Great Lakes Science Center Partnership
Entertainment Programming – Made Here
PSA/Promotional Message – Connect A Million Minds 30-second spot

The awards are called the "Image Awards", which are "established to honor OCTA members' efforts to build and enhance relationships with their customers and foster a positive image in their communities."

The local programming is part of the service's arsenal in competing against satellite and other multichannel providers like AT&T U-verse. Or as TWC VP/Communications and OMW reader Bill Jasso puts it:

“NEON and LOD are unique to Time Warner Cable, an added value only available to our customers.”

THE ZONE IS BACK: It had been speculated by many of our Toledo-area readers for some time, but Cumulus has indeed used an FM translator to bring back a format recently killed to give sports WLQR/1470 "The Ticket" an FM home.

As expected, W264AK, the former Cavalry Chapel-owned religious translator at 100.7 FM, has moved to a more centrally located facility in Toledo, and is now under Cumulus control at 100.9 FM - pumping out the "Zone" alt-rock format displaced by sports on the former WRWK-now-WLQR-FM/106.5.

Tom Taylor's Radio-Info.com column notes that the feed is coming from classic rock WXKR/94.5's HD2 channel, and that Cumulus did much the same in Atlanta for an alt-rock station there ("99X").

The Calvary Chapel folks, meantime, have completed their end of the swap with Cumulus, broadcasting the network's religious programming on 1560 AM. The station long held the WTOD call letters, but Calvary Chapel changed calls Friday to WWYC.

This page on the church's website incorrectly identifies the new station as being at 1590 AM, and incorrectly identifies the new WWYC as an FM station - though it also notes the AM station's daytime-only operation.

The station does have a construction permit for a whopping 3 watts of nighttime power, a level that might cover a few blocks around the transmitter - if the signal doesn't get clobbered by the skywave of Radio Disney's WQEW/1560 in New York City. (We're betting on the Mouse.)

As Cumulus' WTOD, the station ran a mostly syndicated talk format.

The WTOD calls are now being parked on a Cumulus station in Hartsville SC...

Clearing Out The To Do Box

2010-04-22T10:33:00.012-04:00

Our sporadic publishing schedule means that we occasionally have to clear out the "To Do" box, and that's what we're doing today...

NEWSNIGHT "HIATUS": Western Reserve PBS is shelving the long-running, popular public affairs talk show "NewsNight Akron" after this week...for now.

A release from our friends at Campus Center Drive says that the public TV outlet (known to the FCC as WNEO/45 Alliance-WEAO/49 Akron) will put the Friday evening show hosted by WKYC/3's Eric Mansfield "on hiatus" starting a week from Friday - April 30th.

Quoting the release:

“Western Reserve Public Media will be reshaping its regional production strategy over the summer,” explained Trina Cutter, president and CEO. “We have exciting programs planned for next fiscal year, and we will use the summer months to explore how all of our regional programs can be infused with new energy, new technologies and new media for our fall season.”

NewsNight Akron has enjoyed a loyal following over the last 12 years, reaching its peak audience in the 2008-09 season. “So much has changed in the media landscape since NewsNight Akron was launched in 1998,” Cutter continued. “This is an opportunity to reshape the program to ensure that it fits stylistically with the rest of our regional productions.”

When/if "NewsNight" returns, and in what form, seems to be anyone's guess. And yes, there are some wondering "if" it will return.

We hear that the show hasn't taken a summer hiatus before, and the above quotes from WRPBS boss Trina Cutter seem to indicate that if "NewsNight" does return, you basically won't recognize the show.

It's probably a safe bet that the station will do SOME sort of public affairs presentation aimed at the underserved Akron area - which still misses the nightly news program on what is now WVPX/23, anchored in its most recent incarnation by "NNA" host Mansfield. The newscast ended its run on Time Warner Cable's "NEON" local programming channel.

Western Reserve PBS says "Inside Washington" will replace "NewsNight" in its Friday 9 PM slot on WNEO/45.1-WEAO/49.1, and the show will be replaced by other programs on the "Fusion" channel (45.2-49.2).

The new local business magazine "NEOtropolis" is unaffected, and will continue to air on Friday nights.

"NewsNight Akron" has featured both Mansfield and a regular panel of Akron area print and broadcast journalists discussing the week's news events that affect the Akron area...

HAPPY 85TH: When a radio station reaches 85 years on the air, it's an automatic cause for celebration.

That anniversary is being marked today by NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 in Canton, which is spending a lot of time commemorating its long service to Stark County.

Quoting a station release:

All day long listeners will hear from former on-air personalities, newsmakers, and community members who will talk about their experience with WHBC and its legacy in the community. Audio clips of days gone by will pepper the airwaves. A special area of the radio station’s website – www.whbc.com – will be set aside with pictures and information about the radio station’s history.

“We take a lot of pride in providing a service to our community. It’s an honor to have served this area for 85 years and we plan to continue that tradition for many more to come” said Program Director Pam Cook.

And yes, we've linked that special 85th Anniversary section above.

WHBC started broadcasting on March 9, 1925 from the St. John's Catholic Church in Canton, with its first facility sporting just ten watts of power at the AM dial position of 1180. Today's WHBC broadcasts with 15,000 watts day, 5,000 watts night on AM 1480.

WHBC has been through a lot in those 85 years, and through a lot recently.

The station was locally owned for a long time by Beaverkettle (the Vodrey family), and was sold to the NextMedia chain in 2000.

After a lengthy run playing some sort of music (most recently oldies) as a "full service" station, WHBC turned to talk radio in 2007, including new local shows with Ron Ponder and Sam Bourquin (who took over afternoon drive from Jim Albright, now doing morning drive at Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 in Akron). The changes have been extensively reported in this very blog.

WHBC's Wikipedia article contains a lot of details about the station's extensive history...

BROWNS NON-PRIME: We have spent time in the past figuring out who would broadcast the prime-time games of the NFL's Cleveland Browns locally. NFL rules require cable/satellite networks (ESPN, NFL Network) to sell their games to over-air stations in the two teams' home markets.

We won't have to track that this year.

The NFL schedule came out Wednesday, and the rebuilding Browns have no prime-time games in 2010.

That means the team will play every game this year on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM - there are not even any 4:15 PM Sunday games.

The last 6 weeks of the season, any of the Browns games could be grabbed by NBC for "Sunday Night Football", thanks to the NFL's "flex" scheduling rules. Of course, the Browns would have to be basically "on fire" in late season for that to happen, which is about as likely as your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) launching a 2012 presidential bid.

The all-Sunday 1 PM schedule lands the bulk of the team's games on Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19. A couple of games will air on Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8, since Fox is the NFC carrier and airs Sunday afternoon games involving NFC road teams - the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers on the Browns 2010 schedule.

The September 12th opener against the NFC's Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa will be on WOIO, since CBS carries AFC road games...

SPEAKING OF POPULAR SPORTS: The NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers are atop the local sports TV ratings heap - well, at least compared to Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians, at any rate.

That's according to a new item on the blog Sports Media Watch (no relation), which notes that LeBron James and company on Fox Sports Ohio have the second highest rating nationwide among NBA, MLB and NHL teams at 8.59.

When you factor in households, the Cavaliers drop to 8th nationwide (131,000) - considering that huge markets like New York City have many more TV households than Cleveland, which catapults the New York Yankees to the top of the households list.

(MLB's Boston Red Sox are first on the ratings list and second on the household list. You're welcome, long-time friend, colleague and diehard Red Sox fan Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch.)

The Indians on SportsTime Ohio show up at 34th (ratings) and 41st (households) on the list - with a rating of 2.84 and 43,000 households.

Showing the smaller market size of Columbus, and the lesser popularity of the NHL, hockey's Columbus Blue Jackets are 60th on the ratings list (1.39) and 76th on the households list (13,000).

It could be worse for the Blue Jackets.

The NHL's Florida Panthers (based in the Miami area) are at the bottom of the list, with a rating of just 0.25 and a household audience size of just 4,000 people. We'd say there are more people watching in person, but the team's attendance figures are probably bad as well.

As we noted on our Twitter feed, NFL and NCAA football are not included on the Sports Media Watch list. Unlike the NBA, baseball and the NHL, pro and college football contracts are generally granted on a national basis.

Still, we'd be interested to see how the always popular Cleveland Browns compare in Northeast Ohio, and how dominant the Ohio State Buckeyes are in Columbus...

TWO QUICK ITEMS WE DON'T KNOW: Yes, as noted on our Twitter feed, we saw former Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 weekend anchor Lydia Esparra anchoring over the weekend on WOIO's "19 Action News".

We don't know yet if there's any permanent job attached to Esparra's appearance at Reserve Square, or if she's freelancing, much like former Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 sports anchor/reporter Sue Ann Robak did for "Action News" until the station hired former Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 sports anchor Mark Schwab for its weekend/reporting opening.

We also don't know - yet - what happened to Russ Jeske, the long-time co-host of WTAM's "Golf Show" on weekends alongside Gary Trivisonno.

The show's page on WTAM.com now lists Jimmy Hanlin, long a veteran of golf-related local sports media, as Trivisonno's co-host. (Yes, Trivisonno is Mike's brother, for those who don't know already.)

Hanlin is apparently is no longer co-hosting Good Karma sports WKNR/850's "Northern Ohio PGA Golf Show" with WKNR's Greg Brinda, though it is still listed on his website...

The Big One

2010-04-19T09:42:00.009-04:00

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.

Ohio's Mobile TV Future

2010-04-15T16:40:00.008-04:00

A host of TV station owner groups are banding together to create a much broader future for mobile digital television, and nearly all groups in the Cleveland market are involved.

From the first article about the joint venture of 12 ownership groups, courtesy of TVNewsCheck's Harry Jessell:

The groups: Belo Corp., Cox Media Group, E.W. Scripps Co., Fox, Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television Inc., Ion Television, Media General Inc., Meredith Corp., NBC, Post-Newsweek Stations Inc. and Raycom Media.

In the Cleveland market alone, that covers Gannett (WKYC/3-NBC), Scripps (WEWS/5-ABC), Raycom (WOIO/19-CBS and WUAB/43-MyNet), and ION (WVPX/23).

Fox affiliate WJW/8 is no longer owned by its network, having been sold to Local TV LLC. It's one of two commercial stations in the market not on the list - the other is locally-owned Winston Broadcasting CW affiliate WBNX/55. (Oh, and Univision's WQHS/61...but we don't speak Spanish.)

Groups like Cox and Media General are in other Ohio markets - Cox has CBS affiliate WHIO/7 Dayton and Media General has NBC affiliate WCMH/4 Columbus (formerly owned by NBC itself).

Today, again thanks to Mr. Jessell and TVNewsCheck, we know that the joint venture aims to do more than provide mobile-friendly signals of local broadcast outlets:

The 12 major TV station groups that announced plans on Tuesday to form a joint venture to pursue the mobile DTV business envision a national service of at least 10 mobile channels and possibly many more.
'
And what kind of channels?

...NBC and Fox have agreed to make their programming available to the joint venture. That programming includes broadcast network programming through their affiliates as well as cable networks.

NBC's collection of cable networks includes Bravo, USA Network, Syfy, MSNBC and CNBC. Fox has the Fox News Channel and FX among others.

To us, it sounds like the old USDigital service retrofitted for 2010.

USDigital offered a lower-cost, smaller collection of cable TV channels using unused DTV spectrum. The service used a special converter (available at Wal-Mart). We never saw it in Ohio, because it didn't ever leave one or two test markets. We're not sure it even got out of Salt Lake City UT.

This venture is different, technologically, because it's riding on mobile DTV spectrum. ATSC M/H (mobile/handheld) is still being tested, and provides something current over-air DTV does not - a stream that can be easily displayed on the move, in a car, or in your hand.

The bandwidth, of course, isn't enough to support HDTV. But as we know from early experience, trying to catch a DTV signal from a moving car is currently pretty much impossible. Receiver technology has also improved dramatically since when USDigital was around, not even accounting for the mobile part.

This service won't bring cable networks to free broadcast, as far as we can tell. It sounds like a pay service much as described above. There is also talk of a "print" component, whatever that means.

We're presuming that the stations will still offer the mobile-friendly versions of their broadcast signals for free, but we can't confirm that from what we've read. We're also wondering if Fox, a participant offering the broadcast programming to the venture, will offer locally-programmed non-owned affiliates like WJW.

We could be wrong on any of this, and welcome corrections...

The Ohio Connection

2010-04-13T17:00:00.008-04:00

Here are a couple of very unrelated items about Northeast Ohioans in or near the national media spotlight...

CONVENTION TIME: Those in local radio and TV are noticing that many people have left Ohio for Las Vegas this week, site of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) annual convention.

Long-time OMW readers are aware that a regular reader of the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), Rubber City Radio Group VP/information media Ed Esposito, has been involved with what is now the Radio-Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and is the current chairman of the associated Radio-Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF). Rubber City owns oldies/news WAKR/1590, rock WONE/97.5 and country WQMX/94.9 in the Akron market.

The organization's middle letters were switched recently - ND for "News Directors" became DN for "Digital News", in an effort to broaden and modernize the group.

Ed is wrapping up his service to RTDNA/F, and he's in Las Vegas this week as a part of the RTDNA@NAB convention. He was RTDNA chairman before moving to the same role at the Foundation side of things.

And you can see some of what Mr. Esposito is doing in Las Vegas, with this YouTube video interview with CBS News mainstay Steve Kroft, honored by the RTDNA with the 2010 "Paul White Award":

The interview is available here in case you can't do embedded YouTube video.

And a reminder - Esposito is not the only newsie with local ties affiliated with what is now RTDNA/F. President-emeritus Barbara Cochran, a veteran newswoman, is an Akron native...

NATIONAL AND LOCAL: With the popularity of the political Tea Party movement among talk radio listeners, it's no surprise that a virtual train of talk radio hosts has attached themselves to the effort. Or maybe we should say "bus lineup".

The latest incarnation of the Tea Party movement is the third Tea Party Express bus tour across America, which showed up in Berea at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds on Sunday, talk show hosts in tow.

For one, the national chairman of the Tea Party Express tour is a California radio talk show host - former KFBK/Sacramento host Mark Williams, who still does remote ISDN fill-in (much like Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 program director/afternoon drive host Brian Wilson does) for stations across the country.

Dial Global syndicated host Neal Boortz is on the schedule for the tour's final stop, a tax protest in Washington DC on Tax Day 2010.

But the local hosts are not ignoring one of the biggest political movements in many years, according to an article from the Akron Beacon Journal.

Take Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 weekend host Matt Patrick - the former hot AC WKDD/98.1 morning driver and talk WHLO/640 midday host out of Clear Channel's Akron/Canton Freedom Avenue complex in northern Stark County, now appearing out of the company's Cleveland market hub at Oak Tree.

Matt has taken the stage at a number of Tea Party-linked events, and was a local emcee for the Berea event. He'll also be fronting Tea Party rallies in Akron and Medina in the next few days. It may be easier to list what Tea Party events Patrick is not attending locally.

And his WTAM co-worker, evening/weekend host Bob Frantz, is also getting into the Tea Party mix, emceeing a Tax Day event in Cleveland. Not only that, WPGB/Pittsburgh-based syndicated host Jim Quinn ("The War Room") is scheduled for a University Heights event on Thursday. Quinn's show is heard middays on WHLO on delay - the replacement for Patrick's old program.

Of course, Frantz, Patrick, Quinn and even national chairman Williams - a regular on cable TV news shows - are somewhat overshadowed by the movement's biggest name... former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and current Fox News contributor Sarah Palin.

A note: Back and forth political sniping will be deleted in the comments. We're not writing about the political policies of the Tea Party movement one way or the other, just the involvement of local radio hosts in it...

From Cleveland To Youngstown to Canada

2010-04-09T13:37:00.017-04:00

...and beyond, as this is quite a geographically-broad update...

KEN COURTRIGHT: Services were held Thursday for long-time Cleveland and Northeast Ohio radio newsman Ken Courtright, who died Saturday at the age of 74.

A complete obituary is available at the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home website, and in our earlier item, someone posted a comment with a link to video of the service, which is now archived and available for viewing. (It appears to be password protected, so we're not sure we should link it here...)

THE REALLY BIG SUB: We didn't realize until nearly the end of the show that Good Karma sports WKNR/850 "ESPN 850"'s highest-profile hosts made another appearance on America's most popular syndicated sports talk radio show.

Yes, it was the "Really Big Show's" Tony Rizzo and sidekick/producer Aaron Goldhammer subbing for Premiere Radio's Jim Rome again on Thursday.

We heard just the last few minutes of the show, and noted that Rome's Akron market affiliate, Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 "Fox Sports 1350", again declined to give three hours of airtime to hosts from its biggest competitor. WARF ran the Fox Sports Radio feed of Stephen A. Smith, repeated from his live morning drive show.

And for what it's worth, WARF didn't have to do any more than stick with the FSR live feed on Thursday. Smith's repeat is offered up 12-3 PM weekdays by the network, which does not do live counter-programming against the separately syndicated Jim Rome show. Many FSR affiliates run Rome off the Premiere feed. Premiere, an arm of Clear Channel, is the parent company of FSR, using the Fox Sports Radio name in a licensing agreement with Fox.

Anyway, the "Really Big Show" appearance on Rome's show on Thursday prompted Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer to write about it in an article called "Rizzo, Goldhammer continue to impress":

Rizzo was silky-smooth, chatting and joking seconds before going live to the sports nation. He handled the critical opening segment splendidly, juggling (Tiger) Woods at The Masters, the "creepy'' Woods Nike commercial, the Yankees and "American Idol,'' among other topics. Rizzo seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, which is the No. 1 reason why he has been so good in the Cleveland market for so long on radio and TV.

Rizzo set the bar high April 8 and maintained the level of excellence. He received timely help from his sidekick, Goldhammer, who continues to grow on me. It would have been easy for "Hammer'' to agree with Rizzo on all his major points so as to keep a national show as wrinkle-free as possible. But Hammer was not afraid to balk at Rizzo's contention that the galleries at Augusta would give Woods a pass all week, insisting at least one person over four days is going to cause a stir by saying or doing something outlandish.

Manoloff's piece appeared on the Plain Dealer's Cleveland.com just ten minutes after the Rizzo/Goldhammer sub-appearance ended...he wrote that he spent the first hour watching the show from the WKNR studios at the Galleria. The sports talk duo couldn't have paid for better advertising.

Oh, by the way, yes, we're aware of the $50 million suit filed against the Plain Dealer by a Cleveland judge, upset that the PD unmasked her E-mail account linked to comments on cases in her courtroom on the paper's affiliated Cleveland.com. (The judge says her daughter made the comments in question on a shared account.)

We don't have much to say about it, aside from the overall question of privacy expectations for anonymous commenters on a news website. We'll talk about it in depth at some point down the road...

ALAN COX: We noted this earlier on our Twitter account - as an afternoon drive personality at a Cleveland station picks up a second gig as a voicetracker.

Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7 afternoon host Alan Cox will voicetrack middays for CC sister modern AC outlet WSDD/100.3 "The Sound" in St. Louis - from his perch at Oak Tree.

The move was first noted on AllAccess, but the weekly Cleveland Scene has picked up on it as well. Cox tells Scene that the VTing gig "will be a separate production", noting that the St. Louis gig is on a "more music-intensive station".

We've heard occasional music on Cox's WMMS show, but it's mostly a talk show...

KASPER NATIONAL: AllAccess also mentions that Clear Channel Cleveland top 40 WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM" afternoon driver/assistant program director/OMW reader Kasper gets a guest hosting gig this weekend on a national show.

Kasper will be on "The Weekend Throwdown with Jagger", which doesn't list WAKS on its affiliate list - but does list another Kasper "Kiss FM" outpost in Northeast Ohio, sister top 40 WAKZ/95.9 in Kasper's hometown of Youngstown. (We think, but are not positive, that Jagger has Mahoning Valley ties as well.) The show airs Sunday evenings 7-11 PM on WAKZ.

This also is not Kasper's first national go-round, of course.

In addition to voicetracking shifts on stations as far away as Baton Rouge LA (if we remember right), as far as we know, Kasper is still featured on the XM Radio "Kiss FM" satellite channel...

SPEAKING OF YOUNGSTOWN: A quick trip into Trumbull County the other day provided us with first hand confirmation of recent radio moves there.

We did indeed hear ESPN Radio on the new "ESPN 96.7", known to the FCC as WLLF/96.7 Mercer PA, just over the Ohio border from Youngstown and Warren.

We also heard the station promote not only Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, but a simulcast of sister talk WPIC/790 Sharon PA's "PIC Sports Line". That move was already noted by PBRTV's local correspondent, Tom Lavery, and made it to Tom Taylor's "Taylor on Radio-Info" column.

But as far as we know, "PIC Sports Line" is not a daily show, and airs only on Mondays (a fact confirmed by the promo, which told listeners to tune in for the show on Monday nights).

The Youngstown Vindicator picked up on the WLLF changes in a Sunday item, noting that the new signal will return Pirates play-by-play to the Mahoning Valley...saying the 96.7 signal is available on "most" Mahoning Valley radios.

That was borne out in our drive into Trumbull County on Tuesday, though the signal is a bit fluttery in Warren and Niles. (Akron-licensed and Cleveland-based WAKS/96.5 puts a very strong signal into Trumbull County, just one channel away.)

The Vindicator article also notes a campaign we saw on at least three billboards in the region: Fox Sports Pittsburgh is urging Mahoning Valley fans of Pittsburgh teams to sign up for DirecTV, which carries the network for Youngstown market viewers.

Time Warner Cable's massive Northeast Ohio system does not carry Fox Sports Pittsburgh in the Youngstown market, which the article says is due to cost issues.

When asked about this earlier by an OMW reader in the area, we turned to TWC's Travis Reynolds, who told us that "we simply do not carry (Fox Sports Pittsburgh) in that area. Even without Fox Sports Pittsburgh, hockey fans can still see NHL games on Versus (Channel 323), NHL Network (Channel 324 on the Digital Sports Tier) or the local NBC affiliate, which is WFMJ (Channel 4)..."

AND ALSO IN Y-TOWN: We confirmed the name change at Beacon Broadcasting Christian/eclectic rock/talk WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA, which is now calling itself "C107.1".

We're not music playlist experts, but the "C" playlist seemed heavier on the Christian rock, and we didn't hear any secular pop/rock songs in our occasional listening...

AND CANADA: And an item from Canada that actually affects the Cleveland radio market.

Long-time CBC Radio One "As It Happens" co-host Barbara Budd is retiring at the end of April, after a lengthy run on the news magazine - some 17 years.

Budd's retirement affects one of the show's affiliates - Ideastream public radio outlet WCPN/90.3 in Cleveland carries "AIH" weeknights at 8 PM, via its U.S. syndication by American Public Media...

Notable Events

2010-04-05T11:06:00.010-04:00

Clearing out the "Already Posted On Twitter" file, and other things...

CLEVELAND RADIO NEWS LEGEND PASSES: For decades in the Cleveland market and beyond, Ken Courtright was synonymous with the phrase "radio news".

Courtright passed away Saturday in New Philadelphia.

Though he spent a lot of time in his native Tuscarawas County, including two decades as news director of Tuscarawas Broadcasting talk WBTC/1540 Uhrichsville, Courtright spent a lot of time at major Cleveland stations.

From our own item in 2007, when Courtright first took ill:

Ken started his radio career at the age of 14 at WJER in New Philadelphia, and went on to a long and storied career at stations like Cleveland's WWWE/1100 "3WE", along then-WJW/850, WERE/1300, as well as then-WDBN/94.9 Medina and then-WSLR/1350 Akron. (We trust regular readers already know the current calls, format and dispositions of all those stations.)

We're told after becoming news director at WBTC/1540 Uhrichsville in the final stage of his long run doing radio news, Mr. Courtright returned to the station now known as WTAM for part-time work.

Local radio historian Jim Davison passes along a letter from Courtright to another Cleveland radio legend, the now-late Bill Randle, describing Courtright's Cleveland start as a full-time newsman at WERE/1300 while Randle worked there. (Davison also provided the picture we've used in this item.)

Courtright wrote the letter in 1997 while listening to Randle's show on then-standards WRMR (then at 850 AM).

An excerpt:

“Hearing you brings back memories of the most fantastic radio operations ever to hit Cleveland airwaves. I started there early one Sunday morning in June of 1956, where I got to read newscasts, and one day got the chance to introduce a Indians game which was delayed by rain and I had the chance to announce the records I played (oh my God) over the full 65 station network that carried the ballgame until the rain ended”.

“One day, engineer Dick Pollack informed me that since Bill Randle was not likely to make it in on time, I would have to fill him for Bill…But not to worry…Dick would tell me what to say. So I did go on playing records…and at 5 PM that day, you arrived Bill, and had me stay on until 6 PM…working with you for that 5 to 6 PM hour until you took over your Higbee Top 10 Radio Show. As I was leaving after 14 hours, you suggested that I could come aboard full time and would talk to the manager.”

“The following day, Monday, Ed Stevens call me at the Ashtabula station and told me to turn in my notice and that I was full time now at WERE 1300 AM as soon as I could make the trip to Cleveland. Ed explained how the station operated on the “Star” system. I had to park in the News Department parking area only, and that I had to learn the news business from Jerry Bowman and Wayne Johnson”.

In addition to his time at WERE, Courtright was also heard on many incarnations of 1100 AM in Cleveland - KYW, WKYC, WWWE "3WE", and as noted in our previous item, even on the current WTAM as a weekend newscaster in the 1990s.

Courtright was also heard on the old WDBN/94.9, then in Medina (now Akron market country WQMX), WSLR/1350 Akron (now sports WARF), WQKT/104.5 Wooster, and on stations in Florida.

And two of his children ended up going behind a microphone themselves.

Daughter Julie started her radio news career at country WTUZ/99.9 Uhrichsville, then moved to another locally owned radio operation in Northeast Ohio, Doug and Lorie Wilber's country WOBL/1320 Oberlin and oldies WDLW/1380 Lorain.

We're told she left the stations in 2008, and we don't know if she's still in broadcasting.

Son Alan operates his own voice-over business in Medina, and worked in news for Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 Akron until 2009.

We're told that Ken Courtright passed away "just in time for the 5 PM news" on Saturday...

THE WWL HITS MERCER COUNTY: Nominally in our coverage area since it's in the Youngstown market, a Western Pennsylvania radio station has apparently made a rumored format flip to sports.

Word came out late last week from the folks at RadioInsight that Cumulus established a new website for "ESPN 96.7", which would signal a coming format change for WLLF/96.7 Mercer PA.

The station, run out of Cumulus' second Youngstown-area "Radio Center" in the Sharon PA suburb of Hermitage, had been running Jones Radio's Adult Contemporary format as "96.7 The River".

But the WLLF web stream is playing the new ESPN Radio format today, complete with the new "ESPN 96.7" logo on the web player.

The change likely came today due to the start of another key piece of programming for "ESPN 96.7" - Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates open their 2010 season today.

The move means a return of the Pirates to Mercer County radio, and by extension, the portions of the Ohio side of the Youngstown market served by the WLLF signal.

Beacon Broadcasting last carried the Pirates on WLOA/1470 Farrell PA and simulcaster WGRP/940 Greenville PA, but stopped carrying the team somewhere around the stations' format change from Sporting News Radio to classic country. The Pirates had also once been carried on WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA, now Christian/eclectic rock/talk "Indie 107.1".

And the Pirates were also once heard on WLLF's Youngstown sports sister station, Cumulus sports WBBW/1240 Youngstown.

We don't know for sure, but it appears WLLF will be run separately from WBBW, carrying mostly the unvarnished ESPN Radio national feed, with the Pirates and, presumably, local Pennsylvania high school sports play-by-play somewhere in the mix. (The station is already promoting "live high school sports".)

And a piece of trivia: The WLLF call letters come from the station's long-ago days as the Pennsylvania-side simulcaster of rock WNCD/then-106.1 Niles "The Wolf".

Since that time, the stations have come under different ownership and formats, with today's 106.1 now Clear Channel classic hits WBBG "Big 106.1"...and the WNCD calls and format now residing on Clear Channel's 93.3/Youngstown.

WLLF spent a number of years as a smooth jazz outlet before taking the Jones Radio AC format, which preceded today's flip to ESPN sports...

Channel 5 General Manager Out

2010-03-30T11:31:00.005-04:00

It's official. OMW hears that Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 general manager Viki Regan is no longer in the building.

Well, maybe we should say "she's no longer the general manager" as of Monday, because we hear she actually hasn't been in the building for some time, as her status at Channel 5 was being negotiated with upper Scripps management over the past week or so.

We're told that she couldn't see eye to eye with her Scripps bosses over the direction of the station, which led to her exit.

OMW hears that an interim general manager won't be appointed, as Scripps hopes to have a permanent replacement for Regan in the next few weeks.

The long lead time to Regan's exit means the rumors were flying. We've heard them for about a week, and for that matter, those rumors led to a story by Plain Dealer media writer Julie Washington on Monday, which we passed along on our Twitter feed:

Rumors flew around WEWS Channel 5 and the market on Monday that general manager Viki Regan might be leaving the station.

By the time Ms. Washington's story hit Cleveland.com, at just before 5 PM on Monday, OMW hears that Regan was already the former general manager.

Regan joined WEWS in May 2008, coming off an 11 year stint as general manager of Hearst's WPBF, the ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach FL...

Two Passings

2010-03-27T10:55:00.009-04:00

Two local media fixtures from two very different parts of Northeast Ohio's media landscape have passed away in just the past few days...

THE PROFESSOR: Sports talk radio fans from the 1980s and 1990s know what the phrase "The Professor has died" means.

Geoff Sindelar actually started his run on local sports talk radio in a familiar place - as a caller to "Pete Franklin's Sportsline" on the old WWWE/1100 "3WE" in Cleveland. (Of course, another regular Franklin caller became Clear Channel talk WTAM's afternoon drive host - Mike Trivisonno.)

The Plain Dealer's Grant Segal helps our memory a bit, noting Sindelar's transition from caller to host:

In 1987, he took turns filling for the departed Pete Franklin on WWWE, then won the job outright.

"The Professor" moved on to become host of his own program on sports talker WKNR, then "SportsRadio 1220" at 1220 AM. He was one of WKNR's signature personalities, hosting drive-time talk on the station through much of the 1990s.

Lorain Morning Journal/Lake County News-Herald sportswriter Jeff Schudel has an article on Sindelar's passing here.

In the comments on this article, we found a link to a video of Sindelar doing an Internet sports talk segment on college football, apparently from 2007. That's where the picture comes from. (Note that if you follow the link, the video starts automatically.)

Sindelar stepped down from his WKNR show in 1997, citing a need to concentrate on his family business. The Plain Dealer's Segal notes that he took over G.F. Sindelar Co. from his father, a business "which sells products by manufacturers to businesses". Sindelar was always well known as the local sports radio talk show host with "a real job".

He was also well known as a connoisseur of sports collectibles, and the foremost expert on the topic on the radio in Northeast Ohio. If a local sports enthusiast wanted to know if a piece of sports memorabilia was a "good item!", Sindelar was the first person to ask.

We'd also forgotten "The Professor"'s TV work, including a North Coast Cable-based show "Sports 101" that was apparently seen nationally in the 1990s. (North Coast Cable was the original Cleveland-based cable system, which is today's Cleveland arm of Time Warner Cable, passing through Cablevision and Adelphia along the way.)

The Segal article and later media reports clarify Sindelar's cause of death Thursday as a cerebral hemmorage. Earlier reports, apparently based on information from friends, said he died of a heart attack.

Either way, at 62 years old, "The Professor" has passed away...

MOFFITT PASSES: Off the air, and in television, Jack Moffitt was a vital part of the local media scene.

Moffitt had a long career in television management, but his longest and most known stretch of work was as the general manager of WUAB/43, the Lorain-licensed station run out of Parma that by "playing favorites" became Cleveland's dominant independent station.

(WUAB, of course, is today's Raycom Media-owned MyNetwork TV affiliate.)

Moffitt didn't revel in the spotlight, so we - without help - couldn't tell you much about his career.

But his niece, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting AAA WNWV/107.3 "V107.3" promotions/marketing director Suzy Peters, is an OMW reader, and put together a biography based on his personal notes. (She also passed along the picture we've used in this item.)

Services for Moffitt are scheduled for today (Saturday) at Chambers Funeral Home, 29150 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, with visiting hours 1-3 PM and the service from 3-4 PM.

Suzy Peters' biography of her uncle Jack is reprinted below...and we thank her for sharing, and offer our condolences to her and her family...

--------------

John “Jack” Moffitt, age 80, of North Royalton passed away on March 24th.

Born in Alliance, Ohio, Jack graduated from Lakewood High School, where he served as Student Council President, and went on to graduate from Western Reserve University in 1952 with a BA in speech.

His professional career began in 1943 as a curtain puller at the Cleveland Play House. He hosted a radio sports show on “Teen Time” on WJW radio from 1946-1948. He began his television career in 1947 as a page boy for WEWS, Ohio’s first TV station, and became a cameraman in 1948 as well as a film editor and news photographer.

He was drafted in 1952 and served in the Army Signal Corps as its first airborne TV cameraman, telecasting war games back to headquarters out of an L-20 Dehaviland Beaver during the Korean War.

He returned to WEWS in 1954 as their Public Service Director and Promotion Director before being promoted to Producer of all Dorothy Fuldheim programs. He took over as the One O’Clock Club Executive Producer in 1960 formatting the daily show with a live studio audience as luncheon guests.

In 1964 he joined WJW TV as an Account Executive. In 1968 he joined WUAB, Channel 43, as General Sales Manager and helped build the station and hire the staff. He became General Manager in 1972 and VP/GM in 1977. He left WUAB in 1985 to put a new independent station, KTHT in Houston, TX on the air.

From 1987 to 2001 he helped build several TV stations in Florida, Los Angeles, North Carolina and Georgia. He finally retired in 2001, capping off over 55 years in Broadcasting.

He was a founding member of the Cleveland chapter of NATAS and has won numerous awards, including 3 Emmy Awards.

In No Particular Order

2010-03-24T15:35:00.006-04:00

Since we've been sporadic lately, here are some items that have taken place in recent days... in no particular order...and there are still more items we haven't touched yet...

"MISS BARBARA" PASSES ON: If you grew up on Northeast Ohio television into the early 1970s, you need no further explanation.

Barbara Plummer, known as "Miss Barbara" on Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5's local edition of "Romper Room", has died.

From her online obituary (we have the text, but don't have a link):

From 1958 to 1972 children across Cleveland tuned in daily to learn their Do-Bees and their Don't Bees, to have fun, and maybe - just maybe - have Miss Barbara see them through her Magic Mirror and say their names out loud on television.

Before, during and after her time as "Miss Barbara", Plummer would enjoy a long, active life.

From the obituary:

She was a mother, a wife, an active supporter of charitable organizations and, for a time, she was a local television personality. And that is the order of importance she would have placed on the various roles she filled in her remarkable life.

And more on her TV career, as one of the pioneering women in local television:

It probably would have been a beautifully normal life if she had not heard, in April 1958, that WEWS was advertising for candidates to host their version of the syndicated television show, Romper Room. She loved to say that she went for an interview only because she was curious to see a television studio. Whatever her motivation was, she competed with 90 other women for the position and was selected. After asking her husband if it was OK - she began a television career that would eventually have middle-aged baby-boomers coming up to her in the grocery store to ask, "Are you Miss Barbara? I loved Romper Room, but how come you never said my name?"

Barbara Plummer died March 20th at the age of 80, after a struggle with pneumonia and cancer...

RICK: Northeast Ohio's media community is abuzz with talk about, and well wishes for, a former local radio personality who is seriously ill.

OMW hears that former Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 night and weekend host Rick Gilmour is battling cancer, and has recently been transferred to hospice care.

We don't have details beyond that, but we felt it was necessary to pass this along so people can have him in their thoughts and prayers.

In addition to his work at WTAM, where he took the night shift after Morton Downey, Jr. left the station, he started as a late night host on now-Radio One talk WERE, then at 1300 AM.

We last heard Rick's name right before WTAM replaced the cancelled Jerry Springer radio show with a local show hosted by Bob Frantz. (Frantz is now working evenings, and the shift is now filled once again by Premiere's Glenn Beck.)

We'd heard a pretty reliable rumor that Gilmour would be a part of the local host rotation in the 9-noon slot before a permanent host was named, but Frantz was picked for the shift on a permanent basis the very next day.

Anyway, our sincerest best wishes to Rick and his family...

SELLING OFF: Akron-based Rubber City Radio Group is selling off its interests in Michigan.

You wouldn't blame local listeners to oldies/news WAKR/1590, rock WONE/97.5 or country WQMX/94.9 if they didn't realize that Rubber City has other stations in Michigan, but the company has operated a four-station cluster in and around Lansing for about 10 years.

Last week, it was announced that the Akron-based broadcaster would be selling those stations.

From the Michiguide site, courtesy of Tom Taylor's Radio-Info.com daily E-mail column:

Tom Taylor reports this morning that Rubber City Radio has agreed to sell its Lansing 4-station FM cluster (active rock WJXQ 106.1, modern rock WVIC 94.1, classic hits WQTX 92.1 and smooth jazz WJZL 92.9) to Midwest Communications for an amount that's not yet been revealed. Operating as Mid-Michigan Radio Group, Rubber City first bought into Lansing in 2000.

For Midwest Communications, it's an expansion eastward of its Michigan group of stations - it already owns 9 plus an FM translator in Kalamazoo, Coldwater, and Holland.

The sale has been filed with the Federal Communications Commission, and the agreement lists a price of $4 million for the four Michigan stations.

And the move means Rubber City will concentrate on its three hometown stations, along with the company's various radio station-linked websites, and the 24/7 online news station WAKRNewsNow and news site AkronNewsNow.com...

SPEAKING OF WEBSITES: Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 in Cleveland has been struggling with its own WKYC.com for at least some of this week.

We first learned of this on Sunday, with the station advising Twitter followers that the website was temporarily down. We went to it, and found a Network Solutions "domain parking" page...leading us to wonder if the domain company put it on hold due to non-payment of fees.

A quick check of the WHOIS records for WKYC.com on Sunday morning showed that it was supposed to be valid through March 15, 2011.

No, it's not likely mega-giant Gannett can't afford to renew its domain name...the company isn't in THAT bad shape financially. However, it wouldn't be the first time that a large media corporation didn't renew the registration on time due to a simple oversight. The expiration date being a week ago Monday (renewed into 2011) would seem to support that theory of ours.

Whatever happened, WKYC.com apparently still hasn't been available to some due to DNS routing issues. From blogging colleague Frank Macek's "Director's Cut" blog on Tuesday:

...if you are still having problems, please send us an e-mail with a detailed description and include the name of your internet service provider (ISP).

Send it to our engineering techies at channel3 (at) wkyc.com and we'll do everything we can to help you with a fix.

From our own experience, if the DNS (Domain Name Service) is changed to route somewhere else - say, from Gannett's servers to Network Solutions' servers and back again - it takes a while for some DNS servers to catch up if the problem is fixed.

Here at the OMW World Headquarters, WKYC.com returned to our Mighty Laptop(tm) later Sunday morning, and has been fine since...

WHERE'D THEY GO?: The local Time Warner Cable mega-cluster, already trying to digest an HD channel lineup change and the changeover to the new "Navigator" digital cable box guide in areas that don't already have it, digested some channels right off the box last week.

The Plain Dealer reported that in the middle of prime time last Wednesday night, some 480,000 customers went without channels 2-20 on their cable boxes.

Judging from the counties listed in the story - Cuyahoga, Medina, Lake, Lorain and Ashtabula - it sounds like the outage affected those primarily in the former Adelphia area, and maybe the ex-Comcast section of the massive Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio system.

The high-definition/DTV simulcasts of the local stations were not affected (in the 400s or 1000s, depending on how far the "TV Made Easy" conversion has gone in your area).

Good ol' fashioned analog cable was also not affected...if you had a TV with an analog tuner (even a digital set with same) and no cable box, channels 2-20 worked with no interruption that night.

The problem was cleared up sometime Thursday morning.

Based on our limited knowledge, some of those lower channels are fed to digital cable boxes with a digital, standard-definition simulcast of the station, bypassing the "straight" analog feed. Why that was a problem last week, we don't know, but it would explain some of it...

Unloading The Pile

2010-03-16T17:53:00.009-04:00

Our stack of unfinished items has gotten so large, we're not sure we can fit it in one update. But... we'll try, working backwards from the present...and we could have another update soon, as we're not sure we have everything out of the backlog file yet...

ROMIGH IN: As previously posted on our Twitter account, Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown has made fill-in Mike Romigh, the former CBS Radio talk KDKA/1020 Pittsburgh host, its new permanent morning drive host.

Quoting Clear Channel Youngstown market manager and OMW reader Bill Kelly in a release earlier today:

"Mike deserves this opportunity. He has done a great job filling in for us over the past several years and we have been searching for a place for him. This is THAT place. We are fortunate that a person of Mike's caliber was available and our listeners and advertisers will continue to benefit."

Kelly adds that Romigh becomes just the third morning drive host on WKBN since 1980.

He has taken the place of Robert Mangino, the New Castle PA native who now does evenings on Romigh's old home station, KDKA. The other host, of course, was long-time WKBN morning man Pete Gabriel, who finished out his career as the morning driver at sister standards WNIO/1390.

Romigh's addition to the permanent WKBN lineup will be from 6-9 AM weekdays. Midday host (and Clear Channel Youngstown operations director) Dan Rivers adds an hour to his show, and will be heard from 9 AM to noon...

MARCH MADNESS: On our Twitter account, we passed along a link to a Cleveland.com/Plain Dealer item on Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO/19's Thursday NCAA tournament broadcast schedule.

We don't have the station's schedule of other NCAA broadcasts, and can't find a schedule on either the "19 Action News" site, or the site of Youngstown's CBS affiliate, New Vision's WKBN/27.

We also won't be able to track this on a daily basis, sorry...

TWC LINEUP CHANGES: Time Warner Cable's massive Northeast Ohio system is in the middle of its "HD Made Easy" channel lineup change, which will scoot the system's HDTV channel lineup up into the 1000s.

At the same time, the system is pushing out the newer style "Navigator" cable box program guide into the former Adelphia areas in greater Cleveland.

TWC's Travis Reynolds tells OMW:

The channel and new Navigator migration is going well. We are on schedule to complete this by the end of the month.

As a general rule, anyone who already had the new Navigator, or those who've been transitioned to it in the past few days, should have the new lineup. As boxes migrate to the new Navigator, they'll then get the new channel lineup with the HDs in the 1000s, the 'Free 400s' and On Demand Offerings in the 500s.

That meshes with some reader feedback we've gotten, with word that the "legacy" Akron and Canton area systems, those in the original Time Warner footprint, have the new lineup.

Those in ex-Adelphia land will have to wait until the Navigator conversion takes place, and we've heard from readers that the conversion is apparently taking place box-model-by-box model. One reader in the former Adelphia area tells us he has one cable box model converted to Navigator, and another that hasn't undergone the conversion.

It'll apparently be a bumpy ride for some of the ex-Adelphia folks, but we're only halfway through March, the conversion target date set for the end of the month...

WEARIN' OF THE GREEN: St. Patrick's Day, and the annual parade, is a big deal in Cleveland, and Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio Network (NEON) is once again covering the parade live.

From a TWC release:

Parade coverage, which will air on NEON for the 8th consecutive year, starts at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17th, with a pre-event show featuring parade officials and hosts. The official parade step off is 1:04PM.

The parade will also be available beginning March 19 on Time Warner Cable’s Local On Demand (LOD) channel 411.

It'll also repeat frequently on NEON itself, starting Wednesday night at 7 PM...

THESE STATIONS CAN BE YOURS: If you have some money, that is.

OMW has dutifully reported that the Beacon Broadcasting chain, which has 5 stations along the Ohio/Pennsylvania border, is up for sale after the passing of Beacon owner Harold Glunt.

An OMW reader found the official description of the sale, with the asking price.

Are you sitting down?

Yes, for a cool $1.25 million, you, too can own five small stations in a below-top-100 market with a depressed economy, when the prices for radio stations have fallen through the floor due to the down national economy.

No, we're not making that figure up, and it's not a typo: one-and-a-quarter million dollars for sports WANR/1570 Warren and its daytime simulcaster, WRTK/1540 Niles, classic country combo WLOA/1470 Farrell PA and WGRP/940 Greenville PA, and the class A FM in the group, Christian/eclectic rock/talk WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA.

In case a million and a quarter is too rich for your blood, the stations are also helpfully priced by state - the Ohio stations, WANR and WRTK, are listed for $400,000, and the Pennsylvania stations, WLOA, WGRP and WEXC, are priced at $850,000, both prices in cash (as is the overall price).

The stations' owned land and owned transmitter sites are included in the deal, and leased land and facilities are priced out in the listing, which also notes the recent format change at WRTK and notes revenue at all five stations at "approx. $12,000 a month".

All five stations together do not approximate full coverage of the Youngstown market (particularly much of Mahoning County). But we know that Glunt put some money into equipment upgrades early on.

To put some of this in perspective: Remember that CBS Radio sold its full market FMs in Denver, a market much larger than Youngstown, for $19 million. It'll be interesting to see how much the Beacon stations go for...

About Christine

2010-03-15T12:53:00.004-04:00

We're still "away" from the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) for the most part, though we'd been planning a comprehensive update sometime soon.

Since we've been actually sitting on this one since mid-February, and are now getting questions on it from readers, we'll let this item free early.

Yes, Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 has a new meteorologist. From a station memo released about a month ago:

Christine Ferreira will join the Good Morning Cleveland team as Meteorologist. Christine comes to Cleveland via Portland, Oregon where she spent three years forecasting mornings for KOIN-TV. Prior to that, Christine was the Chief Meteorologist at KATU-TV in Victoria, Texas, where she guided 24-hour coverage of Hurricane Rita.

Christine is a graduate of Millersville University in Millersville, Pennsylvania and is looking forward to moving back east to be closer to family in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Christine will start at WEWS on March 1, 2010.

That, she did, and the second question is - what happened to incumbent "GMC" weather anchor Jason Nicholas?

Though he isn't on "GMC" anymore, he's still at 3001 Euclid - at least as far as we know. Though it's hard to tell with vacations and such, we believe Jason will land on the weekend editions of "NewsChannel 5".

This item on TVNewsCheck.com last week still lists Nicholas as part of the "NC5" weather team:

Ferreira joins Good Morning Cleveland news anchors Kimberly Gill and Pete Kenworthy and Chief Meteorologist Mark Johnson and meteorologist Jason Nicholas.

Then again, it was freelancer Eileen McShea we saw one recent weekday evening, subbing for Mark Johnson, not Nicholas...so we don't know how the lineup is now set...

Big Monday

2010-03-08T13:29:00.004-05:00

Our pile of news is large this Monday, so we might as well get it posted and out of the way...

TV MADE EASY: That's the catchphrase used by Time Warner for its latest digital/HD cable channel changes, which are taking effect starting today.

We've already heard from one OMW reader in TWC's Wadsworth system, who tells us that the flip of the HD channels has already taken place there - from the 400s to the 1000s on the cable lineup. (We'll need reader help here, as we won't be able to track the changes systemwide.)

That moves not only various cable HD channels, it moves the HD feed of the local broadcast channels.

For whatever reason, TWC is sticking to its exising analog numbering system for the broadcast channels, which means - for example, as Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 points out on its website - TWC viewers in Akron will see Fox 8 HD on cable channel 1009 (analog is on 9), and in Cleveland, it'll be on Channel 1008 (analog is on 8).

The "off channel placement" of local broadcast outlets in Akron dates back to the earliest days of Akron Cablevision, trying to avoid ghosting caused by "ingress" of the powerful over-air signals into the cable line. By the time the Cleveland area system was built in the 1980's, presumably, the company (North Coast Cable, Cablevision) was OK with on-channel placement...we presume due to better filtering technology in the newer system.

From a TWC press release on the move:

“Time Warner Cable is committed to delivering a robust offering of high definition channels to our customers,” said Vin Zachariah, Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio/Western Pennsylvania Regional Vice President of Operations. “We now offer over 100 HD channels, and as a result, we’ve virtually outgrown the 400-block in our lineup. So, by moving them to the 1000s, we enable ourselves to continue adding HD channels and make them easier to find for our customers.”

The channel shuffle will put HD channels on the 1000-equivalent of their digital cable channels: i.e. CNN at 350 will be paired with CNN HD at 1350, and so on. But for those who are still used to tuning in the analog version of CNN on cable channel 24 (which still exists, even on digital or HD boxes), there is no such easy math.

TWC says the process will take place through the end of March.

WHILE WE'RE AT IT: We have word from an OMW reader who is a subscriber to TWC's former Adelphia system not in northeast Ohio, but central Ohio.

This page shows that mid-Ohio is also going through the HD channel realignment, and that the ex-Adelphia systems are coming along for the ride.

Like the ex-Adelphia systems in the Cleveland area, those customers are also being fed the new "Navigator" program guide this month...

FORMAT CHANGE: Like its Beacon Broadcasting sister stations in the Mahoning and Shenango Valley areas, WRTK/1540 Niles is up for sale...which we reported last week.

While it waits for a buyer, WRTK has changed format.

The daytime station was heard over the weekend running a simulcast of Beacon sister sports WANR/1570, with a legal ID calling it "Fox Sports 1540" along with WANR's "Fox Sports 1570".

Until this change, WRTK had been running a Christian contemporary format. It was initially called "Freq 1540", but dropped the handle some time after sister Christian/eclectic/talk WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA changed from "Freq 107" to "Indie 107.1".

The rest of the Beacon Empire remains unchanged.

WEXC continues with its unusual mix of Christian and secular rock music along with syndicated conservative talk (Premiere's Glenn Beck and Jason Lewis). And WLOA/1470 Farrell PA and WGRP/940 Greenville PA continue with their satellite/computer fed classic country format...

CHUCK'S BACK: We're not entirely sure if SportsTime Ohio was created as part of a Full Employment Act for Cleveland TV Sportscasters, but it's provided Chuck Galeti with a landing place.

STO will debut "Chuck's Last Call", a call-in show that will air after Cleveland Indians telecasts, on April 7th.

From an STO release:

“I’ve been in radio and television for 23 years and to finally have my own show that puts the fans first is great. I’m thrilled to be on SportsTime Ohio and the fact that they are giving me this opportunity is fantastic,” said Chuck Gateti.

Galeti, of course, was most recently a sports anchor at Raycom Media's CBS/MyNetwork TV combo WOIO/19-WUAB/43's "19 Action News", and in addition to past work for Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3, has also done radio sports talk at Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100. He started his TV career at Youngstown's WFMJ/21, the Vindicator-owned NBC affiliate.

About that "Full Employment Act" line - STO has been a landing place for many displaced over-air Cleveland TV sportscasters.

Former Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 sports anchor/reporter Sue Ann Robak is among many who have done work for STO (in addition to filling Galeti's vacancy at WOIO on a freelance basis, until the hiring of WTAM's Mark Schwab).

And former WKYC'er Mike Cairns is still in the building at 13th and Lakeside doing work for STO. He'll fill-in today on the network's "All Bets Are Off" show normally hosted by Bruce Drennan, who is jetting back with producer Gene Winters from Cleveland Indians spring training in Goodyear AZ.

(Also in outer-suburban Phoenix watching the Tribe this week: Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 Akron morning host Ray Horner and VP/information media/OMW reader Ed Esposito, and Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria staffer Tim Alcorn.)

SPEAKING OF THE VINDICATOR: We got some questions from Youngstown-area readers about the commercial teases airing on WFMJ/21 during the Winter Olympics - touting a "new newspaper" for the Mahoning Valley.

Was the Vindicator about to get some (more) competition? (Remember, the Youngstown newspaper also competes in much of the Valley with the Warren Tribune-Chronicle.)

It didn't take long for some of our smarter readers to piece the story together.

For one, WFMJ is owned by the Vindicator. Would the station even accept an ad from a would-be competitor to the print side of its operation?

For another, spots during the Winter Olympics would be prohibitively expensive for a startup operation.

And for a third, the Mahoning Valley economy continues to reel, even compared to the national economic downturn. And for a fourth point, the newspaper business is cutting back, back, back, even in areas with a better economy than Youngstown. Who starts a new newspaper in 2010?

The Winter Olympics spot should have been a clue, as it costs the Vindicator nothing to "advertise" on its co-owned TV station.

Sure enough, the "new newspaper" is actually a revamped Vindicator, made possible by the purchase of a new, er, used $6.8 million press from the Los Angeles Times.

The Vindicator took the opportunity for a redesign, which the paper freely admits will result in cost savings from a smaller form factor needing less costly newsprint.

You can read all about it here on the "Visual Editors" blog...or follow this link to the Vindicator's own stories on the changes...

TOLEDO CHANGES: It looks like religious operator CSN Radio (Calvary Satellite Network) is about to take over WTOD/1560 Toledo from Cumulus.

So says a page on CSN's website, with a message dated March 4th:

88.9 FM Pemberville, OH (W205BP) and 100.7 FM Toledo, OH (W264AK) will soon be replaced with the full-power signal of WTOD Toledo, OH on 1560 AM.

Our Northwest Ohio reader who tipped us to this confirms that the 100.7 translator is indeed off the air.

But what we don't know - what will Cumulus, which got W264AK in the trade with CSN, do with the translator?

There's been all sorts of speculation in the market, mostly speculating around Cumulus using an existing station's HD2 feed to power anything from a revamped WTOD talk format to alt-rock, once heard on now-former WRWK/106.5 Delta - now a simulcast of sports WLQR/1470 as WLQR-FM.

We're here to tell you that we don't have any handle on 100.7's future, other than the fact that it has a construction permit to move to 100.9 from a more central location in Toledo...the facility is apparently far enough from the North Central Ohio town of Clyde, which boasts full-power BAS Broadcasting country WMJK/100.9 "Coast Country"...

AND FINALLY: Radio-Info.com's always excellent columnist Tom Taylor ("Taylor on Radio-Info") picked up on our story last week about the end of the "translator threat" to Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 Kent "The Talk of Akron", by a moved-in translator permit on 100.3 in the far western Cleveland suburb of North Ridgeville that has since been dismissed.

Tom added some details in his newsletter this morning...going through sale documents that we origially did not.

According to those documents, religious translator storehouse Edgewater Broadcasting agreed to sell W262BN to Radio One (subsidiary Blue Chip Broadcasting) for $100,000. Radio One put down a $5,000 deposit, which Taylor presumes they'll want back...and we make the same presumption, based on the language in the assignment agreement.

One clarification here: In going through FCC records, it appears that W262BN retains a valid license - under Edgewater's ownership - for a Lorain-based facility. The applications dismissed as a result of WNIR's actions were for a move to a Cleveland license city, with new facilities on a Verizon Wireless cell tower in North Ridgeville. (As we pointed out before, FM translators to not need to show coverage standards for license cities.)

Whether anything happens to that original license, which as far as we know has not regularly been on the air, remains to be seen...

WNIR Kills Radio One Translator

2010-03-03T18:32:00.015-05:00

Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 Kent "The Talk of Akron" has successfully killed an effort to put up a new translator on 100.3 (W262BN), which would have been located on a Verizon Wireless cell phone tower in North Ridgeville.

As we reported earlier, WNIR took to its own airwaves to warn listeners in the Elyria and North Ridgeville areas that "an out of town company" was proposing a signal in that area that could interfere with WNIR, and asking those listeners to write to the station.

The Federal Communications Commission agreed on February 26th, and dismissed the application by religious translator storehouse Edgewater Broadcasting of Twin Falls ID (which has filed to sell the translator to Radio One), and another later application that would have moved the Cleveland-licensed facility to 99.1 FM - an effort to respond to Media-Com's filing to deny the translator move.

And it appears that WNIR's appeal to listeners in the area of the proposed translator took the day.

From the FCC decision letter (PDF file):

The petitioner has demonstrated that it has listeners within the 60 dBu of the proposed translator station and that grant of the translator will result in interference to those listeners.

The decision also dismissed a newer application by Edgewater, seeking to change the translator's frequency to 99.1 FM.

That dismissal was of a waiver Edgewater sought to move the frequency out of the accepted range for such a move - 1st, 2nd or 3rd adjacent to 100.3, or to an "IF" frequency 10.6 or 10.8 MHz away.

An "IF" move would have, by necessity, dumped the station into a potential frequency in the non-commercial band, and a whole new set of RF gymnastics would be needed to make it into the commercial band again...assuming the first move would have been granted.

Edgewater said it wanted the waiver for 99.1, due to potential interference problems with moving the frequency - with WNIR, or Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7 or that company's country WGAR/99.5.

The FCC didn't buy the waiver request, so the translator remains licensed to its 100.3/Lorain site, which we don't believe has ever hit the airwaves.

As we previously reported, Edgewater agreed to sell W262BN to a subsidiary of Radio One, a sale already approved by the FCC, but filed in mid-January for a 90 day extension of the consummation deadline.

With the proposed move basically dead at this point, it's anyone's guess if Radio One is still interested in picking up the translator.

By the way, a big hat tip to long-time friend and colleague Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch, who gave us the heads up...and some of the technical explanation above...

Mid-Hiatus Post

2010-03-02T17:32:00.003-05:00

Since we're in another of our semi-hiatus periods ("Life Intervenes"), here's another all-encompassing update, featuring - mostly - some long-held items we have missed...

DIGITAL, AT LAST?: An OMW reader pointed us to digital applications filed by both of the Media-Com LPTV/Class A outlets in Northeast Ohio, seeking digital facilities for both W35AX/Cleveland and WAOH-LP Akron.

The WAOH application is for a digital flash cut on the station's current analog channel, 29, with 15 kW of power. The analog power is 60.6 kW, but digital replication of the current service area - in theory, at least - requires less power than the analog license.

The W35AX application for digital channel 16 has already been amended to reduce ERP to 10 kW and change the directional pattern, to account for WSEE/35 Erie's RF 16 facility. It also makes the case that 16 - reserved for land mobile use - can be used in the Cleveland market...citing, among other things, WEWS/5's digital faciliity on channel 15, another land mobile channel.

It's also labeled a displacement application, the station citing co-channel WOUC/44 Cambridge's digital facility on RF channel 35.

Will these get built?

The station appears to be fairly aggressive in filing engineering paperwork on the upgrades, including the above listed modifications filed less than a month after the original application.

At some point, the FCC is likely to sunset analog LPTV, and the Media-Com stations - sisters to talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" and syndie talk WJMP/1520 in Kent - will have to either go digital or go away...and would probably lose carriage on Time Warner Cable's original Akron system if there was no over-air station attached...

MELISSA: That name can mean only one thing to OMW readers... former Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8 News" weather anchor Melissa Mack.

One of our readers points us to a video introducing her to her new viewers in Boston, where she now forecasts and does environmental reporting for CBS O&O WBZ/4 there.

Melissa tells another WBZ-TV staffer that she's excited to live on the Eastern Seaboard, but also defends Your Cleveland Cavaliers against an onslaught of "will you become a Celtics fan?" questions.

Can't take Northeast Ohio out of the gal, we guess...

V-FAMILIAR: The recent rebranding of Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting AAA outlet WNWV/107.3 Elyria to "V107.3" caught the eye of some folks in the Akron market.

In particular, OMW readers associated with Streetsboro City Schools'-owned alt-rock/oldies WSTB/88.9 Streetsboro reminded us that WNWV isn't the first area station to adopt the letter "V" to signify a new rock format.

WSTB's long-time general manager and OMW reader Bob Long provides the history:

On August 27, 1991 WSTB signed on the air as “91.5/V-ROCK” playing classic rock in the morning and contemporary metal during the afternoon and evening.

A year later, "V-ROCK" went for a full metal rock format, which a few years later came to an end after controversy over a station concert, the format itself, and amid heightened security in the wake of the Columbine shootings. "V-ROCK" gave way to today's alt-rock format, with the adult volunteer-run "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" on Sundays. (And WSTB, of course, moved from 91.5 to 88.9 in the mid-90's.)

The official history, passed along by Mr. Long, notes that "V-ROCK" was the station's attempt to associate itself with the old "Z-Rock" commercial hard-rock format...a satellite format which once aired on the station now known as, you guessed it, WNWV/107.3 "V107.3".

"Z-Rock" gained something of a following in the Cleveland market, and was one of the first indications that the Elyria station could program for the whole market...

BLOG SPORTS OHIO: Northeast Ohio is certainly a rich area for sports bloggers, and regional sports TV network Fox Sports Ohio is trying to take advantage of it.

From an FSOhio release:

Do you follow FOX Sports Ohio’s sports teams and wish you could be part of the coverage? Now is your chance! FOX Sports Ohio is eagerly seeking a sports blogger on www.foxsportsohio.com. To help with the search, the network has launched an online blogging contest, “Blog Sports Ohio,” presented by Time Warner Cable.

In addition to winning the chance to blog on foxsportsohio.com, the selected blogger will also win a new laptop computer with a FOX Sports Ohio laptop bag, a digital voice recorder, a $500 cash card, a FOX Sports Ohio prize pack and access to the network’s professional teams, a prize package worth over $2,000.

Ohio sports fans can enter the contest beginning Monday, March 1 through Wednesday, March 10.

Before the contest was announced, believe it or not, your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) got an invite to enter it.

There are many reasons we won't enter, not the least of which is that we only occasionally write about sports media in this area....and we're not really a "sports blog" per se. But thank you, FSOhio, for thinking of us!

WARRANT UNIT: We neglected some time back to mention a new weekend TV show hosted by an area radio host.

"Warrant Unit" airs Saturdays at 11:35 PM on Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19, and Sundays at 1:30 PM on sister Raycom MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB/43. It's hosted by Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100's Bob Frantz.

The show aims to clear the unsolved case load of Cuyahoga County CrimeStoppers, which offers cash rewards for anonymous tips to solve those crimes.

We caught a bit of it on Sunday...it is very much a local counterpart to the long-time Fox national show "America's Most Wanted" (with Frantz as your local version of AMW's John Walsh), and was actually a pretty slick production. It features crime re-enactments, interviews with both police, and friends and family members of victims, crime scene surveillance footage and the like.

The show has a full website: www.warrantunitcleveland.com...

AND FINALLY: Whew, this is a long one!

We got word today that Dan Zullo will be back behind the microphone at Quicken Loans Arena this Spring, as the arena announcer for Cleveland Gladiators arena league football games. The Gladiators, after a year off due to the demise of the original Arena Football League, are back in a newly reconstituted AFL this year.

Zullo is a former WMJI/105.7 and WZAK/93.1 staffer who now has his own voiceover shingle, VoiceGalaxy Productions...

Beacon Stations For Sale

2010-02-27T13:55:00.004-05:00

We'd already heard that at least one of the Beacon Broadcasting Youngstown market stations - Christian/eclectic rock/talk WEXC/107.1 "Indie 107.1" Greenville PA - had interested buyers... even before owner Harold Glunt passed away in late January.

Now, all five Beacon stations along the Ohio/Pennsylvania border are up for sale.

In addition to some helpful tips from OMW readers, we received this release directly from Pittsburgh-based station broker Ray Rosenblum....who clearly knows that the Beacon stations have been covered in OMW frequently...

-----------

Ray H. Rosenblum, Media Broker/Consultant/Appraiser P. O. Box 38296, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 PH: 412-362-6311; FAX 412-362-6317 E-mail: rayhrosenblum (at) hotmail.com

NEWS RELEASE Fri., Feb. 26, 2010

5 Beacon Broadcasting Radio Stations For Sale Following Owner’s Death

The Executor for the estate of the late Harold Glunt has announced that the 5 Beacon Broadcasting, Inc. radio stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania are being put up for sale.

The Media Broker for the sale is Ray H. Rosenblum of Pittsburgh, PA.

According to Mr. Rosenblum, the stations are WANR(AM-1570) in Warren, OH; WRTK(AM-1540) in Niles, OH; WGRP(AM-940) and WEXC(FM-107.1) both in Greenville, PA; and WLOA(AM-1470) in Farrell, PA.

Harold Glunt, the principal owner of Beacon Broadcasting, died on January 25th. The Executor of his estate is his son, Dennis Glunt.

In a statement to Beacon employees, Dennis Glunt said that “this move will help to stabilize the employment at the stations. . .and best preserve value for the estate.”

---END---

Monday's Follow

2010-02-22T13:37:00.008-05:00

This one is mostly updates or comments, on earlier items...we were quite busy over the weekend, as you can see. Though there is at least one "new" item or two...

ANOTHER POLITICIAN: Our blogging colleague over at Gannett Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC/3, senior director and "DIrector's Cut" blogger Frank Macek, tells us that former WKYC anchor Tim White isn't the only former station anchor to head for the ballot box.

As we noted here, White filed in the Democratic primary for the 17th Ohio House seat being vacated by Josh Mandel, a Republican running for state treasurer.

"Scott Newell also ran last year and won," Macek wrote on a comment to our earlier item.

As it turns out, the former WKYC reporter/anchor, best remembered for his turn as host of the "AM Cleveland" midday talk show in the 1980's, is serving his first term on Pepper Pike City Council.

Newell was just sworn in last month, and is serving alongside a star of new media on the Pepper Pike council - popular political blogger Jill Miller Zimon ("Writes Like She Talks").

But the former WKYC anchor and host is not exactly a newcomer to civic service, even in his hometown of Pepper Pike. He's been on that city's Planning and Zoning board since 2002.

There must be something in the political water in Pepper Pike, as that's also White's Ohio home city...

THAT'S ROBIN: Speaking of midday TV talk shows, one of 2010's got a name change recently.

The Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8" 10 AM show formerly known as "That's Life" has been renamed for its one and only host as "The Robin Swoboda Show".

It makes sense to us....the "That's Life" name already seemed a bit unnecessary, anyway. The show's always been a vehicle for Robin, a long-time local TV personality who came to prominence as an anchor on the old "NewsCenter 8", back in WJW's CBS affiliate days.

Of course, she also spent some time in radio, as a morning drive co-host at Salem CCM WFHM/95.5 "The Fish".

If the "That's Life" name seemed silly, Swoboda's teases before the change were even sillier..."new set, new host...WHATTT???", she said in mock horror in promos before the name change...that alone telegraphed the new name to us...

AND MORE ON J.R.: Both broadcast and non-broadcast friends, and family, gathered Saturday in Oak Harbor to remember former Cleveland radio personality J.R. Nelson.

Nelson, born James Marik, and originally from in that same area, went on to greater fame after he left Cleveland, of course.

We touched on a bit of that in our earlier item on his death, but here's a well-written summary from our friend and colleague Scott Fybush's NorthEast Radio Watch this week, who notes Cleveland's role in his career:

But like many of the radio people who were working for Cleveland-based Malrite in the early 80s, he made the migration to the New York market - or at least to the swamps of Secaucus - to be part of the 1983 launch of Z100 (WHTZ 100.3 Newark). Nelson was an integral part of Z100's groundbreaking "Morning Zoo," serving as the station's production director and imaging voice, as well as sidekick to ringmaster Scott Shannon.

Nelson eventually returned to Cleveland, then moved on to Detroit, where he had been doing production and imaging for the CBS Radio cluster there until two years ago. Nelson's imaging work was heard worldwide, including on many British commercial stations.

He died on Tuesday (Feb. 16) at his home in the Detroit suburbs after a long battle with bladder cancer. Nelson was 60.

They've Got A Name, Or A Letter

2010-02-21T09:48:00.007-05:00

Cleveland's newest radio format launched with a "Boom" around the end of 2009...literally.

But an apparent claim on the trademark by a distant CBS Radio HD2 subchannel snuffed out the name of Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's shiny new AAA format on WNWV/107.3 Elyria, which shifted from its 20-plus year run as smooth jazz "The Wave" to "Boom 107.3".

The apparent trademark claim forced WNWV to quickly reposition as simply "107.3 Cleveland" for the past few weeks, but the station has landed on a new identity.

Timed apparently with a Saturday piece on the station by the Plain Dealer's Michael Heaton, WNWV grabbed the last letter of its held-over call sign, and is now known as "V107.3".

The station's Facebook presence has moved to a page under the new name, and we heard program director/afternoon drive host Ric "Rocco" Bennett using the "V" name on-air on Saturday afternoon.

About that article...it's no mistaking if you sense the "WMMS back in the day" influence on the new AAA station. Quoting Heaton:

Three former WMMS employees are behind this new aural attack on corporate radio. Lonnie Gronek, Ric "Rocco" Bennett and consultant John Gorman are the independent Davids battling the Goliaths of Clear Channel and CBS Radio, which operate a total of 10 stations in Cleveland.

Gronek is Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's VP/GM, Bennett is known for his "Rocco the Rock Dog" days at WMMS and WENZ/107.9 "The End" (most recently, he was doing weekends/swing at Rubber City Radio rock WONE/97.5 Akron), and any long-time OMW reader doesn't need reminding that Gorman was the program director of WMMS, long before Clear Channel eventually took over the station.

Would "V107.3" be, basically, what a non-corporate-owned WMMS-of-the-past would sound like if it aired in the year 2010? Quoting Heaton again:

At V107.3, Bennett is the only one of the three whose name might still be known to listeners from his WMMS days. The mission at the new station, however, is not to replicate those old playlists but to honor the spirit of that eclectic programming.

It's certainly a more eclectic version of the AAA format, which airs elsewhere in Northeast Ohio on Akron Public Schools-owned WAPS/91.3 "The Summit".

While we're talking about the newly-christened "V107.3", we neglected earlier to note its airstaff.

"Wave" hold-over Mike Gallagher continues in the "V" morning drive slot, and Bennett takes 2-6 PM. But we hadn't yet mentioned the addition of Cleveland radio veteran Ravenna Miceli from 9 AM-2 PM.

And yes, as the Heaton article points out, the new "V" middayer - the former long-time midday voice at WMJI/105.7 - is indeed the wife of "V" consultant Gorman.

But given her long-time on-air presence in the market and her run at WMJI, it seems silly to open up the mention of her in the article by calling her "Gorman's wife".

Miceli points out in the PD article that she has experience in the format long pre-dating both her days at WMJI and her marriage to Gorman:

"My first job was a AAA station on Martha's Vineyard. People are always blown away by it."

He's Running, and He's Probably Running

2010-02-20T16:51:00.007-05:00

It seems like the entire media and political world kept a close eye on filings for Northern Ohio congressional primary races due Friday. But while one high profile local media personality isn't running - yet - the local media personality who is running may surprise you.

When the 4 PM deadline hit, former Mahoning Valley congressman-turned-con-turned-radio host Jim Traficant did not file in the Democratic primary for two congressional seats he's been eyeing - his former slot in the 17th District, now reconstituted to take in part of the Akron area, with former Traficant aide Tim Ryan in office now, or the 6th District, which includes southern parts of the Youngstown area, a seat held by Charlie Wilson if we remember right.

When your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) heard that Traficant declined to enter either Democratic primary, it was obvious to us...he's going independent.

And according to this Associated Press article, that's exactly what he's going to do.

According to the AP blurb, Traficant "is leaving the Democratic Party and considering a run for office as an independent." He has yet to determine if he's going to run, and in which district.

The article quotes Traficant's statement on, you guessed it, his Saturday afternoon talk show on Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 in Cleveland.

The move shouldn't be a surprise to diehard Traficant watchers.

Though he's been a member and officeholder in the Democratic Party for decades, that's almost required to win office in the Democratic stronghold that is the Mahoning Valley. Throughout his political career, Traficant has basically been almost a one-man party of his very own.

Since exiting the custody of the federal prison system, Traficant has spent time around independent political types, and has mixed it up with those people.

So, no surprise here, and it gives Traficant more time to do his WTAM weekend show...with the filing deadline for non-party candidates some months down the road.

But what is a surprise is a candidate who filed for office on Friday.

He's former Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland anchor Tim White, who we thought was happy living in Wyoming after leaving 13th and Lakeside.

Apparently he wants to return to the Cleveland area, according to a story on his former home station's website, as a political figure:

Former Channel 3 anchorman Tim White has filed to run for the 17th House District seat.

That's the seat now held by Josh Mandel who is running as the Republican candidate for State Treasurer.

White left Channel 3 in December, 2008. He has homes in Pepper Pike and Wyoming.

He is running as a Democrat. Some people found that surprising.

White said, "Think blue dog."

Actually, we're surprised by the whole thing. We didn't know White had political aspirations even after he left "Channel 3 News" late last year.

At least it makes one thing easy for WKYC - the newsroom there didn't have to go searching far for a picture of the candidate...

D.C. Bound

2010-02-20T16:43:00.005-05:00

As posted on our Twitter account earlier, CBS Radio hot AC WQAL/104.1 Cleveland "Q104" night personality Rob Kruz is headed for Washington DC.

Actually, according to tweets and pictures on his own Twitter account, that should be "has headed", as Kruz has already taken the drive to DC. He is expected to hit the airwaves in Our Nation's Capital on Wednesday...to take over the night time slot at Clear Channel top 40 WIHT/99.5 "Hot 99.5".

We have no word yet who replaces Kruz back at Q104...

J.R. Passes On

2010-02-17T15:17:00.006-05:00

UPDATE: Visitation will be at 11 AM Saturday, and services 2 PM Saturday, at the Crosser Funeral Home in Oak Harbor, OH.

Details, and the obituary, are on the funeral home's website...

----------

Word is quickly spreading through the Cleveland radio community about the death of J.R. Nelson, who was battling cancer, but reportedly died of a heart attack Tuesday.

Former WMMS/100.7 programmer and current broadcast consultant (WNWV/107.3) John Gorman tells OMW:

(J.R.) worked at WHK, WMMS in the Malrite days, and I hired him as production director at WMJI under Omni America. He also did many of the parody songs for the Buzzard Morning Zoo on WMMS in '85, '86. I believe his last station - and the one he retired from was CBS Radio's WYCD/Detroit.

Other OMW readers remind us that J.R. was also known for his on-air work at the old WGAR/1220, including in his stint as WGAR's overnight air personality. The 50,000 watt signal of 1220 carried J.R.'s booming voice on the nighttime airwaves as far afield from Cleveland as North Carolina.

But nationally in the business, J.R. Nelson is known as an original member of one of radio's most iconic gatherings...the "Z100 Morning Zoo" at top 40 powerhouse WHTZ/100.3 in New York City. At the time of Z100's launch, it was a Malrite sister station to WHK/WMMS...

Two Quick Hits

2010-02-11T13:54:00.004-05:00

As earlier passed along on our Twitter feed...

EXITING CHARLOTTE: Details are scarce right now, but trade site AllAccess reports that not that terribly long after he arrived, Mike Kenney is no longer market manager of Clear Channel's Charlotte cluster.

AllAccess reports that OM Bruce Logan steps in as interim GM of the company's Queen City (North Carolina, that is) cluster.

We're following the news here, of course, because it's been just a few months since Kenney arrived in Charlotte from Northeast Ohio. He left his post as market manager of Clear Channel's Cleveland cluster in late August 2009.

We got the impression at the time that Kenney was hurried to Charlotte to "fix things up" there.

His departure from the Charlotte cluster, AllAccess says, was announced much like his predecessor's exit - in a quick E-mail this morning.

By the way, we've double-checked our own archives, which include clips from official releases out of Oak Tree, and Mike Kenney's last name is indeed spelled with two "e"'s...

STRIKE ON NOTICE: Newsroom employees of the Akron Beacon Journal authorized their union - the Akron Newspaper Guild - to strike last night, though that doesn't mean a strike is imminent...and negotiations are apparently still ongoing.

The union continues to point out that the Black Press-owned daily is "not pleading poverty" - it just wants to pay union members lower wages...saying that newsroom managers and non-union employees aren't being asked to take cuts.

A release from the union, which was helpfully sent to our mailbox by the union last night, is reprinted below:

---------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Feb. 10, 2010

AKRON NEWSPAPER GUILD TAKES STRIKE AUTHORIZATION VOTE

Contact: Stephanie Warsmith, secretary of the Akron unit, at 330-328-8566

The Akron unit of the Newspaper Guild overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote Wednesday evening. There was just one dissenting vote cast.

The vote gives the Guild’s bargaining committee the authority to strike if and when the committee thinks it’s necessary. The Guild recognizes the challenges facing the newspaper industry and has been open to discussing possible solutions.

``The last thing we want is a strike but we are willing to do whatever is necessary to secure a fair contract that reflects the valuable contributions of our members,’’ said Bob DeMay, the Guild’s president and an assistant photo editor at the Akron Beacon Journal.

The Guild and company have been negotiating for more than a year, with the union’s members operating under the terms of a contract that expired in July 2008.

The Beacon Journal is asking the Guild to accept concessions that would equate to a 25 to 30 percent decrease in wages and benefits, including a 16.75 percent pay cut, a pension freeze, a larger share of health care costs and a change to sick pay that would be worse than what WalMart offers.

The company’s lead negotiator told the Guild negotiating team that the newspaper isn’t pleading poverty but simply doesn’t want to continue paying at the current levels. Newsroom managers - among the highest paid employees in the newsroom -- and non-union employees elsewhere in the building, are not being asked to accept similar cuts. The newspaper also is hiring for positions outside the newsroom. The company has refused the Guild’s repeated requests to open its books.

The Guild represents about 85 reporters, copy editors, photographers, assistant editors, page designers, artists, sports statisticians, librarians and secretaries - a number slashed more than 50 percent over the past 10 years through layoffs, buyouts and attrition.

Guild members annually win state and national awards, earning the newspaper respect and recognition.

-30-

Monday's Pile

2010-02-08T14:02:00.002-05:00

We have a lot going on this start of the week, so we might as well go on.

Please note: our publishing schedule will still be quite sporadic, and there are days we may not be able to be here. We'll try to keep our Twitter feed going whenever possible...

THE 3001 EUCLID SHUFFLE: If this is February 8th, it must be time for the 3001 Euclid Anchor Shuffle.

More than any station in the Cleveland TV market, Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 keeps rotating its anchors in and out, trying new combinations, or generally "seeing what works".

The station has its first permanent anchor schedule since long-time anchor Ted Henry left the building nearly 9 months ago, and here it is:

Noon: Leon Bibb (solo)
5 PM/Live on Five: Danita Harris and Lee Jordan
6 PM: Leon Bibb and Lee Jordan
11 PM: Danita Harris (solo)

"Good Morning Cleveland" - with anchors Pete Kenworthy and Kimberly Gill - is unaffected.

At most stations, there's at least a "main anchor team" doing either 5 and 11 PM, or 6 and 11 PM, or all three newscasts. WEWS appears to want to mix it up.

With the 11 PM anchor slot solo, Danita Harris becomes the second African-American female solo anchor in the market...with Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3's Romona Robinson the first, of course...

INCOMING?: OMW hears that Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8" is looking to fill the opening left behind when popular Melissa Mack headed for Boston, and a gig at CBS O&O WBZ/4.

A Northeast Ohio native, who currently toils in the Grand Rapids MI market, was spotted at South Marginal auditioning for the role over the weekend. (We'll assume she, or whichever weathercaster WJW hires, will take her place as a part of "Fox 8 News in the Morning", and cover similar duties.)

Stay tuned...

FIRST UP: ...to occupy the vacated Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown morning drive chair this week is Mike Romigh.

Yes, that's the long-time former host at CBS Radio news/talk KDKA/1020 Pittsburgh, where now-former WKBN morning drive host Robert Mangino has landed in the evening slot.

Since leaving "KD", a quick Google search tells us that Romigh has been working for a Beaver County PA congressman, and for an economic development group based in the suburban Pittsburgh county.

OMW hears that Romigh is among those who are "up for the job", and no final decision has been made...and we don't know who will be heard in the WKBN morning slot after him...

PIONEER PASSES: There's actually a long history of Spanish-language radio in the Cleveland market, though only two non-commercial rimshot stations (Painesville's WHWN/88.3 and out-past-Lorain's WNZN/89.1) broadcast in the language full time. A number of local educational and non-commercial stations, and even commercial stations, have had such programs on weekends.

A pioneer in Latino-focused broadcasting in Cleveland has passed away.

The Plain Dealer's Cleveland.com carries the obituary for Daniel "Junior" Vargas, who died last month at the age of 71:

Junior was Cleveland's finest voice of Latino Radio on WZAK & WCSB for over 40 years. Your music will play forever!

An OMW reader tells us that Mario Ivan Benavides succeded "Junior", and that he now broadcasts "Latino International" on WCSB...

NYLA FOUND: OMW hears out of South Marginal that an apparently well-liked former presence on WJW's "Fox 8 News in the Morning" has a broadcast home.

After some time out of the media light, "Nyla" is now heard on Radio One talk/brokered WERE/1490 Cleveland Heights "NewsTalk 1490" Sunday evenings from 6-10 PM, on a program the station's schedule calls "Healing The Hurt Gospel With Miss Nyla And Daniel".

(The schedule actually has the show running until 2 AM Monday mornings, which we presume is a repeat of the live 6-10 PM airing.)

We hear that Nyla still gets E-mails at South Marginal, wondering what happened to her, so there you go...

Talking Mostly About The Valley

2010-02-03T22:11:00.011-05:00

More random, unconnected (mostly), but important items...mostly concerning the Mahoning Valley this time around...

WKBN OPENING: Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown is officially advertising its morning drive opening.

The time slot became open when long-time morning drive host Robert Mangino accepted the evening host job at CBS Radio news/talk KDKA/1020 Pittsburgh.

As a public service to our readers, we're reprinting the ad here:

A rare opportunity now exists and brings with it a chance to join Clear Channel's NEWSRADIO 570 WKBN in Youngstown Ohio.

We are looking for an experienced Talk Show host who is listener, as well as advertiser friendly.

Ideally, our candidate will have knowledge, not only of current events, but the special things that make up the landscape of Northeastern Ohio and Western Pa.

Ytown is a great place to live, work, and a great place to raise a family.

Resumes and work samples ( please no gigantic files) should be sent to;

youngstownjobs (at) clearchannel (dot) com

or

HR Director
Clear Channel Radio and Digital
7461 South Avenue
Youngstown , Ohio 44512

Clear Channel is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All who feel they are qualified are encouraged to apply.

Deadline for application is close of business February 15th, 2010.

The Mahoning Valley is indeed unique, and your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) has had some time in the market, so we know it pretty well. It ought to be interesting what kind of replacement WKBN finds for Mr. Mangino...

JIMBO: While we're talking about the Valley, former congressman-turned-now-ex-con Jim Traficant continues to make noises about running for Congress again.

As we noted earlier, Traficant, who now hosts the early Saturday afternoon shift on Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland, has an "early out" clause in his WTAM deal in case he does attempt a return to Washington.

Jimbo's most recent noise came in his first post-prison appearance in Akron. The Akron area is (partly) in the restructured version of the old 17th Congressional District Traficant served for so long.

The Akron Beacon Journal's Stephanie Warsmith reports that Traficant told the crowd at a Libertarian Party candidate's fundraiser at Akron's Tangier restaurant that he "will run" for Congress:

Traficant is focusing on the 6th and the 17th districts and must chose one by the Feb. 18 filing deadline for the May primary, unless he chooses to run as an independent. Charlie Wilson represents the 6th District, while Tim Ryan has the 17th, Traficant's former district, which has been reconfigured and includes parts of Summit and Portage counties. Wilson and Ryan both are Democrats.

Enjoy Traficant as a talk radio host (assuming you do enjoy him) while you can. This man sounds like he's headed for a Congressional race, one way or the other, and he'll have to exit WTAM as soon as he officially announces his candidacy.

If he isn't running, well, his home market Clear Channel talk station has an opening we posted above...

SPEAKING OF WKBN: A listener notes that Talk Radio Network's Phil Hendrie is out at the Youngstown talker, replaced by the syndicated John Batchelor program.

(We don't know who syndicates Batchelor these days...at one point, he was an ABC Radio/Citadel offering, but we believe flagship Citadel talk WABC/770 New York City is handling things directly now. The show's site contains no clue as to its syndicator.)

Our reader wants to know why...and speculated that either Hendrie cost too much, or said something he shouldn't have.

We don't have any answers from South Avenue on this.

But we told our reader that syndicated program changes on local radio stations are usually more mundane than intriguing, and usually don't involve money issues - most syndicated talk radio programs are free, offered on a "barter" basis (i.e. the station gets the show in exchange for airing the show's national commercials). There are exceptions: for example, Premiere midday talk titan Rush Limbaugh.

We don't know the status of either Mr. Hendrie or Mr. Batchelor's programs, but we suspect they are both typical "barter" shows...and we are pretty sure nothing Hendrie said got him bounced off WKBN...

ONE NON-VALLEY ITEM: A couple of OMW readers noticed that the full-time "Worship Channel" feed has disappeared off of Cleveland market ION Network O&O WVPX/23 Akron's over-air feed, where it aired on subchannel 23.4.

The story behind the exit is told by the Worship Network folks themselves, on their website, in the January 2010 newsletter section:

Due to changes in our contractual relationship with ION, The Worship Network will no longer be available on the ION digital multi-cast platform effective midnight January 31, 2010. In the short-term, this will also affect our channel on Verizon FiOS.

The network is supposedly seen at least part-time in parts of the Cleveland market on low-power WCDN/53, which is now putting out a digital signal on RF channel 7...

Tuesday Night Clear Out

2010-02-02T22:54:00.013-05:00

UPDATE 2/3/10 9:15 AM: Duji is back on "Rover's Morning Glory", as the show talks about working through a "very difficult" personal dispute between Duji and Rover, who used to date. That's all for us on this topic.

For those looking for the "gory details", "19 Action News" has more...

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Clearing out not only our Twitter feed, but some other stuff...some interesting, some frustrating...

WHERE'S DUJI?: No, we haven't seen the face of Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7 "Rover's Morning Glory" cast member Duji on any milk cartons in Northeast Ohio, but some are looking for her there.

The sudden absence of Duji's name, picture or staff listing on the show's in-house "Rover Radio" site led a virtual flood of E-mails into our inbox this weekend into early this week.

We've been trying to find out why - and if it means anything or not. So far, we haven't heard any word from inside Oak Tree...even among our usual sources in the building.

There seems to be considerable sentiment among Rover fans, who have been following our Twitter account in large numbers over the past day or so, that this could be some sort of "publicity stunt".

That, we don't know.

What we do know is that Shane "Rover" French complained of illness on his Friday show, and that "RMG" has been in repeats this week so far. Duji's voice has been heard on the repeats, but as a show-listening relative pointed out, it's hard to air repeat programming that is "Duji-free", due to her role on the show.

Oh, and WMMS has posted an ad for an "off-air producer" for the show, though we have no idea how long that ad has run, or if it has anything to do with Duji's (off-air) work on the show.

Duji's absence from the "RMG" site has merited a mention on the radio trade site AllAccess, but they don't seem to know any more than we do.

If there's anything to report on this, stay tuned...but we'll stop tracking the "could it be?" moves until then...

JOY'S EXIT: OMW hears that Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 is not renewing the contract of "NewsChannel 5" reporter Joy Benedict, who has been heavily promoted as a consumer reporter for the station.

We hear Joy's last day at WEWS will be in March...and we don't know who will take the consumer reporting beat from her...

GOING JUST A BIT FAR: We really, really try to be fair with the folks at Reserve Square, home of Raycom Media's WOIO/19 and WUAB/43, and "19 Action News".

When they do something we like - one of the most recent examples is the hiring of former Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 voice Mark Schwab to handle weekend sports anchoring - we mention it here.

But then, they do something like this.

OMW hears that "Action News"' on-air needling of competitor WEWS/5's "Power of Five" radar is likely to reach a new level, and it's due to one of those incidents the folks at Reserve Square do so well.

We hear from our sources at WEWS that an "Action News" reporter paid a visit to 3001 Euclid the other day, ostensibly for a friendly visit with "NewsChannel 5" chief meteorologist Mark Johnson.

We're told (by the WEWS sources) that Johnson instead got a full-court press...an on-camera interrogation on the "Power of 5" radar, including questions about its location(s).

For the record, the 5 radars are not owned by WEWS, but the data comes from National Weather Service locations. Really, like anyone thought "NewsChannel 5" owns radars in places like Wilmington OH and Fort Wayne IN...

WOIO has made quite a point in promos about the superiority of its live radar, which comes from a station-owned facility along I-71 in Brunswick. Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 has the other in-house TV radar in Cleveland, which can be seen behind its studios at 13th and Lakeside.

This kind of incident when it comes to competitors is in the DNA of WOIO. "19 Action News" has a long history of being the Cleveland market's Stalker Station.

Just to cite two examples from memory:

* "Action News" treated an incident involving staff of Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 as if it were vital to national security, leading with the story with partially-hidden-behind-the-truck live shots near the South Marginal Road studios of its competitor.

* And who can forget when WOIO camped out on the Medina doorstep of WJW weather icon Dick Goddard, upon learning of allegations against someone else in his house? (The personable weatherman was actually the victim in the case.)

This may be the first such thing involving WEWS..."Action News" generally seems to have it in for "Fox 8"...but watch out, "Channel 3 News", as you may be next...

PAT'S MOVING ON: We don't cover the print media all that much here in your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), but we've covered the moves of Akron Beacon Journal sportswriter Pat McManamon before.

And...as hinted in his Sunday column, he's leaving the Beacon again for new horizons.

According to the Cleveland Scene sports blog, McManamon is heading for the Internet, as a writer for AOL's Fanhouse site. Quoting McManamon from the Scene blog:

"It wasn't easy to leave a place that has been so good to me, and a job that was so much fun. But AOL Fanhouse is growing, aggressive and has a national audience. And I can write about the same teams and sports. It just seemed like the right move at the right time."

Yes, that means the now-former ABJ sportswriter will cover the Browns, Indians and Cavaliers for the site, which is apparently chock full of former newspaper sportswriters. Maybe there is life after newsprint after all, at least for those covering sports.

Pat heads off into the ABJ sunset in a blog post here, which also has his E-mail contact address for those who want to wish him well:

The decision was not an easy one because the Akron Beacon Journal has been a good place to work these past 11 years. The daily newspaper means a lot to me, as does being part of a local community. The Beacon Journal was gracious in providing both. I am fortunate and blessed, and grateful to the Beacon for the many opportunities.

Though McManamon says he's been at the Beacon for 11 years, we seem to remember a brief break when he took a job writing for the Browns' in-house website...

The Twitter Followup

2010-01-29T21:23:00.011-05:00

In the current State of OMW, it'll be much more convenient to update via our Twitter feed, which is also seen to the left of this report.

As it turns out, this time around, there's a lot to recap over the past few days...so let's tackle the items in reverse chronological order...

MANGINO TO KDKA: Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown morning drive host Robert Mangino is heading down the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes. He'll take the open 6-10 PM talk slot at CBS Radio news/talk KDKA/1020 Pittsburgh.

The Youngstown Business Journal has more.

That evening time slot used to be occupied by KDKA's Mike Pintek ("Pintek Tonight"), but Pintek was recently named the station's 12 noon-3 PM host.

That midday time slot became vacant in the worst possible way, as veteran host Fred Honsburger passed away.

Mangino started in talk radio as host at what used to be a Clear Channel sister station to WKBN - now-Forever talk WKST in New Castle PA, not that terribly far from Pittsburgh.

There's no word yet on what WKBN plans to do in morning drive...but if Clear Channel Youngstown market manager and OMW reader Bill Kelly is reading, we'd be happy to hear from him...

BACK TO NE OHIO: Word came rather quickly that NextMedia hot AC WHBC-FM 94.1 Canton "Mix 94.1" program director and afternoon host Jerry Mac was no longer in that position, but word came even faster about his replacement.

And what do you know...it's someone who can find the Pro Football Hall of Fame without help.

"Mix's" new PD is inbound from Saginaw MI's WGER (a NextMedia sister to WHBC-FM), but he's familiar to Northeast Ohio radio listeners and readers of the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) - former CBS Radio hot AC WQAL/104.1 Cleveland "Q104" assistant program director/PM driver Brian "Fig" Figula will start on-air in Canton on Monday.

"Fig" will, according to AllAccess, will continue his duties programming the Saginaw station...from Canton...

A SHANLEY PASSES: The last name "Shanley" is certainly known in Northeast Ohio...the late Gib Shanley was a local sportscaster - at Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 and the long-time radio voice of the Cleveland Browns.

Shanley's son Greg later built quite a career for himself, as a news director and talk show host for Iowa' Public Radio. Greg Shanley died Tuesday night.

The Waterloo (IA) Courier has more:

Pat Blank, his longtime station co-worker, said the on-air host and producer once told her he had thought about doing sports broadcasting like his father, Gib, the voice of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns for 24 years. But Shanley told Blank he got bored waiting for something exciting to happen and realized his passion was in news.

The newspaper reports that the younger Shanley had worked at the Iowa public radio network since 1987. The station's website schedule lists him as the host of the midday talk program "Talk of Iowa":

Host Greg Shanley brings a range of experts to the microphone to discuss the the things that make Iowa unique, offer practical advice on home improvement or insightful analysis of politics.

The main Iowa Public Radio site has a tribute graphic to Greg Shanley:

Over the 23 years we've known Greg, we've admired his curiosity about the world, as well as his ability to speak knowledgeably about anything from politics to horticulture. We'll all miss his engaging conversation, his love of Iowa, and his award-winning Double Burgers.

Greg Shanley died at the age of 49...

REALITY EXPERIMENT: Not on our Twitter list, and really, only worth a small mention.

Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7 Cleveland has added a new cast member to its afternoon drive "Alan Cox Show".

It's not like we have anything against 22 year-old Erika Lauren personally.

But she's the latest reality TV personality to waltz into a radio studio and take up a chair. Ms. Lauren is a cast member of MTV's "The Real World: Washington, DC", which may or may not be running its current season right now. (We long ago forgot where to find MTV on the cable dial.)

We have this old-fashioned notion that reality TV stars are not really radio hosts by background, trade or skill, but we'll give her a chance.

And long-time readers know we don't entirely hate the reality TV genre. The new season of CBS' "The Amazing Race" is almost underway, and we still hope some Pittsburgh radio station gives a show to Matt Kennedy Gould.

Ms. Lauren joins host Alan Cox and co-host Chad Zumock on the WMMS afternoon show, at least as long as the experiment lasts...

SOCIAL MEDIA: It's fitting that we used our Twitter account to give first word of another new job title for an Oak Tree denizen.

Clear Channel has named WMMS/WAKS "Kiss FM" program director Bo Matthews as its Director of Social Media.

Bo will be responsible for Twitter, Facebook and other online social media presence for the entire Clear Channel Cleveland cluster.

It's kind of a natural evolution. Matthews has already been busy using the various social media outlets to promote his stations, and to interact with WMMS and "Kiss" listeners...

A Quick Followup

2010-01-26T06:58:00.007-05:00

Some follow-up, mostly, and some other stuff...

BEACON FOLLOWUP: Some additional information about our weekend story on the death of Beacon Broadcasting owner Harold Glunt, who passed away last week at the age of 75.

Beacon's Gregg Allen, not a stranger to the Mighty Blog, shared some of his thoughts in the comment section of the original item...noting Mr. Glunt's passage with "great sadness":

To most at the Beacon family, Mr. Glunt was much more than an owner and a boss, he was a friend and a second father. He was always quick with a smile, a prayer, and even a joke to make you smile.

As for the future of the five Mahoning and Shenango Valley stations under Glunt's ownership, after his death, Allen writes:

It was his wish for the radio stations to continue after his death, and that is EXACTLY what we are going to do.

Some of this may be beyond the staff's control, however.

OMW hears there have been talks with a potential ownership group that wants to buy at least one of the stations, Christian/eclectic/rock/talk WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA "Indie 107.1". The talks apparently took place, initially, while Harold Glunt was still alive.

Whether this group wishes to resume the talks - with Glunt's surviving family members - hasn't yet been determined, and it's not known if these potential investors would be interested in the four AMs in the Beacon chain now that Harold Glunt has passed on.

We also don't have a firm handle on the group itself, or its financial backing....or if Glunt's heirs have any desire to continue operating his radio stations.

So, with all that uncertainty, it appears the five stations will continue operating as they have...at least in the short term.

Allen notes that "Indie 107.1" is sending two party busloads of listeners to a Christian CHR concert, "Winter Jam 2010", this Friday...and is dedicating their sponsorship of the event to their late owner...

AIRLESS AMERICA: Unless you were under a media rock this past week, you're aware that as of this writing, liberal talk network Air America has gone dark.

The network announced that it was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ending all programming. Air America ended live programming last week, and offered up repeats for remaining affiliates until Monday night. Unlike previous bankruptcy filings, this one was a total liquidation.

This would have been a much bigger story in OMW a few years ago.

But...we're scratching our heads trying to figure out if there are any stations still running liberal talk programming in the state.

We believe tiny WAIS/770 Nelsonville (near Athens) was running Ed Schultz, but Ed is not - and has never been - part of Air America.

Neither has Stephanie Miller, who like Schultz is syndicated by the Dial Global folks. Both Miller and Schultz once counted at least some popularity, within the format, at Clear Channel liberal talkers in Columbus and Akron, and Schultz also ran on the company's liberal talk station in Cincinnati. All of the stations have long since changed format to conservative talk or sports.

We think there may still be a liberal talker owned by Clear Channel in the Portsmouth/Ironton area, but it may have flipped to sports while we weren't looking.

And of the stations listed, we're not sure any were still carrying Air America programming. In its final days, the "trailblazing" network of liberal talk was but a footnote...

SPEAKING OF EX-AIR AMERICANS: Jerry, Jerry, Jerry...could he be getting back into political talk?

No, not on the radio, but in Jerry Springer's more natural medium, television.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Kiesewetter has recently passed along word of a new pilot project involving the former Cincinnati mayor, trash TV talker, and former Air America host...with an interesting partner - a former co-worker of Jerry's at Clear Channel Cincinnati:

Score Round One for Jerry Springer. That’s my take on the “Jerry & Bill Show,” the pilot for a weekly debate show starring Springer and 700 WLW-AM’s Bill Cunningham that aired Sunday night (Jan. 10th) on WXIX-TV (Ch 19).

Though the pilot aired locally in Cincinnati on Raycom-owned "Fox 19", Kiesewetter noted that cable/satellite channel WGN America also aired the pilot, which was apparently developed for Tribune owned stations...by...oh, wait, this is too easy to guess...Tribune executives Randy Michaels and Sean Compton, both former Clear Channel (and WLW!) employees.

We'll have to see how far "Jerry & Bill", and Jerry and Bill, go in the format in the future. Jerry wasn't really a good radio host (we're being kind), so it may provide a measure on how he'll hold up in his "home medium" when people aren't throwing chairs around...

Beacon Owner Dies

2010-01-23T18:13:00.008-05:00

The man who has owned a small Mahoning Valley radio group often written about here in OMW has died.

An obituary notes the death of Beacon Broadcasting owner Harold Glunt earlier this week:

NILES – Harold F. Glunt, 75, died of cancer on Thursday evening, Jan. 21, 2010, at his home.
(snip)
He semi-retired from Glunt Industries in 2001 and purchased Beacon Broadcasting in Warren to focus on Christian Broadcasting in the area.

Glunt Industries was the steel supply company Glunt started in 1966. (The photo and obituary are courtesy of Holeton-Yuhasz Funeral Home in Niles, which is handling arrangments.)

We don't have definitive information about the future of Glunt's Beacon Broadcasting stations in the Youngstown market - sports WANR/1570 "Fox Sports 1570" Warren, Christian contemporary WRTK/1540 "Freq 1540" Niles, classic country combo WLOA/1470 Farrell PA and WGRP/940 Greenville PA, and the sole FM in the group, Christian/eclectic rocker/talk WEXC/107.1 "Indie 107.1" Greenville PA...though there has been interest in that latter station, before Glunt's passing...

TWC Answers

2010-01-21T22:35:00.006-05:00

Courtesy of Time Warner Cable, here are some answers for readers wondering about the Mentor-area conversion allowing more HD channels. And some more lineup changes are in the works systemwide in TWC's massive Northeast Ohio system.

First, in regards to Mentor's conversion, TWC's Travis Reynolds tells OMW:

The first "box swap" phase of the box exchange actually concludes today, followed by 6 other phases every 7 days. The final phase is scheduled Feb. 23. Each phase impacts approximately 1,200 customers in certain areas of Mentor. And by "box swap" "concludes" I mean the day the Motorola and General Instrument boxes in those areas will no longer work. If your area has gone through the "shutdown" you will begin receiving the new HDs.

Also, if anyone emails that their box has been shut down, and they live in that area and have a MOTO or GI box, they can visit our Sales and Service Center in Mentor or Concord to exchange it. We'll even give them a coupon book good for 6 Movies on Demand.

Here's the short answer. Everyone in the greater Mentor area will have all the HD channels by Feb. 23.

The lineup change, we first caught on a segment of TWC's "Ask Time Warner" (NEON channel 23), and is reflected on the company's TWCGuide.com site:

Our HD offering has grown so robust, we're moving the HD channels to the 1000 block and grouping them by category. With your new theme-based HD lineup coming in March, finding what you want to watch in HD will be faster and easier than ever.

*To find your favorite broadcaster in HD, you'll just add a "1" to the Basic Cable channel number

*To find your favorite Digital Cable channel in HD, you'll just add a "1" to the Digital Channel number, or go to Channel 1001 and start surfing.

More exciting changes coming in March

*All your Free On Demand favorites are moving to the "Free 400s". This includes Primetime On Demand with your favorite primetime shows and Kids on Demand with kids favorites such as Nickelodeon and PBS Kids Sprout. Local on Demand, your source for free local high school football, travel and news On Demand, moves to channel 411.
*Movies on Demand moving to the 500s gives you instant access to hundreds of hit movies now on our leading-edge platform.

The site (and the "Ask Time Warner" segment) says Cleveland-area customers are also going to get the Navigator program guide software for their cable boxes...

THIS JUST IN: WOIO Channel 24

2010-01-20T20:56:00.004-05:00

NOTE: To clear up any confusion, this is an ADDITIONAL translator fill-in channel for WOIO. The current operation on RF channel 10 will stay on the air, unless they find another permanent home for it...

---------

Thanks to a reader tip, we now know what Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 wants to do (at least temporarily) to fix its reception problems, particularly in the Akron area.

The station has applied to the FCC for a digital replacement translator on RF channel 24, an 11 kW facility which would be located at the Akron facility which houses ION Media O&O WVPX/23 and a number of area radio outlets.

We don't have much time to go into detail, so dig into it yourself at the station's technical exhibit on the FCC website...

THIS JUST IN: Chris Miller Exits

2010-01-20T16:01:00.002-05:00

AllAccess reports today that Clear Channel hot AC WMVX/106.5 and country WGAR/99.5 program director Chris Miller is out at Oak Tree.

Clear Channel Cleveland operations manager Keith Abrams tells the trade site that he's looking for Miller's replacement...

Boom and Booming

2010-01-19T17:45:00.005-05:00

We'd heard the rumblings...that Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's new AAA format on WNWV/107.3 Elyria had to drop its name due to trademark issues.

Sure enough, though the station occasionally tries to cleverly use the word "Boom", its official on-air name has reverted to a simple "107.3 Cleveland"...without the explosive word directly attached.

Wbat happened?

Blame another broadcaster competing with 107.3 in Cleveland, but in another market.

Tom Taylor's always excellent "Taylor on Radio-Info" newsletter on Monday had his take:

Seems CBS is employing “Boom FM” in Seattle on the HD-2 channel of classic hits “Jack FM” KJAQ (96.5). It may be used for CBS stations in other markets, too.

Of course, WNWV itself had been running the AAA/eclectic format on its own HD2 channel until late December...using that name, as far as we know.

But a large company like CBS is a lot more nimble when it comes to trademark use and registration. And we're reminded that despite getting the trademark through acquisition of another company, Clear Channel was successfully able to assert the "Kiss FM" service mark even with its newer top 40 outlets mounted long after.

Taylor hasn't confirmed the story of why "Boom!" is no longer, but did find the CBS outlets. (Toronto's new "Boom" classic hits format is apparently not affected due to its presence in Canada.)

And whatever the reason, 107.3 is still pumping out its new format...

BOOMING FORMAT: That's the other part of our subject header this time around.

We've made something of a hobby tracking the rise of FM spoken word formats, including the booming sports format on the FM dial...and it's about to happen really close to Ohio.

As rumored, as expected, CBS Radio is mounting an FM sports talk outlet in Pittsburgh. Rumor leaked out last week, and made it to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. From FMQB.com:

CBS Radio in Pittsburgh has announced that on Monday, February 15, the company will debut Sports Radio "93.7 The Fan," carrying the call letters KDKA-FM. As originally reported last Friday, January 15, the move converts CHR WBZW(B94) to 93.7 The Fan.

CBS Radio SVP & Pittsburgh Market Manager Michael Young exclusively told FMQB, "We’re building this radio station with the sole focus and mantra of providing all sports all the time to the Pittsburgh fans, billing ourselves as the voice of the fans of Pittsburgh."

The CHR format will merge with existing hot AC WZPT/100.7 "Star 100.7".

We bring this up here for two reasons.

CBS Radio has a four station cluster in the Cleveland market, of course - alt-rock WKRK/92.3, classic rock WNCX/98.5, AC WDOK/102.1 and hot AC WQAL/104.1 "Q104".

It also has a brand new market manager, as we reported earlier...Steve Carver.

Is "The Fan" coming to Cleveland?

Well, let's line up the case against it.

For one, Cleveland is one of the smaller markets CBS presumably is still interested in selling. Then again, Pittsburgh is presumably on that list as well.

But Pittsburgh has one thing in its CBS Radio cluster that Cleveland does not - a big, big news/talk station (the legendary KDKA/1020). Even when CBS was first talking about exiting smaller markets, there were rumors that they would hang onto KDKA Radio for one reason - synergy with its TV holdings in Pittsburgh (KDKA-TV/2 and sister CW affiliate WNPA/19).

CBS has no news/talk stations in Northeast Ohio, of course, and no TV holdings. CBS affiliate WOIO/19 is owned by Raycom Media, and CW affiliate WBNX/55 is locally owned.

But...with the coming FM sports format in Western Pennsylvania, you know we had to weigh in one way or the other...

Out Of The Chute

2010-01-11T13:30:00.003-05:00

A lot of items on our plate, from all over the map, physically and topic-wise...let's have at it.

"SUMMIT" EXPANDS TO MAHONING: Akron Public Schools AAA outlet WAPS/91.3 "The Summit" is indeed, as noted in our previous item, being heard in the Mahoning Valley.

An OMW listener in WAPS' signal range reported hearing a mention of a simulcast on WKTL/90.7 Struthers, the school district owned station which puts a decent signal into most of the Valley. A Valley listener confirmed the simulcast from the Youngstown-area end.

And now, we know details.

WAPS program director Bill Gruber tells OMW about the arrangement between the Akron station and the Struthers station:

WKTL 90.7 in Struthers/Youngstown has begun carrying WAPS 91.3 The Summit’s programming during the hours and days WKTL previously would be off-the-air.

Local WKTL student-related content, and weekend nationality programs, remain on-air.

Gruber calls it "a very logical and relatively simple" cooperation between two Northeast Ohio community public radio station - allowing the WKTL student and community program to continue as is, but allowing Mahoning Valley listeners to catch the "Summit" programming when 90.7 would otherwise be silent.

Says Gruber: "This allows WKTL to operate as a 24 hour, full-time radio station for the first time ever, with a regional Akron/Canton/Youngstown focus, without the need to turn to satellite or syndicated programming."

Gruber says WAPS has already gotten E-mails from Youngstown-area listeners thankful for their new radio option...

SPEAKING OF SIMULCASTS: A format change for a North Central Ohio station has yet to be noted by this corner.

Clear Channel classic hits/oldies WSWR/100.1 Shelby, part of the company's extensive Ashland/Mansfield cluster, has become "My 100.1".

But unlike the company's Canton market WHOF/101.7 North Canton ("My 101.7"), the WSWR format has moved towards a classic rock direction. Previously, the station had run Citadel's classic hits format ("Classic Hits Radio", also known as ABC's "Oldies Radio" and ABC/SMN's "Pure Gold", one of about a half-dozen Northern Ohio stations once doing so).

And despite the frequency in the moniker, WSWR's "My 100.1" is actually a simulcast. An OMW listener reported hearing it also on WXXR/98.3 Fredericktown, which has long been part of the "Fox" rock format trimulcast. "Fox" is now down to WFXN/102.3 Galion and WXXF/107.7 Loudonville. (We haven't compared playlists to differentiate "Fox" and "My". We get the idea that "My" is a softer classic rock station than "Fox".)

Sure enough, long-time Friend and Colleague of OMW Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch confirmed and taped the legal ID for "My 100.1" on one of his recent trips through OMW Land...with WXXR on the ID and in the simulcast...

MORE GANG BACK TOGETHER: The former Clear Channel/Jacor mass gathering under Randy Michaels at Tribune has grown by one.

Former Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 imaging director Chris Duffy has become the latest to join Tribune, taking similar duties at the company's sole radio station, WGN/720 Chicago.

Of course, any regular reader won't have to search to remember that former Clear Channel Cleveland programming VP Kevin Metheny was Duffy's ultimate programming boss at WTAM, and is now programming WGN...let alone have to search for Tribune CEO Randy Michaels' background running Clear Channel and Jacor's radio operations...

AND SPEAKING OF WTAM: We haven't asked yet, but it sounds like former WKDD/WHLO'er Matt Patrick will be back in the Saturday afternoon (4-7 PM) time slot on WTAM next week, after former Congressman-turned-con Jim Traficant's high profile show.

That's putting it mildly - high profile - as Jimbo's debut Saturday attracted a flotilla of TV cameras (and a bunch of his relatives, apparently).

Patrick's 3 hour show got no outside attention other than from the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), but a decent number of his Akron/Canton area listeners got into the phone lines Saturday, saying they were happy he was "back on the air".

That may have been a bit confusing to Cleveland-area listeners who didn't know him from his 30 year-plus run on WKDD or his local issues talk show on WHLO, both of which ended in mid-December.

Patrick didn't explain his radio past just down I-77 from Oak Tree, though he did mention it when prompted by callers.

He assured his new audience that despite spending his radio career "20 miles south of here", he was a native Clevelander, born and raised on the East Side (either Shaker Heights or East Cleveland, we believe he said)...

Snow Day

2010-01-08T10:41:00.002-05:00

UPDATE 1/8/10 1:45 PM: The upcoming Jim Traficant radio show on Clear Channel Cleveland talk WTAM/1100 is "only the beginning", says the former Congressman's new management representation in an article in the Youngstown Vindicator this week. A choice quote:

Traficant signed a three-month contract with WTAM with a clause that lets him out of the deal if he decides to run for Congress, said Dennis Malloy, his director of communications. Feb. 18 is the filing deadline to run in the May 4 primary.

The WTAM program is “the first step in the puzzle for a syndicated radio show,” Malloy said.

So far, there appear to be no details about a potential syndication for the new Traficant show, though we wouldn't be shocked if the former Congressman's hometown WKBN/570 would also air the WTAM show. Traficant's vision (and ego) is clearly hoping for more than that, though... if he doesn't decide to run for Congress again...

----------

There's a lot to clean up off the "roadways" of Ohio media news here...and unlike in the "real world", none of it involves snow...

JIMBO RADIO AND....: We were one of the first outlets to pass along speculation about a radio career in the future of former Mahoning Valley congressman-turned-con Jim Traficant. As it turns out, we were thinking small.

Traficant did turn to the radio after he got out of prison. He made his first radio appearance as a free man on a weekend outdoors show on Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown, and later did a couple of fill-in shifts sitting in for WKBN's Dan Rivers.

But he also did a couple of fiil-in shifts on WKBN's "big brother" talker in Cleveland, WTAM/1100...and as it turns out, that's where he lands.

WTAM announced this week that "The Jim Traficant Show" will become a regular part of its weekend lineup, with Jimbo's debut set for this Saturday. The show's time slot is set for 1-4 PM Saturdays. (No word what happens in the spring, when Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians become the regular occupant of that time slot most weeks.)

Quoting a WTAM release:

“It’s exciting to be on the air on WTAM. I’ve got much to say on many of the issues facing both Ohio and America today,” Traficant exudes, “and look forward to sharing my perspective and experiences on the biggest news station in Northeast Ohio!”

The release quotes WTAM program director Ray Davis, saying "listeners relate to his common sense approach to politics and life in general." Davis says Traficant is "quite a personality" (now, there's an understatement!), and says he is "all about giving people a second chance in life".

A second chance after a 7 year prison term which ended last fall, of course, a fact duly noted in the WTAM release.

And yes, we will be listening...

JIMBO'S FOLLOW: What has not been announced anywhere, as far as we know, is that Traficant's show will be followed, at least this Saturday, by another local call-in show.

OMW hears that former Clear Channel Akron/Canton hot AC WKDD/98.1 morning drive host Matt Patrick gets a "try out" on WTAM, and will be heard this Saturday 4-7 PM...immediately following the debut of Traficant.

The Patrick show Saturday on WTAM is considered an "audition", and there's no word of if the ex-WKDD veteran will be heard past this Saturday.

Matt Patrick is no stranger to conservative, issues talk radio, of course. When he exited WKDD in December, Patrick also exited his 9 AM-noon talk show on WKDD sister talk WHLO/640 Akron...and had hoped to retain the show despite the end of his "main job" on WKDD.

WHLO filled Patrick's old time slot this month by moving WPGB/Pittsburgh-based morning drive syndicated show "Quinn and Rose" into a delayed clearance in the 9 AM-noon slot. Morning drive was filled with "The WHLO Morning Show", a news-information show hosted by Akron and Canton radio veteran Jim Albright...

TOLEDO TV: OMW hears that Toledo Fox affiliate WUPW/36 "Fox Toledo" is making some early news changes.

The LIN TV owned station is shuttering the 4 PM early newscast of "Fox Toledo News", and is instead mounting a new half-hour long news program at 6:30.

The station's flagship 10 PM newscast is unaffected...

SUMMIT EXPANSION?: An OMW reader informs us that Akron Public Schools AAA WAPS/91.3 Akron "The Summit" has apparently picked up another signal.

"The Summit' is, according to our reader, announcing its availablity on a new Youngstown market signal...WKTL/90.7 Struthers.

That is the Struthers school district-owned station, and we don't know the details of the arrangement. We haven't been able to verify the simulcast as of yet, either...

Another Grab Bag

2010-01-06T15:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a bit of OMW Tradition for you in this changing time...a midweek grab bag post:

CBS RADIO CLEVELAND'S NEW BOSS: The Cleveland CBS Radio cluster officially has its new market manager, to replace the unceremoniously-dumped Chris Maduri.

A copy of the memo announcing the new market chief happened to float its way to the OMW World Headquarters:

I am thrilled to announce that Steve Carver has been appointed SVP/Market Manager for CBS Radio in Cleveland.

Steve is a terrific manager and broadcaster with nearly 30 years of local market leadership experience in radio, television, on line and newspaper.

Steve is a proven winner and we’re ecstatic to welcome him back to CBS where he began his career.

For the past 11 years, Steve has worked for The Tribune Company where he was Publisher, President and CEO of The Hartford Courant newspaper (2006-2009); General Manager of WATL-TV in Atlanta (2003-2006) and General Manager of WGN Radio in Chicago (1998-2003). During his years in TV, Steve continued to oversee radio as well.

Prior to joining Tribune, Steve was a veteran CBS guy where he served as VP and General Manager of WBBM in Chicago (1993-1998); Vice President & General Manager of WOGL FM/AM in Philadelphia (1989-1993) and also served as GSM, LSM, NSM and an AE at WCBS in New York. He also was a rep for then owned CBS Radio Spot Sales.

Frankly, Steve has done it all and is widely known as an outstanding manager with a track record of success.

Dan, Anton and I are thrilled to welcome Steve back to CBS Radio.

He officially starts today.

I would also like to thank Tom Herschel for his strong leadership during this transition. Thanks to Tom and all your efforts, we are coming out of the gate strong for January and we expect great things from CBS Radio Cleveland in 2010.

Judging from his long track record at Tribune, Carver likely clashed with the wave of former Jacor and Clear Channel executives brought aboard by Tribune chief Randy Michaels, the suburban Cincinnati-based former radio chief at Clear Channel...

CHICAGO THING: A former Northeast Ohio radio personality has become something of a minor media personality in Chicago in recent days, but not due to her on-air work or radio talent.

We've spent a lot of time thinking about this, and we've decided not to summarize the situation or name the personality.

The situation made the newspapers, and admittedly, it - what has been reported as happening - doesn't look good for the former local radio type.

But at this point, it's become a more heat-than-light-fest powered by blogs and whatnot. It's not the kind of story we like to shed light upon, in general. And the incident in question took place in Chicago, and the radio personality no longer works in this region. (It's not the first time we've not noted a similar story for that reason - lack of relevance to the area.)

We're only putting this up here because more than one reader has called our attention to it, and we're sure to get more requests or E-mails in the coming days...

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-05T15:44:00.004-05:00

Yes, your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) (and your Primary Editorial Voice[tm]) have made it into 2010.

It was close, and touch-and-go for a while, but here we are.

This is just a placeholder announcement. Due to circumstances beyond our control, our ability to update this report will vary widely over the next few weeks.

We'll try to keep track of the "big stuff" and major changes, as soon as we can.

But the updates will be sporadic for some time to come. We'll try to keep a regular presence here.

One sad note: a local sports radio personality has passed away.

Though he had an extensive background covering high school sports, Fred Mourey was also host of the nationally syndicated (Sports Byline USA Network) "Joe Average Poker Show".

An obituary published recently reports that Mourey passed away December 12 at the age of 57, from complications from the disease ALS.

Our thanks to local ALS Association executive director - and veteran media personality - Brad Sussman for the heads up...

The Catchup Post

2009-12-29T17:05:00.012-05:00

The altered state of reality here at the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) means that, well, we missed some stuff...some that affects the coming year.

So, here's at least some of What We Missed, and other updates, with a year-end message still to come...

FREEDOM AVENUE CHANGES: There have been so many changes at Clear Channel's Akron/Canton cluster on Freedom Avenue that we wouldn't be surprised if you'd mistake it for a bus or train station, as opposed to a radio station cluster.

First, as long advertised, 30-plus year Akron market veteran host Matt Patrick left his perch in mornings at hot AC WKDD/98.1...a station he'd anchored since it was on 96.5 (now Clear Channel sister top 40 WAKS "Kiss FM"). He also left his 9 AM-noon talk show on sister talk WHLO/640.

Slipping in upon Patrick's departure from the WKDD morning drive show was, as many expected, WKDD program director/CC Akron-Canton operations director/now former afternoon drive air personality/OMW reader Keith Kennedy, and there's no truth to the rumor that WKDD will take the moniker "Keith FM". Kennedy now hosts morning drive with Patrick's most recent co-host, Krissy Taylor.

Taking afternoon drive on the WKDD schedule is station mainstay Jon Marochino. (More on him later.)

Taking Patrick's WHLO time slot is a delayed version of Pittsburgh-based syndicated morning show "Quinn and Rose", which has aired live in morning drive on WHLO until now.

Taking the WHLO morning drive slot? Akron and Canton radio veteran Jim Albright. From a station release on the new show, which airs starting January 4th:

Akron/Canton news, traffic, sports and weather will be the primary focus on the new show, presented in a fast paced, modern format. Listeners will hear all the information in a tight ten minute package, which is about the length of the average commute in Akron/Canton. “Our Goal is to give you everything you need in 10 minutes or less” said Albright.

Albright will be joined by the station's morning news anchor, John Amrhein.

Quoting him:

“WHLO is a heritage set of call letters, and I’m thrilled to be able to say them on the air very soon” said Albright. “The Akron/Canton has been my home my entire life and I can’t imagine being anywhere else” he added. “This will be my last job in radio! They will have to pry me from the studio equipment in 30 years”.

Albright was most recently afternoon drive host at NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 in Canton, but gained his local fame as the host of the long-running "Dating Show" on Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" in the Akron market...a local radio staple in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Budget cuts ended his run at WHBC, in a time slot now occupied by station veteran Sam Bourquin.

Back to Jon Marochino, who's a key player in Freedom Avenue's third move.

He'll host "The Jon Marochino Show", a weekday, 3-6 PM local sports talk show on sports WARF/1350 Akron "Fox Sports 1350". Quoting another station release:

Listeners will be able to express their thoughts on teams such as the Zips, Kent St., Aeros, Cavs, Browns, Indians, and Buckeyes. The program will also devote time to coverage of High School Sports.

“For the first time, listeners in Akron won’t have to tune to a station in Cleveland for their daily dose of Northeast Ohio sports” said Marochino. “We are two guys who scream and yell at the TV when our teams aren’t playing well, we’re not clubhouse or locker room reporters, we’re fans who happen to have a radio show” Marochino added.

The "two guys" refers to Marochino and sports update anchor Todd Fisher. As with Albright's new WHLO show, the new WARF afternoon drive local show starts January 4th.

And yes, Marochino is listed as the afternoon drive replacement on WKDD for now-morning driver Keith Kennedy.

We'll assume the Magic of Voicetracking(tm) will allow that, and that Marochino won't be doing both shows simultaneously...a la an old "Saturday Night Live" skit with Dan Aykroyd doing both AM and FM shows at the same time...

BOOM: A week earlier than expected, and as reported here below, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting debuted its new "Boom!" AAA format on WNWV/107.3 Elyria...nudging the 20-year plus "Wave" smooth jazz format to WNWV's HD2 signal (and an Internet stream).

(By the way, the station has been called both "107.3 Boom!" and "Boom! 107.3" by ELB, so we don't know which it is.)

The opening music set at noon Monday, thanks to Lance Venta's RadioInsight:

Thievery Corporation – Radio Retaliation
Bruce Springsteen – Radio Nowhere
Coldplay – Clocks
Sarah McLachlan – Possession
Train – Hey Soul Sister

COLUMBUS STUFF: Columbus FM talker WTDA/103.9 is no longer "Talk FM". It dropped a lineup of mostly syndicated second-tier talkers and a local morning show to become "Classic Hits 103.9", using a Dial Global satellite-delivered format.

The move to music on WTDA means Clear Channel sports WYTS/1230 "Fox Sports 1230" is able to pick up the midday program hosted by Dan Patrick, who normally airs on the FSR feed....but WTDA had his Columbus market rights due to an earlier agreement to carry him in the Content Factory syndication deal.

Though Patrick is off this holiday week, WYTS is already carrying his program.

The Columbus station, and other FSR affiliates including Akron's WARF, are also carrying the network's new morning drive program with former ESPN Radio host Stephen A. Smith. Smith replaces Steve Czaban, who was shown the door at FSR a while back...

CURRENCY: Thursday is a big day for Cleveland radio.

Arbitron's Portable People Meter ratings results become "currency" with tomorrow's report. Local stations have already had "pre-currency" numbers, and changes have already happened - Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting cited the new ratings system in its decision to send "The Wave" packing on 107.3. (The jury's out on whether the new AAA format is any more "PPM friendly" than the long-time smooth jazz format.)

Regular OMW readers know we don't spend a lot of time with ratings for various reasons, not the least of which is that they can be sliced, diced and interpreted many different ways. But we'll try to get something up here about the first PPM "currency" book in Cleveland after the first of the year.

And if the numbers prompt any format or personality changes, we'll definitely cover that...

Boom To Explode At Noon

2009-12-28T08:31:00.001-05:00

WNWV/107.3, destined for AAA "Boom", is stunting with clock ticking noises this morning.

OMW hears that "107.3 Boom!" debuts today at 12 Noon...

Wave About To Stop Waving

2009-12-23T09:14:00.009-05:00

UPDATE 12/24/09 10:10 AM: Cleveland Plain Dealer media writer Julie Washington has more on the pending format change, including confirmation that Ric Bennett is the new program director.

Both articles also note that the station will indeed be known on-air as "107.3 Boom!". (With the exclamation mark, we presume...)

UPDATE 12/23/09 11:57 AM: An alert OMW reader pointed us to this article on the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram's website today, confirming the WNWV format change. The paper is co-owned with the radio station.

We don't know if the article appeared in the C-T's print edition today...

-------------

We're still on indefinite hiatus, but since this is a pending format change in the Cleveland market, we'll put a note up here about it.

As noted on our Twitter account, there are strong and loud rumblings around the market that Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting smooth jazz WNWV/107.3 Elyria "The Wave" is about to stop waving...in that format...after some 21 years.

OMW hears what everyone else in Northeast Ohio radio has apparently heard...that WNWV will end the smooth jazz/new adult contemporary format soon, and take on a new adult alternative rock format ("AAA"), with some classic rock mixed in.

In fact, we're told that you can already hear the coming WNWV format on its HD2 subchannel right now.

And you can also hear that HD2-soon-to-be-main format, we're told by more than one reader, at the site 1073cleveland.com.

We're told that the new format is expected to launch on January 4th. We don't know if it'll take the "Boom" moniker shown on the above linked site, or if the music mix will change when it comes to the "main stage" at 107.3.

The venerable smooth jazz format, like in other such moves, will end up on the WNWV HD2 channel, switching places with the new AAA/rock format.

As has been posted elsewhere, on message boards, in Tom Taylor's daily Taylor on Radio-Info newsletter and the like, we hear tbat "Rocco the Rock Dog" (aka Ric Bennett, ex-WMMS/100.7, WENZ/107.9 and WONE/97.5) is on board as program director for the new WNWV format.

Right now, the AAA format in Northeast Ohio is available on only one station, Akron Public Schools-owned non-comm WAPS/91.3 "The Summit", and we can tell you that the folks on Steiner Avenue are already aware of the coming commercial competition.

Now, we're still on hiatus. We'll add an administrivia post later explaining the near-term future of your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm)...

The Dreaded H-Word

2009-12-07T19:08:00.002-05:00

Officially: OMW will be on hiatus until further notice. We have no idea when we may return, and we may be gone the rest of the year.

Don't worry about your Primary Editorial Voice(tm)....we're fine, and will be back and raring to drive the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) at some point.

But unlike most of our World Famous Hiatuses, it will take something pretty big to put an update here in the next while. And as last we checked, Dick Goddard and Joe Tait aren't going to call it a career any time soon. (Yes, that's the level.)

For example, we are hearing, but have not confirmed, of a very high-level off-air departure at one of Cleveland's major radio clusters. We won't be following that, but when you see the news on the AllAccess Net News scroll tomorrow...yes, that's the one.

Please keep in touch. We'll still have access to your E-mail, and still be "watching" the media scene in Northeast Ohio. Big news might hit our Twitter account, which is mirrored on the left hand side of this scroll.

But don't "expect" anything in the coming weeks, as far as regular updating or following media news stories. We're coming into the holidays, and would be away at times, anyway.

We'll be back, and better than ever, soon. Take care of yourselves and your families...

Browns And Scripps

2009-12-04T18:10:00.007-05:00

This is our final update for this hectic week - OK, so it's been hectic only for us, but we hope you understand. Sometimes, life is somewhat more important than assuring that a blog on local media news is regularly updated.

The good news? Even battling connectivity problems in a temporary situation away from the OMW World Headquarters, we can still manage to update our Twitter account. We've already had some of these updates there, and please keep watching in case we can't get back to the Mighty Blog either due to technical or personal concerns.

And as always, our Twitter feed should automatically be mirrored to the left hand column on the main blog...

BROWNS TV "SAVED" AGAIN: The NFL's Cleveland Browns haven't had a TV blackout since "returning" to the NFL in 1999. That no-blackout streak won't be broken this weekend.

Despite "a few thousand" tickets remaining unsold for the 1-10 Browns' tilt with the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the team announced Friday that the game would air in Cleveland on Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO/19.

From a Browns press release:

As a result of combined efforts by the Cleveland Browns, WOIO-TV (CBS 19) and several local establishments, the Chargers-Browns game this Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium will be televised locally. The game, which kicks off at 4:05 p.m., will air on WOIO-TV in the Cleveland area.

The Browns will be distributing tickets to the Cleveland Food Bank, the United Way, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, as well as other local organizations. Additionally, local establishments and WOIO will reward patrons with ticket giveaways while supplies last. The local establishments are offering limited numbers of tickets to customers. For more details on these special offers, fans can visit the following the locations:

We won't copy over the sponsor list, but you can find it at the link above. It's a laundry list mainly of local sports bars, which presumably hope you watch the game - now televised - there as well...

A better solution towards ensuring prevention of blackouts would be for the Browns to produce a better product on the field, but that's just crazy talk, we realize. Even with the horrible economy (locally and nationally), a winning Browns team would pack the place.

For now, it's what has become a familiar refrain...with a "few thousand" tickets left, the local TV affiliate gets together with businesses and the team to "look good" - by saving the game from an almost sure TV blackout...and helping charities at the holidays at the same time...

SCRIPPS PART 1: We knew this was coming, but didn't have the ability to tell you due to our current situation.

As long expected, graphics on Scripps' WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" have changed...to standardize the local ABC affiliate's graphics with other stations in the chain.

But as we reported earlier, it wasn't just a desire to streamline the look..."NewsChannel 5"'s graphics package is now actually produced at a centralized Scripps facility at the company's outlet in Tampa, WFTS.

)We'd love to put a screenshot of "NewsChannel 5's" new look up here, but our temporary situation precludes us from doing so...)

SCRIPPS PART 2: On further analysis, this probably doesn't note a trend that would come to Cleveland, but heads up.

WEWS' sister station in West Palm Beach FL, NBC affiliate WPTV/5, is dumping its sports department entirely...and farming out coverage of sports to personalities from Good Karma sports WEFL/760 "ESPN 760"...of course, the Good Karma sister (brother?) station of Cleveland's WKNR/850 "ESPN 850" and WWGK/1540 "KNR2".

From a joint press release put out by the stations:

Starting January 1, 2010, ESPN 760 will provide extensive sports coverage to WPTV's NewsChannel 5, including local sports features at 6 p.m. and a nightly sports wrap-up at 11 p.m. ESPN 760 will produce "Braman 5 Sports Live," the 15-minute sports show seen every Sunday after WPTV's 11 p.m. newscast.

Evan Cohen, ESPN 760's popular sports talk show host, will anchor "Braman 5 Sports Live" and lead the on-air effort weeknights for WPTV. Former Florida Atlantic University defensive lineman and current ESPN 760 host/reporter, Jason Pugh, will anchor the sports segments on Fridays and the weekends. ESPN 760 producer/reporter Herb Uzzi will serve as producer/reporter for the sportscasts on WPTV, and Cohen and Pugh will provide insights and commentary on www.wptv.com.

WPTV officials insist that it's not a cost-cutting move, in a time where "cost-cutting move" is about as easy to type as anything. From MediaDailyNews:

Steve Wasserman, general manager at E.W. Scripps-owned WPTV, said it is not a cost-cutting move but aimed at accessing more resources. The radio station has more talent on hand and stronger connections with local sports teams and personalities, he said.

Wasserman said the deal, with an undisclosed financial arrangement, will cost his station more than the salaries and work done by the two departed sportscasters. WPTV also has the highest ratings in the market, so the move is not made out of desperation.

The Palm Beach Post reports that the deal was primarily driven by WPTV's desire to bring Cohen - "ESPN 760's" biggest name - aboard as more than just an occasional contributor.

Here in Cleveland, of course, the situation is a LITTLE different.

There is an informal relationship between Good Karma's WKNR and Scripps' WEWS. "ESPN 850" personalities Aaron Goldhammer and Jason Gibbs have been regular contributors to Channel 5's high school football coverage...often using what looks for all the world like a Skype video chat connection from the WKNR studios at the Galleria.

("NewsChannel 5 in high definition, except when we have to have a cheap video line to another building a few blocks away!")

But the highest-profile name at the Galleria is mid-morning host Tony Rizzo, who has a very solid "day" job as the primary sports anchor at one of WEWS' competitors, Local TV Fox affililate WJW/8. That alone would seem to preclude WKNR mirroring the Florida agreement here with WEWS....

Quick Update: There She Goes, Here We Are

2009-12-02T18:10:00.004-05:00

We're around, though still attending to vital, off-blog business for a while. We've got a couple of items kicking around for a more general update by Friday morning, more than likely.

In case you missed our Twitter update on the status of now-former Local TV Cleveland Fox affiliate WJW/8 morning/weekend meterologist Melissa Mack:

WJW's Melissa Mack to CBS O&O WBZ/4 Boston as weekend meteorologist and environmental reporter starting 1/2010

The primary reporting on this came from the blog Boston TV News, where Michael Page first started tracking down news of Melissa Mack's new Boston TV home. Page got confirmation from a WBZ-TV official.

Quoting Page's update:

WBZ has now confirmed that Melissa is headed for their airwaves early in January 2010. Station spokeswoman Ro Dooley-Webster tells me, “WBZ-TV has hired a new Weekend Morning Meteorologist. Melissa Mack will be joining the station on January 4, 2010. In addition to her weekend duties, Melissa will be reporting on environmental issues and filling in during the week.”

This means Melissa will take the place of current weekend morning meteorologist Sarah Wroblewski and will report on issues much like Mish did before her departure from the station earlier this year.

The move is not just a move up in market size for Melissa, from Cleveland (#18) to Boston (#7), for a relatively similar job.

As noted in our tweet above, WBZ-TV is not just a CBS affiliate...it's a CBS O&O.

If Melissa Mack has any thought in the future of "going network", a top-10 market station owned by the network would be a decent place to be.

And of course, until fairly recently, WJW itself was owned by its network, Fox...though the spotlight is much brighter in a market the size of Boston...

Monday Morning...And Then? Who Knows

2009-11-30T05:49:00.004-05:00

This is our "one shot" update promised earlier.

We aren't ready to announce an official "hiatus" yet, but we could be away from the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) the next week or so due to very pressing, vital issues. We could also be here, and updating, which is why we're not invoking the "H" word. It depends on how those issues go, frankly.

But...if you don't hear from us here by next weekend, please visit our good friend and colleague Scott Fybush's NorthEast Radio Watch. He's tasked with notification should...well, we don't want to talk about it.

Anyway, if all goes well, we won't be away for long...and if it does, we may have more time on our hands as usual this coming week...

FORGY OUT: This is an item that passed under our virtual door last week, but we're bringing to life as we start this week.

OMW has confirmed that Radio One Cleveland VP/GM Chris Forgy is out. We're told he exited his post at the local radio cluster at the close of business last Tuesday.

There are a lot of rumors about what happened - none of which we have confirmed or will pass along. Since we're not really a sales-oriented blog, it mostly doesn't concern us anyway.

It does appear that the departure was not of Mr. Forgy's choice...

MELISSA IN: Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8 News" weather anchor Melissa Mack is, as far as we know, out of the building at South Marginal...her last day having been scheduled for last Thursday.

We still don't know what station will be her new home, or what job she'll take, but numerous OMW readers tell us she pegged her new market on the air last week as Boston.

We've been scratching around, trying to find out which Boston station will become Melissa's new employer - say, for folks back in Northeast Ohio who might wish to catch her in online video - but we have no word of her new destination.

Even TV news gossip supersite NewsBlues, helmed by former Cleveland TV newsies Mike James and his wife, former local TV legend/ex-WKYC/3 anchor Mona Scott, has not had any word about Melissa's new destination...or for that matter, anything on her departure from Cleveland.

Unless we're getting stymied by the search engine at Cleveland.com again, as far as we know, Plain Dealer TV/media columnist Julie Washington has had nothing on Ms. Mack...which makes this an exclusive as far as we know...

AND OLDIES: And an update on our earlier item re: the "Sunday Oldies Jukebox"'s 12th anniversary on Akron market school-owned station WSTB/88.9 Streetsboro.

OMW hears that the station may be on financial fumes, as it were, and it may be an indirect result of the controversy which shut down WSTB for a month one year ago.

The situation was apparently covered by an article in the Streetsboro High School student newspaper earlier this month.

Though the Streetsboro City School District is the owner and licensee of WSTB, the district, like many others in the current economy, is suffering financially. It appears outside funding sources used in the past to help pay for WSTB's operation aren't what they used to be.

The student newspaper article is not online, and we don't have a copy, but we may be able to share this with you down the road. We'll share when we can.

Anyway, after our article on the "SOJ", oldies fans and OMW readers are weighing in.

One local radio type reminds us that the oldies continue to flow on the AM radio dial in Lorain County, where Doug and Lorie Wilber's locally-owned WDLW/1380 Lorain continues its "Kool Kat Oldies" format.

And we've heard from fans of Rubber City's oldies/news WAKR/1590 in Akron, though we did mention WAKR in the previous item. We'll have to do some study of station playlists to see where WAKR overlaps with the oldies on "Sunday Oldies Jukebox", which apparently reach - years-wise - from approximately 1958 to 1971.

Commercial AM radio stations playing oldies seem quite the holdovers in 2009, where even younger-skewing music formats have no home on over-air commercial radio.

Potentionally commercially-popular formats like AAA (Adult Album Alternative) have to make their home in Northeast Ohio on outlets like Akron Public Schools-non-comm WAPS/91.3 "The Summit" in Akron, or on HD2 streams in Cleveland (WNWV/107.3-HD2's eclectic adult-rock-based format, and we hear WMMS/100.7 may be doing AAA on its HD2 stream now).

Standards and big band formats are long gone from the commercial radio dial, with just the lone holdout of Kenston High School-owned non-comm WKHR/91.5 Bainbridge in the format these days. Like "SOJ", it, too, is mainly run by adult volunteers...

OFF THE AIR: We normally flip Dayton up in the virtual air to see where it lands, in regard to coverage by OMW vs. coverage from our sister blog in Southwest Ohio, Cincinnati-area based Tri-State Media Watch.

Since we're here, we'll take this one.

Cox CBS affiliate WHIO-TV/7 reports that it's been off the air since early Sunday afternoon, and having problems since late Sunday morning:

WHIO-TV began experiencing intermittent problems around 10:30 a.m. Sunday and and went completely off the air around 1:30 p.m.

The outage affects over-air viewers of WHIO-TV's digital signal, along with satellite TV customers (DirecTV and Dish Network).

The station's announcement says viewers with Time Warner Cable and AT&T's video service (U-verse, we assume, like it is in Northeast Ohio) are still able to watch WHIO-TV programming. Generally speaking, major stations feed large cable systems via a direct fiber connection, if possible...so recalcitrant transmitters do not affect those systems.

As far as we know, as of this early Monday writing, WHIO-TV's over-air signal is still out.

Quoting an article by Tim Tresslar in the Dayton Daily News:

The staff has not yet nailed down a cause for the transmission problems, (WHIO-TV VP/GM Harry Delaney) said.

“Engineers are working on it and we hope to restore full service as soon as possible and apologize for the inconvenience and disruption to their viewing,” Delaney said.

SOJ's 12th

2009-11-29T05:57:00.008-05:00

We'll have a more complete semi-update sometime early Monday, then we may be scarce for a while. No, we're not ready to break out the H word, as we still could be around and updating.

But a tip of the hat to a local radio organization that could well be called "A Bunch of Friends of OMW".

The weekly "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" turns 12 years old on Sunday. The "day format" hit the airwaves on November 30, 1997.

The oldies programming takes over Streetsboro City Schools-owned WSTB/88.9 Streetsboro (otherwise a student-run alt-rocker called "The AlterNation") once a week, and adult volunteers deliver a day full of 50's and 60's (and some 70's) rock and roll oldies to audiences in the Akron area and beyond, each and every Sunday from morning until night.

Engineer "Uncle Bill" Weisinger, a Friend of OMW, helms the "SOJ" effort as its volunteer program director. SOJ is "84 in dog years", Bill notes on the station's website. (Unfortunately, due to rising costs and onerous playlist accounting requirements, SOJ no longer streams its output...you'll have to be near a radio tuned to 88.9 FM in Northeast Ohio to hear it.)

The SOJ has not had a completely smooth road, of course.

OMW readers know that the Jukebox - and host station WSTB - left the air for a while recently, and you can use the search box above to catch up, if you missed all the commotion. We won't revisit the controversy here.

But the Sunday oldies stream returned to the eventually returned 88.9 FM, and continues to fill what's mostly an unmet need on the local airwaves - offering "older" rock oldies titles to local listeners, commercial free.

We haven't done a playlist analysis, but "SOJ" would seem to offer older titles that aren't even in the music library of the only local commercial AM outlet that still embraces the word "oldies", Rubber City's WAKR/1590 in Akron. We can't remember the last time we heard a 50's tune on 1590, for one...the station mainly offers popular 60's music along with its news and sports programming.

And of course, Clear Channel Cleveland FM powerhouse WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7" has long since abandoned those two decades - and the word "oldies" - as a station featuring "classic hits" from the 70's and 80's outside the "Lanigan and Malone" morning drive talk show.

Between those stations, and standards WKHR/91.5 Bainbridge serving up the older music for nearby areas of Cleveland's eastern suburbs, there's plenty of musical room for the SOJ.

Anyway, Happy 12th to "Uncle Bill" and the SOJ crowd from your friends here at the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm)!

Melissa Mack Moving On Up

2009-11-24T07:49:00.004-05:00

OMW can confirm that Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8 News" weather anchor Melissa Mack is indeed leaving the station.

Her announcement to that effect, heard by numerous viewers on Sunday night's "Fox 8 News at 10", caused quite a stir, and an increase in E-mail traffic here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm).

OMW hears from insiders at South Marginal Road that it's a career move up for Melissa that's prompting her exit from Northeast Ohio. We're told that Ms. Mack is headed for "a larger market" station, but we don't know which market that is.

(We do believe, for whatever reason, that Melissa's new home market is not New York City.)

We hear Melissa Mack's last day on "Fox 8 News" is Thursday.

Melissa quickly got noticed after joining Fox 8. She'd been seen before that in Northeast Ohio, as a weather anchor for now-Parkin/New Vision ABC affiliate WYTV/33 in Youngstown...

Confirmed And Not

2009-11-24T06:58:00.005-05:00

As per usual here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), major activity involving local media personalities roughly coincides with our own inability to update this blog - due to absence, illness or work off the blog.

Here we go again.

MAXWELL, OUT: For those of you who haven't been following our Twitter feed - please look to the left, or visit the feed here directly - a recap...Clear Channel Cleveland rocker WMMS/100.7 has said goodbye to Maxwell, unable to reach contract renewal terms or a contract extension with the station's afternoon drive host.

For radio negotiations, this has all been out in the open...and then some.

Maxwell himself spoke on the air frequently about his mulling a new deal with the station. And earlier Tuesday, WMMS programmer Bo Matthews spread the word to everyone via his Twitter account:

FYI. No agreement could be reached with the mwl show. We really tried. No secrets. He has talked about it. The process played out.

In place of the Maxwell show on Monday? It was something called the "Dumb & Charlie Experiment", which appeared to be an extended comedy bit off of the station's morning drive show "Rover's Morning Glory" (they're both cast members).

Don't expect much more than a stunt from these two - who are probably somewhat more important attached to the morning drive Rover-fest than trying to resurrect afternoon drive as a "new act".

Quoting WMMS PD Matthews' Twitter account, again:

FYI. These guys are "trying out". - - Only took a couple minutes for Rover to come to the rescue with these guys. HAAAA.

And later,

life will move on. I hired mwl. I will produce something else u will be proud of.

But...what will be WMMS' permanent replacement for "The Maxwell Show"? Let's turn to Bo again, this time making his pitch on AllAccess.com's Net News scroll on Monday:

WMMS PD BO MATTHEWS is in full search mode for the next rock/talk afternoon show -- individuals or full shows. his is a high-personality, content-heavy position. If you think you can step in, and help continue the momentum/ratings success -- forward your mp3 (no larger than 5mb) and resume with references to (wmmsjob at gmail dot com).

So, from here, it looks like WMMS wants to continue with a talk-heavy rock-audience-oriented afternoon drive personality show...which makes sense, since the station tried to re-sign "The Maxwell Show" as recently as last week...

BUT, WHAT ABOUT MELISSA: She's young, and she hasn't been at Local TV Cleveland Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8" for all that long...but morning TV weather person Melissa Mack has apparently quite a devoted following in Cleveland now.

We know that, because the former Youngstown TV personality's apparent exit announcement has rocked our E-mail box in the past few days.

At this point, the "is Melissa leaving Fox 8" E-mails have overcome the "what happened to Maxwell" E-mails, though in fairness to the now-former WMMS afternoon driver, Melissa is somewhat better looking.

Simply put, we don't know yet why Ms. Mack is apparently leaving. Enough readers to make it semi-official tell us that she said "goodbye" on Sunday night's edition of "Fox 8 News at 10".

We've put out the signals, and we'll let you know what we find out about her future, and her exit from South Marginal Road...

THIS JUST IN: Maxwell Out?

2009-11-23T09:14:00.002-05:00

If you believe the chatter this morning on Clear Channel rock WMMS/100.7's "Rover's Morning Glory" this morning, the station's afternoon drive program is out.

For now, the WMMS-hosted website for "The Maxwell Show" is still around. Stations generally pull or hide such sites when major changes are in the works.

But in a very open conversation with his listeners, WMMS morning drive leader Shane "Rover" French has made it quite clear that "Maxwell" is gone from the station.

Why?

"We wanted to keep the show." is the mantra being repeated by a voice we assume by the identification is WMMS program director Bo Matthews. (We say "we assume" because it's a long-time tradition for radio shows to fake management on the air.)

If the on air chatter on "RMG" is accurate, again, the station apparently made a contract offer to Maxwell and his crew, which was apparently not accepted.

We caution...that all the above is on-air talk. We'll try to confirm details throughout the day today, but this open talk about the WMMS afternoon drive slot on the station's morning show was too big to ignore...

No Wonder Kaiser Bill Is Worried

2009-11-20T17:21:00.005-05:00

An OMW reader tells us that Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1, the Kent-licensed Akron market talk station known as "The Talk of Akron", has been running announcements "asking listeners who work or live in the Elyria and North Ridgeville areas to write station management."

We're told the announcements refer to "an unnamed out of state company who wants to install a translator station that could disrupt your ability to receive WNIR in those areas."

At your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), we previously reported the (still pending) sale of off-air translator W262BN/100.3, licensed to Lorain, from Edgewater Broadcasting to Radio One, which owns a number of full-power stations in the Cleveland market.

So, we took another look at W262BN in the FCC records, and found this.

The FCC has approved a move we speculated about in the earlier item - Edgewater, which is still the legal owner of W262BN, has received a construction permit to move the translator's authorization to a Cleveland community of license. The CP was approved by the FCC just two days ago, on November 18th.

This FCC map of the 50 watt translator station's proposed primary service area indeed places it right in the middle of WNIR's area of concern, between Elyria and North Ridgeville at a site along the Ohio Turnpike.

Yes, FM translator facilities can indeed be that far afield of the community of license, and there's no legal requirement that W262BN's signal even reach the Cleveland city limits.

Edgewater is clearly acting on behalf of Radio One. The translator sale was approved by the FCC on September 16th, and the new paperwork lists Radio One's WZAK/93.1 as W262BN's new primary station. Of course, as we reported earlier, W262BN has not been operating at any point from the currently licensed site in Sheffield Township, with a COL of Lorain.

Since there's absolutely no need to rebroadcast the powerful signal of WZAK on a translator in eastern Lorain County, we'll still make the bet that wherever W262BN ends up, it'll become an FM rebroadcaster for AM gospel outlet WJMO/1300, probably located in an area of Cleveland where 1300's signal is not all that great at night.

Though they could well mount that effort from the proposed site between Elyria and North Ridgeville, the Cleveland COL tells us that Radio One is thinking of moving it further east.

How does all this affect WNIR?

The Akron market talker doesn't make much effort to serve Lorain County, which is on the far western fringe of its service area. Even if the translator makes it, say, to Cleveland's east side, that's also not really an area WNIR cares about serving.

But the Kent-based station presumably can't sit idly by while even a first-adjacent 50 watt translator camps out in Northeast Ohio.

If all the signal calculations work out, there may not be much Media-Com can do about this translator...which would presumably have other problems due to second-adjacent in-market WMMS/100.7.

A lot of that is addressed in the application here (PDF file from FCC website), but for the new/current location in eastern Lorain County...

Early Sleigh Ride

2009-11-20T16:04:00.004-05:00

After weeks of promising Christmas music next week via a countdown on its website, CBS Radio Cleveland AC powerhouse WDOK/102.1 couldn't resist opening its presents early.

Numerous OMW readers alerted us that "SoftRock 102.1" turned on the holiday music this morning, three days before the end of the online countdown.

Sure enough, the station - both on-air and online - is playing the seasonal music, and promoting itself as "Cleveland's Holiday Music Station".

And if Salem CCM WFHM/95.5 "The Fish" is planning a similar flip to Christmas music, it'll now be second in the market.

As of this writing on Friday afternoon, "The Fish" is still offering its usual CCM format. We don't know if the station plans to go all-Christmas music this year, but in the past, WFHM has done so, usually before Thanksgiving...

All Sorts Of Things

2009-11-20T05:25:00.009-05:00

With our schedule being off, this is probably the last item for the week, but we do have some things to pass along...

RETURN OF AIR ERA?: OMW has reported over the past year or so that various economic factors have grounded local TV news helicopters for the most part in the Cleveland TV market.

Only Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19's "19 Action News" has been regularly flying its helicopter, a fact the station has promoted relentlessly on the air for about the past couple of months. "Action News" has taken to pointing out that while other stations are scrambling ground crews to respond to breaking news far from downtown Cleveland, the folks at Reserve Square take a few short minutes to send out a helicopter.

As it turns out, the "19 Action News" chopper is no longer alone in Cleveland's skies.

OMW hears that Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 and its "Fox 8 News" has returned "SkyFOX" to the air, and we hear that the copter is back in the air "at least through the end of 2009"...and that efforts are being made to return "SkyFOX" for 2010 as well. The aerial vision returned to "Fox 8 News" on Thursday.

We do not know if the copter WJW is operating is the original "SkyFOX", though we'd assume it is if the pictures being sent back to South Marginal are in HD.

We also have no word on if the airborne return will mean Pat Brady's return to the "Fox 8 News" team, though that would certainly be a popular move among viewers.

And we also have no word if Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 or Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 are considering a return to Air Power....

CONDOLENCES ON A LOSS: Being the wife of an Ohio State Buckeyes football legend means you have a pretty high profile in Columbus, and it means a lot of people are going to miss Stefanie Spielman.

The wife of ex-OSU star Chris Spielman has been waging quite a public battle with breast cancer since a diagnosis over a decade ago, but lost that battle Thursday at the age of 42. Columbus CBS affiliate WBNS-TV/10 has more in this story:

Spielman and her husband, Chris, tirelessly raised breast cancer awareness and helped form Stefanie's Champions, raising millions of dollars for Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital.

In 1998, at 31, a biopsy confirmed her fears, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the couple began their battle.

Without hesitation, Chris Spielman put his career on hold with the NFL's Buffalo Bills to be at his wife's side.

Since leaving the NFL, of course, Chris Spielman has maintained a very high media profile. In addition to his work as an ESPN football analyst, he's a long-time host at Dispatch/RadiOhio sports WBNS/97.1-1460 "The Fan". His current radio role puts him as a co-host/contributor to the Fan's "Big Show" from 1-3 PM.

The radio station has a very comprehensive page commemorating Stefanie's passing, and remembering her life, here. (The picture above is courtesy of that page.)

Quoting:

Public calling hours will be Monday November 23, 2009 at the Longaberger Alumni House on the campus of The Ohio State University from 1-8pm for those inspired by Stefanie's life and her service to the community. A celebration of life memorial service will be held Tuesday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grandview.

Hopefully, the outpouring of support for the Spielman family will help them continue to raise millions for breast cancer research, and raise awareness for women and their families...

BROWNS BLACKOUT: The NFL's hapless Cleveland Browns avoided a local TV blackout of the team's recent Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens, thanks to a joint effort between the team, a beer company and the local TV rightsholder, WJW/8 "Fox 8".

(Considering the result of the game, maybe they should have just not done anything!)

But there's a Browns blackout ahead, as it turns out, that will affect parts of Ohio.

The 1-8 local alleged professional football team will be blacked out in Northwest Ohio for the game with the Detroit Lions, a consequence of the Toledo TV market's proximity to Detroit. The always-hapless Lions, also 1-8 this season, aren't doing any better at the ticket window than the Browns, and Toledo is a secondary market for the Lions.

This means that unless you're close enough to the Cleveland TV market to pick up Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19, you won't be able to see Browns-Lions on Sunday. And a quick look at this unofficial map from J.P. Kirby's excellent "The506.com" site shows that not many other TV viewers are going to be, umm, subjected to that game.

The small swath of green means only parts of Ohio and Michigan will catch Cleveland vs. Detroit in CBS' early game. The blacked out portions of those states are getting a presumably better game, according to Mr. Kirby's site, Baltimore vs. Indianapolis...

HO HO NOT YET: We're still waiting for Christmas music radio format flips in Cleveland, with CBS Radio AC WDOK/102.1 "SoftRock 102.1" sticking with an early Monday morning change to all holiday music.

One of our readers notes that a Mahoning Valley station, like WDOK, is counting down to the holiday tunes in an online countdown.

It's Clear Channel classic hits WBBG/106.1 "Big 106.1" which is touting the Way to Holiday Music, soon.

The online countdown appears to be headed for the 12 noon hour on Wednesday, November 25th...we don't know any more than that.

The early entrant in the Christmas Music Sweepstakes in Northeast Ohio was Clear Channel Canton sister AC WHOF/101.7 "My 101.7", which has been pumping out holiday tunes since Monday afternoon...

Ho Ho Early Christmas

2009-11-17T13:01:00.006-05:00

We noted this on our Twitter account last night, but just to put this on the main blog - Clear Channel Canton AC WHOF/101.7 "My 101.7" is spreading the Yuletide Music Cheer...in mid-November.

"My" is, by the best of our accounting, the first station in Northeast Ohio to take leave of its regular format for Christmas music. Elsewhere in the state, Clear Channel sister AC WLZT/93.3 in the Columbus market, and Pillar of Fire (now, THAT'S a radio company name!) Christian AC WAKW/93.3 "Star 93.3" in the Cincinnati market have already made the switch.

We're pretty sure we wouldn't be able to place a legal bet on this even when Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert opens up his downtown Cleveland casino in about 3 years, but we'd safely bet SOMEWHERE that all three of the above stations will be back to their normal formats after the last sleigh bell rings.

Elsewhere, CBS Radio Cleveland AC powerhouse WDOK/102.1 is still counting down on its website to what looks like an early Monday morning start to "continuous Christmas music". (Speaking of "safe bets to return to normal in January"...)

We'd expect Salem Cleveland CCM WFHM/95.5 "The Fish" to switch sometime between now and Monday, but that's just a guess based on the station's past history with the format. There's no indication either on the air (that we've heard), or on the station's website, that Christmas music is coming...yet.

Some stations use the Christmas music format change to change to "something else" after the holidays, but the stations above are pretty well entrenched.

As always, our long-time friend and colleague Scott Fybush is the keeper of what's generally considered the most accurate list of holiday format flips, which is offered by industry directory site 100000watts.com (where Scott is editor).

Though there is a subscription fee for the site, the holiday music flip list itself is free at this link...

Friday Exit

2009-11-13T14:44:00.005-05:00

We're still consulting the OMW Medical Staff, and getting used to our "new normal", for now. But we didn't have to put a lot of effort into these items, so here we go...

BLACKOUT AVERTED: Fans of the NFL's Cleveland Browns are rejoicing...they're partying in the streets...they're...OK, maybe they're not partying or rejoicing.

Northeast Ohio's sorry excuse for a "professional football team" will make their only prime-time TV appearance on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" this coming Monday, and there was a chance that the game (with the Hated Baltimore Ravens) would not be shown on local TV...as a "few thousand" unsold tickets remained.

In the usual last minute save, the local station carrying the "MNF" game was a part of the solution, according to this team news release:

As a result of combined efforts by the Cleveland Browns, ESPN, Bud Light and WJW-TV (FOX 8), the Browns-Ravens game this Monday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium will be televised locally.

The game, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m., will air nationally on ESPN, in addition to WJW-TV in the Cleveland area. The four entities will distribute remaining tickets to the USO and other local organizations.

WJW "Fox 8" holds the local-over-air rights to the "Monday Night Football" telecast, as it did last year. NFL rules require ESPN and other cable-satellite-only carriers (NFL Network, etc.) to sell local broadcast rights to the games in the home markets of the two teams involved.

But if the game wasn't televised on WJW, the station would be left holding a rather expensive empty bag of commercial spots that wouldn't be able to air.

Fans would also have been shut out from the ESPN TV broadcast of the game if the contest wasn't sold out...cable and satellite carriers would have been forced to black out ESPN for Northeast Ohio viewers.

Even though many Browns fans in this horrible season have practiced our own "Personal Blackouts" - for your Primary Editorial Voice(tm), that consists of checking in occasionally until a Browns interception - the games are still quite lucrative to local TV partners like WJW... and it's well worth it for them to help cover the cost of a "few thousand" unsold tickets...so they have a game to put on the air...

FLORENTINO TO 'NCI/LZT: It's not like we needed to be a psychic or a rocket scientist to make this connection.

AllAccess reports that in Columbus, Tony Florentino has landed as program director of Clear Channel top 40 WNCI/97.9 and AC WLZT/93.3.

Florentino, of course, recently exited crosstown Saga, where he was operations manager for the company's cluster - including his important work as hands-on program director for AC powerhouse WSNY/94.7 "Sunny 95".

OMW reported earlier that Florentino's exit came after Saga declined to renew his contract running the Columbus stations, which also include smooth jazz WJZA/103.5, classic hits WODB/104.3 "Big Hits 104.3" and AC WVMX/107.9 "Mix 107.9".

In our October 27th item, we conveniently noted that a very compatible post was out there that could be Florentino's next stop:

"...a reader helpfully reminds us that, as far as we know, Clear Channel Columbus is still looking for a PD for top 40 mainstay WNCI/97.9 and AC WLZT/93.3...of course, after Michael McCoy's exit to Detroit..."

Sure enough, Mr. Florentino has landed...

THE LENO FACTOR: Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 in Cleveland is not immune from "The Leno Effect", and that's an effect that local TV managers apparently consider similar to the effects of H1N1 or "swine" flu.

OMW hears from others in local TV that the "Leno Effect" could well give the opening at 11 PM, news ratings-wise, to Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5...with Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO/19 up for second place. We hear it's been "some books" since WKYC hasn't been comfortably ahead there.

(Not that it's all sweetness and light for the "NewsChannel 5" folks. We're hearing that WEWS parent Scripps is aboard the "multi-media journalist" train even more so than WKYC parent Gannett...and that the station is airing a number of pieces now either voiced by video shooters, or shot in video by solo reporters not used to handling their own video. And of course, with a new approach, there are glitches. More on that, later.)

Like many displeased local affiliates, WKYC is far from silent on the Leno Problem.

Our blogging colleague over at 13th and Lakeside, "Director's Cut" blogger and WKYC senior producer Frank Macek, has written about the Leno situation frequently.

In this item, Frank asks the question - is it finally time to cancel the prime-time Jay Leno show?

This, even as he notes that Cleveland is one of Leno's best markets...faint praise, it would appear, given the overall situation. Quoting:

Nielsen ratings recently showed Cleveland as among Jay's most watched markets. Sad thing is, the ratings have wobbled between only a three and a five rating every week since the show's launch. We can only imagine how smaller markets must be faring.

Mr. Macek suggests that Leno could be moved to 10:35 PM, giving WKYC and other local affiliates a chance to mount a 10 PM local news program (and shaking up the competitive landscape locally, particularly against WJW/8's "Fox 8 News at 10"). This is just an idea, and doesn't seem to be rumored anywhere at this point.

We'll repeat the disclaimer Frank Macek adds at the bottom of his item: "Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions expressed in this feature are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of WKYC or Gannett Broadcasting."

But though they are Frank's own thoughts and opinions, it would seem from here that pretty much everyone else in TV agrees with Frank's assessment...

No, You Can't Get The Flu From Us

2009-11-11T00:24:00.005-05:00

Like a lot of other Northeast Ohioans, your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) is forced to admit that we have SOME sort of illness.

We've slept most of the past two days, and have invoked the OMW Medical Staff to help figure this out for us.

We know that the usual instructions involve plenty of rest, and plenty of liquids, but don't usually outline plenty of updates to a blog...so, we've been tending to Offline Life(tm) most of the time.

As far as we know, we do NOT have the H1N1 or "swine" flu - that has even shown up in some local media operations. And as far as we know, you can't pick up the flu just by reading a blog written by someone who has it...so, at least you're safe, even if we did.

This will be a generally short update on items we haven't touched upon yet. Details will come between coughs later...

TWC NEW CHANNELS: Yes, Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio system has rolled out its latest HDTV channels, which were scheduled to "go live" on November 4th (/or after). Here's the list:

Planet Green HD – 455
G4 HD – 482
MSNBC HD – 487
Weather Channel HD – 489
BBC America HD – 490
WE HD – 491
TV One HD – 492
Team HD (part of NBA League Pass) – 760

Generally speaking, if you get the non-HD version of a channel, the HD version follows along.

When we aren't trying to fit OMW updates between doctor visits, we'll try to get an update on the conversion process in the former Comcast areas, and when they can expect SDV-driven new HDTV channels that have already appeared in the rest of Time Warner's massive Northeast Ohio footprint...

CAMINO GETS NOD: It didn't take long for Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 to replace now-former Indians beat reporter/talk host/sports reporter Mark Schwab, now doing weekend sports anchoring for Raycom Media's WOIO/19-WUAB/43 and its "19 Action News".

Pulling the Goodyear AZ duty, and large chunks of the rest of Schwab's WTAM workload, is young station staffer Nick Camino.

From his existing WTAM bio:

Over the past year I have been experiencing more on air time at WTAM 1100. My main job as a board op/producer keeps me running the dials and switches for talk shows and sporting events however I have filled in doing 20-20 Sports Updates. I have come out of the bullpen numerous times already to do Sports Updates during Wills & Snyder from 5:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. around the holidays and even some Saturday mornings on the Bob Becker Show from 6:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. This past year I also did on air reports for Cleveland State men's basketball games.

Did we say "young"?

Why, yes...Mr. Camino is, by his own admission on Mike Trivisonno's Monday show, 25 years old...and will have to "learn baseball". Yipes.

Then again, we don't remember Mark Schwab's age or other experience when he was hired as WTAM's Indians beat reporter, and he turned out pretty well...so we'll reserve judgment, and wish Nick Camino the best....

NEOTROPWHAT?: We never provided more details for the half-hour weekly local business program that bumped Western Reserve PBS' news roundtable "NewsNight Akron" a half hour later on Friday nights...so here's more about "NEOtropolis", now airing Fridays at 9 PM on WNEO/45 Alliance-WEAO/49 Akron:

Western Reserve Public Media introduces its new half-hour weekly program that will build northeast Ohio viewers’ knowledge of regional economic issues, strengthen their confidence in the economy of northeast Ohio and provide them with helpful information and resources to endure challenging economic times.

NEOtropolis focuses exclusively on the business and economy of northeast Ohio. The show will tell the full story of the regional economy, sharing both the challenges and opportunities unfolding in northeast Ohio.

The program is hosted by Thomas Mulready, publisher of CoolCleveland.com. Content partners are Crain’s Cleveland Business and The Business Journal of Youngstown. “NEOtropolis will offer timely information about the region’s business and economy in a fast-paced yet in-depth format,” said Duilio Mariola, Western Reserve Public Media executive producer. “We want to be a vehicle for dialogue about regionalism for the four major cities in our broadcast area — Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown."

NEOtropolis also repeats at 5:30 AM Saturdays - after NewsNight Akron's 5 AM repeat - and both shows occasionally repeat on Western Reserve's "Fusion" subchannel (45.2-49.2)...

ETHNIC BROADCASTING GIANT DIES: If you get your radio and TV locally only in English, you might not know the name Miklos Kossanyi. But if your background includes Hungary, you certainly do.

The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com obituary section reports:

Miklos Kossanyi led a TV and radio group with the slogan, "Bring Your Heritage Home."

The Hungarian refugee and Bay Village resident died Oct. 27 after a long struggle with cancer. He was 70.

Pertinent to this report, Kossanyi had two media operations - the Lakewood-based Nationality Broadcast Network, which produced Hungarian-language news and programming seen on cable's SCOLA public affairs network, and WKTX/830 Cortland, a Youngstown-market daytimer that at times seemed to believe it was actually audible in Lakewood and Bay Village.

We are familiar with WKTX's early days as a local oldies station serving Cortland, Warren and nearby areas - and the station has played nostalgic music with a local host in times that are not sold to time block buyers, even in recent years.

WKTX has to pull itself from the air each sunset, to make way for the powerful 50,000 watt signal of WCCO/830 Minneapolis MN...

AND YES, WE'RE AWARE: ...yes, we're aware of highly publicized media news elsewhere, including the Christmas music flip at Clear Channel AC WLZT/93.3 in the Columbus market.

(Judging from its website, CBS Radio AC WDOK/102.1 Cleveland will wait until Thanksgiving week to do the Ho Ho Flip, and we expect the usual suspects - like Salem Cleveland CCM WFHM/95.5 "The Fish" and Clear Channel Akron/Canton AC WHOF/101.7 "My 101.7" to flip sometime before that...but that's just a guess.)

If we missed anything that will hold over, we'll get to it between doctor's appointments. And thanks for hanging in there with us!

Friday Closure

2009-10-30T12:28:00.005-04:00

Unless another major local Northeast Ohio media personality decides to step down, this will close out the week for your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm).

Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) is groggy, and most of our earlier activity via our Twitter account was before we found both caffeine and our first meal of the day...hopefully, this will be more coherent, after we've met both requirements.

And it's not all followup to that big Thursday evening news...

SPEAKING OF WHICH: The Other Shoe in the Matt Patrick's Future Sweepstakes dropped this morning on Clear Channel talk outlet WHLO/640 Akron, where the 30-plus year host from hot AC WKDD/98.1 also hosts a separate, mid-morning local talk show.

The folks at Freedom Avenue weren't saying much Thursday about the future of that program, except to note that Patrick would have a separate announcement for his WHLO listeners today at 9:06 AM. And boy, did he.

Unlike on the WKDD website, where there's now a section with both audio and text from Patrick's 7:45 announcement that he's stepping down, there's not much on the WHLO site about the long-time personality's exit from the talk radio side of his work.

But indeed, Matt Patrick will leave Freedom Avenue entirely in mid-December. His last WHLO show will be December 17th, one day before what's sure to be a Big Deal - his last show after 30-plus years on WKDD the following morning.

And, well, Matt doesn't sound all that happy that he's leaving both gigs.

After "making (his) decision" not to return to the WKDD morning drive post, Patrick told his WHLO listeners this morning that he'd hoped that Clear Channel would make him an offer regarding staying on the air in his 9 AM-noon talk show slot on WHLO. Such an offer, he says, never came.

So, he clarified again that he's "not retiring" - wording he also used on WKDD, but which did not make it to the prepared statement on his exit - and Patrick told his WHLO listeners that he'd return "somehow, somewhere" after his December 18th exit...presumably after some family time and regrouping.

(The "somehow, somewhere" line is interesting. The competitive landscape ahead of Matt Patrick is rather intimidating if he hopes that means a return to radio in the Akron market. We'll dissect the options, if there are any, in a separate post in the next few days.)

Why is Matt Patrick walking away from the Clear Channel microphones?

Well, regular OMW readers might recall that the folks at Freedom Avenue advertised for a future WKDD morning drive opening - effective January 2010 - back in April, on the AllAccess trade website.

We picked up on that, and Matt Patrick himself picked up on our item, responding that his contract was indeed up at the end of the year...and that the advertisement basically dragged the negotiations into the open.

It doesn't take much to figure out the rest.

Clear Channel, like many of the financially-strapped mega-broadcasters in 2009, is likely trying to shed itself of expensive contracts, or get that high-paid talent to take deep pay cuts, particularly in markets the size of Akron(/Canton).

We have no insight into how much the company pays Matt Patrick, but it's not a stretch to imagine that they approached his contract talks with cuts in mind...and that the two parties couldn't get their numbers close enough to forge a new deal.

That's the economic reality of radio in 2009...high-paid, veteran local personalities are almost "dead men walking" until their next contract renewal negotiations.

So, between now and then, Matt Patrick will play out the string on both WKDD and WHLO, with a likely heavily-hyped "last show" on 98.1 on December 18th, a day after he hangs up the talk radio hat over on WHLO...

ANOTHER PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCEMENT: For once, the promise of a "major programming announcement" on Good Karma sports WKNR/850 Cleveland "ESPN 850" was not something about a charity golf tournament.

The station announced during Friday's "Really Big Show" that sports director Mark "Munch" Bishop will mount a new, local sports talk show from 5-6 AM weekdays, starting Monday, called "Munch in the Morning".

That time slot is not a typo.

Bishop, of course, was originally hired by WKNR to host the 3-6 PM afternoon drive slot now occupied by former Cavaliers TV play-by-play voice Michael Reghi...and now, he'll be hosting a one-hour early morning lead-in to ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike" show.

And yes, we also noticed that "RBS" leader Tony Rizzo brought in "program director Jason Gibbs" to make the announcement. Not "assistant program director", the title Gibbs took over from RBS executive producer/sidekick Aaron Goldhammer.

It's the first time the Good Karma-owned sports outlet has actually had someone with the title of "program director". Programming-related management wasn't even in the consideration before Goldhammer took the APD title, and boss Keith Williams is a sales-oriented general manager.

It's no stretch to guess that Good Karma boss Craig Karmazin generally has more programming input into his station than any of his employees...

DIGITALLY YOURS IN YOUNGSTOWN: Over-air viewers of Western Reserve PBS in the immediate Youngstown area now have their options back.

The folks on Campus Center Drive have announced that W44CR, the low-power digital translator aimed at low-lying areas of the Mahoning Valley, is on the air. It replaces W58AM, the long-time analog translator for WNEO/45 in Youngstown which long broadcast on Channel 58. At least one OMW reader tells us he's picked up the new signal already.

The new facility is located at the same location - the WFMJ/21 tower just south of downtown Youngstown. It's necessary because many viewers in the immediate Youngstown area are unable to pick up the WNEO signal due to terrain issues between the Valley and Salem, where the 45 facilities are located...

AND SPEAKING OF WESTERN RESERVE PBS: One of the Kent-based public TV outlet's most popular local programs is "NewsNight Akron", the weekly news roundtable show featuring Akron-area journalists...hosted by WKYC/3 anchor Eric Mansfield.

"NNA" is moving to a new time slot...just a bit later than its current perch at 9 PM on Fridays, to a new regular time slot of 9:30 PM on the same night.

We'll electronically bring in a regular "NNA" panelist - Rubber City Radio-WAKR/1590 VP/information media and OMW reader Ed Esposito - to explain...in one of his "Letters from the Editor" on AkronNewsNow.com:

We'll still be yipping and yapping about news and community events in our hometown but we'll be doing so a bit later to make room for a hip new program about the local economy. I know -- the words hip and economy really don't belong together -- but this fresh approach to money mattes in our region adds a new element to programming aimed at showcasing just what makes northeast Ohio tick, and the kinds of things we should think about to help make northeast Ohio improve.

The move is scheduled to take place next Friday, November 6th...so if you're a "NewsNight Akron" junkie, it'll still be on at 9 PM tonight.

Or, you could be like us....we pick up the show off of two TiVo recordings, at the early time slot and a 5 AM Saturday repeat.

The linked article by Ed Esposito primarily focuses on one of our earlier items, the impending departure of WKDD morning drive icon Matt Patrick. It's worth a read for that reason, as well...

UPDATE: Matt Patrick Exiting WKDD

2009-10-29T17:56:00.005-04:00

He's been the primary morning drive host at Clear Channel Akron/Canton hot AC WKDD/98.1 (formerly 96.5) for over 30 years, but WKDD mornings will be without Matt Patrick in 2010.

The station has announced Patrick's departure from his morning drive perch, with his last show on WKDD in mid-December. He'll announce the exit to listeners tomorrow morning at 7:45 AM.

More details, including a release from the station, are forthcoming...and this item will be updated again later this evening...

-------------

UPDATE 10/29/09 6:10 PM: And that release from WKDD is reprinted below.

There's no mention in the release of Patrick's second job at Freedom Avenue, as the midday host at WKDD sister talk station WHLO/640 Akron.

OMW hears that an announcement will be made on Patrick's WHLO program at 9:06 AM Friday...

-------------------

Matt Patrick to step away from Hosting WKDD morning show

Host to say goodbye after 30 years on December 18th

Akron, Oh (October 30, 2009): Radio Personality Matt Patrick is set to announce he will step down as the host of the morning show on 98.1 FM WKDD after 30 years.

In a Statement scheduled to air on WKDD Friday morning October 30th, at 7:45am, Matt explains his upcoming departure: “I have decided that the time has come for me to step away from this microphone. WKDD, and this, the greatest audience in all of radio has been my home for over 30 years. That is ALL of my adult life. I have had the greatest job in the world, but now the time has come to say goodbye.” “You have given my family a gift that is greater than you will ever know. Thank you!”

Patrick started his Akron radio career at what was then rock station 96.5 WCUE in July of 1979. The station later morphed into top 40 WKDD. In 2001, WKDD moved to its current dial position 98.1fm. In the mid 80’s when Morning Zoos were standard fare on radio, Patrick lead a popular ensemble known as the “Waking Crew” featuring Patrick, News Anchor Barb Adams, and sidekick Steve French. The results were untouchable ratings for WKDD.

As radio listening habits changed in the 90s Patrick’s bad boy style toned down as he became a family man. In 1999, WKDD started a relationship with Akron Children’s Hospital in what became a national success story, the radiothon. In 10 years WKDD has raised over six Million dollars for Akron Children’s Hospital, which Patrick is especially proud of.

Matt Patrick’s Final broadcast on WKDD will air the morning of December 18, 2009 from 5:30am until 9am.

Out Of The Box On Tuesday

2009-10-27T06:32:00.003-04:00

Yeah, we've hung onto a lot of items, though our Twitter feed has previewed one of them...

A SUNNY EXIT, AND ENTRANCE: Word spread quickly on Friday that Saga Columbus OM/PD Tony Florentino's contract was not being renewed, and sure enough, he exited the building shortly thereafter.

As it turns out, someone was waiting to take the job at the "Columbus Radio Group" stations, including AC powerhouse WSNY/94.7 "Sunny 95"...Cincinnati radio vet T.J. Holland heads up I-71 to take the Saga Columbus gig. (The Columbus group also includes Hot AC WVMX/107.9 "Mix 107.9", classic hits WODB/104.3 "Big Hits B104.3", and smooth jazz WJZA/103.5.)

Holland spent 14 years in Cincinnati at what used to be the Susquehanna cluster, which was swallowed into Cumulus Media Partners.

Among his programming experience that'll serve him well at Saga Columbus - oversight of AC WRRM "Warm 98", and hot AC WNNF "Frequency 94.1". He'd been director of programming for the Susquehanna-turned-CMP stations in Cincinnati from 2003 through March, when he lost his gig due to budget cuts.

What about Tony Florentino, now "on the beach", gig wise in Columbus?

We haven't heard a thing linking him to anything, but a reader helpfully reminds us that, as far as we know, Clear Channel Columbus is still looking for a PD for top 40 mainstay WNCI/97.9 and AC WLZT/93.3...of course, after Michael McCoy's exit to Detroit...

NEWSPAPERS...OUCH: It's pretty much been a fact these days...newspapers are losing readership by the thousands, and the slide is nowhere close to ending...if it will ever end.

Nowhere was that more apparent than the most recent numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, the measuring stick officially used by publications to audit readership.

Newspaper trade bible "Editor and Publisher" weighs in:

On a comparable basis, ABC reported that for the 379 newspapers filing with the organization, average daily circulation plunged 10.6% to 30,395,652 -- one of the most severe drops in overall circulation. Sunday circulation for 562 reporting newspapers was down 7.4% to 40,012,253.

Locally, the "Top 25 Newspapers" list puts Cleveland's Plain Dealer at number 16 with a bullet - a bullet downward, as with the other papers, the PD showing a circulation drop of 11 percent weekdays (271,180 readers), and nearly 5 percent on Sunday (390,636 readers).

E&P points out that it's not just that readers are treating newsprint like it's coated in H1N1 flu... it notes that many of the papers are trimming non-core-paid distribution, and shrinking their distribution areas overall. So, if you can't find the Plain Dealer in a box in Western PA, that may be why...

NEWSPAPERS OUCH TWO: With the current state of the economy and the newspaper business, it may be no surprise to learn that another Northeast Ohio paper is plotting out salary cuts.

But the "17 percent" cut figure proposed by Akron Beacon Journal owner Black Press seems to have surprised just about everyone.

The plan first came to light courtesy of an E-mail to Beacon Journal union members, published at the Poynter Online journalism site in the popular column of Jim Romenesko:

Subject: The company isn't pleading poverty, but wants you to

Your Guild bargaining team met with the company Monday, where after 16 months the company revealed its economic proposal. The 19 issues in the proposal opened with the company re-nigging on a previous tentative agreement over severance pay and closed with a 17% pay cut. If you could think of a benefit you have now, it probably was included in the other 17 cuts.

A quick estimate by the Guild, according to figures supplied by the company, the cuts to wages and benefits combined would fall between 25 - 36 percent depending on your seniority and health care coverage.

This line, from Black Press negotiator Karen Lefton, caught the most flack:

When pushed on the issue by Guild staff representative Bruce Nelson, Lefton stated, "we are not saying we are not making a profit, we aren't pleading poverty." She went on to say that the company is not unable to pay at current levels, they just doesn't want to.

Rubber City Radio/1590 WAKR and its AkronNewsNow.com site went further, adding audio reaction from the Beacon's Stephanie Warsmith (reporter, and secretary for the Akron Newspaper Guild) and from Lefton, citing the decline in advertising revenue for the print industry...

WKBN UPGRADE: We haven't gotten official confirmation that the upgrade to New Vision CBS affiliate WKBN/27 Youngstown's signal is complete, but it would sure appear so from the OMW World Headquarters.

The Youngstown outlet is now reaching even deeper into the Cleveland market, after having moved its antenna "up top" on the station's tower. It was side-mounted before, due to the presence of analog channel 27's antenna on top.

With analog history as of last June, crews finally got up there and put the new, main, digital antenna on top. All the wiring was expected to be complete early Monday morning.

The new WKBN signal is not perfect here at the OMW World Headquarters, which is roughly 20 air miles from the Parma antenna farm. But it's the best it's ever been, and we figure with a semi-decent outdoor antenna, we'll probably get the station full-time now.

We don't expect such luck even with the planned 1000 kW upgrade to now-puny-sister station WYTV/33, Youngstown's ABC affiliate which is operated by New Vision in that deal with owner Parkin Broadcasting.

We're told that crews are headed there, next. But one thing we've learned is that "height is everything" in regards to digital TV signals, and even the upgraded WYTV antenna will not be nearly as high as WKBN's nearby facility. And height is important, if you're down in a valley, and hope to get any signal out of it.

No matter. We know the Youngstown signals are "bonuses" for those of us in the Cleveland market...

Some Clarifications and Updates

2009-10-22T10:27:00.004-04:00

Following along with some items that have popped up in the past few days...

SABO GONE: We don't know much more, but we can confirm that Good Karma sports WKNR/850 Cleveland "ESPN 850" has parted ways with producer/sidekick/update anchor Josh Sabo. (And no, that's not just because we've heard WKNR's Tony Rizzo say those exact words about three times now.)

We're getting very little information as to why, but it appears that it has nothing to do with any on-air comments or on-air performance.

As such, we're closing the books on this item...which mostly got attention because Sabo was a producer/contributor to WKNR's highest profile local show, "The Really Big Show" with WJW/8 "Fox 8" sports anchor Rizzo. Rizzo continues with co-host Aaron Goldhammer and update anchor Jeff Thomas.

We'll echo others...and say that this would be an excellent chance to give Jeff a greater on-air role in the 9 AM-noon program.

Though Jeff Thomas is still an "embedded" employee of Metro Networks, the company shuttering its Independence facility has put Jeff in the Galleria studios along with Rizzo and company...and it'd be interesting to see how his talents could be used more...

WKBN UPDATE: If you're one of those viewers on the fringes of New Vision Youngstown CBS affiliate WKBN/27 (like, say, us), and were disappointed that moving the station's digital antenna to the top of the tower didn't allow a signal lock last night, hold on.

Station chief engineer Tom Zocolo checks in with OMW, and passes along a detailed explanation he wrote up for a local message forum: there is still some new transmission line work to be done.

WKBN has rigged up a temporary line until the factory-made new line can be created and flown in....so the station can stay on the air for the next few days. We're told that such a process is standard procedure in such antenna work.

With the work still in progress, Zocolo says that the WKBN facility has been operating at about 30 percent of its usual power, and will continue at that level until the final work is completed.

When will that be?

Checking the weather forecast - and even invoking "27 First News"' own meteorologist Don Guthrie - Zocolo says it looks like the final work will be done late Sunday night into Monday morning, from midnight to 5 AM.

Assuming all goes well, Monday morning should bring the stronger signal...though as noted before, WKBN's regular digital signal even before this move was picked up with very little difficulty by those in the core of the Mahoning Valley area.

In the explanation, WKBN's Zocolo also says sister-via-LMA WYTV/33's work is up next after WKBN's:

In this case, all of the old analog antenna and transmission line must first be removed from the tower before the new line and antenna can be installed. I have no estimate on the time frame because every bit of tower work is dependent upon the weather conditions.

Even when it’s not raining, high winds can stop work at the top of the tower. Just as an example, the crew has been on site at WKBN for a little over a month. We’ve needed about 10 good working days to get where we are right now…

Thank you, Tom, for writing all this up, and for forwarding it to us directly!

THE BSK SPEAKS: As hinted earlier, long-time Cleveland sports media personality Kendall Lewis has said his first words "on air" since suffering a stroke in recent weeks.

"The BSK"'s current job is as program director and afternoon drive host for Paul Belfi's Internet sports operation SportsTalkCleveland.com, and thus, his first post-stroke call was to STC's "Press Box Rants" show with Greg Kozarik.

You can hear Kendall's call via audio posted to this page.

To us, "The BSK" sounds like he could indeed resume his program soon, though he cautioned that he's still working on not only his voice, but other resulting problems from the stroke...

Two More Upgrades

2009-10-21T16:07:00.003-04:00

Mid-October is apparently the season for local TV and radio signal upgrades, and there are two more we haven't yet told you about.

Briefly before that: everyone short of the Cuyahoga County dog catcher has E-mailed us to let us know that producer/sidekick/update anchor Josh Sabo is apparently out at Good Karma sports WKNR/850 Cleveland "ESPN 850", at least according to an announcement made on the station's "Really Big Show with Tony Rizzo" earlier today.

We didn't hear the announcement, and as of yet, don't know any details about Sabo's apparent departure from the sports talk station. If we find out anything, we'll let you know.

For now, back to the technical facilities upgrades...one on the TV side, one on radio:

49 PLUS 70: A Cuyahoga County viewer E-mailed us late last week, wondering if Western Reserve PBS' WEAO/49 Akron had upgraded its digital over-air facilities on RF channel 50. He tells us he's seeing a stronger signal from the station.

No, you aren't imagining that, and it's not just temporary atmospheric conditions (or shedding leaves).

Our good friends over at Campus Center Drive in Kent tell us that indeed, WEAO lit up its post-transition "maximized" construction permit on October 15th. The upgrade pushes the Akron half of the Western Reserve PBS simulcast from 180 kW to 250 kW.

It's not the only facility upgrade for the public TV outlet.

OMW also hears that Youngstown viewers will get the digital replacement for the former analog translator on Channel 58, soon...with arrival and installation of the new digital Channel 44 translator (W44CR) expected within the next couple of weeks.

RADIO UPGRADE: Canton-based religious broadcaster WILB/1060 has lit up its upgraded facility.

The upgrade takes WILB "Living Bread Radio" from 5 kW to 15 kW, and gets it at least a chunk of Cuyahoga County.

Not like you'd know they realize that, from an announcement on the Living Bread Radio website:

WE’RE ON THE AIR!
Catholic Radio in Cleveland - AM 1060

AM 1060 WILB has expanded its coverage area from 1 million listeners to more than 2 million in Northeast Ohio. With the completion of a two year 15,000 watt signal upgrade project and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval of the upgrade AM 106(0) began transmitting at 15,000 watts on October 20, 2009.

(snip)

We say hello to Cuyahoga County and surrounding areas after more than 5 years of transmitting the Word of God to Stark, Summit and Carroll Counties. Join us as we welcome Cleveland and the surrounding areas to our AM 1060 Radio Family.

They were in such a hurry to announce the upgrade, the Living Bread Radio folks grabbed another web page about another event, and blew past the spacebar a few times.

Of course, even with 15 kW of power, there are other problems for WILB.

First and foremost, it is and will always be a daytime station, at least as long as CBS Radio powerhouse KYW/1060 is around.

Second, even within the daytime parameters, WILB had to squeeze in next to other stations - like second adjacent WJTB/1040 North Ridgeville, and had to consider first adjacent CHOK/1070 Sarnia ONT, second adjacent WWNL/1080 Pittsburgh and the like.

(Our favorite part of the WILB construction permit application - the station showing that 1090 kHz wasn't a problem, since no station in the entire region will ever be authorized for 1090 with Clear Channel talk giant WTAM on 1100.)

We haven't been on the northern edge of the new WILB signal yet, and weren't really listeners before, anyway...but a quick radio check today easily shows a more powerful WILB than we remember hearing. A lot of times, these upgrades on the AM side aren't just about reaching new areas...they're about punching through the increased noise on the AM band...

AND TV RELATED RADIO: OMW hears that as scheduled, New Vision CBS affiliate WKBN-TV/27 Youngstown has turned off its transmitter today - to allow the move of its digital antenna to the top of the 1432 foot tower today.

The move from "side mount" to "top mount" could improve fringe area or nearby market reception of WKBN's digital signal, which also carries sister Fox affiliate "Fox Youngstown" on digital subchannel 27.2 (in high-definition, along with WKBN).

Those looking for the missing over-air CBS and Fox programming in Youngstown can find it on Time Warner Cable and Armstrong Cable, which are fed via fiber from the stations' Sunset Boulevard studios. We aren't in the market to check, but we'll assume the station is also continuing to feed the original low-power analog TV homes of Fox Youngstown programming - WYFX-LP 62 Youngstown and WFXI-CA 17 Mercer.

One thing we didn't mention earlier: the WKBN-TV antenna move today also affects a former sister station.

Yes, that's the former WKBN-FM on the WKBN-TV tower. Clear Channel Youngstown director of engineering John Clarke checks in with OMW about the status of WMXY/98.9:

WMXY's (original calls WKBN-FM) main antenna is located at the 1370 foot level on the South tower at Sunset Blvd, just below the top mount TV stick.

When the tower crew is within 100 feet of our main panel antenna, we move WMXY over to our Auxiliary antenna site on the 550 foot North tower.

We have been operating on the auxiliary antenna during the daytime hours most good weather days the last week...while they rig the tower for the move.

While we are operating at 25 KW ERP from the Auxiliary antenna, we lose some fringe coverage and no HD operation from the Auxiliary site.

So, if you're a bit far afield from Youngstown today and having trouble receiving the station now known as hot AC WMXY/98.9 "Mix 98.9", you'll know why.

One of our readers in Cleveland's Slavic Village area is asking if the WKBN-TV upgrade will get its signal into downtown Cleveland.

Well, probably not, we'd guess. We know people as far west as Parma who've been able to get the WKBN signal, but we'd be shocked if it was a regular visitor into downtown Cleveland.

More so than from Cleveland/Akron/Canton viewers, the WKBN upgrade today will likely be welcomed by in-market viewers in places like Mercer County PA...any reception we get over on this side of Youngstown, outside of its home market, is a sheer bonus...

On The Tuesday Radio Side

2009-10-20T14:30:00.007-04:00

After an item chock full of digital TV news, it's time to expand our Tuesday diet to radio. And yes, we know. We know...the below.

KIM'S RETURN: Yes, you let us know by E-mail, by carrier pigeon, by taking out a billboard (well, almost).

That was indeed former Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 afternoon drive co-host Kim Mihalik on her former home station over the weekend, guest hosting the Clear Channel talk station's local Browns post-game coverage on Sunday afternoon.

(WTAM airs its own post-game show after Browns games - the network post-game call-in show airs on the FM flagship, rock-but-really-talk-considering-Rover-and-Maxwell WMMS/100.7.)

It's an on-air role that until this week was filled by WTAM sports talk host/Indians beat reporter Mark Schwab, who's since left "The Big One" for the weekend sports anchor role at Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO/19's "19 Action News".

It actually wasn't Kim's first on-air appearance on her former station, where she was let go in November 2005 for "budgetary reasons".

Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) cut down on his Triv Diet many, many months ago, so we only occasionally check in with Mike Trivisonno's WTAM afternoon drive talk fest these days.

It was by sheer accident that we hit the button for WTAM on the OMW Mobile radio Friday, and heard Mihalik good naturedly bantering back and forth (by phone) with Triv about an "embarrassing" incident back when she was on the show.

If there was any leftover animosity between the two since her departure from Oak Tree in 2005, it wasn't showing on the air at all...though we had no idea at the time that she was about to do a fill-in sports talk stint that weekend.

After leaving WTAM, Mihalik was best known for her stint on the local post-Stern/David Lee Roth CBS Radio classic rock WNCX/98.5 morning drive show with Wynn "Mud" Richards and local radio vet and OMW reader Mike Olszewski. The 'NCX morning slot is now filled by host Scott Miller and comedian Jeff Blanchard.

Kim also did some TV work for Fox Sports Ohio's "Cleveland Rants", back when that show still existed.

Is she in line for a regular return to WTAM? That's the question on readers' minds, if our E-mail is any indication.

There is an opening at 1100, after all...but would the former Triv co-host be in the consideration for Mark Schwab's former position as Indians beat reporter and sports host?

For the moment, we don't know the answer to that question - from either side of the ledger.

We get the idea that for now, at least, Mihalik is just helping out the short staffed WTAM sports department with some weekend fill-in...

SPEAKING OF SPORTS: OMW has very much covered the march of spoken word formats to the FM dial, such as news/talk and sports. We've also tried to cover the use of FM translators to provide better "fill-in" coverage for AM stations, a practice which is now officially in the FCC rules.

This one covers both.

Gunther Meisse's WRGM/1440 Ontario, the Mansfield area's ESPN Radio affiliate, has now lit up an FM signal on 97.3.

From the story (dated October 15th) on WRGM sister TV station WMFD/68's website:

Today, WRGM AM1440 has begun simulcasting on 97.3FM in Mansfield, Ontario and Lexington to over 70,000 people. This makes WRGM AM1440 / 97.3FM the First FM sports station in the market.

97.3 is legally W247BL/Crestline, a 120 watt translator Meisse's group bought from Mansfield Christian School - owners of Christian contemporary WVMC/90.7 - a while back.

The FCC has been granting special temporary authority for AM stations in certain conditions (low power or directional night signal, etc.) to use FM translators as "fill-ins" to the anemic AM signal. As of earlier this month, what had been a piecemeal policy - STA by STA - is now reality in FCC rules.

WRGM would certainly qualify, signal wise.

The 1000 watt daytime signal on 1440 is highly directional, but serviceable for most of the Mansfield area...with some notable exceptions north and east of the WRGM tower.

But there are holes-a-plenty in WRGM's 28 watt (!) nighttime signal, and many of them not at all far from the Meisse complex on Park Avenue West in Mansfield.

The 120 watt signal of W247BL/97.3 Crestline eminates from that Meisse tower on Park Avenue West, and when you consider that mono programming will eliminate "stereo flutter" on the edges of the signal, it should cover a decent chunk of the immediate Richland County area.

Meisse also owns AC WVNO/106.1 "Mix 106", as well as the aforementioned WMFD/68 and its low-power sister station/WMFD subchannel WOHZ-CA/41, which mostly features classified advertising text, weather information and WVNO's audio...

Digital TV Activities

2009-10-20T07:30:00.008-04:00

Suddenly, the over-air digital TV scene is as nearly as active in Northeast Ohio as it was in the days before the analog TV shutoff, back on June 12th...

A 19 UPGRADE: OMW hears, third-hand, that Raycom Media Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19 has completed an interim digital signal upgrade.

We're told that last Wednesday, WOIO's engineers nearly tripled the power coming out of the station's transmission system - with a power level of 9.5 kW. WOIO's digital signal has been pumping out just 3.5 kW since it first signed on. The FCC granted the temporary signal upgrade late last month.

Though even the 9.5 kW signal is modest for high VHF broadcasting - remember, many other VHF stations nationwide are asking for many times that, and WOIO continues to use interference-plagued RF channel 10 - the move returned "Cleveland's CBS 19" to full-time over-air reception on our best digital TV over-air setup here at OMW World Headquarters, about 20 miles as the Digital Crow flies from the Parma antenna farm.

We're told by an OMW reader in New London OH, a small outpost between Ashland and Norwalk on the western fringe of the Cleveland TV market, that the new signal gives him at least a chance at catching WOIO on a regular basis. Of course, that far away, our reader isn't using a modest indoor antenna aimed out a second floor window like we use here.

Again, note the word "interim" in regards to the 9.5 kW WOIO signal. It'll help the station reach some more viewers, particularly in the immediate Cleveland-Akron area, but it's not the long term plan.

OMW hears that Raycom does hope to eventually camp out WOIO on a UHF digital RF channel.

For various reasons, explained here on OMW by RabbitEars.info's Trip Ericson a few weeks ago, WOIO can't "just go back" to RF channel 19. The station seems resigned to how long the process may take.

Though some other Raycom stations (and others) have already made some similar changes, Alabama-based Raycom is a group that mostly has stations south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Nearly all the other Raycom outlets don't have to deal with something WOIO has to consider - Canadian allocations.

While getting its Cleveland market CBS affiliate off of RF channel 10 - occupied by pesky lil'...er... big Canadian outlet CFPL/10 - is presumably a priority for the engineering folks at Reserve Square, other new allocations have to consider Canada as well.

And the Canadians have a habit of hanging onto unused allocations, or those no longer used, and "notifying" them to the U.S., so U.S. stations won't camp out there in the future.

For the nonce, let us know if you've been getting an improved WOIO/19 over-air signal since about Wednesday night...

AND ANOTHER UPGRADE: A CBS affiliate that Cleveland market over-air viewers often seek out as an alternative station is making its final digital moves.

New Vision's WKBN/27 Youngstown is preparing to "top mount" its digital TV antenna this week, according to this story on the "27 First News" website:

At about 8am Wednesday, the antenna used to broadcast WKBN-TV and FOX Youngstown will be turned off for about 12 hours.

A crew is going to remove the 4,000 lb. analog antenna from the top of the tower, lower it to the ground, and mount the digital antenna in its place. The work, if all goes as planned, will take about 12 hours.

WKBN/WYFX helpfully remind viewers that while the antennas are being moved, over-air viewers will lose the station's signal for about 12 hours. The station has fiber connections to Time Warner Cable and Armstrong Cable, so those viewers will continue to be able to watch during the antenna moves.

The station hints that viewers in places on the edge of the signal, like perhaps the OMW World Headquarters, could see improvements:

Until now, the digital antenna has been on a side mount several hundred feet below the top of the tower. The additional height should improve the digital signal, probably to be noticed only by those viewers in fringe areas.

For the nonce, WKBN's digital signal is the most powerful in the Youngstown market, even from that "side mount" location. Moving the antenna up could well help the signal get further out of the Mahoning Valley...very few people in the Valley have any trouble picking up WKBN-TV.

OMW readers know that New Vision has been, recently, transmitting WYFX's "Fox Youngstown" signal in HD format via WKBN subchannel 27.2. This will probably give some fringe area viewers (again, maybe folks in part of the Cleveland market) an alternative should they have problems receiving another "VHF Nightmare" station, Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 in Cleveland.

And last time we were in the Valley, with a digital TV tuner, New Vision was still pumping out "Fox Youngstown" from its original over-air home, LPTV outlet WYFX-LP/62 Youngstown. (And we presume, though we couldn't get it from our location, sister WFXI-CA/17 Mercer PA.)

Those who don't have Time Warner or Armstrong cable, but an analog TV tuner, would presumably have those signals as an alternative to the off-air Fox Youngstown signal via digital WKBN-TV during the 12 hour work window on Wednesday...

AND ANOTHER UPGRADE: Back in Cleveland, Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 is notifying viewers of its own antenna work.

WEWS has never been one of the Cleveland market's Digital Problem Children. It operated at 870 kW, 285 meters above average terrain for many years before the digital TV transition in June, and eventually will offer a 1000 kW signal from an antenna 310 meters above average terrain.

Until that final signal goes on, the station found a lower spot on a nearby tower, and is operating at a paltry, anemic, puny signal level of 843 kW, 191 meters above average terrain. It's a wonder you can pick up the station outside Parma!

Of course, that last paragraph is an attempt at Digital TV Humor. We bet very few have noticed a lower signal out of WEWS's temporary facility, especially in the core of the Cleveland-Akron TV market.

FCC rules require WEWS to notify viewers who may have difficulty picking up the temporary signal, so the station has done so both on the air and by posting a link to this FCC map of the signal on the station's website.

The map shows a comparison between the now-gone WEWS/5 analog signal, and the STA for the temporary digital signal. The orange and red symbols represent viewer loss in places like Mansfield and Ashtabula, though the new 1000 kW higher antenna would presumably fix much of that.

The new facility, with both increased power and height, could also gain WEWS some more over-air viewers on the fringe of the Cleveland market, or even in parts of the Youngstown market.

Those who have cable or satellite have been reading the above, and wondering how it affects you.

Well, if you're an NFL football fan, being able to pick up WKBN's digital signal in the Cleveland market could give you more game options, as WKBN (CBS) and WYFX (Fox) don't always carry the same games that Cleveland's WOIO (CBS) and WJW (Fox) carry.

It won't help you avoid any potential Cleveland Browns home blackouts, since the Youngstown market has always been included in the NFL's "blackout zone" for the Browns (the Youngstown signals land well within the 75 mile blackout radius), but perhaps you'll get more variety in other games...

AND FINALLY: In this busy digital TV item, a note that a new signal has popped up for a few Cleveland market viewers.

It's the market's first low-power digital TV station - Daystar's WCDN-LD 53.1/53.2, which is the replacement for now-former analog LPTVer WCDN-LP/53.

Yes, Daystar is a prominent religious TV operator that has a mixed collection of full-power and low-power TV "O&O's". It even squeezed itself onto the subchannel of a public TV station in Orange County CA (KOCE) after its controversial bid to buy the station fell through.

OMW hears that in addition to its own Daystar religious programming on 53.1, WCDN-LD is also offering the Home Shopping Network feed on 53.2 - programming we believe is also carried on analog LPTVer WXOX-LP/65. (Maybe the Daystar folks got an idea from what they had to do at KOCE, and are leasing out 53.2 to WXOX?)

Though WCDN-LD is well-situated on the WBNX-TV tower in Parma - 338 meters above average terrain - it is still a low-power station, putting just 300 watts into the air in its digital form, which lives on RF channel 7.

Thus, it's no surprise to us that we haven't been able to receive its signal some 20 miles out from the Parma antenna farm.

Some may be wondering how WCDN-LD is able to squeeze onto new digital RF channel 7, when Local TV Fox affiliate WJW is on RF channel 8. We're told you can do that, as long as the two signals are basically coming from the same area.

WJW's facility, of course, is not far away in Parma...and back when WJW-DT was using RF channel 31, it sat comfortably next to WBNX-DT's RF channel 30 facility...

All Sorts of Things

2009-10-15T13:33:00.007-04:00

So, it's a dreary, rainy mid-October day...what better day to stay inside and update the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm)?

NEW TWC HD: As expected, as earlier announced and as confirmed by OMW, Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio system has added 10 new HD channels for its subscribers.

The list, courtesy of a TWC press release:

Biography HD – 469
Cartoon Network HD – 459
Disney XD HD – 457
Outdoor HD – 481
Turner Classic Movies HD – 465
Fox Business News HD – 488
Style HD – 468
Headline News HD – 484
E! HD – 467
Hallmark Movie Channel HD – 461

The following HD channels have moved:

Palladia HD – 470
Universal HD – 496
Smithsonian HD – 497
MavTV HD – 498
MGM HD – 499

The company says it's now added over 30 HD channels in the Northeast Ohio footprint, with more to come through the end of the year. They've already listed some scheduled to show up November 4th (see our earlier reporting on this for more).

In addition, Hallmark Movies has been added in standard definition on channel 117.

In what may basically mean nothing to local Time Warner Cable subscribers, the Northeast Ohio system is being reconfigured into two service areas with two new VPs, says Multichannel News:

The division has been reorganized into two service areas: Metro, encompassing greater Akron and Cleveland; and Suburban, comprising the outer belt of the division, including Erie, Penn., south through Youngstown, west to Mansfield and north to Port Clinton.

We'll make an assumption not made in the trade site's article: "Metro" would certainly also include Canton along with Cleveland and Akron, since the Akron/Canton areas have been joined at the hip for decades, and TWC handles many Akron operations out of its North Canton headend. In our assumption, the new "Suburban" division would take in the former Adelphia systems in Dover/New Philadelphia, south of Canton.

The report says TWC has two new vice presidents of technical operations under new regional VP/operations Vin Zachariah: Scott Miller - overseeing the new Metro division - and Rick Whaley - overseeing the new suburban division.

Again, it may or may not mean anything to subscribers...but an eagle eyed reader pointed it out, so we're passing it along...

THE BSK IS COMING ALONG: OMW reported that long-time Cleveland sports media personality Kendall Lewis suffered a stroke in September, sidelining him from his afternoon drive duties at Paul Belfi's Internet sports talk site SportsTalkCleveland.com.

The former WKNR sports talk host has also been program director for the STC sports website, but has been spending the past few weeks recovering, medically.

The news on that front is good, STC's Belfi tells OMW that "The BSK" is doing "fantastic":

He looks great, and sounds spectacular. He set a personal date of coming back on the air on the 1st of the year, but it is looking more like he will be back with us in November - his rehab has gone that well. The rehab has been extremely aggressive, as he is determined to be back 100%, and the hard work is paying big dividends.

Belfi tells us that Kendall is expected to be released from the hospital this Friday, and is expected to call into STC "sometime next week"...and thanks everyone for their calls and E-mails...

AND MORE SPORTS: With Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland losing sports host/Indians beat reporter Mark Schwab to the weekend sports anchor gig at Raycom Media CBS/MyNetwork TV combo WOIO/19-WUAB/43's "19 Action News", they need to replace him.

So yes, we've seen the WTAM ad for Schwab's opening. In fact, it was our first clue that he would eventually leave the station.

For those who need it, we're reprinting the ad below. Or, you could just walk down Oak Tree Boulevard wearing an Indians uniform, and shout "Ray!!!! Ray!!! HIRE ME!!!" into a bullhorn...

Newsradio WTAM 1100 offers a full time opportunity in sports as the Indians beat reporter. Additional duties include hosting sports talk shows, anchoring sportscats and maintaining sports pages on WTAM.com. Email short MP3 demo and resume to (ray - at - wtam - dot - com) or send resume and CD demo to: WTAM, Ray Davis, 6200 Oak Tree Blvd, #400, Independence, OH 44131. Clear Channel Communications is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

PHIL'S GANG IS BACK: It isn't really a local item per se, but Talk Radio Network syndicated host Phil Hendrie claims at least two affiliates in Northeast Ohio - Clear Channel talkers WHLO/640 Akron and WKBN/570 Youngstown.

The show that's been heard on those stations has been a fairly straightforward talk show, with Hendrie weighing in the issues of the day and sharing his thoughts and opinions with listeners.

For many listeners who heard Hendrie in his show's previous incarnation, syndicated by Premiere Radio, there was something missing.

You know, people like Bobbie Dooley, Ted Bell and Bud Dickman. These "far out" regular guests of Hendrie's original show existed solely in the mind of...host Phil Hendrie, who used fancy phone shuttling to give a voice to these people...and to frustrate real life callers who thought they really existed, and who argued with them on the show because their viewpoints were so ridiculous.

Well, "they're baaaaaaaack!"

What the Los Angeles-based host says is the "rebirth" of his TRN show started this week. As a promo on WKBN says, "either you get it, or it gets you!".

The general idea is that among the vast amount of very intelligent people who listen to talk radio, some might take this "hook, line and sinker", and make for very entertaining "foils" to Phil's made-up cast of characters. (The show has never made a secret of the practice...even in Phil's days with Premiere, the host would occasionally break down that proverbial "fourth wall" with listeners.)

If you've ever worked behind the scenes in talk radio, you might recognize callers who berate you because your station decided to run a college basketball game instead of the regular airing of "The Michael Savage Show"...strongly yelling that your station is endangering the Future of the Republic by preempting Mr. Savage with a mere sporting event.

It's callers like that which will ensure a steady base of Outraged Citizens, taking Bobbie Dooley to task over some wild statement she's made about society...

SPEAKING OF WKBN: We heard the Hendrie promo on WKBN earlier today, right before the last 15 minutes of a show guest hosted by former Mahoning Valley congressman/released convicted felon Jim Traficant.

Are we getting to the point where Jim Traficant doing talk radio fill-in is "routine" now?

Jimbo's first post-prison "guest host" appearance did still have a reason - regular mid-morning host/WKBN program director Dan Rivers had a travel day to a talk radio event in Washington DC.

But with speculation about Traficant's future, either politicially or in the talk radio arena, it was also certainly a chance for Clear Channel Youngstown market manager/OMW reader Bill Kelly to strike while the iron was hot...and get the ex-con/ex-congressman in the spotlight along with his talk radio station. Oh, and warm his pipes up for future radio hosting appearances.

This time, there was no hype, no publicity...Traficant was really "just filling in" for Rivers, as just another fill-in host. And unfortunately, not because of good news.

We don't know why Dan Rivers wasn't doing his show today, but the former congressman subbing for him expressed his "condolences to the Rivers family", briefly, at the end of the show. That doesn't sound good, so we pass along our own condolences to Dan and his family for whatever has happened...

Returning With A Full Basket

2009-10-13T09:24:00.008-04:00

As we officially exit from our latest hiatus (is there a ceremony we have to do or something?), news from every corner of our media world is breaking out. And if there's breaking media news, we're here to fix it...

RATINGS CURRENCY: We've heard for a few weeks now that Arbitron's Portable People Meters, the electronic future of radio audience measurement, were filtering into the Cleveland market.

And we've heard for months that the PPMs will basically "change everything" when it comes to radio ratings. Large companies, especially, have been notoriously quick to jump on PPM results in format changes - PPM results are credited - at least in part - with the ascent of sports radio and top 40 in the CBS Radio stable, and the decline of smooth jazz just about everywhere.

But we now know when PPM "goes live" in Cleveland.

From AllAccess this morning:

On DECEMBER 31st, 2009, ARBITRON plans to commercialize the PPM radio ratings service in PORTLAND, OREGON, SACRAMENTO, CINCINNATI, CLEVELAND, SALT LAKE CITY-OGDEN-PROVO, SAN ANTONIO, KANSAS CITY and LAS VEGAS with the release of the DECEMBER PPM survey report (NOVEMBER 12th - DECEMBER 9th).

(Yes, Jeremy at Tri-State Media Watch in the Cincinnati area, this one's for you, too.)

"Commercialize" means that the December monthly report will be the first where PPM-generated ratings become "currency" here for Arbitron...the meters are around now and are in use, but starting with that report, they call the ratings shots in Cleveland, and the paper diaries are consigned to history.

Speaking of those diary-driven ratings, we don't spend a lot of time here dissecting the publicly-available "12 plus"/"beauty contest" numbers, but there's not usually a lot of news out of them in Cleveland.

The most recent Summer 2009 numbers show a familiar one-two pairing of Clear Channel's talk WTAM/1100 and country WGAR/99.5. In nearby Akron, that one-two pairing is Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 and Rubber City Radio country WQMX/94.9, not at all a surprising occurence. We're wondering how, or if, those "usual results" will be affected by the PPMs.

With a regular OMW reader who knows music formats better than we do, we kicked around some interesting thoughts regarding Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting smooth jazz WNWV/107.3 Elyria, the Cleveland market's long-time smooth jazz mainstay, and how it can survive when PPM results aren't friendly to the format (CBS recently canned its Detroit smooth jazz station for a top 40 format, and that's only the most recent example).

It's our reader's contention that WNWV has already started tweaking with more AC titles, and perhaps finds a future where it's closer to being a direct competitor with CBS Radio AC WDOK/102.1 than it's ever been. We'll see.

But don't be surprised if the PPM ratings cause further tweaking throughout the Cleveland market...one way or the other...

JOE BOXER TO DC: Though it's already been posted on AllAccess and other radio trade sites, we also knew Monday about the exit of Clear Channel country WCOL/92.3 Columbus mainstay Joe Boxer for Clear Channel sister country outlet WMZQ/98.7 Washington DC.

The WCOL afternoon driver heads to WMZQ for morning drive starting October 26th.

In fact, Joe has had quite a busy schedule, even for a Clear Channel voicetracker. The list is literally too long to reproduce here, but he's been heard on dozens of CC stations as close as Findlay, and as far as San Diego.

And he now voices afternoon drive for the company's Mainstream Country feed in the new Premium Choice service. That's not even mentioning his local presence in sister top 40 WNCI/97.9's midday shift.

For now, he'll also voicetrack back into his afternoon drive shift on WCOL. It sounds like that may be a short term plan.

OMW hears that Joe Boxer has been with WCOL since February, 1999.

When Mr. Boxer heads to the Nation's Capitol, he'll find many ties to Ohio.

WMZQ program director Meg Stevens is the former program director of Clear Channel Cleveland country giant WGAR/99.5. And WMZQ's evening personality is Northern Ohio's own Kat Jackson, who is also still heard in evenings on WGAR. Oh, and WMZQ/WPOC-Baltimore's "Michael J." also voicetracks back to WGAR. There are other WMZQ-Ohio ties that we're sure we've missed...

STARTING OVER STARTING: Worth a brief mention, and "first impression"...Time Warner Cable's "Start Over" video service has made its way to the OMW World Headquarters, in the former Adelphia/Cleveland service area.

We've gotten scattered other user reports that it's live for many of our readers, as well.

Our first impressions are mostly positive, though there are some quirks.

For one, we had to dig up our Time Warner-issued cable box remote.

The universal remote we use does have the "SELECT" button that prompts the box to go back to the beginning of a "Start Over" enabled show. But the universal remote doesn't have, as far as we can determine, a mapped equivalent of the cable-remote-only red "C" button that is used to exit a "Start Over" playback in progress.

Though you can use the remote's Pause button to pause the program being played back, you can't use the Fast Forward button like you could if you'd used a DVR or TiVo to record the show, even if you're "back at the beginning". Of course, the selling point with "Start Over" is that you don't have to think about pre-recording a show if you stumble into it in the middle.

The number of "Start Over"-enabled shows on channels with the feature seems to vary. Late one night, we were even able to use the feature on random infomercials on some channels (!), but not on mainstream shows you'd expect would be covered on other (enabled) channels. We'd expect that this will mostly "fill in" soon...

CONDOLENCES: We mentioned it on our Twitter feed, and repeat it here.

Ohio radio/TV news veteran Mike Partin passed away over the weekend at the very young age of 42.

Partin was heard in Northeast Ohio doing news on stations like former-WZLE/104.9 Lorain (now classical WCLV) and Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 in Cleveland.

Partin's most recent job was as an assignment editor at Dispatch CBS affiliate WBNS/10 and sister cable channel Ohio News Network in Columbus. He came to WBNS/ONN in June from WHIZ Media Group in Zanesville, home of WHIZ/1240-WHIZ-FM/92.7 and WHIZ-TV/18, and also worked for Grant Hafley's Cambridge-based six station cluster known as AVC Communications.

But like a lot of people who "move on" from small markets like Zanesville in this business, he didn't forget what he left behind.

The Associated Press article on Partin's death says according to his wife, he passed away early Saturday morning after calling a high school football game for his former Zanesville employer. His death is believed to have resulted from natural causes.

The folks at WHIZ are remembering Partin as well, in a very personal way.

And they pass along word in the article linked here of arrangements:

Mike's going home celebration will be held Tuesday at Christian Life Center in Heath from two to four p.m. and six to eight p.m.

His funeral service will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the same location.

Also remembering Mike Partin are Ohio's Associated Press broadcasters. Partin was a two-time past president of the organization...

The Weekend Cleanup Post

2009-10-11T06:36:00.001-04:00

As usually happens when we go "on hiatus" here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), media news happens. It's an indisputable Law of OMW...if we push away the keyboard, the flood comes in, and that's already the case this time around.

So, though we're still trying to "stay away", let's briefly expand on the two items that we've popped onto our Twitter feed.

And again, you don't even have to access our page directly...they show up over there to the left of the main scroll here. Just keep watching that area, even if we're not "back" for a while...

SCHWABBIE TO 19: As reported in the earlier tweet, Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Indians beat reporter/sports talk host Mark Schwab is leaving Oak Tree, heading for a new and fulfilling life in the basement of Reserve Square.

OK, so we poke a lot of fun at Cleveland's alleged CBS affiliate - poking that they apparently can't take in good humor, given actions like blocking us from following their Twitter feed.

But Raycom's WOIO/19-WUAB/43 and its "19 Action News" made a very good hire here...bringing on the WTAM veteran to take over the open weekend sports anchor job, a full-time role that includes sports reporting during the week.

And though we have a lot of fun with some of their more outrageous stunts or actions, or the fact you can't pick up their over-air signal in much of Cleveland and Akron without major antenna help, we also feel we really do try to be fair (first? everywhere?) with the folks at Reserve Square when they do things that they should be lauded for.

Long-time OMW readers know that we've always liked Mark Schwab's work. We've always considered him to be one of the more underutilized players in Cleveland sports media, and thought he was ready for a "prime time" role long ago.

Moving from 1100 to 19/43, Mark will bring both professionalism and personality to the "19 Action News" weekend sports desk.

Yes, the CBS/MyNet combo's newscasts sometimes resemble a three ring circus, or an out of control carnival. But the sports department is "the toy department of life", and some pizazz and personality goes a long way.

(No, not Charlie Minn-style pizazz. That's just clowning.)

Of course, Mark Schwab technically replaces another now-former Reserve Square type with ties to Mark's soon-to-be-former radio station...and Chuck Galeti has continued to fill in on WTAM, for afternoon drive host Mike Trivisonno, after leaving "Action News".

As for the fate of recent "Action News" weekend sports fill-in Sue Ann Robak, we stumbled upon this - buried in a recent Plain Dealer feature article on dozens of people looking for work in Greater Cleveland:

Update September 2009: Working freelance

Robak is freelancing at WOIO Channel 19. "It's a lot harder than I thought to find work in television. I'm grateful to Channel 19 for the freelance opportunity I have now. I had contemplated changing careers and going back to school to pursue teaching, but I decided to stick it out longer in search of full-time TV work because this is what I love to do."

We wonder if Sue Ann is going to continue to search for full-time TV work, or if she'll pursue a career change. We also presume she could continue to do freelance work for SportsTime Ohio...or offer her services to continue to fill-in at Reserve Square for sports director Tony Zarella or for Schwab...

TWC WORRIES: Those actively looking for new HDTV offerings on Northeast Ohio's Time Warner Cable system don't just turn here looking for news.

They watch - like a hawk - the legal "Programming Notices" page which appears on the company's website.

Recently, Time Warner Cable changed the format of this page, so it now directly reproduces the legal notices filed for each newspaper in the TWC NEO service area.

And these notices were recently updated to remove a list of HDTV channels we reported would be added to the company's local systems on (/or after) October 15th and November 4th.

Panic visited the land! "They're turning back on their promise!", people shouted, jumping to conclusions like it was an event in the upcoming Vancouver Olympics.

And yes, they shouted that to the OMW Mailbox. We can only imagine what the Time Warner customer service reps heard.

So, we checked in with sources at Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio offices, and we're here to tell you - straight out of the book/radio series/movie "Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy" - "Don't panic!" (Oh, and carry a towel.) (The towel is optional.)

Our sources at Northeast Ohio's cable TV giant tell us that they are still "on target" for the previously listed channels to appear October 15th (/or after) and November 4th (/or after).

Copying from our previous entries, to put the list in one convenient place:

(On or after October 15th)

The following channels will be added to standard HD: Cartoon HD, TCM HD, HLN HD, E! HD;

The following channels will be added to HD for customers with the Digital Basic Tier: Biography HD, Disney SX HD, Outdoor HD, Fox Business News HD, Style HD, Hallmark Movies HD

The following changes are planned on or after November 4, 2009:

The Weather Channel HD will be added to standard HD.

The following channels will be added to HD with carriage level varying by area: WE HD and TV One HD.

The following channels will be added to HD for customers with the Digital Basic Tier: Planet Green HD, IFC HD and Fuse HD.

The following channels will be added to HD for customers with the Digital Sports Tier: NHL Network HD, Tennis Channel HD and CBS College Sports HD.

These HD channel additions have MOSTLY been "on time" in recent months, give or take a couple of delays of a few days to a few weeks...so that's why the "/or after" above.

But we're told viewers shouldn't worry...and that the absence of the previously listed channels on the new legal notices doesn't mean they are not coming....

Gone Fishing

2009-10-08T20:16:00.003-04:00

Yes, it's that time again.

OMW is now officially on hiatus until the middle of next week, likely Tuesday or Wednesday.

As usual on hiatus, we will try to pass along at least short updates on any major breaking media news stories that we hear about, especially in our core area of Northeast Ohio. That includes, but is not limited to, major radio or TV personality changes, radio format changes, station ownership changes or anything of that nature.

We may occasionally pop in via our Twitter feed, but not for any extended updates until next week. Of course, that feed is also seen to the left of this scroll.

Have a great weekend, and we'll see you next week...

They Meant Toledo Radio

2009-10-07T15:04:00.011-04:00

With the hat tip to long-time friend and colleague Scott Fybush and this week's Radio Journal, we're passing along word that the Toledo market could be getting a new FM radio station.

The proposed move-in is no surprise: BAS Broadcasting AC WPFX-FM/107.7 North Baltimore has filed with the FCC to move to a very Luckey city of license. (Sorry, Scott...we couldn't resist the pun, either.)

Luckey, Ohio, that is...and a quick look at the map puts that small town just north of Pemberville in extreme northern Wood County...right on the border with Lucas County. Pemberville, of course, is where Clear Channel country WCKY-FM/103.7 landed on the COL Map after "moving" from its original home of Tiffin.

The application for WPFX specifies a 5.2kW facility along I-75 just north of Bowling Green, with a 60 dBu city grade signal that cuts off just north of downtown Toledo, and just south of the suburb of Oregon. The resulting signal should prove to be a serviceable class A rimshot for the Toledo market.

You can take a gander at the predicted city grade signal on this map from the FCC application.

The station recently returned to the air after signing off... and BAS is now keeping the signal warm by simulcasting co-owned AC WFRO-FM/99.1 Fremont "Eagle 99".

Ah, but BAS has no plan to operate WPFX in Toledo.

Long-time readers will recall that BAS sold the station to Toledo Radio, LLC, a group headed by former Toledo market owner Dan Dudley and attorney Phil Dombrey. The sale was approved in 2008, but has not yet closed.

Fear not, says BAS in the application to move 107.7 to Luckey, Ohio:

THIS APPLICATION IS BEING MADE FOR THE BENEFIT OF A PREVIOUSLY APPROVED ASSIGNEE (TOLEDO RADIO LLC) OF THE LICENSE OF WPFX OF WHICH NONE OF THE PRINCIPALS HAVE ANY OTHER MEDIA OWNERSHIP INTERESTS.

THE FCC HAS GRANTED APPROVAL OF THE ASSIGNMENT AND THE CLOSING OF THE
ASSIGNMENT/SALE SHOULD BE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THIS FILING.

That's 30 days from September 14th, so presumably, the closing by Toledo Radio should happen soon.

The move will obviously not be approved by then, so the station will continue to operate from the North Baltimore facility...our guess as a continued simulcast of BAS' WFRO-FM through some sort of short term reverse LMA, much like BAS continues to operate WTTF/1600 Tiffin for its new owner, syndicated talk radio host Doug Stephan's Tiffin Broadcasting LLC.

Again, as noted by the subject header here, it's no surprise that Dudley and Dombrey want to move WPFX north...based solely upon the company name they used to make the acquisition. It's not North Baltimore Radio, LLC, after all...

Danny Lands New Gig

2009-10-07T13:42:00.007-04:00

Veteran Cleveland radio personality Danny Wright is returning to nationally syndicated radio, and with the help of some other Clevelanders.

Yes, it's Beachwood-based Envision Radio Networks that has officially announced Danny's latest gig - a syndicated weekend show called "The Live Ride". From a press release by the locally-based syndicator:

Envision Radio Networks® is pleased to announce the launch of The Live Ride, a new weekly radio show hosted by country radio veteran Danny Wright.

The Live Ride brings a two hour weekly “concert” to country radio featuring live performances from today’s brightest stars.

Program host Danny Wright punctuates each show with the latest country news, concert information and artist/band interviews.

Danny, the former Clear Channel country WGAR/99.5 Cleveland afternoon drive personality known earlier in his career as "Dancin'" Danny Wright at top 40 then-WGCL/98.5 "G98", spent much of the past decade fronting Jones Radio's overnight nationally syndicated daypart program "All Night with Danny Wright".

It was heard in parts of his former market via Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting country WKFM/96.1 Huron, and on other regional stations, along with hundreds of others nationwide.

Shortly after Jones merged into Dial Global, the new company cancelled "All Night" after a long, successful run...in a spate of consolidation very familiar to those in this business.

Quoting Wright from the release:

“This should be fun - A show that stands out with live cuts combined with my goofy personality? Sign me up! I look forward to entertaining listeners with this unique show and working with Envision makes it all that much better. See you on The Ride!”

Now, as far as we know, Danny is still at least an occasional OMW reader...from his current home in the Seattle area.

For that matter, so is Envision's Matt Wardlaw, who is your point of contact if you're a radio station hoping to sign up Danny's new show. (See the above linked press release for more.)

Our hearty congratulations to Danny on this project, and here's hoping it leads to even more success...

Outside Our Area, But...

2009-10-07T06:45:00.003-04:00

Occasionally, we feature items from outside the main OMW Coverage Area...but with comments relating the items to things that could happen here. This is one of those collections...

SMOOTH JAZZ LOSES ANOTHER: The ailing smooth jazz format has lost another big city outlet.

This time, it's CBS Radio's WVMV/98.7 Detroit, which stopped playing smooth jazz Friday. After a bit of weekend stunting, it's carrying one of CBS' current pet formats - top 40, under the moniker "98.7 AMP Radio".

That's the same on-air name adopted by CBS Radio's former FM talker in Los Angeles, KLSX/97.1, when it moved to top 40.

CBS also uses "Now" as a top 40 format name, at one-time Howard Stern/Opie and Anthony flagship WXRK/92.3, the station formerly known as "K-Rock". (We'll give you some time to sort out the call letter/slogan relationship with 92.3 in the Cleveland market. You may use the search box at the top of OMW for your answer quest.)

CBS' other big "pet" format is FM sports talk, which has seen great success on another CBS Detroit station, WXYT-FM/97.1 "The Fan".

Smooth jazz is in peril nationwide because it apparently doesn't fare well at all in the Portable People Meter ratings, and PPM measurement is just now getting underway in Northeast Ohio.

That's where the smooth jazz format has a long mainstay - Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's WNWV/107.3 Elyria "The Wave", which has presumably made a boatload of money off of the upscale format in the Cleveland market over the years.

The move in Detroit, along with earlier smooth jazz shutdowns in markets like Chicago, has many wondering how long WNWV can hang on.

There are different factors here.

For one, ELB is a small, local ownership company that doesn't have a roster of pet "new" formats like CBS does. If 107.3's smooth jazz format falls out of the bottom of the PPM ratings, the folks in Elyria don't have backup plan B on a hard drive somewhere....well, aside from whatever they're doing these days on the HD2 signal of 107.3.

We tend to think "The Wave" will hang in there as long as it is able to do so, given the unique situation of its parent company. And even in the depressed advertising market, WNWV may be making more money than the company's two daily newspapers in Elyria and Medina...

NOT HERE: When the sale of three urban-targetted Pittsburgh radio stations to a Catholic broadcaster made news, it had a little impact on the southeastern edge of our coverage area.

That's because in recent years, legendary Pittsburgh market urban outlet WAMO-FM had been on a frequency that reached a decent chunk of the Pennsylvania side of the Youngstown radio market - 106.7 FM, licensed to Beaver Falls PA. Folks in Youngstown-centric suburbs like New Castle and Sharon had little trouble picking it up.

It's now silent, because new owner Saint Joseph Missions has yet to finish replacement studios to operate WAMO-FM, and its AM sisters, with Catholic-oriented programming.

With much fanfare, former WPTT/22 owner Eddie Edwards Sr. announced that he'd bought a station to help fill the void in programming aimed at Pittsburgh's African-American community.

Surely, the message board wags thought, he'd pry one of the big signal FMs from Clear Channel, Keymarket or whoever, and remount WAMO-FM's youth-oriented urban format.

Uh, not quite.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Edwards is buying Langer Broadcasting talk WPYT/660 Wilkinsburg PA, a 1400 watt daytimer with no night authorization. The P-G writes that Edwards "plans to launch a news and talk format aimed primarily at the African-American community."

So, instead of a replacement for WAMO-FM, it appears he's mounting a replacement for WAMO-AM 860, which most recently was running gospel, but has run a number of urban talk programs over the years (including one hosted by Pittsburgh's own Bev Smith).

The P-G's Adrian McCoy writes:

Mr. Edwards called the WPYT acquisition the first step in that process. He also hopes to buy an FM station that would have a classic R&B music format targeted at older listeners.

So, even with an FM station on his shopping list...it doesn't appear Edwards is trying for younger listeners looking for hip-hop music that once aired on 106.7 FM.

Of course, African-American listeners in the Youngstown market are served by stations like Bernard Radio's WRBP/101.9 Hubbard "The Beat", which we believe is also closer to an urban AC...

TOLEDO OPENING: Reprinting this opening at a Toledo Clear Channel outlet entirely from the good folks at AllAccess:

CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40/Mainstream WVKS (92-5 KISS FM)/TOLEDO is looking for its next morning show co-host for its "ANDREW Z in the Morning" show. The co-host should be highly motivated, organized, friendly and hard working, with a minimum of three years on-air experience.

Candidates must also be willing to help the producer with editing and other projects, live remotes and other duties laid out by the Program Director. Tapes and resumes to Dir./Operations BILL MICHAELS, 125 S. Superior St., TOLEDO, OH. 43604. Females strongly encouraged to apply. CLEAR CHANNEL RADIO is an equal opportunity employer.

AND HELLO, DINO!: It looks like one of our favorite OMW foils, er, readers, has landed again.

We've had a lot of good natured fun with former now-silent WATJ/1560 Chardon sports talk host and OMW reader Dino Costa, who most recently exited from his online sports talk site in Denver.

AllAccess reports that he has a new "radio home":

Veteran sports talker DINO COSTA reports that he'll be heard nationally on SIRIUS XM RADIO's MAD DOG RADIO sports channel nightly starting (Monday night).

COSTA, who most recently was part of the launch of online DENVER SPORTS RADIO and has been heard in DENVER and JACKSONVILLE, among other places, will air 8p-1a ET weeknights on the channel.

Sure enough, there's Costa on the "Mad Dog" schedule:

The Dino Costa Show
Weekdays 8 pm - 1 am ET
Get Dino's one-of-a-kind take on the action while it's happening around the country. From the opening faceoff to the final hoop, Dino keeps you on top of all the big moments while interviewing some of the top names of the night.

Colorado-based Westword, a weekly paper that's apparently had just as much fun with Dino as we have, has more. (By the way, in looking for more in a Google search, we found that one of our articles on Mr. Costa lands at the top of a Google search on his name.)

Congratulations to Dino, sincerely. It sure beats trying to aim at Cleveland sports radio listeners from a 1,000 watt directional daytime AM station out in Geauga County.

Feel free to bang any promotional drums...the ones you play so well. And if you bragged about a new 50,000 watt AM transmitter in Florida, we can only imagine how you'll brag about an entire set of satellites in the sky.

"Mad Dog" is the channel that features former WFAN/660 "The Fan" New York City afternoon drive co-host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, who reportedly has a hand in assembling the schedule.

One name that was thought to have been on the early "Mad Dog" schedule was another sports talker with some Northeast Ohio ties - former WHLO/640 Akron evening host Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton.

The deal was never worked out with the former World Hockey Association Cleveland Crusaders play-by-play voice (we're talking the 1970's, here, and the current WTAM/1100 was WWWE "3WE"!), who eventually landed cross-satellite from "Mad Dog" doing weekends on XM's "Home Plate" major league baseball channel.

We earlier reported that "Hacksaw" was rumored to be headed back to the local airwaves in San Diego - on his former radio boss' current sports talk operation, cross-border sports outlet XEPRS/1090 "XX 1090", blasting English-language sports talk into San Diego from a transmitter in Mexico.

Just to confirm here - the rumors were true, and Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton is once again blanketing San Diego weekday afternoons with his unique style of sports talk on that station...

Turning Blue, Folks

2009-10-06T09:15:00.003-04:00

Especially if you're an adult, there are a few cultural touchstones that are universal in Northeast Ohio...and many of them revolve around local television.

At some point, just about everyone in this region has been touched by what you could call the "Ghoulardi Franchise".

If you weren't old enough to remember Ernie Anderson's iconic 1960's "Ghoulardi" character on WJW/8 (then the market's CBS affiliate), you certainly knew, and probably watched, his direct successors with late night comedy surrounding bad movies - "Hoolihan and Big Chuck", or "Big Chuck and Lil' John"...the latter show only recently off the air at what's now "Fox 8".

Others wanted to be the "new" Ghoulardi, or perform in his honor - production assistant Ron Sweed ("The Ghoul", WKBF and WCLQ/61, WBNX/55), and Canton's Keven Scarpino ("The Son of Ghoul", WOAC/67 and as far as we know, still somewhere in the lineup of WAOH-LP/29-W35AX "Retro TV").

But everyone...was looking up at Ernie, who eventually left Cleveland to become the Big Voice of ABC-TV in Hollywood ("The Luuuuuuuuuuuv Boat") and to make more money in one year than your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) has made his entire life...with THAT voice.

It says a lot about a guy when three different operations followed in his footsteps four decades after he hung up the fright wig.

Anyway, this explainer comes as there's word that a new documentary is about to focus on Ernie Anderson's days as "Ghoulardi" on local TV.

The University of Akron's Dr. Phil Hoffman passes along word that his "Turn Blue: The Short Life of Ghoulardi" program now has air dates later this month on local public TV outlet Western Reserve PBS (WNEO/45 Alliance-WEAO/49 Akron):

Tuesday, October 27 - 9 PM
Wednesday, October 28 - 2 AM
Saturday, October 31 - 4 PM

It'll also air on Western Reserve's "Fusion" local arts channel (45.2/49.2 over air, check your local digital cable lineup) on Thursday, October 29 at 9 PM and Saturday, October 31 at 7:30 PM.

Dr. Phil (not the bald, rotund guy on syndicated TV, but the long-time local TV and radio type) tells us that "Turn Blue" gets its initial bow at a convention inspired by Anderson's career - "Ghoulardifest" - Friday, October 23 at 7:45 PM...repeating each day of the convention through the 25th.

And since this indeed the YouTube age, here's a clip from the show:

Phil also passes along a link to the "production blog" for the show...here...

And we're proud to say that Phil Hoffman is an OMW Reader, and proud of it.

In the Bio section of his site, we're one of four sites listed as his favorite links...two of them are linked to the University of Akron's "ZTV" media operation, where he is general manager, and one is the Pandora online music service...

Monday Followup

2009-10-05T12:31:00.005-04:00

We're back, and there's not really any earth-shattering news about media in our coverage area...

Yet.

While we throw that out there, let's pick up the pieces on this Monday...

MORE ON THE HD SIDE: We sifted through Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio's "Programming Notices" page last month, informing you of new additions the company has to publicize as part of legal notices it runs in area newspapers.

There's another wave there now, listed for next month:

The following changes are planned on or after November 4, 2009:

The Weather Channel HD will be added to standard HD.

The following channels will be added to HD with carriage level varying by area: WE HD and TV One HD.

The following channels will be added to HD for customers with the Digital Basic Tier: Planet Green HD, IFC HD and Fuse HD.

The following channels will be added to HD for customers with the Digital Sports Tier: NHL Network HD, Tennis Channel HD and CBS College Sports HD.

After this addition, there will be very few "major" HD channels missing from the TWC Northeast Ohio lineup. (The first that comes to mind - the HD version of cable news/chat outlet MSNBC.)

For one, we didn't even know there WERE HD versions of networks like WE and TV One.

By the way, TWC tells us that there's a free preview of CBS College Sports (non-HD version for now) today through Sunday:

“ARMED FORCES APPRECIATION WEEK” is highlighted by a tripleheader of games on Saturday, Oct 10, including Vanderbilt at Army (NOON, PM, ET), Navy at Rice (3:30 PM, ET) and TCU at Air Force (7:30 PM, ET), as well as in-depth studio coverage throughout the day.

CBS College Sports Network is available on Time Warner Cable channel 322. The Network will feature additional “ARMED FORCES APPRECIATION WEEK” programming leading up to the live game action on October 10, including classic games and original programming.

CBS College Sports is usually only available in Time Warner's "Sports Tier"...

COLUMBUS AGAIN, PART ONE: As media news usually runs in cycles here at OMW, the Columbus cycle is still hitting on all cylinders.

It's the first Monday for the Columbus market's newest signal, Southeast Ohio Broadcasting Systems' WCVZ/102.5 Baltimore...the station known until recently as Zanesville's WHIZ-FM... and known on the air as country "Highway 102".

As it happens, your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) got a chance to sample the new signal. For whatever reason, we know a lot of people who drive back and forth to Columbus and drive through Northeast Ohio to get there...so we "hitched a ride" on one of these friends' one-day trips late last week.

From our estimation, it appears "Highway 102" is one of the better Columbus rimshots, signal-wise, from its new tower southeast of Columbus in northwest Fairfield County. (Our apologies...we typoed on the direction in an earlier revision of this item.)

We'll attach a slight asterisk to that, as our friends' travels did not take them to western Franklin County.

But the new 102.5 signal was at least semi-listenable as far north as southern Richland County on the drive down I-71, and seemed strong to us near the Polaris shopping area north of the Outerbelt on 71 (a key growth area in the Columbus region).

It would appear to be at least as competitive to the north, as rimshots from the north come in as far south as Grove City. We can't speak for how the signal did west of downtown Columbus, as we didn't control the itinerary.

The Columbus radio dial is littered with rimshots, of course.

After the established full-market, in-market powerhouses, there's only been one recent true in-market full-signal move-in in Columbus...Clear Channel's AC WLZT/93.3 Ashville, which moved in from its previous life as Chillicothe's WFCB many years ago.

The new WCVZ signal isn't quite at that level, of course. But as a rimshot? The signal's not bad.

The programming? "Highway 102" is pretty much the exact same mix of loosely automated country that we heard a few months ago when the station was broadcasting from the 102.5 facility in Zanesville.

And yes, even after the move, it's running local advertisements and public service announcements for Zanesville and Muskingum County. We even heard a "WHIZ Storm Team Forecast" weather segment, complete with a minute-long promo for the NBC lineup on sister TV station WHIZ-TV/18...aimed at a lot of people who can only watch NBC on Media General Columbus market affiliate WCMH/4.

But perhaps the most telling sign that the WHIZ Media Group folks don't plan on running "Highway 102" as a Columbus market station?

In all of our listening to 102.5 late last week, we didn't hear the word "Columbus" ONCE. At all. Ever. You'd have no idea the station could be heard in the Columbus market unless you looked out the car window to see that you were in the Columbus area.

And the legal ID for the new 102.5 signal doesn't mention Columbus...it's just "WCVZ(FM) Baltimore", with not a "/Columbus" to be found.

Even if this stuff gets tweaked over the coming days and weeks, it's not exactly the kind of competitor that has Clear Channel Columbus programming guru-WCOL/92.3 program director-apparently former OMW Reader John Crenshaw shaking in his boots...virtual or otherwise.

If the WHIZ folks aren't getting ready to hand off the 102.5 keys to someone else, and keep running "Highway 102", the station would be fortunate to gain a single share point up against the WCOL powerhouse.

And that's not to mention the other country competitors in the Columbus market (Wilks' WHOK/95.5 Lancaster "The Hawk", or its sister WNKK/107.1 Circleville "Wink") that try chipping off share points from WCOL.

And to close this out...on our run through Columbus late last week, WHOK's downtown Columbus translator was still operating - at its long-time 102.3 FM frequency, first adjacent to the new 102.5 signal. How long that will that last? We don't know...

COLUMBUS PART TWO: Here's one other Columbus item we hadn't noticed until now.

The latest shuffle at North American Broadcasting talk WTDA/103.9 Westerville "Talk FM" has resulted in a new local morning drive talk show. From the station's website:

103.9 Talk FM launches a new LOCAL morning Show with Mark the Shark, Kelly Quinn and Jeff Logan from 6am-9am Weekdays! Set your snooze alarm to 103.9 and wake up with Shark, Kelly and Logan on MorningTalk FM. Weekdays from 6am-9am on 103.9 WTDA Talk FM!

"Mark the Shark", of course, has long been the only local voice on the FM talker...doing an afternoon drive sports talk show. He has a long history with North American Broadcasting, and we believe he did mornings in an earlier incarnation of 103.9 ("The Eagle"), and he was once part of the morning show on NABCO rocker then-WBZX/99.7 in its days as "The Blitz".

The station's attempt to compete with the Giant Talk Radio Buzzsaw that is Clear Channel talk WTVN/610's Bob Conners Show comes with other lineup shuffles after it.

WTDA has moved The Content Factory-syndicated sports talker Dan Patrick into his live 9-noon slot. (Patrick also airs on Fox Sports Radio, but Columbus FSR affiliate Clear Channel sports WYTS/1230 doesn't air him due to WTDA gaining the separate, earlier syndication rights.)

Westwood One's Dennis Miller settles into the noon-3 PM slot on "Talk FM", followed by self-syndicated financial advice guru Dave Ramsey (3-6 PM) and TRN's Michael Savage (6-9 PM). TRN's Laura Ingraham, Jerry Doyle and Phil Hendrie round out the evening WTDA schedule...