OMW's hearing a LOT of rumblings about various local air personalities moving up and down Interstate 77.
Our first tidbit - the Local Rumor Mill(tm) tells us that oldies WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7" Cleveland's now-former midday personality Mike Ivers could land in the same time slot down in Akron, taking the opening at WAKR/1590 - recently posted right here on OMW - for a midday personality and music director. Along those lines, the move could very well mean that WAKR moves away from standards, and becomes more of a 50's/60's oldies outlet. With the migration of standards into soft AC, especially by satellite networks like WAKR's own Westwood One feed, this would seem to make sense, and Ivers could certainly deliver the oldies goods for WAKR.
A side note: Starting today, at Ivers' old home, afternoon driver Don "Action" Jackson picks up an extra hour on his shift...he's on the air now starting at 2 PM on "Majic 105.7". Presumably, this is so that Chuck Collier's midday WMJI voicetracks don't fill up as much hard drive space on Prophet NexGen...
Our second tidbit - it's very well possible that a Cleveland program director and an Akron/Canton area program director both had a hunger for sushi for lunch this afternoon, and both at the same time and place. Imagine that! Last we checked, downtown Cleveland is a bit far to drive just for sushi...they do have sushi places down this way, you know.
It'd be pointing out the obvious to note that the Cleveland station recently lost its afternoon drive personality, who's headed for a programming job elsewhere. Can you FIGure out what we're talking about? OMW hears that the open afternoon slot in Cleveland could come with APD stripes as well...
Oh, and part of the I-77 Shuttle that does not involve actual people...as first reported exclusively here on OMW, MediaCom talk WNIR/100.1 Kent/Akron has now joined up with the ABC Information Network for its hourly newscasts. But sister sports talk rimshot daytimer WJMP/1520 Kent ("Fox Sports 1520") is hanging onto the CBS newscasts that ran on WNIR for many, many years. We don't know if this is permanent, or if they just haven't gotten around to programming WJMP's automation computer....
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Monday, September 05, 2005
Katrina Relief: Local TV and WSTB/Streetsboro
A reminder - it's easy to donate without even listening to the radio or watching TV. Don't wait for later this week. Click this very easy link above, and you can donate to the American Red Cross' Katrina Relief fund without even leaving your computer. It's that easy.
We can't find a lot of details on it - among other places, on the TV stations' own websites - but OMW hears that the Cleveland market's TV stations will do an hour fundraising special for Hurricane Katrina relief called "Northeast Ohio Responds", this coming Friday from 7-8 PM.
It's expected to be similar to a special which aired on all major Northeast Ohio TV stations, after the tsunami which hit southeast Asia. OMW assumes that Channels 3, 5, 8, 19, 25, 43, 45/49 and 55 will air the Katrina special, but we're not sure about WVPX/23...which is no longer being operated by WKYC/3. "23 News" anchor Eric Mansfield, who counts WKYC as his primary employer, represented "PAX 23" on that earlier special.
By the way, Eric's off the air again at "Akron/Canton News", and it's directly related to Katrina. His southwest Ohio-based National Guard unit has been called up to help in the aftermath of the hurricane. "Akron/Canton News" reporter Joy Benedict fills the anchor chair for Eric at 6:30 and 9 PM on Time Warner 23, as Mr. Mansfield once again capably serves his country. While we were looking for news on this, OMW noticed the absence of Akron-based reporter John Friess from the "Akron/Canton News" and WKYC websites...it appears WKYC's Vic Gideon is now taking that reporting slot.
GM Bob Long of Streetsboro-based alt-rock/oldies WSTB/88.9 checks in with OMW, and tells us that they'll be participating in the NAB's "Broadcast Unity Day" on Friday, September 9th. More details to come...
Katrina Relief: WTAM/1100 and Indians Event
OMW hasn't heard this on the air yet on the Big One, but this one IS a Big One.
The Cleveland Indians are the driving force in this effort to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, starting this Thursday morning at Jacobs Field. WTAM's involvement includes morning team "Wills and Coleman", who broadcast their show live from Gateway Plaza there Thursday and Friday, and will be collecting money for the American Red Cross' Katrina relief fund.
The team itself will also be collecting money during home games from September 8 through September 11. That last one is a big game - as the Tribe hosts the Minnesota Twins in a nationally televised tilt (ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball").
This press release from the Tribe details it. We reprint it, in full, below. It also mentions another Indians media partner, WEWS/5, but doesn't detail what NewsChannel 5 is doing in this particular effort...presumably, at least, Channel 5 will broadcast public service announcements about the effort.
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CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians today announced their plan, with the support of media partners WTAM and WEWS-TV5, to raise a minimum of $100,000 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts through monetary contributions from the Indians organization and Tribe fans.
The Indians have scheduled THREE (3) MONETARY COLLECTION DRIVES next week (September 8-11) in addition to the contributions made from the Indians Players and Organization:
WTAM WILLS & COLEMAN MORNING SHOW COLLECTION LIVE AT GATEWAY PLAZA SEPTEMBER 8 & 9 FROM 5AM-9AM
WTAM Wills and Coleman Morning Show to broadcast their entire show live from Gateway Plaza at Jacobs Field on September 8 & 9. From 5AM-9AM Tribe fans can come downtown to make monetary contributions. Fans making a cash donation will receive a "special thank you gift" from the Indians while supplies last. The collection booth will be located in front of the WTAM tent on Gateway Plaza. Fans can DRIVE their cars to the collection booth by accessing Gateway Plaza via Eagle Ave. off both Ontario St. and E. 9th St. in downtown Cleveland.
GAMEDAY COLLECTION DRIVE TO BE HELD INSIDE JACOBS FIELD DURING TRIBE HOME GAMES SEPTEMBER 8-11
The Indians plan to play host to a monetary collection drive inside Jacobs Field during their home games next week September 8-11. The collection drive will be run from the time gates open for each game until the 7th inning in two locations (Sections 157 & 541). Fans making a cash donation will receive a "special thank you gift" from the Indians while supplies last.
PROCEEDS FROM SEPTEMBER 10 SILENT AUCTION TO BENEFIT RED CROSS
All of the proceeds from CIC's upcoming Silent Auction on Saturday, September 10 to benefit the ARC Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The auction, located on the main concourse at section 157, will feature an autographed team bat, a game used autographed base and other one of kind Indians memorabilia.
The Cleveland Indians are the driving force in this effort to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, starting this Thursday morning at Jacobs Field. WTAM's involvement includes morning team "Wills and Coleman", who broadcast their show live from Gateway Plaza there Thursday and Friday, and will be collecting money for the American Red Cross' Katrina relief fund.
The team itself will also be collecting money during home games from September 8 through September 11. That last one is a big game - as the Tribe hosts the Minnesota Twins in a nationally televised tilt (ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball").
This press release from the Tribe details it. We reprint it, in full, below. It also mentions another Indians media partner, WEWS/5, but doesn't detail what NewsChannel 5 is doing in this particular effort...presumably, at least, Channel 5 will broadcast public service announcements about the effort.
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CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians today announced their plan, with the support of media partners WTAM and WEWS-TV5, to raise a minimum of $100,000 for the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts through monetary contributions from the Indians organization and Tribe fans.
The Indians have scheduled THREE (3) MONETARY COLLECTION DRIVES next week (September 8-11) in addition to the contributions made from the Indians Players and Organization:
WTAM WILLS & COLEMAN MORNING SHOW COLLECTION LIVE AT GATEWAY PLAZA SEPTEMBER 8 & 9 FROM 5AM-9AM
WTAM Wills and Coleman Morning Show to broadcast their entire show live from Gateway Plaza at Jacobs Field on September 8 & 9. From 5AM-9AM Tribe fans can come downtown to make monetary contributions. Fans making a cash donation will receive a "special thank you gift" from the Indians while supplies last. The collection booth will be located in front of the WTAM tent on Gateway Plaza. Fans can DRIVE their cars to the collection booth by accessing Gateway Plaza via Eagle Ave. off both Ontario St. and E. 9th St. in downtown Cleveland.
GAMEDAY COLLECTION DRIVE TO BE HELD INSIDE JACOBS FIELD DURING TRIBE HOME GAMES SEPTEMBER 8-11
The Indians plan to play host to a monetary collection drive inside Jacobs Field during their home games next week September 8-11. The collection drive will be run from the time gates open for each game until the 7th inning in two locations (Sections 157 & 541). Fans making a cash donation will receive a "special thank you gift" from the Indians while supplies last.
PROCEEDS FROM SEPTEMBER 10 SILENT AUCTION TO BENEFIT RED CROSS
All of the proceeds from CIC's upcoming Silent Auction on Saturday, September 10 to benefit the ARC Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. The auction, located on the main concourse at section 157, will feature an autographed team bat, a game used autographed base and other one of kind Indians memorabilia.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Odds and Ends
Clearing out the files on this early Saturday morning:
* North American Broadcasting rocker WBZX/99.7 "Blitz" Columbus has dropped the syndicated Howard Stern show, citing an FCC investigation of the station due to things aired on Stern's show. Click here for an MP3 of the station's audio explanation of the situation. A locally-produced morning show will replace Stern. As far as how it affects Northeast Ohio, it means we won't have the fall ratings book to see how Cleveland's "Rover" (based at WXTM/92.3) does up against the last few months of Howard Stern, in a market outside Cleveland. The top morning, uh, dog at WXTM airs in Columbus on Infinity rocker WAZU/107.1, which is known as...and no, Northeast Ohio folks, we're not making this up..."The Big Wazoo".
* Back on the Beacon Broadcasting beat again...we hear that returned-silent-returned-silent WGRP/940 Greenville PA could be back up again in a couple of days. And when it does return, it'll likely once again simulcast the oldies format originating at Youngstown market rimshot WLOA/1470 Farrell PA. Only this time, we hear that WANR/1570 Warren may finally come along for the ride, and that the simulcast - presumably with some of the live air personalities that air on 1570 - will not carry the "Wexy 107" name. We'll see.
* OMW asked for input from stations which are doing benefits for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We've had precious few responses, though it is going into a holiday weekend. We do hear from AllAccess that Radio One gospel WJMO/1490 Cleveland is holding a blood - and financial - drive with help from the American Red Cross next Saturday, the 10th...it's called "The Praise 1490 Unity in the Community Day". And Clear Channel country WNCO/101.3 Ashland will hold a song auction next Tuesday, soliciting $5 donations for song requests all day...$10 for dedications.
We quite frankly hope the lack of response to our call is due to the Labor Day holiday weekend, and not due to the fact that Northeast Ohio stations aren't doing much in the drive to help Katrina's victims. We know that area program directors, on-air and off-air staffers and others read our words. And we're particularly proud that our former primary employer, in a market smaller than Akron or Canton, raised over a half-million dollars in just over a day between the cluster's 5 radio stations...we know that the people of Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown are generous folks, and we only expect the best here.
* North American Broadcasting rocker WBZX/99.7 "Blitz" Columbus has dropped the syndicated Howard Stern show, citing an FCC investigation of the station due to things aired on Stern's show. Click here for an MP3 of the station's audio explanation of the situation. A locally-produced morning show will replace Stern. As far as how it affects Northeast Ohio, it means we won't have the fall ratings book to see how Cleveland's "Rover" (based at WXTM/92.3) does up against the last few months of Howard Stern, in a market outside Cleveland. The top morning, uh, dog at WXTM airs in Columbus on Infinity rocker WAZU/107.1, which is known as...and no, Northeast Ohio folks, we're not making this up..."The Big Wazoo".
* Back on the Beacon Broadcasting beat again...we hear that returned-silent-returned-silent WGRP/940 Greenville PA could be back up again in a couple of days. And when it does return, it'll likely once again simulcast the oldies format originating at Youngstown market rimshot WLOA/1470 Farrell PA. Only this time, we hear that WANR/1570 Warren may finally come along for the ride, and that the simulcast - presumably with some of the live air personalities that air on 1570 - will not carry the "Wexy 107" name. We'll see.
* OMW asked for input from stations which are doing benefits for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We've had precious few responses, though it is going into a holiday weekend. We do hear from AllAccess that Radio One gospel WJMO/1490 Cleveland is holding a blood - and financial - drive with help from the American Red Cross next Saturday, the 10th...it's called "The Praise 1490 Unity in the Community Day". And Clear Channel country WNCO/101.3 Ashland will hold a song auction next Tuesday, soliciting $5 donations for song requests all day...$10 for dedications.
We quite frankly hope the lack of response to our call is due to the Labor Day holiday weekend, and not due to the fact that Northeast Ohio stations aren't doing much in the drive to help Katrina's victims. We know that area program directors, on-air and off-air staffers and others read our words. And we're particularly proud that our former primary employer, in a market smaller than Akron or Canton, raised over a half-million dollars in just over a day between the cluster's 5 radio stations...we know that the people of Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown are generous folks, and we only expect the best here.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Mike Ivers Out, Chuck Collier In - WMJI Middays
Thanks to Radio-Info Cleveland board regular Johnny Morgan for the tip...
It appears that WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7" vet Mike Ivers is out in middays at the CC Cleveland oldies powerhouse. He's been removed from the WMJI website, and has been replaced by Chuck Collier, better known as country WGAR/99.5's afternoon driver. Unless Chuck's slaving over a hot console from 10 AM to 7 PM, we'd have to assume that some of that time is voicetracked, likely on WMJI.
Collier isn't the only voice associated with both stations. Daune Robinson has been on both WMJI and WGAR (not to mention some work reporting and anchoring on WTAM/1100!). Oddly enough, the new CC-standard-issue WGAR website links her under the "On Air" pull-down menu as "Duane Robinson", despite this in her WGAR bio:
"Fun Fact: Her name is not 'Duane!' Her father swore that D-A-U-N-E was the only way he'd ever seen 'Dawn' spelled, and Daune has since learned it's the old Celtic way of spelling the name."
Heh. We hope the WGAR webmaster won't see any of that karate action from Daune...
This isn't the first time Collier's new assignment displaces a Cleveland radio vet. He moved to WGAR's PM drive shift from middays there a few years ago, after the station declined to renew the contract of long-time Cleveland air personality Danny Wright. Danny eventually landed as Jones Radio's syndicated overnight host, and is heard in Northern Ohio on WQXK/105.1 ("K105") Salem and WKFM/96.1 Huron on the "Wright All Night" show.
It appears that WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7" vet Mike Ivers is out in middays at the CC Cleveland oldies powerhouse. He's been removed from the WMJI website, and has been replaced by Chuck Collier, better known as country WGAR/99.5's afternoon driver. Unless Chuck's slaving over a hot console from 10 AM to 7 PM, we'd have to assume that some of that time is voicetracked, likely on WMJI.
Collier isn't the only voice associated with both stations. Daune Robinson has been on both WMJI and WGAR (not to mention some work reporting and anchoring on WTAM/1100!). Oddly enough, the new CC-standard-issue WGAR website links her under the "On Air" pull-down menu as "Duane Robinson", despite this in her WGAR bio:
"Fun Fact: Her name is not 'Duane!' Her father swore that D-A-U-N-E was the only way he'd ever seen 'Dawn' spelled, and Daune has since learned it's the old Celtic way of spelling the name."
Heh. We hope the WGAR webmaster won't see any of that karate action from Daune...
This isn't the first time Collier's new assignment displaces a Cleveland radio vet. He moved to WGAR's PM drive shift from middays there a few years ago, after the station declined to renew the contract of long-time Cleveland air personality Danny Wright. Danny eventually landed as Jones Radio's syndicated overnight host, and is heard in Northern Ohio on WQXK/105.1 ("K105") Salem and WKFM/96.1 Huron on the "Wright All Night" show.
Rumblings: Q104 PM Driver Leaving For Programming Gig
Message board chatter would indicate that WQAL/104.1 Cleveland ("Q104") afternoon driver Brian "Fig" Figula is heading out of the Infinity hot AC station, destined for an unspecified programming job elsewhere. Assuming that there's a fire under all that smoke, we wish "Fig" well!
One other note: We'd appreciate if people from stations all over Northeast Ohio would give us an update on what they're doing regarding Hurricane Katrina relief. Drop OMW a note - the E-Mail link is under the "View my complete profile" link on the left of each and every page.
And if you'd like to provide some individual help to the Katrina relief effort, visit The American Red Cross' page, and click on the giant red "Donate Now" button...
One other note: We'd appreciate if people from stations all over Northeast Ohio would give us an update on what they're doing regarding Hurricane Katrina relief. Drop OMW a note - the E-Mail link is under the "View my complete profile" link on the left of each and every page.
And if you'd like to provide some individual help to the Katrina relief effort, visit The American Red Cross' page, and click on the giant red "Donate Now" button...
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
We Thought They Only Did That At Beacon Broadcasting
From AllAccess.com today:
THREE TREES COMMUNICATIONS Christian Top 40 (THE HOOK) WWWD/MACON, GA and simulcast sister WJYF/VALDOSTA, GA has rolled out a brand new fall on air lineup and, for the first time ever, the station is live in every daypart. The changes all began last weekend when THE HOOK stunted with an ALL APOLOGIES, ALL APOLOGETIX WEEKEND as they played songs by the Christian parody band APOLOGETIX.
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Tell us, Mahoning Valley OMW readers...has Michael "Angel" Arch been spotted slipping out the back of WANR/1570 Warren's Courthouse Square studios, heading south towards Georgia? Or, maybe he's offering format change consulting services to CCM stations in other markets. Hmm...
THREE TREES COMMUNICATIONS Christian Top 40 (THE HOOK) WWWD/MACON, GA and simulcast sister WJYF/VALDOSTA, GA has rolled out a brand new fall on air lineup and, for the first time ever, the station is live in every daypart. The changes all began last weekend when THE HOOK stunted with an ALL APOLOGIES, ALL APOLOGETIX WEEKEND as they played songs by the Christian parody band APOLOGETIX.
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Tell us, Mahoning Valley OMW readers...has Michael "Angel" Arch been spotted slipping out the back of WANR/1570 Warren's Courthouse Square studios, heading south towards Georgia? Or, maybe he's offering format change consulting services to CCM stations in other markets. Hmm...
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Toledo and Mansfield - The Sequel
Touching on the western edge of the OMW coverage area:
* AllAccess reports that long-time Toledo radio personality Denny Schaffer is heading south. The WSPD/1370 afternoon host, who's also been heard on "KISS FM" in that market, moves to Clear Channel Atlanta talker WGST/640, where he'll take the open midday slot starting in early October. Among other folks who've been heard in that slot - "The Regular Guys", a former Los Angeles team who returned to an FM morning gig in the Atlanta market recently, creating the opening. OMW notes that Denny's got a big job on his hands...the WGST midday slot is up against WSB/Cox/Jones superstar Neal Boortz, who basically owns Atlanta talk radio. When WGST ran Premiere's Glenn Beck up against Boortz, well, let's just say it wasn't pretty for Beck.
* The first confirmation that Mansfield "KISS FM" combo 98.3 and 107.7 are going to simulcast classic rock "The Fox" (WGLN/102.3 Galion) is on this new website for "The Fox Rock Network"...where 98.3 and 107.7 are now clearly visible on the new "Fox" logo...
* AllAccess reports that long-time Toledo radio personality Denny Schaffer is heading south. The WSPD/1370 afternoon host, who's also been heard on "KISS FM" in that market, moves to Clear Channel Atlanta talker WGST/640, where he'll take the open midday slot starting in early October. Among other folks who've been heard in that slot - "The Regular Guys", a former Los Angeles team who returned to an FM morning gig in the Atlanta market recently, creating the opening. OMW notes that Denny's got a big job on his hands...the WGST midday slot is up against WSB/Cox/Jones superstar Neal Boortz, who basically owns Atlanta talk radio. When WGST ran Premiere's Glenn Beck up against Boortz, well, let's just say it wasn't pretty for Beck.
* The first confirmation that Mansfield "KISS FM" combo 98.3 and 107.7 are going to simulcast classic rock "The Fox" (WGLN/102.3 Galion) is on this new website for "The Fox Rock Network"...where 98.3 and 107.7 are now clearly visible on the new "Fox" logo...
Monday, August 29, 2005
WEWS "NewsChannel 5", It's Your Turn
News flash: OMW doesn't just have WOIO/19 in its sights.
A lack of sleep this morning, and curiosity about Hurricane Katrina, has us up at this early hour, and our TiVo landed on WEWS/5. (One of our regular rotating recordings is of ABC's "World News Now".)
Like almost all stations these days, "NewsChannel 5" has that ever, um, helpful news headline crawl...the TV invention borne out of the need to feed us extra information after the 9/11 attacks. Unlike WOIO, which uses the crawl on all of its newscasts, WEWS seems to limit it to "Good Morning Cleveland", which we never see because we're not usually awake at this hour.
It's not the news headlines which bother us. It's not the helpful 5 day forecast. No, it's the self-promotion.
On this morning's crawl, verbatim (thank you, TiVo!):
"YOU'RE WATCHING NEWSCHANNEL 5, HOME OF THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW. ON TODAY'S SHOW...GET YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER! TURN BACK THE CLOCK ON AGING WITH THE LATEST, MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION. AND, WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN THE BATHROOM? WE'RE GOING THERE. THAT'S TODAY AT FOUR ON OPRAH, FOLLOWED BY LIVE ON FIVE."
No, as Dave Barry might say if he were still doing his syndicated humor column, "we're not making this up". We get the feeling that if Hurricane Katrina were to somehow make it up here as a full-fledged 150 MPH-plus storm, the "NewsChannel 5" crawl would contain both crucial information and a plug for today's Oprah, complete with a lengthy list of topics. Frankly, we don't really need to know what "three things you need to do in the bathroom"...
A lack of sleep this morning, and curiosity about Hurricane Katrina, has us up at this early hour, and our TiVo landed on WEWS/5. (One of our regular rotating recordings is of ABC's "World News Now".)
Like almost all stations these days, "NewsChannel 5" has that ever, um, helpful news headline crawl...the TV invention borne out of the need to feed us extra information after the 9/11 attacks. Unlike WOIO, which uses the crawl on all of its newscasts, WEWS seems to limit it to "Good Morning Cleveland", which we never see because we're not usually awake at this hour.
It's not the news headlines which bother us. It's not the helpful 5 day forecast. No, it's the self-promotion.
On this morning's crawl, verbatim (thank you, TiVo!):
"YOU'RE WATCHING NEWSCHANNEL 5, HOME OF THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW. ON TODAY'S SHOW...GET YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER! TURN BACK THE CLOCK ON AGING WITH THE LATEST, MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION. AND, WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO IN THE BATHROOM? WE'RE GOING THERE. THAT'S TODAY AT FOUR ON OPRAH, FOLLOWED BY LIVE ON FIVE."
No, as Dave Barry might say if he were still doing his syndicated humor column, "we're not making this up". We get the feeling that if Hurricane Katrina were to somehow make it up here as a full-fledged 150 MPH-plus storm, the "NewsChannel 5" crawl would contain both crucial information and a plug for today's Oprah, complete with a lengthy list of topics. Frankly, we don't really need to know what "three things you need to do in the bathroom"...
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Mansfield CC Cluster Moves
On the far-southwest end of OMW's Sphere of Influence:
OMW hears that two "KISS FM Mid-Ohio" air talents are moving to Mansfield Clear Channel sister WYHT/105.3 ("Y105"), which is currently a Hot AC station. Making the move will be Nathan Tyler and Marty Scott, both voicetracking in from CC's Columbus cluster. Tyler does overnights and weekends for there for WNCI/97.9, and Scott is also based there, doing weekend shifts.
The move is revitalizing the Mansfield/Ashland Radio Rumor Mill. Speculation has focused on a shift from Hot AC to CHR for Y105, and a subsequent format change (or changes?) to the KISS FM combo, a dual-signal station at 98.3/Fredericktown and 107.7/Loudonville. We're not able to get a good bead on what might replace CHR on the 98.3/107.7 combo, or if the stations will even continue to simulcast. If OMW were at the Radio Betting Window, we'd put a $20 down on 98.3 and 107.7 becoming classic rock "The Fox", perhaps becoming stations two and three simulcast with WGLN/102.3 Galion...already in the format.
With the move of the "KISS" air talent to Y105, a format change towards CHR, or at least some music tweaking, seems possible for that station.
At one time, long ago, WBZW/107.7 in Loudonville was a locally-owned smooth jazz station, and actually targetted nearby Wooster...as a competitor to Dix's country WQKT/104.5, which now only competes locally with WKLM/95.3 Millersburg (not counting large Cleveland, Akron and Canton signals heard well in Wooster).
OMW hears that two "KISS FM Mid-Ohio" air talents are moving to Mansfield Clear Channel sister WYHT/105.3 ("Y105"), which is currently a Hot AC station. Making the move will be Nathan Tyler and Marty Scott, both voicetracking in from CC's Columbus cluster. Tyler does overnights and weekends for there for WNCI/97.9, and Scott is also based there, doing weekend shifts.
The move is revitalizing the Mansfield/Ashland Radio Rumor Mill. Speculation has focused on a shift from Hot AC to CHR for Y105, and a subsequent format change (or changes?) to the KISS FM combo, a dual-signal station at 98.3/Fredericktown and 107.7/Loudonville. We're not able to get a good bead on what might replace CHR on the 98.3/107.7 combo, or if the stations will even continue to simulcast. If OMW were at the Radio Betting Window, we'd put a $20 down on 98.3 and 107.7 becoming classic rock "The Fox", perhaps becoming stations two and three simulcast with WGLN/102.3 Galion...already in the format.
With the move of the "KISS" air talent to Y105, a format change towards CHR, or at least some music tweaking, seems possible for that station.
At one time, long ago, WBZW/107.7 in Loudonville was a locally-owned smooth jazz station, and actually targetted nearby Wooster...as a competitor to Dix's country WQKT/104.5, which now only competes locally with WKLM/95.3 Millersburg (not counting large Cleveland, Akron and Canton signals heard well in Wooster).
Two Youngstown Cumulus Changes - WHOT and Rock 104
A pretty reliable source clues OMW into some changes at two Cumulus/Youngstown stations.
Our Mahoning Valley source tells us that WWIZ/103.9 "Rock 104" program director Jim Loboy is out of that post, and has moved over to the morning producer position at sister CHR WHOT/101.1 "Hot 101"...for long-time morning team "AC and Kelly".
Rock 104's Matt Spatz reportedly takes over as program director of the Cumulus rocker. (And OMW knows that Matt has been spotted on the various local radio message boards in the past, so if he'd like to drop us a line, we'd love to hear from him about what he has planned for Rock 104...)
Our Mahoning Valley source tells us that WWIZ/103.9 "Rock 104" program director Jim Loboy is out of that post, and has moved over to the morning producer position at sister CHR WHOT/101.1 "Hot 101"...for long-time morning team "AC and Kelly".
Rock 104's Matt Spatz reportedly takes over as program director of the Cumulus rocker. (And OMW knows that Matt has been spotted on the various local radio message boards in the past, so if he'd like to drop us a line, we'd love to hear from him about what he has planned for Rock 104...)
Saturday, August 27, 2005
More On That Toledo TV Thing
There's a good reason OMW doesn't touch on media news out of Toledo often - we don't really know the market.
A correction to our earlier report regarding Raycom Media (owner of WOIO/19 and WUAB/43 in Cleveland) and its merger with Liberty... it turns out that Raycom already owns Toledo NBC affiliate WNWO/24. Local media watchers there say it's likely that the newly merged Raycom will have to sell one of the two stations it'll end up with - the other being Liberty's WTOL/11. It's expected by most that WNWO will be on the Raycom chopping block because of the merger.
Though Raycom says it'll apply for a waiver, it isn't considered likely to be granted, according to an article in the Toledo Blade newspaper. TV duopoly ownership rules apparently don't permit one company owning both stations in a market the size of Toledo, but Raycom is allowed the duopoly in Cleveland with 19 and 43.
A correction to our earlier report regarding Raycom Media (owner of WOIO/19 and WUAB/43 in Cleveland) and its merger with Liberty... it turns out that Raycom already owns Toledo NBC affiliate WNWO/24. Local media watchers there say it's likely that the newly merged Raycom will have to sell one of the two stations it'll end up with - the other being Liberty's WTOL/11. It's expected by most that WNWO will be on the Raycom chopping block because of the merger.
Though Raycom says it'll apply for a waiver, it isn't considered likely to be granted, according to an article in the Toledo Blade newspaper. TV duopoly ownership rules apparently don't permit one company owning both stations in a market the size of Toledo, but Raycom is allowed the duopoly in Cleveland with 19 and 43.
Browns Preseason: Week 3
OMW realizes that WOIO/19 is basically an easy target. We're trying, as we continue to grow this blog, not to take too many pot shots at the local CBS affiliate...even if they deserve pretty much all of them.
So, we'll open our look at the third Browns preseason TV telecast on a positive note.
* The team of Sam Rosen, Bob Golic and Brian Brennan is meshing well. And in his second week as a "co-analyst", after the disaster that was week one's play-by-play role, former Browns defensive lineman and WNIR afternoon host Golic was insightful, not just funny. For the first time this preseason, we got "off camera" information that really helped to understand what was going on, on the field between the Browns and the Carolina Panthers. (But, don't lose the humor, Bob! Especially if a game turns into a blowout, which we worry will happen a lot this season with the Browns, the humor is darn near necessary to keep people watching.) Golic wasn't perfect this week - for one, he didn't realize until being corrected by Brennan that having too few men on the field wouldn't result in a penalty - but it was, in general, a solid effort.
* 19 Action News anchor Sharon Reed turned in a pretty solid sideline performance, with much less of the fluff we saw from her in week one. 19 sports director Chuck Galeti also did well. Someone must have gotten out the word that actual, well, information was key, not just self-promoting and clowning. Good work.
All in all, it was a decent performance for WOIO in its third game as the Browns preseason home.
But - and you knew there'd be a but, didn't you? - there was one thing that bothered us, and it had nothing to do with the on-air performance of the massive WOIO Browns Coverage Team.
At OMW World Domination Headquarters in northwest Akron, we have digital cable and high-definition service from Adelphia. Though we actually haven't managed to buy a full-fledged HDTV set, we always watch shows on the digital/HD channel wherever possible, since the picture quality is outstanding even on our 32" Toshiba analog set...being fed from the cable box (Scientific Atlanta 8000HD) in down-converted 480i via a component video link. (If you don't understand any of that, trust us, it looks good.)
But of all the local over-air digital TV stations, WOIO-DT always looks the worst, when it comes to airing upconverted SD (standard definition) programming. We suspect some of this is because WOIO apparently has no digital equipment in its Reserve Square studios (SD, HD or whatever), and that it takes the final analog output from its switcher and feeds it directly into the upconverter. The result, and 19's general picture settings, means a washed out picture even in digital mode...which looks like someone there turned up the contrast way too high.
In the Browns game broadcast last night, the WOIO-DT version showed some problems with the upconverting from analog to digital. It was intermittent, but at times, live action looked like it was off in terms of the frame rate, and the video almost took on a film quality...or at least, it appeared even the live action was run through the same filter stations use to produce promos of stutter-stepping football players.
It didn't last the entire game, but it was enough at one point to drive OMW to Adelphia's analog cable channel 4.
We're told by others that this is an ongoing problem with WOIO-DT, and has been seen in other programming, including "19 Action News". (Note: When WOIO's digital signal reproduces CBS's prime time HDTV programming, it looks fine. And more good news for HDTV fans - OMW has learned that CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" will broadcast in high-definition starting on Monday!)
And our final Browns preseason TV note: this word on the ratings for week one and two, courtesy of the Browns media staff:
"Despite a 90-minute inclement weather delay in the preseason opener against the New York Giants on August 13th, the game, which began at 8 p.m. and did not end until after midnight, had a 15.4 rating and a 29 share.
The second game in Detroit against the Lions on August 20th kicked-off at 1 p.m. and produced a 15.9 rating and 39 share, which was the highest rated show that day by 50%.
Both games were the highest rated television program in the city of Cleveland each week."
So, we'll open our look at the third Browns preseason TV telecast on a positive note.
* The team of Sam Rosen, Bob Golic and Brian Brennan is meshing well. And in his second week as a "co-analyst", after the disaster that was week one's play-by-play role, former Browns defensive lineman and WNIR afternoon host Golic was insightful, not just funny. For the first time this preseason, we got "off camera" information that really helped to understand what was going on, on the field between the Browns and the Carolina Panthers. (But, don't lose the humor, Bob! Especially if a game turns into a blowout, which we worry will happen a lot this season with the Browns, the humor is darn near necessary to keep people watching.) Golic wasn't perfect this week - for one, he didn't realize until being corrected by Brennan that having too few men on the field wouldn't result in a penalty - but it was, in general, a solid effort.
* 19 Action News anchor Sharon Reed turned in a pretty solid sideline performance, with much less of the fluff we saw from her in week one. 19 sports director Chuck Galeti also did well. Someone must have gotten out the word that actual, well, information was key, not just self-promoting and clowning. Good work.
All in all, it was a decent performance for WOIO in its third game as the Browns preseason home.
But - and you knew there'd be a but, didn't you? - there was one thing that bothered us, and it had nothing to do with the on-air performance of the massive WOIO Browns Coverage Team.
At OMW World Domination Headquarters in northwest Akron, we have digital cable and high-definition service from Adelphia. Though we actually haven't managed to buy a full-fledged HDTV set, we always watch shows on the digital/HD channel wherever possible, since the picture quality is outstanding even on our 32" Toshiba analog set...being fed from the cable box (Scientific Atlanta 8000HD) in down-converted 480i via a component video link. (If you don't understand any of that, trust us, it looks good.)
But of all the local over-air digital TV stations, WOIO-DT always looks the worst, when it comes to airing upconverted SD (standard definition) programming. We suspect some of this is because WOIO apparently has no digital equipment in its Reserve Square studios (SD, HD or whatever), and that it takes the final analog output from its switcher and feeds it directly into the upconverter. The result, and 19's general picture settings, means a washed out picture even in digital mode...which looks like someone there turned up the contrast way too high.
In the Browns game broadcast last night, the WOIO-DT version showed some problems with the upconverting from analog to digital. It was intermittent, but at times, live action looked like it was off in terms of the frame rate, and the video almost took on a film quality...or at least, it appeared even the live action was run through the same filter stations use to produce promos of stutter-stepping football players.
It didn't last the entire game, but it was enough at one point to drive OMW to Adelphia's analog cable channel 4.
We're told by others that this is an ongoing problem with WOIO-DT, and has been seen in other programming, including "19 Action News". (Note: When WOIO's digital signal reproduces CBS's prime time HDTV programming, it looks fine. And more good news for HDTV fans - OMW has learned that CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" will broadcast in high-definition starting on Monday!)
And our final Browns preseason TV note: this word on the ratings for week one and two, courtesy of the Browns media staff:
"Despite a 90-minute inclement weather delay in the preseason opener against the New York Giants on August 13th, the game, which began at 8 p.m. and did not end until after midnight, had a 15.4 rating and a 29 share.
The second game in Detroit against the Lions on August 20th kicked-off at 1 p.m. and produced a 15.9 rating and 39 share, which was the highest rated show that day by 50%.
Both games were the highest rated television program in the city of Cleveland each week."
Friday, August 26, 2005
WOIO/WUAB Pick Up Some Sister Stations
It probably doesn't mean much for Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19 and UPN affiliate WUAB/43, but their parent company (Raycom Media) is taking over the Liberty group of 15 TV stations.
With nearly all of its operations in the Southeast, Liberty's only Ohio station is Toledo CBS affliate WTOL/11 - better known as "Toledo 11". It's possible the merger will mean more cooperation between WTOL and the Raycom operations in Cleveland, at least in the area of news.
And no, Toledo TV watchers, don't expect naked anchorwomen after the deal becomes final. WOIO's ratings stunt, when anchor/reporter Sharon Reed doffed all her clothes to join the "naked art" photographing session with Spencer Tunick, did not sit well with the conservative ownership of Raycom, based in Montgomery, Alabama. (By the way, while we're in the Land of Naked Newswomen, OMW notes that former WKBN/27 Youngstown anchor Catherine Bosley was seen - fully clothed - doing fill-in reporting on "19 Action News" recently. Our only question: What took 'em so long? And when are the breathless "the ONLY station with TWO anchors who dared to bare it all" promos going to hit the WOIO airwaves?)
With nearly all of its operations in the Southeast, Liberty's only Ohio station is Toledo CBS affliate WTOL/11 - better known as "Toledo 11". It's possible the merger will mean more cooperation between WTOL and the Raycom operations in Cleveland, at least in the area of news.
And no, Toledo TV watchers, don't expect naked anchorwomen after the deal becomes final. WOIO's ratings stunt, when anchor/reporter Sharon Reed doffed all her clothes to join the "naked art" photographing session with Spencer Tunick, did not sit well with the conservative ownership of Raycom, based in Montgomery, Alabama. (By the way, while we're in the Land of Naked Newswomen, OMW notes that former WKBN/27 Youngstown anchor Catherine Bosley was seen - fully clothed - doing fill-in reporting on "19 Action News" recently. Our only question: What took 'em so long? And when are the breathless "the ONLY station with TWO anchors who dared to bare it all" promos going to hit the WOIO airwaves?)
Thursday, August 25, 2005
More Loose Ends
Yes, we're still here at OMW. As seems to be normal, more happens when we're away from Northeast Ohio than when we're actually here. (If our base of operations ever moves out of the area, watch out! The entire radio spectrum in the area may combust spontaneously!)
But there are still some loose ends to tie up. Most of this has been elsewhere, but OMW feels the need to add it to our own record.
* OMW noticed the absence of long-time Akron Aeros play-by-play voice Jim Clark on WARF/1350 this week, with fill-in Joe Jazstremski doing the honors on a road trip to Erie. When his absence stretched to three days, we became concerned. But we hear there's no reason for worry, as Clark has been off to spend before-school-year vacation time with his family.
* The "brain drain" at Cleveland pubcaster WCPN/90.3 continues, as the Plain Dealer reports the departure of reporter/anchor Janet Babin...for a new gig with public radio's syndicated "Marketplace". The departure apparently doesn't concern "ideastream"'s management...but at least she didn't bolt for competitor WKSU/89.7, as another WCPN news staffer did recently. The mix between WCPN and co-owned WVIZ/25 has always been a bit uneasy, to outside observers, and may get even more so with the TV station moving downtown.
* The Plain Dealer discovers the Internet and radio, and notes WKSU's new classical and news audio streams. The possible use of these streams on WKSU's upcoming HD Radio feeds is touched upon, but sees no elaboration in Clint O'Connor's article. Also not mentioned: the long-standing rumor that WKSU will split its classical and news/talk feeds with the purchase of one of Akron's two non-commercial stations.
* It was a promising debut for veteran sports play-by-play man Sam Rosen over the weekend, who basically single-handedly rescued WOIO/19's pre-season Browns coverage. And a nice recovery for Bob Golic, the ex-Brown and WNIR/100.1 afternoon host who was, as expected, much more comfortable doing color commentary. But...that leaves the WOIO booth very crowded, as Golic now shares analyst duties with another ex-Browns player, Brian Brennan. And, the station's continuing to bring in a third "guest analyst", another former Browns player slot which rotates each week. Add to that mix WOIO's Chuck Galeti, Sharon Reed and Brian Duffy, and the size of the station's Browns crew is approaching the number of players on the field! OMW suspects that the station likes the "larger than life" numbers, and that they won't cut back anyway, since there are only two WOIO-produced games left.
* Radio trade site AllAccess.com reports that WMMS/100.7 afternoon guy "Maxwell" has inked a new 3 year deal. It's a long-term deal in a slot that once featured another station vet, "Slats".
* AllAccess also reports the departure of "Johnny D" from Toledo CHR WVKS/92.5 "Kiss". As with the item about Cincinnati, we don't spend a lot of time in the Toledo market, but note that "Johnny" apparently did time at Cleveland's 92.3, back when it was "Jammin'" WZJM.
But there are still some loose ends to tie up. Most of this has been elsewhere, but OMW feels the need to add it to our own record.
* OMW noticed the absence of long-time Akron Aeros play-by-play voice Jim Clark on WARF/1350 this week, with fill-in Joe Jazstremski doing the honors on a road trip to Erie. When his absence stretched to three days, we became concerned. But we hear there's no reason for worry, as Clark has been off to spend before-school-year vacation time with his family.
* The "brain drain" at Cleveland pubcaster WCPN/90.3 continues, as the Plain Dealer reports the departure of reporter/anchor Janet Babin...for a new gig with public radio's syndicated "Marketplace". The departure apparently doesn't concern "ideastream"'s management...but at least she didn't bolt for competitor WKSU/89.7, as another WCPN news staffer did recently. The mix between WCPN and co-owned WVIZ/25 has always been a bit uneasy, to outside observers, and may get even more so with the TV station moving downtown.
* The Plain Dealer discovers the Internet and radio, and notes WKSU's new classical and news audio streams. The possible use of these streams on WKSU's upcoming HD Radio feeds is touched upon, but sees no elaboration in Clint O'Connor's article. Also not mentioned: the long-standing rumor that WKSU will split its classical and news/talk feeds with the purchase of one of Akron's two non-commercial stations.
* It was a promising debut for veteran sports play-by-play man Sam Rosen over the weekend, who basically single-handedly rescued WOIO/19's pre-season Browns coverage. And a nice recovery for Bob Golic, the ex-Brown and WNIR/100.1 afternoon host who was, as expected, much more comfortable doing color commentary. But...that leaves the WOIO booth very crowded, as Golic now shares analyst duties with another ex-Browns player, Brian Brennan. And, the station's continuing to bring in a third "guest analyst", another former Browns player slot which rotates each week. Add to that mix WOIO's Chuck Galeti, Sharon Reed and Brian Duffy, and the size of the station's Browns crew is approaching the number of players on the field! OMW suspects that the station likes the "larger than life" numbers, and that they won't cut back anyway, since there are only two WOIO-produced games left.
* Radio trade site AllAccess.com reports that WMMS/100.7 afternoon guy "Maxwell" has inked a new 3 year deal. It's a long-term deal in a slot that once featured another station vet, "Slats".
* AllAccess also reports the departure of "Johnny D" from Toledo CHR WVKS/92.5 "Kiss". As with the item about Cincinnati, we don't spend a lot of time in the Toledo market, but note that "Johnny" apparently did time at Cleveland's 92.3, back when it was "Jammin'" WZJM.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
"X-Star" Goes Dark in Cincy
OMW is mostly a Northeast Ohio production, focusing on markets like Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown. It's where we live, and the area of the state we know best. We mostly don't intend on covering Columbus and Cincinnati, but this is a unique one.
The "X-Star Radio Network", a far-flung regional network of public radio FM stations based at Xavier University's WVXU/91.7 in Cincinnati, is going off the air tonight. In its place will be a new NPR-based news/talk service operated by incumbent Cincinnati public radio station WGUC/90.9, which will move many NPR talk programs to the new outlet...and focus more on its classical music output. (Does this sound familiar, OMW regulars? It's happening in other markets around the country, and may well be duplicated here in Northeast Ohio if WKSU/89.7 gets its hands on one of Akron's two non-commercial outlets.)
Though it appears WVXU did air some NPR programming, like "Morning Edition" and "Fresh Air", it also carried some very unique locally-produced talk and music programming. "X-Star" was by far not your typical local NPR station, and starting Monday, it'll be chock full (mostly) of NPR's news/talk programming. In one nod to "X-Star", the new WVXU will carry old-time radio shows...though not the locally-hosted productions once heard on the station. It'll run the syndicated "When Radio Was" weeknights.
The closest "X-Star" outlet to Northern Ohio is down in Chillicothe - OMW has heard it while on the road. In addition to that station, the Cincinnati base and a station in West Union, WVXU also has repeaters in northern Michigan...stations we've also heard. In fact, OMW's first encounter with "X-Star" was while driving through that state.
It seems somewhat likely that the Michigan stations will be spun off to another operator, as it appears UNLIKELY that WGUC has any interest in serving that far-off area.
The "X-Star Radio Network", a far-flung regional network of public radio FM stations based at Xavier University's WVXU/91.7 in Cincinnati, is going off the air tonight. In its place will be a new NPR-based news/talk service operated by incumbent Cincinnati public radio station WGUC/90.9, which will move many NPR talk programs to the new outlet...and focus more on its classical music output. (Does this sound familiar, OMW regulars? It's happening in other markets around the country, and may well be duplicated here in Northeast Ohio if WKSU/89.7 gets its hands on one of Akron's two non-commercial outlets.)
Though it appears WVXU did air some NPR programming, like "Morning Edition" and "Fresh Air", it also carried some very unique locally-produced talk and music programming. "X-Star" was by far not your typical local NPR station, and starting Monday, it'll be chock full (mostly) of NPR's news/talk programming. In one nod to "X-Star", the new WVXU will carry old-time radio shows...though not the locally-hosted productions once heard on the station. It'll run the syndicated "When Radio Was" weeknights.
The closest "X-Star" outlet to Northern Ohio is down in Chillicothe - OMW has heard it while on the road. In addition to that station, the Cincinnati base and a station in West Union, WVXU also has repeaters in northern Michigan...stations we've also heard. In fact, OMW's first encounter with "X-Star" was while driving through that state.
It seems somewhat likely that the Michigan stations will be spun off to another operator, as it appears UNLIKELY that WGUC has any interest in serving that far-off area.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
It's a Bob Golic Triple Play!
STILL LIVE FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST -- We're not sure if the title on this one is a baseball joke about a former football player, or a radio joke, but regardless... we have one more item about WNIR afternoon host and Browns TV voice Bob Golic.
As reported below, Golic moves to the analyst's chair for the WOIO/19 broadcast of today's Browns/Detroit Lions game, which is at 1 PM this afternoon. Even WNIR boss Kaiser Bill hasn't figured out how to have Bob do his regular Saturday noon-4 PM show at the same time as he does color commentary on a televised football game, so someone's gotta fill in for Bob on 100.1 today.
WNIR morning host Stan Piatt says that there will indeed be a Golic on the air on WNIR this Saturday afternoon...and no, it's not Bob's brother, ESPN Radio morning co-host Mike Golic ("Mike and Mike"). It'll be Mrs. Bob Golic on the air in her husband's slot from noon until 4 PM. We're not really familiar with Mrs. Golic's on-air history, though there's a decent chance she has some experience in Los Angeles...where her husband did sports radio and TV for many years.
It'll be interesting, at any rate...
As reported below, Golic moves to the analyst's chair for the WOIO/19 broadcast of today's Browns/Detroit Lions game, which is at 1 PM this afternoon. Even WNIR boss Kaiser Bill hasn't figured out how to have Bob do his regular Saturday noon-4 PM show at the same time as he does color commentary on a televised football game, so someone's gotta fill in for Bob on 100.1 today.
WNIR morning host Stan Piatt says that there will indeed be a Golic on the air on WNIR this Saturday afternoon...and no, it's not Bob's brother, ESPN Radio morning co-host Mike Golic ("Mike and Mike"). It'll be Mrs. Bob Golic on the air in her husband's slot from noon until 4 PM. We're not really familiar with Mrs. Golic's on-air history, though there's a decent chance she has some experience in Los Angeles...where her husband did sports radio and TV for many years.
It'll be interesting, at any rate...
A MUCH Better Move For Bob Golic
LIVE FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST -- Just hours after OMW turned in our take on Bob Golic's performance on the Browns pre-season opener last weekend on WOIO/19, the Plain Dealer's Roger Brown reports in his Friday column that veteran play-by-play voice Sam Rosen has been hired to do the rest of the games, with Golic moving into a "co-analyst" role with fellow ex-Brown Brian Brennan.
And like Mr. Brown in his Monday column - where he held back a little less than we did in the item immediately below this one - we don't blame Bob Golic here. He never should have been asked to do the play-by-play in the first place, and will likely perform a thousand percent better not having to take that role. Golic clearly knows NFL football, and his insights will be welcome, but he isn't a play-by-play guy, despite his years of sports radio and TV experience after the end of his playing career (and after his last encounter with "Screech").
Kudos to both the Browns organization and WOIO/19 for addressing the problem sooner, rather than later, and for keeping the affable Golic in the booth in a more familiar role for him.
And OMW apologizes for our delayed coverage of this item. We're on the road, and have been dodging severe weather, travel fatigue and spotty Internet access...
And like Mr. Brown in his Monday column - where he held back a little less than we did in the item immediately below this one - we don't blame Bob Golic here. He never should have been asked to do the play-by-play in the first place, and will likely perform a thousand percent better not having to take that role. Golic clearly knows NFL football, and his insights will be welcome, but he isn't a play-by-play guy, despite his years of sports radio and TV experience after the end of his playing career (and after his last encounter with "Screech").
Kudos to both the Browns organization and WOIO/19 for addressing the problem sooner, rather than later, and for keeping the affable Golic in the booth in a more familiar role for him.
And OMW apologizes for our delayed coverage of this item. We're on the road, and have been dodging severe weather, travel fatigue and spotty Internet access...
Friday, August 19, 2005
Dear Bob
ON THE ROAD IN THE UPPER MIDWEST -- At OMW, we've been thinking about this for a while, and have been trying to word this as gently as possible.
It's almost a sport for This Space to take shots at Raycom Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19 and its "19 Action News". It's what it would look like if the folks at "The Star" tabloid in Florida decided to do local TV news in Northeast Ohio. And we've already taken WOIO to task for, among other things, its "domination" of the Browns training camp and its inability to update the news ticker to reflect breaking news.
But, we like Bob Golic, the former Browns star who eventually landed in Los Angeles with the Raiders, who then did local sports radio and TV (and "Saved by the Bell: The College Years"), then came back to town to do an impossible task, replacing radio legend and 20-year WNIR/100.1 veteran afternoon drive talk show host Joe Finan in the Akron market.
Golic is no Joe. Not only is he not a liberal, he's not as "deep" as Joe when it comes to weighty topics. He has broadcast training, but his voice sometimes throws a slight "jock" feeling into issues discussion...though he IS a graduate of Notre Dame, and presumably learned much more than where to find Touchdown Jesus.
But on the whole, WNIR did much better than it could have expected in replacing a station fixture. And the personable Golic has an easy, comfortable feel that fits the homespun Portage County-based station, and the Akron market in general.
That's why it pains OMW to write this. Dear Bob: That was the worst major market local TV sports broadcast we ever saw on Saturday, and it pained us to watch you struggle through it.
The Cleveland Browns opened up their home exhibition season by trying to play the New York Giants, and the WNIR afternoon host and ex-Brown did play-by-play for WOIO/19, with ex-Brown and sometimes WTAM weekend sports talk voice Brian Brennan in the booth, with another Brown as guest analyst - Reggie Rucker. Even before the game was interrupted by fierce thunderstorms, it wasn't going well for Golic, especially. He sounded like he was rushed into the booth. (For that matter, maybe he was, since we heard him do his regular Saturday afternoon show on WNIR until 4 PM, presumably live via phone from Cleveland Browns Stadium!)
Vamping without a game for over an hour is not easy, and that's not even the biggest part of our complaint about Golic, Brennan and Rucker. The rest of the actual game was very uneven, and many times, it sounded like Golic didn't realize that he was the main play-by-play voice. He'd wait, watch a play go off, and start commentary.
It was all the more noticeable for those who had the NFL Network - as we do at OMW World HQ in suburban Akron - and saw much more polished efforts by pretty much every other team they carried, both in games and in highlights.
We're not ready to write off Golic as a play-by-play man, yet. Later in the game, as he got more of his footing, he was more confident. But the effort clearly needs some work, and we expect (and hope for) a better showing by the last pre-season game. And since we like Bob, we're pulling for it to happen.
We have a feeling Golic knows what happened Saturday, and he's the last person who wants to see a repeat of it...even without the lightning.
It's almost a sport for This Space to take shots at Raycom Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19 and its "19 Action News". It's what it would look like if the folks at "The Star" tabloid in Florida decided to do local TV news in Northeast Ohio. And we've already taken WOIO to task for, among other things, its "domination" of the Browns training camp and its inability to update the news ticker to reflect breaking news.
But, we like Bob Golic, the former Browns star who eventually landed in Los Angeles with the Raiders, who then did local sports radio and TV (and "Saved by the Bell: The College Years"), then came back to town to do an impossible task, replacing radio legend and 20-year WNIR/100.1 veteran afternoon drive talk show host Joe Finan in the Akron market.
Golic is no Joe. Not only is he not a liberal, he's not as "deep" as Joe when it comes to weighty topics. He has broadcast training, but his voice sometimes throws a slight "jock" feeling into issues discussion...though he IS a graduate of Notre Dame, and presumably learned much more than where to find Touchdown Jesus.
But on the whole, WNIR did much better than it could have expected in replacing a station fixture. And the personable Golic has an easy, comfortable feel that fits the homespun Portage County-based station, and the Akron market in general.
That's why it pains OMW to write this. Dear Bob: That was the worst major market local TV sports broadcast we ever saw on Saturday, and it pained us to watch you struggle through it.
The Cleveland Browns opened up their home exhibition season by trying to play the New York Giants, and the WNIR afternoon host and ex-Brown did play-by-play for WOIO/19, with ex-Brown and sometimes WTAM weekend sports talk voice Brian Brennan in the booth, with another Brown as guest analyst - Reggie Rucker. Even before the game was interrupted by fierce thunderstorms, it wasn't going well for Golic, especially. He sounded like he was rushed into the booth. (For that matter, maybe he was, since we heard him do his regular Saturday afternoon show on WNIR until 4 PM, presumably live via phone from Cleveland Browns Stadium!)
Vamping without a game for over an hour is not easy, and that's not even the biggest part of our complaint about Golic, Brennan and Rucker. The rest of the actual game was very uneven, and many times, it sounded like Golic didn't realize that he was the main play-by-play voice. He'd wait, watch a play go off, and start commentary.
It was all the more noticeable for those who had the NFL Network - as we do at OMW World HQ in suburban Akron - and saw much more polished efforts by pretty much every other team they carried, both in games and in highlights.
We're not ready to write off Golic as a play-by-play man, yet. Later in the game, as he got more of his footing, he was more confident. But the effort clearly needs some work, and we expect (and hope for) a better showing by the last pre-season game. And since we like Bob, we're pulling for it to happen.
We have a feeling Golic knows what happened Saturday, and he's the last person who wants to see a repeat of it...even without the lightning.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Checking In From The Road
Greetings, OMW readers!
We're on the road, as mentioned, traversing much of the Upper Midwest with some friends until early next week. We've had some form of high-speed Internet access along the way each night, though "high-speed Internet" in hotels is becoming much like the advertised "continental breakfast"...your mileage, and speed, may vary.
One brief note which we'll expand upon later:
We're hearing that there may be a dispute behind the recent shuttering of Beacon Broadcasting's WGRP/940 Greenville PA, which returned to the air a while back simulcasting Youngstown market rimshot WLOA/1470 Farrell PA and its "Wexy 107" oldies format. The format, as any regular OMW reader could easily answer as a game show question, is the former oldies format from Beacon's WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA, now rimshotting the Youngstown market as Christian rocker "Freq 107".
The details are still not confirmed, so we won't go into much detail on what we've heard. But it appears that Beacon and new owner Harold Glunt, and WMVL/101.7 Linesville PA's Vilkie Communications, may not seeing eye to eye on some issues related to WGRP's return. WMVL operated WGRP in an LMA, and had filed to purchase it from Beacon late last year. The sale was approved by the FCC, but never consummated...but even after that, WMVL programmed the Greenville PA AM station until just a few weeks ago, at one point with an ABC satellite-delivered 24/7 AC format, and then with a simulcast of WMVL (oldies "Cool 101.7") itself. 940 then went off the air, until returning recently with the WLOA-based "Wexy 107" simulcast.
We'll have more news that's NOT from the World of Glunt later this week...
We're on the road, as mentioned, traversing much of the Upper Midwest with some friends until early next week. We've had some form of high-speed Internet access along the way each night, though "high-speed Internet" in hotels is becoming much like the advertised "continental breakfast"...your mileage, and speed, may vary.
One brief note which we'll expand upon later:
We're hearing that there may be a dispute behind the recent shuttering of Beacon Broadcasting's WGRP/940 Greenville PA, which returned to the air a while back simulcasting Youngstown market rimshot WLOA/1470 Farrell PA and its "Wexy 107" oldies format. The format, as any regular OMW reader could easily answer as a game show question, is the former oldies format from Beacon's WEXC/107.1 Greenville PA, now rimshotting the Youngstown market as Christian rocker "Freq 107".
The details are still not confirmed, so we won't go into much detail on what we've heard. But it appears that Beacon and new owner Harold Glunt, and WMVL/101.7 Linesville PA's Vilkie Communications, may not seeing eye to eye on some issues related to WGRP's return. WMVL operated WGRP in an LMA, and had filed to purchase it from Beacon late last year. The sale was approved by the FCC, but never consummated...but even after that, WMVL programmed the Greenville PA AM station until just a few weeks ago, at one point with an ABC satellite-delivered 24/7 AC format, and then with a simulcast of WMVL (oldies "Cool 101.7") itself. 940 then went off the air, until returning recently with the WLOA-based "Wexy 107" simulcast.
We'll have more news that's NOT from the World of Glunt later this week...
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