A fast-growing Northeast Ohio-based radio syndicator is moving...within the area...and hiring.
Beachwood-based Envision Radio Networks announces that it's finished the move to new, larger digs at 3733 Park East Drive, Room 222. The company's using the postal address of "Cleveland, OH 44122", but they tell us that Park East Drive is still in Beachwood, among the various hotels off the Chagrin Boulevard exit of I-271 in the eastern Cleveland area suburb.
And in a move that's pretty breathtaking when all sorts of media companies are laying off, Envision is actually hiring. Quoting their press release:
Envision Radio Networks® has additional staffing needs with the new expanded location. Resumes are now being accepted for these newly created positions: Marketing assistant, sales administrator, administrative assistant, and affiliate sales. Internships are also available. Send your resume and cover letter (no MP3s) to Laura Orkin at laurao@envisionradio.com. All positions will be based in the new Cleveland headquarters. No phone calls please.
And in case you're not sure what Envision does, from the release:
Envision Radio Networks, Inc. provides content and services to more than 1,000 radio stations and reaches over 40 million listeners weekly. Envision Radio Networks® is the largest independently owned affiliate relations company in the country and supplies all types of programming and services for radio including morning show prep, short-form vignettes, live syndicated morning shows, long-form weekend programming, comedy services, remote broadcasts and event programming, off-air tools and web content, album releases and artist specials. Envision Radio Networks® is based in Cleveland, Ohio, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Job Wanted - OMW Ad 1
As promised in our massive update about layoffs and job cuts early this week, OMW will continue to run both "Help Wanted" and "Job Wanted" advertisements as part of our regular content.
It's only fitting that our first "Job Wanted" ad comes from a long-time Friend of OMW, Chuck Matthews. Chuck's last full-time gig was at Cumulus in Toledo, where he was program director of talk WTOD/1560 "SuperTalk 1560" along with his production duties for the entire Cumulus Toledo cluster.
Since then, he's consulted Matrix talk WNWT/1520, also in Toledo, along with continuing to work on his voiceover business.
Here it is:
--------------
OMW faithful CHUCK MATTHEWS is still “beached”, seeking full or part-time in Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo and all points in between.
Chuck's VO/Production shingle is also out, for station VO, imaging and commercial production.
Demos at chuckmatthews.voices.com and at chuckmatthewsvoice.com.
Contact Chuck via cell at: (419) 350-6188
It's only fitting that our first "Job Wanted" ad comes from a long-time Friend of OMW, Chuck Matthews. Chuck's last full-time gig was at Cumulus in Toledo, where he was program director of talk WTOD/1560 "SuperTalk 1560" along with his production duties for the entire Cumulus Toledo cluster.
Since then, he's consulted Matrix talk WNWT/1520, also in Toledo, along with continuing to work on his voiceover business.
Here it is:
--------------
OMW faithful CHUCK MATTHEWS is still “beached”, seeking full or part-time in Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo and all points in between.
Chuck's VO/Production shingle is also out, for station VO, imaging and commercial production.
Demos at chuckmatthews.voices.com and at chuckmatthewsvoice.com.
Contact Chuck via cell at: (419) 350-6188
Midweek Visit
Just some followup and stuff floating around...
WSTB: We hinted at this in our last item, when we reminded readers that general manager Bob Long and his student crew at Streetsboro's WSTB/88.9 wouldn't be around last night to cover Portage County election returns.
OMW hears that moves are actually being made to reconstruct the Streetsboro school district-owned station and return it to the airwaves - at some point.
As we pointed out shortly after school officials had station computers removed and the station taken off the air in October, it appears putting WSTB back together again may be a process that takes some time. It's not just throwing a computer back on and plugging its input into an audio console, and there is other mostly technical work involved.
We have no estimated timeline for WSTB's return, but it appears for the first time since mid-October that the station is definitely headed back to the airwaves at some time.
OMW also hears that when the station does get back up and running, the adult-volunteer-run "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" has been assured that it will be able to return. In fact, various moves are being promised that would allow that to happen.
As near as we can determine, "SOJ" was not involved in any of the problems surrounding WSTB's exit from the airwaves, and has basically been "held hostage" by the station's current off-air status.
OMW notes that for now, it appears the Streetsboro school district will continue to be the station's licensee, despite a proposal last week by the city's council president to transfer ownership into a non-profit group...
ABOUT THAT ELECTION: Forgive us for being bleary eyed this morning, as we stayed up following local election coverage on TV and radio.
Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) had three TVs - one in HD - tuned to both local broadcasters and cable networks, and two radios bouncing among the stations.
As far as the general coverage goes, we give kudos to everyone who pitched in locally to supplement the network TV and radio coverage.
But there were some glitches or head scratchers in there.
For one, for whatever reason, Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 declined to join wall-to-wall network election coverage at 7 PM, unlike every other network TV affiliate in the Cleveland market.
Though we did see pretty detailed local pre-election cut-ins by the "19 Action News" newsroom, the rest of the first hour was filled by...believe it or not...the regular syndicated programming WOIO carries in the 7 PM hour, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" with Meredith Vieria, and "Deal or No Deal" with Howie Mandel, slightly chopped up by the cut-ins.
No, we're not kidding.
That lead us to a chuckle watching the "19 Action News"' local election coverage cut-in at 7:30, where the station breathlessly noted that CBS had just called the first two states in the presidential race.
Which, of course, WOIO viewers could have seen CBS' Katie Couric actually DO earlier in the hour, shortly after 7 PM, if the station had joined the coverage live. (We weren't watching at 7 PM, but the station promoted the CBS News coverage as "starting at 8 PM", and we have no evidence they dropped in early.)
WOIO and all the Cleveland market stations had reporters stationed at the usual spots, including the Cuyahoga County elections board (important there because of the recent history of election-related problems in the county) and various candidate and party rallies. Networks seemed to allow local cut-ins once or twice an hour, just before top and bottom of the hour.
Radio-wise, it was indeed ABC News Radio and FOX News Radio with local cut-ins at stations we heard.
We heard Cleveland Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 news director Darren Toms calling into the FOX News Radio national coverage early, telling the network's listeners that there were no major problems with the election process this year in closely-watched Cuyahoga County, and in fact, there weren't even any post-election lines to speak of.
We heard Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 news director Ed Esposito and morning anchor Larry States leading that station's local coverage, with reporters in the field tracking post-election events, vote counting and even a power outage in the Akron neighborhood of Ellet (voting impact: none, as ballots continued to be cast).
And we heard who hosted Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron's local election cut-ins...Clear Channel Akron/Canton programming operations director and hot AC WKDD/98.1 afternoon drive host Keith Kennedy was joined by WHLO news director John Amrhein and WHLO/rock WRQK/106.9 program director Greg Ausham.
(Just what Keith needed to add to his already lengthy list of titles - election night host!)
TRANSITION: As the U.S. government starts its transition from President Bush to incoming President Obama, there's also that pesky digital TV transition.
In addition to its ongoing series that has been held under the title "Tuesdays with Trina", local PBS outlet WNEO/45-WEAO/49 "Western Reserve PBS" plans another digital TV event tomorrow night.
"DTV Action Day: 100 Days Out" will be an Open House held Thursday from 3-7 PM at the station's studio facility on Campus Center Drive in Kent.
Quoting the station's website:
This is a great opportunity to see converter box demonstrations, ask questions about antenna issues and learn more about the converter box coupon program. Free refreshments will be served!
We hope you will join us to talk with staff members about the DTV transition.
We presume one of those staff members will be station president Trina Cutter, who has hosted the "Tuesdays with Trina" DTV events at just about anything resembling a library in the station's service area.
Western Reserve PBS has been far and away a leader in digital TV-related education in Northeast Ohio. But at least some of that rooted is self-preservation and necessity.
We're just five days away from the first step needed for the eventual early shutoff of the station's WNEO/45 analog signal, as Western Reserve PBS will have to take the current pre-transition WNEO-DT digital signal off the air Monday to do antenna work.
On November 19th, analog 45 goes off the air for good, and WNEO's digital signal out of Salem will be off as well, for two days, to complete the process. (Western Reserve PBS promises that many cable customers, and DirecTV customers, will still get a feed. We presume Time Warner Cable systems can easily substitute Akron-licensed WEAO/49, if they aren't using WEAO's signal already.)
Finally, on November 21st, WNEO-DT returns on its new post-transition facility.
WEAO/49 is already running its post-transition digital WEAO-DT from its transmitter facility in the Akron TV/FM "antenna farm" in Copley Township. Analog 49 will stay on the air until the digital transition date, late February 17, 2009...
WSTB: We hinted at this in our last item, when we reminded readers that general manager Bob Long and his student crew at Streetsboro's WSTB/88.9 wouldn't be around last night to cover Portage County election returns.
OMW hears that moves are actually being made to reconstruct the Streetsboro school district-owned station and return it to the airwaves - at some point.
As we pointed out shortly after school officials had station computers removed and the station taken off the air in October, it appears putting WSTB back together again may be a process that takes some time. It's not just throwing a computer back on and plugging its input into an audio console, and there is other mostly technical work involved.
We have no estimated timeline for WSTB's return, but it appears for the first time since mid-October that the station is definitely headed back to the airwaves at some time.
OMW also hears that when the station does get back up and running, the adult-volunteer-run "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" has been assured that it will be able to return. In fact, various moves are being promised that would allow that to happen.
As near as we can determine, "SOJ" was not involved in any of the problems surrounding WSTB's exit from the airwaves, and has basically been "held hostage" by the station's current off-air status.
OMW notes that for now, it appears the Streetsboro school district will continue to be the station's licensee, despite a proposal last week by the city's council president to transfer ownership into a non-profit group...
ABOUT THAT ELECTION: Forgive us for being bleary eyed this morning, as we stayed up following local election coverage on TV and radio.
Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) had three TVs - one in HD - tuned to both local broadcasters and cable networks, and two radios bouncing among the stations.
As far as the general coverage goes, we give kudos to everyone who pitched in locally to supplement the network TV and radio coverage.
But there were some glitches or head scratchers in there.
For one, for whatever reason, Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 declined to join wall-to-wall network election coverage at 7 PM, unlike every other network TV affiliate in the Cleveland market.
Though we did see pretty detailed local pre-election cut-ins by the "19 Action News" newsroom, the rest of the first hour was filled by...believe it or not...the regular syndicated programming WOIO carries in the 7 PM hour, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" with Meredith Vieria, and "Deal or No Deal" with Howie Mandel, slightly chopped up by the cut-ins.
No, we're not kidding.
That lead us to a chuckle watching the "19 Action News"' local election coverage cut-in at 7:30, where the station breathlessly noted that CBS had just called the first two states in the presidential race.
Which, of course, WOIO viewers could have seen CBS' Katie Couric actually DO earlier in the hour, shortly after 7 PM, if the station had joined the coverage live. (We weren't watching at 7 PM, but the station promoted the CBS News coverage as "starting at 8 PM", and we have no evidence they dropped in early.)
WOIO and all the Cleveland market stations had reporters stationed at the usual spots, including the Cuyahoga County elections board (important there because of the recent history of election-related problems in the county) and various candidate and party rallies. Networks seemed to allow local cut-ins once or twice an hour, just before top and bottom of the hour.
Radio-wise, it was indeed ABC News Radio and FOX News Radio with local cut-ins at stations we heard.
We heard Cleveland Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 news director Darren Toms calling into the FOX News Radio national coverage early, telling the network's listeners that there were no major problems with the election process this year in closely-watched Cuyahoga County, and in fact, there weren't even any post-election lines to speak of.
We heard Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 news director Ed Esposito and morning anchor Larry States leading that station's local coverage, with reporters in the field tracking post-election events, vote counting and even a power outage in the Akron neighborhood of Ellet (voting impact: none, as ballots continued to be cast).
And we heard who hosted Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron's local election cut-ins...Clear Channel Akron/Canton programming operations director and hot AC WKDD/98.1 afternoon drive host Keith Kennedy was joined by WHLO news director John Amrhein and WHLO/rock WRQK/106.9 program director Greg Ausham.
(Just what Keith needed to add to his already lengthy list of titles - election night host!)
TRANSITION: As the U.S. government starts its transition from President Bush to incoming President Obama, there's also that pesky digital TV transition.
In addition to its ongoing series that has been held under the title "Tuesdays with Trina", local PBS outlet WNEO/45-WEAO/49 "Western Reserve PBS" plans another digital TV event tomorrow night.
"DTV Action Day: 100 Days Out" will be an Open House held Thursday from 3-7 PM at the station's studio facility on Campus Center Drive in Kent.
Quoting the station's website:
This is a great opportunity to see converter box demonstrations, ask questions about antenna issues and learn more about the converter box coupon program. Free refreshments will be served!
We hope you will join us to talk with staff members about the DTV transition.
We presume one of those staff members will be station president Trina Cutter, who has hosted the "Tuesdays with Trina" DTV events at just about anything resembling a library in the station's service area.
Western Reserve PBS has been far and away a leader in digital TV-related education in Northeast Ohio. But at least some of that rooted is self-preservation and necessity.
We're just five days away from the first step needed for the eventual early shutoff of the station's WNEO/45 analog signal, as Western Reserve PBS will have to take the current pre-transition WNEO-DT digital signal off the air Monday to do antenna work.
On November 19th, analog 45 goes off the air for good, and WNEO's digital signal out of Salem will be off as well, for two days, to complete the process. (Western Reserve PBS promises that many cable customers, and DirecTV customers, will still get a feed. We presume Time Warner Cable systems can easily substitute Akron-licensed WEAO/49, if they aren't using WEAO's signal already.)
Finally, on November 21st, WNEO-DT returns on its new post-transition facility.
WEAO/49 is already running its post-transition digital WEAO-DT from its transmitter facility in the Akron TV/FM "antenna farm" in Copley Township. Analog 49 will stay on the air until the digital transition date, late February 17, 2009...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Election Day
On this perhaps Biggest Ever Election Day, it's as close to the Super Bowl as local newsrooms will ever get.
Since the presidential race is the primary race of interest, the various network partners of local TV and radio stations will do the "heavy lifting", with pretty much all of the TV and radio network newsrooms showing up at around 7 PM Eastern time - with coverage available even on broadcast TV networks well past midnight.
Local news outlets won't stay on the sidelines all night, though. We've caught each of the local TV news operations touting not only their own legion of reporters and anchors (well, those who haven't been laid off or cut yet), but extensive coverage on their websites as well.
Of note in the "extra" department - Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC/3 is blowing out syndicated talk giant "Dr. Phil" for a second straight day this afternoon at 5 PM for a live and local election and news special.
On the radio side, those news/talk outlets you'd expect to be all over the election are indeed all gearing up.
We mentioned in an earlier item that Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland's coverage starts off with FOX News Radio tonight (at 7 PM, we assume), and that newly-minted evening host Bob Frantz will follow with local coverage and reaction.
In Akron, both Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 and Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 are promising complete election coverage this evening - the former, with its full complement of local news staffers supplementing ABC News Radio's coverage, and the latter, with news director John Amrhein burning both ends of the clock supplementing FOX News Radio coverage.
In Canton, NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 is promising an "Election Night All-Nighter", with news/program director Pam Cook, morning news anchor Steve Luke, afternoon news anchor Geoff Mears and midday local talk host Ron Ponder among those pulling double duty starting at 6 PM during WHBC's afternoon drive Jim Albright Show.
Results will be posted online from all of the above stations, with both WAKR's AkronNewsNow.com and WHBC's site with areas already dedicated to hosting the results.
Rubber City/WAKR has also enlisted the help of the Associated Press online, not only for results, but also to provide two live election-related video streams tonight.
And we already mentioned that before he hits the air, WTAM's Frantz will hit the computer, blogging and participating in his message boards (memo to WTAM.com webmasters: Bob Frantz is no longer on the air from 9 AM to noon).
Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 in the Akron market still hasn't debuted its long-rumored web site upgrade, but we assume night host Tom Erickson will talk around ABC News Radio election coverage as well.
Elsewhere, we'd be shocked if outlying areas like Wayne County (WQKT/104.5), Lorain County and Medina County (WEOL/930), the Mahoning Valley (WKBN/570) and Dover-New Philadelphia (WJER/1450, WTUZ/99.9) weren't covered like the proverbial glove tonight by those local radio news operations.
Every single radio and TV news operation will have a network assist, since all the major news networks have at least one reporter somewhere in Ohio for tonight's coverage.
One local radio outlet won't be doing election coverage tonight, but there's nothing it can do. In the past, Streetsboro High School station WSTB/88.9 has provided returns for Portage County listeners, with a student-staffed effort led by long-time general manager Bob Long.
Of course, if you've been paying attention here, you know WSTB has been off the air since last month. OMW is hearing that the station could return to the air in the near future, though not nearly in enough time to hit the airwaves for election coverage tonight.
More on that sub-news item in a later update...
Since the presidential race is the primary race of interest, the various network partners of local TV and radio stations will do the "heavy lifting", with pretty much all of the TV and radio network newsrooms showing up at around 7 PM Eastern time - with coverage available even on broadcast TV networks well past midnight.
Local news outlets won't stay on the sidelines all night, though. We've caught each of the local TV news operations touting not only their own legion of reporters and anchors (well, those who haven't been laid off or cut yet), but extensive coverage on their websites as well.
Of note in the "extra" department - Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC/3 is blowing out syndicated talk giant "Dr. Phil" for a second straight day this afternoon at 5 PM for a live and local election and news special.
On the radio side, those news/talk outlets you'd expect to be all over the election are indeed all gearing up.
We mentioned in an earlier item that Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland's coverage starts off with FOX News Radio tonight (at 7 PM, we assume), and that newly-minted evening host Bob Frantz will follow with local coverage and reaction.
In Akron, both Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 and Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 are promising complete election coverage this evening - the former, with its full complement of local news staffers supplementing ABC News Radio's coverage, and the latter, with news director John Amrhein burning both ends of the clock supplementing FOX News Radio coverage.
In Canton, NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 is promising an "Election Night All-Nighter", with news/program director Pam Cook, morning news anchor Steve Luke, afternoon news anchor Geoff Mears and midday local talk host Ron Ponder among those pulling double duty starting at 6 PM during WHBC's afternoon drive Jim Albright Show.
Results will be posted online from all of the above stations, with both WAKR's AkronNewsNow.com and WHBC's site with areas already dedicated to hosting the results.
Rubber City/WAKR has also enlisted the help of the Associated Press online, not only for results, but also to provide two live election-related video streams tonight.
And we already mentioned that before he hits the air, WTAM's Frantz will hit the computer, blogging and participating in his message boards (memo to WTAM.com webmasters: Bob Frantz is no longer on the air from 9 AM to noon).
Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 in the Akron market still hasn't debuted its long-rumored web site upgrade, but we assume night host Tom Erickson will talk around ABC News Radio election coverage as well.
Elsewhere, we'd be shocked if outlying areas like Wayne County (WQKT/104.5), Lorain County and Medina County (WEOL/930), the Mahoning Valley (WKBN/570) and Dover-New Philadelphia (WJER/1450, WTUZ/99.9) weren't covered like the proverbial glove tonight by those local radio news operations.
Every single radio and TV news operation will have a network assist, since all the major news networks have at least one reporter somewhere in Ohio for tonight's coverage.
One local radio outlet won't be doing election coverage tonight, but there's nothing it can do. In the past, Streetsboro High School station WSTB/88.9 has provided returns for Portage County listeners, with a student-staffed effort led by long-time general manager Bob Long.
Of course, if you've been paying attention here, you know WSTB has been off the air since last month. OMW is hearing that the station could return to the air in the near future, though not nearly in enough time to hit the airwaves for election coverage tonight.
More on that sub-news item in a later update...
Monday, November 03, 2008
Indirect Link
Here's one item with an indirect link to Ohio radio, and also, the latest entry in our "FM News/Talk/Sports Watch".
CBS Radio has launched yet another once-traditionally-AM spoken word format on FM in a mid-Atlantic market, though it replaces an existing spoken word format.
CBS' FM talker in Baltimore, WHFS/105.7 "Free FM", was blown up today in favor of a locally-programmed FM sports talk station known as "Sports Radio 105.7 The Fan".
The move brings the Charm City its FOURTH full-time sports talker, with CBS Radio sister WJFK/1300 "ESPN 1300" hanging onto a full schedule of ESPN Radio network sports talkers while 105.7 goes local.
The 1300/105.7 combo takes the WJZ(AM)/WJZ-FM calls brought over from CBS-owned sister TV station WJZ-TV/13.
CBS made a similar move in Detroit not that long ago, blowing up that city's long-running young-skewing FM talker, WKRK/97.1, for a new FM home for sports talk WXYT/1270. (Of course, the WKRK calls eventually landed here in Cleveland, on CBS sister alt-rocker "92.3 K-Rock".)
Aside from another entry in our "FM News/Talk/Sports Watch", there's a connection to Ohio radio here as well.
The now-defunct WHFS once featured a midday talk show by Baltimore radio veteran Brian Wilson, better known in this cyber neighborhood as the program director and afternoon drive host at Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 Toledo.
Wilson visited Baltimore on occasion, but did most of his shows for the Maryland station via ISDN from the Clear Channel Toledo complex.
The change today makes his decision to move on from the station look pretty smart, as he'd likely have been jettisoned from the WHFS schedule if he stuck around. Assuming, of course, that his continued presence wouldn't have kept the station in the talk format.
But as it is now, there was only one survivor in the format change - former Baltimore police commissioner Ed Norris moves his popular afternoon drive show intact to mornings in the new "Fan" (otherwise) sports talk format.
Pittsburgh-based Mike Pintek, who picked up the noon-3 PM fill-in on WHFS (remember, Wilson's stint was characterized as a long-term fill-in), is also out with the format change...
CBS Radio has launched yet another once-traditionally-AM spoken word format on FM in a mid-Atlantic market, though it replaces an existing spoken word format.
CBS' FM talker in Baltimore, WHFS/105.7 "Free FM", was blown up today in favor of a locally-programmed FM sports talk station known as "Sports Radio 105.7 The Fan".
The move brings the Charm City its FOURTH full-time sports talker, with CBS Radio sister WJFK/1300 "ESPN 1300" hanging onto a full schedule of ESPN Radio network sports talkers while 105.7 goes local.
The 1300/105.7 combo takes the WJZ(AM)/WJZ-FM calls brought over from CBS-owned sister TV station WJZ-TV/13.
CBS made a similar move in Detroit not that long ago, blowing up that city's long-running young-skewing FM talker, WKRK/97.1, for a new FM home for sports talk WXYT/1270. (Of course, the WKRK calls eventually landed here in Cleveland, on CBS sister alt-rocker "92.3 K-Rock".)
Aside from another entry in our "FM News/Talk/Sports Watch", there's a connection to Ohio radio here as well.
The now-defunct WHFS once featured a midday talk show by Baltimore radio veteran Brian Wilson, better known in this cyber neighborhood as the program director and afternoon drive host at Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 Toledo.
Wilson visited Baltimore on occasion, but did most of his shows for the Maryland station via ISDN from the Clear Channel Toledo complex.
The change today makes his decision to move on from the station look pretty smart, as he'd likely have been jettisoned from the WHFS schedule if he stuck around. Assuming, of course, that his continued presence wouldn't have kept the station in the talk format.
But as it is now, there was only one survivor in the format change - former Baltimore police commissioner Ed Norris moves his popular afternoon drive show intact to mornings in the new "Fan" (otherwise) sports talk format.
Pittsburgh-based Mike Pintek, who picked up the noon-3 PM fill-in on WHFS (remember, Wilson's stint was characterized as a long-term fill-in), is also out with the format change...
Another Small Radio Change
Clear Channel hot AC WKDD/98.1 has won FCC approval to change its city of license from Canton to the Akron suburb of Munroe Falls.
The change was part of a construction permit the FCC granted on October 29th - last Wednesday.
For the near term, at least, it means nothing other than a different city being heard on WKDD's legal ID.
The construction permit specifies WKDD's existing facilities - a 50,000 watt class B outlet located in Hartville. It's the same transmitter site the station built shortly after the Great Frequency Swap of 2001 - after finding out that the previous WHK-FM site near Louisville just wasn't doing the job of reaching much of the Akron market.
WKDD's studios are, and will remain, at the Clear Channel World Domination HQ/Southern Command on Freedom Avenue in Stark County's Jackson Township.
And the station is still notified as part of the Akron market.
Presumably, the change from Canton to Munroe Falls could eventually allow WKDD to nudge the 98.1 signal somewhere else (say, closer to Akron), though it doesn't change the various other considerable technical considerations that would limit any such move...among them, a powerful second-adjacent Cleveland signal in CBS Radio's WNCX/98.5, not to mention a third-adjacent signal right in Akron - Rubber City Radio's WONE/97.5.
But it at least on digital paper, "plants the flag" of WKDD back into the Akron market, some 7 years after the station's format and intellectual property moved off its long-time Akron home of 96.5 to make way for top 40 WAKS "Kiss FM"...
The change was part of a construction permit the FCC granted on October 29th - last Wednesday.For the near term, at least, it means nothing other than a different city being heard on WKDD's legal ID.
The construction permit specifies WKDD's existing facilities - a 50,000 watt class B outlet located in Hartville. It's the same transmitter site the station built shortly after the Great Frequency Swap of 2001 - after finding out that the previous WHK-FM site near Louisville just wasn't doing the job of reaching much of the Akron market.
WKDD's studios are, and will remain, at the Clear Channel World Domination HQ/Southern Command on Freedom Avenue in Stark County's Jackson Township.
And the station is still notified as part of the Akron market.
Presumably, the change from Canton to Munroe Falls could eventually allow WKDD to nudge the 98.1 signal somewhere else (say, closer to Akron), though it doesn't change the various other considerable technical considerations that would limit any such move...among them, a powerful second-adjacent Cleveland signal in CBS Radio's WNCX/98.5, not to mention a third-adjacent signal right in Akron - Rubber City Radio's WONE/97.5.But it at least on digital paper, "plants the flag" of WKDD back into the Akron market, some 7 years after the station's format and intellectual property moved off its long-time Akron home of 96.5 to make way for top 40 WAKS "Kiss FM"...
Radio Day Of Changes
UPDATE 11/3/08 12:00 PM: The just updated schedule at Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron shows that it's self-syndicated money advice guru Dave Ramsey filling the 8-10 PM hole in the station's weekday schedule, starting today.
Ramsey has been heard in the area only on Melodynamic talk/religious WCER/900 Canton since being dropped from a clearance on Salem religious talk/teaching WHKW/1220 Cleveland "The Word", in a dispute between Ramsey and Salem - Salem wanted Ramsey to start paying for his clearances, Ramsey didn't want to pay.
The WCER schedule currently lists Ramsey from 2-4 PM, though we don't know if that reflects current reality, or if their carriage of the host will continue.
Ramsey is also seen at the same time (8 PM ET) on TV's FOX Business Network.
The original item is below...
-----------------
Aside from the drone of job loss news, there are many other broadcast media changes that either take effect today, or have over the past few days...
We'll start on the radio side in this first item, where Northeast Ohio's big Talk Radio Shuffle starts today.
The big change that started the three-station shuffle is the return of Premiere syndicated host Glenn Beck to the schedule of Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland, weekdays 9 AM to noon.
That move, first reported by OMW weeks ago - which even prompted Beck himself to read the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) to his "Insider" subscribers - takes effect today at 9 AM.
Beck's original clearance on WTAM was actually from 9 AM to 11:30 AM, but the station has since cancelled ABC News Radio's Paul Harvey - who once occupied the 11:30 AM-noon slot surrounded by the station's "Midday Report" news block.
Harvey's segments - with or without him - have not returned to Cleveland radio, with Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 Akron proudly proclaiming itself as "Northeast Ohio's home for Paul Harvey" in the absence of a Cleveland affiliate for the iconic newsman and commentator.
The return of Beck to Cleveland's "Big One" sends the previous occupant of the late morning WTAM time slot down the schedule to nights.
But local host Bob Frantz will not premiere in his new time slot tonight. WTAM's coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers asserts itself already this evening in Bob's first week, as the Cavaliers visit the Dallas Mavericks.
Frantz will open his new night era on election night, November 4th.
OMW heard Frantz talking about it in that evening slot Friday, with "Sportsline" fill-in and Indians beat reporter Mark Schwab.
Frantz said he'll be online blogging and posting on his message boards Tuesday night during the station's carriage of FOX News Radio's election night coverage, then will take to the airwaves afterwards locally...presumably, if previous elections are an indication, well into the night and perhaps even early morning hours.
But...what is Bob's actual regular schedule?
The newly updated PDF schedule pages on WTAM.com show that Frantz's night show will air 7-11 PM on nights without Cavaliers coverage, and after the "Cavaliers Live" network post-game call-in show from (approximately) 10:30 PM-midnight on Cavs' game nights - give or take different game start and end times.
We'll note that with an 8:30 PM start to Monday's game in the Central time zone, Frantz probably didn't want to come out of the gate for a half-hour-ish late night show on Monday.
But while both links above confirm our earlier reporting that Frantz will be doing his regular, issues-oriented show in nights, WTAM's currently posted Indians game day schedule poses another question. It shows Frantz listed - solely - as the host of "Extra Innings" post game show on game nights. Whether this actually plays out this way next April remains to be seen.
There are two other stations in this shuffle, and one will also see changes today.
WTAM sister Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron host Matt Patrick moves from his 5-7 PM time slot into that same 9 AM-noon time slot starting today, replacing Beck's show.
The move keeps Patrick in the Freedom Avenue building for both of his shows, as he'll move across the hall from his perch as hot AC WKDD/98.1's morning drive host with Angela Bellios each day at 9 AM to do the WHLO talk show.
Until the time slot move, Patrick hosted the WHLO late afternoon show most days from his home studio in Hudson - lest he become so familiar with I-77 and Ohio 8 from a double commute that he could name all the exits without trying too hard.
Patrick's jump to late mornings/middays brings ABC Radio/Premiere's Sean Hannity to his full 3-hour live clearance (3-6 PM) on WHLO the day before the election, and nudges the two hour clearance of Hannity's ABC Radio stablemate and friend Mark Levin to a live clearance of 6-8 PM.
It also brings Matt Patrick into direct competition with the Akron market's biggest talk radio name by far - WNIR/100.1 midday host Howie Chizek, who airs 10 AM-3 PM on "The Talk of Akron".
And unlike when a former Chizek co-worker, the late Joe Finan, moved into a midday slot on then-liberal talk WARF/1350, Patrick is an unapologetic, straight-ahead conservative host. The competition should be very interesting...perhaps Chizek's first true competitive test in his nearly 35 years of talk radio dominance in Akron.
At this point, we still don't know what happens after 8 PM on WHLO's weekday schedule.
The third station involved in the Beck Shuffle is Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria.
They're hanging onto the Premiere host for two more days, but the WEOL website now officially confirms our report from much earlier - a graphic posted now shows Talk Radio Networks' Laura Ingraham making the move from 6-8 PM to 9 AM-noon, starting Wednesday, "11.05.08", as hinted previously by the site.
We presume WEOL will return to filling the 6-8 PM time slot with its FOX Sports Radio clearance - on nights when it doesn't act as the Lorain County affiliate of the various Cleveland professional sports teams.
The moves would appear to make sense for all stations involved.
By all accounts, Beck was a ratings (and revenue) winner for WTAM until local management decided to try to ride the Jerry Springer Radio Train - which ran out of steam after a short run.
While some will try to couch that now-clearly-very-bad move in political terms - Beck's conservatism for Springer's liberalism - it seemed to us to be more of an opportunistic gamble. WTAM was not the first, and won't be the last, station to try to "grab onto" a "big name" like Springer...even though his worldwide fame came from his syndicated TV trash talk fest, not radio.
We've heard talk radio stations all over try to turn everyone from big name politicians to newspaper columnists into radio hosts, and 90 percent of the time, it doesn't work.
Stations, for whatever reason, seem to think that their job will be easier if you don't have to explain who a host like Jerry Springer is - despite the fact that he was absolutely miserable as a radio host (and that's being kind), and despite help from former Clear Channel Cleveland programming VP Kevin Metheny as his "talent coach".
Though WTAM tried to recover from the Springer Debacle with Frantz's local midday show - which we still think was a good move - Springer cratered WTAM's ratings in the 9 AM-noon time slot. Cratered may be too kind of a word...we hear his ratings drops on "The Big One" look like recent stock market numbers, without the upticks.
Meanwhile, the station hangs onto Frantz in the evening slot - admittedly, a time slot not as important as even middays, and with frequent sports pre-emptions. But WTAM's 50,000 watt flamethrowing signal at least gives Frantz a shot at the vaunted "38 states and half of Canada" coverage long touted by the station.
There was a time that 1100 was basically ONLY successful in that time slot, under "Sportsline" legend the late Pete Franklin. Frantz's move into nights as an issues host ends the decades-long weekday "Sportsline" franchise dating back to Franklin's days at then-WWWE "3WE", though we presume Mark Schwab and others will continue as usual with "Weekend Sportsline".
WHLO, meanwhile, gains a high-profile local radio host as midday competition to an established talk radio presence.
While even Matt Patrick is "making a transition" to doing an issues talk show, he's a talented radio veteran with a big name in the Akron market from his time at WKDD...who's had a head start at making that move in the 5-7 PM evening slot, and who continues his WKDD show.
We're also reminded of the transition successfully made by Patrick's new lead-in at WHLO, WPGB/104.7 Pittsburgh/syndicated morning drive host Jim Quinn ("The War Room with Quinn and Rose"). He was also a long-time FM music station morning host, before he successfully moved his existing show into current events waters.
Before WPGB, Quinn held forth with a popular talk show on an otherwise-rock-formatted FM station. His show is credited as a key ingredient for the upstart FM talk station, which has made life very miserable for once-dominant CBS Radio talker KDKA/1020, particularly in younger demos.
WEOL loses Beck, which the station has reportedly said has "done very well" for them, but picks up the second-ranked midday talk radio franchise with TRN's Laura Ingraham. They can thank Salem's WHK/1420, of course, as Ingraham only became available to WEOL after Salem dumped her show in a dispute with TRN...
Ramsey has been heard in the area only on Melodynamic talk/religious WCER/900 Canton since being dropped from a clearance on Salem religious talk/teaching WHKW/1220 Cleveland "The Word", in a dispute between Ramsey and Salem - Salem wanted Ramsey to start paying for his clearances, Ramsey didn't want to pay.
The WCER schedule currently lists Ramsey from 2-4 PM, though we don't know if that reflects current reality, or if their carriage of the host will continue.
Ramsey is also seen at the same time (8 PM ET) on TV's FOX Business Network.
The original item is below...
-----------------
Aside from the drone of job loss news, there are many other broadcast media changes that either take effect today, or have over the past few days...
We'll start on the radio side in this first item, where Northeast Ohio's big Talk Radio Shuffle starts today.
The big change that started the three-station shuffle is the return of Premiere syndicated host Glenn Beck to the schedule of Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland, weekdays 9 AM to noon.That move, first reported by OMW weeks ago - which even prompted Beck himself to read the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) to his "Insider" subscribers - takes effect today at 9 AM.
Beck's original clearance on WTAM was actually from 9 AM to 11:30 AM, but the station has since cancelled ABC News Radio's Paul Harvey - who once occupied the 11:30 AM-noon slot surrounded by the station's "Midday Report" news block.
Harvey's segments - with or without him - have not returned to Cleveland radio, with Rubber City Radio oldies/news WAKR/1590 Akron proudly proclaiming itself as "Northeast Ohio's home for Paul Harvey" in the absence of a Cleveland affiliate for the iconic newsman and commentator.
The return of Beck to Cleveland's "Big One" sends the previous occupant of the late morning WTAM time slot down the schedule to nights.
But local host Bob Frantz will not premiere in his new time slot tonight. WTAM's coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers asserts itself already this evening in Bob's first week, as the Cavaliers visit the Dallas Mavericks.Frantz will open his new night era on election night, November 4th.
OMW heard Frantz talking about it in that evening slot Friday, with "Sportsline" fill-in and Indians beat reporter Mark Schwab.
Frantz said he'll be online blogging and posting on his message boards Tuesday night during the station's carriage of FOX News Radio's election night coverage, then will take to the airwaves afterwards locally...presumably, if previous elections are an indication, well into the night and perhaps even early morning hours.
But...what is Bob's actual regular schedule?
The newly updated PDF schedule pages on WTAM.com show that Frantz's night show will air 7-11 PM on nights without Cavaliers coverage, and after the "Cavaliers Live" network post-game call-in show from (approximately) 10:30 PM-midnight on Cavs' game nights - give or take different game start and end times.
We'll note that with an 8:30 PM start to Monday's game in the Central time zone, Frantz probably didn't want to come out of the gate for a half-hour-ish late night show on Monday.
But while both links above confirm our earlier reporting that Frantz will be doing his regular, issues-oriented show in nights, WTAM's currently posted Indians game day schedule poses another question. It shows Frantz listed - solely - as the host of "Extra Innings" post game show on game nights. Whether this actually plays out this way next April remains to be seen.
There are two other stations in this shuffle, and one will also see changes today.
WTAM sister Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron host Matt Patrick moves from his 5-7 PM time slot into that same 9 AM-noon time slot starting today, replacing Beck's show.The move keeps Patrick in the Freedom Avenue building for both of his shows, as he'll move across the hall from his perch as hot AC WKDD/98.1's morning drive host with Angela Bellios each day at 9 AM to do the WHLO talk show.
Until the time slot move, Patrick hosted the WHLO late afternoon show most days from his home studio in Hudson - lest he become so familiar with I-77 and Ohio 8 from a double commute that he could name all the exits without trying too hard.
Patrick's jump to late mornings/middays brings ABC Radio/Premiere's Sean Hannity to his full 3-hour live clearance (3-6 PM) on WHLO the day before the election, and nudges the two hour clearance of Hannity's ABC Radio stablemate and friend Mark Levin to a live clearance of 6-8 PM.
It also brings Matt Patrick into direct competition with the Akron market's biggest talk radio name by far - WNIR/100.1 midday host Howie Chizek, who airs 10 AM-3 PM on "The Talk of Akron".
And unlike when a former Chizek co-worker, the late Joe Finan, moved into a midday slot on then-liberal talk WARF/1350, Patrick is an unapologetic, straight-ahead conservative host. The competition should be very interesting...perhaps Chizek's first true competitive test in his nearly 35 years of talk radio dominance in Akron.
At this point, we still don't know what happens after 8 PM on WHLO's weekday schedule.
The third station involved in the Beck Shuffle is Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria.
They're hanging onto the Premiere host for two more days, but the WEOL website now officially confirms our report from much earlier - a graphic posted now shows Talk Radio Networks' Laura Ingraham making the move from 6-8 PM to 9 AM-noon, starting Wednesday, "11.05.08", as hinted previously by the site.We presume WEOL will return to filling the 6-8 PM time slot with its FOX Sports Radio clearance - on nights when it doesn't act as the Lorain County affiliate of the various Cleveland professional sports teams.
The moves would appear to make sense for all stations involved.
By all accounts, Beck was a ratings (and revenue) winner for WTAM until local management decided to try to ride the Jerry Springer Radio Train - which ran out of steam after a short run.
While some will try to couch that now-clearly-very-bad move in political terms - Beck's conservatism for Springer's liberalism - it seemed to us to be more of an opportunistic gamble. WTAM was not the first, and won't be the last, station to try to "grab onto" a "big name" like Springer...even though his worldwide fame came from his syndicated TV trash talk fest, not radio.
We've heard talk radio stations all over try to turn everyone from big name politicians to newspaper columnists into radio hosts, and 90 percent of the time, it doesn't work.
Stations, for whatever reason, seem to think that their job will be easier if you don't have to explain who a host like Jerry Springer is - despite the fact that he was absolutely miserable as a radio host (and that's being kind), and despite help from former Clear Channel Cleveland programming VP Kevin Metheny as his "talent coach".
Though WTAM tried to recover from the Springer Debacle with Frantz's local midday show - which we still think was a good move - Springer cratered WTAM's ratings in the 9 AM-noon time slot. Cratered may be too kind of a word...we hear his ratings drops on "The Big One" look like recent stock market numbers, without the upticks.
Meanwhile, the station hangs onto Frantz in the evening slot - admittedly, a time slot not as important as even middays, and with frequent sports pre-emptions. But WTAM's 50,000 watt flamethrowing signal at least gives Frantz a shot at the vaunted "38 states and half of Canada" coverage long touted by the station.
There was a time that 1100 was basically ONLY successful in that time slot, under "Sportsline" legend the late Pete Franklin. Frantz's move into nights as an issues host ends the decades-long weekday "Sportsline" franchise dating back to Franklin's days at then-WWWE "3WE", though we presume Mark Schwab and others will continue as usual with "Weekend Sportsline".
WHLO, meanwhile, gains a high-profile local radio host as midday competition to an established talk radio presence.
While even Matt Patrick is "making a transition" to doing an issues talk show, he's a talented radio veteran with a big name in the Akron market from his time at WKDD...who's had a head start at making that move in the 5-7 PM evening slot, and who continues his WKDD show.
We're also reminded of the transition successfully made by Patrick's new lead-in at WHLO, WPGB/104.7 Pittsburgh/syndicated morning drive host Jim Quinn ("The War Room with Quinn and Rose"). He was also a long-time FM music station morning host, before he successfully moved his existing show into current events waters.
Before WPGB, Quinn held forth with a popular talk show on an otherwise-rock-formatted FM station. His show is credited as a key ingredient for the upstart FM talk station, which has made life very miserable for once-dominant CBS Radio talker KDKA/1020, particularly in younger demos.
WEOL loses Beck, which the station has reportedly said has "done very well" for them, but picks up the second-ranked midday talk radio franchise with TRN's Laura Ingraham. They can thank Salem's WHK/1420, of course, as Ingraham only became available to WEOL after Salem dumped her show in a dispute with TRN...
The Job Loss Storm
We wish we had better news for our return.
In our last full item, we talked about the continuing reports of job losses at Ohio media outlets. We had no idea that the following week would be one of the worst such weeks for local media workers...ever.
The news is so bad, and so widespread, that we abandoned plans for a single, large update covering everything we've missed in the past week. Instead, we decided to split this bad news into a large update of its own. We'll have other news not related to massive unemployment in an update a little later this morning...
13TH AND LESS: We start our run of bad news at 13th and Lakeside in Cleveland, the home of Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3.
With Gannett already signaling cuts in its newspaper division, it didn't take the proverbial rocket scientist to see that similar Cost Reduction Measures would come to the TV side of the Gannett house.
At WKYC, the latest round of cuts has come in the form of non-renewal of contracts.
We'll start with veteran reporter Obie Shelton. Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington reports that Shelton exits Channel 3 after a 22-year run on November 7th....as WKYC declines to renew his contract.
But Mr. Shelton isn't the only name on the list, which could number as high as five on-air staffers.
We're hearing that reporter/anchor Lydia Esparra and reporter Bill Safos are also not getting their contracts renewed, and that two more news people at Channel 3 could be in the same boat...names we have not confirmed yet...
THIS IS NOT CBS: As Cleveland's CBS Radio cluster still sits on the sale block, OMW hears that at least four staffers move to the unemployment line.
We're told that alt-rock WXRK/92.3 "K-Rock" night host "Bull" is no longer doing his "Bull Program". We hear that production staffers Monica Gannon (WDOK/WQAL) and Tony Frazer (WXRK) are also out, along with a promotions employee.
It's an odd time even for those left at CBS Radio here.
The company is openly selling the Cleveland cluster, and other mid-market clusters. The collapse of the credit markets means just about no one can get money to make deals to buy radio stations - and only a small number of operators (like Bonneville, for example) can afford to buy stations without having to firm up bank deals.
(We're not hearing or suggesting that Bonneville specifically has any interest in the Cleveland CBS Radio cluster...we're just pointing them out as one of the very few companies that might be able to get a deal done in the current economic mess. It was reported earlier that Bonneville was one of the companies at least looking into the 50 or so for-sale CBS Radio stations in markets below the top 10.)
Until something happens, one way or the other, it's "business as usual" at CBS Radio's sub-top market clusters. But with the flagging economy and down revenues, that "as usual" includes layoffs...
Y-TOWN: The layoff route heads from CBS Radio Cleveland down the Ohio Turnpike to Youngstown, where the Cumulus cluster there has laid off a number of staffers.
AllAccess reports that the axe hit a number of veterans, including classic rock WYFM/102.9 "Y103" nighttimer Dave Messersmith, who's been around for over 20 years.
A similar "big name" loses his gig at sister country giant WQXK/105.1 "K-105", as Burton Lee will no longer be heard in his nighttime slot. Morning co-host "K-Man" is also out of work.
The moves lead AllAccess to speculate about syndicated programming taking nighttime slots at the station - and for that matter, the trade site openly wonders if live, nighttime local radio is history with at least one major national group.
And AllAccess also reports that all (yes, ALL) part-time staffers at Cumulus top 40 mainstay WHOT/101.1 "Hot 101" have been let go...
TOLEDO: And back on the Layoff Highway, virtually, to the Cumulus cluster in Toledo, which was hit hard this past week as well. There were a total of nine layoffs at Cumulus Toledo.
We'll start with alt-rock WRWK/106.5 "The Zone", which says goodbye to morning man Kevin Murphy. OMW hears that the station will become "music intensive" - a radio euphemism for "less pesky people we have to pay".
Like with other cuts, veteran air personalities took a hit in Toledo as well. Nearly 40-year Toledo radio mainstay Bill Manders is out as middayer at country WKKO/99.9 "K100". "K100" also dumps nighttime personality Craig Snyder, who's been there about 20 years.
OMW reported earlier that Toledo radio vet Buddy Carr landed in nights at oldies WRQN/93.5 in May...that landing was short lived, as Carr is also on the cut list.
Hot AC WWWM/105.5 "Star 105.5" lets two staffers loose - afternoon driver Dave Fuller, and morning producer/promotions assistant Ryan Young.
At sports talker WLQR/1470 "The Ticket", afternoon driver Matt Melzak is out.
Traffic voice Tim McMahon and WXKR/WTOD/WLQR/WRWK promotions director Tom Staudt round out the cut list.
OMW hears that some of the above named could be retained on a part-time basis, though we don't know which...
WRAP-UP: We think that's it for the recent job cuts - at least for the week we were away.
But the combination of the flagging media economy, slumping ad sales (and remember, all those political spots go away on Wednesday!), and the economic downturn in general mean these probably won't be the last job cuts.
Radio stations, particularly, seem to be paring away staffers in non-drive time dayparts or even some extra staffing in those drive-time dayparts. TV stations are reducing staff, and off-air, many people are now doing three or four (or more) jobs instead of one or two.
As we continue this horrible time for many in the media, we urge our readers to keep these people who have been cast aside in mind...both professionally and personally, to whatever degree is possible.
To that effect, OMW is once again putting out the call for those who wish to advertise their availability, or to those who wish to hire. Drop us a line, and we'll be glad to showcase either your "Job Wanted" or "Help Wanted" ad to our wide audience - OMW is pretty much a regular visitor to the computers at most media clusters in the state.
The ads will run free of charge, as with everything at OMW...and we'll help you word the ad, also free of charge.
We'll do what we can...but this current mess is much bigger than any of us...
In our last full item, we talked about the continuing reports of job losses at Ohio media outlets. We had no idea that the following week would be one of the worst such weeks for local media workers...ever.
The news is so bad, and so widespread, that we abandoned plans for a single, large update covering everything we've missed in the past week. Instead, we decided to split this bad news into a large update of its own. We'll have other news not related to massive unemployment in an update a little later this morning...
13TH AND LESS: We start our run of bad news at 13th and Lakeside in Cleveland, the home of Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3.
With Gannett already signaling cuts in its newspaper division, it didn't take the proverbial rocket scientist to see that similar Cost Reduction Measures would come to the TV side of the Gannett house.
At WKYC, the latest round of cuts has come in the form of non-renewal of contracts.
We'll start with veteran reporter Obie Shelton. Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington reports that Shelton exits Channel 3 after a 22-year run on November 7th....as WKYC declines to renew his contract.
But Mr. Shelton isn't the only name on the list, which could number as high as five on-air staffers.
We're hearing that reporter/anchor Lydia Esparra and reporter Bill Safos are also not getting their contracts renewed, and that two more news people at Channel 3 could be in the same boat...names we have not confirmed yet...
THIS IS NOT CBS: As Cleveland's CBS Radio cluster still sits on the sale block, OMW hears that at least four staffers move to the unemployment line.
We're told that alt-rock WXRK/92.3 "K-Rock" night host "Bull" is no longer doing his "Bull Program". We hear that production staffers Monica Gannon (WDOK/WQAL) and Tony Frazer (WXRK) are also out, along with a promotions employee.
It's an odd time even for those left at CBS Radio here.
The company is openly selling the Cleveland cluster, and other mid-market clusters. The collapse of the credit markets means just about no one can get money to make deals to buy radio stations - and only a small number of operators (like Bonneville, for example) can afford to buy stations without having to firm up bank deals.
(We're not hearing or suggesting that Bonneville specifically has any interest in the Cleveland CBS Radio cluster...we're just pointing them out as one of the very few companies that might be able to get a deal done in the current economic mess. It was reported earlier that Bonneville was one of the companies at least looking into the 50 or so for-sale CBS Radio stations in markets below the top 10.)
Until something happens, one way or the other, it's "business as usual" at CBS Radio's sub-top market clusters. But with the flagging economy and down revenues, that "as usual" includes layoffs...
Y-TOWN: The layoff route heads from CBS Radio Cleveland down the Ohio Turnpike to Youngstown, where the Cumulus cluster there has laid off a number of staffers.
AllAccess reports that the axe hit a number of veterans, including classic rock WYFM/102.9 "Y103" nighttimer Dave Messersmith, who's been around for over 20 years.
A similar "big name" loses his gig at sister country giant WQXK/105.1 "K-105", as Burton Lee will no longer be heard in his nighttime slot. Morning co-host "K-Man" is also out of work.
The moves lead AllAccess to speculate about syndicated programming taking nighttime slots at the station - and for that matter, the trade site openly wonders if live, nighttime local radio is history with at least one major national group.
And AllAccess also reports that all (yes, ALL) part-time staffers at Cumulus top 40 mainstay WHOT/101.1 "Hot 101" have been let go...
TOLEDO: And back on the Layoff Highway, virtually, to the Cumulus cluster in Toledo, which was hit hard this past week as well. There were a total of nine layoffs at Cumulus Toledo.
We'll start with alt-rock WRWK/106.5 "The Zone", which says goodbye to morning man Kevin Murphy. OMW hears that the station will become "music intensive" - a radio euphemism for "less pesky people we have to pay".
Like with other cuts, veteran air personalities took a hit in Toledo as well. Nearly 40-year Toledo radio mainstay Bill Manders is out as middayer at country WKKO/99.9 "K100". "K100" also dumps nighttime personality Craig Snyder, who's been there about 20 years.
OMW reported earlier that Toledo radio vet Buddy Carr landed in nights at oldies WRQN/93.5 in May...that landing was short lived, as Carr is also on the cut list.
Hot AC WWWM/105.5 "Star 105.5" lets two staffers loose - afternoon driver Dave Fuller, and morning producer/promotions assistant Ryan Young.
At sports talker WLQR/1470 "The Ticket", afternoon driver Matt Melzak is out.
Traffic voice Tim McMahon and WXKR/WTOD/WLQR/WRWK promotions director Tom Staudt round out the cut list.
OMW hears that some of the above named could be retained on a part-time basis, though we don't know which...
WRAP-UP: We think that's it for the recent job cuts - at least for the week we were away.
But the combination of the flagging media economy, slumping ad sales (and remember, all those political spots go away on Wednesday!), and the economic downturn in general mean these probably won't be the last job cuts.
Radio stations, particularly, seem to be paring away staffers in non-drive time dayparts or even some extra staffing in those drive-time dayparts. TV stations are reducing staff, and off-air, many people are now doing three or four (or more) jobs instead of one or two.
As we continue this horrible time for many in the media, we urge our readers to keep these people who have been cast aside in mind...both professionally and personally, to whatever degree is possible.
To that effect, OMW is once again putting out the call for those who wish to advertise their availability, or to those who wish to hire. Drop us a line, and we'll be glad to showcase either your "Job Wanted" or "Help Wanted" ad to our wide audience - OMW is pretty much a regular visitor to the computers at most media clusters in the state.
The ads will run free of charge, as with everything at OMW...and we'll help you word the ad, also free of charge.
We'll do what we can...but this current mess is much bigger than any of us...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Our Return
OMW will return at "full strength" on Monday, November 3, 2008.
See you then!
--The Management
Friday, October 24, 2008
Mid-October Closeout
This will likely be the final item for the week, and could be our final update for the rest of the month.
We will try to post major, breaking events...like format changes, major personality or anchor changes, broadcast station sales, and, well, returning radio stations.
But in case we don't get a Round Tuit(tm), this might be up for some time...and here's a grab bag of items to close out our agenda for a while...
NO MORE RADIO BILL: It was posted as a rumor some time back, but it seems to be turning into reality.
The New York Daily News, the Washington Post and others passed along word this week that FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly - after signing a new four-year deal with the cable outlet for a reported $10 million a year - is likely to end his Westwood One syndicated radio talk show next year.
Quoting the Post's Howard Kurtz:
O'Reilly said he will probably give up his syndicated radio show, which has been far less successful than his television program. "My duties at Fox are expanding," he said, adding: "I just can't work 60 hours a week."
Though he has decent clearances for the two-hour daily show in New York City (Buckley talk WOR/710) and Los Angeles (Citadel talk KABC/790), O'Reilly's "Radio Factor" never really caught on nationwide as a competitor to Premiere talk titan Rush Limbaugh.
Here in Northeast Ohio, you can find Rush at a bunch of places on the AM dial - Clear Channel talkers WTAM/1100 Cleveland, WHLO/640 Akron and WKBN/570 Youngstown are his primary affiliates here.
At one time, Limbaugh was also carried on WFUN/970 Ashtabula and WKVX/960 Wooster. Former Clear Channel outlet WFUN dropped Rush and the talk format when it moved to ESPN Radio under new owner Media One Group, and the Dix Communications-owned WKVX moved to its regular format from 12-3 PM, oldies via Dial Global's satellite feed.
O'Reilly?
His most prominent Northeast Ohio affiliate is Spirit Media talk WELW/1330 Willoughby, which carries "The Radio Factor" in its live 12-2 PM time slot weekdays.
A quick check of his Ohio affiliate list shows claim of a clearance on Melodynamic talk/religion WCER/900 Canton from 9-11 PM.
But, we can't find O'Reilly on the station's own website schedule, which lists United Stations host Lou Dobbs (of CNN fame) in that late evening slot. At that time of night, the 75 watt WCER signal struggles to reach past Belden Village Mall, anyway. By the time you get to Akron/Canton Airport, CHML/900 Hamilton ON Canada makes mincemeat of what's left of the WCER nighttime signal.
(And since former WCER operations manager and OMW reader John Amrhein moved up I-77 to Freedom Avenue as news director of WHLO/640, we don't know who replaced him in the shadow of the WRQK/WHOF tower at 22nd and Whipple.)
O'Reilly's list also notes clearances on Cumulus talk WPIC/790 Sharon PA, in the Youngstown market, as well as Columbus (Clear Channel's second talker, WYTS/1230) and Toledo (Matrix talk WNWT/1520, listed under former calls WDMN).
And when we first wrote this, we forgot a weekend O'Reilly clearance on Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 in the Akron market - late Saturday and Sunday evenings. That's not surprising, considering WNIR is much better known for its weekday local programming than for whatever it delays into late nights and weekend evenings. We're not alone in our oversight - the "Radio Factor" list also forgot to add WNIR.
But compared to Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly's "Radio Factor" is almost in hiding in Ohio...a "Non Factor", as it were.
The show's syndicator, Westwood One, isn't putting an end date on the radio show just yet, and it seems likely they'll still syndicate a two-minute radio version of his TV "Talking Points Memo".
And whenever Bill does pull the plug on the long-form show, we're guessing Westwood One will offer stations another show in a similar time slot - The Dennis Miller Show, which airs locally, for now, only on NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 Canton.
Miller, when we weren't looking, also landed in Columbus from 1-4 PM on North American Broadcasting FM talker WTDA/103.9...a direct competitor to O'Reilly's current Columbus affiliate, WYTS...
MATT, ER, JAKE, ER, MATT: Thanks to the folks at AllAccess, a shoutout to an OMW reader and former Northeast Ohio radio guy.
Matt Haze slipped out from under our radar, and landed in Los Angeles, where the trade site says he's launching a new venture:
MATT HAZE of THE MATT HAZE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP has turned his hobby of phoners into a career. His business offers services with radio, television, voiceover and live entertainment.
His primary service, judging from his new website, is selling phoners to help radio personalities juice up the rest of their (non-professional, listener) phoners...at $20 a pop, complete with the ability to conveniently pay online.
Matt was most recently on Northeast Ohio airwaves under the air name Jake Reynolds, as a personality for Clear Channel hot AC WKDD/98.1 in the Akron market, along with creative services work for WKDD, and sister stations WHLO/640 and WARF/1350.
He also lists producing and on-air work at CBS Radio hot AC WQAL/104.1 "Q104", and is apparently involved in Los Angeles with internet hip hop/R&B show "The What's Hot Radio Show with Mr. R".
Best of luck on your new venture, Matt, and here's hoping the OMW Karma pays dividends for you!
CUTS, CUTS: We're sick of it. We're sick of it.
But with the down economy (and then some), broadcast groups across the country are continuing with their annual wave of layoffs...a wave which started much earlier this year, and doesn't seem like it'll end any time soon.
Any search on the word "layoffs" here on OMW will bring you far too many results...ditto with words like "cutbacks", "let go", "released" and the like.
The economic crisis, combined with the continued reduction in advertising revenue for just about all forms of media, means the word "hired" may be a distant memory at most companies for a long time.
We don't have any immediate word of recent job cuts at local media outlets, though we didn't note a while back about two graphic artists being shown the door at Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland - losing their jobs as victims of the corporate mandate to centralize graphics that recently showed up on "Channel 3 News".
WKYC senior director and "Director's Cut" blogger Frank Macek has put up an item saying goodbye to graphic artists Joe Wood and Lance Deevers.
(We're still waiting, by the way, for the "Director's Cut" item on the upcoming departure of "Channel 3 News" evening co-anchor Tim White at the end of his contract...which the station appears to have handled on the news side of things.)
Anyway, back to the "heads up" warning...
AllAccess says that Cumulus seems to be dropping folks here and there from some of their smaller market stations. There's no indication, right now, that the moves have spread to Cumulus clusters in Ohio...for now, the reported damage is in places like Rockford IL and the Quad Cities area not far from there.
A number of other radio companies' stock prices have dropped to the point where you can buy a share of their stock for a dollar, and still get change back.
Some of that, of course, is fueled by the lagging stock market, where a Dow Jones Industrial Average drop of 500 points in one day barely makes you blink anymore.
But some of it is the, in general, poor health of the media industry.
And when media companies aren't healthy, they start looking about how to reduce costs.
The smart operators don't go in with a hatchet. While they're certainly not immune to financial pressures of today's Incredibly Awful Economy, the smart ones look to the future, and perhaps an opportunity to gain ground on other operators that cut staff to the bone, and then some.
Here's hoping, for all of those reading, that there are smart operators around these parts. If not, we may have a handful or less of people to cover in the coming years...
We will try to post major, breaking events...like format changes, major personality or anchor changes, broadcast station sales, and, well, returning radio stations.
But in case we don't get a Round Tuit(tm), this might be up for some time...and here's a grab bag of items to close out our agenda for a while...
NO MORE RADIO BILL: It was posted as a rumor some time back, but it seems to be turning into reality.
The New York Daily News, the Washington Post and others passed along word this week that FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly - after signing a new four-year deal with the cable outlet for a reported $10 million a year - is likely to end his Westwood One syndicated radio talk show next year.
Quoting the Post's Howard Kurtz:
O'Reilly said he will probably give up his syndicated radio show, which has been far less successful than his television program. "My duties at Fox are expanding," he said, adding: "I just can't work 60 hours a week."
Though he has decent clearances for the two-hour daily show in New York City (Buckley talk WOR/710) and Los Angeles (Citadel talk KABC/790), O'Reilly's "Radio Factor" never really caught on nationwide as a competitor to Premiere talk titan Rush Limbaugh.
Here in Northeast Ohio, you can find Rush at a bunch of places on the AM dial - Clear Channel talkers WTAM/1100 Cleveland, WHLO/640 Akron and WKBN/570 Youngstown are his primary affiliates here.
At one time, Limbaugh was also carried on WFUN/970 Ashtabula and WKVX/960 Wooster. Former Clear Channel outlet WFUN dropped Rush and the talk format when it moved to ESPN Radio under new owner Media One Group, and the Dix Communications-owned WKVX moved to its regular format from 12-3 PM, oldies via Dial Global's satellite feed.
O'Reilly?
His most prominent Northeast Ohio affiliate is Spirit Media talk WELW/1330 Willoughby, which carries "The Radio Factor" in its live 12-2 PM time slot weekdays.
A quick check of his Ohio affiliate list shows claim of a clearance on Melodynamic talk/religion WCER/900 Canton from 9-11 PM.
But, we can't find O'Reilly on the station's own website schedule, which lists United Stations host Lou Dobbs (of CNN fame) in that late evening slot. At that time of night, the 75 watt WCER signal struggles to reach past Belden Village Mall, anyway. By the time you get to Akron/Canton Airport, CHML/900 Hamilton ON Canada makes mincemeat of what's left of the WCER nighttime signal.
(And since former WCER operations manager and OMW reader John Amrhein moved up I-77 to Freedom Avenue as news director of WHLO/640, we don't know who replaced him in the shadow of the WRQK/WHOF tower at 22nd and Whipple.)
O'Reilly's list also notes clearances on Cumulus talk WPIC/790 Sharon PA, in the Youngstown market, as well as Columbus (Clear Channel's second talker, WYTS/1230) and Toledo (Matrix talk WNWT/1520, listed under former calls WDMN).
And when we first wrote this, we forgot a weekend O'Reilly clearance on Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 in the Akron market - late Saturday and Sunday evenings. That's not surprising, considering WNIR is much better known for its weekday local programming than for whatever it delays into late nights and weekend evenings. We're not alone in our oversight - the "Radio Factor" list also forgot to add WNIR.
But compared to Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly's "Radio Factor" is almost in hiding in Ohio...a "Non Factor", as it were.
The show's syndicator, Westwood One, isn't putting an end date on the radio show just yet, and it seems likely they'll still syndicate a two-minute radio version of his TV "Talking Points Memo".
And whenever Bill does pull the plug on the long-form show, we're guessing Westwood One will offer stations another show in a similar time slot - The Dennis Miller Show, which airs locally, for now, only on NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 Canton.
Miller, when we weren't looking, also landed in Columbus from 1-4 PM on North American Broadcasting FM talker WTDA/103.9...a direct competitor to O'Reilly's current Columbus affiliate, WYTS...
MATT, ER, JAKE, ER, MATT: Thanks to the folks at AllAccess, a shoutout to an OMW reader and former Northeast Ohio radio guy.
Matt Haze slipped out from under our radar, and landed in Los Angeles, where the trade site says he's launching a new venture:
MATT HAZE of THE MATT HAZE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP has turned his hobby of phoners into a career. His business offers services with radio, television, voiceover and live entertainment.
His primary service, judging from his new website, is selling phoners to help radio personalities juice up the rest of their (non-professional, listener) phoners...at $20 a pop, complete with the ability to conveniently pay online.
Matt was most recently on Northeast Ohio airwaves under the air name Jake Reynolds, as a personality for Clear Channel hot AC WKDD/98.1 in the Akron market, along with creative services work for WKDD, and sister stations WHLO/640 and WARF/1350.
He also lists producing and on-air work at CBS Radio hot AC WQAL/104.1 "Q104", and is apparently involved in Los Angeles with internet hip hop/R&B show "The What's Hot Radio Show with Mr. R".
Best of luck on your new venture, Matt, and here's hoping the OMW Karma pays dividends for you!
CUTS, CUTS: We're sick of it. We're sick of it.
But with the down economy (and then some), broadcast groups across the country are continuing with their annual wave of layoffs...a wave which started much earlier this year, and doesn't seem like it'll end any time soon.
Any search on the word "layoffs" here on OMW will bring you far too many results...ditto with words like "cutbacks", "let go", "released" and the like.
The economic crisis, combined with the continued reduction in advertising revenue for just about all forms of media, means the word "hired" may be a distant memory at most companies for a long time.
We don't have any immediate word of recent job cuts at local media outlets, though we didn't note a while back about two graphic artists being shown the door at Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland - losing their jobs as victims of the corporate mandate to centralize graphics that recently showed up on "Channel 3 News".
WKYC senior director and "Director's Cut" blogger Frank Macek has put up an item saying goodbye to graphic artists Joe Wood and Lance Deevers.
(We're still waiting, by the way, for the "Director's Cut" item on the upcoming departure of "Channel 3 News" evening co-anchor Tim White at the end of his contract...which the station appears to have handled on the news side of things.)
Anyway, back to the "heads up" warning...
AllAccess says that Cumulus seems to be dropping folks here and there from some of their smaller market stations. There's no indication, right now, that the moves have spread to Cumulus clusters in Ohio...for now, the reported damage is in places like Rockford IL and the Quad Cities area not far from there.
A number of other radio companies' stock prices have dropped to the point where you can buy a share of their stock for a dollar, and still get change back.
Some of that, of course, is fueled by the lagging stock market, where a Dow Jones Industrial Average drop of 500 points in one day barely makes you blink anymore.
But some of it is the, in general, poor health of the media industry.
And when media companies aren't healthy, they start looking about how to reduce costs.
The smart operators don't go in with a hatchet. While they're certainly not immune to financial pressures of today's Incredibly Awful Economy, the smart ones look to the future, and perhaps an opportunity to gain ground on other operators that cut staff to the bone, and then some.
Here's hoping, for all of those reading, that there are smart operators around these parts. If not, we may have a handful or less of people to cover in the coming years...
Board Won't Accept WSTB GMs Resignation
A brief update from last night's Streetsboro City School board meeting: the board rejected long-time WSTB/88.9 general manager Bob Long's resignation request, over the various issues that have been chronicled extensively here and elsewhere.
We don't really have time to go into much detail, but the website of Streetsboro's Gateway News newspaper has more here.
The WSTB website, being maintained by station staff and students, weighs in briefly as well. Quoting:
The off-air situation may have taken a swing in the right direction last evening.
The site promises a larger update later...like for us, real life gets in the way of spending much time on this...
We don't really have time to go into much detail, but the website of Streetsboro's Gateway News newspaper has more here.
The WSTB website, being maintained by station staff and students, weighs in briefly as well. Quoting:
The off-air situation may have taken a swing in the right direction last evening.
The site promises a larger update later...like for us, real life gets in the way of spending much time on this...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
WSTB Update - 10/22
As we mentioned in an earlier item, you might not see as much of us here through the end of the month, as Life Intervenes.
We did want to put up the latest about Streetsboro schools-owned WSTB/88.9, the beleaguered Portage County station that's been off the air after certain photos were found on station computers a week ago Monday.
The story is not going away any time soon.
Those associated with the station are holding an informal meeting/gathering tonight at the Streetsboro location of CiCi's Pizza. Details, including an offer for free drinks (umm, of the soft drink variety, of course, something that needs to be mentioned considering this situation), are up on the WSTB website, as well as at the Sunday Oldies Jukebox site.
Also up there is a plea to WSTB supporters to attend a school board meeting scheduled for Thursday evening at Defer Intermediate School. The WSTB group is urging a peaceful show of support, and the wearing of station related items if possible.
Apparently, among the "personnel matters" set to be discussed at the meeting will be the board's acceptance of the now-officially-submitted resignation of long-time station manager Bob Long - who will remain as a member of the teaching staff even with a resignation of his station manager post.
Those updating the WSTB site have included this in bold print:
"A WSTB - 88.9FM without BOB LONG is NOT acceptable, and we ask that you demand the same."
Meanwhile, at least a couple of the most recent newspaper updates include some indication by school administrators that they plan to return WSTB to the airwaves, though no target date has been announced.
A Cleveland Plain Dealer item today quotes superintendent Linda Keller, who tells the PD the controversial photos are "no longer being investigated":
Keller said the radio channel will be back on the air after the school puts the station's computer system back together and integrates it into the school's computer system.
"We're proud of our radio station, which has been on the air for more than 30 years," she said.
And from the latest Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier article:
"We are moving ahead to get the station up and running," Keller said in her statement Tuesday. "Along with the high school principal, this morning I met with our students who are connected with the radio station. I am very impressed with their commitment to the station, their studies and to Streetsboro High School. These are exceptional students."
One person who isn't meeting with school officials - since he's apparently still banned from the building - is WSTB information technology director Dan Kuznicki.
The 24 year-old Kuznicki is pictured in the controversial photos that involve apparent drinking at an out-of-town New Year's Eve party in the presence of an 18 year-old former student, a student Kuznicki and others associated with the station say was not drinking - and couldn't, because he was taking medications after an accident - and say had his parents' permission to be there.
Though Ms. Keller is indeed now saying the station will return soon, it's an open question when, and in what form.
The quickest way to do so would be to return both Mr. Long and Mr. Kuznicki to their former posts. That obviously is not happening, given Long's resignation and the fact Kuznicki is banned from the facilities, at least for now. Both men have the "institutional knowledge" that would be needed to return the station to its prior state, even with potential obstacles regarding the computer setup.
It would seem possible that the station could resume limited hours using CDs instead of computer automation, but as of yet, there is no publicized specific plan to do so. (One assumes that the district would have to name an interim general manager first, assuming Long's resignation is accepted Thursday.)
There's also no word if the adult volunteers of "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" would be quickly welcomed back into the building.
And the clock continues to tick, as at least in the FCC's online database, we can't find any required notification to the FCC that the station is silent.
Much could happen between now and Friday, or things may not happen. We'll try to get word of any major developments up here, and if not, we're sure the various sites and news sources we link here will be updated...
We did want to put up the latest about Streetsboro schools-owned WSTB/88.9, the beleaguered Portage County station that's been off the air after certain photos were found on station computers a week ago Monday.
The story is not going away any time soon.
Those associated with the station are holding an informal meeting/gathering tonight at the Streetsboro location of CiCi's Pizza. Details, including an offer for free drinks (umm, of the soft drink variety, of course, something that needs to be mentioned considering this situation), are up on the WSTB website, as well as at the Sunday Oldies Jukebox site.
Also up there is a plea to WSTB supporters to attend a school board meeting scheduled for Thursday evening at Defer Intermediate School. The WSTB group is urging a peaceful show of support, and the wearing of station related items if possible.
Apparently, among the "personnel matters" set to be discussed at the meeting will be the board's acceptance of the now-officially-submitted resignation of long-time station manager Bob Long - who will remain as a member of the teaching staff even with a resignation of his station manager post.
Those updating the WSTB site have included this in bold print:
"A WSTB - 88.9FM without BOB LONG is NOT acceptable, and we ask that you demand the same."
Meanwhile, at least a couple of the most recent newspaper updates include some indication by school administrators that they plan to return WSTB to the airwaves, though no target date has been announced.
A Cleveland Plain Dealer item today quotes superintendent Linda Keller, who tells the PD the controversial photos are "no longer being investigated":
Keller said the radio channel will be back on the air after the school puts the station's computer system back together and integrates it into the school's computer system.
"We're proud of our radio station, which has been on the air for more than 30 years," she said.
And from the latest Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier article:
"We are moving ahead to get the station up and running," Keller said in her statement Tuesday. "Along with the high school principal, this morning I met with our students who are connected with the radio station. I am very impressed with their commitment to the station, their studies and to Streetsboro High School. These are exceptional students."
One person who isn't meeting with school officials - since he's apparently still banned from the building - is WSTB information technology director Dan Kuznicki.
The 24 year-old Kuznicki is pictured in the controversial photos that involve apparent drinking at an out-of-town New Year's Eve party in the presence of an 18 year-old former student, a student Kuznicki and others associated with the station say was not drinking - and couldn't, because he was taking medications after an accident - and say had his parents' permission to be there.
Though Ms. Keller is indeed now saying the station will return soon, it's an open question when, and in what form.
The quickest way to do so would be to return both Mr. Long and Mr. Kuznicki to their former posts. That obviously is not happening, given Long's resignation and the fact Kuznicki is banned from the facilities, at least for now. Both men have the "institutional knowledge" that would be needed to return the station to its prior state, even with potential obstacles regarding the computer setup.
It would seem possible that the station could resume limited hours using CDs instead of computer automation, but as of yet, there is no publicized specific plan to do so. (One assumes that the district would have to name an interim general manager first, assuming Long's resignation is accepted Thursday.)
There's also no word if the adult volunteers of "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" would be quickly welcomed back into the building.
And the clock continues to tick, as at least in the FCC's online database, we can't find any required notification to the FCC that the station is silent.
Much could happen between now and Friday, or things may not happen. We'll try to get word of any major developments up here, and if not, we're sure the various sites and news sources we link here will be updated...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
First HD Radio Talk Simulcast
As we suspected would happen one day, Northeast Ohio's first HD Radio simulcast of an AM talk station is now up.
Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron can now be heard on the HD2 channel of sister* rock WRQK/106.9 Canton.
The move was made possible by the HD Radio Alliance's recent decision to allow commercial radio formats on HD2 side channels. The group, which counts Clear Channel as a member, had previously agreed not to run commercial feeds on those side channels.
The policy change by the group is one reason stations are able to create those new FM translator-based feeds of HD2 subchannels, like Ithaca NY CHR outlet "Hits 103.3" or Harrisburg PA urban AC "The Touch 95.3".
Both translators at those frequencies are simulcasting the FM HD2 feed of full-power commercial stations in the market. (The Harrisburg station started life as one of those temporarily-authorized FM translator refeeds of the market's AM 1400, the original home of the urban AC format, but owner Cumulus flipped that station to sports.)
The Akron/Canton markets are not compact enough - even separately - for an FM translator to have much impact, in case an operator here tried to do the same.
WHLO's simulcast on WRQK HD2 is not the first such in Ohio. We're reminded that Clear Channel sister talker WTVN/610 is also heard on an HD Radio side channel of AC WLZT/93.3.
* - We reported earlier that technically, WRQK is still owned by Cumulus, with the big two-state swap announced between the two companies not yet having been completed. But Clear Channel has been operating WRQK in an LMA since 2007...
Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron can now be heard on the HD2 channel of sister* rock WRQK/106.9 Canton.
The move was made possible by the HD Radio Alliance's recent decision to allow commercial radio formats on HD2 side channels. The group, which counts Clear Channel as a member, had previously agreed not to run commercial feeds on those side channels.
The policy change by the group is one reason stations are able to create those new FM translator-based feeds of HD2 subchannels, like Ithaca NY CHR outlet "Hits 103.3" or Harrisburg PA urban AC "The Touch 95.3".
Both translators at those frequencies are simulcasting the FM HD2 feed of full-power commercial stations in the market. (The Harrisburg station started life as one of those temporarily-authorized FM translator refeeds of the market's AM 1400, the original home of the urban AC format, but owner Cumulus flipped that station to sports.)
The Akron/Canton markets are not compact enough - even separately - for an FM translator to have much impact, in case an operator here tried to do the same.
WHLO's simulcast on WRQK HD2 is not the first such in Ohio. We're reminded that Clear Channel sister talker WTVN/610 is also heard on an HD Radio side channel of AC WLZT/93.3.
* - We reported earlier that technically, WRQK is still owned by Cumulus, with the big two-state swap announced between the two companies not yet having been completed. But Clear Channel has been operating WRQK in an LMA since 2007...
Monday, October 20, 2008
WSTB Coming Back?
UPDATE 10/21/08 2:26 PM: An update, and much more, from those on the WSTB side of this has been published on the WSTB website. There's also more in this editorial on the "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" site...including copies of two of the pictures in question.
So far, there's no published word from school officials that the station is nearing any return soon, in the wake of changes to the situation today detailed in our update immediately below.
As we're going to have to take more time away from the Mighty Blog here in the next couple of weeks, feel free to check the links we've provided. We'll weigh in if there's any significant news regarding the station's return, or any other disposition of the situation...
UPDATE 10/21/08 9:58 AM: The WSTB roller coaster ride continues.
OMW hears that long-time WSTB general manager Bob Long's resignation is back on the table again. We've obtained a copy of a statement he's released, which is reprinted here:
STATEMENT REGARDING MY RESIGNATION
On Monday, October 20, 2008 I submitted my resignation as Station Manager of WSTB-FM.
While progress toward resolving prior issues was occurring at one level, on Monday morning the radio station entrance door lock was changed without my knowledge and without explanation. It is my assumption that this was done to limit staff access outside of the school day in compliance with Jarod’s Law. While it is the school district’s decision on interpretation of Jarod’s Law, it is not possible for me to operate the radio station with such restrictions of access.
I urge the district to find another Station Manager as soon as possible so that WSTB can return to the air quickly.
October 21, 2008
Our original item, where it seemed progress was being made towards returning WSTB to the airwaves as soon as late this week, is below...
----------------
Off-air Streetsboro schools radio station WSTB/88.9 may be returning as soon as "late this week".
That's the word in a brief item posted today to the web site of the "Gateway News", a weekly Record Publishing newspaper which serves the Portage County city. Quoting:
(WSTB general manager Bob) Long said he was prepared to resign Monday morning, but he had some conversations Sunday night and he feels "pretty confident that we're coming to some consensus." He did not say who the conversations were with.
The slightly more positive tone is also being sounded by those posting messages to WSTB's regular website...where those writing said they had planned to make other pictures available to those asking to see all the pictures that were considered in the case, but, quoting:
Copies of ALL of the questioned photos exist, and although we had a plan to release them today we feel that with the potential for progress this week the release is unneccesary.
An article in weekend editions of the "Gateway News" sister paper, the Kent-Ravenna Record Courier, cites some items that may still need to be squared away before WSTB returns to the air, quoting school superintendent Linda Keller:
"The station has been operating (a separate computer network) under a separate server from the school district and that has raised some questions."
And further from the article:
Keller said the district is working to ensure the computers meet "specific network connectivity requirements" of the state's E-Tech program.
(This) week, Keller said the station's computers will be connected to the district via fiber optic lines, providing enhanced security and accountability.
Meanwhile, we do have a button set on the OMW Mobile's Newly Repaired Car Radio for 88.9, and we'll keep listening as the week progresses...
So far, there's no published word from school officials that the station is nearing any return soon, in the wake of changes to the situation today detailed in our update immediately below.
As we're going to have to take more time away from the Mighty Blog here in the next couple of weeks, feel free to check the links we've provided. We'll weigh in if there's any significant news regarding the station's return, or any other disposition of the situation...
UPDATE 10/21/08 9:58 AM: The WSTB roller coaster ride continues.
OMW hears that long-time WSTB general manager Bob Long's resignation is back on the table again. We've obtained a copy of a statement he's released, which is reprinted here:
STATEMENT REGARDING MY RESIGNATION
On Monday, October 20, 2008 I submitted my resignation as Station Manager of WSTB-FM.
While progress toward resolving prior issues was occurring at one level, on Monday morning the radio station entrance door lock was changed without my knowledge and without explanation. It is my assumption that this was done to limit staff access outside of the school day in compliance with Jarod’s Law. While it is the school district’s decision on interpretation of Jarod’s Law, it is not possible for me to operate the radio station with such restrictions of access.
I urge the district to find another Station Manager as soon as possible so that WSTB can return to the air quickly.
October 21, 2008
Our original item, where it seemed progress was being made towards returning WSTB to the airwaves as soon as late this week, is below...
----------------
Off-air Streetsboro schools radio station WSTB/88.9 may be returning as soon as "late this week".
That's the word in a brief item posted today to the web site of the "Gateway News", a weekly Record Publishing newspaper which serves the Portage County city. Quoting:
(WSTB general manager Bob) Long said he was prepared to resign Monday morning, but he had some conversations Sunday night and he feels "pretty confident that we're coming to some consensus." He did not say who the conversations were with.
The slightly more positive tone is also being sounded by those posting messages to WSTB's regular website...where those writing said they had planned to make other pictures available to those asking to see all the pictures that were considered in the case, but, quoting:
Copies of ALL of the questioned photos exist, and although we had a plan to release them today we feel that with the potential for progress this week the release is unneccesary.
An article in weekend editions of the "Gateway News" sister paper, the Kent-Ravenna Record Courier, cites some items that may still need to be squared away before WSTB returns to the air, quoting school superintendent Linda Keller:
"The station has been operating (a separate computer network) under a separate server from the school district and that has raised some questions."
And further from the article:
Keller said the district is working to ensure the computers meet "specific network connectivity requirements" of the state's E-Tech program.
(This) week, Keller said the station's computers will be connected to the district via fiber optic lines, providing enhanced security and accountability.
Meanwhile, we do have a button set on the OMW Mobile's Newly Repaired Car Radio for 88.9, and we'll keep listening as the week progresses...
The FM News/Talk Watch And CBS
No, not in the Cleveland market, but more on CBS Radio and Cleveland in a bit.
We have a regular feature here we haven't brought up in a while - the FM Talk Watch.
We should call it the "FM News/Talk Watch", as we've never really used it to track the so-called "hot talk" stations that have dwindled to a very few these days. We're talking about the move of traditional AM news/talk/sports formats to the FM dial...as either simulcasts or moves.
And CBS Radio has just uncorked a big one out in California.
AllAccess reports that classic hits KFRC/106.9 San Francisco is about to be supplanted...by an FM simulcast of CBS Radio's venerable all-news outlet, KCBS/740.
The move set for next Monday bumps off the music format reestablished by the company - the reinvention of the long-time oldies outlet at 99.7 FM (and 610 AM) after CBS killed off the "Free FM" talk format on the new 106.9 frequency.
(To tie it altogether, a few years ago CBS swapped 610 to religious operator Family Radio - which owns WCUE/1150 Cuyahoga Falls in the Akron market - and paid a boatload of cash to take over Family Radio's long-time full market FM home at 106.9. The Family Radio satellite feed you hear on WCUE is now based at 610 AM in San Francisco, though nominally so for FCC purposes from a nearby FM in Sacramento.)
It's a drumbeat we've hit upon here, frequently. Eventually, big AM news/talk/sports stations are going to have to find some home on FM, be it a simulcast, a full-blown move, or even an HD2 or HD3 simulcast.
The latter is a pittance right now, and who knows where it goes in the future, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Clear Channel land its big AM talkers on an FM HD2/3 channel at some point - CBS has already done so in most of its large markets.
Anyway, as silly as it seems to look at Cleveland market AM powerhouse/blowtorch WTAM/1100 and wonder when it's going to add an FM simulcast...how long can AM hold in there, when younger listeners barely can find the *FM* dial, let alone AM? That'll become a big problem when those listeners start populating the older news/talk-friendly demos.
There's also the other problem - right now, Clear Channel really doesn't have a horribly failing FM station upon which to plant something like a WTAM simulcast, so it doesn't happen.
For now, most news/talkers are addressing those demo headaches by tripping all-over themselves to grow their Internet presence - from streaming audio to podcasts to extensive news and information sites. Pretty much all news/talkers these days even frequently use their web site branding on the air.
(One of these days, Akron market talker WNIR/100.1 will catch up with the late 20th Century, and unveil their rumored new website. We may actually fall over dead waiting in front of the keyboard before that becomes reality. Of course, in the "FM News/Talk Watch", "The Talk of Akron" has everyone beat by nearly 35 years if you count the 1974 debut of midday host Howie Chizek on 100.1.)
We're not sure if CBS in San Francisco sees the "future is now" with the move to simulcast its all-news station on FM, or if the classic hits format just wasn't catching on, and they had no other options.
Oh, speaking of Cleveland and CBS - yes, we did see DCRTV's item quoting sources talking about a stall in the sale of the company's mid-market clusters, believed to include markets like Baltimore and Cleveland.
Quoting Dave Hughes' site:
Slumping Market Stalls CBS Radio Sale - 10/13 - Reliable industry sources tell DCRTV that the sale of those CBS radio stations in Baltimore and other mid-sized and small markets won't happen. At least until maybe late 2009 - at the earliest. Because of the current stock crisis, and the severe tightening of the credit market, radio companies that have been and are still solid - a la Bonneville, Emmis, Entercom, and Greater Media - can't secure the backing of big lending institutions for a purchase. That's not to say there won't be some more cuts at CBS Baltimore, but folks still working at WHFS, WWMX, WLIF, WQSR, and WJFK-AM will still be working for CBS for a good while longer, we hear.....
While we have no information beyond Dave's item, it would certainly make sense...as the massive economic crisis is likely to affect EVERYTHING business-related, certainly the ability to raise large amounts of banking capital to buy expensive radio stations.
Unless they have raised large warchests, like FOX owner NewsCorp's Rupert Murdoch says his firm has, even the most stable companies may have to wait out the credit crunch.
(And no, we haven't heard anything about FOX/NewsCorp buying radio stations, though they do have a pretty extensive radio/news network operation these days...)
We have a regular feature here we haven't brought up in a while - the FM Talk Watch.
We should call it the "FM News/Talk Watch", as we've never really used it to track the so-called "hot talk" stations that have dwindled to a very few these days. We're talking about the move of traditional AM news/talk/sports formats to the FM dial...as either simulcasts or moves.
And CBS Radio has just uncorked a big one out in California.
AllAccess reports that classic hits KFRC/106.9 San Francisco is about to be supplanted...by an FM simulcast of CBS Radio's venerable all-news outlet, KCBS/740.
The move set for next Monday bumps off the music format reestablished by the company - the reinvention of the long-time oldies outlet at 99.7 FM (and 610 AM) after CBS killed off the "Free FM" talk format on the new 106.9 frequency.
(To tie it altogether, a few years ago CBS swapped 610 to religious operator Family Radio - which owns WCUE/1150 Cuyahoga Falls in the Akron market - and paid a boatload of cash to take over Family Radio's long-time full market FM home at 106.9. The Family Radio satellite feed you hear on WCUE is now based at 610 AM in San Francisco, though nominally so for FCC purposes from a nearby FM in Sacramento.)
It's a drumbeat we've hit upon here, frequently. Eventually, big AM news/talk/sports stations are going to have to find some home on FM, be it a simulcast, a full-blown move, or even an HD2 or HD3 simulcast.
The latter is a pittance right now, and who knows where it goes in the future, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Clear Channel land its big AM talkers on an FM HD2/3 channel at some point - CBS has already done so in most of its large markets.
Anyway, as silly as it seems to look at Cleveland market AM powerhouse/blowtorch WTAM/1100 and wonder when it's going to add an FM simulcast...how long can AM hold in there, when younger listeners barely can find the *FM* dial, let alone AM? That'll become a big problem when those listeners start populating the older news/talk-friendly demos.
There's also the other problem - right now, Clear Channel really doesn't have a horribly failing FM station upon which to plant something like a WTAM simulcast, so it doesn't happen.
For now, most news/talkers are addressing those demo headaches by tripping all-over themselves to grow their Internet presence - from streaming audio to podcasts to extensive news and information sites. Pretty much all news/talkers these days even frequently use their web site branding on the air.
(One of these days, Akron market talker WNIR/100.1 will catch up with the late 20th Century, and unveil their rumored new website. We may actually fall over dead waiting in front of the keyboard before that becomes reality. Of course, in the "FM News/Talk Watch", "The Talk of Akron" has everyone beat by nearly 35 years if you count the 1974 debut of midday host Howie Chizek on 100.1.)
We're not sure if CBS in San Francisco sees the "future is now" with the move to simulcast its all-news station on FM, or if the classic hits format just wasn't catching on, and they had no other options.
Oh, speaking of Cleveland and CBS - yes, we did see DCRTV's item quoting sources talking about a stall in the sale of the company's mid-market clusters, believed to include markets like Baltimore and Cleveland.
Quoting Dave Hughes' site:
Slumping Market Stalls CBS Radio Sale - 10/13 - Reliable industry sources tell DCRTV that the sale of those CBS radio stations in Baltimore and other mid-sized and small markets won't happen. At least until maybe late 2009 - at the earliest. Because of the current stock crisis, and the severe tightening of the credit market, radio companies that have been and are still solid - a la Bonneville, Emmis, Entercom, and Greater Media - can't secure the backing of big lending institutions for a purchase. That's not to say there won't be some more cuts at CBS Baltimore, but folks still working at WHFS, WWMX, WLIF, WQSR, and WJFK-AM will still be working for CBS for a good while longer, we hear.....
While we have no information beyond Dave's item, it would certainly make sense...as the massive economic crisis is likely to affect EVERYTHING business-related, certainly the ability to raise large amounts of banking capital to buy expensive radio stations.
Unless they have raised large warchests, like FOX owner NewsCorp's Rupert Murdoch says his firm has, even the most stable companies may have to wait out the credit crunch.
(And no, we haven't heard anything about FOX/NewsCorp buying radio stations, though they do have a pretty extensive radio/news network operation these days...)
About Keeping That Wire Current
It's a long-running (gallows humor) joke around here when we talk about the continuing job cuts at the Akron Beacon Journal, one of thousands of newspapers nationwide getting squeezed between the current financial crisis and the diminishing number of readers: "We hope they keep their Associated Press wire bill current."
As it turns out, a small, but growing number of newspapers are deciding to send the venerable AP wire packing.
The most recent to give the wire service the required two-year notice to leave the wire cooperative is right here in Ohio - the locally-owned Columbus Dispatch.
The New York Times reports that the AP membership costs the Dispatch around $800,000 a year. For the Dispatch, it's not just the wire's cost - which the mighty Tribune chain cited when it said last week it would drop AP at its big city newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
The Dispatch and other papers aren't happy with AP on two fronts - saying, quoting the New York Times article:
(The newspapers are saying the AP) charges more than they can afford, delivers too little of what they need and — particularly galling to them — is sometimes acting as their competitor on the Internet.
“They seem to have forgotten that they are there to serve us,” said Benjamin J. Marrison, editor of The Dispatch.
Significantly for this report, the New York Times article confirms what we'd already guessed - eight Ohio newspapers are sending each other news stories, bypassing AP to get local news to each other around the state.
OMW has previously noted that all three newspapers in Northeast Ohio's largest cities - the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Akron Beacon Journal and Youngstown Vindicator -have published bylined stories from each others' papers in recent months. We're pretty sure the Dispatch is in that cooperative as well.
The Dispatch's Benjamin Marrison tells the Times that the Columbus paper, like others, has had to redeploy local resources to cover breaking news items traditionally made available via the AP wire (presumably regionally) - and then watches those items being rewritten and sent out by AP.
If they do indeed leave the Associated Press, the papers will probably turn to other wire services for national stories, like Reuters, or use wires provided by other newspaper groups. We're pretty sure the Beacon Journal, for example, is still signed up for the Knight-Ridder/Tribune wire, long after it stopped being owned by Knight-Ridder itself.
Of course, if those local papers continue to depend on each others' local newsrooms for news stories to share, let's hope there are enough reporters to cover the actual news.
No matter what, you'll still see Associated Press stories in the Dispatch, and on the paper's web site, for the next two years...since as noted, the wire service requires newspapers give a two-year notice to sever connections. And AP holds out the hope that the newspapers may just be making these notices as a negotiating tool, to lower the cost of the service...
As it turns out, a small, but growing number of newspapers are deciding to send the venerable AP wire packing.
The most recent to give the wire service the required two-year notice to leave the wire cooperative is right here in Ohio - the locally-owned Columbus Dispatch.
The New York Times reports that the AP membership costs the Dispatch around $800,000 a year. For the Dispatch, it's not just the wire's cost - which the mighty Tribune chain cited when it said last week it would drop AP at its big city newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
The Dispatch and other papers aren't happy with AP on two fronts - saying, quoting the New York Times article:
(The newspapers are saying the AP) charges more than they can afford, delivers too little of what they need and — particularly galling to them — is sometimes acting as their competitor on the Internet.
“They seem to have forgotten that they are there to serve us,” said Benjamin J. Marrison, editor of The Dispatch.
Significantly for this report, the New York Times article confirms what we'd already guessed - eight Ohio newspapers are sending each other news stories, bypassing AP to get local news to each other around the state.
OMW has previously noted that all three newspapers in Northeast Ohio's largest cities - the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Akron Beacon Journal and Youngstown Vindicator -have published bylined stories from each others' papers in recent months. We're pretty sure the Dispatch is in that cooperative as well.
The Dispatch's Benjamin Marrison tells the Times that the Columbus paper, like others, has had to redeploy local resources to cover breaking news items traditionally made available via the AP wire (presumably regionally) - and then watches those items being rewritten and sent out by AP.
If they do indeed leave the Associated Press, the papers will probably turn to other wire services for national stories, like Reuters, or use wires provided by other newspaper groups. We're pretty sure the Beacon Journal, for example, is still signed up for the Knight-Ridder/Tribune wire, long after it stopped being owned by Knight-Ridder itself.
Of course, if those local papers continue to depend on each others' local newsrooms for news stories to share, let's hope there are enough reporters to cover the actual news.
No matter what, you'll still see Associated Press stories in the Dispatch, and on the paper's web site, for the next two years...since as noted, the wire service requires newspapers give a two-year notice to sever connections. And AP holds out the hope that the newspapers may just be making these notices as a negotiating tool, to lower the cost of the service...
I-70 Shuffling
A whole bunch of radio stations are moving along the Interstate 70 corridor in Ohio, and some are changing as a result. We'll start from the east, and move west.
We already knew that Zanesville's WHIZ-FM/102.5 (hot AC "Z102") was destined to move west, with a new license city of Baltimore (Ohio, not Maryland), with a signal designed to turn it into a Columbus market station.
We, and others, speculated that community-minded WHIZ would eventually acquire another Zanesville-based FM station - likely Christian Voice of Central Ohio's CCM WCVZ/92.7 South Zanesville "The River" - to replace 102.5.
Speculation turned to reality on Friday, as WHIZ and CVCO announced just such a deal. Quoting WHIZ's Hank Littick from his station's news story on it:
As has been announced in the past, we are relocating our 102 frequency so this agreement means that our company will maintain its presence in our area on the FM dial. We will continue our commitment to our local community by moving our format to 92.7.
As for the CVCO folks, they're nudging listeners to a new, recently established non-commercial frequency, WZNP/89.3 Newark:
92.7 the River is moving on your radio dial to 89.3. You’ll also hear a new name ….89.3 the Promise! We’re excited about launching the Promise for all of you who are our loyal listeners in Zanesville, Newark and southeast Ohio; but we’re even more energized by making some changes that so many of you have asked for. Now, with the Promise you get the “best of both worlds”.
When you join us early mornings at the Promise you’ll hear the uplifting, positive music the River is known for with Scott and Sam. If you hang around ‘til later in the morning you’ll hear the solid Bible teaching programs already being enjoyed by listeners at our other three Promise network stations throughout Ohio and Eastern Indiana!
So, technically, it's not a direct "move" of the CCM "River" format, as the "Promise Network" also features a heavy dose of Christian talk/teaching along with the music. It does carry the syndicated "Scott and Sam" show that's been heard on 92.7, and is also featured on "River" flagship WCVO/104.9 Gahanna in the Columbus market.
The moves do not mean not a perfect signal replacement for either of the stations. Even the decent 92.7 signal, coming in from the south, will lose some northern, less populated parts of Muskingum County now covered by 102.5, and the 89.3 signal is a rimshot into both Zanesville and Newark from between the two cities.
But we're guessing listeners in the city of Zanesville itself will likely not notice much difference in either replacement. The signals are both rimshots to some degree, but not bad or distant rimshots.
Speaking of moves near Newark, the FCC last week approved the construction permit which clears the way for WNKO/101.7 Newark to move to new facilities licensed to New Albany.
The nudge west would put WNKO right into the Columbus market, which means with the 102.5 FM move to a COL of Baltimore OH, Columbus is set to get two new FM facilities at some point in the next year or two.
The WNKO move pushed Otterbein College's WOBN/101.5 Westerville off of its class D channel, along with another move we'll talk about in a bit. The tiny college outlet found a new home, with help, at 97.5.
Heading west from Columbus, another station along I-70 and in the same frequency area as WNKO is tabbed for its own move west.
Main Line Broadcasting country WKSW/101.7 Urbana "Kiss Country" holds a construction permit to move to 101.5 FM, and a new city of license (Enon).
That puts the station now serving Urbana and Springfield ("Clark and Champaign County's Hometown Country Station") right into the middle of the Dayton market, giving that market another new FM...
We already knew that Zanesville's WHIZ-FM/102.5 (hot AC "Z102") was destined to move west, with a new license city of Baltimore (Ohio, not Maryland), with a signal designed to turn it into a Columbus market station.
We, and others, speculated that community-minded WHIZ would eventually acquire another Zanesville-based FM station - likely Christian Voice of Central Ohio's CCM WCVZ/92.7 South Zanesville "The River" - to replace 102.5.
Speculation turned to reality on Friday, as WHIZ and CVCO announced just such a deal. Quoting WHIZ's Hank Littick from his station's news story on it:
As has been announced in the past, we are relocating our 102 frequency so this agreement means that our company will maintain its presence in our area on the FM dial. We will continue our commitment to our local community by moving our format to 92.7.
As for the CVCO folks, they're nudging listeners to a new, recently established non-commercial frequency, WZNP/89.3 Newark:
92.7 the River is moving on your radio dial to 89.3. You’ll also hear a new name ….89.3 the Promise! We’re excited about launching the Promise for all of you who are our loyal listeners in Zanesville, Newark and southeast Ohio; but we’re even more energized by making some changes that so many of you have asked for. Now, with the Promise you get the “best of both worlds”.
When you join us early mornings at the Promise you’ll hear the uplifting, positive music the River is known for with Scott and Sam. If you hang around ‘til later in the morning you’ll hear the solid Bible teaching programs already being enjoyed by listeners at our other three Promise network stations throughout Ohio and Eastern Indiana!
So, technically, it's not a direct "move" of the CCM "River" format, as the "Promise Network" also features a heavy dose of Christian talk/teaching along with the music. It does carry the syndicated "Scott and Sam" show that's been heard on 92.7, and is also featured on "River" flagship WCVO/104.9 Gahanna in the Columbus market.
The moves do not mean not a perfect signal replacement for either of the stations. Even the decent 92.7 signal, coming in from the south, will lose some northern, less populated parts of Muskingum County now covered by 102.5, and the 89.3 signal is a rimshot into both Zanesville and Newark from between the two cities.
But we're guessing listeners in the city of Zanesville itself will likely not notice much difference in either replacement. The signals are both rimshots to some degree, but not bad or distant rimshots.
Speaking of moves near Newark, the FCC last week approved the construction permit which clears the way for WNKO/101.7 Newark to move to new facilities licensed to New Albany.
The nudge west would put WNKO right into the Columbus market, which means with the 102.5 FM move to a COL of Baltimore OH, Columbus is set to get two new FM facilities at some point in the next year or two.
The WNKO move pushed Otterbein College's WOBN/101.5 Westerville off of its class D channel, along with another move we'll talk about in a bit. The tiny college outlet found a new home, with help, at 97.5.
Heading west from Columbus, another station along I-70 and in the same frequency area as WNKO is tabbed for its own move west.
Main Line Broadcasting country WKSW/101.7 Urbana "Kiss Country" holds a construction permit to move to 101.5 FM, and a new city of license (Enon).
That puts the station now serving Urbana and Springfield ("Clark and Champaign County's Hometown Country Station") right into the middle of the Dayton market, giving that market another new FM...
Official: Beck To WTAM, Frantz To Evenings
As reported first right here on your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), and as expected today, it's officially been announced on Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100.
The Cleveland "Big One" will return Premiere syndicated host Glenn Beck to his old time slot, 9 AM-noon, effective November 3rd.
Current late morning host Bob Frantz interviewed Beck (in a presumably recorded segment) via telephone on his show this morning, and also announced his own move to the evening time slot. Frantz will air 7 PM-midnight weekdays starting the day after Beck's return to WTAM, election night, November 4th.
Beck told Frantz he was more than eager to return to the Cleveland radio airwaves:
"It's always been one of my favorite stations, 'TAM, and always one of my favorite cities. We had such a great relationship... The people just get it, listening to 'TAM, and I really, really miss them."
Frantz made brief comments about his own move to the station's evening slot, where his show will supplant the long-running "Sportsline":
"We'll have more time, a broader reach, a larger audience, we plan to do some amazing things."
Of course, none of this is news to OMW readers, but it has now been announced to the world by WTAM. Well, at least, the part of the world that listens to Bob Frantz's show, at any rate.
Oh, and more from another shoe dropping related to this announcement.
OMW hears that Beck's Akron affiliate, sister Clear Channel talk WHLO/640, will no longer carry his program after it starts on WTAM.
Instead, late afternoon local host Matt Patrick will move his WHLO talk show into the 9 AM-noon slot, starting that same November 3rd. Patrick, of course, will continue his long-running job as co-host of sister hot AC WKDD/98.1's morning drive show - and will slide down the Freedom Avenue hall during the 9 AM newsbreak to switch stations.
The WHLO move will return ABC Radio/Premiere afternoon drive host Sean Hannity to a full three-hour live clearance on the Akron station, and ABC stablemate Mark Levin moves up to a live clearance following Hannity, from 6-8 PM.
OMW already reported that Beck's other current Northeast Ohio affiliate, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria, will move Talk Radio Network host Laura Ingraham from evenings into the late morning time slot on November 5th, a move foreshadowed by the graphic "11.05.08. Change Is Coming. Believe It." on WEOL's web site...
The Cleveland "Big One" will return Premiere syndicated host Glenn Beck to his old time slot, 9 AM-noon, effective November 3rd.
Current late morning host Bob Frantz interviewed Beck (in a presumably recorded segment) via telephone on his show this morning, and also announced his own move to the evening time slot. Frantz will air 7 PM-midnight weekdays starting the day after Beck's return to WTAM, election night, November 4th.
Beck told Frantz he was more than eager to return to the Cleveland radio airwaves:
"It's always been one of my favorite stations, 'TAM, and always one of my favorite cities. We had such a great relationship... The people just get it, listening to 'TAM, and I really, really miss them."
Frantz made brief comments about his own move to the station's evening slot, where his show will supplant the long-running "Sportsline":
"We'll have more time, a broader reach, a larger audience, we plan to do some amazing things."
Of course, none of this is news to OMW readers, but it has now been announced to the world by WTAM. Well, at least, the part of the world that listens to Bob Frantz's show, at any rate.
Oh, and more from another shoe dropping related to this announcement.
OMW hears that Beck's Akron affiliate, sister Clear Channel talk WHLO/640, will no longer carry his program after it starts on WTAM.
Instead, late afternoon local host Matt Patrick will move his WHLO talk show into the 9 AM-noon slot, starting that same November 3rd. Patrick, of course, will continue his long-running job as co-host of sister hot AC WKDD/98.1's morning drive show - and will slide down the Freedom Avenue hall during the 9 AM newsbreak to switch stations.
The WHLO move will return ABC Radio/Premiere afternoon drive host Sean Hannity to a full three-hour live clearance on the Akron station, and ABC stablemate Mark Levin moves up to a live clearance following Hannity, from 6-8 PM.
OMW already reported that Beck's other current Northeast Ohio affiliate, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria, will move Talk Radio Network host Laura Ingraham from evenings into the late morning time slot on November 5th, a move foreshadowed by the graphic "11.05.08. Change Is Coming. Believe It." on WEOL's web site...
WSTB GM Resigning
In the continuing controversy over Streetsboro school district station WSTB/88.9, which is still off the air as of this writing on Monday morning...
OMW hears that long-time WSTB general manager Bob Long plans to resign from his post later today, though he'll continue in his teaching job.
What's being called an "official statement" by Long has floated out of the ether and into our electronic hands, and we share it here:
-------
Here's the reasoning behind my decision:
1. I feel that I have lost the confidence of the administration in my ability to serve as Station Manager.
2. This has been a heavy burden for me. It was difficult to teach my classes last week. It has been a difficult weekend as I try to prepare my lessons for next week. It's been very hard to concentrate on anything other than this. I need to get this behind me so that I can continue with my classroom responsibilities.
3. I feel the administration and I are in a stalemate situation. The education of my Broadcasting II (WSTB Radio) students has been impeded by the radio station not being on the air this past week. If I step out of the way, then the administration can begin the process of selecting a new Station Manager and getting the station back on air.
-----------
WSTB has been off the air for a week now, as school officials removed on-air computers over pictures said to be located on the computers...reportedly, pictures of an 18 year-old now-former student in the presence of alcohol at an out-of-town New Year's Eve party.
A Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier article late last week sheds a little light on the controversy from the other side of things. Quoting a piece of it:
Streetsboro Board of Education President Kevin Grimm said that only (WSTB IT director Dan) Kuznicki has been asked to not return to school property at the request of the district's legal counsel, but he is not "banned." He said the district's counsel is currently reviewing the photos.
"The administration wants to ensure our students are not in any environment that maybe harmful to them," he said.
Superintendent Linda T. Keller said the district is conducting an internal investigation on computers used to run WSTB that were seized by the administration Monday. As of Thursday evening, the station had not returned to the airwaves.
The article makes it clear that Long, who's been GM of WSTB for nearly 30 years, considers Kuznicki vital to the station's return and continued operation.
Meanwhile, the 88.9 FM slot in Northeast Ohio remains vacant, with unlistenable traces of Ashland University's WRDL occasionally floating into WSTB's usual listening area.
We'll wrap this item up by moving into a mini-editorial. We'll helpfully divide it from the rest of the item, for those who need that division to be clear.
----------
OMW is not affiliated with any educational institution. We are not tasked with shaping the minds of students heading into an increasingly uncertain world. We realize that since the Dark Ages, when your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) went to school, "threats" both perceived and real to students have increased.
We're therefore going to step away from editorializing about the "student safety issue", as it's been framed by some, including commenters to our own items.
The concerns vs. the facts we see from here in this specific case seem a bit blown out of proportion, but again, we don't have students in the Streetsboro district, and we aren't directly involved in this situation at all...so we don't have much standing to comment on that part of it.
Put all of that aside, and let the educational system - and affected parties - deal with that part of it as they see fit to do...and let those parents and stakeholders react to that, as they see fit to do, if they don't think the system is dealing with it properly.
In our opinion, a long-time community resource like WSTB should not be lost over such a squabble, no matter what you think of the parties involved, or the specific situation that has made the news recently.
With Bob Long's impending resignation, we believe someone needs to step in - and NOW - and make it clear that WSTB, in some form, will return to the airwaves, soon...as in this week, if not today.
That's easier said than done, as the status of the stations' computers is still up in the air, so we don't know how they'd do it.
But the FCC only allows stations to be silent for so long, and they need to file for extensions if they don't return to the airwaves. We don't see a silent STA request for WSTB among the station's data on the agency's website, though it could well just not have shown up online yet. (Regular readers know we've seen the FCC online database lag behind reality before, so we're not reading much into that.)
To the Streetsboro district: Deal with "student safety" issues as you must, if they are indeed there. We're not telling you how to do your core mission of educating students, or protecting their welfare.
But WSTB is a federally-licensed facility, and a service to not just the student community, but the public. Don't let foot dragging threaten its decades-long history.
Again, this last part of the item is our own thought and opinion.
-- The Management
OMW hears that long-time WSTB general manager Bob Long plans to resign from his post later today, though he'll continue in his teaching job.
What's being called an "official statement" by Long has floated out of the ether and into our electronic hands, and we share it here:
-------
Here's the reasoning behind my decision:
1. I feel that I have lost the confidence of the administration in my ability to serve as Station Manager.
2. This has been a heavy burden for me. It was difficult to teach my classes last week. It has been a difficult weekend as I try to prepare my lessons for next week. It's been very hard to concentrate on anything other than this. I need to get this behind me so that I can continue with my classroom responsibilities.
3. I feel the administration and I are in a stalemate situation. The education of my Broadcasting II (WSTB Radio) students has been impeded by the radio station not being on the air this past week. If I step out of the way, then the administration can begin the process of selecting a new Station Manager and getting the station back on air.
-----------
WSTB has been off the air for a week now, as school officials removed on-air computers over pictures said to be located on the computers...reportedly, pictures of an 18 year-old now-former student in the presence of alcohol at an out-of-town New Year's Eve party.
A Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier article late last week sheds a little light on the controversy from the other side of things. Quoting a piece of it:
Streetsboro Board of Education President Kevin Grimm said that only (WSTB IT director Dan) Kuznicki has been asked to not return to school property at the request of the district's legal counsel, but he is not "banned." He said the district's counsel is currently reviewing the photos.
"The administration wants to ensure our students are not in any environment that maybe harmful to them," he said.
Superintendent Linda T. Keller said the district is conducting an internal investigation on computers used to run WSTB that were seized by the administration Monday. As of Thursday evening, the station had not returned to the airwaves.
The article makes it clear that Long, who's been GM of WSTB for nearly 30 years, considers Kuznicki vital to the station's return and continued operation.
Meanwhile, the 88.9 FM slot in Northeast Ohio remains vacant, with unlistenable traces of Ashland University's WRDL occasionally floating into WSTB's usual listening area.
We'll wrap this item up by moving into a mini-editorial. We'll helpfully divide it from the rest of the item, for those who need that division to be clear.
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OMW is not affiliated with any educational institution. We are not tasked with shaping the minds of students heading into an increasingly uncertain world. We realize that since the Dark Ages, when your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) went to school, "threats" both perceived and real to students have increased.
We're therefore going to step away from editorializing about the "student safety issue", as it's been framed by some, including commenters to our own items.
The concerns vs. the facts we see from here in this specific case seem a bit blown out of proportion, but again, we don't have students in the Streetsboro district, and we aren't directly involved in this situation at all...so we don't have much standing to comment on that part of it.
Put all of that aside, and let the educational system - and affected parties - deal with that part of it as they see fit to do...and let those parents and stakeholders react to that, as they see fit to do, if they don't think the system is dealing with it properly.
In our opinion, a long-time community resource like WSTB should not be lost over such a squabble, no matter what you think of the parties involved, or the specific situation that has made the news recently.
With Bob Long's impending resignation, we believe someone needs to step in - and NOW - and make it clear that WSTB, in some form, will return to the airwaves, soon...as in this week, if not today.
That's easier said than done, as the status of the stations' computers is still up in the air, so we don't know how they'd do it.
But the FCC only allows stations to be silent for so long, and they need to file for extensions if they don't return to the airwaves. We don't see a silent STA request for WSTB among the station's data on the agency's website, though it could well just not have shown up online yet. (Regular readers know we've seen the FCC online database lag behind reality before, so we're not reading much into that.)
To the Streetsboro district: Deal with "student safety" issues as you must, if they are indeed there. We're not telling you how to do your core mission of educating students, or protecting their welfare.
But WSTB is a federally-licensed facility, and a service to not just the student community, but the public. Don't let foot dragging threaten its decades-long history.
Again, this last part of the item is our own thought and opinion.
-- The Management
Country Hat Tip To Chuck
A Cleveland country radio icon is about to become a national Hall of Famer.
Clear Channel country WGAR/99.5 Cleveland afternoon driver Chuck Collier will be inducted into the Country Music Radio Hall of Fame in Nashville. The induction will take place on March 3, 2009.
The station says Collier was "one of a very few selected for the Class of 2009" for the Hall of Fame, and is one of "fewer than 60 radio professionals" to receive the honor over the years.
Collier got the news in a call from Lon Helton of Country Aircheck, and video of the on-air announcement - which was apparently a surprise to him - is available on his WGAR page.
Chuck has been on the air at WGAR, the station says, for over 36 years...which would mean he's survived not only many ownership changes, but dates him back to WGAR's days at 1220 AM (now Salem Christian talk/teaching WHKW)...
Clear Channel country WGAR/99.5 Cleveland afternoon driver Chuck Collier will be inducted into the Country Music Radio Hall of Fame in Nashville. The induction will take place on March 3, 2009.The station says Collier was "one of a very few selected for the Class of 2009" for the Hall of Fame, and is one of "fewer than 60 radio professionals" to receive the honor over the years.
Collier got the news in a call from Lon Helton of Country Aircheck, and video of the on-air announcement - which was apparently a surprise to him - is available on his WGAR page.
Chuck has been on the air at WGAR, the station says, for over 36 years...which would mean he's survived not only many ownership changes, but dates him back to WGAR's days at 1220 AM (now Salem Christian talk/teaching WHKW)...
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