At this rate, the Cleveland Plain Dealer may have a smaller editorial staff one day than your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm).
OK, well, not quite, but print media watchers have another piece of cringe-worthy employment news: the Advance Publications-owned Plain Dealer has announced another round of job cuts - this one aimed at cutting 38 "unionized newsroom employees" from the PD staff by the end of this year.
As with previously announced cuts, the PD is first offering a buyout to those employees - which they'll have until November 20th to accept. From the article by the PD's Sarah Hollander:
If 38 don't volunteer, the paper will then move to layoffs, Editor Susan Goldberg said.
The severance package would include two weeks of pay for every year worked; health insurance is not part of the package.
The 38 planned cuts, according to the PD, cover "about 16 percent of the newsroom's Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild members, including reporters, photographers, support staff and some editors."
Content? Who needs local news content printed on paper? It's a quaint concept in 2008. Actual reporters covering actual news? We'll just rely on bloggers and message boards to tell us what's going on. Photographers taking real pictures? Everyone has a camera phone now, who needs them?
In case you haven't figured out yet, that entire paragraph was dripping with enough sarcasm to fill a motor home.
We're very much in favor of large, vibrant news organizations covering news and information in a detailed format, be it in print, on the Internet, on a TV station or at a radio station.
Despite being "part" of the New Media Universe as a blogger, we're old-fashioned that way. We believe a strong print and broadcast news media is vital for a free society.
But as the article notes, just about anything resembling a traditional media operation is suffering financially.
The horribly slumping economy has cut advertising revenue, and the Internet has come in as a source of new competition. (Not us - we're not making any money off this thing.)
We do note that PD publisher and president Terry Egger is quoted as saying that the paper is turning "a small profit (...) but much less than expected." He cites "hard times" ahead for the newspaper industry as a whole.
One big problem faced by newspapers, in specific: the rapidly declining number of classified ads. Despite having forged partnerships with job sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder, or with car ad sites like Cars.com, newspapers are still hurting in the classifieds.
Blame Craigslist for that. The extensive, mostly free classifieds site has become the place to buy and sell, place personal ads, find jobs and more, for a generation of younger people...who are no more likely to buy a newspaper than they are to slay a dragon...
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Game Shuffling
An OMW reader passes along word that FOX's coverage of game four in baseball's National League Championship Series will be moved in Cleveland next Monday - to Raycom MyNetwork TV affiliate WUAB/43.
The move is necessitated by FOX affiliate and former O&O WJW/8's local carriage of the ESPN "Monday Night Football" game between the Cleveland Browns and the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
(For those who don't follow NFL rights issues, the league's rules mandate that local affiliates in each of the two "Monday Night" cities can bid to rebroadcast the ESPN game over air. The same rules apply to the other cable/satellite rightsholder, the NFL's own NFL Network, and WUAB will carry the Browns when they appear on NFL Network later this season.)
OMW hears from our reader that "FOX 8" made the announcement on the air during "FOX 8 News in the Morning" today, and we've gone through all the various online TV listing services - which all show WUAB carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
Our reader/tipster asked if the NLCS game will be in HDTV format on WUAB - a question we can't answer yet. We're pretty sure the Browns game will be in HD on WJW, as those games have been before...
The move is necessitated by FOX affiliate and former O&O WJW/8's local carriage of the ESPN "Monday Night Football" game between the Cleveland Browns and the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
(For those who don't follow NFL rights issues, the league's rules mandate that local affiliates in each of the two "Monday Night" cities can bid to rebroadcast the ESPN game over air. The same rules apply to the other cable/satellite rightsholder, the NFL's own NFL Network, and WUAB will carry the Browns when they appear on NFL Network later this season.)
OMW hears from our reader that "FOX 8" made the announcement on the air during "FOX 8 News in the Morning" today, and we've gone through all the various online TV listing services - which all show WUAB carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.
Our reader/tipster asked if the NLCS game will be in HDTV format on WUAB - a question we can't answer yet. We're pretty sure the Browns game will be in HD on WJW, as those games have been before...
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
NBC Weather Plus Shutting Down
It's a national media news item that affects us locally - as NBC Universal has announced it's shutting down the "NBC Weather Plus" network.
TVWeek reports that the weather service operating on NBC affiliates' digital subchannels, including that of Gannett's WKYC/3 in Cleveland, Media General's WCMH/4 in Columbus and Barrington's WNWO/24 in Toledo, will be "phased out in stages" between now and the end of the year.
NBC News division head Steve Capus tells the trade magazine that it wasn't just the NBC acquisition of a stake in cable TV giant The Weather Channel that spelled the end of the road for "Weather Plus". Quoting TV Week:
"This is a tough business," Mr. Capus said. “It has not been a profitable business.”
"It’s a very difficult business climate these days. You can’t ignore those realities," Mr. Capus said. "Even if the Weather Channel acquisition hadn’t happened, this was a business that was challenged. We were going to have to face that at some point."
In Cleveland, WKYC senior director and fellow blogger Frank Macek weighs in on the announcement in his "Director's Cut" blog:
What will this mean for WKYC, we'll see. There are many avenues we can follow to continue bringing Clevelanders the best local weather over the air, on-line and through mobile platforms we are currently developing.
And with NBC's ownership of "The Weather Channel", might we expect our local meteorologists showing up for appearances? Stay tuned.
HDTV buffs, particularly those who call the service by another name, "Weather Minus", are itching for the service to go away, as it takes away HDTV bandwidth.
This is particularly noticeable during fast-action sports events, like NBC's "Sunday Night Football"...though many stations take the extra step of reducing the subchannel's bandwidth during those events to give more room to the HD feed.
But it's an open question, right now, if WKYC, WCMH and/or WNWO will release that bandwidth permanently...or put another subchannel of some sort up - be it weather, news or entertainment-oriented - in the place of "Weather Plus".
With digital TV becoming the over-air norm in February, we'd probably bet on the latter scenario...
TVWeek reports that the weather service operating on NBC affiliates' digital subchannels, including that of Gannett's WKYC/3 in Cleveland, Media General's WCMH/4 in Columbus and Barrington's WNWO/24 in Toledo, will be "phased out in stages" between now and the end of the year.
NBC News division head Steve Capus tells the trade magazine that it wasn't just the NBC acquisition of a stake in cable TV giant The Weather Channel that spelled the end of the road for "Weather Plus". Quoting TV Week:
"This is a tough business," Mr. Capus said. “It has not been a profitable business.”
"It’s a very difficult business climate these days. You can’t ignore those realities," Mr. Capus said. "Even if the Weather Channel acquisition hadn’t happened, this was a business that was challenged. We were going to have to face that at some point."
In Cleveland, WKYC senior director and fellow blogger Frank Macek weighs in on the announcement in his "Director's Cut" blog:
What will this mean for WKYC, we'll see. There are many avenues we can follow to continue bringing Clevelanders the best local weather over the air, on-line and through mobile platforms we are currently developing.
And with NBC's ownership of "The Weather Channel", might we expect our local meteorologists showing up for appearances? Stay tuned.
HDTV buffs, particularly those who call the service by another name, "Weather Minus", are itching for the service to go away, as it takes away HDTV bandwidth.
This is particularly noticeable during fast-action sports events, like NBC's "Sunday Night Football"...though many stations take the extra step of reducing the subchannel's bandwidth during those events to give more room to the HD feed.
But it's an open question, right now, if WKYC, WCMH and/or WNWO will release that bandwidth permanently...or put another subchannel of some sort up - be it weather, news or entertainment-oriented - in the place of "Weather Plus".
With digital TV becoming the over-air norm in February, we'd probably bet on the latter scenario...
THIS JUST IN: Fogg Heading Back
The budget-driven dismissal of popular Sandusky radio personality Mark Fogg has apparently been undone.
The Sandusky Register reports that Fogg is returning to his full-time job as morning host, program director and sports director at BAS Broadcasting's WLEC/1450 starting today...the newspaper says he'll return to his morning drive show Monday, and get back to his usual work covering high school football starting this weekend.
The Register reports that BAS offered Fogg his old job back. Quoting:
"I'm going back like I've never been gone," Fogg, 54, told the Register Monday afternoon, shortly after announcing his decision to accept the offer. "That was part of the agreement I had with them."
BAS cited the need for cost-cutting a week ago Monday, when it told Fogg that his job was being eliminated.
The move was quite controversial in Sandusky, as the 33-year radio veteran was quite popular. The Register's earlier story on his dismissal is still atop the "most commented" list of stories on the newspaper's website, with over 200 entries...
The Sandusky Register reports that Fogg is returning to his full-time job as morning host, program director and sports director at BAS Broadcasting's WLEC/1450 starting today...the newspaper says he'll return to his morning drive show Monday, and get back to his usual work covering high school football starting this weekend.
The Register reports that BAS offered Fogg his old job back. Quoting:
"I'm going back like I've never been gone," Fogg, 54, told the Register Monday afternoon, shortly after announcing his decision to accept the offer. "That was part of the agreement I had with them."
BAS cited the need for cost-cutting a week ago Monday, when it told Fogg that his job was being eliminated.
The move was quite controversial in Sandusky, as the 33-year radio veteran was quite popular. The Register's earlier story on his dismissal is still atop the "most commented" list of stories on the newspaper's website, with over 200 entries...
Monday, October 06, 2008
A Global Focus
Television news reporting is often thin when it comes to international events, where news beyond the U.S. is either ignored, or covered only when it drastically affects this country.
A former Cleveland TV reporter hopes to change that with his new public television news show, which premieres tonight on many PBS stations.
The anchor of American Public Television's "Worldfocus" is familiar to many Northeast Ohio TV viewers. Martin Savidge has spent the last few years in the national news spotlight working for NBC News and for CNN, but Clevelanders remember his time as a reporter at then-CBS affiliate WJW/8 - now a FOX affiliate.
Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington talked with Savidge last month, and reminds us that the former "NewsCenter 8" reporter actually established his globe-trotting reputation in his time at South Marginal Road, heading to places like Russia and Thailand. (Yes, young Virginia, local TV stations used to occasionally send reporters overseas!)
But don't expect to find Savidge's new show on Cleveland's PBS affiliate, WVIZ/25. The ideastream outlet isn't clearing "Worldfocus" on its main signal, though we did find it scheduled on WVIZ's "PBS World" digital subchannel 25.3.
Since you basically have to be actually on Brookpark Road in Parma to pick up WVIZ's currently weak temporary digital signal, Time Warner Cable viewers can watch PBS World on digital cable channel 364.
Or, it might be easier - especially for over-air and satellite viewers - to seek out Savidge's new show on Northeast Ohio's other PBS affiliate, the newly-renamed Western Reserve PBS (WNEO/45-WEAO/49).
We found "Worldfocus" on the Channel 45/49 schedule weeknights at 11:30 PM, though it gets nudged to midnight on Monday nights the next few weeks (including tonight) due to the earlier airing of "American Experience" specials...
A former Cleveland TV reporter hopes to change that with his new public television news show, which premieres tonight on many PBS stations.
The anchor of American Public Television's "Worldfocus" is familiar to many Northeast Ohio TV viewers. Martin Savidge has spent the last few years in the national news spotlight working for NBC News and for CNN, but Clevelanders remember his time as a reporter at then-CBS affiliate WJW/8 - now a FOX affiliate.
Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington talked with Savidge last month, and reminds us that the former "NewsCenter 8" reporter actually established his globe-trotting reputation in his time at South Marginal Road, heading to places like Russia and Thailand. (Yes, young Virginia, local TV stations used to occasionally send reporters overseas!)
But don't expect to find Savidge's new show on Cleveland's PBS affiliate, WVIZ/25. The ideastream outlet isn't clearing "Worldfocus" on its main signal, though we did find it scheduled on WVIZ's "PBS World" digital subchannel 25.3.
Since you basically have to be actually on Brookpark Road in Parma to pick up WVIZ's currently weak temporary digital signal, Time Warner Cable viewers can watch PBS World on digital cable channel 364.
Or, it might be easier - especially for over-air and satellite viewers - to seek out Savidge's new show on Northeast Ohio's other PBS affiliate, the newly-renamed Western Reserve PBS (WNEO/45-WEAO/49).
We found "Worldfocus" on the Channel 45/49 schedule weeknights at 11:30 PM, though it gets nudged to midnight on Monday nights the next few weeks (including tonight) due to the earlier airing of "American Experience" specials...
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Monday Return On Sunday Night
Here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), we'll let out the usual Monday early morning update on Sunday evening, for one good reason...our first item.
5 CATCHING CHANGES: We hinted at this in our last update, and hoped to have it late Friday, but we haven't been able to get to it until now.
Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" is no stranger to juggling its anchor lineup. We get a headache trying to remember all the times that the station has moved around, juggled or changed jobs of its anchors in the past year or so.
Here we go again.
As in the past, the laser focus this time appears to be "Good Morning Cleveland", as Channel 5's morning news show undergoes yet another anchor change.
OMW hears that starting Monday, reporter and Akron bureau chief Pete Kenworthy moves into the anchor chair of "GMC". That sends "GMC" co-anchor Paul Kiska back to street reporting, though we don't know in what shift, and we don't know who'll directly replace Pete in Akron (assuming he won't be commuting down there after the morning show).
The other big on-air change on "GMC" means adding weekend weather forecaster Jason Nicholas to weekday mornings, with Susanne Horgan swapping out to cover weekends. For now she will be, as we hear from multiple "NC5" sources that Horgan's contract will not be renewed, and will be allowed to expire.
We're also told that two producers will move shifts, also linked to the morning show.
Though no "NC5" news show has been immune to anchor shifting (see Danita Harris, Lee Jordan and the like), "GMC" seems especially prone to it. The morning news battle is tough, and 5 is in a tough fight...particularly with WJW/8 powerhouse "FOX 8 in the Morning", and with the new Mark Nolan/Abby Ham combo over at WKYC/3.
WEWS has been continually moving around anchors, and even what position they occupy or sit in while on the show, since Adam Shapiro left for New York City back a ways ago.
With morning news audiences showing the only real viewership growth in TV news these days... the attention to that daypart has grown everywhere in the business.
And since the last time around, "NC5" has a new VP/general manager and a new news director...changes that often trigger other changes at a TV news operation...
BYE, METRO CLEVELAND: OMW hears that traffic, news and sports provider Metro Networks is telling its radio and TV affiliates that it plans to close its Cleveland market studio facility entirely by the end of the second quarter of 2009, part of a major restructuring by the company.
We're hearing affiliates are being told, specifically, that Metro intends on serving its Cleveland stations remotely from its Detroit hub, and we also hear that "not many" of its local employees are heading for Detroit next year.
The cuts aren't just meant for the folks on Granger Road, in the Independence Media Gulch that's about to lose one of its operations down the street from Clear Channel's Oak Tree complex, and Salem's operations on Summit Park Drive.
And news of cutbacks is not new, either, though this word from an affiliate is the first we've heard that - as many guessed - the Cleveland market operation would be on the cut list.
Job cuts have been made at Metro operations around the country, as the traffic and information provider announced a 15 percent cut in workforce nationwide, and a reduction from operating in 60 cities, to being in just 13 "regional hub" cities by the middle of next year. Cleveland won't be one of those cities.
Officials believe technological upgrades will allow them to cover traffic from cities many miles away, sending reports back presumably either via ISDN for radio (for those needing live reports/contributors), or via the Internet. We're not sure how they'd handle TV feeds.
Across the nation, Metro has reportedly offered non-custom generic reports or text traffic information to many of its affiliates, with fewer people around to voice custom reports.
A quick check of various local news stories via a Google News search shows us that up to about a half-dozen people have reported to have been cut, in each of a number of the company's markets...
THIS IS THE NFL ON WTAM AND WKNR: With the Cleveland Browns resting up in a "bye" week this weekend, Browns AM flagship Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 had to go find another game - particularly since Your Cleveland Indians aren't in the Major League Baseball playoffs.
It was a new sound this afternoon on WTAM - the SportsUSA Radio Network's early contest between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles was heard on the Cleveland talk powerhouse.
Over on Good Karma sports competitor WKNR/850 "ESPN 850", listeners to Westwood One's first Sunday contest almost heard former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Charlie Frye take over the Seattle QB position for an injured Matt Hasselbeck.
Hasselbeck shaked off a knee injury very early in the game, and when he was pulled out after the Seahawks were getting pummeled by the Giants, it was Seneca Wallace behind the Seattle center, not Frye.
When the Browns have a "bye" week, WTAM usually switches in the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network, but couldn't today - the Steelers played the Sunday Night Football game (heard via WKNR's Westwood One feed).
So after Redskins/Eagles, WTAM brought local listeners the Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network feed of that team's 31-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Of course, both the Steelers' and Bengals' networks are hubbed at Clear Channel sister stations in Pittsburgh (WDVE/102.5, WBGG/970) and Cincinnati (WCKY/1530, WEBN/102.7, WLW/700).
The Bengals are normally heard in Northeast Ohio only via tiny Massillon affiliate WTIG/990 "ESPN 990", with a 250 watt signal that doesn't make it out of Stark County for the most part...
5 CATCHING CHANGES: We hinted at this in our last update, and hoped to have it late Friday, but we haven't been able to get to it until now.
Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" is no stranger to juggling its anchor lineup. We get a headache trying to remember all the times that the station has moved around, juggled or changed jobs of its anchors in the past year or so.
Here we go again.
As in the past, the laser focus this time appears to be "Good Morning Cleveland", as Channel 5's morning news show undergoes yet another anchor change.
OMW hears that starting Monday, reporter and Akron bureau chief Pete Kenworthy moves into the anchor chair of "GMC". That sends "GMC" co-anchor Paul Kiska back to street reporting, though we don't know in what shift, and we don't know who'll directly replace Pete in Akron (assuming he won't be commuting down there after the morning show).
The other big on-air change on "GMC" means adding weekend weather forecaster Jason Nicholas to weekday mornings, with Susanne Horgan swapping out to cover weekends. For now she will be, as we hear from multiple "NC5" sources that Horgan's contract will not be renewed, and will be allowed to expire.
We're also told that two producers will move shifts, also linked to the morning show.
Though no "NC5" news show has been immune to anchor shifting (see Danita Harris, Lee Jordan and the like), "GMC" seems especially prone to it. The morning news battle is tough, and 5 is in a tough fight...particularly with WJW/8 powerhouse "FOX 8 in the Morning", and with the new Mark Nolan/Abby Ham combo over at WKYC/3.
WEWS has been continually moving around anchors, and even what position they occupy or sit in while on the show, since Adam Shapiro left for New York City back a ways ago.
With morning news audiences showing the only real viewership growth in TV news these days... the attention to that daypart has grown everywhere in the business.
And since the last time around, "NC5" has a new VP/general manager and a new news director...changes that often trigger other changes at a TV news operation...
BYE, METRO CLEVELAND: OMW hears that traffic, news and sports provider Metro Networks is telling its radio and TV affiliates that it plans to close its Cleveland market studio facility entirely by the end of the second quarter of 2009, part of a major restructuring by the company.
We're hearing affiliates are being told, specifically, that Metro intends on serving its Cleveland stations remotely from its Detroit hub, and we also hear that "not many" of its local employees are heading for Detroit next year.
The cuts aren't just meant for the folks on Granger Road, in the Independence Media Gulch that's about to lose one of its operations down the street from Clear Channel's Oak Tree complex, and Salem's operations on Summit Park Drive.
And news of cutbacks is not new, either, though this word from an affiliate is the first we've heard that - as many guessed - the Cleveland market operation would be on the cut list.
Job cuts have been made at Metro operations around the country, as the traffic and information provider announced a 15 percent cut in workforce nationwide, and a reduction from operating in 60 cities, to being in just 13 "regional hub" cities by the middle of next year. Cleveland won't be one of those cities.
Officials believe technological upgrades will allow them to cover traffic from cities many miles away, sending reports back presumably either via ISDN for radio (for those needing live reports/contributors), or via the Internet. We're not sure how they'd handle TV feeds.
Across the nation, Metro has reportedly offered non-custom generic reports or text traffic information to many of its affiliates, with fewer people around to voice custom reports.
A quick check of various local news stories via a Google News search shows us that up to about a half-dozen people have reported to have been cut, in each of a number of the company's markets...
THIS IS THE NFL ON WTAM AND WKNR: With the Cleveland Browns resting up in a "bye" week this weekend, Browns AM flagship Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 had to go find another game - particularly since Your Cleveland Indians aren't in the Major League Baseball playoffs.
It was a new sound this afternoon on WTAM - the SportsUSA Radio Network's early contest between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles was heard on the Cleveland talk powerhouse.
Over on Good Karma sports competitor WKNR/850 "ESPN 850", listeners to Westwood One's first Sunday contest almost heard former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Charlie Frye take over the Seattle QB position for an injured Matt Hasselbeck.
Hasselbeck shaked off a knee injury very early in the game, and when he was pulled out after the Seahawks were getting pummeled by the Giants, it was Seneca Wallace behind the Seattle center, not Frye.
When the Browns have a "bye" week, WTAM usually switches in the Pittsburgh Steelers Radio Network, but couldn't today - the Steelers played the Sunday Night Football game (heard via WKNR's Westwood One feed).
So after Redskins/Eagles, WTAM brought local listeners the Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network feed of that team's 31-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Of course, both the Steelers' and Bengals' networks are hubbed at Clear Channel sister stations in Pittsburgh (WDVE/102.5, WBGG/970) and Cincinnati (WCKY/1530, WEBN/102.7, WLW/700).
The Bengals are normally heard in Northeast Ohio only via tiny Massillon affiliate WTIG/990 "ESPN 990", with a 250 watt signal that doesn't make it out of Stark County for the most part...
Friday, October 03, 2008
Some TV Items
News from the TV side of the OMW ledger...with another bigger item to be added later today...
THREE OHIO TV STATIONS OFF CABLE: Yet another one of those "retransmission consent" disputes has pulled three Ohio TV stations off local cable TV systems in each of their markets.
The inability of LIN TV and Time Warner Cable to reach a new deal by this morning's midnight deadline has forced LIN's three Ohio stations off TWC: Dayton NBC affiliate WDTN/2, Columbus CW affiliate WWHO/53, and Toledo FOX affiliate WUPW/36.
In all three cities, Time Warner claims it offered an extension to the deadline after negotiating right up to it late last night, but the cable company says LIN refused the extension.
As Multichannel News reports, it's the same old story...the station group is asking for money to pay for carriage, and the cable company isn't buying:
The broadcaster and cable company are at odds over the cash compensation LIN TV is seeking for carriage of its signals.
The story points to a statement by LIN TV on its Austin TX station's website, saying they don't think "a penny per day per subscriber is an unreasonable demand" for the station's programming.
More on the Ohio side of this story can be found in articles in the Dayton Business Journal, the Columbus Dispatch and this story we found on the website of Findlay radio station WFIN/1330. (If the Toledo Blade ran a story on this, we can't find it on their website.)
All three stories say the negotiations between the cable company and the stations' owner will continue...
BACK HOME: A former Cleveland TV news director is back in his old hometown.
Mike McCormick left Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 in April 2007, then landed at then-Clear Channel (now Newport) NBC affiliate WPMI/15 in Mobile AL.
McCormick's journey back to his hometown of Jacksonville FL is now complete. The Jacksonville Business Journal reports that he's been named news director of the CBS/FOX combo in the Northern Florida city, WTEV/47 and WAWS/30.
The article quotes McCormick talking about his "long history" in the Jacksonville market. He was news director of "First Coast News", the other combined newsroom in that city - NBC affiliate WTLV/12 and ABC affiliate WJXX/25.
He left those stations to come to Cleveland, and told Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington at the time of his departure from WKYC that he was "tired of commuting" to Jacksonville to see his family...
THREE OHIO TV STATIONS OFF CABLE: Yet another one of those "retransmission consent" disputes has pulled three Ohio TV stations off local cable TV systems in each of their markets.
The inability of LIN TV and Time Warner Cable to reach a new deal by this morning's midnight deadline has forced LIN's three Ohio stations off TWC: Dayton NBC affiliate WDTN/2, Columbus CW affiliate WWHO/53, and Toledo FOX affiliate WUPW/36.
In all three cities, Time Warner claims it offered an extension to the deadline after negotiating right up to it late last night, but the cable company says LIN refused the extension.
As Multichannel News reports, it's the same old story...the station group is asking for money to pay for carriage, and the cable company isn't buying:
The broadcaster and cable company are at odds over the cash compensation LIN TV is seeking for carriage of its signals.
The story points to a statement by LIN TV on its Austin TX station's website, saying they don't think "a penny per day per subscriber is an unreasonable demand" for the station's programming.
More on the Ohio side of this story can be found in articles in the Dayton Business Journal, the Columbus Dispatch and this story we found on the website of Findlay radio station WFIN/1330. (If the Toledo Blade ran a story on this, we can't find it on their website.)
All three stories say the negotiations between the cable company and the stations' owner will continue...
BACK HOME: A former Cleveland TV news director is back in his old hometown.
Mike McCormick left Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 in April 2007, then landed at then-Clear Channel (now Newport) NBC affiliate WPMI/15 in Mobile AL.
McCormick's journey back to his hometown of Jacksonville FL is now complete. The Jacksonville Business Journal reports that he's been named news director of the CBS/FOX combo in the Northern Florida city, WTEV/47 and WAWS/30.
The article quotes McCormick talking about his "long history" in the Jacksonville market. He was news director of "First Coast News", the other combined newsroom in that city - NBC affiliate WTLV/12 and ABC affiliate WJXX/25.
He left those stations to come to Cleveland, and told Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington at the time of his departure from WKYC that he was "tired of commuting" to Jacksonville to see his family...
The Debate Aftermath
As expected, ABC News Radio's Aaron Katersky did provide a lengthy "window into the swing state voters' world" last night, live from the studios of Rubber City Radio's WAKR/1590 Akron.
Katersky actually anchored the network's coverage of the vice presidential debate between Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, and Democrat Sen. Joe Biden.
Though the debate was taking place in St. Louis, Katersky and ABC came to Akron to provide reaction from a focus group of four local voters - two undecided, one coming in supporting the McCain/Palin ticket, and one coming in supporting the Obama/Biden ticket.
The fine folks at the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics provided the voters.
A detailed account of the event at the Akron Radio Center Thursday night by Rubber City news chief Ed Esposito is posted to the station's AkronNewsNow website, including audio of the first segment of Katersky's ABC News Radio post-debate talk with the local voters, and video from the evening is there as well...
Katersky actually anchored the network's coverage of the vice presidential debate between Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, and Democrat Sen. Joe Biden.
Though the debate was taking place in St. Louis, Katersky and ABC came to Akron to provide reaction from a focus group of four local voters - two undecided, one coming in supporting the McCain/Palin ticket, and one coming in supporting the Obama/Biden ticket.
The fine folks at the University of Akron's Bliss Institute of Applied Politics provided the voters.
A detailed account of the event at the Akron Radio Center Thursday night by Rubber City news chief Ed Esposito is posted to the station's AkronNewsNow website, including audio of the first segment of Katersky's ABC News Radio post-debate talk with the local voters, and video from the evening is there as well...
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Where's Aaron
...as it turns out, in an Akron radio studio tonight.
Rubber City Radio oldies WAKR/1590 Akron will host ABC News Radio's Aaron Katersky tonight, a fact the station has announced frequently during its newscasts this afternoon.
Katersky has been in Akron the past couple of days...talking to Akron-area voters and residents about the presidential election before tonight's vice presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.
Since we're talking ABC News Radio, we've heard the oddity of Northeast Ohio's ABC Information Network affiliate - MediaCom talk WNIR/100.1 in the Akron market - air the Katersky reports that are coming out of competitor WAKR...and callers to the station's talk shows have also referenced them.
In addition to doing his hourly updates from the Akron Radio Center, Katersky will also anchor a long-form ABC News Radio special from the WAKR/WQMX/WONE studios...which will follow the network's live debate coverage.
In addition to WAKR, many local stations will carry the debate.
We have not been able to compile a list, but we suspect it's a fair bet that just about anything remotely resembling a news/talk radio station will carry the event live tonight. We did hear Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron promote its coverage, and we'll assume big brother talker WTAM/1100 "The Big One" in Cleveland is also on the debate carriage team tonight. Both are former ABC News Radio affiliates now on Clear Channel's FOX News Radio affiliate roster.
We haven't heard them talk about it, but stations like NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 Canton, Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown and Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria are also probably good places to look for the debate this evening.
And many of the stations which had to worry about sports pre-emptions are "in the clear" in this time between the end of Indians season, and the start of Cavaliers season. That would include many of the stations we've already listed...
Rubber City Radio oldies WAKR/1590 Akron will host ABC News Radio's Aaron Katersky tonight, a fact the station has announced frequently during its newscasts this afternoon.
Katersky has been in Akron the past couple of days...talking to Akron-area voters and residents about the presidential election before tonight's vice presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.
Since we're talking ABC News Radio, we've heard the oddity of Northeast Ohio's ABC Information Network affiliate - MediaCom talk WNIR/100.1 in the Akron market - air the Katersky reports that are coming out of competitor WAKR...and callers to the station's talk shows have also referenced them.
In addition to doing his hourly updates from the Akron Radio Center, Katersky will also anchor a long-form ABC News Radio special from the WAKR/WQMX/WONE studios...which will follow the network's live debate coverage.
In addition to WAKR, many local stations will carry the debate.
We have not been able to compile a list, but we suspect it's a fair bet that just about anything remotely resembling a news/talk radio station will carry the event live tonight. We did hear Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron promote its coverage, and we'll assume big brother talker WTAM/1100 "The Big One" in Cleveland is also on the debate carriage team tonight. Both are former ABC News Radio affiliates now on Clear Channel's FOX News Radio affiliate roster.
We haven't heard them talk about it, but stations like NextMedia talk WHBC/1480 Canton, Clear Channel talk WKBN/570 Youngstown and Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting talk WEOL/930 Elyria are also probably good places to look for the debate this evening.
And many of the stations which had to worry about sports pre-emptions are "in the clear" in this time between the end of Indians season, and the start of Cavaliers season. That would include many of the stations we've already listed...
Lima Changes
Changes at the Maverick Media cluster in Lima:
We actually had no idea she was in Lima, but Columbus and Cleveland radio veteran Sandy Bennett has changed stations there.
OMW hears from Maverick's contemporary formats director Dan Baisden that Bennett will be heard on top 40 WWSR "Star 92.1" and AC WDOH "Lite Rock 107.1", and will have "other duties", including overseeing the cluster's morning shows.
In the "we didn't realize" department: she makes the move from crosstown Clear Channel country WIMT/102.1 "T102", where she was apparently a part of the "Two Guys And A Girl" morning drive show.
Dan also tells us that Jason Murphy comes in for middays at Maverick's classic rock WEGE/104.9 "The Eagle". He comes to Lima from Meadville-Franklin PA's Forever Broadcasting cluster, and will also take on programming duties for WZOQ/940 "ESPN Lima"...
We actually had no idea she was in Lima, but Columbus and Cleveland radio veteran Sandy Bennett has changed stations there.
OMW hears from Maverick's contemporary formats director Dan Baisden that Bennett will be heard on top 40 WWSR "Star 92.1" and AC WDOH "Lite Rock 107.1", and will have "other duties", including overseeing the cluster's morning shows.
In the "we didn't realize" department: she makes the move from crosstown Clear Channel country WIMT/102.1 "T102", where she was apparently a part of the "Two Guys And A Girl" morning drive show.
Dan also tells us that Jason Murphy comes in for middays at Maverick's classic rock WEGE/104.9 "The Eagle". He comes to Lima from Meadville-Franklin PA's Forever Broadcasting cluster, and will also take on programming duties for WZOQ/940 "ESPN Lima"...
Chris Quinn Calling Hours
For those of you who missed the update to our earlier item about the passing of Chris "The Mighty" Quinn: Calling hours for the long-time Cleveland broadcaster will be this evening from 5-7 PM, at Burr Funeral Home, at 116 South Street in Chardon.
We only touched briefly on Quinn's life and career in our earlier item. For those looking for much more, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Alana Baranick has a well-written obituary in Tuesday's paper.
One thing we didn't know - Quinn, while working in his first stint at WELW/1330 Willoughby in the late 1960's, helped break the hit records "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by the studio band Steam, and "Snowbird" by Anne Murray.
The obituary also has nice quotes from those who worked with Chris, including WELW and Cleveland media fixture Ted Alexander, and former WMJI/WMMS program director John Gorman.
The article says Chris Quinn died Saturday as a young man at 59, from complications from congestive heart failure.
We're very glad that OMW wasn't the only media-related place "The Mighty Quinn" will be remembered...
We only touched briefly on Quinn's life and career in our earlier item. For those looking for much more, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Alana Baranick has a well-written obituary in Tuesday's paper.
One thing we didn't know - Quinn, while working in his first stint at WELW/1330 Willoughby in the late 1960's, helped break the hit records "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by the studio band Steam, and "Snowbird" by Anne Murray.
The obituary also has nice quotes from those who worked with Chris, including WELW and Cleveland media fixture Ted Alexander, and former WMJI/WMMS program director John Gorman.
The article says Chris Quinn died Saturday as a young man at 59, from complications from congestive heart failure.
We're very glad that OMW wasn't the only media-related place "The Mighty Quinn" will be remembered...
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Midweek Random Stuff
We've had a lot of items that have needed their own space, but this one's just a grab bag...much of it with the help of the good folks at AllAccess...
WATCHING IT HERE: AllAccess passes along a release about ABC News Radio's coverage of Thursday's vice-presidential debate, where Democrat Sen. Joe Biden and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin will face off at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
And though St. Louis is nowhere near Northeast Ohio, this area will be a part of ABC News Radio's coverage. Reporter Aaron Katersky will be based Thursday night in Akron - to gauge the reaction of a group of apparently undecided voters. (It's that whole "Ohio As Battleground State" thing that's leading him to the Rubber City.)
OMW doesn't know where Katersky will be in Akron, or if the gathering is private or open to the public...but don't expect cameras, as Katersky generally only reports on the radio side for ABC News.
ABC News Radio still exists under the Disney/ABC/ABC News umbrella, despite the sale of most of ABC Radio's stations and networks to Citadel. As part of that sale, Citadel has a 10 year deal to handle sales rights for ABC News Radio.
And of course, Disney/ABC still owns the ESPN Radio network and stations, and the Radio Disney network and stations - among them, WWMK/1260 Cleveland...
MIDDAY OPENING: AllAccess also reports that that Clear Channel rock WIOT/104.7 Toledo is making a change in middays.
WIOT's Kelly Brown is no longer in the building after a two year run. WIOT programmer Bill Michaels is looking for a new middayer for the heritage rocker...CD's and resumes to him at WIOT, 125 S. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43604.
He asks via AllAccess for "no MP3's, please"...
ONE JOB: DCRTV.com reports that talk WHFS/105.7 Baltimore is no longer airing Brian Wilson's midday show on the CBS Radio FM talk outlet.
Of course, that news item is one for our scroll today, because Wilson's "day job" is as program director and afternoon drive talk show host for Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 Toledo.
OMW hears that it was Wilson's decision not to continue doing the Baltimore show, and that regular WSPD fill-in Mike Pintek (the former KDKA/Pittsburgh host now hosting Pittsburgh Cable News Channel's "NightTalk" program) is doing the same in Wilson's now-former WHFS time slot.
Local Clear Channel managers in Toledo have always characterized his Baltimore remote hosting work as a "fill-in", much like Wilson has done for many years via his ISDN "Vacation Relief" fill-in service for talk radio stations across the country. He did a similar "long-time fill-in" for ABC Radio talk KSFO/560 San Francisco.
Wilson would generally do his Baltimore show via ISDN from the Clear Channel studios in Toledo, then turn around (immediately) and do the WSPD program "live and local" - the WHFS show aired weekdays from 12-3 PM, and his WSPD afternoon drive show is weekdays 3-6 PM.
With many ties to the Baltimore area, Wilson would occasionally do the Maryland local show from WHFS.
As far as we know, he'll continue in his role as WSPD's program director and afternoon drive host - and now with more time to concentrate on the work in Toledo.
And those who have done more than one full-length talk show a day, over a six hour daily period, could probably tell you that it's exhausting...let alone with PD duties on top of it...
WATCHING IT HERE: AllAccess passes along a release about ABC News Radio's coverage of Thursday's vice-presidential debate, where Democrat Sen. Joe Biden and Republican Gov. Sarah Palin will face off at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
And though St. Louis is nowhere near Northeast Ohio, this area will be a part of ABC News Radio's coverage. Reporter Aaron Katersky will be based Thursday night in Akron - to gauge the reaction of a group of apparently undecided voters. (It's that whole "Ohio As Battleground State" thing that's leading him to the Rubber City.)
OMW doesn't know where Katersky will be in Akron, or if the gathering is private or open to the public...but don't expect cameras, as Katersky generally only reports on the radio side for ABC News.
ABC News Radio still exists under the Disney/ABC/ABC News umbrella, despite the sale of most of ABC Radio's stations and networks to Citadel. As part of that sale, Citadel has a 10 year deal to handle sales rights for ABC News Radio.
And of course, Disney/ABC still owns the ESPN Radio network and stations, and the Radio Disney network and stations - among them, WWMK/1260 Cleveland...
MIDDAY OPENING: AllAccess also reports that that Clear Channel rock WIOT/104.7 Toledo is making a change in middays.
WIOT's Kelly Brown is no longer in the building after a two year run. WIOT programmer Bill Michaels is looking for a new middayer for the heritage rocker...CD's and resumes to him at WIOT, 125 S. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43604.
He asks via AllAccess for "no MP3's, please"...
ONE JOB: DCRTV.com reports that talk WHFS/105.7 Baltimore is no longer airing Brian Wilson's midday show on the CBS Radio FM talk outlet.
Of course, that news item is one for our scroll today, because Wilson's "day job" is as program director and afternoon drive talk show host for Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 Toledo.
OMW hears that it was Wilson's decision not to continue doing the Baltimore show, and that regular WSPD fill-in Mike Pintek (the former KDKA/Pittsburgh host now hosting Pittsburgh Cable News Channel's "NightTalk" program) is doing the same in Wilson's now-former WHFS time slot.
Local Clear Channel managers in Toledo have always characterized his Baltimore remote hosting work as a "fill-in", much like Wilson has done for many years via his ISDN "Vacation Relief" fill-in service for talk radio stations across the country. He did a similar "long-time fill-in" for ABC Radio talk KSFO/560 San Francisco.
Wilson would generally do his Baltimore show via ISDN from the Clear Channel studios in Toledo, then turn around (immediately) and do the WSPD program "live and local" - the WHFS show aired weekdays from 12-3 PM, and his WSPD afternoon drive show is weekdays 3-6 PM.
With many ties to the Baltimore area, Wilson would occasionally do the Maryland local show from WHFS.
As far as we know, he'll continue in his role as WSPD's program director and afternoon drive host - and now with more time to concentrate on the work in Toledo.
And those who have done more than one full-length talk show a day, over a six hour daily period, could probably tell you that it's exhausting...let alone with PD duties on top of it...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Ready For Its Name Change
As reported earlier here on OMW, Kent-based public TV stations WNEO/45 Alliance-WEAO/49 Akron are about to take on a new identity.
Starting Wednesday, the stations now known as "PBS 45 & 49" on the air will become "Western Reserve PBS"...under the umbrella name of "Western Reserve Public Media".
Both are just branding changes for 45/49 - the call letters will remain the same for both stations, and the stations' owner continues to be known legally as Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, Inc.
Those assurances, and assurances that the name change won't affect programming, are found on a page on the stations' website about the name change:
While our brand identity has changed, we are still the same organization you’ve known for over 33 years. We have the same staff of employees and the same broadcast schedule — only the name has changed. Our new brand identity is Western Reserve Public Media and the channels PBS 45 & 49 are now Western Reserve PBS, which will continue to operate as the primary broadcast service of the organization.
You can count on your favorite PBS 45 & 49 programs to be your favorite Western Reserve PBS programs.
The page also has humorous videos about the name change, which have also aired on TV.
The website address for WNEO/WEAO will also change to WesternReservePublicMedia.org, which as of this writing forwards to the existing PBS4549.org site.
This is the first of two major public relations steps for the local public TV outlet. The second is to educate Youngstown-market viewers of WNEO/45 that the station will go all digital in November, with analog channel 45 signing off early.
Oh, by the way, we checked with the good people at Western Reserve/WNEO/WEAO, and they tell us that indeed, at this time, analog low-power translator W58AM Youngstown will remain on analog channel 58 after the digital transition.
Though Western Reserve has a construction permit to convert it to digital operation (DT 44), among other things, money would have to be raised to pay for that conversion. As a result, any conversion of the analog translator meant to serve "low-lying areas" of the Mahoning Valley is not on the immediate to-do list right now.
W58AM and all other low-power translators, LPTV stations and Class A LPTV stations are not affected by the February 17, 2009 digital transition. While they can certainly still convert to digital if licensed to do so, it's a voluntary conversion for those low-power stations...
Starting Wednesday, the stations now known as "PBS 45 & 49" on the air will become "Western Reserve PBS"...under the umbrella name of "Western Reserve Public Media".Both are just branding changes for 45/49 - the call letters will remain the same for both stations, and the stations' owner continues to be known legally as Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, Inc.
Those assurances, and assurances that the name change won't affect programming, are found on a page on the stations' website about the name change:
While our brand identity has changed, we are still the same organization you’ve known for over 33 years. We have the same staff of employees and the same broadcast schedule — only the name has changed. Our new brand identity is Western Reserve Public Media and the channels PBS 45 & 49 are now Western Reserve PBS, which will continue to operate as the primary broadcast service of the organization.
You can count on your favorite PBS 45 & 49 programs to be your favorite Western Reserve PBS programs.
The page also has humorous videos about the name change, which have also aired on TV.
The website address for WNEO/WEAO will also change to WesternReservePublicMedia.org, which as of this writing forwards to the existing PBS4549.org site.
This is the first of two major public relations steps for the local public TV outlet. The second is to educate Youngstown-market viewers of WNEO/45 that the station will go all digital in November, with analog channel 45 signing off early.
Oh, by the way, we checked with the good people at Western Reserve/WNEO/WEAO, and they tell us that indeed, at this time, analog low-power translator W58AM Youngstown will remain on analog channel 58 after the digital transition.
Though Western Reserve has a construction permit to convert it to digital operation (DT 44), among other things, money would have to be raised to pay for that conversion. As a result, any conversion of the analog translator meant to serve "low-lying areas" of the Mahoning Valley is not on the immediate to-do list right now.
W58AM and all other low-power translators, LPTV stations and Class A LPTV stations are not affected by the February 17, 2009 digital transition. While they can certainly still convert to digital if licensed to do so, it's a voluntary conversion for those low-power stations...
Your Digital TV Q&As
Late last week, we put out the call for your questions about the digital TV transition.
Here's our first batch of those questions:
Q: Perhaps a list of stations and their actual operating frequencies would be helpful to all.
A: We'll start here, because that information is pretty basic and should be up front. The following covers all full power local TV stations in the Northeast Ohio area. For those of you in the other parts of the state, that list would be way too long...a quick stop by the AntennaWeb or TV Fool websites should help you get that list based on your own address.
We'll order the list by current analog channel numbers, since that's how most people are used to listing stations. Then, we'll list the RF channels the DT stations are actually using, or applying to use.
If there's only one DT RF channel number listed, the station is using that channel now, and will continue to use it after the February analog-to-digital transition.
Thanks to computerized information sent alongside the digital TV signal, all channels will appear on digital tuners or converter boxes to be on their former analog channel number by way of a "virtual channel":
3 - WKYC Cleveland (NBC) - DT: 2 (current), 17 (post-transition)
5 - WEWS Cleveland (ABC) - DT: 15
8 - WJW Cleveland (FOX) - DT: 31 (current), 8 (post-transition)
17 - WDLI Canton (TBN) - DT: 39 (current), applying for 49 (post-transition)
19 - WOIO Shaker Heights (CBS) - DT: 10
21 - WFMJ Youngstown (NBC) - DT: 20
23 - WVPX Akron (ION) - DT: 23 (post-transition - has never used pre-transition 59, and has no current digital signal)
25 - WVIZ Cleveland (PBS) - DT: 26
27 - WKBN Youngstown (CBS) - DT: 41
33 - WYTV Youngstown (ABC) - DT: 36
43 - WUAB Lorain (MyNet) - DT: 28
45 - WNEO Alliance (PBS) - DT: 46 (current), 45 (post-transition - starting in November 2008)
49 - WEAO Akron (PBS) - DT: 50
55 - WBNX Akron (CW) - DT: 30
61 - WQHS Cleveland (UNI) - DT: 34
67 - WOAC Canton (IND) - DT: 47
68 - WMFD Mansfield (IND) - DT: 12 (analog 68 now off-air)
Generally speaking, you don't need to know that DT RF number. Digital tuners and converter boxes scan the band and do the translation automatically. The numbers ARE helpful if you have to manually scan per channel, for some reason (antenna reaiming, etc.).
Q: When the digital transition occurs will the stations be operating on the same frequencies, Channel 3, 5, 8, 19, etc etc.? Or will all be located in the UHF spectrum? I am interested in moving to off the air pick-up with HDTV sets or converter equipped analog sets in the house and getting off the cable, but living quite about 8 miles south west of the airport will probably require an outside antenna. A smaller UHF antenna would facilitate matters.
A: See above. (Our reader actually asked this question first.)
After analog signals shut off, you'll need some sort of VHF antenna for WJW (moving to its current analog channel 8 at the transition). Even now, you'll need one for WOIO (staying on DT 10). Those living near Mansfield will need one, even now, for WMFD-DT on RF 12.
But many UHF antennas are able to pick up signal on the high-VHF band, where all three stations will reside.
Both WJW and WOIO have filed to "maximize" their VHF digital allocations after the transition.
WOIO's application is lower in power than WJW's, and WOIO still has interference problems from CFPL (currently analog 10) in London, Ontario, Canada for those near Lake Erie. CFPL will presumably go digital at the Canadian transition date in 2011, and so far, it looks like they hope to stay on channel 10 digitally in London.
Your mileage may vary, and how this all works out in practice may be different than how it looks on digital paper.
Q: What kind of TV antenna - indoor or outdoor - should we buy to get the best reception?
A: There's a general rule when it comes to antennas. The best is "high, outside and away from obstructions". Anything else is generally a compromise.
If you can put an outdoor antenna on your roof, or high on your home, do so. If not, and you have an attic, you can put it there - but you'll lose signal going inside the house.
If you can mount an outdoor antenna on a balcony or deck of your condo or apartment, that'd be the next bet. If you can point one out of a window, that'd be the next best idea.
Indoor antennas are generally nowhere near as good an option as outdoor ones, unless you're living fairly close to the stations you want to pick up.
They should be used basically if you don't have any ability to use an outdoor antenna, or if you're close enough and can still pick up stations with no difficulty.
For example, if you live in the southern Cleveland suburbs or northern Akron suburbs, you might be fine with an indoor antenna...basically, the closer you are to the Parma "antenna farm" where all the full-power local TV stations have their towers...ditto for Youngstown folks south of downtown into places like Canfield, Boardman and Poland.
Keep in mind, though, that indoor antennas may appear to provide a stable signal, but what if you walk in front of your antenna in the living room? What if it's aiming out the window, doing fine with picking up your favorite stations, and a big truck rolls down your street in front of it? You get the idea.
Amplified antennas may or may not help, depending on the antenna, where you are, and if there's enough signal to amplify vs. the noise surrounding the signal.
Overall, an indoor antenna is basically always a second choice, unless you're bathing in very strong signal, where it wouldn't matter what kind of antenna you're using.
Even so, putting up an outdoor/roof antenna in high-signal areas may give you options you wouldn't have otherwise, like picking up nearby market stations. We know folks in Parma who can aim their antenna at the Youngstown area and get WKBN-DT with no problem...ditto for Youngstown market viewers who get stations from Cleveland and Pittsburgh thanks to a roof antenna...
Q: Will broadcast station increase their signals once they go to transmitting in digital only? Are most digital signals running at full power or are they slightly cut back?
A: Excellent question.
The short answer is, most area broadcasters are running "full power" under the current conditions on the TV band.
The extra answer is, after all the analog stations go away next February, conditions change, and many stations have filed to "maximize" their power levels to take advantage of those conditions.
We've talked about them here on occasion - WJW, WOIO, WYTV and others have filed those applications.
Though many of the "maximization" applications aren't huge power leaps, WYTV's is particularly notable, as it will go from 50KW to 1000KW! WJW will have an interim power level on digital channel 8 until they get approval for the upgrade to 30KW.
And yes, that's maximizing on the VHF band, where stations don't need the 1000KW power level to provide maximum service...just as VHF analog stations don't need the same power levels as UHF analog stations.
These changes won't be able to be implemented until after the analog dial shuts down, allowing those increases.
The current, pre-transition signal problems in the area...we've covered in the past.
* WKYC-DT is on low-VHF channel 2 digitally. That means even a decent power level can't overcome the electrical noise and other such problems that make it difficult to receive for thousands of viewers, particularly those without roof antennas or far from Parma. That goes away in February, when WKYC's digital signal is scheduled to land on DT RF channel 17 - the channel being vacated by analog WDLI/17 Canton.
* WVIZ-DT's problems are also well-documented on this blog. A long-running legal and technical dispute with CBS Radio's WNCX/98.5 - where the current WVIZ analog channel 25 trasmitter site is - was never fully resolved.
WVIZ has been running a puny temporary digital signal (1KW) from a tower behind its former studio facility on Brookpark Road in Parma. As we reported earlier, WVIZ-DT will light up its post-transition full-power facility on a new tower being built with WKYC at WKYC's current site.
This is a good a time as any to note some new information: that WVIZ has received FCC approval for a more powerful (10KW) temporary digital facility on an existing tower at that same WKYC site.
It would appear that the move is necessitated by the sale of the former WVIZ studios! This temporary facility will be replaced by the permanent post-transition installation described above.
Since it doesn't have to wait for a station to vacate an analog channel, like future tower mate WKYC, WVIZ should be able to light up from the new permanent tower at WKYC whenever that's done...the station says in the STA application that it hopes to do so by November.
We welcome any questions, comments or corrections. Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) has a lot of information stored up in this noggin about the digital TV transition, but we're not infallible...any clarifications are welcome!
Here's our first batch of those questions:
Q: Perhaps a list of stations and their actual operating frequencies would be helpful to all.
A: We'll start here, because that information is pretty basic and should be up front. The following covers all full power local TV stations in the Northeast Ohio area. For those of you in the other parts of the state, that list would be way too long...a quick stop by the AntennaWeb or TV Fool websites should help you get that list based on your own address.
We'll order the list by current analog channel numbers, since that's how most people are used to listing stations. Then, we'll list the RF channels the DT stations are actually using, or applying to use.
If there's only one DT RF channel number listed, the station is using that channel now, and will continue to use it after the February analog-to-digital transition.
Thanks to computerized information sent alongside the digital TV signal, all channels will appear on digital tuners or converter boxes to be on their former analog channel number by way of a "virtual channel":
3 - WKYC Cleveland (NBC) - DT: 2 (current), 17 (post-transition)
5 - WEWS Cleveland (ABC) - DT: 15
8 - WJW Cleveland (FOX) - DT: 31 (current), 8 (post-transition)
17 - WDLI Canton (TBN) - DT: 39 (current), applying for 49 (post-transition)
19 - WOIO Shaker Heights (CBS) - DT: 10
21 - WFMJ Youngstown (NBC) - DT: 20
23 - WVPX Akron (ION) - DT: 23 (post-transition - has never used pre-transition 59, and has no current digital signal)
25 - WVIZ Cleveland (PBS) - DT: 26
27 - WKBN Youngstown (CBS) - DT: 41
33 - WYTV Youngstown (ABC) - DT: 36
43 - WUAB Lorain (MyNet) - DT: 28
45 - WNEO Alliance (PBS) - DT: 46 (current), 45 (post-transition - starting in November 2008)
49 - WEAO Akron (PBS) - DT: 50
55 - WBNX Akron (CW) - DT: 30
61 - WQHS Cleveland (UNI) - DT: 34
67 - WOAC Canton (IND) - DT: 47
68 - WMFD Mansfield (IND) - DT: 12 (analog 68 now off-air)
Generally speaking, you don't need to know that DT RF number. Digital tuners and converter boxes scan the band and do the translation automatically. The numbers ARE helpful if you have to manually scan per channel, for some reason (antenna reaiming, etc.).
Q: When the digital transition occurs will the stations be operating on the same frequencies, Channel 3, 5, 8, 19, etc etc.? Or will all be located in the UHF spectrum? I am interested in moving to off the air pick-up with HDTV sets or converter equipped analog sets in the house and getting off the cable, but living quite about 8 miles south west of the airport will probably require an outside antenna. A smaller UHF antenna would facilitate matters.
A: See above. (Our reader actually asked this question first.)
After analog signals shut off, you'll need some sort of VHF antenna for WJW (moving to its current analog channel 8 at the transition). Even now, you'll need one for WOIO (staying on DT 10). Those living near Mansfield will need one, even now, for WMFD-DT on RF 12.
But many UHF antennas are able to pick up signal on the high-VHF band, where all three stations will reside.
Both WJW and WOIO have filed to "maximize" their VHF digital allocations after the transition.
WOIO's application is lower in power than WJW's, and WOIO still has interference problems from CFPL (currently analog 10) in London, Ontario, Canada for those near Lake Erie. CFPL will presumably go digital at the Canadian transition date in 2011, and so far, it looks like they hope to stay on channel 10 digitally in London.
Your mileage may vary, and how this all works out in practice may be different than how it looks on digital paper.
Q: What kind of TV antenna - indoor or outdoor - should we buy to get the best reception?
A: There's a general rule when it comes to antennas. The best is "high, outside and away from obstructions". Anything else is generally a compromise.
If you can put an outdoor antenna on your roof, or high on your home, do so. If not, and you have an attic, you can put it there - but you'll lose signal going inside the house.
If you can mount an outdoor antenna on a balcony or deck of your condo or apartment, that'd be the next bet. If you can point one out of a window, that'd be the next best idea.
Indoor antennas are generally nowhere near as good an option as outdoor ones, unless you're living fairly close to the stations you want to pick up.
They should be used basically if you don't have any ability to use an outdoor antenna, or if you're close enough and can still pick up stations with no difficulty.
For example, if you live in the southern Cleveland suburbs or northern Akron suburbs, you might be fine with an indoor antenna...basically, the closer you are to the Parma "antenna farm" where all the full-power local TV stations have their towers...ditto for Youngstown folks south of downtown into places like Canfield, Boardman and Poland.
Keep in mind, though, that indoor antennas may appear to provide a stable signal, but what if you walk in front of your antenna in the living room? What if it's aiming out the window, doing fine with picking up your favorite stations, and a big truck rolls down your street in front of it? You get the idea.
Amplified antennas may or may not help, depending on the antenna, where you are, and if there's enough signal to amplify vs. the noise surrounding the signal.
Overall, an indoor antenna is basically always a second choice, unless you're bathing in very strong signal, where it wouldn't matter what kind of antenna you're using.
Even so, putting up an outdoor/roof antenna in high-signal areas may give you options you wouldn't have otherwise, like picking up nearby market stations. We know folks in Parma who can aim their antenna at the Youngstown area and get WKBN-DT with no problem...ditto for Youngstown market viewers who get stations from Cleveland and Pittsburgh thanks to a roof antenna...
Q: Will broadcast station increase their signals once they go to transmitting in digital only? Are most digital signals running at full power or are they slightly cut back?
A: Excellent question.
The short answer is, most area broadcasters are running "full power" under the current conditions on the TV band.
The extra answer is, after all the analog stations go away next February, conditions change, and many stations have filed to "maximize" their power levels to take advantage of those conditions.
We've talked about them here on occasion - WJW, WOIO, WYTV and others have filed those applications.
Though many of the "maximization" applications aren't huge power leaps, WYTV's is particularly notable, as it will go from 50KW to 1000KW! WJW will have an interim power level on digital channel 8 until they get approval for the upgrade to 30KW.
And yes, that's maximizing on the VHF band, where stations don't need the 1000KW power level to provide maximum service...just as VHF analog stations don't need the same power levels as UHF analog stations.
These changes won't be able to be implemented until after the analog dial shuts down, allowing those increases.
The current, pre-transition signal problems in the area...we've covered in the past.
* WKYC-DT is on low-VHF channel 2 digitally. That means even a decent power level can't overcome the electrical noise and other such problems that make it difficult to receive for thousands of viewers, particularly those without roof antennas or far from Parma. That goes away in February, when WKYC's digital signal is scheduled to land on DT RF channel 17 - the channel being vacated by analog WDLI/17 Canton.
* WVIZ-DT's problems are also well-documented on this blog. A long-running legal and technical dispute with CBS Radio's WNCX/98.5 - where the current WVIZ analog channel 25 trasmitter site is - was never fully resolved.
WVIZ has been running a puny temporary digital signal (1KW) from a tower behind its former studio facility on Brookpark Road in Parma. As we reported earlier, WVIZ-DT will light up its post-transition full-power facility on a new tower being built with WKYC at WKYC's current site.
This is a good a time as any to note some new information: that WVIZ has received FCC approval for a more powerful (10KW) temporary digital facility on an existing tower at that same WKYC site.
It would appear that the move is necessitated by the sale of the former WVIZ studios! This temporary facility will be replaced by the permanent post-transition installation described above.
Since it doesn't have to wait for a station to vacate an analog channel, like future tower mate WKYC, WVIZ should be able to light up from the new permanent tower at WKYC whenever that's done...the station says in the STA application that it hopes to do so by November.
We welcome any questions, comments or corrections. Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) has a lot of information stored up in this noggin about the digital TV transition, but we're not infallible...any clarifications are welcome!
WLEC Dumps Veteran Personality
Long-time Sandusky radio personality Mark Fogg won't be heard doing his morning drive local show on BAS Broadcasting standards/oldies WLEC/1450 anymore.
The Sandusky Register reports that Fogg says his job was eliminated by BAS in a cost-cutting move. We'll assume that BAS news director Steve Shoffner will continue, but with his newscasts fed into the ABC/Citadel "Timeless Classics" feed instead.
Fogg has been program director and sports director for the station BAS bought from Clear Channel, along with a number of other stations in the "Vacationland" region and in North Central and Northwest Ohio.
It's not known how this will affect local high school sports coverage, which BAS will presumably continue to provide on WLEC and its other stations in the region...
The Sandusky Register reports that Fogg says his job was eliminated by BAS in a cost-cutting move. We'll assume that BAS news director Steve Shoffner will continue, but with his newscasts fed into the ABC/Citadel "Timeless Classics" feed instead.
Fogg has been program director and sports director for the station BAS bought from Clear Channel, along with a number of other stations in the "Vacationland" region and in North Central and Northwest Ohio.
It's not known how this will affect local high school sports coverage, which BAS will presumably continue to provide on WLEC and its other stations in the region...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Chris "The Mighty" Quinn Dies
UPDATE 12:30 AM 9/30/08: OMW hears that there will be calling hours for Chris Quinn later this week - Thursday, October 2nd from 5-7 PM, at Burr Funeral Home, at 116 South Street in Chardon...
-----
We're getting word this evening that Cleveland radio personality/engineer/all around radio guy Chris Quinn has passed away, apparently after an illness. We have no further details.
Chris "The Mighty" Quinn's resume covers a number of important stations in Cleveland.
In the 1990's, Chris moved from fill-ins, to weekend nights, to weeknights at oldies WMJI "Majic 105.7". But he also worked well before that at some big local stations: like WIXY/1260, WGAR/1220, and WRMR/850.
We were unaware, though, that Chris worked at Akron's WAKR/1590 in the early 1970's, nor another stop listed in the information we were given, KHTZ in Los Angeles, in the 1980's. (A quick Google search tells us that KHTZ "K-Hits" was apparently the immediate predecessor of classic rock-turned-FM talk KLSX/97.1.)
We were aware that Chris' last stop in radio was as chief engineer of Cleveland gospel outlet WABQ, first at 1540 in Cleveland. He then followed 1540's now-former ownership to their other station, the newly-renamed and newly-gospel-formatted WABQ/1460 in Painesville - the former WBKC.
We knew that, of course, because that's where Chris "The Mighty" Quinn's life intersected with ours.
A quick search of this blog for "Quinn" will reveal a number of items speculating on the future upgrade possibilities for then-WABQ/1540 (now WWGK), as it was about to be sold to Craig Karmazin's Good Karma Broadcasting as his first Cleveland radio outlet. (OK, maybe the search term "WABQ" would yield better results, and filter out all the items about morning talk radio's "Quinn and Rose".)
Chris Quinn didn't know about this blog at first.
But upon discovering the talk here, he was very, very helpful, providing us with very detailed (and accurate) information about what the new owner could do to try to upgrade the signal....and he did it on his own, since Chris went to Painesville with AM 1540's former owners, and wasn't involved in the upgrade filed recently by Good Karma.
Chris was helpful, gracious and went above and beyond the call in answering questions we brought up. So, it's no surprise to us that word his passing, only making the rounds of the local broadcast community on this Sunday evening, has us already hearing from those who mourn Chris Quinn...
-----
We're getting word this evening that Cleveland radio personality/engineer/all around radio guy Chris Quinn has passed away, apparently after an illness. We have no further details.
Chris "The Mighty" Quinn's resume covers a number of important stations in Cleveland.
In the 1990's, Chris moved from fill-ins, to weekend nights, to weeknights at oldies WMJI "Majic 105.7". But he also worked well before that at some big local stations: like WIXY/1260, WGAR/1220, and WRMR/850.
We were unaware, though, that Chris worked at Akron's WAKR/1590 in the early 1970's, nor another stop listed in the information we were given, KHTZ in Los Angeles, in the 1980's. (A quick Google search tells us that KHTZ "K-Hits" was apparently the immediate predecessor of classic rock-turned-FM talk KLSX/97.1.)
We were aware that Chris' last stop in radio was as chief engineer of Cleveland gospel outlet WABQ, first at 1540 in Cleveland. He then followed 1540's now-former ownership to their other station, the newly-renamed and newly-gospel-formatted WABQ/1460 in Painesville - the former WBKC.
We knew that, of course, because that's where Chris "The Mighty" Quinn's life intersected with ours.
A quick search of this blog for "Quinn" will reveal a number of items speculating on the future upgrade possibilities for then-WABQ/1540 (now WWGK), as it was about to be sold to Craig Karmazin's Good Karma Broadcasting as his first Cleveland radio outlet. (OK, maybe the search term "WABQ" would yield better results, and filter out all the items about morning talk radio's "Quinn and Rose".)
Chris Quinn didn't know about this blog at first.
But upon discovering the talk here, he was very, very helpful, providing us with very detailed (and accurate) information about what the new owner could do to try to upgrade the signal....and he did it on his own, since Chris went to Painesville with AM 1540's former owners, and wasn't involved in the upgrade filed recently by Good Karma.
Chris was helpful, gracious and went above and beyond the call in answering questions we brought up. So, it's no surprise to us that word his passing, only making the rounds of the local broadcast community on this Sunday evening, has us already hearing from those who mourn Chris Quinn...
New HD Radio
As one of the approximately one-dozen Northeast Ohio residents with an HD Radio unit, it's our obligation to inform the other 11 about new stations lighting up the "HD" light on those receivers.
There's a new one as of this past week, and one we believe is pretty new.
The HD Radio newcomer is on the AM side, as Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 Akron "SportsRadio 1350" is using the digital technology as of late last week. That makes it the first Akron-licensed broadcaster to go "HD" - as sister WKDD/98.1 is actually licensed to Canton, as is WRQK/106.9. WHOF/101.7 is licensed to North Canton.
WARF, of course, is Akron's oldest station that is still operating - dating back to its days as WADC in the mid-1920's.
Since it's AM, there's no alternate programming on WARF...just a change in audio quality. AM HD has its drawbacks in that regard...non-music AM HD stations, especially, sometimes sound like they're being sent over a low-bandwidth Internet connection with some artifacting.
But in brief listening over the past couple of days, the WARF HD side sounds less affected by that artifacting than sister talk WTAM/1100, one of two other area AMs putting out the IBOC carrier. (The third is Radio Disney O&O WWMK/1260.)
On the FM side, we don't know how long it's been doing HD, but Radio One urban AC powerhouse WZAK/93.1 Cleveland is simulcasting in the digital format now. WZAK has no HD2 or HD3 side formats, at least as of this writing.
And just so you're not further confused, given our call for questions in the previous item:
"HD" on the radio side of things does not stand for "high definition", though a full-bandwidth HD Radio channel may provide some audio improvements, particularly on FM.
We'd believed that it stood for "Hybrid Digital", which is the technical name for the "HD" standard..."hybrid" meaning that stations broadcast both the analog carrier, and the digital carrier, in tandem.
But we've heard recently that it's basically just a brand name...something which trademark holder iBiquity confirms in the FAQ on its own website for HD Radio:
Q : WHAT DOES THE HD IN HD RADIO MEAN?
A: The ‘HD’ in ‘HD Radio’ is part of iBiquity Digital’s brand name for its digital AM and FM radio technology. It does not mean either hybrid digital or high definition, it is simply the branding language for this new technology.
As always on this controversial topic, we have no intention of turning this item into yet another "pro vs. con" debate on HD Radio...or to provide a platform for some to promote their websites...
There's a new one as of this past week, and one we believe is pretty new.
The HD Radio newcomer is on the AM side, as Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 Akron "SportsRadio 1350" is using the digital technology as of late last week. That makes it the first Akron-licensed broadcaster to go "HD" - as sister WKDD/98.1 is actually licensed to Canton, as is WRQK/106.9. WHOF/101.7 is licensed to North Canton.
WARF, of course, is Akron's oldest station that is still operating - dating back to its days as WADC in the mid-1920's.
Since it's AM, there's no alternate programming on WARF...just a change in audio quality. AM HD has its drawbacks in that regard...non-music AM HD stations, especially, sometimes sound like they're being sent over a low-bandwidth Internet connection with some artifacting.
But in brief listening over the past couple of days, the WARF HD side sounds less affected by that artifacting than sister talk WTAM/1100, one of two other area AMs putting out the IBOC carrier. (The third is Radio Disney O&O WWMK/1260.)
On the FM side, we don't know how long it's been doing HD, but Radio One urban AC powerhouse WZAK/93.1 Cleveland is simulcasting in the digital format now. WZAK has no HD2 or HD3 side formats, at least as of this writing.
And just so you're not further confused, given our call for questions in the previous item:
"HD" on the radio side of things does not stand for "high definition", though a full-bandwidth HD Radio channel may provide some audio improvements, particularly on FM.
We'd believed that it stood for "Hybrid Digital", which is the technical name for the "HD" standard..."hybrid" meaning that stations broadcast both the analog carrier, and the digital carrier, in tandem.
But we've heard recently that it's basically just a brand name...something which trademark holder iBiquity confirms in the FAQ on its own website for HD Radio:
Q : WHAT DOES THE HD IN HD RADIO MEAN?
A: The ‘HD’ in ‘HD Radio’ is part of iBiquity Digital’s brand name for its digital AM and FM radio technology. It does not mean either hybrid digital or high definition, it is simply the branding language for this new technology.
As always on this controversial topic, we have no intention of turning this item into yet another "pro vs. con" debate on HD Radio...or to provide a platform for some to promote their websites...
Friday, September 26, 2008
OMW's First Digital TV Q&A
We went back to read our item about the early analog switchoff of Youngstown market PBS affiliate WNEO/45 Alliance, and...well, we figured some of our readers may have some questions about the digital TV transition.
Late on the night of February 17, 2009, just before the clock strikes midnight into the 18th, TV transmitter facilities around America will be very busy places...as every full-power TV station in the nation shuts off its analog transmitter for good. (For the record, as far as we know, the actual time deadline to do so is 11:59:59 PM, station local time, on February 17th.)
OMW would like to take the next few days to invite you to submit any questions about the television digital transition, both in general, and specifically addressed to questions about Ohio's TV stations.
Send them directly to our E-Mail address, which is linked on the left hand side of this blog.
We can pretty much answer most of the Northeast Ohio questions, but may have to seek out help for the answers elsewhere in the state.
We'll reproduce all the questions here on the Mighty Blog(tm), in a future item. We won't print your name or city, unless you have some reason you'd like us to do so. (We're accomodating, that way.)
Have a great weekend!
Late on the night of February 17, 2009, just before the clock strikes midnight into the 18th, TV transmitter facilities around America will be very busy places...as every full-power TV station in the nation shuts off its analog transmitter for good. (For the record, as far as we know, the actual time deadline to do so is 11:59:59 PM, station local time, on February 17th.)
OMW would like to take the next few days to invite you to submit any questions about the television digital transition, both in general, and specifically addressed to questions about Ohio's TV stations.
Send them directly to our E-Mail address, which is linked on the left hand side of this blog.
We can pretty much answer most of the Northeast Ohio questions, but may have to seek out help for the answers elsewhere in the state.
We'll reproduce all the questions here on the Mighty Blog(tm), in a future item. We won't print your name or city, unless you have some reason you'd like us to do so. (We're accomodating, that way.)
Have a great weekend!
Low Power Power?
A proposal being floated by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin could have positive impact on at least two small local TV stations.
Multichannel News reports that Martin is pushing for an October 15th vote on the first phase of a plan - requesting public comment - to get low-power "Class A" stations must-carry status on cable systems:
Martin's plan would allow 555 Class A TV stations to apply for full-power status from the FCC. After obtaining approval, the stations could demand immediate cable carriage under a 1992 law held constitutional by the Supreme Court in 1997.
Locally, that would definitely affect one TV outlet - Media-Com's WAOH-LP/29 Akron-W35AX Cleveland, otherwise known as "The CAT". The station already has negotiated cable carriage with Time Warner Cable's Akron-based system, on position 14, and has scattered other cable coverage on TWC and other systems (WOW Cable, for example).
But it remains absent from the former Cleveland Adelphia system now a part of Time Warner's Northeast Ohio footprint - a large chunk of the Cleveland-area viewership.
Assuming this proposal by the FCC chief ever sees the light of day, the devil's in the details.
For one, what does "apply for full-power status" mean? And would it require WAOH/W35AX to improve facilities at all, if it wishes to assert carriage on the cable systems not already carrying the station?
And the area's other major low-power TV operation is Image Video's WIVM-LP/52 Canton-WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown(/Dover/New Philadelphia).
Unless we're reading the FCC records wrong, WIVM/WIVN do not actually have Class A status, and are listed as standard TV translators. If they wish to assert must-carry on cable under this plan, again, assuming it becomes policy, they'd have to file to become Class A stations.
(Despite the calls, WAOH-LP and W35AX are Class A stations.)
Since one of the big hurdles to Class A status for LPTVers is original, local programming...the Image Video outlets should have no problem meeting that standard. Their daily morning simulcast of WHBC/1480's morning drive show, along with extensive high school football coverage, should cover those guidelines with no problem.
Like Media-Com's "The CAT", WIVM/WIVN do have some local cable carriage...on the digital side of TWC's Canton system (365, up there with the local TV outlets' digital subchannels), and the high-analog reaches (99) of the former Adelphia (now TWC) system in Tuscarawas County.
We also don't know if the FCC chairman's plans or the FCC's "must-carry" rules would require cable companies to carry the converted Class A stations in basic tiers, not requiring digital converters.
And like the Multichannel News folks, we don't know if the change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January will affect Martin's status as FCC commissioner...thus, possibly, affecting this plan.
And it's not stations like "The CAT" or WIVM that Martin mentions when talking about his proposal. According to Multichannel News, the FCC says 43% of Class A outlets are Spanish-language:
"I think it's an important opportunity…to help to try provide opportunities for diverse broadcasters to be able to provide service to those Spanish-speaking homes," Martin told reporters.
Multichannel News reports that Martin is pushing for an October 15th vote on the first phase of a plan - requesting public comment - to get low-power "Class A" stations must-carry status on cable systems:
Martin's plan would allow 555 Class A TV stations to apply for full-power status from the FCC. After obtaining approval, the stations could demand immediate cable carriage under a 1992 law held constitutional by the Supreme Court in 1997.
Locally, that would definitely affect one TV outlet - Media-Com's WAOH-LP/29 Akron-W35AX Cleveland, otherwise known as "The CAT". The station already has negotiated cable carriage with Time Warner Cable's Akron-based system, on position 14, and has scattered other cable coverage on TWC and other systems (WOW Cable, for example).
But it remains absent from the former Cleveland Adelphia system now a part of Time Warner's Northeast Ohio footprint - a large chunk of the Cleveland-area viewership.
Assuming this proposal by the FCC chief ever sees the light of day, the devil's in the details.
For one, what does "apply for full-power status" mean? And would it require WAOH/W35AX to improve facilities at all, if it wishes to assert carriage on the cable systems not already carrying the station?
And the area's other major low-power TV operation is Image Video's WIVM-LP/52 Canton-WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown(/Dover/New Philadelphia).
Unless we're reading the FCC records wrong, WIVM/WIVN do not actually have Class A status, and are listed as standard TV translators. If they wish to assert must-carry on cable under this plan, again, assuming it becomes policy, they'd have to file to become Class A stations.
(Despite the calls, WAOH-LP and W35AX are Class A stations.)
Since one of the big hurdles to Class A status for LPTVers is original, local programming...the Image Video outlets should have no problem meeting that standard. Their daily morning simulcast of WHBC/1480's morning drive show, along with extensive high school football coverage, should cover those guidelines with no problem.
Like Media-Com's "The CAT", WIVM/WIVN do have some local cable carriage...on the digital side of TWC's Canton system (365, up there with the local TV outlets' digital subchannels), and the high-analog reaches (99) of the former Adelphia (now TWC) system in Tuscarawas County.
We also don't know if the FCC chairman's plans or the FCC's "must-carry" rules would require cable companies to carry the converted Class A stations in basic tiers, not requiring digital converters.
And like the Multichannel News folks, we don't know if the change at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January will affect Martin's status as FCC commissioner...thus, possibly, affecting this plan.
And it's not stations like "The CAT" or WIVM that Martin mentions when talking about his proposal. According to Multichannel News, the FCC says 43% of Class A outlets are Spanish-language:
"I think it's an important opportunity…to help to try provide opportunities for diverse broadcasters to be able to provide service to those Spanish-speaking homes," Martin told reporters.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Beacon Flips Again
Warren-based Beacon Broadcasting has flipped another radio station format, again.
This time, it's Farrell PA-licensed Youngstown rimshot WLOA/1470, which has moved from carrying Sporting News Radio to...simulcasting the classic country format of Beacon's other Pennsylvania-side AM outlet, WGRP/940 Greenville PA.
It's not the first, or even the second, time that the two Mercer County PA radio stations have simulcast programming.
In fact, WGRP had been paired with WLOA in the sports format ("Your Double-Play Combination") until recently, when it started spinning the classic country tunes.
And the two stations were paired before that as a simulcast of Beacon flagship WANR/1570 Warren, in a locally-produced "family friendly oldies" format still carried by WANR as a solo outlet under the name "Classic Hits 1570".
The WLOA format change was first reported by PBRTV Shenango/Mahoning Valley contributor Tom Lavery, who then tipped us about the format change at 1470.
Lavery tells us that after being knocked off the air last week, presumably from the windy remnants of Hurricane Ike, WLOA is back on the air again with the new format.
And via WGRP's webcast late this morning (direct link here), we heard Beacon veteran Johnny Rogers welcome in the new listeners from Hubbard, Liberty, Youngstown and other Mahoning Valley communities.
We haven't heard, but we presume both stations will continue in their role as the Mercer County home of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. The team's games have been carried on both 940 and 1470 through all the recent format changes, including on 940 in its classic country format, and on both stations back when they were simulcasting 1570's oldies the rest of the day.
This being a Beacon-owned station, the liners still only refer to "Classic Country 940", and we only heard WGRP's legal ID. But Rogers was using the name "Classic Country 940 and 1470" on air...
This time, it's Farrell PA-licensed Youngstown rimshot WLOA/1470, which has moved from carrying Sporting News Radio to...simulcasting the classic country format of Beacon's other Pennsylvania-side AM outlet, WGRP/940 Greenville PA.
It's not the first, or even the second, time that the two Mercer County PA radio stations have simulcast programming.In fact, WGRP had been paired with WLOA in the sports format ("Your Double-Play Combination") until recently, when it started spinning the classic country tunes.
And the two stations were paired before that as a simulcast of Beacon flagship WANR/1570 Warren, in a locally-produced "family friendly oldies" format still carried by WANR as a solo outlet under the name "Classic Hits 1570".
The WLOA format change was first reported by PBRTV Shenango/Mahoning Valley contributor Tom Lavery, who then tipped us about the format change at 1470.
Lavery tells us that after being knocked off the air last week, presumably from the windy remnants of Hurricane Ike, WLOA is back on the air again with the new format.
And via WGRP's webcast late this morning (direct link here), we heard Beacon veteran Johnny Rogers welcome in the new listeners from Hubbard, Liberty, Youngstown and other Mahoning Valley communities.
We haven't heard, but we presume both stations will continue in their role as the Mercer County home of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. The team's games have been carried on both 940 and 1470 through all the recent format changes, including on 940 in its classic country format, and on both stations back when they were simulcasting 1570's oldies the rest of the day.
This being a Beacon-owned station, the liners still only refer to "Classic Country 940", and we only heard WGRP's legal ID. But Rogers was using the name "Classic Country 940 and 1470" on air...
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