There's a reason SportsTime Ohio Cleveland Indians play-by-play voice Matt Underwood has been off the air recently...and it's nothing he said.
OMW readers have been peppering our inbox with questions every time they see STO's Al Pawlowski filling in on the sports network's Indians game coverage.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes noted Friday that Underwood's mother has passed away.
The Ashland Times-Gazette has more on the death of 65 year-old Sophie Callas Underwood, who was - among other accomplishments - a partner in Ashland's Detrow and Underwood.
(And no, we don't know if the "Detrow" family is the same one of Wooster's Jon and Jeff, who started their radio careers at the stations now known as Dix country WQKT/104.5 and oldies WKVX/960. Jon Belmont now works for Associated Press Radio News, and Jeff Elliott is a morning star in San Diego. Both stations were WWST when the Detrow brothers were there.)
We've heard rumors that Matt was attending to a sick relative, but we didn't pursue them further, figuring it was a private, family matter.
But when a couple of readers asked us if Underwood was gone because of "what he said", we almost put something up...though even that brief absence wasn't related to an apparent accidental curse word. (And no, there's no FCC oversight in regard to STO, anyway, since it only airs on cable and satellite...)
Anyway, our sincere condolences to Matt Underwood...
Monday, June 08, 2009
News And More News
A wide variety of items from across the world of Ohio radio and television opens up our Monday...including some stuff we meant to mention before...
ABBY GONE: Yes, we're aware that Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland has parted ways with Abby Ham, as the "Channel 3 News Today" co-host heads back to her former TV home, Gannett NBC sister station WBIR/10 in Knoxville TN.
No, we don't know why Ham apparently did her last week solo, we're told without co-host Mark Nolan or weather forecaster Hollie Strano aboard the WKYC morning show that final week.
(We wouldn't read much into it, considering vacations, unpaid furloughs and the like.)
No, we don't know who is in line to replace Abby at 13th and Lakeside...though we'll agree with one suggestion we saw elsewhere: if it isn't a current "Channel 3 News" staffer moved up into the morning co-host gig, you might want to watch anchors at other Gannett stations to see who could make the move to Cleveland.
(See above.)
But though we don't really know any answers here, we had to mark this one in some fashion...and we'll update it as soon as we do "know" something...
CLEVELAND RADIO GUY GOES WEST: OMW hears that former Clear Channel hot AC WMVX/106.5 "Mix 106.5" imaging director Scott Glaser is heading for California.
Glaser, who's been doing part-time work at CBS Radio hot AC WQAL/104.1 "Q104" since being downsized out of Oak Tree in 2007, will be imaging director/afternoon driver at Sacramento's new 90's music outlet, KBZC/106.5 "The Buzz".
And yes, there's another Cleveland connection.
The Entercom outlet is a sister station to top 40 outlet KDND/107.9 "The End"...which is programmed by former Clear Channel Cleveland top 40 WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM" program director Dan Mason.
Mason took over as PD for "The End" to help the station recover after an event which could well have spelled "The End" for the Sacramento top 40 outlet...that was the station involved in that now-infamous fatal "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" contest.
We don't track California markets closely, but we think it's safe to say that KDND has recovered somewhat since Mr. Mason got on a plane and headed for Sacramento.
Since 106.5 decamped from its near-legendary status as an alt-rocker, Mason has taken over programming duties there as well...and Glaser ends up there helping him reshape the station on June 12th.
OMW hears that Glaser has also worked in the Rochester market. We'll assume that means the "One True Rochester" in upstate New York, and we assume long-time friend, colleague and World Champion Tower Hunter Scott Fybush will know where...
JUMPING INTO TALK: By the time you read this, you're likely to encounter a radio format change we've talked about before...Media-Com one-lung Akron rimshot daytimer WJMP/1520 Kent-Akron-Well-Not-Quite-Most-Of-Akron is scheduled to unveil its new talk lineup today.
And we've seen promos for "TalkRadio 1520" on another Media-Com outlet that had its own changes this past week...WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX 35 Cleveland, the entity which used to be known as "The CAT" that now goes by "Retro TV"...after picking up the Retro Television Network lineup.
The TV promo for WJMP/1520 was pretty much to form...with pictures and audio clips from the station's four main syndicated hosts - Talk Radio Network's Mancow, Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage, and United Stations afternoon drive host Lou Dobbs.
For the out of towners reading this, the WJMP call letters actually date back to a few formats ago...when the Kent daytimer started doing an oldies format ("Jump Radio 1520").
Meanwhile, we also heard a promo for the new "Retro TV" on the only Media-Com station most of Northeast Ohio can pick up without resorting to fancy DX-ing radios or a good antenna, talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron".
And we noted that the radio promo for the TV station featured the channel 29 side of the LPTV combo, which is licensed to Akron, and aims it signal at Akron from the antenna on WNIR's tower in Brimfield Township, Portage County - on Ohio 43 near I-76.
The spot specifically mentioned WAOH-LP 29's carriage on Time Warner Cable channel 14 in the company's Akron system. (It also actually mentioned the WAOH call letters!)
Which leads us to wonder...will the low-power outlet which has camped out there for a number of years end up somewhere in TWC's Cleveland-based system - now that it's featuring programming people may actually want to watch? We'll see...
AWARD WINNERS: Ohio radio and TV stations picked up the hardware in Columbus over the weekend, as the annual Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Awards were announced and handed out.
There are far too many winners in our coverage area to list here, and it wouldn't be fair to even cherry pick, say, from winners at Northern Ohio stations.
But it's no surprise to us that certain stations and news operations continue to pick up the awards by the armful or even boxful. Some of those stations include those with OMW readers, so we'll be happy to hear from various readers/stations here in the comments section to this item.
If you'd like the overall list of winners for 2008, the lists can be found in PDF files on this page, on the Ohio Associated Press website...
AND THE LAST ANALOG WEEK: It is indeed the final week for full-power analog TV in Ohio and beyond.
Coming up later today (we hope), we'll have an extensive update on our other blog, Ohio Digital TV...with a link here to lead you to the Other Side of OMW.
We expect the next five days and change to be busy at local TV stations, and not just at a certain site on Broadview Road in the Cleveland suburb of Parma.
We're still lacking on some information about markets outside of Cleveland...we are particularly interested in learning what times stations in Youngstown, Toledo and Columbus will shut off their analog signals...those who have not already made the "switch", as it were...
ABBY GONE: Yes, we're aware that Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland has parted ways with Abby Ham, as the "Channel 3 News Today" co-host heads back to her former TV home, Gannett NBC sister station WBIR/10 in Knoxville TN.
No, we don't know why Ham apparently did her last week solo, we're told without co-host Mark Nolan or weather forecaster Hollie Strano aboard the WKYC morning show that final week. (We wouldn't read much into it, considering vacations, unpaid furloughs and the like.)
No, we don't know who is in line to replace Abby at 13th and Lakeside...though we'll agree with one suggestion we saw elsewhere: if it isn't a current "Channel 3 News" staffer moved up into the morning co-host gig, you might want to watch anchors at other Gannett stations to see who could make the move to Cleveland.
(See above.)
But though we don't really know any answers here, we had to mark this one in some fashion...and we'll update it as soon as we do "know" something...
CLEVELAND RADIO GUY GOES WEST: OMW hears that former Clear Channel hot AC WMVX/106.5 "Mix 106.5" imaging director Scott Glaser is heading for California.
Glaser, who's been doing part-time work at CBS Radio hot AC WQAL/104.1 "Q104" since being downsized out of Oak Tree in 2007, will be imaging director/afternoon driver at Sacramento's new 90's music outlet, KBZC/106.5 "The Buzz".And yes, there's another Cleveland connection.
The Entercom outlet is a sister station to top 40 outlet KDND/107.9 "The End"...which is programmed by former Clear Channel Cleveland top 40 WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM" program director Dan Mason.
Mason took over as PD for "The End" to help the station recover after an event which could well have spelled "The End" for the Sacramento top 40 outlet...that was the station involved in that now-infamous fatal "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" contest.
We don't track California markets closely, but we think it's safe to say that KDND has recovered somewhat since Mr. Mason got on a plane and headed for Sacramento.
Since 106.5 decamped from its near-legendary status as an alt-rocker, Mason has taken over programming duties there as well...and Glaser ends up there helping him reshape the station on June 12th.
OMW hears that Glaser has also worked in the Rochester market. We'll assume that means the "One True Rochester" in upstate New York, and we assume long-time friend, colleague and World Champion Tower Hunter Scott Fybush will know where...
JUMPING INTO TALK: By the time you read this, you're likely to encounter a radio format change we've talked about before...Media-Com one-lung Akron rimshot daytimer WJMP/1520 Kent-Akron-Well-Not-Quite-Most-Of-Akron is scheduled to unveil its new talk lineup today.
And we've seen promos for "TalkRadio 1520" on another Media-Com outlet that had its own changes this past week...WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX 35 Cleveland, the entity which used to be known as "The CAT" that now goes by "Retro TV"...after picking up the Retro Television Network lineup.
The TV promo for WJMP/1520 was pretty much to form...with pictures and audio clips from the station's four main syndicated hosts - Talk Radio Network's Mancow, Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage, and United Stations afternoon drive host Lou Dobbs.
For the out of towners reading this, the WJMP call letters actually date back to a few formats ago...when the Kent daytimer started doing an oldies format ("Jump Radio 1520").
Meanwhile, we also heard a promo for the new "Retro TV" on the only Media-Com station most of Northeast Ohio can pick up without resorting to fancy DX-ing radios or a good antenna, talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron".
And we noted that the radio promo for the TV station featured the channel 29 side of the LPTV combo, which is licensed to Akron, and aims it signal at Akron from the antenna on WNIR's tower in Brimfield Township, Portage County - on Ohio 43 near I-76.
The spot specifically mentioned WAOH-LP 29's carriage on Time Warner Cable channel 14 in the company's Akron system. (It also actually mentioned the WAOH call letters!)
Which leads us to wonder...will the low-power outlet which has camped out there for a number of years end up somewhere in TWC's Cleveland-based system - now that it's featuring programming people may actually want to watch? We'll see...
AWARD WINNERS: Ohio radio and TV stations picked up the hardware in Columbus over the weekend, as the annual Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Awards were announced and handed out.
There are far too many winners in our coverage area to list here, and it wouldn't be fair to even cherry pick, say, from winners at Northern Ohio stations.
But it's no surprise to us that certain stations and news operations continue to pick up the awards by the armful or even boxful. Some of those stations include those with OMW readers, so we'll be happy to hear from various readers/stations here in the comments section to this item.
If you'd like the overall list of winners for 2008, the lists can be found in PDF files on this page, on the Ohio Associated Press website...
AND THE LAST ANALOG WEEK: It is indeed the final week for full-power analog TV in Ohio and beyond.
Coming up later today (we hope), we'll have an extensive update on our other blog, Ohio Digital TV...with a link here to lead you to the Other Side of OMW.
We expect the next five days and change to be busy at local TV stations, and not just at a certain site on Broadview Road in the Cleveland suburb of Parma.
We're still lacking on some information about markets outside of Cleveland...we are particularly interested in learning what times stations in Youngstown, Toledo and Columbus will shut off their analog signals...those who have not already made the "switch", as it were...
Friday, June 05, 2009
Friday Quick Follow
It's Friday, follow quick!
WE'LL MISS IT, BUT...: We may well miss all the activity, but OMW hears that if you're interested in watching activity involving a new digital TV antenna...Broadview Road in Parma is the place to be this Friday afternoon. (Any regular OMW/ODTV reader needs no help finding the location.)
It is, of course, one week out from the official end of full-power analog TV, and both stations camped out on that new tower hope to start up brand new full-power digital facilities...soon.
To that end, we're hearing rumblings that you might try to scan for a more powerful PBS signal "as soon as tomorrow", if all the activity goes as planned...
THEY MAY NOT MISS: OMW is still hearing that the third weather forecaster handling Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5"'s "Power of Five" radar, Jeff Mackel, will be leaving the station due to the non-renewal of his contract.
We're now hearing that means Mackel will exit 3001 Euclid by the end of June.
But...could he actually be replaced?
An eagle-eyed reader spotted this brand-spanking-new "help wanted" advertisement for a new WEWS full-time meteorologist, found on a Scripps job site...which may well mean that the "NC5" folks won't pare down to a weathercaster "Power of Two" this summer.
It's an open question who WEWS might hire after Mackel's departure. The new weather forecaster may well be offered less, money-wise, than whatever the station is paying Mackel.
But overall, for a station which makes such a big deal about weather, it didn't make sense that they'd keep on only two meteorologists during a season known for potential severe weather...
THIS IS NO LONGER ESPN RADIO: A Northwest Ohio station has parted with the Worldwide Leader In Sports, Radio Division...but it apparently wasn't their call.
It hasn't been that long since WFOB/1430 Fostoria became an ESPN Radio affiliate. We reported the change from the locally-owned station's previous format, Citadel's 24/7 soft AC/standards "Timeless" format, in September of last year.
The change made about a week ago was in sports networks, not to a new format. WFOB is now known as "Sporting News 1430"...because it was apparently nudged off the ESPN Radio network by another station...according to an article in The Fostoria Focus newspaper on May 31st:
Starting Monday, ESPN Radio 1430 will become Sporting News 1430 WFOB.
WFOB had to make the move from ESPN in part because the station was broadcasting too close to another ESPN station, WLQR in Toledo.
Station manager Brian Cooper said WFOB was able to switch to another sports network before the ESPN contract expired in August — a move the station was happy to make.
“I think this provided us an opportunity to do what we’re really good at and mesh the old WFOB with the new WFOB,” Cooper said.
The "old" part of that "mesh" is the return of a local morning drive show to the Fostoria station:
The station will also add a local morning talk program that will air weekdays, 6-9 a.m., hosted by station engineer Burley Stapley and news director Vic Travagliante.
“It’s really taking what we used to do and freshening it up,” Stapley said.
The morning show will include local news, talk, and guests, along with national and world news updates from ABC.
There's some overlap between WFOB's signal and that of WLQR, the Cumulus Toledo outlet known as "1470 The Ticket"...particularly in the Bowling Green area, which both stations try to serve to some extent...
LOOKING FOR JANET: And we're trying to help out one of our Central Ohio readers...video editor/producer Dave Stanton is looking for an old friend from the Mahoning Valley:
We went to school together at the University of Detroit in the early 1970's. Youngstown viewers knew her as Janet Nolan when she worked on WKBN-TV. I believe she left the station to do PR for the hospital but I lost track of her after that.
If anyone knows where she is, I'd like to know at: stantod (at) nationwide.com
Good luck, Dave!
And have you tried Facebook? A lot of radio/TV/media types have landed there...
WE'LL MISS IT, BUT...: We may well miss all the activity, but OMW hears that if you're interested in watching activity involving a new digital TV antenna...Broadview Road in Parma is the place to be this Friday afternoon. (Any regular OMW/ODTV reader needs no help finding the location.)
It is, of course, one week out from the official end of full-power analog TV, and both stations camped out on that new tower hope to start up brand new full-power digital facilities...soon.
To that end, we're hearing rumblings that you might try to scan for a more powerful PBS signal "as soon as tomorrow", if all the activity goes as planned...
THEY MAY NOT MISS: OMW is still hearing that the third weather forecaster handling Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5"'s "Power of Five" radar, Jeff Mackel, will be leaving the station due to the non-renewal of his contract.
We're now hearing that means Mackel will exit 3001 Euclid by the end of June.
But...could he actually be replaced?
An eagle-eyed reader spotted this brand-spanking-new "help wanted" advertisement for a new WEWS full-time meteorologist, found on a Scripps job site...which may well mean that the "NC5" folks won't pare down to a weathercaster "Power of Two" this summer.
It's an open question who WEWS might hire after Mackel's departure. The new weather forecaster may well be offered less, money-wise, than whatever the station is paying Mackel.
But overall, for a station which makes such a big deal about weather, it didn't make sense that they'd keep on only two meteorologists during a season known for potential severe weather...
THIS IS NO LONGER ESPN RADIO: A Northwest Ohio station has parted with the Worldwide Leader In Sports, Radio Division...but it apparently wasn't their call.
It hasn't been that long since WFOB/1430 Fostoria became an ESPN Radio affiliate. We reported the change from the locally-owned station's previous format, Citadel's 24/7 soft AC/standards "Timeless" format, in September of last year.
The change made about a week ago was in sports networks, not to a new format. WFOB is now known as "Sporting News 1430"...because it was apparently nudged off the ESPN Radio network by another station...according to an article in The Fostoria Focus newspaper on May 31st:
Starting Monday, ESPN Radio 1430 will become Sporting News 1430 WFOB.
WFOB had to make the move from ESPN in part because the station was broadcasting too close to another ESPN station, WLQR in Toledo.
Station manager Brian Cooper said WFOB was able to switch to another sports network before the ESPN contract expired in August — a move the station was happy to make.
“I think this provided us an opportunity to do what we’re really good at and mesh the old WFOB with the new WFOB,” Cooper said.
The "old" part of that "mesh" is the return of a local morning drive show to the Fostoria station:
The station will also add a local morning talk program that will air weekdays, 6-9 a.m., hosted by station engineer Burley Stapley and news director Vic Travagliante.
“It’s really taking what we used to do and freshening it up,” Stapley said.
The morning show will include local news, talk, and guests, along with national and world news updates from ABC.
There's some overlap between WFOB's signal and that of WLQR, the Cumulus Toledo outlet known as "1470 The Ticket"...particularly in the Bowling Green area, which both stations try to serve to some extent...
LOOKING FOR JANET: And we're trying to help out one of our Central Ohio readers...video editor/producer Dave Stanton is looking for an old friend from the Mahoning Valley:
We went to school together at the University of Detroit in the early 1970's. Youngstown viewers knew her as Janet Nolan when she worked on WKBN-TV. I believe she left the station to do PR for the hospital but I lost track of her after that.
If anyone knows where she is, I'd like to know at: stantod (at) nationwide.com
Good luck, Dave!
And have you tried Facebook? A lot of radio/TV/media types have landed there...
Thursday, June 04, 2009
The Power Of Two
OMW hears that yet another local TV type is about to leave his station, due to a contract non-renewal.
We hear that Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" weather forecaster Jeff Mackel will exit the station soon, after the station declined to renew his contract.
We don't know when Mackel's last day is, but as our subject header hints, his exit will leave the station's weather department with just two forecasters - Mark Johnson and Jason Nicholas.
WEWS made a similar move in the sports department recently...declining to renew the contract of sports reporter/anchor Sue Ann Robak, which also left that part of the "NewsChannel 5" operation with just two on-air members...sports director Andy Baskin, and anchor/reporter Terry Brooks.
We understand the timing of contracts, but this would appear to be a particularly bad time to reduce your weather staff to two people watching over that "Power of 5" radar. It's been a fairly calm spring for severe weather in Northeast Ohio, but that can change in a hurry here.
And with the station's focus on, umm, "disruptive" weather, it'll stretch Johnson and Nicholas to the limit. "NewsChannel 5" is not the kind of operation that sits by and watches when severe weather breaks out. And unlike in its sports department, WEWS offers weather segments in all newscasts, including mornings.
OK, so Mark Johnson, especially, seems to enjoy it...it seems to us that he's disappointed if he's not pointing out a funnel cloud north of Mansfield, or a big storm system in Chicago that has Northeast Ohio "under the gun" in a few hours.
But unlike the other day, when the station deployed both Jason Nicholas and Jeff Mackel on "Good Morning Cleveland" when that storm system in Chicago headed for Cleveland, the move means we're certainly not likely to see two forecasters on the air on "NewsChannel 5" at the same time...
We hear that Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" weather forecaster Jeff Mackel will exit the station soon, after the station declined to renew his contract.We don't know when Mackel's last day is, but as our subject header hints, his exit will leave the station's weather department with just two forecasters - Mark Johnson and Jason Nicholas.
WEWS made a similar move in the sports department recently...declining to renew the contract of sports reporter/anchor Sue Ann Robak, which also left that part of the "NewsChannel 5" operation with just two on-air members...sports director Andy Baskin, and anchor/reporter Terry Brooks.
We understand the timing of contracts, but this would appear to be a particularly bad time to reduce your weather staff to two people watching over that "Power of 5" radar. It's been a fairly calm spring for severe weather in Northeast Ohio, but that can change in a hurry here.
And with the station's focus on, umm, "disruptive" weather, it'll stretch Johnson and Nicholas to the limit. "NewsChannel 5" is not the kind of operation that sits by and watches when severe weather breaks out. And unlike in its sports department, WEWS offers weather segments in all newscasts, including mornings.
OK, so Mark Johnson, especially, seems to enjoy it...it seems to us that he's disappointed if he's not pointing out a funnel cloud north of Mansfield, or a big storm system in Chicago that has Northeast Ohio "under the gun" in a few hours.
But unlike the other day, when the station deployed both Jason Nicholas and Jeff Mackel on "Good Morning Cleveland" when that storm system in Chicago headed for Cleveland, the move means we're certainly not likely to see two forecasters on the air on "NewsChannel 5" at the same time...
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Radio And Records Closing
UPDATE 6/3/09 5:29 PM: We had no idea how quickly the link to Radio & Records' announcement of its own demise would go away. The R&R site went down roughly 5 minutes after we posted the below link. We did warn you to "click it as soon as you can", but we didn't think the R&R site would go under in minutes!
To read more on R&R's closure, check out these stories from Inside Radio and Mediaweek...
Our original item is below...
---------
If you're a Certain Age in the radio business, the Radio Information Bible for you was "Radio & Records".
Most broadcasters starting their careers from the mid-1970's into the mid-1990's found week-old "R&R" copies sitting on desks in the hallway or jock lounge...after their program director had already read them.
For many radio people, including your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) back in the day, those old R&Rs were their only connection to the world of radio outside where they worked.
No more.
Radio & Records, now owned by Billboard parent Nielsen, announced today that it is shutting down...and click the link as soon as you can, for it's about to go away:
-----
The current state of affairs has left The Nielsen Company with no other alternative but to immediately cease all services, products and events related to Radio & Records. The magazine's final edition is the June 5 issue. Electronic products end today, the Web site will be taken offline soon.
-----
R&R started up in 1973, according to the timeline on the linked story. When Print Was King, so was R&R.
And then, many years later, this thing called the Internet came along.
R&R followed with its online site, but it always seemed to fall behind other efforts to bring news about the radio and record industries to the online audience.
Most notably, Joel Denver's AllAccess site basically supplanted R&R as the lead national source for radio industry news, information and gossip, and R&R never recovered. (Mr. Denver, by the way, is a former R&R editor.)
And since the site is free, and everyone has Internet access now, the dynamic as a whole has changed as well.
Of course, the transition from the Print World to the Digital World as far as news about the radio industry goes has played out on other levels.
Local newspapers make a very small effort to cover developments in radio, and at least here, this very blog has basically become a replacement for regular newspaper coverage of radio news...give or take an occasional column by the Plain Dealer's Julie Washington, or Beacon Journal pop culture writer Rich Heldenfels.
Some of it is the migration to the Internet, some of it is because at times, there isn't as much to cover that's of interest to a general audience. (We do far more "inside baseball" coverage of both local radio and TV that wouldn't really be in the spirit of a newspaper column.)
But back to R&R...even though it seems its most relevant days went away in the 1990's, we're sad to see it go...
To read more on R&R's closure, check out these stories from Inside Radio and Mediaweek...
Our original item is below...
---------
If you're a Certain Age in the radio business, the Radio Information Bible for you was "Radio & Records".
Most broadcasters starting their careers from the mid-1970's into the mid-1990's found week-old "R&R" copies sitting on desks in the hallway or jock lounge...after their program director had already read them.
For many radio people, including your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) back in the day, those old R&Rs were their only connection to the world of radio outside where they worked.
No more.
Radio & Records, now owned by Billboard parent Nielsen, announced today that it is shutting down...and click the link as soon as you can, for it's about to go away:
-----
The current state of affairs has left The Nielsen Company with no other alternative but to immediately cease all services, products and events related to Radio & Records. The magazine's final edition is the June 5 issue. Electronic products end today, the Web site will be taken offline soon.
-----
R&R started up in 1973, according to the timeline on the linked story. When Print Was King, so was R&R.
And then, many years later, this thing called the Internet came along.
R&R followed with its online site, but it always seemed to fall behind other efforts to bring news about the radio and record industries to the online audience.
Most notably, Joel Denver's AllAccess site basically supplanted R&R as the lead national source for radio industry news, information and gossip, and R&R never recovered. (Mr. Denver, by the way, is a former R&R editor.)
And since the site is free, and everyone has Internet access now, the dynamic as a whole has changed as well.
Of course, the transition from the Print World to the Digital World as far as news about the radio industry goes has played out on other levels.
Local newspapers make a very small effort to cover developments in radio, and at least here, this very blog has basically become a replacement for regular newspaper coverage of radio news...give or take an occasional column by the Plain Dealer's Julie Washington, or Beacon Journal pop culture writer Rich Heldenfels.
Some of it is the migration to the Internet, some of it is because at times, there isn't as much to cover that's of interest to a general audience. (We do far more "inside baseball" coverage of both local radio and TV that wouldn't really be in the spirit of a newspaper column.)
But back to R&R...even though it seems its most relevant days went away in the 1990's, we're sad to see it go...
WVIZ-DT STA Granted
We hadn't diligently watched ideastream PBS affiliate WVIZ/25's application to run its post-transition power level before the June 12th transition, one week from Friday.
As it turns out, the Special Temporary Authority request was quickly approved by the FCC on May 29th.
(We guess we're not used to the FCC or any other government agency processing digital paperwork that quickly.)
That means whenever WVIZ-DT's new antenna is mounted on the tower it will share with WKYC-DT, the station will be able to light it up at full power.
Without the STA, the WVIZ-DT full-power construction permit would have precluded regularly using the facility until after June 12th. That's only just over a week away now, but we're sure WVIZ was antsy to finally abandon the 10 kW or less temporary digital facilities it had been using for years...
As it turns out, the Special Temporary Authority request was quickly approved by the FCC on May 29th.
(We guess we're not used to the FCC or any other government agency processing digital paperwork that quickly.)
That means whenever WVIZ-DT's new antenna is mounted on the tower it will share with WKYC-DT, the station will be able to light it up at full power.
Without the STA, the WVIZ-DT full-power construction permit would have precluded regularly using the facility until after June 12th. That's only just over a week away now, but we're sure WVIZ was antsy to finally abandon the 10 kW or less temporary digital facilities it had been using for years...
One TV, One Radio
One quick hit for TV, one for radio...
WKYC DIGITAL: From the ODTV side of OMW, a bit about Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland's new facility.
As if drawn by a giant magnet to Broadview Road in Parma, the OMW/ODTV Mobile took another trip up to the tower that will soon hold antennas for WKYC-DT (RF 17) and ideastream PBS affiliate WVIZ-DT (RF 26).
Why, this time, again?
Our inbox was peppered Tuesday with questions from folks who were having trouble picking up the current WKYC-DT (RF 2) facility, which sits on the existing tower right next to the new one at the Broadview Road site.
The outage for the digital side of WKYC on Tuesday apparently extended to subscribers of Dish Network, which displayed a message about technical difficulties where WKYC's digital signal would normally be seen.
Unaffected? Those watching analog channel 3, and subscribers of Time Warner Cable, which we're pretty sure receives all of WKYC's signals via fiber optic cable at its headend just a few blocks down Lakeside Avenue from WKYC's Digital Broadcast Center.
So, we found our way to Cleveland's most famous TV tower site to see what was going on.
The answer, by the time we'd reached Broadview Road in late afternoon? Nothing that we could see. Since we left our decent digital camera back at OMW World Headquarters, we don't really have a good picture to show you...but we'll describe it as best we can.
The new tower appears to be pretty much structurally completed, and is now approximately the same height as the original WKYC tower
On Tuesday afternoon/early evening, we didn't see any tower crews up there, and saw no antennas mounted (of any sort) to the new tower that will eventually hold the antennas for both WKYC and WVIZ's digital facility.
The top portion of the tower's height appears to be in place along the side of where the antennas will be mounted up at the top. We'll assume it is there to make the installation easier, then it will be removed when the antenna system is in place.
Our guess - and it's only a guess - is that the crews working at Broadview Road will use a stretch of decent weather the next few days to finally mount the antenna apparatus. Remember, WVIZ has filed with the FCC hoping to get approval for post-transition digital power levels by June 5th, a date the station says it expects to complete its construction.
And at least Thursday through Saturday, the weather forecast looks to be ideal for tower work. That's just an educated guess on our part...well, semi-educated.
Between now and June 12th, expect temporary signal disruptions from WKYC-DT and WVIZ-DT, as work continues to be done. And we wouldn't be surprised if, after the antennas go up, late night testing could bring some surprises for digital TV viewers...
METRO LANDING: We hadn't heard Metro Networks/Cleveland-based afternoon sports and news anchor Dave DeNatale on either of his stations - Good Karma sports WKNR/850 and Salem talk WHK/1420 - in a few days, so we wondered if he was still toiling at Metro's facility in the Independence Media Gulch.
Of course, that facility is about to be shut down - if it isn't gone already - as Metro will move all Cleveland market on-air operations to its suburban Detroit facility...as part of the company's massive restructuring nationwide. The traffic/news/sports outsourcing company is shutting down all but 13 of its operations centers, and feeding content to the markets it leaves behind physically via those new hubs.
We found our answer to the "Where Is Dave DeNatale" question by accident...thinking about taking in a baseball game, we were looking for information on the home opener Tuesday of the new Frontier League baseball team in Avon, the Lake Erie Crushers.
And sure enough, the Crushers have hired DeNatale as their radio play-by-play voice, as the local minor league baseball team based at Avon's new All-Pro Freight Stadium starts its first year.
Well, sort of "radio voice" - as for now, as far as we know, the Crushers haven't picked up a broadcast affiliate for DeNatale's call. That means the game audio is only available via the Crushers' website, through a deal with Internet sports play-by-play rebroadcaster SportsJuice.com.
We did manage to catch much of DeNatale's first home game as the Crushers' voice, as the team opened up that new ballpark apparently named in a sponsorship deal with a local freight hauler.
And oddly enough, one of the Crushers' team sponsors is Clear Channel Radio. No, really.
Of course, there's not really any appropriate facility for Clear Channel to air DeNatale's play by play call.
There's also no room on Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's WEOL/930 Elyria, and Avon is on the other side of Lorain County from DeNatale's previous-to-Metro employer, locally-owned country station WOBL/1320 Oberlin. WOBL owners Doug and Lorie Wilber also own Lorain oldies outlet WDLW/1380, which has a 57 watt nighttime signal that probably doesn't sound all that great in Avon.
DeNatale has continued to do Oberlin College football and basketball play-by-play on WOBL, a job he kept even after leaving the station for Metro/WKNR.
And the only broadcast transmitter site physically in the city of Avon is Radio Seaway classical stalwart WCLV/104.9, licensed to Lorain, which moved that far east in an attempt to provide a better signal in Cleveland.
Anyway, we stumbled onto this article about DeNatale's new job on the website of sports talent agency Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA), which claims the local broadcaster as a client. He explains the situation with Metro:
DeNatale, who is also the voice of Oberlin College football and basketball, has spent the past 14 months doing sports for Metro Networks in Cleveland. When his job fell victim to the economy, DeNatale was given the option of relocating to Detroit. He appreciated the opportunity, but it just didn’t feel quite right.
“My situation is the epitome of ‘when one door closes another opens,’ DeNatale says. “I wasn’t sure if would follow Metro to Detroit. This opportunity came along to stay home and it seemed too good to pass up.”
Our congratulations to Dave, and he sounded like a seasoned baseball play-by-play announcer to us last night...
WKYC DIGITAL: From the ODTV side of OMW, a bit about Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland's new facility.
As if drawn by a giant magnet to Broadview Road in Parma, the OMW/ODTV Mobile took another trip up to the tower that will soon hold antennas for WKYC-DT (RF 17) and ideastream PBS affiliate WVIZ-DT (RF 26).
Why, this time, again?
Our inbox was peppered Tuesday with questions from folks who were having trouble picking up the current WKYC-DT (RF 2) facility, which sits on the existing tower right next to the new one at the Broadview Road site.
The outage for the digital side of WKYC on Tuesday apparently extended to subscribers of Dish Network, which displayed a message about technical difficulties where WKYC's digital signal would normally be seen.
Unaffected? Those watching analog channel 3, and subscribers of Time Warner Cable, which we're pretty sure receives all of WKYC's signals via fiber optic cable at its headend just a few blocks down Lakeside Avenue from WKYC's Digital Broadcast Center.
So, we found our way to Cleveland's most famous TV tower site to see what was going on.
The answer, by the time we'd reached Broadview Road in late afternoon? Nothing that we could see. Since we left our decent digital camera back at OMW World Headquarters, we don't really have a good picture to show you...but we'll describe it as best we can.
The new tower appears to be pretty much structurally completed, and is now approximately the same height as the original WKYC tower
On Tuesday afternoon/early evening, we didn't see any tower crews up there, and saw no antennas mounted (of any sort) to the new tower that will eventually hold the antennas for both WKYC and WVIZ's digital facility.
The top portion of the tower's height appears to be in place along the side of where the antennas will be mounted up at the top. We'll assume it is there to make the installation easier, then it will be removed when the antenna system is in place.
Our guess - and it's only a guess - is that the crews working at Broadview Road will use a stretch of decent weather the next few days to finally mount the antenna apparatus. Remember, WVIZ has filed with the FCC hoping to get approval for post-transition digital power levels by June 5th, a date the station says it expects to complete its construction.
And at least Thursday through Saturday, the weather forecast looks to be ideal for tower work. That's just an educated guess on our part...well, semi-educated.
Between now and June 12th, expect temporary signal disruptions from WKYC-DT and WVIZ-DT, as work continues to be done. And we wouldn't be surprised if, after the antennas go up, late night testing could bring some surprises for digital TV viewers...
METRO LANDING: We hadn't heard Metro Networks/Cleveland-based afternoon sports and news anchor Dave DeNatale on either of his stations - Good Karma sports WKNR/850 and Salem talk WHK/1420 - in a few days, so we wondered if he was still toiling at Metro's facility in the Independence Media Gulch.
Of course, that facility is about to be shut down - if it isn't gone already - as Metro will move all Cleveland market on-air operations to its suburban Detroit facility...as part of the company's massive restructuring nationwide. The traffic/news/sports outsourcing company is shutting down all but 13 of its operations centers, and feeding content to the markets it leaves behind physically via those new hubs.
We found our answer to the "Where Is Dave DeNatale" question by accident...thinking about taking in a baseball game, we were looking for information on the home opener Tuesday of the new Frontier League baseball team in Avon, the Lake Erie Crushers.And sure enough, the Crushers have hired DeNatale as their radio play-by-play voice, as the local minor league baseball team based at Avon's new All-Pro Freight Stadium starts its first year.
Well, sort of "radio voice" - as for now, as far as we know, the Crushers haven't picked up a broadcast affiliate for DeNatale's call. That means the game audio is only available via the Crushers' website, through a deal with Internet sports play-by-play rebroadcaster SportsJuice.com.
We did manage to catch much of DeNatale's first home game as the Crushers' voice, as the team opened up that new ballpark apparently named in a sponsorship deal with a local freight hauler.
And oddly enough, one of the Crushers' team sponsors is Clear Channel Radio. No, really.
Of course, there's not really any appropriate facility for Clear Channel to air DeNatale's play by play call.
There's also no room on Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's WEOL/930 Elyria, and Avon is on the other side of Lorain County from DeNatale's previous-to-Metro employer, locally-owned country station WOBL/1320 Oberlin. WOBL owners Doug and Lorie Wilber also own Lorain oldies outlet WDLW/1380, which has a 57 watt nighttime signal that probably doesn't sound all that great in Avon.
DeNatale has continued to do Oberlin College football and basketball play-by-play on WOBL, a job he kept even after leaving the station for Metro/WKNR.
And the only broadcast transmitter site physically in the city of Avon is Radio Seaway classical stalwart WCLV/104.9, licensed to Lorain, which moved that far east in an attempt to provide a better signal in Cleveland.
Anyway, we stumbled onto this article about DeNatale's new job on the website of sports talent agency Sportscasters Talent Agency of America (STAA), which claims the local broadcaster as a client. He explains the situation with Metro:
DeNatale, who is also the voice of Oberlin College football and basketball, has spent the past 14 months doing sports for Metro Networks in Cleveland. When his job fell victim to the economy, DeNatale was given the option of relocating to Detroit. He appreciated the opportunity, but it just didn’t feel quite right.
“My situation is the epitome of ‘when one door closes another opens,’ DeNatale says. “I wasn’t sure if would follow Metro to Detroit. This opportunity came along to stay home and it seemed too good to pass up.”
Our congratulations to Dave, and he sounded like a seasoned baseball play-by-play announcer to us last night...
WCPZ Moving A Bit South
This one is another that fell out of our "we meant to get to it" files...from a couple of weeks back.
BAS Broadcasting hot AC WCPZ/102.7 Sandusky, still known by its old Clear Channel moniker of "Mix 102.7", has filed an application to move a few miles south and maximize its power.
Long-time friend and colleague and World Champion Tower Hunter Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch gave us the heads up on this proposal, which would land 102.7's new facility on the tower of Christian Faith Broadcasting religious combo WGGN-FM 97.7/WGGN-TV 52 about six miles to the southwest of the current WCPZ tower, which is at the legendary "quonset hut" studios in the heart of Sandusky.
(Without checking, we believe the WGGN site holds the analog antenna for the TV 52 side of WGGN, along with the pre-transition digital antenna, and that the TV station's new post-transition digital facility is further east in an attempt to serve more of the Cleveland market. The TV facilities on the original tower will presumably be taken dark a week from Friday.)
The move would change WCPZ/102.7's facilities from 134 feet above average terrain/50 kW to 659 feet (!!)/18 kW, a move that would expand the signal somewhat to the south...providing much better coverage of places like Fremont and Norwalk and the U.S. 20 corridor, and even as far south as nearly Ashland.
And for WCPZ's current owner, BAS Broadcasting, that makes a lot of sense. BAS owns stations like WFRO/99.1 "Eagle 99.1" Fremont, and the facility change makes WCPZ more powerful in the area that BAS calls "The Quint Counties" in its marketing material. The station's expanded signal would continue to cover the area along Lake Erie pretty much as it does now, and would continue to afford protection to Mount Clemens MI's WHTD via a directional notch.
One could presume that the 102.7 move south wasn't pursued by previous owner Clear Channel for a variety of reasons - not the least of which is potential overlap with the company's Toledo cluster...
BAS Broadcasting hot AC WCPZ/102.7 Sandusky, still known by its old Clear Channel moniker of "Mix 102.7", has filed an application to move a few miles south and maximize its power.
Long-time friend and colleague and World Champion Tower Hunter Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch gave us the heads up on this proposal, which would land 102.7's new facility on the tower of Christian Faith Broadcasting religious combo WGGN-FM 97.7/WGGN-TV 52 about six miles to the southwest of the current WCPZ tower, which is at the legendary "quonset hut" studios in the heart of Sandusky.
(Without checking, we believe the WGGN site holds the analog antenna for the TV 52 side of WGGN, along with the pre-transition digital antenna, and that the TV station's new post-transition digital facility is further east in an attempt to serve more of the Cleveland market. The TV facilities on the original tower will presumably be taken dark a week from Friday.)
The move would change WCPZ/102.7's facilities from 134 feet above average terrain/50 kW to 659 feet (!!)/18 kW, a move that would expand the signal somewhat to the south...providing much better coverage of places like Fremont and Norwalk and the U.S. 20 corridor, and even as far south as nearly Ashland.
And for WCPZ's current owner, BAS Broadcasting, that makes a lot of sense. BAS owns stations like WFRO/99.1 "Eagle 99.1" Fremont, and the facility change makes WCPZ more powerful in the area that BAS calls "The Quint Counties" in its marketing material. The station's expanded signal would continue to cover the area along Lake Erie pretty much as it does now, and would continue to afford protection to Mount Clemens MI's WHTD via a directional notch.
One could presume that the 102.7 move south wasn't pursued by previous owner Clear Channel for a variety of reasons - not the least of which is potential overlap with the company's Toledo cluster...
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
This Is Here, Cable Wise
If you were trying to figure out what was taking Time Warner Cable's Northeast Ohio system so long to add the MGM classic TV channel "This TV" (via WUAB-DT's 43.2 subchannel), you weren't alone.
But considering that we just found it, we can't blame you for missing the addition.
We stumbled upon "This TV Cleveland" almost by accident the other day.
At least in this part of the TWC NEO universe, it is now airing on digital cable channel 248.
A quick look at the lineup shows "This TV" out there on its own, without similar channel grouping. It sits between Fox Reality Channel (228) and MTV (250). Not being big fans of either of those channels, it's no wonder we missed it.
We had expected the channel to be added in the 370s, near the WKYC/3 and WOIO/19-programmed local weather subchannels.
And the programming guide for our trusty TiVo has not yet reflected the addition of "This TV".
Anyway, we're pretty sure that the TWC standard definition digital lineup is uniform across the entire Northeast Ohio platform, so we'll assume the "This TV" addition is systemwide...
But considering that we just found it, we can't blame you for missing the addition.
We stumbled upon "This TV Cleveland" almost by accident the other day.
At least in this part of the TWC NEO universe, it is now airing on digital cable channel 248.
A quick look at the lineup shows "This TV" out there on its own, without similar channel grouping. It sits between Fox Reality Channel (228) and MTV (250). Not being big fans of either of those channels, it's no wonder we missed it.
We had expected the channel to be added in the 370s, near the WKYC/3 and WOIO/19-programmed local weather subchannels.
And the programming guide for our trusty TiVo has not yet reflected the addition of "This TV".
Anyway, we're pretty sure that the TWC standard definition digital lineup is uniform across the entire Northeast Ohio platform, so we'll assume the "This TV" addition is systemwide...
Uncovering Items
It's a very, very busy list today...so, let's get at it...
LAST ONE STANDING: We'll have a one-week-out update on our Ohio Digital TV blog later this week.
For now, just one note...we have confirmation that at least one Cleveland market TV station will be waiting until the very last minute, literally, to shut off its analog signal.
Western Reserve PBS station manager and OMW reader Bill O'Neil checks in to let us know that the PBS station's Akron outlet, WEAO/49, will retire the analog 49 transmitter at 11:59 PM on June 12th.
OMW already reported that at least the four major commercial network affiliates in the Cleveland market - WKYC/3, WEWS/5, WJW/8 and WOIO/19 (along with sister WUAB/43) - are planning to end analog transmissions at 10 AM that day.
We've also heard, but not confirmed, that Univision O&O WQHS/61 will shut off the analog side of their facility at 11 PM that evening.
Back to WEAO, where there won't be much to do other than shut off analog 49 just before midnight the night of June 12th/morning of June 13th. The station continues digitally, post-transition, with its existing facility on RF channel 50, and no other changes will need to be made.
And of course, Western Reserve PBS' other outlet, Youngstown-market WNEO/45 Alliance, has been operating in digital-only mode since last November...
COMMUNITY SERVICE: As it continues to move to syndicated music programming in its "Premium Choice" generic voicetracking initiative, radio giant Clear Channel is taking great pains to note that it's upgrading community and public service commitments at its stations.
That effort has a face and a name now in Cleveland, as cluster veteran host Daune Robinson picks up the extra title of Public Service Coordinator for all the stations running out of Oak Tree - talk WTAM/1100, top 40 WAKS/96.5, country WGAR/99.5, rock WMMS/1007, classic hits WMJI/105.7, and hot AC WMVX/106.5.
(There's nothing like getting even MORE work on your plate, added to your current routine voicetracking hours and hours of work for a number of stations...including the 7-hour time slot Robinson occupies in afternoon drive and early evenings on WMVX!)
Daune (don't call her "Duane"!) will be responsible, says Clear Channel, for new public affairs programming initiatives, and "12 daily public service announcements" under Clear Channel's new effort.
Daune is a talented broadcaster, and a hard worker, no doubt.
But we'd be more impressed with Clear Channel's "new public service commitment" if they actually hired someone to handle it full-time...someone who doesn't already have a whole bunch of work on her plate...
THE FM SPORTS WATCH MOVES ON: And this time, it's in Ohio.
The Lima News reports that Maverick Media has moved its ESPN Radio-fueled sports format from AM 940 to the FM dial in Lima, apparently starting yesterday:
-----
The new station, called 93.1 The Fan, station will have some additions to its lineup. (Vince) Koza will host his own daily talk show from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays and will continue with his current "Sportstalk with Koza" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Matt Childers and Matt Metzger will host "The Saturday Morning Sportsrap" from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturdays. They will also broadcast Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers and Indians games as well as Notre Dame football.
-----
93.1's current "Froggy" country format has hopped over a lilly pad or two to a new home 92.1. The country format website reflects the change already, with a slightly new name "New Country 92.1 The Frog", and the calls at 92.1 Wapokaneta are now WFGF. The "Star" AC format on 92.1 is apparently the Odd Format Out.
940 AM transitions to an oldies format under its former calls, WCIT, with a new morning show hosted by Lima market veteran Phil Austin, and 940's existing 3-5 PM talk show with Ron Williams will stay on the frequency after the format change.
We're wondering how much of this was influenced by Dispatch/RadiOhio planting the WBNS/1460 sports format in Columbus onto WBNS-FM/97.1, which, of course, is now known as "97.1 The Fan"...
CELEBRITY CHEF TV: Time Warner Cable's "Northeast Ohio Network" (NEON) local programming channel is adding a taste of new programming to its lineup.
TWC says "Dinner and Drinks" is being added on NEON weekdays at 9 PM, with the first new episode scheduled for June 8. Quoting a release:
-----
Hosted by local celebrity cooks Jenn Thomas and Stefanie Paganini, “Dinner and Drinks” is a 30-minute cooking show that takes viewers from the local market to the kitchen, and finally, to the dinner table, all done with the idea of making a good, simple meal from start to finish.
-----
With absolutely no insult intended towards Ms. Thomas or Ms. Paganini, we've never heard of them. That's not their fault...we couldn't find The Food Network on our TWC lineup with help and a roadmap.
So, here's a brief snippet about what makes the local women "celebrity chefs":
-----
Thomas, winner of Rachael Ray’s 2007 “So You Think You Can Cook” TV contest, has appeared numerous times on “The Rachael Ray Show” and “Good Morning America.” Her recipes were published in “The Rachael Ray Everyday Magazine” and she’s been featured in “People Magazine.”
Paganini, an instructor at the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute (ICASI), has appeared on Cleveland TV shows like Studio 3, Cooking with Hollie Strano, Channel 3 Noon News, Fox 8 News in the Morning and is a regular guest on WKYC’s Good Company. She has a weekly radio segment called “Paganini’s Pantry” every Friday on WDOK’s morning show. She is an avid world traveler who is fluent in Italian.
-----
The show will also air Sundays at noon, and be available via TWC's "Local On Demand" portal (channel 1 or 501).
Now, if you'll forgive us...posting this item made us hungry, so we have to get a late lunch...
LAST ONE STANDING: We'll have a one-week-out update on our Ohio Digital TV blog later this week.
For now, just one note...we have confirmation that at least one Cleveland market TV station will be waiting until the very last minute, literally, to shut off its analog signal.
Western Reserve PBS station manager and OMW reader Bill O'Neil checks in to let us know that the PBS station's Akron outlet, WEAO/49, will retire the analog 49 transmitter at 11:59 PM on June 12th.
OMW already reported that at least the four major commercial network affiliates in the Cleveland market - WKYC/3, WEWS/5, WJW/8 and WOIO/19 (along with sister WUAB/43) - are planning to end analog transmissions at 10 AM that day.
We've also heard, but not confirmed, that Univision O&O WQHS/61 will shut off the analog side of their facility at 11 PM that evening.
Back to WEAO, where there won't be much to do other than shut off analog 49 just before midnight the night of June 12th/morning of June 13th. The station continues digitally, post-transition, with its existing facility on RF channel 50, and no other changes will need to be made.
And of course, Western Reserve PBS' other outlet, Youngstown-market WNEO/45 Alliance, has been operating in digital-only mode since last November...
COMMUNITY SERVICE: As it continues to move to syndicated music programming in its "Premium Choice" generic voicetracking initiative, radio giant Clear Channel is taking great pains to note that it's upgrading community and public service commitments at its stations.
That effort has a face and a name now in Cleveland, as cluster veteran host Daune Robinson picks up the extra title of Public Service Coordinator for all the stations running out of Oak Tree - talk WTAM/1100, top 40 WAKS/96.5, country WGAR/99.5, rock WMMS/1007, classic hits WMJI/105.7, and hot AC WMVX/106.5.
(There's nothing like getting even MORE work on your plate, added to your current routine voicetracking hours and hours of work for a number of stations...including the 7-hour time slot Robinson occupies in afternoon drive and early evenings on WMVX!)
Daune (don't call her "Duane"!) will be responsible, says Clear Channel, for new public affairs programming initiatives, and "12 daily public service announcements" under Clear Channel's new effort.
Daune is a talented broadcaster, and a hard worker, no doubt.
But we'd be more impressed with Clear Channel's "new public service commitment" if they actually hired someone to handle it full-time...someone who doesn't already have a whole bunch of work on her plate...
THE FM SPORTS WATCH MOVES ON: And this time, it's in Ohio.
The Lima News reports that Maverick Media has moved its ESPN Radio-fueled sports format from AM 940 to the FM dial in Lima, apparently starting yesterday:
-----
The new station, called 93.1 The Fan, station will have some additions to its lineup. (Vince) Koza will host his own daily talk show from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays and will continue with his current "Sportstalk with Koza" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Matt Childers and Matt Metzger will host "The Saturday Morning Sportsrap" from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturdays. They will also broadcast Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers and Indians games as well as Notre Dame football.
-----
93.1's current "Froggy" country format has hopped over a lilly pad or two to a new home 92.1. The country format website reflects the change already, with a slightly new name "New Country 92.1 The Frog", and the calls at 92.1 Wapokaneta are now WFGF. The "Star" AC format on 92.1 is apparently the Odd Format Out.
940 AM transitions to an oldies format under its former calls, WCIT, with a new morning show hosted by Lima market veteran Phil Austin, and 940's existing 3-5 PM talk show with Ron Williams will stay on the frequency after the format change.
We're wondering how much of this was influenced by Dispatch/RadiOhio planting the WBNS/1460 sports format in Columbus onto WBNS-FM/97.1, which, of course, is now known as "97.1 The Fan"...
CELEBRITY CHEF TV: Time Warner Cable's "Northeast Ohio Network" (NEON) local programming channel is adding a taste of new programming to its lineup.
TWC says "Dinner and Drinks" is being added on NEON weekdays at 9 PM, with the first new episode scheduled for June 8. Quoting a release:
-----
Hosted by local celebrity cooks Jenn Thomas and Stefanie Paganini, “Dinner and Drinks” is a 30-minute cooking show that takes viewers from the local market to the kitchen, and finally, to the dinner table, all done with the idea of making a good, simple meal from start to finish.
-----
With absolutely no insult intended towards Ms. Thomas or Ms. Paganini, we've never heard of them. That's not their fault...we couldn't find The Food Network on our TWC lineup with help and a roadmap.
So, here's a brief snippet about what makes the local women "celebrity chefs":
-----
Thomas, winner of Rachael Ray’s 2007 “So You Think You Can Cook” TV contest, has appeared numerous times on “The Rachael Ray Show” and “Good Morning America.” Her recipes were published in “The Rachael Ray Everyday Magazine” and she’s been featured in “People Magazine.”
Paganini, an instructor at the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute (ICASI), has appeared on Cleveland TV shows like Studio 3, Cooking with Hollie Strano, Channel 3 Noon News, Fox 8 News in the Morning and is a regular guest on WKYC’s Good Company. She has a weekly radio segment called “Paganini’s Pantry” every Friday on WDOK’s morning show. She is an avid world traveler who is fluent in Italian.
-----
The show will also air Sundays at noon, and be available via TWC's "Local On Demand" portal (channel 1 or 501).
Now, if you'll forgive us...posting this item made us hungry, so we have to get a late lunch...
Monday, June 01, 2009
Really, Really Assorted Stuff
Our Monday return is full of followups, assorted items and stuff we haven't gotten to, yet...
"THE CAT" FLIPS TO RTN...ER...RTV: As reported earlier and expected, Media-Com LPTV duo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland did indeed go back...into its TV future.
The station is now running programming from the Retro Television Network, the same classic TV shows that are now also being run down I-77 at Canton-based Image Video LPTV combo WIVM-LP 52 Canton/WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown(/Dover/New Philadelphia)/WIVX-LP 65 Loudonville.
The snowy picture - featuring Telly Savalas as "Kojak" - comes from a modest antenna pickup of the 35 part of the 29/35 combo here at the OMW World Headquarters. (Terrain and location favor 35 for us, vs. 29.) It's actually one of the better pickups we've had of either station here, and the audio was fine.
We're forced to bring out the antenna for a reason...29/35 have no cable carriage in the Cleveland-based former Adelphia system now run by Time Warner Cable...though the station does get carriage on TWC analog channel 14 in Akron, and elsewhere (TWC systems in Macedonia and Kent, Cox systems in suburban Cleveland, and Wadsworth's city-run cable system).
And judging by the legal ID shown above, it appears Media-Com has abandoned "The CAT" branding for its two simulcasting LPTV stations...which are now known as "Retro TV / Channels 35 and 29".
It's just as well. "The CAT" ("Cleveland-Akron Television Network") branding never really caught on...and "Retro TV" is likely to be a much better name.
The local logo shows the newer "RTV" logo the network is starting to use now... note, we say "starting" because even the network feed still shows the old "RTN" logo going into and out of its own commercial breaks.
OMW reader and WNIR fan "Wayne in Akron" reports that this morning on the WNIR morning drive show, Akron Media Icon Steve French said his "Sportstalk" show will continue on 29/35, and will return tonight at 6 PM on the new "Retro TV".
Whew...we were worried we'd lose the ability to watch you on TV through heavy snow, Steve...
WHILE WE'RE AT BROADCAST PARK: The Media-Com folks are dominating our news lately, becuase of all the changes happening across the street from the Wal-Mart between Kent and Ravenna....and another change is likely to take place a week from today.
For now, the company's Akron market daytime rimshot AM station, WJMP/1520 Kent, is still "Fox Sports Radio 1520", running the sports network it's about to lose to crosstown Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 "SportsRadio 1350" on June 8th.
We particularly chuckle at WJMP still running those liners from FSR personalities in its automation: "Fox Sports Radio has a NEW home in Akron". Well, it will, after the network moves to WARF next week... but the liners date back to 1520's change from Air America Radio programming.
Anyway, while the wait for the one-lung station's move to syndicated conservative talk continues, we thought we'd share WJMP's new weekend talk schedule in detail.
SATURDAY
=========
7-11 AM: The new "TalkRadio WJMP 1520" will open with repeats of its afternoon drive host, United Stations' Lou Dobbs...airing highlights from previous weeks' shows by the man better known for his hosting work on CNN.
11 AM-12 Noon: WJMP will air "The Motor Trend Show", which is actually distributed by the folks at Talk Radio Network...provider of most of 1520's new weekday lineup.
12 Noon-2 PM: The WOR Radio Network part of the WJMP weekend schedule kicks in, with "Health Talk" with Dr. Ronald Hoffman.
2-4 PM: "The Car Doctor" show with Ron Ananian, another WOR Radio Network offering.
4-7 PM: The previously listed "Bob Brinker's Moneytalk", syndicated by Citadel...which WJMP sister WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" aired many years ago (when Citadel was still ABC Radio).
SUNDAY:
=======
8-10 AM: Aside from Mr. Brinker, the Sunday WJMP schedule is all WOR Radio Network offerings...starting off with garden show host Ralph Snodsmith.
10 AM-12 Noon: "Culinary Wizard" Michael Colameco brings in food talk from the WOR Radio Network schedule.
12 Noon-2 PM: Travel expert Arthur Frommer and his wife, also out of WOR.
2-4 PM: Pet talk with WOR's Warren Eckstein.
4-7 PM: As listed above, Citadel veteran financial host Bob Brinker and his "Moneytalk" show.
We haven't checked to make it official, but we believe all of the WJMP weekend shows will be live off the satellite, save for the Lou Dobbs repeats on Saturday morning.
And, of course, the new talk radio incarnation of 1520 will not carry any local programming. That's handled quite ably by the one Media-Com station that people actually can hear without straining through static, "The Talk of Akron", WNIR.
Not that we needed verification of this story, but WJMP is already showing up on affiliate lists for its coming morning drive show, "Mancow" (where WJMP is the only Ohio affiliate listed), and for mid-morning TRN host Laura Ingraham...
AND A CLEVELAND RADIO ASSIST: One of our readers points out this article on the Plain Dealer's Cleveland.com...where an electric lineman recently helped police end an Amber Alert peacefully in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake.
You probably saw it on the TV news a few days ago...but it's this detail our reader points out from the PD article that catches our interest:
Doug Haldi said he was slightly annoyed when his favorite Steppenwolf song was interrupted on the radio Friday morning by an Amber Alert about abduction from Elyria.
Then, he pulled into the BP Gas Station at Detroit and Bradley roads for his morning coffee and saw a 2007 Ford Fusion that fit the description of the vehicle described in the alert.
"I was trying to remember the license plate when the disc jockey repeated it," he said. "That was the exact plate."
As our reader points out, Haldi was probably listening to CBS Radio Cleveland classic rock WNCX/98.5, which we presume would be the most likely area station to play Steppenwolf. And since Cleveland-area Amber Alerts don't interrupt satellite radio classic rock channels, the whole situation doesn't happen if Haldi were listening to XM or Sirius.
The PD article says Westlake police swooped in and caught up with the suspect, who was taken into custody peacefully at another nearby gas station.
No word on if WNCX played the Steppenwolf song again...but we're guessing that's a staple of the station's playlist anyway...
"THE CAT" FLIPS TO RTN...ER...RTV: As reported earlier and expected, Media-Com LPTV duo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland did indeed go back...into its TV future.
The station is now running programming from the Retro Television Network, the same classic TV shows that are now also being run down I-77 at Canton-based Image Video LPTV combo WIVM-LP 52 Canton/WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown(/Dover/New Philadelphia)/WIVX-LP 65 Loudonville.The snowy picture - featuring Telly Savalas as "Kojak" - comes from a modest antenna pickup of the 35 part of the 29/35 combo here at the OMW World Headquarters. (Terrain and location favor 35 for us, vs. 29.) It's actually one of the better pickups we've had of either station here, and the audio was fine.
We're forced to bring out the antenna for a reason...29/35 have no cable carriage in the Cleveland-based former Adelphia system now run by Time Warner Cable...though the station does get carriage on TWC analog channel 14 in Akron, and elsewhere (TWC systems in Macedonia and Kent, Cox systems in suburban Cleveland, and Wadsworth's city-run cable system).
And judging by the legal ID shown above, it appears Media-Com has abandoned "The CAT" branding for its two simulcasting LPTV stations...which are now known as "Retro TV / Channels 35 and 29".
It's just as well. "The CAT" ("Cleveland-Akron Television Network") branding never really caught on...and "Retro TV" is likely to be a much better name.
The local logo shows the newer "RTV" logo the network is starting to use now... note, we say "starting" because even the network feed still shows the old "RTN" logo going into and out of its own commercial breaks.
OMW reader and WNIR fan "Wayne in Akron" reports that this morning on the WNIR morning drive show, Akron Media Icon Steve French said his "Sportstalk" show will continue on 29/35, and will return tonight at 6 PM on the new "Retro TV".
Whew...we were worried we'd lose the ability to watch you on TV through heavy snow, Steve...
WHILE WE'RE AT BROADCAST PARK: The Media-Com folks are dominating our news lately, becuase of all the changes happening across the street from the Wal-Mart between Kent and Ravenna....and another change is likely to take place a week from today.
For now, the company's Akron market daytime rimshot AM station, WJMP/1520 Kent, is still "Fox Sports Radio 1520", running the sports network it's about to lose to crosstown Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 "SportsRadio 1350" on June 8th.
We particularly chuckle at WJMP still running those liners from FSR personalities in its automation: "Fox Sports Radio has a NEW home in Akron". Well, it will, after the network moves to WARF next week... but the liners date back to 1520's change from Air America Radio programming.
Anyway, while the wait for the one-lung station's move to syndicated conservative talk continues, we thought we'd share WJMP's new weekend talk schedule in detail.
SATURDAY
=========
7-11 AM: The new "TalkRadio WJMP 1520" will open with repeats of its afternoon drive host, United Stations' Lou Dobbs...airing highlights from previous weeks' shows by the man better known for his hosting work on CNN.
11 AM-12 Noon: WJMP will air "The Motor Trend Show", which is actually distributed by the folks at Talk Radio Network...provider of most of 1520's new weekday lineup.
12 Noon-2 PM: The WOR Radio Network part of the WJMP weekend schedule kicks in, with "Health Talk" with Dr. Ronald Hoffman.
2-4 PM: "The Car Doctor" show with Ron Ananian, another WOR Radio Network offering.
4-7 PM: The previously listed "Bob Brinker's Moneytalk", syndicated by Citadel...which WJMP sister WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" aired many years ago (when Citadel was still ABC Radio).
SUNDAY:
=======
8-10 AM: Aside from Mr. Brinker, the Sunday WJMP schedule is all WOR Radio Network offerings...starting off with garden show host Ralph Snodsmith.
10 AM-12 Noon: "Culinary Wizard" Michael Colameco brings in food talk from the WOR Radio Network schedule.
12 Noon-2 PM: Travel expert Arthur Frommer and his wife, also out of WOR.
2-4 PM: Pet talk with WOR's Warren Eckstein.
4-7 PM: As listed above, Citadel veteran financial host Bob Brinker and his "Moneytalk" show.
We haven't checked to make it official, but we believe all of the WJMP weekend shows will be live off the satellite, save for the Lou Dobbs repeats on Saturday morning.
And, of course, the new talk radio incarnation of 1520 will not carry any local programming. That's handled quite ably by the one Media-Com station that people actually can hear without straining through static, "The Talk of Akron", WNIR.
Not that we needed verification of this story, but WJMP is already showing up on affiliate lists for its coming morning drive show, "Mancow" (where WJMP is the only Ohio affiliate listed), and for mid-morning TRN host Laura Ingraham...
AND A CLEVELAND RADIO ASSIST: One of our readers points out this article on the Plain Dealer's Cleveland.com...where an electric lineman recently helped police end an Amber Alert peacefully in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake.
You probably saw it on the TV news a few days ago...but it's this detail our reader points out from the PD article that catches our interest:
Doug Haldi said he was slightly annoyed when his favorite Steppenwolf song was interrupted on the radio Friday morning by an Amber Alert about abduction from Elyria.
Then, he pulled into the BP Gas Station at Detroit and Bradley roads for his morning coffee and saw a 2007 Ford Fusion that fit the description of the vehicle described in the alert.
"I was trying to remember the license plate when the disc jockey repeated it," he said. "That was the exact plate."
As our reader points out, Haldi was probably listening to CBS Radio Cleveland classic rock WNCX/98.5, which we presume would be the most likely area station to play Steppenwolf. And since Cleveland-area Amber Alerts don't interrupt satellite radio classic rock channels, the whole situation doesn't happen if Haldi were listening to XM or Sirius.
The PD article says Westlake police swooped in and caught up with the suspect, who was taken into custody peacefully at another nearby gas station.
No word on if WNCX played the Steppenwolf song again...but we're guessing that's a staple of the station's playlist anyway...
Friday, May 29, 2009
RTN's Second Cleveland Market Affiliate
NORTH CANTON, OHIO --Well, technically, Image Video LPTV combo WIVM-LP 52 Canton/WIVN-LP 29 Newcomerstown/Dover/New Philadelphia and WIVX-LP 65/Loudonville is actually the first Retro Television Network affiliate in Northeast Ohio.
While waiting for the announced June 1st flip of Media-Com LPTV combo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX 35 Cleveland to RTN programming, OMW got word that the WIVM/WIVN/WIVX folks beat "The Cat" to the RTN switch.
The Canton-based stations launched the new RTN (RTV?) programming Friday afternoon at 1:30, and a drive down I-77 South with our Remote Viewing Equipped OMW Mobile confirmed the switch.
We're not sure how the move affects local programming on either "The CAT" or WIVM et al.
Earlier Friday, we saw the new RTN feed on WIVM and company relaying RTN's showing of "The Incredible Hulk", though the TitanTV schedule for WIVM had "The Royle Touch" (a locally produced painting show).
But just this 8 PM hour, WIVM cut from the RTN schedule to air the long-running local religious program "Plus or Minus 60" with Canton religious TV veteran Denny Hazen and his wife Marge.
We get the idea that there is a good deal of local flexibility built into the RTN schedule.
But we don't know if WIVM will continue to do a TV simulcast of talk WHBC/1480's morning drive show hosted by Fred Chenevey and Pam Cook. And we don't know if "The CAT", when the Kent-based LPTVers take RTN next week, will continue to air various local call-in shows in the early evening hours.
Yes, we mean you, Steve French, whenever you come back from your vacation... well deserved, we're sure, for being a prime factor in the number one ratings of that WNIR morning show with Stan What's-His-Name-The-Dirty-Joke-Guy, Jim The-Guy-Who's-Not-Steve and Maggie Who's-She-How-Did-A-Woman-Get-In-Here.
:D
(We kid...we kid...)
At least from the WIVM side of this, we expect more answers coming soon...which we'll post here in our next update on the topic...
While waiting for the announced June 1st flip of Media-Com LPTV combo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX 35 Cleveland to RTN programming, OMW got word that the WIVM/WIVN/WIVX folks beat "The Cat" to the RTN switch.
The Canton-based stations launched the new RTN (RTV?) programming Friday afternoon at 1:30, and a drive down I-77 South with our Remote Viewing Equipped OMW Mobile confirmed the switch.
We're not sure how the move affects local programming on either "The CAT" or WIVM et al.
Earlier Friday, we saw the new RTN feed on WIVM and company relaying RTN's showing of "The Incredible Hulk", though the TitanTV schedule for WIVM had "The Royle Touch" (a locally produced painting show).
But just this 8 PM hour, WIVM cut from the RTN schedule to air the long-running local religious program "Plus or Minus 60" with Canton religious TV veteran Denny Hazen and his wife Marge.
We get the idea that there is a good deal of local flexibility built into the RTN schedule.
But we don't know if WIVM will continue to do a TV simulcast of talk WHBC/1480's morning drive show hosted by Fred Chenevey and Pam Cook. And we don't know if "The CAT", when the Kent-based LPTVers take RTN next week, will continue to air various local call-in shows in the early evening hours.
Yes, we mean you, Steve French, whenever you come back from your vacation... well deserved, we're sure, for being a prime factor in the number one ratings of that WNIR morning show with Stan What's-His-Name-The-Dirty-Joke-Guy, Jim The-Guy-Who's-Not-Steve and Maggie Who's-She-How-Did-A-Woman-Get-In-Here.
:D
(We kid...we kid...)
At least from the WIVM side of this, we expect more answers coming soon...which we'll post here in our next update on the topic...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
ODTV: It's About The Timing
Here we are, just two weeks and one day away from the now-set-in-stone (we presume) digital TV transition date of June 12th.
And as we get closer, the timing gets clearer.
Read our full item, with significant updates about the digital transition in the Cleveland market, on our Ohio Digital TV blog...
And as we get closer, the timing gets clearer.
Read our full item, with significant updates about the digital transition in the Cleveland market, on our Ohio Digital TV blog...
A TV Thursday
We're in catch up mode again...
MORE ON "THE CAT" AND RTN: Or, is it "RTV"?
As noted below, The Retro Television Network, that treasure-trove of classic TV shows ("Magnum P.I", "The Incredible Hulk", The Rockford Files", etc.), will air in the Cleveland market starting Monday, June 1st on Media-Com LPTV combo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland...known on air as "The CAT".
(For those who have forgotten, that stands for "The Cleveland-Akron Television Network".)
As it turns out, the Plain Dealer's Julie Washington had this announcement last week, as did the Beacon Journal's Rich Heldenfels. (We can't find Rich's "Heldenfiles" column which carried the announcement online, but we're told it appeared in the Dead Trees edition of the Beacon Journal last Saturday.)
The station is a sister to Media-Com's better known radio properties...talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" and sports-to-become-talk WJMP/1520 Kent/(Add Your Own Cities Here). OK, one better known property, as WJMP's listener base could probably fit into our living room.
Retro Television Network itself has gone through a few changes, including ownership - former now-bankrupt owner Equity Media Holdings ended up flipping it to a former company executive, who had to scramble when Equity dropped satellite distribution of RTN late last year.
The disruption didn't last long, and even new RTN affiliates like Cox NBC affiliate WTOV-DT 9.2 Steubenville were able to pick up with the network not long after.
Now, back to "The CAT".
Channels 29 and 35 have been running various LPTV-oriented networks like America One and the Urban America Television Network, with a smattering of low-budget local programming mixed in.
Among the list of shows, a Monday night sports talk show hosted by Akron Radio Icon, Broadcast Superstar, Future Hall of Famer and OMW reader Steve French, known in real life as morning co-host on WNIR's morning drive fun-fest with Stan Piatt, Jim Midock and Maggie Fuller.
We're pretty sure that he hasn't driven "Sportstalk with Steve French" to number one in the ratings, but that's obviously not his fault.
Even if 29/35 featured programming giving live gold bars away on the air, "The CAT" simulcast never be number one, and may not even show up in the ratings.
If you're lucky, you might get a decent watchable over-air signal out of 29 if you're near its Brimfield transmitter site in Portage County (co-located with WNIR), or out of 35 if you're near its antenna in the Parma antenna farm.
The signal reach for the stations are roughly equivalent to WJMP for 29, and to WVIZ-DT's temporary digital facility for 35. (Only the 10 kW WVIZ-DT signal is at least not snowy where it is received. Oh, and more on that later on ODTV.)
Here at the OMW World Headquarters near the "BatCave" somewhere in the former Adelphia Cleveland service area, our small antennas get a snowy, semi-viewable but listenable signal out of 35, and a slightly worse signal out of 29.
So, it's no surprise that probably the bulk of whatever viewership "The CAT" gets is via cable, where it is a long-time occupant of Time Warner Cable channel 14 in Akron, along with carriage in Macedonia (and we believe Kent) on TWC channel 29, and Cox Cleveland's digital channel 132, along with carriage on Wadsworth Cable channel 21.
We got that list from the "RTV Affiliates" map on the Retro TV website, where we noticed (along with many of our readers) that the network is now using the name "RTV" instead of "RTN".
Here at the OMW World Headquarters, the TWC system that was formerly the Adelphia Cuyahoga Valley system never picked up the 29/35 feed.
We're wondering - is this potentially more popular, and higher profile, programming enough to get "The CAT" clearance on TWC's Cleveland-based system? We'll assume that even a digital cable carriage would be preferable to the station, and its viewers, compared to no cable carriage at all.
And though "The CAT" does not have, and will likely never have, over-air digital coverage...a good place for it on the TWC Cleveland lineup would probably be next to WUAB-DT 43.2's "This TV", which at some point is scheduled for placement in the Time Warner Cable digital lineup...
TWC HDTV UPDATE: More and more of our readers have checked in confirming the addition of the latest wave of HDTV channels in Northeast Ohio's Time Warner system - including the addition of The Smithsonian Channel and Mav TV for HD Tier subscribers.
We're also hearing that apparently, Universal HD has migrated into that extra-cost tier...which will lose HDNet and HDNet Movies on the 31st due to Time Warner dumping those channels nationally. And despite the name similar to the name of his NBA Dallas Mavericks, "Mav TV" apparently has no connection to HDNet/HDNet Movies owner Mark Cuban.
At least one OMW reader in Brecksville tells us that they've gotten the new HD Tier duo of Smithsonian and Mav TV, but have not received the other channels that launched on May 26th...
MORE ON "THE CAT" AND RTN: Or, is it "RTV"?
As noted below, The Retro Television Network, that treasure-trove of classic TV shows ("Magnum P.I", "The Incredible Hulk", The Rockford Files", etc.), will air in the Cleveland market starting Monday, June 1st on Media-Com LPTV combo WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland...known on air as "The CAT".
(For those who have forgotten, that stands for "The Cleveland-Akron Television Network".)
As it turns out, the Plain Dealer's Julie Washington had this announcement last week, as did the Beacon Journal's Rich Heldenfels. (We can't find Rich's "Heldenfiles" column which carried the announcement online, but we're told it appeared in the Dead Trees edition of the Beacon Journal last Saturday.)
The station is a sister to Media-Com's better known radio properties...talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" and sports-to-become-talk WJMP/1520 Kent/(Add Your Own Cities Here). OK, one better known property, as WJMP's listener base could probably fit into our living room.
Retro Television Network itself has gone through a few changes, including ownership - former now-bankrupt owner Equity Media Holdings ended up flipping it to a former company executive, who had to scramble when Equity dropped satellite distribution of RTN late last year.
The disruption didn't last long, and even new RTN affiliates like Cox NBC affiliate WTOV-DT 9.2 Steubenville were able to pick up with the network not long after.
Now, back to "The CAT".
Channels 29 and 35 have been running various LPTV-oriented networks like America One and the Urban America Television Network, with a smattering of low-budget local programming mixed in.
Among the list of shows, a Monday night sports talk show hosted by Akron Radio Icon, Broadcast Superstar, Future Hall of Famer and OMW reader Steve French, known in real life as morning co-host on WNIR's morning drive fun-fest with Stan Piatt, Jim Midock and Maggie Fuller.
We're pretty sure that he hasn't driven "Sportstalk with Steve French" to number one in the ratings, but that's obviously not his fault.
Even if 29/35 featured programming giving live gold bars away on the air, "The CAT" simulcast never be number one, and may not even show up in the ratings.
If you're lucky, you might get a decent watchable over-air signal out of 29 if you're near its Brimfield transmitter site in Portage County (co-located with WNIR), or out of 35 if you're near its antenna in the Parma antenna farm.
The signal reach for the stations are roughly equivalent to WJMP for 29, and to WVIZ-DT's temporary digital facility for 35. (Only the 10 kW WVIZ-DT signal is at least not snowy where it is received. Oh, and more on that later on ODTV.)
Here at the OMW World Headquarters near the "BatCave" somewhere in the former Adelphia Cleveland service area, our small antennas get a snowy, semi-viewable but listenable signal out of 35, and a slightly worse signal out of 29.
So, it's no surprise that probably the bulk of whatever viewership "The CAT" gets is via cable, where it is a long-time occupant of Time Warner Cable channel 14 in Akron, along with carriage in Macedonia (and we believe Kent) on TWC channel 29, and Cox Cleveland's digital channel 132, along with carriage on Wadsworth Cable channel 21.
We got that list from the "RTV Affiliates" map on the Retro TV website, where we noticed (along with many of our readers) that the network is now using the name "RTV" instead of "RTN".
Here at the OMW World Headquarters, the TWC system that was formerly the Adelphia Cuyahoga Valley system never picked up the 29/35 feed.
We're wondering - is this potentially more popular, and higher profile, programming enough to get "The CAT" clearance on TWC's Cleveland-based system? We'll assume that even a digital cable carriage would be preferable to the station, and its viewers, compared to no cable carriage at all.
And though "The CAT" does not have, and will likely never have, over-air digital coverage...a good place for it on the TWC Cleveland lineup would probably be next to WUAB-DT 43.2's "This TV", which at some point is scheduled for placement in the Time Warner Cable digital lineup...
TWC HDTV UPDATE: More and more of our readers have checked in confirming the addition of the latest wave of HDTV channels in Northeast Ohio's Time Warner system - including the addition of The Smithsonian Channel and Mav TV for HD Tier subscribers.
We're also hearing that apparently, Universal HD has migrated into that extra-cost tier...which will lose HDNet and HDNet Movies on the 31st due to Time Warner dumping those channels nationally. And despite the name similar to the name of his NBA Dallas Mavericks, "Mav TV" apparently has no connection to HDNet/HDNet Movies owner Mark Cuban.
At least one OMW reader in Brecksville tells us that they've gotten the new HD Tier duo of Smithsonian and Mav TV, but have not received the other channels that launched on May 26th...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
RTN To "The CAT"
Yes, we have heard that Retro Television Network has found a home in the Cleveland market...well, something of a home on Media-Com LPTV combo WAOH-LP 29/W35AX Cleveland "The CAT".
The station is, we believe, set to take the RTN programming June 1st.
We will have more details later tonight or tomorrow morning...and many comments...
WJMP Taking Off The Cleats
As it turns out, OMW hears that Media-Com Akron market sports daytimer WJMP/1520 Kent/Ravenna/Streetsboro/Parts-of-Stow/Akron-on-a-good day "Fox Sports Radio 1520" won't be changing sports radio network teams when Fox Sports Radio moves to Clear Channel sports WARF/1350 Akron "SportsRadio 1350" on June 8.
It'll be changing format leagues, as it were.
We've learned that instead of picking up the Sporting News Radio affiliation WARF is leaving behind, the "little brother" station of Media-Com's WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" will mimic its much bigger sibling and move to talk radio....but unlike WNIR, it will depend on a lineup of syndicated talk programming.
The WJMP schedule appears set, and the bulk of it will be provided by the Talk Radio Network folks:
6-9 AM: Mancow. Chicago-based Erich "Mancow" Muller has a dual radio life, and WJMP will be picking up his Talk Radio Network-syndicated morning show.
We haven't heard his morning show, syndicated through TRN's "FM" division, but we get the idea that his act in general is more reliably conservative/political vs. his "shock jock" days. Mancow has been a regular contributor to cable TV's Fox News Channel, though we don't know if he still appears there.
Mancow also hosts a local midday show on Chicago's WLS/890...and it was on that show that the host recently underwent a highly-publicized "waterboarding" simulation.
9 AM-Noon: Laura Ingraham. Another TRN product, who used to air locally on Salem talk WHK/1420 Cleveland and Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron. Salem and WHK dropped Ingraham in a contract dispute, replacing her on all of its stations with in-house product Mike Gallagher. (Who, oddly enough, runs late nights on WNIR!)
Noon-3 PM: Michael Savage (delayed from previous night). The third TRN host in a row, who also once aired on WHK and WHLO, but who was bounced from both stations - WHLO before, and WHK after - Savage got into hot water for autism-related remarks. As we reported here a while ago, Savage's show aired 7-9 PM live for a few days on WNIR as vacation fill-in for local evening host Tom Erickson.
3-6 PM: Lou Dobbs. The sole non-TRN host on WJMP's new weekday schedule. The CNN host casts himself as a fierce "independent". His radio show is syndicated by United Stations.
6-9 PM: Michael Savage (live). Is six hours of "The Savage Nation" too much for one listener? We'll find out in the summer. In the heart of winter, WJMP will sign off before Savage's live show starts, so listeners will hear him the following weekday in that above 12-3 PM time slot.
(For that matter, later sign-on times in the winter will take a chunk out of the morning drive "Mancow" time slot.)
Weekends: Aside from a Lou Dobbs replay Saturday from 8-11 AM, and carriage of Citadel veteran financial advice talker Bob Brinker live 4-7 PM Saturday and Sunday, the rest of the WJMP weekend lineup will come from the WOR Radio Network (shows about travel, pets, car repair, etc.).
As far as we know, the station will not have any local programming, which considering WNIR's schedule, makes sense. But the new WJMP lineup has ties to existing syndicated programming in off-hours on otherwise-locally programmed WNIR.
WNIR carries Laura Ingraham on delay weekend nights 10 AM-midnight, after local host Bob Earley's "Earley in the Evening" show.
And before local talker Tom Erickson launched his Saturday 4-7 PM show (and "The Advice Line" with Bob Lewis took that Sunday slot), WNIR used to run Bob Brinker's ABC Radio "MoneyTalk" show. Same show, same host, just an ownership and now-name change to Citadel Media.
We don't know when the format flip will be made at WJMP. We'd assume that it will happen June 8, when FSR and Premiere's Jim Rome go to "SportsRadio 1350", but we could be wrong...we thought they'd pick up Sporting News Radio, and they won't be...
It'll be changing format leagues, as it were.
We've learned that instead of picking up the Sporting News Radio affiliation WARF is leaving behind, the "little brother" station of Media-Com's WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" will mimic its much bigger sibling and move to talk radio....but unlike WNIR, it will depend on a lineup of syndicated talk programming.
The WJMP schedule appears set, and the bulk of it will be provided by the Talk Radio Network folks:
6-9 AM: Mancow. Chicago-based Erich "Mancow" Muller has a dual radio life, and WJMP will be picking up his Talk Radio Network-syndicated morning show.
We haven't heard his morning show, syndicated through TRN's "FM" division, but we get the idea that his act in general is more reliably conservative/political vs. his "shock jock" days. Mancow has been a regular contributor to cable TV's Fox News Channel, though we don't know if he still appears there.
Mancow also hosts a local midday show on Chicago's WLS/890...and it was on that show that the host recently underwent a highly-publicized "waterboarding" simulation.
9 AM-Noon: Laura Ingraham. Another TRN product, who used to air locally on Salem talk WHK/1420 Cleveland and Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron. Salem and WHK dropped Ingraham in a contract dispute, replacing her on all of its stations with in-house product Mike Gallagher. (Who, oddly enough, runs late nights on WNIR!)
Noon-3 PM: Michael Savage (delayed from previous night). The third TRN host in a row, who also once aired on WHK and WHLO, but who was bounced from both stations - WHLO before, and WHK after - Savage got into hot water for autism-related remarks. As we reported here a while ago, Savage's show aired 7-9 PM live for a few days on WNIR as vacation fill-in for local evening host Tom Erickson.
3-6 PM: Lou Dobbs. The sole non-TRN host on WJMP's new weekday schedule. The CNN host casts himself as a fierce "independent". His radio show is syndicated by United Stations.
6-9 PM: Michael Savage (live). Is six hours of "The Savage Nation" too much for one listener? We'll find out in the summer. In the heart of winter, WJMP will sign off before Savage's live show starts, so listeners will hear him the following weekday in that above 12-3 PM time slot.
(For that matter, later sign-on times in the winter will take a chunk out of the morning drive "Mancow" time slot.)
Weekends: Aside from a Lou Dobbs replay Saturday from 8-11 AM, and carriage of Citadel veteran financial advice talker Bob Brinker live 4-7 PM Saturday and Sunday, the rest of the WJMP weekend lineup will come from the WOR Radio Network (shows about travel, pets, car repair, etc.).
As far as we know, the station will not have any local programming, which considering WNIR's schedule, makes sense. But the new WJMP lineup has ties to existing syndicated programming in off-hours on otherwise-locally programmed WNIR.
WNIR carries Laura Ingraham on delay weekend nights 10 AM-midnight, after local host Bob Earley's "Earley in the Evening" show.
And before local talker Tom Erickson launched his Saturday 4-7 PM show (and "The Advice Line" with Bob Lewis took that Sunday slot), WNIR used to run Bob Brinker's ABC Radio "MoneyTalk" show. Same show, same host, just an ownership and now-name change to Citadel Media.
We don't know when the format flip will be made at WJMP. We'd assume that it will happen June 8, when FSR and Premiere's Jim Rome go to "SportsRadio 1350", but we could be wrong...we thought they'd pick up Sporting News Radio, and they won't be...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Time Warner's May HDTV Channel Wave
The latest group of new HDTV channels has arrived in most local Time Warner Cable service areas in Northeast Ohio.
OMW readers report that the HD versions of the Golf Channel. CNN, FX, Fox News Channel, and Science Channel have shown up as of earlier today. Digital Basic subscribers should also have the HD version of the National Geographic Channel.
By tomorrow, HD Tier subscribers should see the history-oriented Smithsonian Channel, and Mav TV.
To the best of our understanding, the channels are available to Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio subscribers in all areas that have already seen Switched Digital Video turned on. If that's not you, you probably also don't have the channels that had been promised for late April...which are also now available in the SDV areas.
We wish we could pinpoint all the areas with and without SDV.
Generally, the Akron/Canton/Youngstown area "legacy" TWC systems seem to have the new technology, and much of the Cleveland-based former Adelphia systems also seem to have converted, including the one which serves OMW World Headquarters next to the Bat Cave. (We are getting all the new channels, including the ones released earlier today.)
We'd say the former Adelphia/Western Reserve Cable system out of Macedonia doesn't appear to have SDV "turned on" yet, but we can't be 100% sure. Other readers in areas like Conneaut and Bainbridge also appear to be without SDV and the two most recent HD channel groups.
But OMW hears that some of that work...to open up the SDV system and let the HD channels flow...could be done by the end of this coming week.
The addition of Smithsonian Channel and Mav TV to the HD Tier comes just days before two stalwarts in that extra cost tier go away.
Multichannel News and many other sources report that HDNet and HDNet Movies, the all-HD services operated by NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, will exit Time Warner Cable lineups nationwide on May 31st.
Quoting national TWC spokeswoman Robyn Watson in the article:
"There's a limited appeal for the programming. In a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough. We are adding other channels in HD to give our customers more choice."
Cuban disputes that contention, and says his viewers shop providers just to get the two channels. ("Drop me, and they'll go to satellite"?)
But it's pretty clear that while Cuban's two channels do offer some unique programming, they were much more vital to cable providers when there were only four or five other HD channels available...and most of them not 24/7 HD operations...
OMW readers report that the HD versions of the Golf Channel. CNN, FX, Fox News Channel, and Science Channel have shown up as of earlier today. Digital Basic subscribers should also have the HD version of the National Geographic Channel.
By tomorrow, HD Tier subscribers should see the history-oriented Smithsonian Channel, and Mav TV.
To the best of our understanding, the channels are available to Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio subscribers in all areas that have already seen Switched Digital Video turned on. If that's not you, you probably also don't have the channels that had been promised for late April...which are also now available in the SDV areas.
We wish we could pinpoint all the areas with and without SDV.
Generally, the Akron/Canton/Youngstown area "legacy" TWC systems seem to have the new technology, and much of the Cleveland-based former Adelphia systems also seem to have converted, including the one which serves OMW World Headquarters next to the Bat Cave. (We are getting all the new channels, including the ones released earlier today.)
We'd say the former Adelphia/Western Reserve Cable system out of Macedonia doesn't appear to have SDV "turned on" yet, but we can't be 100% sure. Other readers in areas like Conneaut and Bainbridge also appear to be without SDV and the two most recent HD channel groups.
But OMW hears that some of that work...to open up the SDV system and let the HD channels flow...could be done by the end of this coming week.
The addition of Smithsonian Channel and Mav TV to the HD Tier comes just days before two stalwarts in that extra cost tier go away.
Multichannel News and many other sources report that HDNet and HDNet Movies, the all-HD services operated by NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, will exit Time Warner Cable lineups nationwide on May 31st.
Quoting national TWC spokeswoman Robyn Watson in the article:
"There's a limited appeal for the programming. In a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough. We are adding other channels in HD to give our customers more choice."
Cuban disputes that contention, and says his viewers shop providers just to get the two channels. ("Drop me, and they'll go to satellite"?)
But it's pretty clear that while Cuban's two channels do offer some unique programming, they were much more vital to cable providers when there were only four or five other HD channels available...and most of them not 24/7 HD operations...
Monday, May 25, 2009
Supersized Memorial Day Weekend Update
We've been accumulating a Supersized Pile of Items here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), and it's time to reduce the pile. The holiday weekend is as "good a time as any" to do so.
And on behalf of the entire editorial staff of Ohio Media Watch, we mark the holiday to honor those who served and gave their lives for us...
WHO'S #1?: Regular OMW readers know that we don't spend a lot of time in ratings land, for either TV or radio stations.
The reason is simple: We don't have the unvarnished data, and ratings can be twisted, turned, folded, spindled and mutilated to make just about any station "look good".
So, we're mostly curious observers to the latest TV ratings battle in Cleveland, the battle for ratings supremacy for 11 PM newscasts.
Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 claimed #1 status for "Channel 3 News" in three news time slots in the most recently released ratings - at 6 PM, at 7 PM and 11 PM.
Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5's "NewsChannel 5" is crowing about reaching the top of the 11 PM pile.
Huh?
From each side...first, from Channel 3, and "Director's Cut" blogger Frank Macek's item, complete with a "Thank You" video from anchor Romona Robinson:
-----
WKYC sweeps up with a nice win in HH's (households), adults 18+ and adults 25-54 - the key demos at 6 & 11 PM and #1 adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 at 7 PM - a claim no one else in town can make (even though they may try to fool you).
-----
As for the other side of this dispute, "NewsChannel 5" has posted a video promo on its website, claiming to be the "NEW number one newscast at 11 PM", and from a station press release:
-----
WEWS Channel 5 has captured several major victories during the just completed May ratings period, including finishing No. during the 11 p.m. news race. NewsChannel5 at 11 p.m. was first with women 25-54 (3.8 rating/11.3 share) and was the only late newscast to grow their audience from the previous ratings period.
-----
We assume that's a missing "1" after "No." up there. And we also assume that Channel 5 wouldn't make the "NEW number one newscast at 11 PM" claim solely based on its rating among women 25-54.
Which goes to why we don't spend a lot of time dealing with the minutae of ratings reports.
Traditionally, in "We're Both #1!" battles like this, one station picks up a slightly different set of data than the others, if it's not indeed a statistical tie. For one, one station may include its weekend news ratings in the overall claim...while another may stick with Monday through Friday ratings...
WHILE WE'RE AT 13TH AND LAKESIDE: We haven't yet shared news from last week, when WVPX/23 Akron parent ION Media Networks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
We didn't have much to say about it, because for now, it appears the ION folks will continue to operate as per usual, including picking up new entertainment programming. This is from the ION press release:
-----
The company also confirmed that it is in active discussions for the acquisition of further content for the 2009/10 television season, including both off-network syndicated content as well as opportunistic original productions, which it anticipates announcing in coming weeks.
-----
ION can apparently do so because some of its senior lenders are chipping in another $25 million in its restructuring process, to keep the network going.
We found that release quoted on Frank Macek's "Director's Cut" blog, which is significant for one reason...we found out from Frank's item that WVPX never actually left 13th and Lakeside after the former-PAX TV and WKYC-owner Gannett split ways:
-----
Although TV23's transmitter is located in Akron, all of its local operations are based at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center here in Cleveland, where it rents space.
-----
The WKYC Digital Broadcast Center also, in addition to its own operations, is the technical and studio home of regional sports network SportsTime Ohio...
AND WHILE WE'RE AT 30TH AND EUCLID: It's become an Internet Viral Video sensation, and the folks at WEWS are helping to fuel the flames.
While the station's anchors were getting ready to close out the 11 PM edition of "NewsChannel 5" on Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers were closing out Game 2 of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals series with the Orlando Magic.
The "NewsChannel 5" folks were lamenting a late shot by the Magic that looked like the end of the game for the hometown team...and then, THIS happened:
The video is from the YouTube page of ESPN, which featured the video on "SportsCenter". WEWS also offered it on NewsNet5.com and on YouTube.
With a 10 point Cavaliers loss in Game 3 against the Magic, we'll assume that "NewsChannel 5" anchors were not nearly as animated on Sunday night...
BISHOP OUT: OMW hears that D.A. Peterson standards WDPN/1310 Alliance has parted ways with veteran news director Bob Bishop.
We hear Bishop "left the building" on Thursday of last week.
We don't know at this time if his departure was budget-related, or for some other reason...
THE "SAW IS BACK: Regular OMW readers know that one of our hobbies is tracking former local sportscaster Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton.
"Hacksaw" was heard in the 1970's doing an evening sports talk show on then-Susquehanna talk WHLO/640 Akron (now owned by Clear Channel), and radio work for the World Hockey Association's Cleveland Crusaders, heard on then-WWWE/1100 "3WE" in Cleveland (now Clear Channel talk WTAM).
Now, Hamilton has picked up another gig that may land him on some local radio stations this fall.
He's been signed to do play-by-play for Compass Media Networks' new package of syndicated Sunday afternoon NFL games.
Hamilton will be joined by former NFL player Curtis Conway doing commentary. Quoting AllAccess:
HAMILTON and CONWAY will split duties calling SUNDAY afternoon NFL games with the previously announced duo of CHRIS CARRINO -- longtime voice of NEW JERSEY NETS -- and former NFL player and NFL NETWORK analyst BRIAN BALDINGER.
And quoting Hacksaw:
"The world stops at 1p on SUNDAY afternoons for NFL football," HACKSAW said. "It means so much to the fans across AMERICA. We will put a special signature on our NFL broadcasts. I am glad to join COMPASS MEDIA NETWORKS. Starting something brand new is so very exciting."
Hacksaw is no stranger to local radio NFL play-by-play...
And on behalf of the entire editorial staff of Ohio Media Watch, we mark the holiday to honor those who served and gave their lives for us...
WHO'S #1?: Regular OMW readers know that we don't spend a lot of time in ratings land, for either TV or radio stations.
The reason is simple: We don't have the unvarnished data, and ratings can be twisted, turned, folded, spindled and mutilated to make just about any station "look good".
So, we're mostly curious observers to the latest TV ratings battle in Cleveland, the battle for ratings supremacy for 11 PM newscasts.
Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 claimed #1 status for "Channel 3 News" in three news time slots in the most recently released ratings - at 6 PM, at 7 PM and 11 PM.
Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5's "NewsChannel 5" is crowing about reaching the top of the 11 PM pile.
Huh?
From each side...first, from Channel 3, and "Director's Cut" blogger Frank Macek's item, complete with a "Thank You" video from anchor Romona Robinson:
-----
WKYC sweeps up with a nice win in HH's (households), adults 18+ and adults 25-54 - the key demos at 6 & 11 PM and #1 adults 25-54 and adults 18-49 at 7 PM - a claim no one else in town can make (even though they may try to fool you).
-----
As for the other side of this dispute, "NewsChannel 5" has posted a video promo on its website, claiming to be the "NEW number one newscast at 11 PM", and from a station press release:
-----
WEWS Channel 5 has captured several major victories during the just completed May ratings period, including finishing No. during the 11 p.m. news race. NewsChannel5 at 11 p.m. was first with women 25-54 (3.8 rating/11.3 share) and was the only late newscast to grow their audience from the previous ratings period.
-----
We assume that's a missing "1" after "No." up there. And we also assume that Channel 5 wouldn't make the "NEW number one newscast at 11 PM" claim solely based on its rating among women 25-54.
Which goes to why we don't spend a lot of time dealing with the minutae of ratings reports.
Traditionally, in "We're Both #1!" battles like this, one station picks up a slightly different set of data than the others, if it's not indeed a statistical tie. For one, one station may include its weekend news ratings in the overall claim...while another may stick with Monday through Friday ratings...
WHILE WE'RE AT 13TH AND LAKESIDE: We haven't yet shared news from last week, when WVPX/23 Akron parent ION Media Networks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
We didn't have much to say about it, because for now, it appears the ION folks will continue to operate as per usual, including picking up new entertainment programming. This is from the ION press release:
-----
The company also confirmed that it is in active discussions for the acquisition of further content for the 2009/10 television season, including both off-network syndicated content as well as opportunistic original productions, which it anticipates announcing in coming weeks.
-----
ION can apparently do so because some of its senior lenders are chipping in another $25 million in its restructuring process, to keep the network going.
We found that release quoted on Frank Macek's "Director's Cut" blog, which is significant for one reason...we found out from Frank's item that WVPX never actually left 13th and Lakeside after the former-PAX TV and WKYC-owner Gannett split ways:
-----
Although TV23's transmitter is located in Akron, all of its local operations are based at the WKYC Digital Broadcast Center here in Cleveland, where it rents space.
-----
The WKYC Digital Broadcast Center also, in addition to its own operations, is the technical and studio home of regional sports network SportsTime Ohio...
AND WHILE WE'RE AT 30TH AND EUCLID: It's become an Internet Viral Video sensation, and the folks at WEWS are helping to fuel the flames.
While the station's anchors were getting ready to close out the 11 PM edition of "NewsChannel 5" on Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers were closing out Game 2 of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals series with the Orlando Magic.
The "NewsChannel 5" folks were lamenting a late shot by the Magic that looked like the end of the game for the hometown team...and then, THIS happened:
The video is from the YouTube page of ESPN, which featured the video on "SportsCenter". WEWS also offered it on NewsNet5.com and on YouTube.
With a 10 point Cavaliers loss in Game 3 against the Magic, we'll assume that "NewsChannel 5" anchors were not nearly as animated on Sunday night...
BISHOP OUT: OMW hears that D.A. Peterson standards WDPN/1310 Alliance has parted ways with veteran news director Bob Bishop.
We hear Bishop "left the building" on Thursday of last week.
We don't know at this time if his departure was budget-related, or for some other reason...
THE "SAW IS BACK: Regular OMW readers know that one of our hobbies is tracking former local sportscaster Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton.
"Hacksaw" was heard in the 1970's doing an evening sports talk show on then-Susquehanna talk WHLO/640 Akron (now owned by Clear Channel), and radio work for the World Hockey Association's Cleveland Crusaders, heard on then-WWWE/1100 "3WE" in Cleveland (now Clear Channel talk WTAM).
Now, Hamilton has picked up another gig that may land him on some local radio stations this fall.
He's been signed to do play-by-play for Compass Media Networks' new package of syndicated Sunday afternoon NFL games.
Hamilton will be joined by former NFL player Curtis Conway doing commentary. Quoting AllAccess:
HAMILTON and CONWAY will split duties calling SUNDAY afternoon NFL games with the previously announced duo of CHRIS CARRINO -- longtime voice of NEW JERSEY NETS -- and former NFL player and NFL NETWORK analyst BRIAN BALDINGER.
And quoting Hacksaw:
"The world stops at 1p on SUNDAY afternoons for NFL football," HACKSAW said. "It means so much to the fans across AMERICA. We will put a special signature on our NFL broadcasts. I am glad to join COMPASS MEDIA NETWORKS. Starting something brand new is so very exciting."
Hacksaw is no stranger to local radio NFL play-by-play...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
WEEKEND SPECIAL: Ted Henry's Goodbye
UPDATE 5/23/09 2:21 PM: OMW reader "Brad" notes that WEWS has posted a much better quality version on its YouTube page, which we've embedded below. (We didn't even realize Channel 5 HAD a YouTube page.)
Despite the availability of an "HD" version, the video appears to be 4:3 SD with its own online "sidebars". Still, it's much more viewable than the tiny, low-bandwidth version on NewsNet5.
The "Related Video" page shows a number of user-submitted video of various parts of Ted Henry's last day.
Here's the video. Use the link above if the embedding doesn't work for you...and for the online video impaired, we still offer our transcript below:
---------------
After writing about it earlier in the week, we feel chagrined that we actually missed the final sign-off of veteran Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" anchor Ted Henry on Wednesday night's 11 PM broadcast.
The error was technical on our part...a missed remote control press while setting up our TiVo netted us a recording of the Thursday night 11 PM show instead. (In case you're curious, Leon Bibb was the first anchor in the post-Ted Henry rotation.)
But like everything in 2009, video of Ted's exit is available online, via the station's NewsNet5 website. Well, it looks and sounds like the right one, as for whatever reason, the video is just 56 kbps (!), making it roughly postage stamp-sized.
It looked like the regular "NewsChannel 5" evening crew was on set - Henry, co-anchor Danita Harris, Andy Baskin with sports, and Mark Johnson on weather. Or, some very tiny people who looked like Harris, Baskin and Johnson. (Memo to WEWS site provider Internet Broadcasting Systems: It's 2009, look into better quality video!)
You can view it yourself via the link above (bring a magnifying glass!), and you can read our transcript below:
------------
(The segment opens with a "Catch 5" promo from the station's "Eyewitness News" days.)
TED HENRY: Well, here goes...nothin'.
Years ago, my Dad wanted me to take over the family hardware store in Hartville. But my heart...told me to follow another calling. And for the last 40 plus years, I've been following my heart.
And so, it is with very conflicted emotions that I say goodbye to a most rewarding career.
A simple thank you doesn't really suffice, but it's all the time they're gonna give me. (brief laughter from studio)
Thanks to the people of the E.W. Scripps Company...major, big league thanks...who have maintainted their confidence in me for 38 years.
Thanks to my co-workers here at WEWS, whom I dearly love.
Thanks to my wife, Jody, for her constant love and support.
But most of all, my enduring, most heartfelt thanks is to you...for your steady presence for allowing me to report nightly from this desk (knocks), And it is greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow, I set out to begin the next level of my life...goodness knows what that's going to be...something tells me that will be a bit of an adventure.
And so I leave you now, to begin that different, yet challenging path.
But I will never forget you. I will never forget you.
DANITA HARRIS: And we will never forget you.
-----
His "NewsChannel 5" colleagues then thanked Ted, and gave him his "favorite food in the world" - Costco chicken.
-----
TED HENRY (to those on set): I learned a new word in the last half century...the significance and deeper heartfelt meaning of the word of love, and I feel that for you....thank you very much...goodbye, and goodnight.
-----
WEWS will air a half-hour long special devoted to Henry's career - "Good Evening, I'm Ted Henry" - two times next week...Tuesday at 8 PM, and Friday at 12:30 PM.
Yes, we've made sure that our TiVo is going to record the right show...
Despite the availability of an "HD" version, the video appears to be 4:3 SD with its own online "sidebars". Still, it's much more viewable than the tiny, low-bandwidth version on NewsNet5.
The "Related Video" page shows a number of user-submitted video of various parts of Ted Henry's last day.
Here's the video. Use the link above if the embedding doesn't work for you...and for the online video impaired, we still offer our transcript below:
---------------
After writing about it earlier in the week, we feel chagrined that we actually missed the final sign-off of veteran Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" anchor Ted Henry on Wednesday night's 11 PM broadcast.
The error was technical on our part...a missed remote control press while setting up our TiVo netted us a recording of the Thursday night 11 PM show instead. (In case you're curious, Leon Bibb was the first anchor in the post-Ted Henry rotation.)
But like everything in 2009, video of Ted's exit is available online, via the station's NewsNet5 website. Well, it looks and sounds like the right one, as for whatever reason, the video is just 56 kbps (!), making it roughly postage stamp-sized.
It looked like the regular "NewsChannel 5" evening crew was on set - Henry, co-anchor Danita Harris, Andy Baskin with sports, and Mark Johnson on weather. Or, some very tiny people who looked like Harris, Baskin and Johnson. (Memo to WEWS site provider Internet Broadcasting Systems: It's 2009, look into better quality video!)
You can view it yourself via the link above (bring a magnifying glass!), and you can read our transcript below:
------------
(The segment opens with a "Catch 5" promo from the station's "Eyewitness News" days.)
TED HENRY: Well, here goes...nothin'.
Years ago, my Dad wanted me to take over the family hardware store in Hartville. But my heart...told me to follow another calling. And for the last 40 plus years, I've been following my heart.
And so, it is with very conflicted emotions that I say goodbye to a most rewarding career.
A simple thank you doesn't really suffice, but it's all the time they're gonna give me. (brief laughter from studio)
Thanks to the people of the E.W. Scripps Company...major, big league thanks...who have maintainted their confidence in me for 38 years.
Thanks to my co-workers here at WEWS, whom I dearly love.
Thanks to my wife, Jody, for her constant love and support.
But most of all, my enduring, most heartfelt thanks is to you...for your steady presence for allowing me to report nightly from this desk (knocks), And it is greatly appreciated.
Tomorrow, I set out to begin the next level of my life...goodness knows what that's going to be...something tells me that will be a bit of an adventure.
And so I leave you now, to begin that different, yet challenging path.
But I will never forget you. I will never forget you.
DANITA HARRIS: And we will never forget you.
-----
His "NewsChannel 5" colleagues then thanked Ted, and gave him his "favorite food in the world" - Costco chicken.
-----
TED HENRY (to those on set): I learned a new word in the last half century...the significance and deeper heartfelt meaning of the word of love, and I feel that for you....thank you very much...goodbye, and goodnight.
-----
WEWS will air a half-hour long special devoted to Henry's career - "Good Evening, I'm Ted Henry" - two times next week...Tuesday at 8 PM, and Friday at 12:30 PM.
Yes, we've made sure that our TiVo is going to record the right show...
Friday, May 22, 2009
WKDD Heading To Bellaire Lane
Clear Channel Akron market hot AC WKDD/98.1 is about ready to return, physically, to the Akron market.
The once-Canton licensed facility, now licensed to the Akron suburb of Munroe Falls, got FCC approval this week to locate its transmitter facility at Bellaire Lane in Cuyahoga Falls...at the very same spot WKDD occupied for many years with its original 96.5 antenna.
If you're a regular OMW reader, you know "the rest of the story", as a certain late iconic radio news commentator would have said.
In the Great Cleveland Frequency Swap of 2001, Clear Channel moved WKDD/96.5's transmitter site north into Brecksville - pairing it with the WAKS "Kiss FM" top 40 format which had resided on 104.9/Lorain (now classical WCLV).
The WKDD format and intellectual property ended up on the 98.1/Canton facility (formerly religious WHK-FM, acquired from Salem). Clear Channel then nudged 98.1's site north into Hartville after the original signal (near Louisville) ended up doing a poor job of penetrating Akron office buildings.
The Munroe Falls COL for WKDD allowed it - with some squeezing, engineering wise - to physically move one more time to the Bellaire Lane facility WKDD once occupied as 96.5. (And we mean some squeezing...98.1 is squeezed to within an inch of its electronic life between Rubber City Radio rock WONE/97.5 Akron and CBS Radio classic rock WNCX/98.5 Cleveland.)
The approval of the 98.1 move being so recent, OMW hasn't yet heard when the folks at Clear Channel World Domination HQ Southern Command on Freedom Avenue intend to make it official.
But our long-time friend, colleague and World Champion Tower Hunter Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch estimates that typically. a move like this should take about a couple of months.
Though Clear Channel had to file for some modifications to it earlier this year, 98.1 will land on the already existing tower that was built somewhere around 1976 to hold the antenna of WKDD's historic frequency, 96.5...
The once-Canton licensed facility, now licensed to the Akron suburb of Munroe Falls, got FCC approval this week to locate its transmitter facility at Bellaire Lane in Cuyahoga Falls...at the very same spot WKDD occupied for many years with its original 96.5 antenna.
If you're a regular OMW reader, you know "the rest of the story", as a certain late iconic radio news commentator would have said.
In the Great Cleveland Frequency Swap of 2001, Clear Channel moved WKDD/96.5's transmitter site north into Brecksville - pairing it with the WAKS "Kiss FM" top 40 format which had resided on 104.9/Lorain (now classical WCLV).
The WKDD format and intellectual property ended up on the 98.1/Canton facility (formerly religious WHK-FM, acquired from Salem). Clear Channel then nudged 98.1's site north into Hartville after the original signal (near Louisville) ended up doing a poor job of penetrating Akron office buildings.
The Munroe Falls COL for WKDD allowed it - with some squeezing, engineering wise - to physically move one more time to the Bellaire Lane facility WKDD once occupied as 96.5. (And we mean some squeezing...98.1 is squeezed to within an inch of its electronic life between Rubber City Radio rock WONE/97.5 Akron and CBS Radio classic rock WNCX/98.5 Cleveland.)
The approval of the 98.1 move being so recent, OMW hasn't yet heard when the folks at Clear Channel World Domination HQ Southern Command on Freedom Avenue intend to make it official.
But our long-time friend, colleague and World Champion Tower Hunter Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch estimates that typically. a move like this should take about a couple of months.
Though Clear Channel had to file for some modifications to it earlier this year, 98.1 will land on the already existing tower that was built somewhere around 1976 to hold the antenna of WKDD's historic frequency, 96.5...
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