The influence of LeBron James continues to affect local media…
CAVS TO FM: There’ll be less music on iHeart[/former Clear Channel] rock/talk WMMS/100.7 in Cleveland, and more balls.
That’s because WMMS has become the FM flagship of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. You know, that little team at Quicken Loans Arena that may actually win a lot more games because of the return of hometown superstar LeBron James this year.
The announcement was tweeted by Erika Lauren, of the station’s afternoon drive “Alan Cox Show”.
Announcement: @wmms and @wtam are now the official home of the @cavs – tune in to hear all the games during this exciting season! WOOT!
— erika lauren (@erikalauren) October 2, 2014
We dutifully retweeted it, but could not find any official announcement online from the Cavaliers, WMMS/iHeart or any other media source.
We should have looked at Kevin Kleps’ “Sportsbiz” blog on the Crain’s Cleveland Business site (he saw Erika’s tweet, too), who got confirmation from team spokesman Tad Carper:
Carper said all of the Cavs’ games will be simulcast on the two stations, and the team will be one of only six in the NBA that has its contests on both an AM and FM station. The others are the Heat, Jazz, 76ers, Suns and Trail Blazers.
(UPDATE 11:50 AM 10/7/14: Some slight corrections to that list, courtesy of RadioInsight’s Lance Venta. The Philadelphia 76ers are FM only on WPEN-FM/97.5 “The Fanatic”…WPEN/950, the original home of the “Fanatic” format, was sold off long ago. It’s now Family Radio’s Philadelphia outlet. The Phoenix Suns are now only on the retooled KMVP-FM/98.7…former simulcaster KTAR/620 is now a full-time ESPN Radio outlet. That change just happened last month. And you can add one AM/FM NBA simulcast to the list, as the Brooklyn Nets are now heard on the CBS Radio simulcast of WFAN/660-WFAN-FM/101.9.)
The other station, of course, is long-time Cavaliers flagship talk WTAM/1100, down the hall from WMMS at Oak Tree.
In the most recent change in the company’s deal with the Cleveland Indians, WMMS also became the FM flagship of that team…carrying nearly all of the Indians’ 162 contests this past season.
WMMS is no stranger to Cavaliers broadcasts…it has picked up Cavs’ overflow from WTAM in past seasons in various Indians conflict situations, mostly late season contests when a non-playoff-bound Cavaliers team conflicts with the start of the Indians season.
It’s a deal that makes a lot of sense for both sides.
The Cavaliers are expected to be red hot this year, with the addition of James and a host of pieces surrounding him he didn’t have last time he played just down I-77 from his Bath Township mansion.
With the local NBA team already considered a serious title contender, it’ll bring a lot of attention and a lot of listeners to “Cleveland’s Rock Station”, even if it brings less actual rock music to a station that already features two popular drive-time talk shows and the aforementioned Indians…
ON THE JOB: Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5’s new news director is officially in the building this week.
As we reported earlier, area native Jeff Harris takes the reins at “NewsChannel 5” after a run as news director at Scripps’ KMGH in Denver.
He’ll see at least one familiar face soon from Denver at 3001 Euclid, in addition to those he recognizes from his previous stint at WEWS as an investigative producer.
From a memo that floated to the OMW World Headquarters, written by Sam Rosenwasser:
I am pleased to announce we have a new Director of Engineering. Eliot Case, Technical Systems Manager at KMGH (Scripps) in Denver will join us on October 27th as our Director of Engineering. Eliot has been at KMGH for 4 years. Prior to that Eliot was a Broadcast Engineer at Technicolor. His other experience includes Echostar Communications, Qwest Communications, KUSA TV in Denver and KTVX TV in Salt Lake City. Eliot is married and has a grown daughter. Eliot and Jeff Harris, our new News Director worked together in Denver at KMGH. That synergy should benefit us greatly.
Eliot and Harris’ long-time boss at KMGH is no longer in that building, though.
From a blog item by Denver Post TV critic Joanne Ostrow:
Longtime KMGH boss Byron Grandy, who rose from news director to become vice president and general manager of the station, abruptly resigned his post and left the company, Scripps confirmed Monday.
FSR SHUFFLE: There’s a schedule shuffle and a new high-profile name at Fox Sports Radio, though we don’t know yet how that will affect the network’s largest full-time area affiliate.
FSR brings aboard the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen for a new show starting November 3rd.
Our content partners at RadioInsight note that the 12-3 PM ET show actually started today on a combination of outlets, including DirecTV:
The program is currently available on DirecTV’s Audience Network, Root Sports regional television networks in Denver, Pittsburgh and Seattle, the NFL Now mobile app, and PodcastOne.com. The program is produced and owned by DirecTV Original Content just like the Dan Patrick Show that precedes it in the 9am-12pm timeslot and is also carried by Fox Sports Radio.
But you’re wondering…isn’t host/comedian Jay Mohr in the Fox Sports Radio time slot formerly occupied by Jim Rome, who left for CBS Sports Radio?
Mohr just signed a contract extension with Premiere, which owns Fox Sports Radio…but the addition of Eisen moves “Jay Mohr Sports” to 3-6 PM ET.
At this writing, that afternoon drive slot is covered locally by the area’s full-time FSR affiliate, iHeart[/former Clear Channel] sports WARF/1350 Akron “Fox Sports 1350”, by Joe Dunn’s “Big Time Sports” show.
We haven’t yet heard if WARF will do any schedule shuffling to keep Mohr’s show on its airwaves.
Mohr’s predecessor, Jim Rome, is barely on the local airwaves. “The Jungle” now airs solely in the immediate Cleveland area on Good Karma sports WWGK/1540 “KNR2”, the low-power brother station to WKNR/850…with a signal that makes it to parts of Cleveland.
Rome also airs in Northeast Ohio on Cumulus sports WBBW/1240 Youngstown and from across the Pennsylvania border on Cumulus’ WLLF/96.7 Mercer PA, but neither station reaches anywhere near Cleveland or Akron…
MORE ON METHENY: When a giant passes in media, the reaction continues to pour in.
Like him or not, radio programming veteran Kevin Metheny was certainly a “giant” in his decades-long career programming radio stations all over the country.
His connection to Northeast Ohio was noted in our previous item. As cluster program director at Oak Tree, Clear Channel’s Cleveland operation, Metheny also acted as regional programming vice president for the company’s stations.
That’s where Youngstown-based iHeart[/former Clear Channel] VP/Regional Market Manager Bill Kelly encountered Kevin Metheny, for what he says was “all too short” a period of time.
“After all these years, I would sum him up as follows: Great Programmer, Great Colleague, Great Friend…but even more important…Great Father,” Bill Kelly shares with us.
To the west, iHeart[/former Clear Channel] regional programming manager/WKDD programmer/morning co-host/OMW reader Keith Kennedy shared his thoughts from Freedom Avenue via social media:
Saddened. He was an incredible teacher, & friend. Thoughts with his family and all of us he considered his extended family. We'll miss you.
— Keith Kennedy (@keithkennedy981) October 4, 2014
“Saddened”, “devastated” and other such words about Kevin Metheny’s death continue to pour into OMW, from those who knew and worked with him here…
LORAIN RADIO: The city of Lorain is about to get a new, English language radio station.
We reported earlier that non-comm WNZN/89.1 Lorain was sold by Pacific Spanish Network to a group headed by Mark Ballard (and his father, Clarence).
The Lorain Morning Journal says the new WNZN “Power 89.1” is targeting a November 1st start with a “gospel-inspirational format”.
Currently, there are no radio stations based in Lorain and no full time gospel-inspirational format stations in the region, the Ballards said.
The station will be a nonprofit organization with financial support from underwriters, the Ballards said. They have commitments from 15 to 20 area churches, which in turn will have the opportunity to grow their membership by getting exposure on the radio.
“So it’s a great opportunity and a voice for them,” Mark Ballard said.
The article doesn’t mention that WNZN has been on the air for many years, just not programming to English-speaking audiences.
And as you’d expect from a newspaper article about radio, there’s this little tidbit:
The transmission tower is in Berlin Heights and the radio signal will span from Toledo to Cleveland, and as far south as Mansfield.
The Berlin Heights tower location is correct, as long-time OMW readers know.
But there’s literally no one listening to WNZN in either Toledo or Cleveland, or anywhere nearby. The class A signal strains to reach even western Cuyahoga County, and it’s very much a “rimshot” into its city of license, Lorain.
WNZN has a placeholder website up, calling itself “Your Urban Inspiration Station”, which is much more realistic about the station’s coverage area:
It is with great joy that we inform you about the launch of WNZN, Power 89.1 FM, a non-commercial radio station in Northeastern Ohio whose coverage area includes Huron, Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties.
At the core of Power 89.1 FM, is our sincere passion and commitment to impact lives through uplifting and “whole” some entertainment, positive programming and inspirationally charged content through a number of diverse media formats. Power 89.1’s mission is to provide family friendly information, encouragement, companionship, and entertainment through Christian programming. Power 89.1 will creatively blend classic and contemporary gospel music in such a way that the entire family will enjoy listening. WNZN is committed to a high quality of workmanship and will diligently strive to operate with fiscal responsibility, demonstrating principles of Biblical stewardship…all while creating solutions for successful lives and healthy communities.
Preemptive strike by iHeart to scare away 92.3 The Fan, which is the only other serious contender for the Cavs rights.
iHeart can do AM/FM (which is how they were able to keep the Tribe)…CBS can’t (unless they get into the 1260 derby).
If the Browns weren’t so insistent on shoving “Browns Daily” down their throat, iHeart would have kept them too as the Browns were set on having an AM flagship (which is why CBS had to hold it’s nose and take WKNR as a tag along to get the Browns).