First, a housekeeping note. Our updates will be less frequent and involved for about the next week or so, but we’ll still be here.
And no, we’re not going out of town, so the usual warning about major changes may not apply. Or does it?
OF HDTV: As first reported (anywhere) by OMW, DirecTV confirms in a press release what it’s been doing for the past nearly two weeks…HDTV broadcasts of local regional sports networks, including Cleveland Indians games on team-owned SportsTime Ohio.
The presence of STO in the DirecTV “local-into-local” HD lineup makes Cleveland one of 13 “major markets” offering the HD sports feeds, with six more to follow. The release also notes that local HD NBA and NHL broadcasts will come this fall – OMW has already reported that the list would include FOX Sports Net Ohio’s coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers in HDTV.
OF HD RADIO: OMW hears that some of Clear Channel Cleveland’s HD-2 subchannels are up and running on HD Radio feeds of those stations involved.
Top 40 WAKS/96.5 “Kiss FM” is doing a “newer hits” version of the Kiss top 40 format on its HD2 channel.
And sister hot AC WMVX/106.5 “Mix 106.5” is running an adult album alternative format called “The Lake”. This may or may not be the same format as the “Summit” AAA format crafted in Clear Channel’s HD format labs, but it doesn’t carry the same name as Akron-based triple-A outlet WAPS “91.3 The Summit”.
“The Lake”, by the way, is the name of a similar, over-air station in the Buffalo market…owned by Entercom. It’s the former FM sports station, WNSA/107.7, a rimshot from the southeast of the Buffalo market…
OF “M&M”: An eagle-eyed OMW tipster spotted the removal of ESPN Radio morning show “Mike and Mike in the Morning” from the website of Salem’s Cleveland sports talk outlet, WKNR/850.
Not only has the ESPN Radio morning duo been removed from the station’s lineup on its front page, the show is also missing from the “Programming” page.
If you’d guess that the station was doing so to highlight only its local personalities, then the presence of Premiere syndicated midday host Jim Rome in both spots might throw you off that scent.
OMW has heard nothing about any changes at WKNR, so we’re just warning you that there’s no meat to this…yet. It wouldn’t seem necessary to remove all mentions of “Mike and Mike” from your website unless changes were in the offing, but there is no other sign of why this has been done. We’re just giving a “heads up”…
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