Or as a former co-worker used to say, “a myriad of topics on the hypothetical table”…
BROWNS TV FALLOUT: While WOIO/19 general manager Bill Applegate pleads with a grieving grandmother to save his station’s Cleveland Browns TV rights bacon, we’re wondering what happens to the team’s TV broadcast team for the pre-season games…no matter which local station airs the games.
We’re pretty sure the Browns hire the on-air talent for the games, so that would seem to ensure that they’ll ask 2005 play-by-play voice Sam Rosen to come back into the booth this year. Rosen was called in at the last minute, and was pretty much universally praised for bringing a veteran TV sports broadcasting presence to WOIO’s pre-season telecasts.
But what about former Browns defensive star Bob Golic, who easily moved into an analyst role on last year’s telecasts after Rosen’s arrival?
The WNIR/100.1 afternoon talk show host has also done separate work for the Cleveland CBS affiliate, including participating in their own non-team-sanctioned pre-game and post-game shows. (Beware, the Giant Brown Valu City Furniture Couch!) He’s also filled in on the station’s weekend sports anchor desk.
If the Browns are officially done with WOIO, will something have to give? Could Golic still do the analysis on the pre-season casts – airing on another station – and do the Channel 19-based shows as well? And even if he doesn’t do his WOIO-based work, will the Browns associate him too closely with the TV station they want nothing to do with?
And then there’s a wildcard. In addition to other former Browns like Brian Brennan – who did it last year – there’s been talk of popular former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar joining in the pre-season broadcasts on a regular basis. That should be very interesting. Kosar did a fine job in a brief “drop-in” appearance on one of last year’s telecasts…
NEXT NEXTMEDIA: We’ve been remiss in not passing along the news from NextMedia, the owner of Canton combo WHBC/1480-WHBC-FM/94.1. President/Co-Chief Operating Officer Skip Weller has stepped down.
Radio & Records reports the news, and AllAccess tips that it could be the other co-COO, executive VP Jeff Dinetz, moving into the president’s chair at the radio group owner.
We haven’t said much about this, since we don’t know how the move will affect the company’s local outlet. OMW has reported for some time that it’s believed the WHBC stations are heading for a sale…the configuration of such sale yet to be determined.
But…we’re watching for signs of any change in direction at NextMedia, and will pass them along as we hear them…
WB NOSTALGIA: When a TV station changes networks, the old network’s logo items aren’t really worth keeping around (except for collectors), so Cleveland market WB Network affiliate WBNX/55 is giving them away in a “blowout”.
You have to sign up for the giveaway contest, and tell the station your favorite show on The WB. As per usual with such things, we’re sure WBNX will hang onto your information to try to sell you on all those great new shows on The CW…which include many former WB favorites, by the way.
The new CW Network will sign on, officially, on September 20th…with staggered premieres of new shows over the following week…
Speak Your Mind