And a short item wrapping up the week, before we endure a Northeast Ohio weekend with weather that could compare to Minnesota’s…
MOVING DAY: Clear Channel-operated rock WRQK/106.9 Canton’s sales offices had already moved to the company’s World Domination HQ/Southern Command on Freedom Avenue in greater North Canton…now the on-air side has done so as well.
A mole at Freedom Avenue tells us that “Rock 107” made the studio move at just after 2 PM on Friday afternoon.
And because of that move, or perhaps the other way around, WRQK is now pumping out full power from its new tower and transmitter – just across the way from its old facility at 22nd and Whipple NW in Canton, sharing the tower with new clustermate AC WHOF/101.7 North Canton.
We haven’t “driven the signal” yet, but WRQK seemed somewhat more powerful in limited use late this afternoon. The station was operating on under half of its licensed power after a recent transmitter outage…which took 106.9 off the air for all but the immediate Canton area for a few days.
OMW hears that the new transmitter facility for “Rock 107” may be sending out an HD Radio signal sometime this weekend. Sister WHOF went live on day one with HD Radio…
5.1 SOUND: A gaggle of home theater enthusiasts who are also OMW readers are letting us in on some news: that a “sound barrier” has been broken at local CBS affiliate WOIO/19.
The station is now sending out its digital sound in the “Dolby Digital 5.1” format. Until now, digital viewers of WOIO were only getting a stereo signal on network programming that has been sent by CBS in the broader sound format.
The timing is probably no coincidence. After all, we hear a couple of “teams” will throw around a football on Sunday afternoon on CBS…in a little game that might have more than a few home theater owners watching…
WWOW FORMAT CHANGE: And as expected, Conneaut station WWOW/1360 has changed its format upon the takeover by local businessman John Marra Jr.’s Cause Plus Marketing.
But there’s a twist in the announcement we received directly at this hour from radio broker Ray Rosenblum.
He tells us that WWOW will continue airing “local talk” in the morning, presumably its existing local morning drive shows. The Catholic-oriented programming by Eternal Word Television Network expected to join the station’s lineup will air in afternoons on AM 1360, says Rosenblum.
Cause Plus took over the station on Thursday…
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