Just some unrelated stuff this time around…but you should be used to it, right?
NEW SET AT SOUTH MARGINAL: WJW/8 “FOX 8” in Cleveland has spent the past few weeks building a brand new set for “FOX 8 News”. It’s a set we hinted at here a LONG time ago, back when FOX started tooling with the “look and feel” of its owned and operated stations…of which WJW is one, at least for now.
The set made its debut on the air on Monday.
Those who aren’t within the FOX 8 viewing area, or who just want to call it up on demand, you can get a look at the new set and a video “behind the scenes” tour by the station’s Todd Meany on the station’s website, which itself was the first hint that changes were on the way.
Our thoughts?
The set is flashy, bright and busy. VERY busy.
It’s got enough lights to light up downtown Cleveland, enough monitors to fill Cleveland Browns Stadium, and all sorts of “effects”.
The new graphics are even “busier”, with lots of moving objects and words. We can only imagine that some people are getting headaches from all that flash.
And yes, the new “searchlight” style FOX 8 logo, reminiscent of FOX News Channel, is fully in place.
One thing we did notice – the weather graphics remain unchanged, and we didn’t see any replacement, yet, for the old weather center. We could have just missed it, but at 10 PM Monday night, while Andre Bernier was outside the building, Dick Goddard was just doing the green screen map-pointing.
But there is a giant HDTV monitor in the middle of the set. The station says that particular monitor is a 131-inch model…
NO MORE “GOODRADIO”?: No, that’s not an editorial comment on whatever programming will be presented by the over 452 small market Clear Channel stations – including many here in Ohio – when their new ownership company takes over.
And the company will still be taking over…it just appears it won’t be called “GoodRadio”, and former PAX TV/Ion executive Dean Goodman is apparently out of the picture.
That’s the report by Radio Business Report on Monday, and parts of it were confirmed by other trade websites later in the day.
Appearing to be moving in as Goodman’s replacement in the company funded by private equity fund American Securities Capital Partners – is one Jeff Warshaw, CEO of Connoisseur Radio. Warshaw’s first incarnation of Connoisseur once owned a number of Youngstown market stations now in the Cumulus fold.
So, the sale apparently goes on, in a different direction and with a different leader.
OMW also hears that Goodman isn’t dropping out of the radio acquisition game. He’ll hang onto the stations his company acquired separately in Iowa and Missouri, and could add to them…
SPORTSTIME OHIO BITS: SportsTime Ohio has dropped us a line letting us know about three local Emmy nominations.
Quoting:
SportsTime Ohio is nominated for its Cleveland Indians Baseball Games, directed by Pat Murray and produced by Steve Warren, as a Regular Scheduled Sports Program. Pat Murray is also nominated for the Indians Baseball Games as the Director of a non-news program. Murray has previously received ten (10) local Emmy awards.
SportsTime Ohio producer Joe Ranyak also received a nomination for “Showdown at the Shoe” in the Sports Programs – Specials category. “Showdown at the Shoe” was a one hour preview of the 2006 Michigan-Ohio State game, arguably the biggest college football game of the year. The show was hosted by Andy Baskin and featured former OSU quarterback Jim Karsatos and WKNR’s Mark “Munch” Bishop.
Of course, Andy Baskin is now independently producing shows for STO, and in between, filling in at WEWS/5 “NewsChannel 5”. And we’re pretty sure “Munch” wasn’t with WKNR at the time of that program.
The regional Emmy awards are September 8th.
AND ANOTHER STO NOTE: OMW hears that some Dish Network subscribers are having trouble getting the new HD feed of SportsTime Ohio’s Cleveland Indians games, which should be available on channel 381 – even if they have the proper HD equipment.
The problem?
STO and most of the regional sports networks recently added to Dish Network’s lineup in HD are on a satellite that many don’t even have a dish pointed at – at 129 degrees in the sky. That location could also preclude some folks from even getting it, due to obstructions.
We’re told a call to Dish Network could help, in regards to getting a dish pointed in that direction (if you can get it from your location), but we’re not a customer…
AND A COLUMBUS QUICKIE: Not many details on this, but OMW hears that Bernard Radio’s WVKO/1580 Columbus is on the air from its new tower on Morse Road near a local apartment complex.
When it was on before, under the ownership of now-bankrupt Stop 26 Riverbend, WVKO had been airing a format aimed at the local African-American community – along with such other programming as the play-by-play of the AAA Columbus Clippers baseball team. That team has landed once again on North American Broadcasting standards WMNI/920 on weekends.
This time, it’s apparently testing the signal by playing salsa music, which would be a companion to Bernard Radio sister station WVKO-FM/103.1’s Regional Mexican format if it holds up as a permanent format.
The local radio rumor mill has tabbed the group LMAing the FM side as being behind the new AM format, but we haven’t been able to confirm that…
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