UPDATE 6/8/10 8:55 AM: Radio-Info.com’s Tom Taylor confirms that McConnell is heading to WGN, starting August 9th…thanks to TSMW for the heads up!
—
Here are two three items that are entirely unrelated, except they both all have to do with radio…
FIRST OF TWO?: This is right in the middle of the Tri-State Media Watch coverage area, but we’ve always kept an eye on this station, anyway…and it, as we’ve long said, is much bigger than Cincinnati. And it could have effects up here, depending on how it plays out.
Our colleagues at TSMW gave us first word of a Cincinnati radio bombshell. After 25 years as the midday host of Clear Channel talk WLW/700, the original “Big One”, Mike McConnell is leaving the station.
WLW’s official announcement is here, replacing McConnell’s host page.
Quoting:
700WLW Cincinnati – “The Big One” – today announced the departure of long-serving Midday News/Talk Personality Mike McConnell, who has elected to relocate to Chicago.
The move is effective immediately, and a search for a permanent replacement has been initiated.
How big of a deal is this in the Cincinnati market?
McConnell has been doing middays on WLW since around the time Tri-State Media Watch editor Jeremy Moses was BORN.
Up here, it’d be the rough equivalent of Clear Channel classic hits WMJI/105.7’s John Lanigan leaving for Chicago. (He’ll opt for retirement one day, we suspect, instead of moving to a bigger market.)
Where will McConnell land in Chicago?
Well, if you believe all the trade site rumors, he’s headed for Tribune talk WGN/720 in the Windy City – which would make a reunion with former Clear Channel radio executives like Tribune CEO Randy Michaels, who once programmed WLW itself, former WLW executive Sean Compton, and program director Kevin Metheny, the former top programmer right here at Oak Tree, home of Clear Channel’s Cleveland cluster.
Even without McConnell, there’s a heady ex-WLW air at WGN. To name just one more example, former WLW traffic reporter John Phillips is building manager at Tribune Tower.
About the only thing missing for McConnell in Chicago would be Skyline Chili.
Oh, and WLW counterpart Bill Cunningham, but numerous trade rumors have HIM going to WGN as well.
How could it affect Northeast Ohio?
Well, both McConnell and Cunningham have weekend syndicated shows offered up by Clear Channel’s Premiere Radio arm. We don’t know if the move to Tribune will end McConnell’s “The Weekend” show, or if moving to Tribune would affect Cunningham’s “Live on Sunday Night” show. Both programs enjoy wide clearance on Clear Channel’s news/talkers in this region.
We’re wondering…will both men (assuming Cunningham follows McConnell’s move) take the shows to Tribune, which will syndicate them or arrange for syndication?
Remember, Tribune’s Randy Michaels has been involved with the “Product First” syndication house, which owns Dial Global liberal talk host Ed Schultz’s program.
Back in Cincinnati, evening host Scott Sloan will be the temporary fill-in in the WLW midday slot. No word what the station will do if Bill Cunningham follows…
THERE’S A REASON: One of our readers points out that there may be a reason Kent State University’s WKSU has not turned on the HD4 feed at its WKSV/89.1 Thompson, which serves the eastern reaches of Northeast Ohio.
From a “Service Update” found on the front page of the WKSU website:
Our signal on 89.1 in Thompson is temporarily running on a backup transmitter at reduced power due to an equipment failure resulting from the weekend’s storms. Our HD Radio signal is also off-the air at that site.
We are working to restore these services as quickly as possible.
There you go…no HD Radio signal, no HD4 stream…
CONGRATULATIONS: Our congratulations to Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7-syndicated morning drive co-host Duji, of “Rover’s Morning Glory” fame.
Duji tweeted a picture of her and her newborn baby…the stats, according to the tweet…Gianna Marie was born at 8:35 PM, weighs 6 pounds 7 ounces, and is 19.5 inches long.
Oh, tread carefully when reading Duji’s Twitter feed…as that is by far not the only detail she shared with her Twitter followers.
Some of the followers with weaker stomachs may faint after reading some of her tweets…though we are sure much of the detailed, play-by-play of the birthing process will make it on-air on “RMG” Tuesday morning…
Per WLW’s program schedule on their site, Scott Sloan has been tabbed to host “The Weekend.” In fact, that took place as of LAST weekend.
http://www.700wlw.com/pages/programming.html
As for the possible McConnell/Cunningham double-switch at WGN-AM – that would certainly be the most significant programming change to come on that station since… well, EVER. It would also go a long ways to shed the octogenarian image that WGN-AM has always held. I just don’t know if it will work in the long run.
One just has to wonder how long WGN-AM can continue as a stand-alone station – or of Tribune’s future as a whole.
Don’t know if Sloan is hosting that slot on WLW only, or on the network. Anyway, the page is now blank, except for a 2008 date on top!
“About the only thing missing for McConnell in Chicago would be Skyline Chili.”
And if he wants that bad enough of course he can order it off their website…
At this rate, Skyline should seriously consider a location in Tribune Tower!
I did try to get WKSV on my HD radio and only got the analog signal. I usually get their HD channels here including Folk Alley which I can still get on my Internet radio. Also, I haven’t been able to get Y-103 from Youngstown in HD either. My guess is storm damage is the culprit there since I can still get it on HOT 101.
WKSV-HD is back up, all four channels.
Yes WKSV is back on its primary transmitter. Caught BBC News on the new channel last night. Got to give the folks at WKSU credit for offering more choices than some other NPR stations.