As we write this item, the first snow of the season can be seen outside the OMW World Headquarters.
Meanwhile, our items are piling more than the snow in this short-lived event…
THIS JUST IN, FROM THE FCC: Monday, the Federal Communications Commission officially approved the $6.5 million sale of Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting AAA WNWV/107.3 “V107.3” to Akron’s Rubber City Radio Group.
There’s no word on a timetable for the deal to close, or on what the new owners plan to do with the station…
STAFFING UP: For some time, Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3’s morning newscast has featured former chief meteorologist Mark Nolan as its only news anchor…usually sitting alongside morning meteorologist Hollie Strano.
That’ll change soon.
WKYC has hired Erin Kennedy, evening anchor at Providence RI combo WPRI/WNAC, as its new morning co-anchor. In Providence, she was a co-worker of Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 “Fox 8 News” reporter/weekend anchor and OMW reader Mark Zinni.
From fellow blogger and WKYC Senior Director Frank Macek’s “Director’s Cut” blog:
“I’m looking forward to becoming part of such a terrific morning show,” said Ms. Kennedy. “And I’m excited to work with such a strong and enterprising news team. More than anything, I value Channel 3’s commitment to making a difference in the Northeast Ohio community. My husband and I can’t wait to put down roots in this dynamic and progressive city.”
Hollie Strano will remain as the show’s weather anchor, and reporters Amanda Barren and Stephanie Coueignoux, and “Ways To Save” segment host/producer Matt Granite, also remain in place.
One part of her resume is unusual for the Cleveland market:
Erin is fluent in Spanish, and a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She has reported from Mexico; covering stories on immigration and the drug trade. While in Providence, Erin was the creator, producer and anchor of “Webcast en Espanol.”
We don’t know if Northeast Ohio’s Spanish-speaking population is large enough to garner attention from its big English-language-only network affiliates, but if WKYC believes so, it has its anchor.
Note, of course, that Univision O&O WQHS/61 has no news presence at all…it’s only in Univision’s hands because the Spanish-language network bought the former Home Shopping Network stations in bulk. “Univision 61” only airs one local program – a Sunday public affairs show that looks for all the world like it’s taped in the WQHS lobby.
Macek’s item says Erin Kennedy starts in early January, after she and her musician husband move here…
AND SHE USED TO BE HERE: “Fox 8 News” had quite a sendoff for long-time evening co-anchor Stacey Bell, who moved to New Jersey to be with her husband, New York Jets running back coach Anthony Lynn.
Could she be back behind the TV anchor desk in New Jersey soon, as well?
OMW hears that Bell has taken an anchor position with Cablevision-owned local news channel News 12, which has operations in areas all around New York City and its suburbs (including New Jersey).
We hear she’s expected to start at News 12 in February, giving Stacey a long time to catch up with her husband without having to work. The pair has had a commuter marriage for years.
We don’t know which arm of the News 12 empire will feature Bell, but even Connecticut or Long Island is a much shorter commute than Cleveland…
DANIELLE, NOT SHARON, FOR A FEW: A tidbit from the Facebook presence of Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 “19 Action News” 4:30 PM co-anchor Danielle Serino:
In addition to my role on the 4:30 broadcast with Paul Joncich, I will be filing in during the 5:30 news, as well as anchoring the 10pm news on our sister station WUAB. My new role begins today and should last for the next 6-8 weeks.
As we commented to someone else, “that would basically be Sharon Reed’s anchor schedule, right?” That it is, but we have no idea what Sharon will be doing for the next 6 to 8 weeks…
PROMOTION FOR OMW READER: We’ve often joked that Clear Channel Akron/Canton operations director Keith Kennedy, who programs hot AC WKDD/98.1 and co-hosts that station’s morning show with Jenn Ryan, currently voicetracks middays on AC WHOF/101.7 “My 101.7”, and also oversees programming for Clear Channel’s Ashland/Mansfield cluster on top of his local duties, does everything but sweep the snow off the microwave dishes at Freedom Avenue.
He’s got quite a few more dishes under his programming oversight now.
That’s because Keith has been named Regional Programming Manager for Clear Channel in Northern Ohio, with a number of markets in his portfolio now: Akron/Canton, Toledo, Youngstown, Ashland/Mansfield, and Defiance.
That’s nearly every Ohio Clear Channel market north of Columbus, with the obvious exception of the Cleveland market…larger markets are under a different structure in Clear Channel’s recent restructuring.
So, Keith Kennedy is obviously a long-time OMW reader, and upon finding this news in another trade report, we reached out and asked him about it:
“I can confirm I’ve become the RPM for Northern Ohio. I’m thrilled to work with great stations, strong brands and excellent people.”
Keith will retain all of his current duties at Freedom Avenue, and won’t be coming off the air there at all…
ANN’S CORNER: It’s been a while since we gave space to long-time Friend of OMW Ann VerWiebe…marketing and public relations guru for Kent State University-owned NPR outlet WKSU/89.7 Kent and its myriad of simulcasters and translators.
But there’s more WKSU-related news, so here we go.
* The station has successfully completed its “Sound of the Future” capital fundraiser. From a release helpfully provided by Ann:
The station raised a total of more than $5 million in the largest fund raising effort in WKSU’s 61-year history. The four-year campaign focused on raising funds to upgrade WKSU’s broadcasting infrastructure in a move towards digital technology.
We are grateful to everyone who donated to or worked on the Sound of the Future campaign,” (WKSU executive director/general manager Al) Bartholet says. “Its success means better sounding radio for Northeast Ohio as WKSU moves through our next half century. Digital technology makes the station more efficient and effective as we continue to provide quality public radio to the region.”
Gifts to the Sound of the Future campaign were divided between cash and pledges, documented planned gifts and in-kind donations. The largest percentage of the total went to WKSU’s digital conversion, the station’s News & Information Fund and Folk Alley.
In addition to the full HD/digital conversion of all the station’s full-power repeaters, WKSU’s on-air studio was reequipped and dubbed “The J.M. Smucker Company Studio”.
No word on if the gift includes free jams and jellies…
* The Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) named WKSU reporter/producer Vivian Goodman as Best Reporter in Ohio for the year 2010 (in 2011 awards). The list of Best of Show, First Place and Second Place winners includes pretty much the entire WKSU staff.
The complete Ohio SPJ 2011 winners list – including for TV, print and other categories – is at the awards’ site here.
A quick look at the radio list shows a number of awards for both WKSU and its main public radio competitor, Ideastream’s WCPN/90.3 Cleveland (among them, Best Public Affairs Program for WCPN midday talk show “Sound of Ideas”), among others.
And there’s that Best Anchor award to Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland anchor and OMW reader Tom Moore…well deserved for the Oak Tree veteran.
* Speaking of OMW readers getting awards, WKSU got five national awards in the Communication Contest produced by National Federation of Press Women (NFPW), including awards to Goodman and reporter/producer Amanda Rabinowitz.
And look! This is “Ann’s Corner” for another reason:
2nd Place: Online Newsletters, Interim Director of Public Relations and Marketing Ann VerWiebe for “Folk Alley Chat.”
Hey, we know her from somewhere. At least we didn’t miss it this time! Congratulations, Ann…
SPEAKING OF FRIENDS OF OMW: Former Clear Channel Youngstown programmer Matt Spatz is still an OMW reader.
Matt was programming rock WNCD/93.3 “The Wolf” and top 40 WAKZ/95.9 “Kiss FM” at South Avenue, until falling victim to the most recent round of Clear Channel budget cuts.
Matt checks in, and tells us: “I’m doing fine. I’ve had numerous inquiries from stations from around the country about PD, OM and morning show openings. Just waiting for the right one.”
If you’re hiring, and want to add Matt to your team, he can be reached via E-mail at matthewspatz (at) msn.com, or via phone at (330) 502-1254. (A reminder: upon request, we run both Help Wanted and Situation Wanted ads free of charge for anyone in the radio and TV industries.)
Despite being involuntarily thrown “on the beach” in the Clear Channel cuts, Matt has a positive attitude. “I’m blessed to have some great people around me,” Matt tells us…
Sharon Reed gone for 6-8 weeks. Hmm, has she been out since Thanksgiving? Saturday they began filming The Amazing Race 20, and being famous for being the naked journalist maybe just enough notoriety to get her on the show. Probably a long shot, but a possibility.
We don’t know, Fred, but that’s as good a guess as any! She’d need roughly 6-8 weeks if she were doing that…the show tapes for about a month, and she’d need a week or two or more on either side.
And WOIO is a CBS affiliate, and runs “The Amazing Race”. Bill Applegate would drool over the promotional opportunities.
Yeah, probably a long shot…but if it happens, you had it first!
Signed,
Primary Editorial Voice(tm)/TAR Fan 😉
In all actuallity, Sharon’s been “expecting” for awhile now.
She’s been trying to keep it on the down low, but WOIO contributors/radio big mouths Mike Trivisonno and Chuck Booms have been dropping not-so subtle hints for weeks now.
For what it’s worth, Steubenville’s WSTV 1340 AM has gone dark. People down in the Canton area and points south may have been able to pick it up. I guess Keymarket [the owners] have pulled the plug.
We don’t pay a lot of attention to the Ohio Valley these days, but we heard that. It sounds like Keymarket was having a property dispute with the owner of the WSTV transmitter site land.
But, wouldn’t TAR be better? Maybe Primary Editorial Voice and I should pair up! I already know how to drive stick and I promise to never put regular gas in a diesel gas tank. Oh, and no jams or jellies ):
Believe it or not, Ann, I’ve already got a potential TAR partner going back about 3 years now. But you’d be a great choice. Of course, I’m not ever going to be able do it, so don’t start packing just yet.
Oh, and don’t use the porta potty right before checking in at a pit stop.
— PEV(tm)