Just one day after Dispatch's WBNS-FM/97.1 dumped hot AC "Mix 97.1"for sports, another Columbus station has stepped in.Saga oldies WODB/107.9 "B107.9" has picked up both WBNS-FM's discardedformat and identity as hot AC "Mix 107.9", launching with a "5,000song marathon"... … [Read more...]
Sports And Digital
Posted on January 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) is "on the road" for much of this week, and our updates will be a little more sporadic than usual.But, we did manage to put some "breaking news" up here before it happened on Monday, didn't we? And as usual, our physical exit from Ohio prompted a major change...sorry, Columbus, we should have warned you!THE SPORTS HIT THE FM FAN: And as reported here Monday, Dispatch hot AC WBNS-FM/97.1 Columbus "Mix 97.1" faded into oblivion as scheduled at 4 PM on … [Read more...]
FM Sports Tackles Columbus’ Mix
Posted on January 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Rumors are about to turn to reality in Columbus.AllAccess confirms that Dispatch hot AC WBNS-FM/97.1 "Mix 97.1" will flip in about an hour to a simulcast of sports sister station WBNS/1460...the new station to be known as "97.1 The Fan".OMW hears unconfirmed rumors that the move has already resulted in the dismissal of the entire (we're told) "Mix" FM staff.More later... … [Read more...]
Digital TV Date Etched In Water
Posted on January 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment
It's been kicking around Washington for the past few weeks, but it looks like Congress may indeed try to stand in front of the speeding Digital TV Express Train, wave its arms wildly and shout into the train's loud whistle - "slow down!"A number of reports late last week indicate that a key Republican U.S. Senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas (ranking member of the Senate's Commerce Committee), has ended her opposition to a move of the digital TV transition date from February 17th to June … [Read more...]
Format Changes We Missed
Posted on January 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Shortly after the start of every new year, some radio stations feel it's a great time for a fresh start...with a format change.Since they're not in our regular listening area, OMW missed two of them - but we've caught up with them a full week before the end of January, so we can say "this month"...W-WOW BACK TO TALK: The format wheel has been spun so often at one small Northeast Ohio station, WWOW/1360 Conneaut, we wouldn't be surprised to see TV's Vanna White around.Its most recent format was … [Read more...]
An Ohio Public Radio Merger
Posted on January 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment
As in commercial radio, the Incredibly Awful Economy is starting to affect public radio as well.That's what ultimately prompted a big move at Oxford's Miami University, where the university's NPR affiliate - WMUB/88.5 - will lose its original programming on March 1st.Cincinnati Public Radio will operate it starting that date, and will program it as a repeater for its own NPR station, WVXU/91.7.The Middletown Journal and the Dayton Business Journal have more, as does the university itself.You … [Read more...]
WNEO Goes Full Power
Posted on January 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment
OMW hears that Western Reserve PBS' Youngstown market outlet, WNEO/45 Alliance, has successfully raised its power to the post-transition 500KW level.As readers here already know, WNEO signed off its analog transmitter in Salem in mid-November 2008, going digital only with a 44KW authorization on its former analog channel, 45.But as station manager William O'Neill notes in a station press release, Western Reserve PBS quickly found out that 44KW was just not enough, and filed for a special … [Read more...]
Toledo Sale
Posted on January 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment
It appears that the folks at Toledo's Cornerstone Church may be getting out of the broadcasting business.AllAccess reports that the church's two radio stations - WNKL/96.9 Wauseon and WNWT/1520 Rossford - are being sold to California-based Educational Media Foundation for $2.8 million.EMF, of course, programs the satellite Christian contemporary music format "K-Love" from suburban Sacramento, and has been operating with that format on WNKL via a local marketing agreement since late 2004. The … [Read more...]
Sports Radio Fallout
Posted on January 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Some changes at a national sports radio network have created quite the fallout - at least for some stations.As part of massive changes announced by Clear Channel on Tuesday, Fox Sports Radio (run by Clear Channel's Premiere syndication arm) also announced a lineup shift.Out the door at FSR: shows including mid-morning's "Out of Bounds with Craig Shemon and James Washington", the nighttime show hosted by Andrew Siciliano and Crystal Fernandez, and Ben Maller's overnight show.Locally, "Out of … [Read more...]
An Odd Wednesday
Posted on January 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment
And considering the events of this week, "odd" may be an understatement.Yeah, we're tiring rather rapidly of listing those tossed aside from the Good Ship Radio this week. For the moment, we'll lead with something not related to job loss...THE ANALOG SHUFFLE: When local television stations figure out how they'll deal with cable systems and signal carriage, they have basically two choices.Broadcasters can either demand "retransmission consent", which means they get some consideration (monetary, … [Read more...]
