As promoted, but a little late...a bit of a Digital TV Update. As of this writing, we're about 6 weeks away from the digital TV transition on February 17th, where, by 11:59:59 PM, all full-power stations will turn off their signals.Well, almost all.We've told you about the so-called "nightlight" analog TV bill, which was approved and signed into law. It allows a certain number of stations to keep their analog TV transmitters up for 30 days after February 17, carrying information about the … [Read more...]
Rolling Into 2009
Posted on January 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment
And here it is...with the exception of our special "Breaking News" over the weekend - more on that later - our first regular update for 2009.Since we've been mostly gone since just before Christmas, it'll be a long one...SUNDAY NEWS: With TV groups looking to save money, the latest focus is on Sunday mornings.As we hinted earlier, Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 in Cleveland has indeed scrapped its Sunday morning edition of "FOX 8 News", which had been airing from 8 to 9 AM.We hear from our … [Read more...]
THIS JUST IN: WNIR Joins 21st Century, Streams Audio
Posted on January 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment
It's been rumored for what seems like a year, but is now reality.The new website for Media-Com Akron market talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" is online as of this Friday afternoon, and yes, there is live streaming audio. We're listening to it right now.The station is running a banner on the updated website with this crawl: "From Cleveland to Cancun, from Los Angeles to London, from New York to New Delhi...FROM ANYWHERE TO ANYWHERE...WNIR welcomes our new global audience!"OMW hears that the … [Read more...]
Sending 2008 Away
Posted on December 31, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Much like the NFL's Cleveland Browns, we're quite ready to consign 2008 to a distant memory, as soon as possible...though we have no general manager or head coach to show the door.There were people who prospered in 2008 in the local media, but the list was rather small.Local TV and radio stations cut staffing, cut hard, cut deep and did so over many months. (Even so, they were outdone in that regard by the flagging newspaper industry.)The list of talented media professionals now "on the beach", … [Read more...]
Heading Off
Posted on December 23, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As promised, this is our final regular news update for 2008.We'll do our best to put up any major breaking media news (station sales, major format or personality/anchor changes) during the Christmas holiday period...but we won't be updating regularly until January 5, 2009.We will put up a very brief, non-newsy personal "Year End" message from your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) somewhere around the end of 2008.So, if it's not here in this update, it'll have to wait until...next year. (No, we're … [Read more...]
Assorted Holiday Stuff
Posted on December 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As we wind down before Christmas and New Years, an announcement.As we hinted earlier, OMW will indeed be on official "Holiday Hiatus" starting late tomorrow. We'll post a "year-end" message around the end of 2008, but not much more.We'll definitely return on January 5th, 2009. If there are any major, breaking media news items, we'll try to at least mention them here - even during the hiatus.But the level of "major, breaking media news" is very high over this holiday break...i.e. it'll … [Read more...]
WNEO’s Continuing Transition Work
Posted on December 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 12/22/08 10:08 AM: OMW hears from Western Reserve PBS that Time Warner Cable is indeed now using the station's digital feed to feed the station to its analog cable subscribers.It's not known yet, however, when (or if) TWC's former Adelphia systems in the Cleveland area will add the HD version of WEAO/49.TWC systems in other parts of Northeast Ohio already carry the HD feed of Western Reserve PBS. When Time Warner took over the Adelphia systems, it added the HD feed of WEAO to the paper … [Read more...]
WVKO Losing Liberal Talk
Posted on December 21, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Just a couple of weeks after Bernard Radio liberal talk WVKO/1580 Columbus celebrated its first anniversary, the format is about to go away.Those associated with the current format, operated in a local marketing agreement by Gary Richards' Cowtown Communications, are announcing that the liberal talk format's last day will be Monday, December 22nd.From the station's website:WVKO AM will be changing format from “Progressive Talk” to “Religious” before the year is over. The station has been … [Read more...]
Bill Gordon Dies
Posted on December 19, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Long-time Cleveland TV and radio host Bill "Smoochie" Gordon has passed away at the age of 83.The station which carried Gordon's "One O'Clock Club", Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5, confirms his death in a story posted on its NewsNet5 website. The Plain Dealer's Michael Heaton has an obituary which was just posted on Cleveland.com.The Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office says Gordon was found dead in his Euclid apartment Thursday, and that the death is believed to be of natural causes.In addition to … [Read more...]
Beck Back To Old Columbus Home
Posted on December 19, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 12/19/08 1:31 PM: OMW hears that displaced WTVN/610 midday host Joel Riley will be designated the "primary fill-in" for the station's two remaining local hosts, Bob Conners and John Corby...duty which should give him at least a few weeks of airtime over the course of a year, since both Conners and Corby have extensive vacation time.We're told Riley will also continue with Corby and Joe Bradley in the Friday "Big Bass Brothers" segment on Corby's show, and that he could have other duties … [Read more...]
