UPDATE 12/10/08 11:35 PM: And tonight, there are some more details.The Toledo Free Press' below linked article has been updated. Here's the quote which pretty much says it all, in the eyes of Mr. Neff:After describing the stabbing incident (to substitute host/Free Press editor-in-chief Michael S. Miller), Neff said, “Apparently people got a memo at WSPD from (program director) Brian Wilson not to mention the story, not to mention my name at all today. I’d just like to say that Brian Wilson can … [Read more...]
Update On WNEO Power Increase
Posted on December 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As we reported earlier, Western Reserve PBS now has a construction permit to increase power at its Youngstown-market station, WNEO/45, from 44KW to 500KW. WNEO signed off its analog signal on channel 45 last month, and lit up the 44KW digital facility on 45 shortly thereafter.We have a tentative answer about when Western Reserve PBS will be able to "up the juice" on the new digital channel 45, which serves mostly the Youngstown/Warren area and parts of eastern Stark and Portage Counties from … [Read more...]
Toledo Media Job Dump
Posted on December 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment
In our earlier item about 13 jobs being cut at Raycom Media Cleveland CBS/MyNet affiliates WOIO/19-WUAB/43, we found that the cuts were nationwide for the Montgomery, Alabama-based TV chain.And we wondered about cuts at the other Raycom operations here in Ohio.We mentioned the company's FOX affiliate in Cincinnati, WXIX/19....where we still haven't heard anything about job losses. For that matter, neither has Jeremy Moses down at Tri-State Media Watch, who's still dealing with health … [Read more...]
Toledo Radio Host Stabbed
Posted on December 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment
The host of a Toledo morning drive talk radio show was sent to the hospital Wednesday, after being stabbed in an apparent road rage incident in the Toledo suburb of Perrysburg on Wednesday night.Troy Neff, who hosts "The Troy Neff Show" weekdays from 6-10 AM on Clear Channel sports/talk WCWA/1230 "FOX Sports Radio 1230", underwent surgery at a local hospital after receiving multiple stab wounds. Various sources tell local media outlets that Neff "will be fine" and that the injuries aren't life … [Read more...]
Booking It
Posted on December 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
It's been a very busy couple of weeks or so, media news-wise, so let's step down for just a bit and talk about media-related books...and some other items.The folks at Cleveland's Gray and Company remind us of their latest book focusing on Cleveland TV, "Big Chuck! My Favorite Stories from 47 Years on Cleveland TV" by Chuck Schodowski (with Plain Dealer writer Tom Feran).Quoting their release about the book by the now-retired WJW/8 mainstay:The book includes hundreds of funny and surprising … [Read more...]
Road Trip To Tiffin
Posted on December 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Syndicated morning talk show host Doug Stephan's camp has been touting his recent "road trip"...where the "Doug Stephan's Good Day" host broadcast his radio show from a number of his affiliates. It's something he's done annually, hoping to provide in-person support to the stations which carry his show.Only now, Stephan owns one of those stations.The mention of his first stop - Tiffin talk outlet WTTF/1600 - reminded us to check, and sure enough, Tiffin Broadcasting, LLC officially owns the … [Read more...]
Television Facility Changes
Posted on December 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
This is an item about two proposed local facilities changes - one approved, one on the consideration table - and oddly enough, a very indirect link between them.First, thanks to the many tipsters who have let us know that Western Reserve PBS' Youngstown-market WNEO/45 Alliance has indeed received FCC approval of a construction permit to increase its new Channel 45 digital facility from 44KW to 500KW.The "maximization" permit was approved after WNEO and Post-Newsweek Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV/4 … [Read more...]
“KNR2” Denied Tower Zoning
Posted on December 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As it turns out, there's a good reason Good Karma sports WWGK/1540 Cleveland "AM 1540, KNR2" hasn't been able to upgrade its power under a recently granted construction permit.The city of North Royalton's zoning appeals board has turned back the tower construction needed to move WWGK from Cleveland's East Side to the transmitter site of "big brother" station WKNR/850 "ESPN 850".The weekly newspaper the "Sun Star" has more:City leaders contend the property is now zoned "Traditional Town … [Read more...]
Layoffs Hit Another Station
Posted on December 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 12/10/08 8:50 AM: Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington - who apparently escaped her own employer's recent layoff axe - confirms a number of the details in this PD story.Washington says "as many as 13" WOIO/WUAB employees were shown through the We Can't Afford You Anymore door, including "19 Action News" morning co-anchor Jeff Eliasoph, in what appears to be a nationwide cut of about 10 percent of station owner Raycom Media's staff.Eliasoph tells Washington that he didn't have … [Read more...]
WAKS Isn’t Going Anywhere
Posted on December 9, 2008 · Leave a Comment
And by "isn't going anywhere", we mean "isn't being sold".In a move we first saw reported today by AllAccess, an application has been filed with the FCC to return top 40 WAKS/96.5 Akron - the Cleveland market "Kiss FM" outlet - to Clear Channel, along with a number of stations in similar situations.WAKS and the other stations had been flipped to the Aloha Station Trust, a holding company which was charged (in principle) with selling the stations to other companies so Clear Channel could comply … [Read more...]
