The Northeast Ohio media community is stunned this morning by the death of veteran Akron and Cleveland broadcaster Chuck Collins. Chuck's death is not a surprise, per se. He's been battling brain cancer for years. But Chuck Collins had an impact on local broadcasters in both personal and professional ways. Chuck was most recently operations director for the Rubber City Radio Group's three Akron stations, then-oldies/news (now news/talk/sports) WAKR/1590, rock WONE/97.5 and country … [Read more...]
Soon To Be “Action” Less
Posted on May 18, 2015 · 5 Comments
A bunch of items this time around, but first... NO ACTION: We've told you for weeks (exclusively) what's coming soon at Reserve Square...the long-time "19 Action News" branding at Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO/19-MyNetwork TV affliate WUAB/43 is about to be put out of "action". And for the first time, we have outside clues that it's about to happen soon. Lance Venta at our content partners RadioInsight is no stranger to divining future radio changes from broadcasters' domain name … [Read more...]
Press Release Theatre, Vol. 13
Posted on May 14, 2015 · Leave a Comment
And as always...oh, you should know by now who comes first in these things...and that the releases were all released in a timely matter. We're just getting a Round Tuit(tm)... WKSU WINS TEN OAPME AWARDS FOR WORK CREATED IN 2014 Ann VerWiebe, WKSU In a Columbus ceremony, WKSU was honored with 10 OAPME Awards from the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors this weekend, including the top award for General Excellence (an award presented to the large market radio station with the best showing … [Read more...]
Reprieve For “La Mega”
Posted on April 28, 2015 · 3 Comments
As expected, the looming September 1st FCC deadline for analog LPTV stations to convert to digital has been suspended. The excellent Tom Taylor Now E-mail newsletter gave us first word of the FCC's decision (released on Friday) here, and explains some of it: The reprieve is a logical move given the early-2016 TV spectrum auction that’s going to turn the whole dial upside down after it’s been trimmed up and “re-packed.” The FCC says postponing the September 1 transition date is “appropriate … [Read more...]
On To The Next Radio
Posted on April 23, 2015 · 2 Comments
Radio and TV, both traditional and "new", in this update. But first... NEXT RADIO MOVE: We're still compiling items for our "#TheNextRadio" series, focusing on non-broadcast versions of "radio" in 2015. One long-time OMW reader is diving into that universe head first. Chuck Matthews, who has a thriving voiceover business, is leaving his "day job" at Akron's Rubber City Radio Group to join the region's most high profile online radio operation. It was John Gorman's "oWOW" that we first … [Read more...]
No Longer Ink Stained
Posted on April 20, 2015 · Leave a Comment
The trend is growing - with long-time print reporters trading ink and print for electrons. Veteran Akron Beacon Journal reporter Phil Trexler is the latest "ink stained wretch" to go electronic, as he's leaving East Exchange Street to take his talents to the North Coast... Proud to announce I'll be Seeing the Possible @wkyc as their investigative producer with @tommeyerWKYC. Of course @denisep is a bonus!— PHIL TREXLER-ABJ (@PhilTrexler) April 17, 2015 That's Denise … [Read more...]
Press Release Theatre, Vol. 12
Posted on April 8, 2015 · Leave a Comment
As usual, guess who starts our press release parade? Well, she WAS first...and she has some help from another Kent-based Friend of OMW... ----- (WKSU and Western Reserve PBS) WKSU AND WESTERN RESERVE PBS EXAMINE VIETNAM’S LEGACY 40 YEARS LATER COLLABORATION INCLUDES RADIO REPORTS AND DOCUMENTARY FILM The WKSU newsroom looks back at two significant historical events, presented in collaboration with Western Reserve PBS. As the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the … [Read more...]
Jobs And Other Stuff
Posted on April 1, 2015 · 3 Comments
As promised, some job openings and some other stuff. And...not a single April Fools Day-inspired post in the bunch... JOB OPENING #1: A staffer at Radio One Cleveland has nabbed a new job, and that means the cluster is looking for a new assistant chief engineer. Chief engineer Gary Zocolo, who is a long-time Friend of OMW and then some, lets us know: Ben Slagle was hired here as Assistant Chief Engineer two years ago. Ben had IT skills but very limited broadcast knowledge. After two very … [Read more...]
About The Next Radio
Posted on February 22, 2015 · 2 Comments
Each Monday, we will have an installment in our series called #thenextradio. The series came about when we were, like many, noticing experienced broadcasters striking out on their own...more often than before. Some had left "traditional radio" voluntarily, some not in such a voluntary way. In the old days, these people basically disappeared when they left the chair behind the microphone...until they managed to get a new radio job, a lot of times "across the street" in radio parlance. Of … [Read more...]
Stations New And Old
Posted on February 3, 2015 · 3 Comments
And our opener today is a big signal upgrade for a translator that'll apparently add to iHeart's Oak Tree stable... LATEST FORMAT?: Our content partners at RadioInsight first spotted a move that'd turn translator W291BV/106.1 Solon into a player in the Cleveland market, signal-wise: In Cleveland, an application filed by iHeartMedia will see EMF’s 106.1 W291BV Solon, OH move to the current auxiliary antenna of CBS’ 102.1 WDOK where it will operate with 200 watts at 264 meters rebroadcasting an … [Read more...]
