UPDATE 8/21/08 12:56 PM: Those looking for a LOT, and we mean a LOT, more detail on the Beacon's latest cuts need only turn to a story on Rubber City Radio's AkronNewsNow, by reporter Craig Simpson.The story notes that the reported 20 job cuts targeted at the Beacon would comprise some 17-percent of the newsroom staff of 100.And Simpson reports on how the reductions will affect the newspaper's readers:The latest cuts will also be felt on the pages of the newspaper, according to accounts of a … [Read more...]
Some More Things
Posted on August 20, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Some stuff we left behind in our "Two-Fer Tuesday" update, and mostly minor notes...THE NATION'S STATION: Clear Channel has programming rights to a handful of channels on XM Satellite Radio, which was recently merged into competitor Sirius under the corporate name "Sirius XM Radio".Trade site AllAccess reports that Clear Channel is making a number of changes on its XM space, including the change of the "Sunny" AC format channel to "The Pink Channel", as described by a recent AllAccess item: … [Read more...]
Thursday Menu
Posted on August 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment
And this time, we have one item that makes our use of the word "menu" in the title of this - literally...NEW SUMMIT MUSIC DIRECTOR: There's word that Akron Public Schools-owned AAA WAPS/91.3 "The Summit" has brought in a new music director.She's Liz Mozzocco, who's been programming Cumulus AAA outlet KBXR in Columbia, MO, along with co-hosting the station's morning show. Various trade reports say Mozzocco has been at the Columbia station for 13 years.Liz also coming in to cover the on-air … [Read more...]
Monday Update
Posted on July 21, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Starting a new week with these items...DRAGGED INTO THE 21ST CENTURY: It's the Nagging Rumor That Won't Go Away, Northeast Ohio radio-wise.Is Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" about ready to become "The Talk of the (Internet) World", as it were?An OMW reader tipped us a month or two back to an on-air comment by WNIR midday host Howie Chizek...that the station was apparently readying a streaming audio feed, offering the local talk station's programming to Internet listeners.And then, … [Read more...]
Mid-July Visit
Posted on July 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment
There's nothing particularly "breaking" going on, at least that we know of, in local media. But we managed to cobble together a few items to fill a Monday morning update...NEON SWITCH: A couple of OMW readers checked in over the weekend to ask a question... "Did you know that Time Warner Cable has switched its local programming channel to channel 23?"That switch has been made in the former Adelphia areas of greater Cleveland - including here at the OMW World Headquarters - where the "Northeast … [Read more...]
WKSU Launches HD Subchannels
Posted on July 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Kent State University NPR/classical WKSU/89.7 Kent has unveiled two HD Radio subchannels.The WKSU-originated "Folk Alley" programming takes the HD2 subchannel, and the station's all-classical feed is occupying WKSU-HD3. The station's main broadcast signal continues its digital presence at WKSU-HD1.Both programming streams have long been available over the station's website.WKSU general manager Al Bartholet writes in his "Al Things Considered" blog that the subchannels have been up since … [Read more...]
On The Fringes
Posted on July 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
A trio of recent items that are on the fringes of our coverage area, have some links to Ohio or are otherwise used to fill this next update:ABC FOR THE OHIO VALLEY: The Wheeling/Steubenville market is about to get what it has never, ever had - a full-time, in-market ABC affiliate station.The folks at TVNewsday report that West Virginia Media CBS affiliate WTRF/7 Wheeling will launch a new ABC affiliate for the Ohio Valley on August 1, with a digital subchannel on WTRF-DT. That'd have to be, as … [Read more...]
Radio News Website, Other Local Connections In Murrow Awards
Posted on July 2, 2008 · Leave a Comment
A hearty congratulations to Akron's Rubber City Radio for a much-deserved award.The local radio company's extensive local news website, AkronNewsNow.com, has received an Edward R. Murrow Award.Quoting the local site's own article on the award, written by Rubber City VP/Information Media Ed Esposito:AkronNewsNow.com was judged best news website for the category covering radio stations in markets 51+ for the Murrow Award. The Murrow Awards program is administered by the Radio Television News … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: WQMX Looking For New AM Drive Co-Host
Posted on July 1, 2008 · Leave a Comment
OMW has confirmed that Rubber City Radio Akron market country station WQMX/94.9 is looking for a new morning co-host, after the voluntary departure of Shannon Alexander.Well, the initial word came from WQMX's own Morning Show website page:Special Announcement: It's is with mixed emotions we announce that Shannon Alexander has left her position on the WQMX Morning Show. We are happy that Shannon will get to be at home full time with her boys, but we will miss her presence on the air daily. In … [Read more...]
Stopping By For A Visit
Posted on June 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Our infrequent update schedule had one formerly regular reader assuming that we're gone for good!No, we're not.Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) has been out of town and busy, for one, and we're about to leave Northeast Ohio for a while again.In the past, that's triggered something in the space-time-media continuum, but we're not sure our exit from the region still results in major changes. One of our vacations a couple of years ago ended up with even Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage scrambling … [Read more...]
