Thank you for hanging in there while we took an extended hiatus. And, welcome to 2008!Here are some random items to carry you along for a while. And watch this space for a possible announcement sometime in the next few days...FREEMAN EXITS 45/49: Kent-based PBS outlet WNEO/45-WEAO/49 "PBS 45 & 49" is saying goodbye later this year to a key, long-time employee.The station says chief operating officer Don Freeman will retire on March 28 of this year.Freeman has been with the … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: New WRQK/WHLO PD
Posted on December 12, 2007 · Leave a Comment
OMW hears that it's official - long-time rock programmer Greg Ausham is headed for Clear Channel rock WRQK/106.9 Canton "Rock 106.9" as program director.Ausham will also fill the PD vacancy down the Freedom Avenue hall at the company's talk WHLO/640 Akron.OMW reported earlier that WRQK PD Keith Hamilton stepped down from his programming duties to concentrate on his long-running midday show. And WHLO program director Jerry Mullins left the building as well.Ausham's programming history includes a … [Read more...]
Tom Sullivan Dies
Posted on December 2, 2007 · Leave a Comment
OMW hears that long-time Northeast Ohio radio personality Tom Sullivan has passed away at the age of 53. Tom, born Tom Farrar in Canal Fulton in 1954, died Friday afternoon.From the Canton Repository's online obituary listing:Tom spent over 30 years in radio and was known by his stage name Tom Sullivan. Tom worked for WKDD, WQMX, WHBC-FM and the old M105 in Cleveland and others. "If I put a smile on your face or made you laugh at one of my stunts, then it was all worth while"Tom's last known … [Read more...]
Happy Thanksgiving
Posted on November 22, 2007 · Leave a Comment
As noted in a previous item, OMW will basically "go dark" for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, though we will post any major news involving the local media if we're able to do so.But here we are, slipping one under the door at deadline...FINAL HO-HO-HO UPDATE, AND A FORMAT ADJUSTMENT: It's Salem CCM WFHM/95.5 "The Fish" in Cleveland as the latest holiday convert, with a planned switch to Christmas music...at least according to their website, at any rate...at midnight tonight/Thanksgiving … [Read more...]
And Still Another Ho-Ho-Ho Destination
Posted on November 19, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Rubber City Radio standards/oldies WAKR/1590 Akron has become the latest participant in the Northeast Ohio Holiday Music Radio Sweepstakes, flipping sometime today.We particularly like one of the liners we heard today:"The one time a year you let a fat man down the chimney, and don't call 911. News, sports and holiday music...1590/WAKR!"WAKR is no stranger to running traditional Christmas and holiday music. But this year, that sleigh is being driven (sorry, couldn't help it) by the station … [Read more...]
Out The Weekend Door
Posted on November 17, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Here are some items that were piled up as we prepare to shut down for the weekend...RUBBER CITY RADIO STAFFER'S NEW JOB: You could say that Rubber City Radio afternoon traffic voice Toni Cicone has a new "stack" of work.Well, OK, that was a pun you never saw coming, as the folks on West Market Street tell us that Cicone, who has been afternoon editor for the company's extensive AkronNewsNow website, has left Akron's WAKR/1590-WQMX/94.9-WONE/97.5 for a new non-radio job.It's for a magazine … [Read more...]
The Midweek Skip
Posted on November 15, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Looks like we're doing the "Tuesday/Thursday" thing this week, as far as updates go...RONNIE DUNCAN OUT?: Regular OMW reader and alert tipster Nathan Obral in Lake County gets the hat tip for this.He doesn't know when it happened - and for that matter, neither do we - but it appears morning drive host Ronnie Duncan is out at Radio One Cleveland urban talker WERE/1490.Sure enough, Duncan has been excised from the "Newstalk 1490" website. The schedule now lists the "WERE Morning Show" from 6-9 … [Read more...]
Freedom Avenue Changes
Posted on November 2, 2007 · Leave a Comment
We have two items of note out of Clear Channel's Akron/Canton cluster.First, it's former WTAM/1100 weekend overnight news anchor Michael Kelly who takes over the morning news anchor slot at talk WHLO/640, starting Monday.Recently, Kelly has been doing news for WPGB/104.7 Pittsburgh during the regionally syndicated "Quinn and Rose" show - via the company computer network from Clear Channel Cleveland's Oak Tree facilities, so he never actually left the building after WTAM pulled local overnight … [Read more...]
Clearing Out On Friday
Posted on October 19, 2007 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 10/20/07 12:30 PM: A correction to the below...the wedding mentioned above happened two years ago. But we're still happy for Autumn and her now-no-longer-new husband.Our apologies. The original site didn't say which year "October" was in...--------------It's Friday, and EVERYTHING MUST GO!OK, not everything. Only the random items on our plate and in our brains...NEW 5'ER?: Thursday on WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5", we heard a voice and a name that should be familiar to some of those in the … [Read more...]
Random Thought
Posted on October 18, 2007 · Leave a Comment
While awaiting our next full update, sometime later today or tomorrow... a question.How can Cleveland Cavaliers flagship WTAM/1100 produce a Cavaliers' broadcast from literally the other side of the world - Shanghai, China - that sounds like Fred McLeod is doing it from Cleveland......but Akron market talker WNIR/100.1's regular weekend remotes from car dealers literally down the same street from their studios in the same Akron suburb sound like they're coming from China?OK, so we know the … [Read more...]
