Since there's not much "new" at the moment, we'll go back and touch on updates to ongoing items...1350 SWITCH FALLOUT: As reported and expected, Clear Channel's WARF/1350 Akron dropped the liberal talk format Friday morning for sports as "Sports Radio 1350".It was a pretty uneventful flip. Jones Radio syndicated host Bill Press - whose current show started solely on WARF - threw out quick a "Goodbye, Akron!" just moments before the previously scheduled 8:58:50 spot break.Then, the station … [Read more...]
Finally, Akron/Canton News Closure Is Near
Posted on March 28, 2007 · Leave a Comment
No, we don't know if it was our incessant "coverage" of the lack of the WKYC/3-produced "Akron/Canton News" on the former Adelphia Summit County systems now owned by Time Warner Cable. But it looks like we'll finally get our wish."Akron/Canton News" anchor Eric Mansfield, on his DiscoverNEO blog, says Akron area residents on the former Adelphia system should be able to see his program soon:Don't touch that dial: The official announcement is coming Friday from Time-Warner Cable but it looks like … [Read more...]
EXCLUSIVE: Liberal Talk WARF/1350 Akron Flipping To Sports
Posted on March 28, 2007 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 3/28/07 1:45 PM: "Radio Free Ohio" has confirmed the end of the liberal talk format on an item titled "The End is near", on the station's website:The End is coming.The end of the progressive format on 1350 is coming on Friday March 30th at 8:59am.Watch this space for more information. The item does not announce the new format at this time, but we're reminded that change from sports to liberal talk was also made at about the same time of day, around 9 AM.Our original item is … [Read more...]
Random Tuesday Fodder
Posted on March 27, 2007 · Leave a Comment
NOTE TO KEN AND KITTY FANS: We appreciate your reading this article, which has apparently been linked to their website.However, Ohio Media Watch is not connected to either the show, or to the former radio home of the show. We are an independent online media publication that owns no broadcast facilities.If you wish to reach Ken and Kitty, please hit the BACK button on your browser and contact them directly via their website.Thank you!--The Management-------------We've got some flotsam and … [Read more...]
Where Else Does Dennis Go?
Posted on March 23, 2007 · Leave a Comment
The latest entertainment industry entrant into the talk radio realm debuts his Westwood One syndicated talk show Monday.And at launch or soon after, comedian/commentator/former football TV voice/actor/raconteur (whew!) Dennis Miller will have over 80 affiliates in his list, including some in reasonably large markets - including a clearance in his hometown of Pittsburgh, on CBS Radio's new FM talk station WRKZ/93.7.Well, it's rocker WRKZ now. Starting April 2nd it'll be WTZN "The Zone - … [Read more...]
Starting The Week
Posted on March 19, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Consider this something of a light breakfast. Not too filling, but at least it puts some media food into you...SKYFOX HD FLYING: We earlier mentioned some visuals from the Cleveland market's first HDTV-equipped news helicopter, the newly-minted "SkyFOX HD".Well, we haven't seen it ourselves yet, but the station has begun promoting the new HD helicopter capabilities with the same booming station voice which first trumpeted the station's entry into HDTV news some time ago.It's not only the first … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: Akron’s WHLO Drops Laura Ingraham
Posted on March 12, 2007 · Leave a Comment
An alert OMW reader called this to our attention, and we've confirmed it: TRN's Laura Ingraham has been dropped by Clear Channel talk WHLO/640 Akron.She's been replaced in the 9-11 PM slot by another TRN host, Rusty Humphries.OMW hears that one reason for the Ingraham departure on WHLO is timing.Originally brought aboard in her live mid-morning time slot (then 10 AM to noon on 640), Ingraham was moved to nights on WHLO after the station grabbed Premiere's Glenn Beck, when sister talk WTAM/1100 … [Read more...]
Welcome To March
Posted on March 3, 2007 · Leave a Comment
On the heels of items mentioned before, and sometimes more so...WRQK INVADES AKRON?: Clear Channel's new rocker WRQK/106.9 Canton has surely had at least some Akron listeners over the years, even with the presence of competing Rubber City rock WONE/97.5 and the station's general focus on Canton itself in the Cumulus years - give or take throwaway Akron mentions, like in the station's legal ID.And with the WRQK signal recently juiced back up to normal with its new tower site, we've wondered if … [Read more...]
Weekend Grab Bag
Posted on February 25, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Just some stuff to occupy our weekend:DR. LAURA'S RETURN: We don't know how we missed this, but former Premiere syndicated host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has been making her way back onto major market stations as of late.Dr. Laura's show disappeared from the dial a year or two ago in virtually all major Ohio markets, mostly a result of lesser interest in the show by Premiere - the syndicator owned by Clear Channel.The show left a number of Clear Channel stations, in Cleveland, Columbus and … [Read more...]
Monday Night Mix
Posted on February 19, 2007 · Leave a Comment
A whole buncha stuff tonight, mostly updates:TIME WARNER REDUX: We're glad to provide a source of amusement to the fine folks over at Time Warner Cable. No, really, we are!This time, it was our item/speculation about the presence of "Time Warner One", a new channel showing up on cable position 1 on the Akron/Canton-based TWC cable system.It's showing instructional videos right now, and we wondered aloud if Time Warner would mount a new local programming channel there.OK, so we're wrong...again. … [Read more...]
