As promised, this is our final regular news update for 2008.We'll do our best to put up any major breaking media news (station sales, major format or personality/anchor changes) during the Christmas holiday period...but we won't be updating regularly until January 5, 2009.We will put up a very brief, non-newsy personal "Year End" message from your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) somewhere around the end of 2008.So, if it's not here in this update, it'll have to wait until...next year. (No, we're … [Read more...]
WNEO’s Continuing Transition Work
Posted on December 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 12/22/08 10:08 AM: OMW hears from Western Reserve PBS that Time Warner Cable is indeed now using the station's digital feed to feed the station to its analog cable subscribers.It's not known yet, however, when (or if) TWC's former Adelphia systems in the Cleveland area will add the HD version of WEAO/49.TWC systems in other parts of Northeast Ohio already carry the HD feed of Western Reserve PBS. When Time Warner took over the Adelphia systems, it added the HD feed of WEAO to the paper … [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...]
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...]
A Mess Of Cable Changes
Posted on December 9, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Every once in a while, we dip into the legal programming notices section of Time Warner Cable's website, where the company has to disclose some upcoming changes without shouting them from the rooftops.The list currently up for TWC's Northeast Ohio service area is long, complex and detailed.But...what looks innocuous on the legal notice could well develop into a problem not many anticipated.The notice includes what most usually think is "boilerplate" language about the potential loss of carriage … [Read more...]
Just Some Monday Stuff
Posted on November 24, 2008 · Leave a Comment
There's nothing particularly pressing, right now...we just wanted to clear the Friday deck:WNEO: We have yet to check in with the folks at Western Reserve PBS, so we're just putting this item up as a placeholder until we're able to get with them for an update on the newly-returned WNEO-DT/45 Alliance signal.But our own observations - far afield from the WNEO transmitter in Salem - saw the WNEO digital signal lighting up on and off over the weekend, but not quite locking a signal from OMW World … [Read more...]
THIS JUST IN: WKDD Turns To Billy Bush For Nights
Posted on November 20, 2008 · Leave a Comment
With Clear Channel Akron/Canton hot AC WKDD/98.1's former local evening voice now being heard alongside morning host Matt Patrick, the station has turned to a big syndicated name to take the vacated evening slot.The 7-11 PM weeknight slot once occupied by Krissy Taylor's voicetracked shift will be occupied starting Monday by Westwood One's "Billy Bush Show". Bush hosts TV's "Access Hollywood", and does his syndicated radio show from the TV show's studio.Quoting 'KDD:Billy is able to have the … [Read more...]
WNEO Analog Shutoff
Posted on November 18, 2008 · Leave a Comment
The second Northeast Ohio full-power analog signal to leave the airwaves is about to do so.As scheduled, Western Reserve PBS' WNEO/45 Alliance, the Youngstown market half of the Kent-based public TV operation, will shut down the analog Channel 45 transmitter on Wednesday morning - for good - to prepare for an upgrade to the digital WNEO signal, which will move from digital channel 46 to digital channel 45.OMW hears from our friends at Western Reserve PBS that the analog 45 signal will go dark at … [Read more...]
Out Of The Chute
Posted on November 17, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 11/17/08 9:50 PM: Two alert readers with the ability to pick up Youngstown market stations tell us that Clear Channel classic hits WBBG/106.1 Niles "Big 106.1" flipped to holiday tunes late last week. We've confirmed the switch by going to the station's website, and listening online.The station is now positioning for the season as "Youngstown-Warren's Christmas Music Channel"...-----------...for a Monday, with some newsy and some random items. Or maybe the title should be "Down The … [Read more...]
Election Day
Posted on November 4, 2008 · Leave a Comment
On this perhaps Biggest Ever Election Day, it's as close to the Super Bowl as local newsrooms will ever get.Since the presidential race is the primary race of interest, the various network partners of local TV and radio stations will do the "heavy lifting", with pretty much all of the TV and radio network newsrooms showing up at around 7 PM Eastern time - with coverage available even on broadcast TV networks well past midnight.Local news outlets won't stay on the sidelines all night, though. … [Read more...]
