Yes, here at your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), we realize that we've spent a lot of time and written a lot of items on the Now Officially Delayed Digital TV Transition.As always, we're basically driven by what's going on...and that's been the most active area that we cover. We'll try to mix it up at least a little in this item, though there's at least one DTV transition item in here, too...IT'S GOOD TO BE ALIVE...WEEEEE!: An OMW reader recently wrote:I haven't listened to Tony Rizzo lately but did … [Read more...]
No Longer A Network
Posted on February 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Raycom Media WUAB/43 "My 43" in Cleveland won't technically be a "network affiliate" this coming fall, though it'll still be "My" and still air a slate of prime-time national programming.The "My" in "My 43", MyNetwork TV, has announced that it'll consider itself a "programming service" starting in the fall, and will reduce its programming hours by two hours, to 10 hours a week. That move frees up Saturday nights to MyNetwork affiliates like WUAB.And WOIO/WUAB VP/general manager Bill Applegate … [Read more...]
Cleveland’s Kiss FM Dumps Chris Brown Music
Posted on February 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment
With the caveat that we're not regular listeners to Clear Channel Cleveland top 40 WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM", and couldn't identify this person if you pointed us to one of his videos and said his name:"Kiss" has announced that it's dumping music by Chris Brown, the popular recording star accused of assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna (another singer), off of its playlist. (We aren't familiar with her, either. We're obviously not P1 listeners for WAKS.)Quoting Kiss PD Bo Matthews from a Clear Channel … [Read more...]
Monday Potpourri
Posted on February 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment
It's Monday, and unlike some potpourri, ours is a mix of both palatable and unpalatable items. (We wish we could control the ingredients...)CUMULUS LAYOFFS: Looks like we start off with the unpalatable, as Cumulus Media dropped the layoff axe again late last week...and the company's two Northern Ohio markets were hit hard.We already told you about Toledo's job carnage on Friday...we'll fill in some of the names in a bit.And like in Toledo, if Cumulus keeps cutting like this in Youngstown, … [Read more...]
A Weekend Digital TV Update
Posted on February 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We're taking a rare Saturday opportunity to answer questions that peppered our mailbox all day Friday - about the digital TV transition, and when Ohio stations will shut off analog signals...February 17th or June 12th?The answer, right now, is that some cases we know, and in others, we don't believe the station has made a decision yet.That decision must be filed with the FCC by this coming Monday night, and President Obama is now expected to sign the bill Monday - after a built-in five-day … [Read more...]
Yes, There’s Radio
Posted on February 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We've focused so much on the digital TV transition recently, that we wouldn't be surprised if some of our newer readers wondered if we forgot about radio.Of course not. We just can't control all the crazy activity surrounding the change in the digital TV transition date.But here are some radio items hitting our radar, along with one that also touches TV. Unfortunately, not all the news is good...MORE LAYOFFS: OMW hears that the already devastated Cumulus cluster in Toledo is undergoing … [Read more...]
Figuring Out Digital TV
Posted on February 6, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We do have an update with other items (honest, we do!) which will appear later, but there's significant news on the digital TV front still breaking seemingly every hour.With a clearer picture from the FCC, it looks a wrench may have been thrown into TV stations' earlier plans to cease analog broadcasting on the original digital transition date, February 17, 2009...and that wrench may have already landed in Cleveland.We're hearing from readers that Local TV-owned Fox affiliate WJW/8 is now … [Read more...]
More Digital TV Date Fallout
Posted on February 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We promise...we've got some other items in the hopper, which will show up later today.But the about-to-be-changed national digital TV transition date still dominates the headlines, and we're still tracking fallout from it locally and regionally. The date change bill is expected to be signed by President Obama sometime in the next day or two, then the FCC will be tasked with quickly writing rules to put it into place.Though Local TV-owned WJW/8 "FOX 8" in Cleveland is still the only TV station … [Read more...]
THIS JUST IN: WJW Files For Early Analog Shutoff
Posted on February 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment
One Cleveland market TV station has now filed with the FCC to shut off its analog transmitter, and move to its post-transition digital operation, on the original digital transition date of February 17th.Local TV-owned Fox affiliate WJW/8 "FOX 8"'s filing with the FCC hit the agency's online database early this morning. (Thanks to RabbitEars.info's Trip Ericson for first word, and for keeping track of all the applications!)The filing references the current uncertainty over the digital transition … [Read more...]
Three Items Or More
Posted on February 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Now, some items we've missed, or smaller items that have just come to our attention...CAROLE GONE?: Though this appeared on Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 senior director Frank Macek's "Director's Cut" blog, we missed it in our recent trip out of Northeast Ohio.A job change by newly installed "Channel 3 News at 7" co-anchor Carole Sullivan's husband appears likely to send her packing to San Diego.That's where Mike Sullivan has been named offensive line coach for the NFL's San Diego Chargers. He … [Read more...]
