If there was ever a weekend kickoff that'd was nearly official, it was delivered to Northeast Ohioans by Murray Saul. The man known for his weekend-starting Friday rants on WMMS/100.7 in its heyday in the 1970s has passed away at the age of 86. Yes, 86. The Northeast Ohio Media Group's Cliff Pinkard has more: Saul became a radio icon in Cleveland with his Friday Get Down rants, in which he talked about about heartless bosses, boring jobs and the screwed-up state of the world. Whipped to … [Read more...]
We Almost Lost Dick Goddard
Posted on May 15, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Veteran Tribune Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8 News" meteorologist Dick Goddard almost left this earth after over 83 years (28 Celsius, as he says), but not due to his advanced age. Goddard, and weather forecasters across Northeast Ohio, have surely repeated advice to those driving in flooded areas..."turn around, don't drown"...but he didn't take that advice this week in Medina County. The Medina County Gazette's David Knox has details, including very vivid on scene pictures of Goddard's … [Read more...]
Rover’s Legal Case Over
Posted on May 13, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7 morning chien Shane "Rover" French has avoided a trial. Just over a week before he would have been tried on a host of charges linked to setting off fireworks on the night of July 4th last year at Whiskey Island, French pleaded guilty in a deal that will avoid felony charges and jail time. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has the case details involving the ringmaster of "Rover's Morning Glory" and sidekick Michael "Chocolate Charlie" Toomey, with both men … [Read more...]
A Whole Box Of Media Changes
Posted on May 12, 2014 · 2 Comments
As usual, the busiest times in the life of your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) roughly coincide with the busiest times in local media news, and the past few days are no exception... NEW RESERVE SQUARE LEADER: We've written words and words and more words about now-retired Raycom Media CBS/MyNet affiliate WOIO/19-WUAB/43 VP/general manager Bill Applegate. Will his successor have such a high profile? Incoming at Reserve Square is Dominic Mancuso, who has been leading Sinclair's stations in … [Read more...]
Spring Changes
Posted on May 1, 2014 · Leave a Comment
The theme for this one is change... in one way or the other... CHARTER, NOT COMCAST: Northeast Ohio customers of Time Warner Cable, the area's dominant cable provider, were preparing themselves to deal with Comcast. The merger of Time Warner and Comcast has been in the works, and is currently awaiting federal regulatory approval. It's that bid to garner approval that led Comcast and Time Warner to team up with a third company, Charter Communications...which will either directly or … [Read more...]
The Media Court
Posted on April 25, 2014 · 5 Comments
Time once again to go through the legal media files. We'll start with the most recent news... ROVER AND HOWARD: Clear Channel rock/talk WMMS/100.7 syndicated morning doggie Rover is mounting his defense over charges related to an arrest by an off-duty Cleveland police officer, after French was launching fireworks late last Independence Day night at a local yacht club. And Shane French has called another big name in radio to the stand in his upcoming trail. One of the very biggest, in … [Read more...]
Spring Layoff Season
Posted on April 17, 2014 · Leave a Comment
The snow is no longer flying again, for now, but the layoff season is in full swing... CLEAR CHANNEL SALES CUTS: It'd been foreseen for weeks. Media giant Clear Channel was expected to radically overhaul its sales structure, cutting back on local sales efforts and streamlining that end of the company's operations. Sure enough, that became a reality on Wednesday. We'll let the excellent Tom Taylor Now newsletter handle the basic description, quoting from a company release about a topic Clear … [Read more...]
A Home Run Update
Posted on April 5, 2014 · Leave a Comment
No, we're not bragging...it's just that baseball is on our mind, after Friday's big Opening Day at Progressive Field. This update is very TV heavy, though those looking for an important update on an earlier radio story should immediately scroll down to our last item... DISH AND STO CONNECT: And since these things usually come down to the last minute, the Indians home opener probably nudged SportsTime Ohio and Dish Network into an agreement. Just hours before the rain-delayed first … [Read more...]
Ending March With A Bang
Posted on March 31, 2014 · Leave a Comment
It's nearly April...and news is breaking out all over... LANIGAN'S GONE: Clear Channel classic hits WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7" morning icon John Lanigan has been hearing "goodbye" for weeks from thousands of people, particularly the last week. He finally said "goodbye" himself to his over 40 years in Cleveland radio this morning. Lanigan was honored during the intermission of Saturday's 2014 edition of the station's signature event, the "Moondog Coronation Ball" at Quicken Loans Arena. We … [Read more...]
L’Affaire Rizzo – The End
Posted on March 28, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Long-time Cleveland sports media personality Tony Rizzo has had his day in court. And it appears that Rizzo, who was originally charged with domestic violence, may not serve any jail time. The host of Good Karma sports WKNR/850 "ESPN Cleveland"'s midday "The Really Big Show" agreed to a plea deal Thursday in Medina Municipal Court. Northeast Ohio Media Group via Cleveland.com reports that he pled to a lesser charge: Rizzo, 52, of Medina pleaded no contest to persistent disorderly … [Read more...]
