For whatever reason, today's items all have a fresh, new technology bent to them...WNEO/WEAO HD LIT UP AGAIN: Kent-based public broadcasters WNEO/45 Alliance-WEAO/49 Akron ("PBS 45 & 49") have turned on PBS HD programming again, as of Tuesday, on their digital outlets.The stations had been running the 24/7 PBS HD feed for some time, until various equipment and financial issues got in the way and forced the end of the feed. Then, until Tuesday, the digital versions of 45/49 ran the PBS … [Read more...]
Day Of Silence
Posted on June 26, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Those who have a favorite Internet radio stream, or two, or six, will be a bit grumpy today.A broad-based effort by a number of webcasters, both large and small, will replace programming on the streams with "A Day Of Silence", in protest of the...well, we'll let webcast guru Kurt Hanson and his "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter" tell the story:On Tuesday, June 26, thousands of U.S.-based webcasters plan to turn off the music and go silent in a unified effort to draw attention to an impending … [Read more...]
Monday Fatigue
Posted on June 25, 2007 · Leave a Comment
With weekend-long discussion of Friday's biggest media story, the placement of five Clear Channel Cleveland-operated FMs into a trust for eventual sale - and the developments over the weekend in the Jessie Davis Case Media Circus - we feel exhausted on this Monday.But, we'll get to the hits:A PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION: Some of our commenters have posted possible scenarios for the first item, the move by Clear Channel to place all of its Oak Tree-located FMs into a new trust - presumably to bring … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: Clear Channel Flipping Ohio Stations Into Trust
Posted on June 22, 2007 · Leave a Comment
It looks like four big Clear Channel FM stations in the Cleveland market, and a number of other stations in three other Ohio markets, are being spun off to a trust to satisfy FCC regulatory caps, in connection with the ongoing effort to spin Clear Channel itself off to private equity firms.The four Cleveland stations would be: country WGAR/99.5, rock WMMS/100.7, oldies WMJI/105.7 and hot AC WMVX/106.5. They'd go to Aloha Station Trust LLC.Also on the list of 71 stations - a large number in … [Read more...]
Matthews’ Contract Renewal
Posted on June 21, 2007 · Leave a Comment
The folks at Oak Tree want to make sure you know this:Clear Channel Cleveland rock WMMS/100.7 - top 40 WAKS/96.5 program director Bo Matthews has signed a three year contract extension, taking him - on paper - until April 2010.Bo gained the "Kiss FM" addition to his duties in replacement of former "Kiss" programmer Dan Mason, now trying to bring new stability to embattled top 40 outlet KDND/107.9 Sacramento CA ("The End"), which was that certain station with that certain contest that made … [Read more...]
STO Ups With Captains
Posted on June 21, 2007 · Leave a Comment
This one only made our radar when we tuned into SportsTime Ohio, and saw a Lake County Captains game being aired.But sure enough, the Indians-owned cable/satellite regional sports channel has just inked a five-game deal with the team's single-A South Atlantic League affiliate just up I-90 in Eastlake. The games are being produced by Classic Teleproductions.Tonight, the Captains' 7 PM game with the Delmarva Shorebirds - first in the series - is being broadcast live. The Captains and Shorebirds' … [Read more...]
The Media Circus
Posted on June 21, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Forgive us for treating it like, well, the elephant in the middle of the room...but we have yet to comment on the Northeast Ohio Media Circus.That is, the fact that much of the national media has descended upon Canton and nearby areas concerning the disappearance of a certain pregnant mother, 26 year-old Jessie Marie Davis, from her home in North Canton.A virtual media village has set up at the Stark County Sheriff's Department, and national network and cable news reporters have made the area … [Read more...]
Welcome To The OMW Jungle
Posted on June 20, 2007 · Leave a Comment
With apologies for the title to Premiere syndicated sports talker Jim Rome (weekdays noon-3 PM, WKNR/850 and WJMP/1520):SHOUT OUT: You never know who's reading this missive, but apparently, we've made the national grade in TV news gossip.Popular trade gossip site NewsBlues has a link to the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), due to our earlier items and discussions about FOX O&O WJW/8 coming onto the market.We'd like to welcome our new readers - surely mostly from outside the market, as we're pretty … [Read more...]
First Shot Of The Week
Posted on June 18, 2007 · Leave a Comment
And our first entry this week is more of a follow-up entry...WJW TO CBS? HOLD ON...: When that big bombshell dropped last week, with FOX announcing its intent to sell Cleveland O&O WJW/8 "FOX 8" and eight other stations, we got a flurry of speculation that almost sounded, well, like it could happen.At least some folks seem to think that it's a foregone conclusion that CBS itself will ride in on the white horse and restore WJW's former CBS affiliation, swiping it with style from the folks at … [Read more...]
Through The Weekend
Posted on June 15, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Clearing out the ol' Inbox again, with some non-connected stuff from various trade sites and our own reporting...LATEST FM HD RADIO OUTLET: We hinted at it earlier, and now it's official - Clear Channel has lit up another Northeast Ohio station with HD Radio.Not long after hot AC WMXY/98.9 "Mix 98.9" in Youngstown turned on the digital bits, its sister hot AC station about 40 miles to the west has also done so.Akron/Canton hot AC WKDD/98.1 is new to the digital radio game, as of Friday morning. … [Read more...]
