A whole bunch of radio stations are moving along the Interstate 70 corridor in Ohio, and some are changing as a result. We'll start from the east, and move west.We already knew that Zanesville's WHIZ-FM/102.5 (hot AC "Z102") was destined to move west, with a new license city of Baltimore (Ohio, not Maryland), with a signal designed to turn it into a Columbus market station.We, and others, speculated that community-minded WHIZ would eventually acquire another Zanesville-based FM station - likely … [Read more...]
NBC Weather Plus Shutting Down
Posted on October 7, 2008 · Leave a Comment
It's a national media news item that affects us locally - as NBC Universal has announced it's shutting down the "NBC Weather Plus" network.TVWeek reports that the weather service operating on NBC affiliates' digital subchannels, including that of Gannett's WKYC/3 in Cleveland, Media General's WCMH/4 in Columbus and Barrington's WNWO/24 in Toledo, will be "phased out in stages" between now and the end of the year.NBC News division head Steve Capus tells the trade magazine that it wasn't just the … [Read more...]
Some TV Items
Posted on October 3, 2008 · Leave a Comment
News from the TV side of the OMW ledger...with another bigger item to be added later today...THREE OHIO TV STATIONS OFF CABLE: Yet another one of those "retransmission consent" disputes has pulled three Ohio TV stations off local cable TV systems in each of their markets.The inability of LIN TV and Time Warner Cable to reach a new deal by this morning's midnight deadline has forced LIN's three Ohio stations off TWC: Dayton NBC affiliate WDTN/2, Columbus CW affiliate WWHO/53, and Toledo FOX … [Read more...]
OMW’s First Digital TV Q&A
Posted on September 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment
We went back to read our item about the early analog switchoff of Youngstown market PBS affiliate WNEO/45 Alliance, and...well, we figured some of our readers may have some questions about the digital TV transition.Late on the night of February 17, 2009, just before the clock strikes midnight into the 18th, TV transmitter facilities around America will be very busy places...as every full-power TV station in the nation shuts off its analog transmitter for good. (For the record, as far as we … [Read more...]
Small Bites
Posted on September 24, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Three small bites' worth of news items, all of 'em courtesy of our friends over at AllAccess...SEACREST VIRUS INVADES COLUMBUS: The rumors that filtered into our inbox out of Columbus have become reality, as Premiere syndicated host Ryan Seacrest must have compromising pictures of someone in Columbus.Oh, OK, so Ryan's not really our favorite host - but we're not in his target demo.AllAccess reports that Seacrest's syndicated midday show joins the weekday lineup on Clear Channel top 40 WNCI/97.9 … [Read more...]
Cluttered Wednesday
Posted on September 17, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Like the various tree limbs, leaves and such still left behind in Ohio after the "remnants" of Hurricane Ike hit us on Sunday, this one's a bit cluttered, too. More on that storm and its effects in a bit...ON THE LIST AGAIN: A brief foray out of our electronic media world, to the print media world.We stumbled upon this item literally by accident, but it appears the latest round of cuts at the Akron Beacon Journal has put the job of sports columnist Patrick McManamon in the crosshairs - again.On … [Read more...]
Big Monday
Posted on September 15, 2008 · Leave a Comment
No time to chat...time to get busy, with all these items on our Monday plate.And perhaps on our lunch plate later today: a footlong chili cheese dog from the Sonic drive-in set to open for the first time today in Streetsboro...THE WHY OF LAURA: We've kept you up to date over the weekend on the departure of Talk Radio Network syndicated mid-morning host Laura Ingraham from all 17 of her Salem affiliates, including the comapny's talk WHK/1420 Cleveland.Salem's own Mike Gallagher will slide into … [Read more...]
Radio One Cuts Hit Ohio, Other Markets
Posted on August 29, 2008 · Leave a Comment
The down economy, and the media's troubles, are just part of the story at Radio One - which reportedly made a wide variety of job cuts in a number of markets Thursday, including at all of its Ohio clusters.We don't have any details directly about the company's Cleveland stations, but Radio-Info.com columnist Tom Taylor includes this line in his story about the Radio One job cuts:In Cleveland, production talent, parttime air talent and producers gone and some fulltime vacancies not filled, for a … [Read more...]
Thursday Menu
Posted on August 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment
And this time, we have one item that makes our use of the word "menu" in the title of this - literally...NEW SUMMIT MUSIC DIRECTOR: There's word that Akron Public Schools-owned AAA WAPS/91.3 "The Summit" has brought in a new music director.She's Liz Mozzocco, who's been programming Cumulus AAA outlet KBXR in Columbia, MO, along with co-hosting the station's morning show. Various trade reports say Mozzocco has been at the Columbia station for 13 years.Liz also coming in to cover the on-air … [Read more...]
Capping The Week
Posted on August 8, 2008 · Leave a Comment
We'll be again more sporadic in our updates for the next few days, though we will still post any "breaking news" about local media that crosses The OMW News Desk...so, keep checking!But here's our closeout for the week:"LOVE" IN THE EVENING: Clear Channel rocker WMMS/100.7 has added one more talk show to its roster.It's Westwood One syndicated relationship advice show "Loveline", which 'MMS is adding to the schedule Sunday-Thursday from 10 PM to midnight.The spicy show is a staple of the … [Read more...]
