The year's shortest month starts out with a pretty decent list of news items... many from the past few days... SHOES TO FILL: Long-time Clear Channel Cleveland programmer Bo Matthews left behind some big shoes to fill when he departed the PD chair at rock/talk WMMS/100.7, top 40 WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM" and station-in-a-closet alt-rock WMMS-HD2-W256BT/99.1 "99X". With Matthews now the cluster programming VP for Clear Channel's Cincinnati cluster, Oak Tree has found his replacement. He's Chris … [Read more...]
Friday Morning Data Dump
Posted on October 11, 2013 · 7 Comments
Or, late Thursday night, if you prefer, as we can't sleep...for reasons having nothing to do with OMW... THE WNIR DRAMA: A MUST READ for anyone interested in recent WNIR events, by former local newspaper columnist Stuart Warner in one of his old newspaper haunts, the Akron Beacon Journal via Ohio.com. Retired WNIR morning man Stan Piatt opens up to Warner about how his exit from the station was handled. The details are (nearly) identical to unconfirmed rumblings we've heard for months now. It's … [Read more...]
Heading Into A Grab Bag
Posted on May 30, 2012 · 1 Comment
As we head into June, which has the potential to be a very busy month for us (both good and bad), let's let out some more items. We may be a bit scarce for a while, again, due to Life Intervening(tm), but we'll be around from time to time... WHAT COMES UP, EVENTUALLY COMES DOWN: We spent a lot of time with the digital TV transition back in 2009, both here and on our other blog, Ohio Digital TV. One major change on the TV landscape in Northeast Ohio was the occupant of RF channel 17. Channel … [Read more...]
The Train Goes On
Posted on May 16, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Here we go...it's time to distribute what we have as of late, and even some stuff we missed... MORE PRAYERS: It is a scene unlike anything we've seen in local media. A popular personality not as a polished TV host, but a crying wife just praying for her husband to be brought back to her. Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8 News in the Morning" co-host Stefani Schaefer wasn't smiling about the latest news or Hollywood gossip in her return to the show on Wednesday morning. No, she was Roger's … [Read more...]
Last Call For 2011
Posted on December 19, 2011 · 4 Comments
This will be the last regular item until 2012, as we're going on Holiday Hiatus. Any major local radio/TV changes will be noted on our social media presence...and a reminder, you don't even have to be "on" either Twitter or Facebook to find those. Hit this link for our Twitter page, or look at the "OMW on Twitter" section of this very site. The updates are mirrored on both services. On behalf of the entire Ohio Media Watch staff (OK, your Primary Editorial Voice[tm] and our Secondary Voice, … [Read more...]
THIS JUST IN: WJW/8 Likely Headed To UHF Soon
Posted on October 12, 2011 · 11 Comments
If you're an over-air TV viewer tired of not being able to receive Fox programming or local news from Local TV LLC WJW/8 Cleveland's "Fox 8 News", here is some GOOD news. Your long, regional TV nightmare is nearly over. That's because the FCC has weighed in on WJW's request to move its over-air signal from RF channel 8, to its pre-transition UHF channel of 31...off the trouble-plagued VHF band. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) released Tuesday, the agency says it is in favor of the … [Read more...]
Early Week Pileup
Posted on October 10, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Some items have been piling up here at OMW World Headquarters, so it's time to clear the traffic lanes... QUICK EXIT: Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" has parted ways with reporter/anchor Justin Michaels, rather suddenly. From a brief station memo about his exit from news director Jill Manuel: I want to share the news that Justin Michaels is no longer with NewsChannel 5. Please join me in wishing Justin luck in his future endeavors. From what we're hearing out of 3001 Euclid, … [Read more...]
Changes Afoot
Posted on September 28, 2011 · 8 Comments
There are lots of changes coming in local radio and TV, and it's time to bring them to light. We'll start on the TV side, first...but sports radio is in the on-deck circle... NEW ANCHOR: Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 has been taking its time and shuffling around its schedule after the departure of market icon Ted Henry. But it appears it's filled at least one of Ted's roles - 11 PM co-anchor. MediaBistro's TVSpy, the entity once known as "ShopTalk", has confirmed earlier rumors about … [Read more...]
Quick Hits, Mid-August Edition
Posted on August 18, 2011 · 1 Comment
Getting a Round Tuit(tm) on a mid-summer's day.. FSR TO 92.3: OMW has confirmed that Fox Sports Radio will be used to fill the overnight hours on incoming CBS Radio sports talker WKRK/92.3 "The Fan", when that station launches a week from Monday. We also hear that a lineup for "92.3 The Fan" is nearly complete, and that the station's local evening programming will last until midnight. (It had been expected to run until 10 PM.) The use of FSR on 92.3 will likely mean the network's end on its … [Read more...]
WOIO: Hello Akron, Canton
Posted on August 13, 2011 · 19 Comments
UPDATE 8/13/11 4:45 PM: Here's a good coverage map link for WOIO's new fill-in translator, courtesy of RabbitEars.Info's Trip Ericson. Use the standard Google map tools to zoom in and out, with solid green being the strongest coverage area... ---------- For many of those in the southern part of the Cleveland TV market, particularly in the Akron/Canton area, Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 has largely been a cable/satellite-only channel since the digital transition. That, of course, is … [Read more...]
