If you're still struggling trying to pick up Northeast Ohio's two VHF-based digital TV outlets - Local TV Fox affiliate WJW/8 and/or Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 - an Associated Press writer would like to hear from you.The AP's Peter Svensson says you can E-mail him with your experiences at this address:psvensson-at-ap.orgThat's been slightly munged to try to battle the evil spammers, of course.He's hoping to hear from you before noon Friday, so please feel free to send him a note as soon … [Read more...]
A Flood of Tuesday Items
Posted on September 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Items have been piling up over the Labor Day holiday weekend like cars stuck in a traffic jam to get home from a holiday trip...JIMBO AGAIN: At this rate, we ought to consider splitting off another secondary blog dedicated to former Mahoning Valley congressman/ex-con Jim Traficant.Anyone who's even remotely followed Traficant in the Youngstown area or in Washington knew that the bombastic former lawmaker couldn't stay quiet for long, after his release from a federal prison medical facility in … [Read more...]
GUEST COLUMN: Cleveland Digital TV
Posted on September 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Long-time OMW reader Trip Ericson (RabbitEars) gives us his take on the local digital TV situation, including potential channel availability should one of the Cleveland market stations wish to make a channel move...particularly the alleged CBS affiliate currently stuck on RF digital channel 10...-----------------Hello, all!I'm Trip Ericson, the lunatic behind the website RabbitEars.Info, and I've penned this special guest feature on Ohio Media Watch to try to address some of the questions about … [Read more...]
Some Answers
Posted on September 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment
One thing we've learned here in the over four years we've been doing OMW - unanswered questions eventually get answered...CHUCK'S OUT: Like, for example, the question many of our readers had a few weeks ago - where is Chuck Galeti?We got a flood, well, a minor trickle, of E-mail when people started seeing former WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" sports anchor/reporter Sue Ann Robak doing the sports segments on the Cleveland market's alleged CBS affiliate's weekend newscasts...instead of Galeti.Fast … [Read more...]
Very Random Tuesday
Posted on August 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Clearing out our inbox on a Tuesday makes for a very, very random collection of items...DIGITAL TRANSLATORS: Unique among major Cleveland market TV stations, Ideastream PBS affiliate WVIZ/25 has maintained low-power translators in locations on the edge of the market for years.OMW reader Trip Ericson (proprietor of TV information site RabbitEars) gives us the heads up that the pubcaster intends on converting these small transmitters to digital format.W63CT is licensed to Eastlake, but the 34 kW … [Read more...]
19 Asks For More Juice
Posted on August 20, 2009 · Leave a Comment
...and no, we don't mean in the vending machines in the basement of Reserve Square.Raycom Media's alleged Cleveland market CBS affiliate, known legally to the FCC as WOIO(TV) Shaker Heights, is requesting an immediate power increase for its digital TV facility on RF channel 10.WOIO is asking to increase power from 3.5 kW to 9.5 kW on its existing antenna system.The station recently received approval to mount a new, higher antenna that would put out 10.3 kW of power. The special temporary … [Read more...]
Monday Lunch
Posted on August 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment
OK, so we're thinking of food as we get this late morning Monday update underway. Expect us to stop this from time to time as we raid our own kitchen...SHE'S HERE: Imagine our surprise when OMW received a press release - directly - from Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 on its latest addition at "NewsChannel 5", assistant news director Roberta Petterson.We got the full press treatment from WEWS, including a photo of Ms. Petterson.Since we have the release, let's quote it:WEWS NewsChannel 5 has … [Read more...]
WOIO Gets Clearance For Power Boost
Posted on August 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Trip Ericson, creator of the RabbitEars.info website, passes along word that the alleged Cleveland market CBS affiliate has been a construction permit by the FCC for a power increase.It's the 10.3 kW facility Raycom Media's WOIO/19 Shaker Heights (RF channel 10) applied for in mid-2008, which would be a slight bump up from the current 3.5 kW facility being used by the station. It'd also be slightly higher up on the station's tower - 361 meters height above average terrain, vs. 304 for the … [Read more...]
Midweek Potpourri
Posted on July 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Here we go, again...as our list of items continues to grow...C-BUS TO DETROIT: OMW hears that Clear Channel Columbus top 40 WNCI/97.9-AC WLZT/93.3 program director Michael McCoy is heading to Michigan, and not to watch the Buckeyes play the Wolverines.McCoy is heading for a new job at Clear Channel sister top 40 outlet WKQI/95.5 "Channel 95-5" in Detroit. We hear his last day will be this Friday.Back in Columbus, OMW hears about the temporary shuffle to fill-in for the exiting McCoy, which … [Read more...]
Monday Followup, Mid-July Edition
Posted on July 13, 2009 · Leave a Comment
For whatever reason, everything at the top of our pile this Monday morning is a followup to earlier items...except our first, and even that's the "next step" of an earlier report...THIS JUST IN: An OMW reader passes word via Trip Ericson's RabbitEars.info - TBN O&O WDLI/17-1-2-3-4-5 will get their RF channel change.This FCC decision (PDF file) means that the Canton-licensed station can move from RF channel 39 to RF channel 49.We just noticed that the decision's release date was late this … [Read more...]
