UPDATE 10/16/08 5:00 PM: The word has been posted on Channel 3's website this afternoon...about the departure of long-time evening co-anchor Tim White at the end of this year.Quoting White in the WKYC release:"For nearly a decade I've had the privilege of being part of one of the best local news operations in the country. The business has changed. What hasn't changed is my deep respect for my colleagues in the newsroom and my gratitude to the people of Northeast Ohio. I have a lot to do in the … [Read more...]
Pat’s Staying
Posted on October 16, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As it turns out, Akron Beacon Journal sports columnist Pat McManamon has dodged the Layoff Reaper - again.An OMW reader points us to Tuesday's entry in Pat's "Beside the Point" blog:First, a personal note: The Akron Beacon Journal taketh away and the Akron Beacon Journal giveth. I was informed this week that the layoff notice presented a few weeks ago has been rescinded. Thus I will stay with the Beacon Journal, at least until they get this layoff bug up their hind end again.This may please some … [Read more...]
A WEWS Exit
Posted on October 16, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Another change is about to come to Scripps Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS/5, though this one isn't being initiated by the station.OMW hears that "NewsChannel 5" Akron Bureau reporter Jonathan Costen will leave the station in the next couple of weeks, right before the November ratings period.We're hearing that the decision was Costen's, as he's leaving the TV business for another non-broadcast job he's already secured.Right now, Costen is the only reporter in the "NewsChannel 5" Akron bureau, as … [Read more...]
THIS JUST IN: WKYC Adopts New “Look”
Posted on October 15, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Visual changes have come to Gannett Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC/3.WKYC senior director and "Director's Cut" blogger Frank Macek has details of the new on-air look at "Channel 3 News", along with some screen shots from this afternoon's noon newscast.Macek notes that the new look means WKYC's owner has joined the companies standardizing the on-air appearance of newscasts:This new look is part of Gannett's companywide, G3, initiative look that will appear on all of the company's broadcast … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: I-Team’s Merriman Exits TV For Law Firm
Posted on October 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
The heads up comes this afternoon from Cleveland Plain Dealer media columnist Julie Washington on Cleveland.com - WJW/8 "FOX 8" I-Team reporter Tom Merriman is leaving the now-Local TV-owned station to join a local law firm.The move to Cleveland-based Landskroner, Grieco & Madden actually brings Merriman back to his law career roots, which he left behind in 1995 to join Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 as an investigative reporter...before landing at WJW in 2001. The article says Merriman … [Read more...]
Toledo and Tampa
Posted on October 9, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Two TV-related items, both involving cities with names starting with the letter "T". (Hey, it's what passes for creativity around here!)TOLEDO TV RADIO NEWS: Toledo ABC O&O WTVG/13 and the Cumulus cluster in the Glass City are crowing about their new alliance.The Toledo Blade reports that seven Cumulus radio stations in Toledo will be getting weather, news and sports updates from the "13ABC" folks.The deal apparently doesn't include, at least according to the Blade article, top 40 … [Read more...]
More Print Cuts
Posted on October 8, 2008 · Leave a Comment
At this rate, the Cleveland Plain Dealer may have a smaller editorial staff one day than your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm).OK, well, not quite, but print media watchers have another piece of cringe-worthy employment news: the Advance Publications-owned Plain Dealer has announced another round of job cuts - this one aimed at cutting 38 "unionized newsroom employees" from the PD staff by the end of this year.As with previously announced cuts, the PD is first offering a buyout to those employees - which … [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...]
A Global Focus
Posted on October 6, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Television news reporting is often thin when it comes to international events, where news beyond the U.S. is either ignored, or covered only when it drastically affects this country.A former Cleveland TV reporter hopes to change that with his new public television news show, which premieres tonight on many PBS stations.The anchor of American Public Television's "Worldfocus" is familiar to many Northeast Ohio TV viewers. Martin Savidge has spent the last few years in the national news spotlight … [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...]
