And it's mostly an FM thing this time...but let's start with some TV... DR. GONE: Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 made a big deal out of its choice to replace Oprah Winfrey at 4 PM, when the queen of TV talk left the over-air airwaves for her own "OWN" - "Oprah Winfrey Network". Dr. Mehmet Oz from the Oprah Universe, who had already been airing on WEWS at 10 AM weekdays, would air also at 4...with the later edition being his "newest" show, and the 10 AM airing a repeat from a week earlier. "Dr. … [Read more...]
UPDATE And The New WNIR Morning Host(s) Are…
Posted on October 22, 2013 · 6 Comments
UPDATE 10/23/13 9:57 AM: It has been officially announced on WNIR...Chris Fox and Angela Bellios will join the WNIR morning show on Monday. We presume that Fox is the former WDOK/102.1 afternoon driver who left in 2007. We do know Bellios is the former WKDD/98.1 morning co-host who eventually landed at WHBC-FM/94.1. In a news story running on WNIR right now, station manager Bill Klaus is quoted as saying Chris and Angela "bring a strong background in Northeast Ohio radio", and will indeed join … [Read more...]
More Than Just A Twitter Recap
Posted on October 20, 2013 · 3 Comments
We're catching up again. But a sudden, unexpected amount of free time means this is much more than a recap of what we've posted on social media. It's really an old style OMW blog post... DARREN TOMS EXITS OAK TREE: Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland news director Darren Toms is heading out of the building for a non-radio job. He'll be the first Director of Community Outreach for the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Darren's last day at Oak Tree will be October 28th. The opening caused … [Read more...]
Early Tuesday Compilation
Posted on October 15, 2013 · 2 Comments
Here goes... WNIR TRYOUTS: Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" brings in two radio pros Tuesday morning alongside Steve French and Phil Ferguson: Mike Novak (ex-WQMX) and Angela Bellios (ex-WKDD, WHBC-FM). Novak has been on for a few days now, as WNIR seeks to replace Stan Piatt. Maybe they won't hire a comedian as expected? Bringing in Angela Bellios may be a sign that they keep the composition of the old show, and actually replace Maggie Fuller as well as Stan... WE HARDLY KNEW … [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...]
An Experimental Blog Post
Posted on October 10, 2013 · 10 Comments
We've received a very mixed response to our "move" to social media. While we've received a flood of new Twitter followers, others are openly hostile to that being the only outlet for Ohio Media Watch. And hostile may not be a strong enough a word. So, we'll try this: copying and editing our Twitter posts to a blog post, without all the responses, tags and whatnot. -------- CRONAUER BACK TO RADIO, STILL ON TV: Joe Cronauer is now PM drive at Salem CCMer 95.5 The Fish. Still on WKYC, too, … [Read more...]
Piatt, Fuller Out At WNIR
Posted on September 17, 2013 · 22 Comments
We already knew Stan Piatt wasn't long for Broadcast Park...the home of talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron". After weeks of rumors that even reached this corner, the station announced recently that the 36-year ringleader of its four person morning drive show would retire "between now and July", and that WNIR was actively seeking a "funny person" to replace him. The weather's kind of cool for July, and it's even colder on Route 59 between Kent and Ravenna. Piatt and morning co-host Maggie … [Read more...]
Help Wanted – IT/Engineering
Posted on September 2, 2013 · Leave a Comment
As a reminder, OMW regularly prints both Help Wanted and Job Wanted ads linked to the media industry or people in Northeast Ohio, free of charge. This below ad comes to us from NextMedia's WHBC/1480-WHBC-FM 94.1 in Canton. We have had it for a while, but haven't been able to put it up until now due to our irregular publishing schedule. If you're interested, we strongly suggest that you get in touch with the station as soon as possible. ------ Title: I/T & Broadcast Engineer WHBC and Mix … [Read more...]
Stan’s Exit? On The Way
Posted on August 27, 2013 · 5 Comments
OMW readers have known since last week that Media-Com talk WNIR/100.1 "The Talk of Akron" morning host Stan Piatt was headed for retirement after a 36 year run at the station. Now, WNIR listeners know, officially. The station aired a news story Monday, starting at 12 noon, that Piatt is indeed retiring "sometime between now and July". (Yes, July. More on that later.) The announcement was immediately followed by a call for "a funny person" to fill Piatt's shoes on the station's morning show, … [Read more...]
Updates And More Updates
Posted on August 24, 2013 · 1 Comment
In which more is revealed, and new things come out... WKNR CHANGES: The Semi-Extreme Makeover of Good Karma sports WKNR/850 "ESPN 850" has some more details attached to it. For that, we thank two people...Good Karma boss Craig Karmazin, and Akron Beacon Journal sportswriter George M. Thomas for writing about Karmazin's appearance Wednesday afternoon on his station. And the lineup changes prompted by the dismissal of 21 year veteran Kenny Roda, along with Will Burge and T.J. Zuppe and the … [Read more...]
