A housekeeping note: OMW will be mostly be on a hiatus until sometime next week. (Hey, we haven't done one of those for a while! Don't worry, we're fine.)As usual in most of our time away, we'll continue to track major breaking media news, as possible given our demands outside the blog.And even if we can't post, we'll try to keep on top of things with our Twitter account...if you're not following us there, just look at our Twitter posts on the left hand side of this blog.That's where we first … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: Toledo’s “Zone” Flips To Sports Monday
Posted on June 17, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Yes, this is the item we hinted about last week, and now, it's official.The Toledo Blade reports that Cumulus Toledo is changing format on WRWK/106.5, which has been alt-rock "The Zone" until now.Starting Monday, it'll become a simulcaster of Cumulus' sports talk station, WLQR/1470 "The Ticket".The Blade's Rod Lockwood reports that "The Zone" will shift its modern rock music to the Internet, and that the two frequencies will allow Cumulus Toledo to solve sports play-by-play conflicts - with one … [Read more...]
Monday’s Very Mixed Bag
Posted on June 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We've been hanging onto some items for a while, since we were swept up in the Digital TV Conversion wave starting on Friday. (We do still have some ODTV follow up items, which we'll put on that blog later today.)AN SDV UPDATE: Though nearly all of the Time Warner Cable Northeast Ohio monolith is now "Switched Digital Video" (SDV) capable, there are small pockets that have not yet taken the new technology.OMW hears that will change, soon, with the SDV rollout "scheduled to be completed" by this … [Read more...]
Metro Heads North, Well, Sort Of
Posted on June 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Last year, Westwood One announced that it was shuttering about 50 of Metro Networks nationwide offices and bureaus, including its Cleveland office.The idea, according to the company, was to better utilize technology to gather information about area traffic (as well as sports and news)...and the result, we were told, is that markets like Cleveland would still receive reports - just from people based in Detroit. The same scenario would play out in the other 12 remaining market … [Read more...]
Ashland AM To Get Talking
Posted on June 12, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We actually have had this one for a while, but figured we'd put it up when it appeared on the AllAccess Net News scroll. (The fine folks at AllAccess don't have the digital TV transition in their workload, after all. Heh.)Yes, Clear Channel standards/soft AC WNCO/1340 Ashland is changing to a talk format, featuring a lineup that does not duplicate sister news/talk WMAN/1400 Mansfield.While WMAN carries shows like Premiere's Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Coast to Coast AM, "Mid-Ohio's Talk … [Read more...]
Non-DTV Stuff
Posted on June 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment
There are actually some items in our hopper that aren't linked to the DTV switch on, umm, let us check the calendar, FRIDAY..SPORTS ON FM: The continued march of sports radio format to the FM band shows no signs of abating.The phenomenon has become so prevalent, Chicago radio wags are speculating that CBS Radio will simulcast its big Chicago sports talk station on WJMK/104.3, currently the home of the company's "Jack FM" format (and historically, the market's oldies/classic hits station).That … [Read more...]
From The Rest Of The Broadcast World
Posted on June 9, 2009 · Leave a Comment
We're slowly getting more information on this week's Digital TV transition, and we'll have a separate update on that a little later today.But, in matters not involving the transition...METRO'S EXIT: To make this clear...the information we're passing along comes from a message board, and we don't know who wrote it.But we were tipped to it by Tom Taylor's excellent daily E-mail newsletter "Taylor on Radio-Info" this morning, and the information meshes with what we've already reported.Quoting a … [Read more...]
News And More News
Posted on June 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment
A wide variety of items from across the world of Ohio radio and television opens up our Monday...including some stuff we meant to mention before...ABBY GONE: Yes, we're aware that Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland has parted ways with Abby Ham, as the "Channel 3 News Today" co-host heads back to her former TV home, Gannett NBC sister station WBIR/10 in Knoxville TN.No, we don't know why Ham apparently did her last week solo, we're told without co-host Mark Nolan or weather forecaster … [Read more...]
Friday Quick Follow
Posted on June 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment
It's Friday, follow quick!WE'LL MISS IT, BUT...: We may well miss all the activity, but OMW hears that if you're interested in watching activity involving a new digital TV antenna...Broadview Road in Parma is the place to be this Friday afternoon. (Any regular OMW/ODTV reader needs no help finding the location.)It is, of course, one week out from the official end of full-power analog TV, and both stations camped out on that new tower hope to start up brand new full-power digital … [Read more...]
One TV, One Radio
Posted on June 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment
One quick hit for TV, one for radio...WKYC DIGITAL: From the ODTV side of OMW, a bit about Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 Cleveland's new facility.As if drawn by a giant magnet to Broadview Road in Parma, the OMW/ODTV Mobile took another trip up to the tower that will soon hold antennas for WKYC-DT (RF 17) and ideastream PBS affiliate WVIZ-DT (RF 26).Why, this time, again?Our inbox was peppered Tuesday with questions from folks who were having trouble picking up the current WKYC-DT (RF 2) … [Read more...]
