Thanks to the Memorial Day holiday and a relatively slow local media news pace, this is our first update of the week...THE CAT HAS LANDED: Those who remember the old top 40 format on Cleveland's "Power 108" - known today as Radio One urban WENZ/107.9 "Z107.9" - might remember Cat Thomas.Thomas was PD at then-WPHR, and was originally heard in nights. Though he was apparently nudged into morning drive at one point, most people who remember the station at all remember John "Records" … [Read more...]
Tuesday Night Musings
Posted on May 22, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Some stuff to get out of the hopper, so we can work on other things...BLAME LEBRON: As OMW - thanks to an Orlando newspaper writer - reported back in April, Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 "19 Action News" is losing weekend sports anchor/reporter David Pingalore to Orlando's WKMG/6, the CBS affiliate in that Florida city.Well, eventually.OMW hears via Orlando blogger Roger Simmons' TV blog - which quotes TV news/gossip site NewsBlues - that Mr. Pingalore hasn't left the North Coast yet for … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: WKYC Hires New Sports Reporter
Posted on May 21, 2007 · Leave a Comment
There's a new sports reporter joining up with a local TV station - but it's not the station which is down to the bare minimum in that department.WKYC/3 has announced that Joe Brown joins the "Channel 3 News" sports department alongside sports director Jim Donovan and reporter/anchor Brian Colleran. The first heads up, as usual, comes from WKYC senior director Frank Macek's "Director's Cut" blog.Brown has an extensive resume, but was most recently the studio pre-game/post-game host for Denver … [Read more...]
Thursday Mix – Serious To Funny
Posted on May 17, 2007 · Leave a Comment
And therefore removing any doubt that items just fall together here, with no particular rhyme or reason...until they start running together coherently, as if by magic...BIG TEN, NOT YET: An OMW reader tipped us to this article on the "Bucknuts" site, which is an independent sports news site catering to All Things Athletic concerning The Ohio State University. (We hear there's a state law prohibiting one from referring to that big university in Columbus without using the article "The" in … [Read more...]
Closing The Week
Posted on May 11, 2007 · Leave a Comment
We've got a bunch of items just waiting to see air. Or, umm, pixels...NEWS DIRECTOR SHUFFLE: Cleveland has been one of the larger TV markets to have two news director openings at the same time.OMW hears noise that one of the two positions is all but filled, and the other has some strong candidates.We'll get to that one first.We're told by sources walking by South Marginal Road that two in-house candidates are among the top contenders for the job to replace Greg Easterly at FOX O&O WJW/8 - … [Read more...]
A New Ohio Sports Outlet
Posted on May 9, 2007 · Leave a Comment
OK, so Columbus is a ways away from our Northeast Ohio home base, but you'd think we would have heard about this by now.The folks in Central Ohio have a brand new regional sports network, to compete with the likes of FSN Ohio for Columbus-market sports viewers. Well, sort of a "network".It's the Columbus Sports Network, alternatively abbreviated as either "CS" (per the logo) or "CSN" (like the Comcast folks call their sports networks). It launched in late March."CSN" aims to fill a hyper-local … [Read more...]
Monday’s Here
Posted on May 7, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Yeah, we know...we're as excited as you are. But at least the weather may be nice...PD #1 (RADIO): Nearly all of our items this Monday are follow-ups on articles in the Cleveland Plain Dealer over the weekend, as the area's largest newspaper seems to have rediscovered local media for some reason.Well, OK, PD entertainment columnist Julie Washington always has the media on her beat here in Northeast Ohio, but Saturday's column was a bit more extensive than usual.We'll start with an item we have … [Read more...]
A Newsy Monday
Posted on April 30, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Our first item for the new week is rather newsy. We actually have some interesting stuff this time! (No, not our usual flotsam-and-jetsam for a Monday morning.)But a request, first.Please dial back on the jokes in our comments at the expense of a certain board op who was once on-air at a local radio station. There are many who know the "back story", and we do, as well...and we don't think he deserves the joking potshots. It's really out of the spirit of what we do here, anyway, and we'll … [Read more...]
Weekend Programming
Posted on April 28, 2007 · Leave a Comment
In our zeal to enjoy the weekend, we forgot that we didn't run down today's NFL Draft, and local coverage of same.On TV, of course, it's all about ESPN and sister network ESPN2, which own the TV rights lock, stock and proverbial barrel. Local TV affiliates will have to wait until their evening newscasts to show video of the Browns drafting Brady Russell Thomas Peterson, or whoever it'll be.This year, NFL Draft coverage has beefed up on radio.On Browns AM flagship Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100, … [Read more...]
Hump Day
Posted on April 25, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Disorganized, and in no particular order...AND THE REST OF THE STORY: We've already reported that former WKYC/3 sports anchor Andy Baskin starts pinch-hitting in the WEWS/5 sports department Friday, which is now officially down to one person ("The Overworked Sue Ann Robak") on-air after the departure of anchor John Chandler.What we haven't reported yet may be just as interesting.OMW hears that upon the departure of sports director Chris Miller - now happily at Comcast SportsNet in Washington DC … [Read more...]
