You might guess from the title of this entry that we've found a new guilty pleasure on TV. (And when you're talking about reality TV, "guilty" is pretty much the operative word...well, with exceptions.)The TV Guide Network, that place where people used to go to get live cable TV listings in the days before digital cable and the Internet, is running the second season of its "Making News" reality TV series.After a small Texas station gunning for number one grabbed the "Making News" spotlight in … [Read more...]
Other Shoe Drops On South Marginal
Posted on July 15, 2008 · Leave a Comment
It's official - Cleveland no longer has a network "owned and operated" TV station.New ownership group Local TV LLC closed on the purchase of eight FOX-owned stations Monday, including "Cleveland's Own" WJW/8 "FOX 8" right here in Northeast Ohio.OMW hears that WJW, and other new Local TV outlets, announced the sale on air Monday. And "FOX 8" also puts this item on its website:WJW wants to let you know that you will continue to see your favorite programs on Fox 8 -- including Fox 8 News, American … [Read more...]
Mid-July Visit
Posted on July 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment
There's nothing particularly "breaking" going on, at least that we know of, in local media. But we managed to cobble together a few items to fill a Monday morning update...NEON SWITCH: A couple of OMW readers checked in over the weekend to ask a question... "Did you know that Time Warner Cable has switched its local programming channel to channel 23?"That switch has been made in the former Adelphia areas of greater Cleveland - including here at the OMW World Headquarters - where the "Northeast … [Read more...]
On The Fringes
Posted on July 10, 2008 · Leave a Comment
A trio of recent items that are on the fringes of our coverage area, have some links to Ohio or are otherwise used to fill this next update:ABC FOR THE OHIO VALLEY: The Wheeling/Steubenville market is about to get what it has never, ever had - a full-time, in-market ABC affiliate station.The folks at TVNewsday report that West Virginia Media CBS affiliate WTRF/7 Wheeling will launch a new ABC affiliate for the Ohio Valley on August 1, with a digital subchannel on WTRF-DT. That'd have to be, as … [Read more...]
WOIO/WUAB Cuts Off-Air Staffers
Posted on July 1, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 7:47 PM 7/1/08: We've gotten some new, very credible information on this, and it appears the total number of layoffs between the two areas mentioned is 6, with another couple of employees moving to part-time status.We wanted to clarify this quickly, to make sure those who are still employed are not concerned that additional layoffs (beyond the 6) are coming. As far as we know, this is it for now.The original item below did say "as many as 13", due to a little uncertainty to the exact … [Read more...]
Chuck’s Moves
Posted on June 30, 2008 · Leave a Comment
OMW hears that long-time reader Chuck Matthews is keeping busy these days.The former Cumulus talk WTOD/1560 Toledo programmer has picked up more work for his voiceover business - from a WTOD competitor.We hear Chuck has been signed up to do voiceover and imaging work for crosstown newly-minted talk WDMN/1520, and sister LPTV MyNetworkTV outlet WMNT-CA/48 "My 48/58".We also hear he's been doing work for a new small local ad agency based in suburban Perrysburg, and continues to search for his next … [Read more...]
Columbus TV Outlet Sold
Posted on June 30, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Guardian Television independent/religious/former ION affiliate WSFJ/51 Newark/Columbus is being sold.The trade site TV Newsday (or is it tvnewsday, or TVNEWSDAY?) reported last week that Guardian is flipping WSFJ to Trinity Broadcasting, giving the Santa Ana CA-based religious TV giant its third full-power O&O station serving a major Ohio market.(The others are WDLI/17 Canton in the Cleveland market, and WKOI/43 Richmond IN, a rimshot into the Cincinnati and Dayton markets.)The move beans … [Read more...]
Stopping By For A Visit
Posted on June 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Our infrequent update schedule had one formerly regular reader assuming that we're gone for good!No, we're not.Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) has been out of town and busy, for one, and we're about to leave Northeast Ohio for a while again.In the past, that's triggered something in the space-time-media continuum, but we're not sure our exit from the region still results in major changes. One of our vacations a couple of years ago ended up with even Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage scrambling … [Read more...]
Random Weekend Cleanup
Posted on June 21, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Come to think of it, we have some early summer cleaning to do at the Palatial OMW World Headquarters as well...JUNE 20TH: We did not note it here beforehand, but Friday was a busy day at the Clear Channel World Domination HQ compound on Oak Tree.Cleveland talker WTAM/1100 morning host Bill Wills celebrated his 10th anniversary at the Northern Ohio version of "The Big One". He joined 'TAM on June 20, 1998 - from the original "Big One", co-owned WLW/700 Cincinnati."Wills and Snyder" is a pretty … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS: TV Staff Bloodbath In Cincinnati
Posted on June 18, 2008 · Leave a Comment
Cincinnati CBS affiliate WKRC/12 is now firmly in the hands of Newport Television, the operating arm of Providence Equity Partners - the company which bought the former Clear Channel Television outlet a while back.It looks like a large number of staffers are no longer in Newport's hands.Cincinnati Enquirer radio/TV guru John Kiesewetter reports on his blog today that a number of WKRC staffers are out of work, the result of massive cost-cutting across the Newport chain.Kiese's latest report says … [Read more...]
