OK, as much as we tried to put it off, we have to dig in and share the fallout from the massive Clear Channel restructuring - and how it affects Ohio, as news of yesterday's 9% layoff at the radio giant continues to trickle down.Or, as the trade website AllAccess headline says: "Now, 1850 People Have To Restructure Their Lives"...YOUNGSTOWN: We have some word of the cuts made Tuesday at Clear Channel's South Avenue compound in suburban Youngstown.OMW hears two on-air names let go were actually … [Read more...]
The Week Ahead
Posted on January 19, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Our Monday morning update is more about what's ahead, as opposed to what's behind. But the view ahead is kind of scary...MORE ON EXPECTED CC CUTS: There are now some numbers and details being attached to the reported first round of Clear Channel-related job cuts, thanks to the national media.Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal's Sarah McBride reported that the San Antonio-based radio giant is planning on "about 1,500 layoffs" on Tuesday, resulting in a loss of about 7 percent of the … [Read more...]
Odd Items Update
Posted on January 7, 2009 · Leave a Comment
There have been some news items from areas outside Northeast Ohio in the past few days, and we've either been on hiatus, or busy with items closer to our base to cover markets like Columbus, Toledo and Youngstown.That's most of this item, though we'll start with Cleveland...TROUBLED TALKERS: Late December was a bad time for talk radio hosts getting into hot water.But it wasn't something that came from the mouth of Clear Channel Cleveland talk WTAM/1100 Sunday night host Art McKoy that got him … [Read more...]
Assorted Holiday Stuff
Posted on December 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment
As we wind down before Christmas and New Years, an announcement.As we hinted earlier, OMW will indeed be on official "Holiday Hiatus" starting late tomorrow. We'll post a "year-end" message around the end of 2008, but not much more.We'll definitely return on January 5th, 2009. If there are any major, breaking media news items, we'll try to at least mention them here - even during the hiatus.But the level of "major, breaking media news" is very high over this holiday break...i.e. it'll … [Read more...]
Neff Out At Toledo’s WCWA
Posted on December 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment
UPDATE 12/10/08 11:35 PM: And tonight, there are some more details.The Toledo Free Press' below linked article has been updated. Here's the quote which pretty much says it all, in the eyes of Mr. Neff:After describing the stabbing incident (to substitute host/Free Press editor-in-chief Michael S. Miller), Neff said, “Apparently people got a memo at WSPD from (program director) Brian Wilson not to mention the story, not to mention my name at all today. I’d just like to say that Brian Wilson can … [Read more...]
Toledo Media Job Dump
Posted on December 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment
In our earlier item about 13 jobs being cut at Raycom Media Cleveland CBS/MyNet affiliates WOIO/19-WUAB/43, we found that the cuts were nationwide for the Montgomery, Alabama-based TV chain.And we wondered about cuts at the other Raycom operations here in Ohio.We mentioned the company's FOX affiliate in Cincinnati, WXIX/19....where we still haven't heard anything about job losses. For that matter, neither has Jeremy Moses down at Tri-State Media Watch, who's still dealing with health … [Read more...]
Toledo Radio Host Stabbed
Posted on December 11, 2008 · Leave a Comment
The host of a Toledo morning drive talk radio show was sent to the hospital Wednesday, after being stabbed in an apparent road rage incident in the Toledo suburb of Perrysburg on Wednesday night.Troy Neff, who hosts "The Troy Neff Show" weekdays from 6-10 AM on Clear Channel sports/talk WCWA/1230 "FOX Sports Radio 1230", underwent surgery at a local hospital after receiving multiple stab wounds. Various sources tell local media outlets that Neff "will be fine" and that the injuries aren't life … [Read more...]
Random Midweek Update
Posted on November 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment
We guess the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) is not very organized this holiday week...and this may well be our last update before the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday...CLOSING IN ON A HOME: Though it's technically a service and not a radio station, OMW has occasionally carried items about Akron's WCRS.Those aren't FCC call letters - the acronym "WCRS" stands for "Written Communications Radio Service", otherwise known as the Akron-based radio reading service for the blind. In a previous life, WCRS was … [Read more...]
Another Radio Move – Sort Of
Posted on November 20, 2008 · Leave a Comment
When it wasn't even looking, the Toledo market got another country music station recently - sort of.It's a station that's been there, and been in the format, for some time.But the recent FCC approval of a new city of license for Tiffin's WCKY-FM/103.7 "103-7 CKY" has apparently emboldened the Clear Channel station to start basically shouting "Toledo!!!" on the air.Late last month, the FCC approved a new construction permit reallocating 103.7 from Tiffin to Pemberville. We've never heard of … [Read more...]
New Ohio Radio Ratings?
Posted on November 18, 2008 · Leave a Comment
The folks at Arbitron will get some competition for radio ratings starting next year - and it will affect one Ohio market.The New York Times reports that Nielsen, better known for its TV ratings, will provide radio audience measurement in 50 "small and midsize markets" starting in the third quarter of 2009, in a deal with radio group owner Cumulus, which has been seeking an Arbitron alternative for some time.The Times also reports that in 17 of those markets, Clear Channel's radio stations will … [Read more...]
