We're not sure what it says about the state of radio, that WTAM/1100 afternoon drive host Mike Trivisonno is about to be the ringmaster for another big political showdown...but...here it is.Triv will hold another "Non-Debate Debate" on his show this Friday...this one featuring Ohio gubernatorial candidates Ted Strickland and Ken Blackwell. It'll air from 3:30 to 5 PMLike the show's previous event spotlighting the U.S. Senate race between Mike DeWine and Sherrod Brown...it'll be different, says … [Read more...]

If you're sending a farewell note to Sandy Bennett, who was reported to be leaving WSNY/94.7 "Sunny 95" in Columbus...send her a "glad you're staying" note instead.OMW hears that Sandy has reconsidered her exit from the Saga-owned AC outlet, and will be staying in her perch doing middays there... … [Read more...]

For whatever reason, news about high definition TV seems to happen in clumps. Here's another of those clumps:HDTV JACKETS: For whatever reason, we happened to tune into the "HD BONUS" channel (798) on the now-former Adelphia Cleveland-based system owned by Time Warner Cable...and we found, believe it or not, the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets playing in HD via FSN Ohio.It's not really a surprise to us that the Blue Jackets would be doing games in HDTV. Sure enough, a team press release says 20 of … [Read more...]

The company which just announced the purchase of CBS Radio's Columbus cluster is basically unknown here in Ohio, but we're getting some of the details about Wilks Broadcast Group filled in by others.Our colleague Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch tells us that Jeff Wilks' father was a principal in the old "Wilks-Schwartz Group", which once owned a number of stations over that way...in markets like Long Island, Hartford and Springfield.More recently, a more recent incarnation of Wilks … [Read more...]

Now, that's timing.Just a day after an exclusive OMW item about WJW FOX 8's non-renewal of the contracts for station icons "Big Chuck" Schodowski and "Lil' John" Rinaldi, OMW feels it's been spinned by the Plain Dealer and the local FOX O&O.PD TV/radio columnist Julie Washington, covering a local TV item a couple of days earlier than normal, says Schodowski is "thinking about retiring" from the "Big Chuck and Lil' John Show". And naturally, with Big Chuck hanging it up, Rinaldi agrees that … [Read more...]

This just in...CBS Radio has found a buyer for its stations in Columbus, as well as Kansas City.Wilks Broadcast Group will pick up the CBS stations in those markets for a reported $138 million.Who?We weren't sure, either, so we found this page outlining the history of the company...which started with a cluster of Fresno stations in 2005, and has since expanded to station groups in Reno NV and Lubbock TX.CBS Radio owns country WHOK/95.5 "K95.5", rock WLVQ/96.3 "QFM96" and alt-rock WAZU/107.1 "The … [Read more...]

They're all media related, that's all we'll say...KEVIN MASON'S DAY: Even on his way out the door at Rubber City Radio Akron country outlet WQMX/94.9, programmer Kevin Mason can get some notice.The veteran country programmer has managed to snare an officially pronounced "Kevin Mason Day" - proclaimed by Akron mayor Don Plusquellic, even. (We'll chalk this one up to Plusquellic aide Mark Williamson, the ever-media-savvy former local TV news anchor who's the Official Mayoral Mouthpiece.)The day, … [Read more...]

OMW hears from a reliable source that long-time WJW/8 late night/weekend hosts "Big Chuck" Schodowski and "Lil' John" Rinaldi may be heading off into the TV sunset next summer.The departure would appear to come due to pressure from FOX, which bought the station in that whole New World/Storer deal in the mid-90's.OMW hears that after years of that pressure, local management on South Marginal Road has finally acceded to the wishes of the FOX corporate brass, and is not renewing the contracts of … [Read more...]

More on recent sports radio events in Cleveland...The expected new home of ESPN Radio in Cleveland, new Good Karma Broadcasting acquisition WABQ/1540, is still doing gospel instead of sports.Late this afternoon, we heard the station running its usual mix of gospel music and local spots and liners. And one, oddly enough, highlighted the presence of Dale Edwards on the station.That's the same Dale Edwards who recently sold the station to Good Karma, and who's moving the format - sometime in the … [Read more...]

Some items with no other home...IGOR OUT: OMW actually got a tip on this a couple of days ago, but we weren't able to confirm it until now.AllAccess reports that WZKL/92.5 "Q92" night jock/imaging director Igor is out at theCanton market top 40 outlet. The item would seem to suggest that he left the station on his own. Though Igor was indeed in a bit of controversy recently, it appeared at the time that station management was in his corner.Q92 programmer John Stewart is accepting T&R's at … [Read more...]