The two local affiliates of incoming TV networks The CW and MyNetworkTV are unveiling more online.Raycom Media's WUAB/43 has unveiled a new website entirely for the occasion. "Cleveland's Go-To Place For Everything" promises: "MY FRIENDS, MY SHOWS, RIGHT HERE".It's a clear attempt to capitalize on that certain popular "My" website, MyNetworkTV parent NewsCorp/FOX's "MySpace", with blog links, dating tips and music and "hangout" information.Over in CW land, incoming affiliate WBNX/55 has put up … [Read more...]

One of the first reports outside of OMW, about the CC/Cumulus swap involving stations here in Northeast Ohio and in Michigan, has now appeared."Main St. Tattler", the E-Mail newsletter of the folks behind the Conclave Learning Conference, is reporting that not only is rock WRQK/106.9 Canton headed for Clear Channel, but that CC also gets country powerhouse WQXK/105.1 "K105" and standards WSOM/600 for its Youngstown cluster. The other half of the deal is as has been reported here and at … [Read more...]

A couple of things from Julie Washington's keyboard at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, as seen in the newspaper's "Entertainment Weblog":ROBIN'S BACK?: Popular Cleveland radio/TV host - and OMW reader - Robin Swoboda may be back on your TV screen before too long.Both Swoboda and WJW/8 president/GM Mike Renda admit to Washington that the station is talking with the former "NewsCenter 8" anchor about returning to Channel 8, this time as part of a local mid-morning show of further unknown … [Read more...]

OMW hears that long-time engineer Don Krieger worked his last day Friday as chief engineer for the Clear Channel Akron/Canton stations today - after a 32-year run.Krieger came aboard at then-WSLR/1350 back in 1974, after having worked at other local stations including WHLO/640 in the 1960's and 1970's. Of course, 1350 (now WARF) and 640 are now sister stations in the CC cluster, along with WKDD/98.1 and two other incoming FM signals.Where's he going?We're told that he'll leave day-to-day radio … [Read more...]

Still waiting for those shoes to drop, and at least one of them may drop sooner than expected. But we can't just sit here waiting for footwear to hit the floor:MARATHON AND BRUCE: The sports talk radio website SportsTalkCleveland.com is holding its third-annual "Up All Night Marathon" over the weekend, in a fundraising effort.The marathon starts Saturday at 5 PM and runs through Sunday at 1 PM. It benefits the Carol Morris Scholarship Fund at Bowling Green State University, a fund aimed at … [Read more...]

We're rapidly approaching the first drawing in the New TV Network Sweepstakes.On September 5th, MyNetworkTV will premiere nationwide, including locally on the newly-dubbed "My43" - aka Raycom Media's current UPN affiliate WUAB/43.On September 18th, the CW Network will launch...with original programming showing up a couple of days later.There's a squeeze there.UPN programming will not air on WUAB/43 and other UPN affiliates moving to MyNetworkTV starting on September 5th, unless the stations … [Read more...]

For all the commotion in parts of Northeast Ohio's radio world the past few weeks, we've got nothing on Toledo.OMW gets word of yet another major change in the Glass City's radio scene, as Cumulus hot AC WWWM/105.5 "Star 105" program director Steve Marshall has resigned from the station.And our sources in the market say there's already an incoming replacement PD, though we don't know where the new programmer is coming from. We hear Marshall's replacement could be in the building as soon as … [Read more...]

And there's at least a pair of shoes on their way to that position...HOT IN HD: Cumulus top 40 WHOT/101.1 Youngstown is turning on the HD juice, according to an item in today's AllAccess. The station calls itself "the first in Eastern Ohio" to do so, which would presumably not count all the major Cleveland market stations running HD carriers right now."Hot 101" programmer John Trout tells the trade website that he "threw the switch" to turn on the station's IBOC carrier at 5 PM on Wednesday. … [Read more...]

UPDATE 8/16/06 8:50 PM: OMW has learned about at least part of what comprises "the other half" of the Clear Channel/Cumulus swap, which locally involves rock WRQK/106.9 "Rock 107" in Canton ending up with Clear Channel.At least from what we've heard so far, Clear Channel will send a number of Michigan outlets to Cumulus in exchange for WRQK - stations in Battle Creek and Ann Arbor.We hear from at least two sources that all of the Clear Channel stations in those two Michigan markets will be … [Read more...]

We noted earlier that members of NASCAR Nation were not happy over the weekend, when local NBC affiliate WKYC/3 pre-empted much of Sunday's race for a previously-scheduled Cleveland Indians game.It looks like WKYC is going to do its best to avoid another such, umm, crash, in October.The Indians are scheduled to play on Channel 3 on October 1st, which will conflict with another NASCAR race. WKYC programmer Terry Moir tells Akron Beacon Journal TV columnist R.D. Heldenfels that the station "is in … [Read more...]