Unlike certain sports media columns/real estate listings, Your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm) clearly identifies items that are purely speculation or "informed guesses" on our part. This is one of those entries.* OMW mentioned that WSPD/1370 Toledo talk host Bob Frantz, recently bumped from morning drive into a one-hour evening show, could be heading for Cleveland, in specific Clear Channel's World Domination HQ in Independence. As we also mentioned, he's been heard in the past on talk WTAM/1100, … [Read more...]

Some items from the outer edge of the OMW Coverage Area:* Cincinnati Public Radio's new NPR news/talker, WVXU/89.1, is getting out of Michigan. The station - formerly the hub of Xavier University's "X-Star Network" - is selling its last two Michigan simulcasters, WVXH/Harrison MI and WVXM/Manistee MI, to operators of local commercial outlets in the state's Lower Peninsula. WVXU earlier sold WVXA/Rogers City MI and a translator in Mackinaw City MI to a commercial operator.* Still in the Queen … [Read more...]

Veteran Cleveland talk radio host Merle Pollis has passed away at the age of 69. The Plain Dealer's Alana Baranick reports that he died of respiratory failure at the Cleveland Clinic.Pollis had a place on just about every talk radio station there was since his Cleveland arrival in 1973, as part of the original "People Power" talk format on WERE/1300, which is now running Radio One's urban talk format.Your Primary Editorial Voice heard Pollis on two stations - WJW/850 in its talk radio days, and … [Read more...]

With the caveat that you can't determine success by a single month's extrapolated trend numbers, let alone the first couple or three full books...The folks over at Radio & Records Online have taken apart some of the January numbers for the new "Free FM" hosts and formats, and it pretty much looks awful everywhere you look for those attempting to fill Howard Stern's Big Shoes. WNCX/98.5's David Lee Roth, who took over for Stern at flagship WFNY/92.3 New York City and a number of other … [Read more...]

Some days ago, OMW reported on published speculation...that ABC News Radio was looking to former senator and "Law and Order" TV star Fred Thompson to (eventually) replace icon Paul Harvey. ABC confirmed talking with Thompson in the New York newspaper item, but did not cast him as a Harvey replacement.It's not quite "rumors turn to reality", but ABC News Radio has indeed signed up Thompson as - get ready for this one - a "Special Program Host and Senior Analyst". We'll translate that for you - … [Read more...]

In a recent OMW item, we put our own kibosh on the rumors that CBS Radio might convert Cleveland classic rocker WNCX/98.5 to a "Free FM" talker, primarily based on the weakness of the morning drive show hosted by Howard Stern's replacement, David Lee Roth.Here we are in late February/early March, just two months after Roth debuted with much fanfare on Stern's former New York City flagship, along with former Stern stations from Boston to Cleveland. And the former Van Halen frontman is apparently … [Read more...]

Just a few comments off of the Roger Brown Monday sports media column in today's Plain Dealer:* You had to expect that FOX Sports Net Ohio brass wouldn't be thrilled with either the Indians, who rejected their increased offer for game rights, or the team's new SportsTime Ohio network. FSN Ohio boss Steve Liverani tells Brown: "It's totally disingenuous for the Indians to drag us into this [debate], simply because they can't get their deals done and want to deflect attention from that fact." … [Read more...]

OMW missed hearing this, unfortunately, but the buzz is all over the place.The other day, it seems that WTAM/1100 afternoon motormouth Mike Trivisonno, and WMMS/100.7 afternooner "Maxwell", swapped places in the Clear Channel World Domination HQ in Independence. Triv took over the 'MMS microphones for a while, noting how much better he sounded on FM, and Maxwell took a few in-house shots at Triv's AM audience.This "early April Fool's Joke" may or may not have any more behind it than an easy way … [Read more...]

It's been a constant complaint in Your Mighty Blog of Fun(tm): With all the talk of the Cleveland Indians' new cable TV network, we'd heard nothing about how the Indians and new network SportsTime Ohio would handle Adelphia cable, the system serving the bulk of Cuyahoga County's cable customers...not to mention us stragglers down here in Summit County not served by Time Warner Cable.The omission was odd, in our minds...if STO's Indians games would be seen by "90 percent" of local … [Read more...]

Note 1: AllAccess reports that CBS hot AC WQAL/104.1 Cleveland middayer John Connor picks up music director stripes. He takes over the duties from morning co-host Rebecca Wilde, who will concentrate on the morning drive show. It's the first change of any note since the announcement that veteran Cleveland programmer Dave Popovich would take over the program director chair from current morning co-host Allan Fee.Note 2: Note to Clear Channel liberal talk WARF/1350 Akron "Radio Free Ohio" host … [Read more...]