Take 1: When we tune our dial to Clear Channel's Cleveland talk powerhouse WTAM/1100, we expect one of three things: 1) A talk show of some sort, either local or a reasonably decent syndicated show. 2) A sports talk show. Or, 3) A sports play-by-play broadcast.We don't expect a boring infomercial with a monotone voice droning on about mutual funds, but that's what WTAM listeners have been getting for a few weeks now in a reasonably prime weekend slot, 12-1 PM Saturdays. "The Mutual Fund … [Read more...]

OMW's been sitting on this one since first seeing the story on WOIO/19's 11 PM edition of "19 Action News" on Thursday night, but we can no longer hold back.In its typical, breathless style, the local CBS affiliate led its newscast with an "exclusive" story. Cue the live shot camera, and it's veteran reporter Paul Orlousky out front of...the South Marginal Road studios of competitor WJW "FOX 8".As it turns out, the story involves allegations against a male now-former WJW newsroom employee by a … [Read more...]

Plain Dealer local radio/TV columnist Julie Washington weighs in on the first couple of days of the new morning show on Radio One urban talk WERE/1300 Cleveland, hosted by long-time local radio/TV name Ronnie Duncan.Washington calls Duncan's opening on the former brokered talker "smooth, professional and lively". While OMW has no doubt Duncan is a talented and well-regarded host, and that he did fine in his WERE debut, we often wonder if Washington and Plain Dealer sports media columnist Roger … [Read more...]

OK, so maybe it's not QUITE a "hold the presses" moment.But it sounds like WNIR/100.1, at least for tonight's broadcast of Kent State men's basketball, has discovered the wonders of modern technology. For the first time we've ever heard, a remote broadcast on the Akron market talk station hasn't sounded like it is being phoned in from a phone booth. And we mean "ever", as in, "the entire history of the radio station". Here at OMW World Headquarters, we had to keep checking our radio to be … [Read more...]

The purchase of Adelphia's cable TV assets by Time Warner and Comcast has cleared a big hurdle, as the Federal Trade Commission has approved the move. The only step left on the federal level is at the Federal Communications Commission, which is widely expected to approve the transaction.After that happens, and when all the local approvals are in order, the companies expect to finish it up by "late second quarter" this year...somewhere by June or so.Locally, Adelphia's Cleveland-based system … [Read more...]

A few short items on our plate this Tuesday evening:* WKYC/3 VP/News Richard Moore is heading south, to take a broadcast journalism teaching position at the University of South Carolina. The move described in a brief item in today's Plain Dealer is something Moore says he's "always intended" to do. Moore's been with the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate for three years. For his part, WKYC GM Brooke Spectorsky calls Moore "a great leader".* Satellite radio provider XM Satellite Radio has apparently … [Read more...]

A small item on DCRTV this morning, quoting TV insider subscription site FTVLive: "It looks like the four hours of locally-based morning news on DC's Channel 5/WTTG are numbered. FTVLive reports that Fox is planning a national morning show in the 7 AM to 9 AM slot, to compete with like shows on NBC, ABC, and CBS. FTV says that a late summer launch is planned with Juliet Huddy and Mike Jerrick, who currently host the 1 PM 'Dayside' show on sister Fox News Channel....."Of course, like WTTG in our … [Read more...]

The palatial OMW World Headquarters in northwest Akron is ideally situated to catch many of Northeast Ohio's broadcast outlets, but we're not well placed to hear two stations which aired major changes today.Part of it, at least, was not waking up early enough to catch either WZKL/92.5 "Q92"'s new morning host DeLuca, moving from nights to mornings on the Canton market CHR station. For that matter, our post-morning drive wakeup call also precluded catching Ronnie Duncan's debut as the new … [Read more...]

Before Richard Klaus got ahold of it, 100.1 FM was a small, Portage County radio station... paired with sister AM 1520, and basically serving Kent and Ravenna and other Portage County towns.Klaus, president and owner of the station now known as WNIR "The Talk of Akron", along with WJMP/1520 and low-power TV combo WAOH-LP 29/W35AX, passed away over the weekend at the age of 86.Local radio listeners are well aware of his accomplishments. Your Primary Editorial Voice's addiction to talk radio … [Read more...]

One of the biggest "missing pieces" of syndicated conservative talk radio in the Cleveland market is ABC Radio's Sean Hannity.The FOX News Channel star's radio program does quite well for Akron's Clear Channel talk WHLO/640, and was recently added at Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting's talk WEOL/930 Elyria. Yet, despite becoming the second most-popular syndicated radio talk show in America - after former WABC co-worker Rush Limbaugh - Hannity can't get arrested in Cleveland radio itself.One reason - … [Read more...]