Ohio Media Watch

The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced the expected new deal with FOX Sports Net Ohio, but what wasn't expected was the continued involvement of Raycom Media UPN/MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB/43.The team says the "multi-year deal" calls for 70 games a year on FSN Ohio, and five of those games will also be simulcast on WUAB. Playoff games not airing on ABC nationally will be aired on both outlets.That's certainly a significant drop in Channel 43's coverage, and it won't even be the exclusive outlet … [Read more...]

The biggest brand name in liberal talk radio, Air America, is going through some times that could even charitably be described as "rough".The most visible evidence of the network's problems involve the actual on-air schedule.Wednesday afternoon, about 30 minutes before he was scheduled to fill-in for AAR afternoon drive host Randi Rhodes, Atlanta-based late night host Mike Malloy was told his services would no longer be required by the network.Malloy, on his own website, says the move was … [Read more...]

Canton market top 40 WZKL/92.5 "Q92" is apparently saying "uncle" after strong reaction to a bit by evening personality "Igor".The Canton Repository reports that the Alliance-based station has officially apologized for a regular bit called "Name that Tune with Mongoloid Mike". The Repository's Melissa Griffy Seeton reports that the contest "invited people to sing a song as if they have mental retardation and listeners tried to guess the song to win a prize." The Akron Beacon Journal's Mary … [Read more...]

A LOW-POWER FULL-POWER FM: Your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) toured around in the OMW Mobile(tm) on a drive from Portage County, into Tallmadge and then Cuyahoga Falls, with the sole purpose of checking out the currently low-power signal of Cumulus rock WRQK/106.9 Canton, otherwise known as "Rock 107".Low-power's the word for it, alright.Let's put it this way - WRQK includes not only Canton and Massillon in their legal ID, but also Akron and Alliance. No one in either city is listening to this … [Read more...]

Some more items this Wednesday:TOLEDO TURMOIL: There must indeed be "something in the water" in the Toledo radio market, and the stations in that area might want to check.This time, brand new WWWM/105.5 "Star 105" program director Mark McKay, who replaced Steve Marshall just days ago, is out at the Cumulus Toledo hot AC outlet. OMW has no verifiable information on the reason for McKay's quick departure from the Star PD post.Marshall was barely out of the building - he announced his resignation … [Read more...]

Rubber City Radio standards/news WAKR/1590 Akron has sent the Dial-Global (formerly Westwood One) "Adult Standards" format packing, at least during weekdays.The station has announced a "live and local" lineup of on-air personalities for its music hours which used to be covered by the satellite. That lineup apparently starts today. Among them - former WKDD/then-96.5 program director Chuck Collins, who is now heard on WAKR in mid-mornings.Collins calls the station's new local lineup "a new kind … [Read more...]

The patriarch of the Peterson family, owner of Alliance-based WZKL/92.5 "Q92" and WDPN/1310, died Saturday evening at the age of 88.Donald A. Peterson, who was publisher of the Alliance Review newspaper before owning the Stark County city's two radio stations, was a Navy veteran and participated in numerous boards in the Alliance and Stark County region. The Youngstown native spent the bulk of his life in Alliance.His family continues to operate the radio stations today. Grandson Donald … [Read more...]

We can't let too much time go by without noting this:The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that former WDBN/94.9 Medina owner Robert Miller has passed away at the age of 71, from complications stemming from lung disease.Miller bought the powerful Medina-based FM station in 1968 off of a stint at Cleveland's WERE/1300. The station now known as Rubber City Radio Akron market country outlet WQMX once programmed beautiful music as "The Quiet Island", from a studio and transmitter facility near the … [Read more...]

Continuing in our "non-theme theme" week:WABQ/WERE: We wanted to get the details on what potential overlap there will - or rather, won't - be between soon-to-be Good Karma Broadcasting's WABQ/1540 and the station which is rumored to be partnered with it in running nighttime programming, Radio One talk WERE/1300.WABQ chief engineer Chris Quinn gives us the heads up on the facility he currently tends to.In November and December, for example, the station signs off entirely at 5:45 PM, leaving an … [Read more...]

Some scattered items, the first two from long-time OMW reader/tipster Nathan Obral:WWVA CHANGES: Nate tips us off to the addition of TRN's Michael Savage to the lineup at Clear Channel talk WWVA/1170 Wheeling WV.The station carries two hours of Savage from 6 PM-8 PM, which clips local afternoon drive show "The Drive Home with Steve Novotney" down to 3-6 PM. It's actually the second TRN placement on the weeknight WWVA schedule, as the network's "Advice Line with Roy Masters" airs as part of the … [Read more...]