Ohio Media Watch

OMW's been bouncing between WJW "FOX 8" and WOIO's "19 Action News" this afternoon (yes, we're gluttons for punishment on that last part), and we're noticing that both stations' weather anchors are predicting vastly different weekend forecasts.Local veteran forecaster Dick Goddard on FOX 8 calls for a high of 58 on Saturday, 55 on Sunday, with a 40% chance of rain Friday night into Saturday, and 30% Saturday and Saturday night. Yesterday, FOX 8's forecast called for a high of 60 on Saturday, 52 … [Read more...]

Here's a small item called to our attention by our media blogging colleagues at DCRTV.com: this Variety story about the appointment of former CBS local owned-and-operated stations head Dennis Swanson to a post as operations chief for Fox's local owned-and-operated TV stations.And here's the part which jumped out at us:--------Swanson will focus on local news for the stations group, including Fox's characteristic morning shows, which take on NBC's "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America" in local … [Read more...]

Now, we know why WTAM/1100 sportscaster Casey Coleman's illness has been such an earth-shaking event for his co-workers at the CC World Domination HQ on Oak Tree Boulevard.The Plain Dealer's Roger Brown reports that the WTAM morning co-host and Browns sideline reporter was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Coleman is reportedly recovering at the Cleveland Clinic after his earlier-reported surgery on Friday, and as noted on the Browns Radio Network yesterday, got a Browns game ball from … [Read more...]

OMW doesn't know this poster on Radio-Info's Cleveland board, so we didn't know what to make of his report that WTAM morning sports anchor Casey Coleman was sick, and that afternooner Mike Trivisonno reported on the air that Coleman needed surgery on Friday.But this afternoon, on the Browns Radio Network broadcast of the Cleveland win over Chicago, we noticed that Coleman was absent, and WTAM Browns beat reporter Andre Knott was filling in, doing Coleman's usual sideline reporting role in the … [Read more...]

From Bill Weisinger, who's the program director for the WSTB/88.9 Streetsboro-based "Sunday Oldies Jukebox" programming block:Long-time WKHR/91.5 Bainbridge volunteer general manager Scott McVay passed away recently after a long illness. Weisinger reports that McVay had held that position for somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 years.And in one of those odd coincidences, OMW's very first time hearing WKHR came on a drive back into Akron last night, along I-76 in rural Portage County. The … [Read more...]

The first shoe in this situation dropped when WOHI/1490 East Liverpool's sister station WOGF/104.3 - one of the Froggy Country chain around western PA and nearby - stopped programming locally... and started simulcasting with the Keymarket country chain's main operation out of Pittsburgh, WOGI/98.3 Duquesne.Now, OMW learns that WOHI itself will change format soon, as of November 1st...when it reportedly plans to become a full-time ESPN Radio affiliate.That change leaves a WOHI veteran, and an … [Read more...]

There's been a change in morning drive at Canton market CCM WNPQ/95.9 "The Light".The morning show is now called "Terry and Suzie in the Morning", and the co-host not yet pictured on that webpage is named Terry Lee. The show used to feature Tom Sullivan, a 30 year Northeast Ohio radio vet who joined the station in March, according to this March 7th article in the Canton Repository.Though Tom's been at a number of Akron and Canton stations, he's best remembered by OMW for a stint on Akron's WKDD, … [Read more...]

Listeners to Clear Channel talk WSPD/1370 Toledo are hearing Michael Graham fill-in during the station's open afternoon drive slot today. The slot opened when local talker Denny Schaffer left Toledo, for a gig at sister Clear Channel talk WGST/640 Atlanta.Graham is the controversial host who raised the ire of some Islamic groups with comments made on his show at ABC talk WMAL/630 Washington. ABC suspended, and later fired him, and Graham has done fill-in talk both on radio stations, and on the … [Read more...]

Cumulus Youngstown market classic rocker WYFM/102.9 ("Y103") is looking for a new morning co-host. OMW isn't sure of what prompted the advertisement. But former WKBN/27 anchor Catherine Bosley, who landed at Y103 after her world-famous "situation", is now doing regular reporting for Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO/19's "19 Action News" on a freelance basis.Here's the ad, found on radio industry website AllAccess:-------------Youngstown's Y103 #1 rated Classic Rock Morning Show with Scott Kennedy … [Read more...]

Yesterday, OMW bought a shortwave radio. We've occasionally owned one over the years, but this new one also turns out to be more than a decent performer on the FM band. And thus, from the OMW World Headquarters in northwest Akron - far from its usual range - we've been able to hear the steady stunting of WQIO/93.7 Mount Vernon most of the night. Through lots of interference, sure...it's not a local signal by any stretch of the imagination...but it was there. (It's now also the second radio here … [Read more...]