Thus, marking the only time in history where these two men will be mentioned in the same breath... JEFF THOMAS EXITS: OMW has confirmed that long-time Good Karma WKNR/850 sports update voice Jeff Thomas is no longer with the station. According to his WKNR bio, Jeff started being heard on the station in 1996. Thomas' bio has now been removed from the WKNR "hosts" page, and station utility player/producer/Browns beat reporter Daryl Ruiter is doing the updates this morning. OMW hears that WKNR … [Read more...]
We’re Moving
Posted on May 1, 2010 · 1 Comment
OMW is in the process of moving to a new home. We're setting up on the WordPress blogging system, after nearly 5 years on Google's Blogger platform. The address is as simple as our Blogspot address: ohiomediawatch.wordpress.com (Please note that unlike on Blogger, the full name of the blog is in the URL.) We have imported all of our existing posts. We will continue to publish on Blogger for another week or so, maybe sooner, then the old blog will remain "as is" from that point on. … [Read more...]
5’s New GM And Other TV News
Posted on April 28, 2010 · 1 Comment
NEW BOSS ON EUCLID: Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 has found its new general manager.After hearing from our sources that former Tampa FL general manager Sam Rosenwasser had been introduced to employees as the new VP/GM at the Cleveland station, we did a Google search - and found that Plain Dealer TV writer Mark Dawidziak had already posted an item about Rosenwasser's hiring:Rosenwasser, 57, was the president and general manager of WTSP Channel 10, the Gannett-owned CBS affiliate in the Tampa-St. … [Read more...]
Supersized Update
Posted on April 27, 2010 · Leave a Comment
As promised, here's our update that spans all over the map, and with updates on just about every subject area we cover. How big is it? Let's just put it this way...we're lucky Blogger doesn't charge at all, let alone by the kilobyte...WVPX HD: Put on hold by Ion Media Networks' bankruptcy a while back, the HD upgrade at Ion's local owned-and-operated station is complete.Over-air viewers of Akron-licensed WVPX/23 are now seeing an HD feed on 23.1, and viewers of Time Warner Cable will get the … [Read more...]
Clearing Out The To Do Box
Posted on April 22, 2010 · 1 Comment
Our sporadic publishing schedule means that we occasionally have to clear out the "To Do" box, and that's what we're doing today...NEWSNIGHT "HIATUS": Western Reserve PBS is shelving the long-running, popular public affairs talk show "NewsNight Akron" after this week...for now.A release from our friends at Campus Center Drive says that the public TV outlet (known to the FCC as WNEO/45 Alliance-WEAO/49 Akron) will put the Friday evening show hosted by WKYC/3's Eric Mansfield "on hiatus" starting … [Read more...]
The Big One
Posted on April 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Our two items are both about "The Big One", the colloquial name for Clear Channel talk WTAM/1100 Cleveland (a name borrowed under common ownership from sister Clear Channel talk WLW/700 Cincinnati)...TRIV SHOW EXIT: OMW has confirmed that "Mike Trivisonno Show" technical producer "Dirty Kurt" McLaughlin is no longer with the station.We hear that Kurt resigned from his position on the afternoon drive show Friday evening, due to what is being called "personal reasons".And no, not only do we not … [Read more...]
Ohio’s Mobile TV Future
Posted on April 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment
A host of TV station owner groups are banding together to create a much broader future for mobile digital television, and nearly all groups in the Cleveland market are involved.From the first article about the joint venture of 12 ownership groups, courtesy of TVNewsCheck's Harry Jessell:The groups: Belo Corp., Cox Media Group, E.W. Scripps Co., Fox, Gannett Broadcasting, Hearst Television Inc., Ion Television, Media General Inc., Meredith Corp., NBC, Post-Newsweek Stations Inc. and Raycom … [Read more...]
The Ohio Connection
Posted on April 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Here are a couple of very unrelated items about Northeast Ohioans in or near the national media spotlight...CONVENTION TIME: Those in local radio and TV are noticing that many people have left Ohio for Las Vegas this week, site of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) annual convention.Long-time OMW readers are aware that a regular reader of the Mighty Blog of Fun(tm), Rubber City Radio Group VP/information media Ed Esposito, has been involved with what is now the Radio-Television … [Read more...]
From Cleveland To Youngstown to Canada
Posted on April 9, 2010 · Leave a Comment
...and beyond, as this is quite a geographically-broad update...KEN COURTRIGHT: Services were held Thursday for long-time Cleveland and Northeast Ohio radio newsman Ken Courtright, who died Saturday at the age of 74.A complete obituary is available at the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home website, and in our earlier item, someone posted a comment with a link to video of the service, which is now archived and available for viewing. (It appears to be password protected, so we're not sure we should … [Read more...]
Notable Events
Posted on April 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Clearing out the "Already Posted On Twitter" file, and other things...CLEVELAND RADIO NEWS LEGEND PASSES: For decades in the Cleveland market and beyond, Ken Courtright was synonymous with the phrase "radio news".Courtright passed away Saturday in New Philadelphia.Though he spent a lot of time in his native Tuscarawas County, including two decades as news director of Tuscarawas Broadcasting talk WBTC/1540 Uhrichsville, Courtright spent a lot of time at major Cleveland stations.From our own item … [Read more...]
