There is one news item here (stay tuned!), this is mostly a note to let readers know that we are officially taking a Holiday Hiatus. Our news item is brief, and involves local TV. Denise Polverine, long-time Editor in Chief/Director of Digital Operations for Cleveland.com/Northeast Ohio Media Group, is making the jump to broadcast TV. Starting January 5th, she'll be taking her talents to 13th and Lakeside, where she'll be assistant news director at Gannett NBC affiliate … [Read more...]
John And Johnny
And about the only thing missing from our item in that department is "WKRP in Cincinnati"'s Dr. Johnny Fever. But first... UNWRAPPING DIGITAL TV: Those looking for new digital TV options have a couple of new presents on the over-air dial in the Cleveland market...and one, well, let's just say we're checking to see if pigs are flying over Portage County. That is because (as we signaled earlier) a long-time low-power analog TV stalwart has appeared on area digital TV tuners. Media-Com's … [Read more...]
Heading For 50 Years
The phrase "83 year old TV personality signs multi-year deal" is not something you would hear in pretty much any other TV market. But this is Cleveland, and he's Dick Goddard. The Plain Dealer's Mark Dawidziak reports that the veteran weatherman, who has been forecasting lake effect snow and summer sun in Cleveland longer than a large chunk of his audience has been alive, has indeed inked a multi-year deal with Tribune Fox affiliate WJW/8 that keeps him with the station through his 50th … [Read more...]
The Captain Passes
"Captain" Carl Reese has passed away. A long and fruitful career in Cleveland radio was capped when even recent listeners got to hear him as a voice on standards WRMR, first at 850 AM, and then moved lock, stock and standard to 1420 AM when Robert Conrad decided to air the displaced format on his new AM station (first WCLV[AM]) instead of simulcasting WCLV-FM 104.9. The Plain Dealer's Tom Feran has an obituary here. We now turn the OMW virtual keyboard over to Cleveland radio historian … [Read more...]
Football And Justice
No, we're not writing about Adrian Peterson. The title just happens to be our two subjects for this update... BROWNS TO 5: For those used to watching Gannett NBC affiliate WKYC/3 for your preseason Cleveland Browns fix, starting next year...you'll have to "Catch 5". Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 will become the Browns' "TV and digital partner" starting with the 2015 season. From a release out of 3001 Euclid: “Our consistent goal is to continually communicate with our fans and connect with … [Read more...]
Changes At 3001 Euclid
The folks at Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 are no strangers to change, and here comes a big one... SAM STEPPING DOWN: Vice president/general manager Sam Rosenwasser, who took over the top post at WEWS in 2010, is stepping down next month. It's been no secret that Rosenwasser has been battling health problems, but he all but brings the medical X-rays to Plain Dealer television writer Mark Dawidziak: Rosenwasser's health crisis began when his intestines were punctured during surgery for … [Read more...]
The TV Footwear Has Dropped
In which we finally tell you the local TV item we've been hinting about for weeks...the appointment of a new news director in Cleveland. In what could be the very definition of a "long awaited announcement", as expected by This Corner and everyone in local TV news, Tribune Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8" has officially named assistant news director Andy Fishman as its new news director. No, not "acting" news director or "interim" news director...that happened a ways back. The Plain Dealer's … [Read more...]
Moves, Both Good And Tragic
UPDATE: A sad update to our second story...from Rover's GoFundMe site: UPDATE 11-12-2014: Unfortunately little Serena has succumbed to her injuries. She passed away this morning. Sarah and Ben remain hospitalized in serious condition. Please keep Rob and his family in your thoughts. Our original item is below... --- When life situations call for a move, changes that result can be both good...and end up in tragedy... BOURQUIN MOVES NORTH: When Digity talk WHBC/1480 Canton brought aboard … [Read more...]
Items From All Over
Our collection is from all over, but there's a Northeast Ohio connection for each one... TSJ BUYS COLUMBUS: In speculation about the fate of for-sale Radio Disney O&O WWMK/1260 Cleveland, we wondered if Cincinnati-based TSJ Media would buy the station. TSJ operates "La Mega 87.7", the Spanish-language station being leased from Tom Wilson's Murray Hill Broadcasting, and known to the FCC as LPTV outlet WLFM-LP/6, recently given a temporary and possibly permanent reprieve as a "radio station" … [Read more...]
Off And On
From signals off to court humor on, here we are... UPDATE: As if by magic, the moment we posted this item, WEAO/49's over-air signal returned. Read on for news of program rescheduling to make up for the outage... 49 OFF AGAIN: Western Reserve PBS' Akron signal is off the air again. This time, it's the wait for a needed part replacement that has kept WEAO/49 from area over-air tuners since an equipment failure that happened Sunday morning. Western Reserve PBS communications coordinator and … [Read more...]