When SportsTime Ohio successfully pursued veteran sportscaster Bruce Drennan for a TV sports talk show, he was coming out of federal prison after being convicted of tax charges related to sports betting. Thus, the name of his new show, "All Bets Are Off", must have seemed clever to someone at the network owned at the time by Dolan family (owners of the Cleveland Indians). It, and the "Vegas sign theme" logo, never was all that clever, and finally, it's gone from the show airing on today's … [Read more...]
Carucci Exits Browns, Returns To Buffalo
Posted on September 4, 2014 · 6 Comments
As we write this, it's just three days from the Cleveland Browns opening day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers...and Cleveland Browns senior editor/"Cleveland Browns Daily" co-host Vic Carucci is getting ready to head out of town. Carucci is leaving the local NFL team, bound for his old hometown of Buffalo and the job he held a few years before coming to Cleveland...covering the Buffalo Bills for the Buffalo News. The newspaper writes: Carucci steps in for Mark Gaughan, who requested a … [Read more...]
Akron’s Most Trusted (Retiring) Radio Newsman
Posted on September 4, 2014 · 1 Comment
If you're at the top of your field, and have been for decades, you're basically the living dictionary definition of your profession. If the broadcasting dictionary entry is "Akron radio newsman", the answer is clearly "See: States, Larry". After over 40 years in radio news, the last 30-plus at Rubber City Radio Group talk WAKR/1590 Akron, Larry States is calling it a career. We'll call on long-time OMW reader and Rubber City VP/information media Ed Esposito for a few words about Larry, … [Read more...]
19 and 43: Another Retrans Battle
Posted on September 2, 2014 · 1 Comment
As was warned on the website of Raycom Media stations including CBS affiliate WOIO/19 and MyNetwork TV affiliate WUAB/43, those stations can no longer be seen on DirecTV. Welcome to yet another Retransmission Consent Battle, which means those who have the largest satelllite TV provider can't see things like, well, Sunday's Cleveland Browns opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers...unless the dispute is resolved. (The screenshot is courtesy of OMW reader Rob McPherson on Twitter.) Here's a … [Read more...]
New Leader, New Job
Posted on August 29, 2014 · Leave a Comment
WEWS BRINGS HOME NEW ND: It's been just over five months since Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5 "NewsChannel 5" news director Jill Manuel left the station for "bigger opportunties in another market" (Chicago), as a station memo said at the time. Her replacement will have no trouble finding his way around Cleveland, or even 3001 Euclid Avenue. Jeff Harris has been news director at Scripps' sister ABC station in Denver, KMGH/7...but heads back to Cleveland to take over the news reins at WEWS. … [Read more...]
The Gone And The Now
Posted on August 27, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Another Cleveland TV news personality is heading for the Big Apple, and another TV type is incoming from a smaller market... NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: We watched as former "Fox 8 News" anchor Stacey Bell left the anchor desk at Tribune Fox affiliate WJW/8 for Long Island NY, where she joined Cablevision all-news channel "News 12"...then later, made the big jump to New York City's NBC O&O, WNBC/4. She'll be joined on the air in New York soon by a fast-rising Cleveland TV news star who is … [Read more...]
Sports And People
Posted on August 23, 2014 · 2 Comments
And let's start with a helpful item for sports fans tonight... BROWNS VS. GLADIATORS: No, the NFL's Cleveland Browns won't be tangling with the Arena Football League's Cleveland Gladiators in downtown Cleveland tonight. But on the radio dial, even with the Gladiators going for a league crown, the Browns obviously win that battle. CBS Radio sports WKRK/92.3 "The Fan" is the arena football team's flagship radio station, and has been carrying Gladiators games all season long, with Doug … [Read more...]
Want To Buy A Cleveland Radio Station?
Posted on August 14, 2014 · 25 Comments
Full market Cleveland radio stations don't go on the block every day, but one's now for sale. Radio Disney is all but getting out of the over-air radio business, as it was revealed Wednesday that Disney is selling 23 of its 24 owned-and-operated Radio Disney outlets, including Cleveland's WWMK/1260. Broadcasting & Cable had first word. The Wrap has the full memo to staff by the chain's general manager, Phil Guerini. The company is keeping Radio Disney flagship KDIS/1110 Los Angeles as … [Read more...]
CBS Shakeup In Indy…Here?
Posted on August 13, 2014 · 3 Comments
First, let's make this rather clear. As far as we know, there are no network affiliation change plans in the works at any Cleveland TV station, let alone at Tribune Fox affiliate WJW/8 "Fox 8". But Tribune's recent move in the Indianapolis market is causing some to wonder...could it happen here? Tribune announced that starting on January 1, 2015, it would take the CBS affiliation for now-CW affiliate WTTV/4 in Indianapolis (WTTV/4 Bloomington IN-WTTK/29 Kokomo IN) from the market's … [Read more...]
A Lot To Catch Up On
Posted on August 12, 2014 · 9 Comments
As Life is Intervening(tm) a little less here at the OMW World Headquarters, we have some time to catch up... WKNR MIXES IT UP AGAIN: The rumored lineup change at Good Karma sports WKNR/850 "ESPN Cleveland" came to fruition, but not quite as rumored. Still, the big pieces are as expected, and the biggest move affects the station's signature program, "The Really Big Show" in middays. The changes take effect August 25th. The 9 AM-1 PM show keeps its lead host, long-time local sports … [Read more...]
