Time Warner Customers About to Lose 19 Channels

I am in Cincinnati at the home of a friend who has Time Warner Cable (AKA fellow Babydolls/Frozen Paradice/whichever it is after Jan. 1 DJ K-I-D). We both noticed last night that about 19 channels from MTV/Viacom networks have a crawl across the bottom and that was enough to bring this blog back from hiatus for this post.

Time Warner customers in Cincinnati (and for that matter, everywhere else Time Warner works) are about to lose every single Viacom network tonight at midnight. The channels all have a crawl directing viewers to call Time Warner at a toll free number and demand (and they type it in the crawl as DEMAND) that the system not drop the channels. This number actually leads to the local offices.

We'll be following this story tonight, but suffice to say, unless a last minute deal is done, Nickelodeon (and that network's associated sub-channels), Spike TV, VH1, MTV(and all of their subchannels), CMT (and CMT2), and Comedy Central will all be dropped at midnight tonight. What a way to end 2008 and begin 2009 in our opinion...

Holiday Hiatus Information

A quick note from us here at TSMW:

First, we want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year.

Second, we noted last week we planned on a hiatus for the holidays. And that will begin tomorrow night, December 23.

We will post major news, such as stations being sold, personalities being let go(read: Channel 19/Raycom, which we STILL haven't heard about!), format changes, and other such major things. But, we otherwise won't be doing a daily post between now and Friday, January 2nd, 2009. That allows us here at TSMW HQ to spend time with our family and any friends coming in over the holidays.

Again, happy holidays from the Editor!

Jeremy Moses
TSMW Editor

Friday Wrapup plus news about the next two weeks

First, an announcement about this blog, and the next two weeks.

We will still be posting major news. But general, daily postings will be less frequent from now to after the first of the year.

And we will be trying to step completely away from this blog between December 25 and January 1.

Now, an update on a former morning host, and a look at CET looking for influential voices, courtesy of the Enquirer's John Kiesewetter:

Former "Sound" DJ Starting with Time Warner-Dayton: Clayton -- real name Chris Wilguess -- was morning host at WSWD-FM, "The Sound" until Bonneville fired the on-air staff and moved the station to a weaker frequency, 97.3. He'll be starting with Time-Warner Cable - Dayton on December 29 as a promotions specialist. He'll be working with the cable giant's Lima, Dayton and Toledo systems. (UPDATE 12/23 2AM: We did not realize until now, but Mr. Wilguess follows us here at TSMW.)

Clayton lives in Springboro, and had commuted here for the "Sound" gig. This puts him much closer to home. We here at TSMW wish him the best.

CET Seeks "Voices" of Influential Cincinnatians: CET will collect and archive narratives from influential Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky residents for its new "Voices" initiatives next year. The archive on the station's website at cetconnect.org will "act as a living portrait" for future generations to learn from those who have made an impact here.

If you have a suggestion, email David Hancock at dhancock@cetconnect.org, or call him at 513-381-4033, ext. 317.

Correction, and update to TWC HD Channels Item

A couple weeks ago, we posted about Time Warner Cable adding six new channels. It turns out that it comes out to EIGHT channels, and the six cited was actually SIX HD channels. They are (with channel numbers in parentheses): Golf (989), Sci-Fi (994), USA (995), Animal Planet (996), Science (997) and ESPNEWS (998).

TWC also will add two standard definition channels -- MLB Network (178) and Sprout (167).

All 8 will launch December 30.

New Email for Tri-State Media Watch

We have decided to take the plunge and make GMail our new and EXCLUSIVE email address for this blog.

Between now and January 4, 2008, you can continue to send emails about this blog, or tips FOR this blog, to dj_jmos22_2007@yahoo.com, and they'll continue to be answered there.

After January 4, 2008, ALL email related to this blog (and this blog ONLY, my Personal Thoughts/Observations from N KY blog is NOT affected), should be sent to tristatemediawatch@gmail.com.

PLEASE take note of this change. We will be forwarding it on to our friends at Ohio Media Watch for posting there, and any of our other followers that wish to post this information, and help us out, PLEASE do so.

Jeremy Moses
Editor, Tri-State Media Watch & Personal Thoughts/Observations from N KY

19 Flub-up and aired swear...DTV test TONIGHT

A couple of items for this cold, icy Wednesday:

FOX19 Goofs On Simply Money Segment, AND Airs Swear: We've still got nothing confirmed with regards to cuts at Fox19 WXIX. But we DO have confirmation from at least one viewer about something that happened on their 6:30pm news last night.

Seems the station went to air one of their "Simply Money" segments, but the wrong one aired, we're hearing from a poster on skyeyeweather.com's forums. It was cut off near the end...but not before a four letter word starting with "sh-" was clearly heard by viewers.

If that's true, we've yet to find out if they apologized on air for the swear word going to air.

Apparently, FOX19 bosses are being really tight-lipped about any cuts they are making. Ohio Media Watch and I both have heard rumors, but because they are just that...rumors...we've chosen not to talk about them until we have confirmation. But it's safe to say, any next round might include the person or people responsible for last night's goofup.

DTV Soft Shutoff Test Tonight: Tonight at 7:31:00pm, Ohio TV stations will stop programming on their analog signals and broadcast a DTV test for five minutes.

If viewers do not have a DTV tuner, converter, or a cable/satellite hookup, they will see a message instructing them what to do to receive DTV on 2/17/09, with a phone number to call for help. That number, we believe, will be routed to a phone bank scheduled to be held at CET's studios tonight from 7:30 to 9:30pm.

We repeat: ONLY analog TV viewers with no cable or satellite service will see that message. As far as we know, both Insight and Time-Warner get the digital signals from all local TV stations here. We'll find out here at the TSMW HQ tonight, along with the rest of the Tri-State, at 7:31pm.

By the way, we're hearing a similar test will be done in Arizona at 6:20pm local time tonight.

Review - How did the stations handle this winter storm?

Later tonight, I'll talk more about this, but for now, a couple thoughts.

-- 5's school closing graphic is considerably slimmer, but still has the same information.

-- 9 made full use of their "most accurate" moniker in their ads as usual.

-- 19's ads are effective...their closing graphic is confined to their usual news crawl, which is great for viewers who didn't like the larger graphics.

-- All stations had people at the salt pile, a couple had people in Northern Kentucky (the home of Your Tri-State Media Watcher).

More thoughts later tonight.

Final Update for This Week...

Barring major news coming late tonight, this will be the final update for this week, with a return Monday to 5 days-a-week blogging...

FOX19 Update: Still no word on the FOX19 situation as far as layoffs. I am wondering, along with Ohio Media Watch (TSMW's original inspiration for this blog and our NE Ohio companion) if, as I talked about yesterday in this space, ratings success + an expected departure by morning anchor Rob Williams doesn't = safety at WXIX for now...

Could Clear Channel Layoff Employees?: I've heard some speculation that Clear Channel will lay off folks at Kenwood Tower. Nothing confirmed mind you, but given recent history, it's worth following.

News 5 Campaigns: We've seen some of the latest spots for WLWT News 5's Power of Five Weather Team.

It appears they are moving away from the "Derek Said It Would" moniker at first glance...except that the slogan IS still used during the News 5 Today program.

Seems to us like they are moving the entire News 5 brand towards the "Straight To The Point" slogan used during recent spots for Sandra Ali and Sheree Paolello's solo newscasts at 6 and 11 respectively.

Has News 5 finally found a formula that works? Maybe...it's too early to tell right now. We'll reserve judgement until the May books...

A couple of local items we missed from the radio side...

In our hiatus this week, we missed a couple of happenings in the radio biz...

Roberts Returns to the Queen City: All Access reports that a Tri-State native has returned to town, and is looking for an opportunity. Quoting All Access:

As previously mentioned on ALL ACCESS (NET NEWS 10/31), former TEJAS BROADCASTING Hot AC KLTG (THE BEACH 96.5)/CORPUS CHRISTI, TX PD/midday talent CHRIS ROBERTS has returned to his home town of CINCINNATI for family reasons.

ROBERTS is now settled back home in CINCINNATI and ready for his next radio programming or on-air opportunity. Reach out to CHRIS at (361) 949-0369, or rockinfrosty@yahoo.com.

Welcome back Chris, and hopefully you can find an opportunity in the market, even with the mess the economy is in right now...

WSWD-FM Concert Raises $4,000 for Toys For Tots: 97.3FM The Sound (WSWD-FM) raised nearly $4,000 Saturday, December 6th for Toys For Tots during their concert featuring acts like The Ting-Tings, Shiny Toy Guns and Safetysuit along with a few local bands.

Quoting again from AllAccess:

Listeners donated over 130 toys at select MEIJER locations for "THE SOUND’s SHINY TOYS FOR SHINY TOY GUNS" campaign where listeners received tickets to the concert in exchange for new toys for TOYS FOR TOTS. THE SOUND also held a "NOT SO SILENT AUCTION" during the concert, featuring autographed memorabilia from artists.

WSWD PD JAY KRUZ said, "97.3 THE SOUND is built around the concept of giving. "We’re proud to give to the community as part of our ongoing support of TOYS FOR TOTS and I believe we gave the people of CINCINNATI a great concert."

We here at TSMW congratulate 97.3 on their successful concert and toy drive.

Fox19 Speculation

We still have not heard of layoffs at FOX19 WXIX-TV in town.

However we may have at least one reason, and maybe two, for why there have yet to be announcements. These are speculation ONLY.

Reason 1 - Rob Williams' Expected Departure: Back a month or two ago, before TSMW was started by yours truly, morning anchor Rob Williams was rumored to be headed for Detroit to take an early evening newscast spot. His contract is up in March. That move isn't confirmed.

Reason two - FOX19's Recent Dominance: Except in the 6:30 time slot, Fox19 did really well in the most recent ratings book in November. The station does well in the 10pm slot (dominant over Channel 12's 10pm CinCW news offering), and competes at 6am, as well as beating Good Morning America and Today 7-9am.

Now again, those are pure speculation. Raycom just cut six at WTOL-TV CBS 11 (Toledo). And that station is a powerhouse in that market. So, reason two may not have much bearing. Williams' departure seems to be more likely the reason, although even that may only have an impact for so long (April maybe?).

Time Warner making changes to lineups in Cincinnati, Oxford

UPDATE 3:15AM 12/12: In a comment on this report, Joseph reports not being able to receive CSPAN2. Upon checking with a source on the north side of Cincinnati who has Time Warner(Hat tip: Mike Taylor, a longtime friend and fellow DJ with Your Tri-State Media Watcher), CSPAN2 should be on Channel 165. If it hasn't shown up by morning, email us at dj_jmos22_2007@yahoo.com.

Original Item Below:

________________________________________________________________________________________

There's a few changes to channel lineups in the Cincinnati and Oxford areas for Time Warner subscribers, says John Kiesewetter, citing information received from Time Warner Cable's Cincinnati offices. (Here at TSMW HQ, we get Insight Cable from Northern Kentucky and not Time Warner.) Here's the scoop on the changes, taking effect TODAY:

C-SPAN2: Is moving for the Cincinnati and former Adelphia areas (Delhi for example) from 59 (digital) and 9 (cable ready) to position 165 on the "digital access tier." Customers with a converter box will have access to C-SPAN2 still even with just basic service, according to Time Warner.

CNN Headline: Will be on position 10 for both cable ready and converter customers in Cincinnati. Moves to 24 in former Adelphia area.

HSN: Moves to position 9 in Cincinnati. (We assume this is for both Cable Ready and those with a converter. Anyone who can confirm this, please email me.)

ShopNBC: In Oxford ONLY, remains on basic with a move to channel position 22.

Back from Hiatus...

Your Tri-State Media Watcher is back from the hiatus, after a doctor's appointment. We'll get to that point in just a few minutes. First, the media news...

FOX19 Layoff Update: We still aren't hearing anything about Fox19 having any layoffs stemming from company-wide cutbacks at Raycom, which owns that station and many others nationwide, including WOIO-TV CBS 19 and WUAB-TV MyNetworkTV 43 in Cleveland, where an update to OMW's earlier post (in the item immediately before this) reveals as many as 13 cuts were made. The layoffs may amount to 10 percent of Raycom's workforce nationally...

Nuxhall Denied Again: Thanks to Jonathan Goolsby for this...

Joe Nuxhall, former Reds pitcher and announcer who died in 2007 of complications from lymphoma, has been passed over yet again for the Ford C. Frick Award, which would have guaranteed Nux entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The winner of the award is Tony Kubek, who was a Yankees shortstop and announcer for NBC Game Of The Week broadcasts. He'll be inducted July 26.

TSMW Health Update: Finally, the promised update on yours truly.

I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon, during which doctors discussed my symptoms and ran a couple simple exams. It is now thought that anxiety attacks, and not only stress, triggered my syncopal episodes. I will be followed for the next week and if they persist, other tests will be run.

This does not mean I am out of the woods, it simply means that I should get better if it is only anxiety issues.

Special thanks go out to Ohio Media Watch, 74WIXYgrad, and all my other readers for the prayers and thoughts that have been sent my way in the last couple of days. They are greatly appreciated from here at TSMW HQ.

BREAKING: Cuts at Fox19??

The layoff axe may have fallen at Fox19 and their parent, Raycom Media.

Ohio Media Watch reports that WXIX-TV/DT Fox19 parent company Raycom Media is reportedly laying off employees on a company-wide basis. There have been 15 cuts at the Memphis Raycom station, WMC-TV NBC 5. And OMW reports that the Cleveland affiliate, WOIO-TV/DT CBS 19/WUAB-TV/DT MNTV 43, may have suffered double digit layoffs.

Here in the TSMW coverage area, it's not clear that WXIX is affected...but with the cuts being rumored to be company-wide...it's safe to say there's bound to be someone affected at Fox19.

And a Quick Note: This story brings us out of our hiatus (long enough to post this item), as again - we'd planned to bring you major news if there were layoffs. If our thinking is correct, FOX19 will be short a bunch of talented folks...

We will return to this blog more permanently as early as tonight, or as late as Monday...it all depends on a doctor's appointment for Your Tri-State Media Watcher later today...

A Personal Update from TSMW Editor Jeremy Moses

This normally would go in my Personal Thoughts/Observations from N KY blog, but I am going to post it here as well as there (post there in a few minutes), in hopes that those who might not go to that blog, will see this one.

I am still taking time away from TSMW and the Personal Thoughts blog, however, I feel that it is critical to update you on events that occurred yesterday evening.

Yesterday at approximately 8:30pm EST, I was at Florence Mall in Florence. I had just met up with a friend of mine (whose name I cannot currently remember). Suddenly, I collapsed to the floor, and remained unconscious for a couple of minutes. I had to be taken to Saint Luke West Hospital as a result.

It is currently unclear what exactly is causing my fainting spells although it is known NOT to be either electrolytes, a heart problem OR diabetes. It could be the stress of the breakup referenced yesterday...or it may be an underlying cause known as Arnold Chiari Malformation, in which my brain protrudes into my spinal cord.

If it is the ACM, my days of running all over town are over and I will be limited in what I am able to do.

If it is not, but there is still something besides just emotional stress, then the effects will be less severe. And if it is ONLY emotional stress...well then everything will clear up once my life returns to some normalcy.

Until then, I am asking for your thoughts and prayers as I prepare to undergo testing in the next couple of days to determine what, if anything, caused my recent fainting spells.

Sincerely,

Jeremy S. Moses
Editor of Tri-State Media Watch and Personal Thoughts/Observations from N KY

Six new channels for Time Warner - Cincy subscribers.

Time Warner Cable will add six new channels at the end of the year, according to their website at this link.

Animal Planet, ESPNEWS, Golf Channel, MLB Network, the Science Channel and PBS Kids Sprout (a preschool channel) will all be added December 30, and USA HD, Sci-Fi HD, and My Life on Demand are in the pipeline for sometime in 2009.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Once again, this is the final item for the next couple days, barring a radio station changing formats or massive layoffs at any station/company cluster between now and Thursday morning. I will return then. Thank you for reading TSMW, and as always if there's anything you have to report, email me at dj_jmos22_2007@yahoo.com.

Going on a short hiatus...

Because of personal reasons, this blog will be on a short hiatus beginning tonight.

I endured an extremely messy breakup on Sunday, and I cannot really concentrate on this blog at this time.

Any major items (format changes, mass layoffs, etc.) will be posted as I receive word...but do not expect daily postings until Thursday, December 11, 2008.

Thursday, I'll catch up on all other items, but the final pre-hiatus blog will be about the TWC-Cincy new channel additions to their digital service.

~Jeremy Moses
Editor, Tri-State Media Watch

BREAKING: Tribune to file for bankruptcy?

It seems the Tribune Company, owners of the Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Chicago Cubs is weighing a possible Chapter 11 filing.

The Chicago Tribune itself reports that they've hired law firm Sidley Austin and investment bank Lazard Ltd. to explore what would happen if they file. The Tribune reports that the company has been struggling under $13 billion of debt, and that $70 million of unsecured debt is due today.

Of course the Tribune has also suffered from the troubles plaguing the newspaper business.

On Geraldo At Large on Fox News, Geraldo Rivera cited the Wall Street Journal as saying that the company could file "as soon as this week".

The Cincinnati connection to this story?

It involves one Randy Michaels, who was formerly an executive at Jacor, which owned WKRC-TV 12 in the 1990s. He remained even after Jacor was bought by Clear Channel in 1999, moving up within CC to become President and CEO before leaving in 2005 to start his own consulting firms. He gave up those positions one year ago to become first executive vice president and CEO of the broadcasting and interactive operations of Tribune, then Chief Operating Officer this past May.

One more story...and this is a lighthearted one...

We have a lighthearted story for you tonight...

If you watch much TV (and we here at TSMW watch quite a bit), you know the Capital One commercial spots that ask "What's in your wallet?"

It appears a Tri-State man is the elf who delivers that tagline in the newest spots now airing nationwide.

Chip Chinery, a comedian, 1982 St. Xavier (Cincinnati, not Louisville) graduate, Anderson Twp. native and former Production Assistant at WCPO-TV 9, is that jolly elf in these commercials, according to John Kiesewetter's latest blog entry.

Chinery says he still does standup in L.A., including at the Improv there. He notes that he liked the costumes...some of the elves, even though you won't see them in the commercial itself, wore handmade custom shoes.

The commercial was shot over two days in September, and included a few different characters, like a mechanical reindeer. (We couldn't make that sound any less weird to us if we tried.) In the end, the commercial you see is the final spot chosen.

See clips of Chinery in action here, and enjoy the Capital One spots. (Apparently, yes, Santa's elf, and maybe Santa himself, has them in HIS wallet!)

An update or two to clear the plate...

Just a quick thing or two before this weekend, and my scheduled 9pm-12am (at least) DJ shift:

WKRP Update: We have a correction to the story reported before Thanksgiving about WKRP-TV.

It now appears that WKRP is ONLY a branding slogan for the time being. We're told Elliot Block hasn't yet made the decision to change the call letters...but, theoretically, that can still occur. It just hasn't yet...thanks to our friends at Ohio Media Watch for the update...

The O'Reilly Factor is...OFF: OMW also reports that Bill O'Reilly's radio "Factor" won't be a factor for too much longer.

Westwood One, which syndicates the show across the US, announces that Mr. O'Reilly will pull the plug on the show in early 2009.

O'Reilly tells the New York Post:

"The media business is getting more and more intense," O'Reilly said Thursday. "We've got to keep the TV show at the level we have it now, and that means more and more time to keep it competitive and fresh. I've been working 60, 65 hours a week and I just can't keep doing that."

In the Tri-State area, O'Reilly isn't much of a...well, Factor...his only clearances anywhere remotely NEAR the Cincinnati market are in Portsmouth and Columbus in Ohio, Indianapolis, IN, and Louisville and Lexington in Kentucky...none of which really reach the Tri-State with much of any kind of listenable signal. The exception may be the Portsmouth clearance which can get into Adams and Brown counties in Ohio, or Mason County, KY.

This will likely be our final update of the week, unless major news should break late this afternoon. Even then, the update probably won't be until tonight as we'll be otherwise occupied. Have a great weekend, and do us a favor...get outside, get your shopping done...do something other than sit at the computer. Here at TSMW, we're planning on exactly that...with a movie planned for Saturday and plans to otherwise stay offline Sunday.

Finally, Local Stations DO Something About the Digital Switch!

We'll find out in just under two weeks how ready the Cincinnati area is for the switch from analog TV to DTV, according to John Kiesewetter's blog.

On December 17 from 7:30pm to 7:35pm, viewers watching TV on analog sets without cable or satellite service or a converter box will see a message telling them that they must act before February 17, 2009 to ensure that they'll continue to receive local programming. Only those viewers will see this message.

Cable and satellite TV's and those which have converters attached will work fine.

Employees from all of the local stations will man a phone bank from 7:30 to 9:30pm, says Kiesewetter.

Bill Fee, General Manager at WCPO-TV/DT 9, predicts that "The 20 lines will be jammed. We had 10 lines for a digital TV phone bank one day in November, on our 5-6;30 p.m. news, and we couldn't handle the calls."

It's part of a statewide test being conducted by the Ohio Association of Broadcasters. It also may be a nationwide date, but as far as Kiese and Your Tri-State Media Watcher are aware, KET doesn't plan to participate.

Now, a short rant. (We'll separate facts from opinion here by a horizontal line.)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Here at Tri-State Media Watch, we recently commented on the lack of educational efforts by local TV stations.

It is great to see somebody was apparently listening to us, and decided to conduct this test, and to have a phone bank available on the night of the test.

However, there's still more to do. All of the affected stations need to spend the next two weeks educating the public. By this, we do NOT mean the standard PSA's, crawls, etc.. We mean stories on their newscasts, stories on their websites, the whole deal. (Note: All of the stations do have DTV sections on their websites...it's a start. But, perhaps they should be made more prominent?)

Here's a message to WKRC, WLWT, WCPO, WSTR, and WXIX: Educate your viewers...fast. Before the test, air some kind of special simulcast. Don't rely on the test alone.

BREAKING: Other Shoe Drops on COX - All units will combine

When one shoe drops, the other is sure to follow...although, we admit we didn't see this one dropping so quick. Perhaps COX bosses are reading this blog...and if so, we're glad they are...we want them to see we mean business about covering Ohio/KY/Indiana TV/Radio/Print media...

All Access reports tonight that COX Radio, COX TV and COX Newspapers will now combine to form COX Media Group. Quoting All Access:

COX ENTERPRISES has decided to merge its three media units -- COX Newspapers, COX Television and COX Radio -- under a new organization named COX MEDIA GROUP, Inc., effective JANUARY 2009. COX veteran SANDY SCHWARTZ has been named President of the new entity, which will be headquartered in ATLANTA.

"Bringing together our media operations under one organization creates efficiencies that allow us to strengthen COX for the future," COX ENTERPRISES Pres./COO JIMMY HAYES stated. "Working together, our businesses will grow to become more cost effective, learn more from each other and continue their leadership position in serving our markets."

You'll recall that earlier today we posted information about COX Newspapers closing its Washington, DC bureau in April 2009. That closing now seems like a moot point, as you'll recall we mentioned that COX Radio and COX TV will keep a bureau in that city.

It would seem to us here at TSMW that COX now could consolidate all of its D.C. news operations into that broadcasting arm news bureau...and may in fact do so. Even if so, that likely won't change the status of the employees who were scheduled to be laid off when the COX Newspaper bureau in D.C. closed.

It is also not clear how or if this would affect Dayton's COX properties, which include the Dayton Daily News and WHIO-TV/AM/FM.

BREAKING: COX Newspapers to Close D.C. Bureau...Dayton Not Affected...

COX Newspapers has announced that they will close their Washington, DC national and international news bureau, effective April 1, 2009.

However, this does not affect the Dayton Daily News, nor does it affect the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both papers will keep correspondents there according to Editor and Publisher Journal, with a follow up here. (Also impacted: papers in Hamilton and Middletown.)

For that matter, COX Broadcasting will also continue to have a bureau there for the TV and Radio side of the COX house.

Any and all eligible mployees of the DC bureau (meaning those who do not work for the Dayton Daily News or Atlanta Journal-Constitution) will be offered severance packages. Their jobs will be intact until early 2009.

By the way, the same item reports that Bureau Chief Andy Alexander will retire at the end of this year. (Our best wishes to Mr. Alexander)

It just goes to show you, we did say the layoffs are nowhere near done yet...either in broadcasting, OR in print...

Thoughts regarding layoffs...

Before I began TSMW, I was a reader of Ohio Media Watch (and I still read them now and anything they have to share that I find of interest to my readers, I post here with credit). And that blog was a source of a lot of information about layoffs across Ohio and continues to be now (their latest entry is an example).

Over the last couple years, we have noticed layoffs increasing at a rapid pace in Southwest Ohio. In the last 9 months alone, WKRC-TV 12 has laid off a quarter of its staff...WXIX had to fire its GM, and WLWT's ratings are still last in the market.

And there is no sign of an end to this.

In fact, WLWT is going to have to cut one million dollars, and likely lay off some of its staff. One weather person will likely be laid off.

The cuts also extend to the radio dial, as mentioned in the previous post. (UPDATE 1:25PM 12/3: And print media is also impacted, see our very next item for proof of that)

We here at TSMW hope that everyone escapes the layoff monster this year, but we're not at all confident. We'll bring you all of that as it comes...

Really not much to update...

With not much happening in the market, this is a quickie with some shock value...thanks to a tip from Jonathan Goolsby...

Regent Communications is a broadcasting company that owns 62 radio stations in 13 markets in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Texas. None of those any closer than Evansville, IN/Owensboro, KY...but they are based in Cincinnati. And that's why we're telling you this information.

Jonathan tells TSMW that the stock is getting "killed". And he's right. The price on the stock will shock you.

NINE cents.

That's not a typo. NINE cents. $0.09.

Talk about getting killed on the stock market.

Why is this happening? As near as we here at the Blog-O-Fun can tell, it's merely one of the more extreme examples of the economic crash taking its toll on a station ownership group.

You might recall that this blog reported on the firing of Richard Skinner from 96.5 (WFTK-FM 96Rock) early in its existence. That was a budget move...but that was tame compared to this.'

If we were the good folks at this company's holdings across the US, we'd be keeping our resumes up to date. No, we haven't heard of any moves by Regent, but with the stock price as low as it is, it's nearly a foregone conclusion.

A Rare Weekend post...

In a move that will shock most of my readers, Your Tri-State Media Watcher decided to do a quickie Sunday morning post to highlight one or two things:

Cleveland Area Woman Reviews Brian Williams'...Ties???: Thanks to our friends at Ohio Media Watch for this general tidbit...

Seems a Cleveland woman (Nance Donnelly, a schoolteacher) decided she would start reviewing the ties (and by this we mean neckwear) of NBC News anchor Brian Williams. Her reports can be found nightly, after...well, "Nightly News", at this link. Nightly News With Brian Williams can be seen at 6:30pm on WLWT-TV/DT(Channel 5, Cincinnati) and WDTN-TV/DT(Channel 2, Dayton).

One More Switchover to Report: We have confirmed as of this past Friday that K-LOVE stations across the nation are doing some Christmas-themed music...we had forgotten about this in the original update earlier tonight. Those stations are as follows in Cincinnati and Dayton, as well as others in the southern part of the state:

-- WNLT-FM 104.3/102.3(Depending which side of town you are on, excluding areas around Wilmington)
-- WKLN-FM 102.3(Wilmington and surrounding area ONLY)
-- WEKV-FM 94.9(Portsmouth, Ohio area ONLY)
-- WOKL-FM 96.9(Dayton area)
-- WQRP-FM 89.5(Dayton area)
-- 106.3FM via Translator (aka W292CO, Middletown area of NE Butler/NW Warren Counties)

If you have a station to report that airs Christmas tunes, email us here. After Tuesday, we probably won't note too many more of the switchovers. By the way we are still looking for any reports out of Indianapolis, for our readers in Southeast Indiana that might receive those stations.

Friday Blog Cleanup

Just clearing a couple of items off the TSMW plate before the weekend...so here we go:

97.3 All 90's Weekend: WSWD-FM (97.3 The Sound) is doing an all-1990's music weekend. Throughout the next 72 hours they will play everything from 311 to White Zombie...if you're into 90s music check that out.

Q102 Doing Live All-Day Remote from Tri-County: WKRQ-FM (101.9) meanwhile is doing an all day remote from the Tri-County Mall. From 7am to 7pm, the entire Q102 Weekday Air Team will broadcast LIVE near Barnyard Bookstore. You can donate an unwrapped new toy to St. Joseph's Orphanage and register to win tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra or a Twilight movie poster.

Still No One Else Doing Christmas Tunes: In what comes as a surprise to Your Tri-State Media Watcher, the list of stations doing Christmas Music in ANY capacity in Cincinnati OR Dayton...hasn't shrunk, but hasn't grown either yet. So yours truly is taking a look into Kentucky and part of Indiana on this go around to see what surrounding markets are doing.

First stop is over to Columbus, going up I-71. Sunny 95 (WSNY-FM @ 94.7) is billing itself as "Columbus' Continuous Christmas Music Station".

We dipped down into Lexington, and whaddya know - WMXL-FM (Mix 94.5) is doing all-Christmas! They're branding themselves as MixMas.

West of there, on I-64 at the I-71/65 interchange in Louisville, WVEZ-FM Lite 106.9 is also All Christmas.

In Indianapolis, where we'll round out our tour for this morning, we can't yet find a station there that is all Christmas, but 104.5 WJJK-FM does have an all-Christmas Channel, similar to what WKRQ-FM does here.

Do you think any other stations will do Christmas in Cincinnati besides WAKW-FM (93.3 Star) and WRRM-FM (Warm 98 @ 98.5FM)? What about Radio 94.1 (WNNF-FM), which in past years has had all Christmas music? We here at TSMW will be scanning the dial and will let you know on Monday.

EDIT AT 6AM: I would also look for Dayton's Mix 107.7 (WMMX-FM) to go All-Christmas sometime soon, although not before Monday - they're doing an all 80s weekend. Any Dayton, OH readers willing to confirm if they do or any other station does, please shoot me a comment or email.

Also, for those who are normal WRRM-FM listeners, they have now conveniently added a player on their webpage so that you can hear their normal Non-Christmas songs. If you get tired of the 28 days of Christmas, and I know some of you will, just look on warm98.com for the link that says "Need a Break from Christmas Music? Click here to listen to all your WARM 98 favorites".

An offbeat post...

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."
- WKRP In Cincinnati "The Turkey Drop" episode

A little something offbeat for my readers before I go to eat turkey. Enjoy! See you on Friday!

WLWT Sports Anchor In Hospital

WLWT-TV Sports Anchor/executive sports producer George Vogel was to make his anchoring debut tomorrow to cover for Sandra Ali and Sheree Paolello...but now, he'll be spending the holiday in a hospital bed...joining Lance McAlister as the most recent personalities in town to get heart problems checked, according to John Kiesewetter's blog.

Vogel, who is 51 and has been at WLWT for 26 years, says he was inspired by Enquirer Reds beat writer John Fay's September column about his own heart trouble to get checked out...he had an angioplasty last week, and when the result came back...he had a partially blocked artery. He won't be on the air this weekend, and will be off for a week.

We here at TSMW wish Vogel the best in his recovery. What's the coincidence that two major sports personalities in town would have heart problems within a week of each other?

TSMW Taking Thanksgiving Break: We won't be posting tomorrow, because of the holiday. Our next post, unless other news breaks between now and then, will be Friday morning. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and be careful if you're traveling or otherwise going to be out.

November Sweeps - Same as May?

With November sweeps ending on Wednesday, here's how it looks for each station, according to John Kiesewetter of the Enquirer:

WCPO(ABC 9) - Wins 5-6:30pm, may win noon
WKRC(CBS 12) - Wins 6-7am, may win noon
WLWT(NBC 5) - Third at 5-6:30, 11 p.m. and noon; Last 6-7am. (Editor's Note: Doesn't look like their shuffling mornings or evenings worked...no surprise there...)
WXIX(FOX 19) - Wins 7-9am(they are the only all local morning show from 8-9am, but split 7-8 with CW Cincinnati) and 10pm; second 6-7am

And then there were two...

You may recall last week's item regarding WKFS-FM's "Caroling with the TV News Stars". Well they are down to two contestants...WLWT-TV/DT (NBC 5) and WCPO-TV/DT(ABC 9). The winner will be announced tomorrow morning at 7am on "Tim and George". As it stands right now, 9 is RUNNING away with this contest, 65-35%. Vote here.

Hamilton County planning a TV Recycling Event for Spring

As previously noted here at TSMW, television broadcasting has to be digital by February 17, 2009. And most people are buying new digital TV's.

What does that mean for all those analog TV's? They'd all wind up in the landfill, aka Mount Rumpke(so named because the landfill near I-275 and US 27 in Colerain Twp. is owned by the trash company, and is about as tall as the 7 hills of Cincinnati).

That is, unless Hamilton County Commission President Todd Portune has a say in the matter.

WCPO-TV Channel 9 reports that Portune wants to have a TV recycling drive of some kind in Spring, after the transition is completed.

Portune noted that the old analog TV's have parts inside that can be recycled and put to good use.

We here at TSMW think this is a good idea in theory. How it plays out when it's actually done, remains to be seen.

We'll keep you updated.

Something VERY interesting...

EDIT 2:16AM: Hold on a minute here...something interesting. It seems that at last report, WKRP IS a licensed TV station already...as WKRP-LP is apparently licensed in Alexandria, Tennessee! If I am right, I don't believe you can use call letters that are already being used. Unless the rules are different with it being -LP vs. -CA, one of the two will have to drop those calls...we here at TSMW will continue to follow this story...


EDIT 1:52AM: Upon watching the station on what will henceforth be called the TSMW-HDTV (meaning the Tri-State Media Watch High Definition Television), which gets Insight Digital 3.0 cable (on which the channel in question is Channel 189), the station IS indeed broadcasting as WKRP Cincinnati (even while being id'ed in the Insight-powered program guide as still being WBQC). Original item below...

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It seems the former home of UPN in Cincinnati has new, or are they old, call letters...for now.

Formerly WBQC-CA Channel 38 is now...WKRP-TV? Seems Elliot Block, owner of Block Broadcasting, now is using the call letters made famous by the TV show "WKRP In Cincinnati" for that station. And, www.wbqc.com now re-directs to a splash screen, which if you click on that, re-directs to...wkrp.tv.

It's unclear as to whether or not this is a copyright/trademark violation. My guess would be on "no", seeing as, if I am correct, the people responsible for the TV show will fight it - but then again, they ARE actual, legal call letters (that have been used on radio in the past). So they can't exactly tell people NOT to use them...the FCC has the final say.

Also, it remains to be seen if WKRC-TV or its owners at Newport Television will object, with the call letters being just one away from THAT. THAT alone may cause the FCC to pull the license unless a change is made.

NEW BLOG - Thoughts and Observations from N KY

Starting this morning, I branched out to a new blogosphere, if you will.

The new blog will cover personal observations and thoughts that have 100 percent NOTHING to do with Tri-State media, so as to keep this space strictly business from this point on. So, I hereby introduce to you:

Personal Thoughts and Observations from N KY

Contest Blog :)

Our friend, WIXY's Gone Bananas, just informed us of a contest one of his friends is having. It's run by someone by the name of shellmo, who runs a blog called Building a Log Cabin. Winner gets the prize of a loaf of Cranberry-Pecan Bread from a bakery in Ann Arbor, Michigan...that sounds good at 10:00 on a winter morning!

Click here to check it out...HURRY you MUST enter by 11 tonight!

More confirmation on WRRM's Christmas Rotation...How to hear DJ JMos23 (aka yours truly)...WKRC-TV DPF named Best In City...

An alert reader sent me confirmation that indeed WRRM-FM (98.5 Warm 98) does have some Christmas stuff in the rotation, and is adding more every day it seems...he sent the word at 4:35pm yesterday. Thanks Jonathan Goolsby for that...

And Jonathan brought up something that I should address regarding the station I am a DJ on (with another shift coming at 9am this morning, it's timely).

Some places DO block shoutcast servers...apparently, a lot of offices are such places. There IS a fix to get around that (Disclaimer: I don't necessarily endorse this at your workplace, do so at your own risk, but it IS a way to hear my station [and by extension, me] playing music).

Simply open Windows Media Player or Winamp. Go to File, then click Open URL. In the drop down box that should appear, you will want to type in http://208.53.158.48:9044. Then click OK. Simple as that.

Again, I am NOT putting a gun to your head and forcing you to use the tip. Do so at your own risk.

WKRC-TV's Dance Party Friday Named One of Cincy's Best: The popular Dance Party Friday segment hosted by the station's morning traffic reporter, Bob Herzog, received accolades from Cincinnati Magazine in it's new "Best Of the City" issue.

Seems the segment where Herzog dances in front of the traffic wall at 5:48am on Friday mornings when there are no major traffic problems (and dances, by his own admission, badly) is the Best Morning Show Trend in Cincinnati. Or something of that sort anyway.

If you didn't catch yesterday morning's segment where Herzog not only discussed the Cincinnati Magazine nod, but danced (and did really well at that) with the Radio City Rockettes, hit up Local12.com and look under Special Section on the front page.

Bob is a good friend of Your Tri-State Media Watcher...I get a kick out of seeing his moves every Friday. It manages to put a smile on my face, even when I haven't had the best morning.

McAlister Update...

Here's the latest update on WCKY 1530 (Homer) PM drive-time host Lance McAlister, as of half an hour ago, per his Lot D blog, as Your Tri-State Media Watcher prepares to do at least one, and possibly 2 on-air shifts between now and noon tomorrow, then spend time with the girlfriend...

McAlister says the procedure to implant a pacemaker for his heart was a success, and lasted about 45 minutes. He notes (in typical, everyday guy fashion) that the doctors couldn't honor his request for "Alive and Kicking" by Simple Minds to be played over the OR speakers.(NOTE TO LANCE: All you need to do is drop me a line, I'll play it for ya sometime soon on my online radio show) He says that he had to take two Percocet for pain, but other than that he is doing just fine and anticipates going home tomorrow, allowing him to attend that Cheetah Girls concert with his daughter. We here at TSMW wish Lance the best of luck in his recovery.

Flub-up at WLWT last night?...ABC to cancel 3 shows...

ABC Cancellations: It appears "Pushing Daisies" is, well, pushing daisies...and so are two other ABC dramas.

The show, along with "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Eli Stone" was cancelled today. No new episodes will air after the current supply runs out next month. "Daisies" and "Money" were axed because they could not re-capture an audience, while "Stone" never really could hang on to an audience to begin with. The shows aren't doing more than about 8 million viewers (and only "Stone" is even pulling THAT number nationally). From what I heard though, "Daisies" was doing fairly well here(as local band Seabird played a song on the show earlier in the season), as was "Money".

Wonder if fans will send daisy seeds or money to ABC to lobby them to bring the shows back...a la "Jericho" fans sending peanuts to CBS when that was cancelled the first time...

WLWT Doesn't Do Ads: WLWT-TV had coverage of the Bengals/Steelers game last night, as previously reported. Also as reported, they moved the NBC Thursday schedule over to the Weather Plus Channel.

There's just one problem.

Seems the station forgot to put in its own ads. That left viewers staring at the NBC logo during breaks. Whoops.

Headed into the Weekend Thoughts...

Just gonna put out a couple quick thoughts about local media stuff before the weekend...as yours truly will be scarce Saturday AND Sunday (see why I say Sunday at the end of this entry)...

Christmas Music and Giveaways: I am still looking for other radio stations that have started playing ANY Christmas tunes whatsoever. They don't have to be doing it 24/7, but any Christmas stuff you hear at all, let me know about it by emailing me. (ALREADY NOTED as of 11/22: WRRM-FM, WKRQ-FM and WOXY.com along with the two others below) (E-mail link is above at right)

UPDATE 5AM 11/21: I have now heard of two additional stations. Star 93.3 (WAKW-FM Cincinnati) and Lite 99.9 (Dayton's WLQT-FM), with the latter playing the music 24/7 until Christmas, and Star 93.3 doing it only on weekends until Thanksgiving. That word coming off of John Kiesewetter's blog entry about Christmas tunes.

WKRQ-FM (101.9, Q102) is in the midst of their "Q102 Christmas Beach Bonus" giveaway. You can win a 4 day/3 night stay at the Henderson Park Inn, a beachside bed and breakfast in Destin, Florida, which is on Northwest Florida's Emerald Coast courtesy of the station, Cincinnati Tan Company, and that area's Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Details are on the station's website. The next chance to qualify, if I am correct, is TODAY at 9am, with additional chances after that until 5:00pm with Jeff & Fritsch, Grover, and Brian & Laura, then they will award the second of 3 trips at 5pm tonight...

Bengals Nation: Your Tri-State Media Watcher made a cameo appearance at the "Bengals Nation with Coach Marvin Lewis" taping on Wednesday night. Watch for me on the show Saturday night at 11:35pm on WKRC-TV (Local 12 CBS), or Sunday morning at 11:00am on The CW Cincinnati (Local 12.2, named such for its DTV location; it can be found on Time-Warner cable channel 20 in Cincy, or on Insight Cable [N KY] or DirectTV [throughout the Tri-State] channel 25). I go every week because I support my team...but, next week because of Thanksgiving, and the possibility that the festivities may be here, I won't be at that taping.

Happy 1 Month Anniversary This Weekend: On a personal note this is going out to my real-life girlfriend, Doris. We're celebrating one month of dating this Sunday...I love you babe...

This does not have much to do with media...per se...

But, I do want to put out a weather update for anybody reading from the Cleveland/Akron/Canton areas(or for anybody from the Cincy/Dayton areas headed that direction).

A Lake Effect Snow WARNING remains in effect for Cleveland and Akron.

Generally, 6-10 inches of snow is forecast for those cities with 1-3" forecast for Canton. However...if you're going to Chardon, Ohio, that area could be especially hard-hit with 1 to 2 FEET of snowfall tonight through tomorrow in the highest elevations!

Take the emergency kit if you MUST travel...if you do not have to though, stay at home! Do not take chances...

In lake effect snow, visibility can go from 5 miles to near zero in a matter of miles or even minutes. If you must travel...please use extreme caution and carry the emergency kit, to include battery powered flashlights, a NOAA weather radio (battery powered), non-perishable food, a cell phone, and blankets.

THIS JUST IN: Lance McAlister Hospitalized

1530 WCKY (AKA 1530 Homer) PM drive-time host Lance McAlister is in the hospital tonight. He posted about it in his blog, which you can read here. (Note From Editor: To comment, you will have to register for the site. But, the good news is, it's FREE.)

He says he will have a pacemaker inserted tomorrow morning, and hopes to be out of the hospital Sunday (in time to take his daughter to the Cheetah Girls concert at US Bank Arena).

What a class act. If you like, you may leave him an email here

And On a Related Note: Your Tri-State Media Watcher has been down all day with a MASSIVE migraine. So, if there's an item I have missed in the Cincy OR Dayton area, PLEASE email me! Link is at the above right.

How many migraines does it take to knock out one Media Watcher?

Only one. Cincinnati media will do that to you. ;-)

People, Let Me Tell Ya About My (New) Best Friend(s)

Went all lyrical on y'all but, it's how Your Tri-State Media Watcher is sometimes...and considering I have my 3 hour on-air DJ shift at 9am, it's a good mood to be in.

Anyway, on to the reason for the title of this blog...I have two new friends to introduce you to tonight, and who have been linked at the top right of the page:

WIXY's Gone Bananas: This one is by a man in the town of Rittman, Ohio(Near Cleveland somewhere, I believe). He found me courtesy of the entry about the Blog-O-Fun by the people who originally inspired this blog, my friends at Ohio Media Watch. He can be found here.

Cleveland Classical Media: Here's a friend of the above. He focuses on Cleveland, but the difference between him and OMW is, he focuses on the history of the market. He introduces me here. And the rest of his blog can be found here.

And Finally: Seeing as how I dropped the hint about needing to be on air at 9am, here's the link. Generally, I play music from the 90s and today...the only thing we (as a station) don't play is country music. If it's rockin', we play it(or more specifically, I play it). We have the name Baby Dolls. (Don't ask where that came from, I am just a DJ, albeit the Assistant Head DJ Manager). I currently do Thursday-Saturday mornings, 9 to noon Cincinnati Time, and fill-in at other times during the week as well where I am needed.

WNKU-FM Flips Switch on New Transmitter...Bengals Bounce WLWT Programming - But Not to Tape Delay

New Transmitter: WNKU-FM (89.7) turned on a brand new transmitter today. Most Northern Kentuckians won't notice much of a difference, but there's improvements on reception in Newport and a few areas where in the past the signal was very weak. The signal will also be able now to bounce between buildings and behind hills.

The new transmitter is also capable of multicasting, or broadcasting more than one channel simultaneously, according to WNKU engineers. The station will decide what format their second channel will be, and it will launch by next summer. The station will be able to broadcast in digital and analog, and anyone with an HD radio will be able to hear WNKU in clear, crisp digital sound.

NBC Lineup gets a Bengal Bounce: The Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game bounces Channel 5(WLWT)'s programming tomorrow night.

"The Office," "30 Rock," "ER, "My Name Is Earl" and "Kath & Kim" all get bounced from their normal spot tomorrow as NFL rules require an over-the-air station in both teams' home markets to broadcast the game. Channel 5 has decided to move the programs onto their digital channel 5-2, which normally carries their Weather Plus channel. You'll have to watch on a digital TV, OR use cable. On Time Warner, that's channel 906, on Insight in Northern Kentucky, it's channel 431. OR you can catch them online late Thursday night, on NBC.com or Hulu.com, presumably after 11pm. If you're on satellite...you're out of luck unless you use one of the other options. Neither DirectTV nor Dish Network carry 5-2. None of this, however, affects Dayton. So if you're in the northern suburbs, you ALSO have the option to try and tune in WDTN-TV (Channel 2).

Nielsen to do radio ratings in some markets...but NOT Cincinnati!

The good folks with both our friends @ Ohio Media Watch, and Radio-info.com, report that Nielsen, more widely known for doing TV ratings, is going to branch out into radio ratings as well.

The word is that Cumulus is asking Nielsen to do radio ratings in 50 small and midsize markets. In 17 markets, according to the New York Times, Clear Channel will also take part in this service.

As of 2:15am, Radio-Info had identified these markets...but only one is represented in Ohio...Youngstown. This of course means in Cincinnati, both companies will still use Arbitron, which is the standard for radio ratings (even though CC and Cumulus DO compete here). We also note, however, that included in the list of new markets for Nielsen is...Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky, about one hour south of Cincinnati (making that about 45 minutes south of the headquarters for TSMW in the Cincy southern suburb of Florence, Kentucky...some Lexington signals can be heard as far north as Grant County, KY). So, there is one market within the normal traveling sphere of influence of this blog.

Quick post before I depart for the evening...

...as real life interferes again, with a wrapup of a couple stories making news in our market (one of which is actually a national story affecting every Fox affiliate in the country):

ESPN Gets Deal for BCS: It's just been announced that ESPN has secured a deal to broadcast the Bowl Championship Series beginning in 2011, according to the network in a press release sent out this afternoon. That removes the bowls from free TV, meaning you have to get cable to see the games starting in 2011. However, until then, Fox Sports continues to broadcast the games on WXIX-TV 19 and, in Dayton, on WRGT-TV 45.

KISS 107 Caroling With the TV Stars: WKFS-FM (107.1 Kiss FM) has started another competition between news anchors at the TV stations in Cincinnati.

KISS-FM's morning show duo of Tim and George (at least, they are for now, until the sale of Clear Channel is complete) is hosting the "Caroling with the News Stars" contest, where the winners will have $1000 donated in their name(half to the Dave Thomas Foundation, with the other half going to the charity of the winners' choice). You can vote here until Monday. The field of four will be cut to 2 at 7am Monday, and the winners will be announced the day before Thanksgiving.

WRRM-FM Gets "Sonrise"..."Sound" flip post-Christmas?

In slightly old news:

Radio-info.com reported Thursday that WRRM-FM became the newest affiliate of United Stations Radio Networks’ syndicated Sunday morning Christian “Sonrise” program. If I recall correctly, the program was heard on WKRQ before now. So, unless I am wrong/off-base, Sonrise is now exclusive to WRRM as of this past weekend.

"Sound" to Flip to Talk?: There are new rumors regarding 97.3 FM WSWD/WYGY "The Sound".

Seems there are unconfirmed rumors being circulated on radio-info.com's message boards that a) "The Sound" will flip to all Christmas music soon and then b) change formats sometime after the first of the year. None of that is confirmed...but it is possible. If the station's format does not get good numbers at the new frequency, then a change is totally possible. You'll recall that one of the first items reported here on the Blog-O-Fun was the swap of frequencies between "The Sound" and what is now 94.9FM "The Wolf".

Happy Birthday...

Happy birthday to WKRQ-FM's Jeff Thomas. He's 41 today.

Jeff will be hosting the Jeff and Jenn Morning Show this week with their producer Fritch while his partner Jenn is on vacation. We've already heard several surprises on the show this morning.

By the way, the show currently is number 4 in votes in Local12's contest (see previous entry). They're down by over 10,000 votes! Ouch...

LOCAL 12 Asking Viewers to Pick Best Radio Morning Show

WKRC-TV (Channel 12 CBS) is asking its viewers to pick their favorite morning show. You can vote here. Here are your choices and the station they're affiliated with (common name of station is in parentheses, since not everyone goes by the station ID):

Amanda & Chris-WUBE 105.1FM (B105)
Brian Thomas-WKRC 550AM (55KRC)
Chris & Janeen-WGRR 103.5FM (Cincinnati's Greatest Hits WGRR 103.5)
The Dawn Patrol-WEBN 102.7FM (WEBN)
Dean & Randi-WRRM 98.5FM (WARM 98)
Jeff & Jenn-WKRQ 101.9FM (Q102)
Jim Scott-WLW 700AM (700WLW)
Tim & George-WKFS 107.1FM (KISS 107)

And Speaking of Amanda Orlando: WLWT-TV (Channel 5 NBC) has just announced that tonight at 6pm they are running a story about the B105 Morning Show host, and her personal struggle to have a second child.

Stations Beginning Christmas Tunes

The Blog-O-Fun is back from its 3 day break (which came because real life, aka housesitting, interfered)...with a holiday-themed, lighthearted item to start a new week! And boy, do us media-blogging types need it!

Several stations have begun airing Christmas music as of tonight.

WRRM-FM(98.5, WARM 98): The station began playing Christmas music this weekend, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer's John Kiesewetter. They also have an online music stream at warm98.com.

WKRQ-FM(101.9, Q102): Your Tri-State Media Watcher heard an advertisement last week on the station for it's "Commercial-Free Christmas" stream, which can be heard on its website at www.wkrq.com.

WOXY.com(net only stream far as I am aware): According to a volunteer at that station, they have also begun THEIR Christmas music stream.

WNNF-FM(Radio 94.1): In the past, when it was known as Mix94.1, this station also would go to all Christmas tunes in November. However, it is currently unclear whether or not they will have Christmas music this year, and if they are going to, Your Tri-State Media Watcher has yet to hear it. If they do, and I happen to hear it, I'll post about it.

OK so, here's a hypothetical question for you: Is November 16 too early to start hearing Christmas tunes on radio? If so, why, and if not, explain. :)

With Nothing Going On...

...The Blog-O-Fun will be taking a short 3-day hiatus as Real Life interferes with this little thing we call blogging. If anything major happens in the Cincy market between now and Sunday night, I'll post it. Otherwise, I will blog again Monday, November 17.

WLWT-TV Chief Met missing from 5pm broadcasts?

Apparently, WLWT-TV chief meteorologist Derek Beasley may be having a tougher time with his split shift than expected.

According to a reader of John Kiesewetter's blog (and confirmed by TSMW), Beasley has not been on the 5 or 5:30pm newscasts all week. It's unclear whether he is on the 5-7am News 5 Today program or not. I will be checking on this story later this morning and will update this story...If he's not on the News 5 Today program, he may just be taking a well-deserved vacation...but if he is, look for a change at the Power of 5...Valerie Abati may possibly be moving into the Chief Met's slot, and Beasley back to morning/noon, which could leave either Eric Green, Randi Rico or John Bateman seeking employment...There's also the possibility that Green may actually be off this week, which means Beasley is having to cover the morning and noon news, which would be why Abati is doing all of the evening news.

UPDATE: Beasley DID indeed do News 5 Today on Tuesday morning. So either Green is on vacation, OR my thinking about a change at WLWT is correct.

UPDATE 12:10pm 11/12: Eric Green was on News 5 at Noon today. Beasley is working on a project for the morning news, according to John Kiesewetter. He won't be on 5-6pm this week, but is expected to return next week.

DTV - A look at what Cincinnati Stations are doing

As we count down to the transition to Digital TV on February 17, 2009, I thought we should look at what Cincinnati stations are doing to prepare viewers.

Which is to say, not much.

All I have seen on Cincinnati TV is the federally mandated public service announcements, although Fox19 (WXIX-TV/DT) HAS put its own talent in one of them. And they also give little factoids about the big switch during their 10pm newscasts. I have also seen features about the transition on that newscast.

But 19 seems to be going it alone in this market.

Nothing more than the PSA's has been seen on channels 5 (WLWT-TV/DT), 9(WCPO-TV/DT), OR 12(WKRC-TV/DT). Or heck, even though they don't have a news department, on WSTR-TV/DT 64. Or at least, Your Tri-State Media Watcher hasn't seen it.

These stations need to do a LOT more. Here's some ideas for the 5 stations in our market.

1) Hold open houses in the area! Two stations in the Cleveland/Youngstown TV market already are doing it. (Hat Tip: OMW)
2) Conduct some kind of testing. Tell the viewers what will happen, but also show them. Don't do it during prime time, but do something!
3) BLITZ, BLITZ, BLITZ! We aren't talking about the kind of blitz the Cincinnati Bengals have trouble with. No, we mean a MAJOR public information campaign. Don't stop at the minimum! Do stories every week on your newscasts! WXIX is already doing it on a semi-regular basis. Why can't 5, 9, or 12?
4) Maybe you should also consider putting together a program, and simulcast it on all the stations at 7 on a week night. That's one program I would likely watch.

Right now, 19 is going it alone. I believe 5, 9, and 12 all need to step in and help. Not everyone in town watches Fox19. If we did, yes it'd be easier. But come on...your viewers need to know!

Update on the "Two Angry Guys" show on 96.5

This morning, WFTK-FM 96.5 (96 Rock) program director Michael Walter joined Tom Gamble on the "Two Angry Guys" show. Walter does afternoon drive for the station, and was formerly a DJ on WEBN-FM (102.7) which is based out of the Kenwood Tower. According to Walter, this is a permanent move for him to replace Richard Skinner, let go 11/7 in a budget move. This means their evening guy, known as JD, will be moving to afternoons. That of course leaves 7pm-6am vacant. And most likely, they may not find anyone to fill the slot for a while.

As an internet radio DJ myself, Your Tri-State Media Watcher (tm) knows how shifting shifts works. As a matter of fact, recently yours truly had to shift for a few nights to cover prime-time.

Welcome To Tri-State Media Watch!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first Tri-State Media Watch blog. I will tell you a little about myself, and give you a few tidbits of information about some phrases I will use frequently throughout this blog.

I am a 23 year old internet radio disc jockey from Florence, Kentucky. I am squarely in the Cincinnati, Ohio radio and TV markets. I do listen to a bunch of the stations around here, such as 101.9 WKRQ-FM (Q102), WYGY-FM 97.3 (97.3 The Sound, more on that in a moment), 700 WLW-AM, and others.

Frequently Used Phrases: Here's a few things you'll need to know when perusing this blog:

Kenwood Tower: The Clear Channel Cincinnati Radio headquarters, in the Kenwood, Ohio area of Cincinnati, just off Montgomery Road.
Bonneville Mountain: The HQ of Bonneville Broadcasting's Cincinnati cluster, on Reading Road on Mount Auburn, just north of Downtown Cincinnati.
Cumulus Central: HQ of Cumulus Media, on Central Avenue downtown.
OMW: Ohio Media Watch, which inspired me to write specifically about the Cincinnati area. Thanks guys - you can catch them at ohiomedia.blogspot.com :)

A couple news items to begin the new TSMW Blog-O-Fun:

Skinner Out Again: Cumulus announced it had let Richard Skinner, formerly of the Two Angry Guys Morning Show on rock station 96.5 WFTK-FM, go on 11/7 (Friday) after that show's airing. He had just signed a new contract in October, and was surprised but not, well, angry about the decision, according to John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer. TSMW wishes Mr. Skinner the best of luck in the future. (NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: I was not in town, I thought the change had taken place today. It was not, see next entry for details)

WSWD/WYGY Frequency Swap: I mentioned a moment ago about the fact I listen to 97.3 The Sound, which is WYGY-FM. Well that wasn't always its location before Friday.

WYGY and WSWD-FM 94.9FM (former location of The Sound) swapped frequencies Friday morning, while yours truly was on his way to Louisville, Kentucky. WSWD is now 94.9 The Wolf (formerly located on 97.3). The Wolf is a country station, sister to WUBE-FM 105.1 (B105). All are owned by Bonneville, together with WKRQ-FM. (Hat Tip: OMW for alerting yours truly to the switch, as I did not have a radio handy and was traveling with the MP3 player at the time)

One problem for faithful 94.9 The Sound listeners, especially in Northern Kentucky: The new frequency only has 6,000 watts of power, whereas 94.9 had 50,000 watts. That means that at BEST, the signal might reach down into parts of Florence. But when yours truly checked on the signal last night about 3am, it was staticky at best and at worst, downright unlistenable.

We've heard that apparently, Bonneville made the move to protect B105, in case any eventual new owner of 94.1 or 92.5 decides to flip either to country. We aren't sure whether the latter will happen, but it's a smart move made by the folks over at Bonneville Mountain.

And, just to bring things full circle, 97.3 WAS WAQZ-FM, which played...ready for this...Alternative Rock! So, after about 2 years or so, 97.3 is again an Alternative Rock station.
That's all for the first edition. Keep it locked, and when new media news breaks, I'll cover it here at the Blog-O-Fun!