Quick Recap of Last Two Days' Media News

Just because I was (and technically will again be) on hiatus til Monday, doesn't mean I wasn't keeping one eye glued to the TV and radio world (and doesn't mean I can't post administrative announcements, either). I did want to update the last two days, which isn't much...but since we never know what might happen Monday, I did not want to leave this stuff out there...

Former WCPO Reporter Released From Jail: Several years ago, WCPO-TV/DT 9 reporter Stephen Hill was accused of, and admitted to, sexually abusing several teenage boys. At the time, Hill received a sentence of 5 years in prison. Hill subsequently quit/was fired from WCPO.

His sentence expired Thursday, and he was released from the Lima-area Allen Correctional Center, reports WLWT.

Hill now must register as a sex offender and alert neighbors whenever he moves to where he lives.

B105 Receives Another Nod: WUBE-FM Program Director Travis Moon has been honored by Radio Ink, reports John Kiesewetter at the Cincinnati Enquirer. The publication gets nominations from radio executives, staffers, and others and then compiles the list following interviews with each nominee.

In a press release, Bonneville Cincinnati Vice President and B105 GM Jim Bryant said, "Travis, in his short time with B105, has upgraded the overall sound of our station and the overwhelming positive feedback from our listeners since his arrival is a testament to his programming skills. We feel fortunate to have him at the helm."

Congratulations to Travis on the well-deserved nod.

WXIX-TV Game Shot by High Schoolers: Kiesewetter also reports that WXIX-TV/DT 19's live broadcast of the Princeton-Middletown high school basketball game last Saturday was shot by 7 Princeton TV Production class students, along with 2 Princeton alums. Students also ran the audio, replays and floor directing, while WXIX supplied three producers and three announcers. WXIX's Program Director Rick Oliver and two teachers also worked on the game. The equipment used also belonged to Princeton.

It sounds like this may be a first for commercial TV anywhere in town. And the telecast last Saturday night did decent numbers, even beating "Cash Explosion" on WLWT-TV 5, "House" on WSTR-DT 64 and "Two and a Half Men" on Local12.2 (CW Cincinnati) in its last half hour.

Congratulations to the kids at Princeton! Well done!

Tri-State Media Watch Joins Twitter!

I have decided to open up a specific Twitter presence for Tri-State Media Watch.

That space will be used to allow readers to see when new posts are out.

I do promise that I won't force you to read about anything personal on that link, although should you want to read about what I'm doing off the blog, you can do so at twitter.com/jeremy_moses23.

Follow TSMW at this link. Once you're there, if you're a twitter member, click the follow link and our updates will automatically be added to your feed!

And by the way, our friends at Ohio Media Watch just got their own twitter presence as well at Twitter.com/ohiomediawatch!

Another Piece of Administrative Business...

As a general reminder, once again, unless major news breaks out today, I won't be here...and even if it does, it may take me a couple hours to work my way in here.

I have made another administrative decision.

In the style of my friends at Ohio Media Watch, I've decided that this blog may not be regularly updated beginning Monday night.

In other words, I might take an unannounced hiatus for a couple of days once in a while, just to clear my head. (Of course, during non-active periods, there can be a two-day break between posts anyway!)

It also will affect how this blog reports on major (non-critical) stories.

Even if major news should happen to break while on hiatuses...unless it is CRITICAL information that the public needs immediately...I may not post it right away. Eventually of course, the stories will be posted, the information shared. It just might not be at a rapid pace.

Of course, if it is time-sensitive, such as the case with WKFS-FM offering free cell phone charges to any listener that could get in their office before the close of business (during the aftermath of Hurricane Ike which happened before the beginnings of this blog)...well that will be posted as SOON as we hear it.

BREAKING: Appeal by WCPO/WLWT/WXIX/NBC Denied!

We told you we would cover this kind of news if it broke today...and it did.

Per WCPO.com as of 4:34pm:

Appellate Judge Michelle Keller has denied an emergency request to hear the appeal regarding the ban on courtroom media specifics in the Cheryl McCafferty murder trial.

The appeal was in regards to Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward's decision to ban cameras and blogging in the courtroom earlier this week.

Quick Notes on a February Wednesday Night...

First a reminder: Due to Real Life Interfering (trademarked by OMW), I will not be blogging here tomorrow or Friday unless major news breaks.

Now a quick note or two:

Appeal Update: We await the appeal regarding coverage of the McCafferty trial, which was reported on Monday to have been filed with the KY Appeals Court in Frankfort.

You'll recall that WXIX-TV, WLWT-TV and WCPO-TV all filed an appeal to allow for at the very least, live blogging, up to and including live cameras in the courtroom of Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward.

Fox19.com has more on the story:

Also on Wednesday, several local and national media outlets, including FOX19, awaited word from the Kentucky Court of Appeals on whether or not that would hear an appeal on the use of cameras in the courtroom. Dateline NBC joined the suit on Tuesday.

The trial was delayed Monday because of a dispute between Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward and the media over what kind of media would be allowed in the courtroom.

Judge Ward originally said there would be no live "blogging" in the courtroom, but when the media appealed that decision, Judge Ward ordered all cameras out of the courtroom.

That's right...even Dateline NBC joined the suit, following the circus that was supposed to be Day 1 of the trial Monday.

We'll keep you posted...this is a story in which news could happen tomorrow...

WLW Audio Being Used by FSN: John Kiesewetter's blog has this story pretty well covered here and here, so we'll hit the high points.

WLW-AM audio is being used in next Monday's "Reds Classic Rewind" on Fox Sports Ohio, about the 1976 Reds-Phillies NLCS Game 3. The audio features Marty and Joe calling the game, and was spliced in upon discovery that the MLB archives only had silent NBC video.

The game will air at 10:30pm Monday, March 2 on FSN Ohio...

An Administrative Announcement About The Weekend.

This weekend, Your Tri-State Media Watcher is going to put this blog on a hiatus for a couple of days. And not just Saturday/Sunday, but Thursday and Friday also.

Thursday, I have a scheduled DJ shift, then I have to prepare for my Friday.

Friday morning, I have a 9am Social Security appointment, followed by a trip to Cincy to guest DJ for the same station I work for (it's a guest day because I don't usually work Fridays), then to a local eating establishment where I will meet my father and, very likely, head to Hamilton, Ohio to spend Friday night.

I will be back to TSMW for a post-hiatus wrapup on Monday (or if major news breaks Thursday or Friday). My Personal Thoughts blog will have at least one post on Saturday, but I am going to try to stay away from the keyboard most of this weekend.

~Jeremy Moses
Editor of TSMW

This TV Cincinnati on Cable...

CORRECTION: I goofed. I cite his name frequently, but I goofed up big here. It's RICH Emery, NOT Rob! Sorry!

ThisTV Cincy has gotten pickup on two major cable systems.

In Kentucky, it can be received on Insight channel 194. It will also be available on Time Warner Cable at channel 920, one channel above WXIX-TV's main channel, according to Rich Emery at a posting about ThisTV Cleveland on Ohio Media Watch. (WXIX is the carrier of ThisTV Cincinnati, and TWC does tend to group the subchannels near their main channels, e.g. 19.1 next to 19.2, 12.2 next to 12.1.)