3 Dayton Radio Stations Could Go to New Clear Channel Owner, WKRC Sale Still Pending

WASHINGTON — Clear Channel Communications Inc., the nation's largest radio station owner, said it will sell radio stations in 42 markets as part of a deal with federal regulators to allow the company to complete its $19.5 billion sale to private investors



http://www.daytondailynews.com/b/content/oh/story/business/2008/01/25/ddn012508clearchannelweb.html

ThinkTV to Air PBS Series Featuring Dayton Woman

University of Dayton administrator Kathleen Henderson will be featured in a PBS series about African American genealogy. “The series is about history, African-American perspectives,” Henderson said. “It is just part of my passion.”
Henderson was selected out of 2,000 applicants to be featured in “African American Lives 2,” which will be shown Feb. 6 and 13 from 9 to 11 p.m. on ThinkTV16/WPTD.

http://www.flyernews.com/article.php?section=News&volume=55&issue=24&artnum=02

Letterman Seeks Stupid Pet Tricks in Cincy

Time to get stupid!
Dave Letterman's "Stupid Pet Tricks" talent scout is coming to Cincinnati for open "Late Show" auditions April 12 at the Everything Pets expo at the Duke Energy Center downtown.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080127/ENT/801270326/1025

Non Compete a Non Issue for Popular Kentucky Anchor

When you see former WLKY reporter and weekend anchor Bill Alexander popping up on WDRB-TV, it will mark a truly unusual move in the TV business. Most on-air staff, especially anchors, have non-compete contracts that prevent them from taking jobs at other stations in the same market.

http://thevillevoice.com/2008/01/28/non-compete-not-hardly/

Great Old Weather Video of WHAS Circa 1995

Thought this videocast was cool. Check out the related links below the player for more interesting video from WHAS.


http://www.louisvillevideocasts.com/2007/12/02/whas-tv-1995-severe-weather-images-compilation/

KET to Premiere HD Documentary on Lincoln

On March 1, KET will premiere Lincoln: “I, too, am a Kentuckian,” a "Kentucky Life" special hosted by Dave Shuffett, which follows the life and career of Kentucky's most famous native son.

http://www.kypost.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e0dc6f17-d47e-4265-8f01-ac03b1db58d1

WKYT Snaps Up Local Traffic Reporter

CBS affiliate WKYT-27 will announce Tuesday afternoon that it has snapped up local traffic guru Officer Don Evans from rival WLEX-18.
Former WLEX sports anchor Ryan Lemond will also be joining WKYT as a fill-in sports anchor and reporter.

Belo Reduces Value of WHAS-TV

Belo Corp. (Latest price: BLC) has reduced the value of WHAS television in Louisville by $22 million, the company announced.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080125/BUSINESS/80125012

FCC's Proposed Localism Rules

The Federal Communications Commission today took a big step toward requiring [DOC] local TV and radio stations to increase local programming content and appoint advisory boards to consult them on community issues

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=136418

KET to Host the ABC's of HDTV

Studies show that many Americans are still unaware of the coming digital television transition and how it will affect them. To help educate Kentuckians about this landmark event in television history, a new KET production, The ABCs of HDTV, explains the basics of digital television, how to access it, how KET is using the technology and how the government-mandated nationwide shutoff of analog television broadcasting in February 2009 will affect viewers.

NBC Changes Mind About Pilot Season

Diverging from some of its peers, NBC has announced it will not cut its development roster for next season, opting instead for a vastly reduced — if not eviscerated — pilot production slate.

CW and Fox to Cut New Shows

First, it was writer-producer rosters that studios started axing, ostensibly in response to the strike. Now, some studios have started scaling back not just shows currently on TV, but development slates for upcoming seasons.

Dayton Photographer Helps Car Crash Victims

A man was transported by CareFlight to a Dayton hospital after a crash that snarled traffic in both directions on U.S. Route 68 south of Urbana Friday afternoon.

New Media and Blogging for Influence with Journalists

In a recent study by Omnicom Group’s Brodeur and Marketwire about how journalists use blogs, it was found that blogs are are a regular source for journalists for improving the speed of reporting news as well as guiding tone, but not for improving quality:

Media Reform to WOUB?

It's no secret that the commercial media are all too typically mere divisions in larger corporations, the media themselves are becoming increasingly consolidated, already under-resourced news departments are losing support, and local media across the country are reducing their direct coverage of local and regional events, as they rely on feeds from above. As a result, the range of perspectives and analysis of important events are becoming less diverse.

"The Bob Newhart Show"s Suzanne Pleshette Dead at 70

WOSU and COSI Partner for an HD Facility

In early 2005, WOSU, the Columbus, OH-based PBS member station, signed an agreement with Center for Science and Industry (COSI), a popular science center, to construct a digital, HD media facility within the 320,000sq-ft COSI building.

WXIX Has Own Amazon Page

Check it out!

New Media, New Newsrooms

Stations overhaul and redefine their newsrooms to tackle the Web.

Does The FCC Need an Overhaul?

Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday that he didn't think the FCC needed major reforming, as has been suggested by some on Capitol Hill.

New Technology to Allow Broadcasters to Publish TV on the Web

Critical Media, a New York City startup that operates Web-based video clipping and video syndication services for local TV and national news content, jut launched Syndicaster.TV. Geared at local TV stations and television groups, Syndicaster.TV lets broadcasters log onto the Web and capture video clips from any TV station minutes after they air.

NBC To Cut Pilots

Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal, said Tuesday the broadcaster was moving to save as much as $50 million a year by reducing its reliance on expensive pilots of new series on the NBC television channel.

SportsTime Ohio to Broadcast Indians Games in HD

It's been rumored around the Internet for a while that SportsTime Ohio would "drop the other shoe" as far as HDTV coverage of Cleveland Indians games. But now, we have it confirmed.

Former WAVE and WKYT Reporter Heads to Kentucky's Capitol

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has chosen a former local television reporter as his new communications director.

UD Grad and Former ESPN Anchor Dan Patrick Wanted Change of Pace

Ever notice how the best people land the best jobs?
Well, maybe not in presidential elections, but generally? If you're really good at something, you're the CEO, partner in a prestigious law firm, head chef, manager of a big department store or at ESPN broadcasting sports.

Wireless Spectrum Up for Grabs

A prime piece of invisible real estate is going up for auction next week, and the winners of the $10 billion virtual land grab have the potential to shake up wireless communications in the U.S.

Latest on the Writers' Strike

Hollywood's striking writers, signaling a possible thaw in the three-month-old labor dispute, have agreed to drop two demands that studios have long viewed as non-starters.Leaders of the Writers Guild of America told top studio chiefs during a meeting Tuesday that they would ditch previous proposals to unionize writers who work on animated movies and reality TV shows.

361 Studios Goes Independent

361 Studios LLC, a multimedia design firm, has set up shop at offices in Columbus' Polaris area after spinning off from Moody/Nolan Inc.
The firm moved into space at 400 Lazelle Road in March. It operated as Dynamic Media during a three-year stint as a division of Moody/Nolan, a Columbus-based architecture and engineering firm.
361 Studios has five employees and is headed by Phil Wilson, its president and chief executive.
The firm's services include video production, Web site development, interactive media, digital animation and multimedia presentations. A company representative said the 361 Studios name reflects its marketing slogan of "one degree beyond revolution."

Bob Schulman, Louisville media critic, dies at 91

Read Robert Schulman's obituary in the Courier Journal.

KET launches the Kentucky Channel

The array of Kentucky-themed programming KET produces each week, along with independent productions and a wealth of encore programming that highlights the people, places, culture and history of the Commonwealth, can now be found on the Kentucky Channel (KET KY). This newly created digital-only channel focuses on content by, for and about Kentuckians.

http://www.ket.org/kentuckychannel/

Ashbrock leaves WXIX (Cincinnati)

Kiesewetter writes in his blog about veteran producer/director and NATAS national awards chair David Ashbrock departing Channel 19 in Cincinnati:

Ashbrock has done just about everything in 27-1/2 years at Channel 19. He directed UC basketball and football games; the coaches’ shows; directed some 10 p.m. newscasts; designed the news graphics, mapping and opening animation; helped set up the new HDTV switcher and monitoring scheme; plus produced, directed and edited specials about the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Zoo and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He won 32 Emmys in 27-1/2 years.

Read the full blog post here.

UPDATE 1/6/08: The Enquirer's subsequent print story is here.

Ratings reaction from WDTN (Dayton)

The Dayton Business Journal writes of Channel 2's "big jump in nightly newscast ratings."

Read the story here.

'Business Beat' moving to CET (Cincinnati)

"Fifth Third Business Beat" will move to public broadcaster CET. The program previously aired on WCPO.

Read about the move in the Business Courier

WCMH (Columbus) news goes high def

Ohio Media Watch's post on WCMH HD:

The Columbus TV market now has two HDTV-equipped news operations.

OMW hears that Media General NBC affiliate WCMH/4 "NBC 4" flipped its newscasts to HD over the weekend.

The station is also using 16:9 video in the field. Some of our readers in the market thought that the field video was in HD, but it's apparently only in widescreen SD for now...though that could change in the future.

Read more here.

Regina Russo of WXIX (Cincinnati) Q&A "Right now!" in The Enquirer

Read Kiesewetter’s Q&A with Channel 19's Regina Russo.

WCMH (Columbus) noon web content cited in New York Times

Check out this New York Times article on local stations' noon web successes:

In 2007, a growing number of local television stations, including WNCN in Raleigh, N.C., and WCMH in Columbus, Ohio, began producing noon programming exclusively for the Web.

Read more in the NYT here.

2007 'Comings and Goings' in Columbus

The Columbus Dispatch recaps personalities arriving or departing in '07.

Read it here.

Comcast and Insight Announce Completion of Insight Midwest Transaction

From FOX Business News:

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), and Insight Communications Company today announced that they have completed the previously announced agreement to divide the Insight Midwest partnership in which each party held a 50% interest.

Read more here.

Profile of FOX News reporter Casey Stegall, formerly of WTVW (Evansville)

The Evansville Courier Press profiles Fox News correspondent Casey Stegall:

"I got a karaoke machine for Christmas (as a child) and I didn't use it for music. I used it to pretend I was doing newscasts," the Evansville native said.

Stegall has been fortunate enough to see those aspirations come to pass — he now works in Los Angeles as a Fox News correspondent. At 28, he says he's the youngest person on the air at the station.

"I really am living my dream, and feel so grateful," said Stegall, who was in Evansville through New Year's visiting his family.

Read more here.

WLKY (Louisville) GM Carter to Orlando

From the Courier-Journal:

WLKY-TV general manager James J. Carter has been named to the same post at WESH-TV and WKCF-TV in the Orlando-Daytona-Melbourne, Fla., market, Hears-Argyle Television announced today.

Read more:

In the CJ

Fox Business News

B&C