60 Minutes Creator Don Hewitt Passes Away

Don Hewitt, recognized as a father of modern television news and the creator of the medium's most successful broadcast, 60 Minutes, died today. He was 86.cessful broadcast, 60 Minutes, died today. He was 86.

http://kdka.com/national/don.hewitt.dead.2.1134964.html

Cox Media Brings New VP to Dayton and Louisville Markets

Cox Media Group, Inc. announced Wednesday, Aug. 19, the appointment of Alex Taylor as group vice president for its Dayton and Louisville, Ky., markets, effective immediately.
This is part of Cox Media Group’s new operating concept that reorganizes its media businesses by maximizing the expertise and talents of its media professionals across its portfolio of newspapers, radio and television businesses, the company said.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/cox-media-group-taps-taylor-as-dayton-louisville-group-vp-255515.html

Where in the World is former WKRC Chief Meteorologist Derek Beasley Heading?

We just got the word on Derek Beasley's new market location. And we were off...wayyyyy off.

http://ohkyintristatemedia.blogspot.com/2009/08/post-monday-mix.html

WLWT Hires News Director

Stacy Owen, news director at KXTV in Sacramento, has been hired by WLWT-TV (Ch 5) to replace Brennan Donnellan, who left the station a month ago. Owen has been news director for three years in Sacramento. Before that, she spent 13 years at KRON-TV in San Francisco as an assistant news director, executive producer and producer and three years as news director.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2009/08/17/wlwt-tv-hires-news-director-stacy-owen/

Louisville's CW Affiliate Has New Owner...Officially

It's official.Louisville's CW affiliate, WBKI [34/28], now has a new owner.Louisville TV Group, LLC, which was formed by Iowa-based Fusion Communications for the purpose of buying the station, won approval from the FCC on Thursday.The sale was announced in May.

http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/derby-city-digest-wbki-sale-now.html

WKYT Switching Up Morning Anchors

Viewers of the morning news on CBS affiliate WKYT (Channel 27) have begun seeing a new face.
Stacy Ellison is now co-anchoring the 5-7 a.m. newscasts with Bill Bryant, as longtime anchor Barbara Bailey shifts schedules.
Bailey will continue to anchor the noon news with Bryant. The two moved to the morning news shift in 2006 and have helped increase its viewership dramatically.

http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/896455.html

Evansville Celebrates 1 Year of RTN-TV

August 25 will mark RTV's first anniversary in the Evansville market on WEHT 25.2.If you've been with us from the earliest days of JDTVB, you may remember my excitement at being able to watch the classic programming on what was then known as RTN TV 25.

http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/flashback-1-evansvilles-rtv-then-rtn.html

Public Stations Plan Protest of Time Warner Cable's Plan

Cincinnati, Dayton and Oxford public TV stations launched a campaign Wednesday to protest Time Warner's plans to eliminate eight public TV channels Aug. 25.

"We want our stations to continue to be available to all Time Warner subscribers," said David Forgarty, president of Public Media Connect Inc., which manages CET (Channel 48), Dayton's WPTD-TV (Channel 16) and Oxford's WPTO-TV (Channel 14).

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090813/ENT/908130327/Public+stations+protest+cable+plan

Emmys Go Back to Real Time

It has been a season of reversals for the Primetime Emmy Awards. First, the ceremony was shifted from Sept. 20, only to be returned to that date two weeks later. Now, in an even bigger about-face, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has scrapped a plan to time-shift eight categories on this year's broadcast after a firestorm of criticism from the creative community.As a result, all 28 categories slated for the CBS broadcast will be awarded live.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i41bbbd5e87896f5542a5d2c298275b28

WEHT's Work on Antenna Shuts Them Down

It looks like WEHT [25.1 ABC/25.2 RTV] is about ready to take the next step in their new antenna project, but, according to the following message on their website, they'll have to spend most of Saturday off the air (and, for safety purposes for those working on the tower, it's understandable):
http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/getting-you-closer-weht-tower-work.html

ThinkTV and Time Warner Cable at Odds

Think TV Communications manager Sue Brinson said that a Time Warner Cable official contacted Public Media Connect shortly after this article was posted. No decision has been made about the proposal discussed below.
After getting no response from Time Warner Cable about alternatives to dropping seven local public television channels, ThinkTV is taking its message to the public.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/seen_and_overheard/entries/2009/08/12/thinktv_customers_will_lose_cr.html

Moutain Stage Returning to WOUB

It's been a couple of years since Mountain Stage took the show over to Athens, OH, home of Ohio University. So we're pleased to announce our return to the home of WOUB on October 11 at the Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium (Mem-Aud as the kids call it).

http://www.wvpubcast.org/blogs.aspx?id=10712&blogid=340

Significant Signal Issues at WEHT?

Evansville ABC/RTV affiliate WEHT is mentioned throughout this post. I'm fairly blunt in my own assessment of the station's (significant) signal issues, and I am also firm in my belief that what they're doing now will, more than likely, not be sufficient to take care of the problems at hand.

http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/vhf-vs-uhf-revisited-why-weht-just-wont.html

WSYX's Kent Justice Gone

Back in halcyon days at Channel 6, employees used to spend their working hours griping and grumbling about news director Lyn Tolan.

Tolan, who earned a reputation as a bit of slave driver before her retirement earlier this year, even had her own nickname: “Ayatolyn.” But employees at WSYX are in no mood to come up with clever word-plays these days. The station’s recently hired news director, Mitch Jacob, may be stifling the creative environment a bit.

Jacob, a Toledo native, started in “June.” And he lives in “Grandview.” Things at the station are “good.” Those one-word answers are about as chatty as Jacob was willing to get this week, not exactly batting away his fast reputation for being distant and unreadable. But it’s not his personality that bugs news staffers as much as Jacob’s ability to lower the ax with no warning.

http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/08/06/front/doc4a7aea02a994b169254390.txt

Carl Day Honored on Walk of Fame

Carl Day, an award-winning radio and television broadcaster who spent more than half a century on Dayton airwaves, is among five honorees in this year’s Dayton Walk of Fame.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24, according to Doris Ponitz, chairwoman of the Walk of Fame Advisers.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/carl-day-desoto-bass-namesake-among-walk-of-fame-inductees-237674.html

New Faces on the BlueJackets Broadcast

John Michael and Ray Crawford have been added to Fox Sports Ohio's broadcast lineup for the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2009-10 season.
Michael spent the past six seasons as a minor-league hockey play-by-play voice, including the past two for the American Hockey League's Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland. He will serve as the in-game reporter on all broadcasts, the network said. He'll also host the postgame show.
Crawford, who worked previously for WSYX (Channel 6) and the now-defunct Columbus Sports Network, will serve as studio host for pregame shows when the Blue Jackets are on the road.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/08/04/0804nhlnotes.html?sid=101

WOSU-TV GM Retires

After almost three decades on the job, Ed Clay is taking a break.

The longtime station manager of WOSU-TV (Channel 34) retires today.

A native of Dayton, he taught history at Dunbar High School there before beginning his career in public television at WDTN-TV (Channel 2).

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/08/01/2_Q_A_ED_CLAY.ART_ART_08-01-09_D2_B1EL0F4.html?sid=101

Jake's DTV Blog - Poll for Evansville Market Readers

Good morning, readers! I have now posted the August poll questions, which for this month will be geared to our Evansville-market readers who watch OVER THE AIR only, so for those of you who read us in the Bowling Green, Louisville and Nashville markets, please do not vote this month.Of course, if you have a poll question you'd like to submit for a station or topic in your area, you are most welcome to do so.

http://jakesdtvblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/august-polls-now-up-and-running.html

Dayton and West Virginia Stations' Parent Company Receives Loan Extension

Cunningham Broadcasting Corp. has received another extension from its lenders on a $33.5 million loan. Payment was due today, but Cunningham, which is closely aligned with Sinclair Broadcast Group, now has until Oct. 30 to pay.

http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=811336

WCMH Lays Off 4 People

Three staff members have lost their jobs at WCMH-TV (Channel 4), including Amy Basista, co-anchor of NBC 4 Today and The NBC 4 Midday Update.
Channel 4 management would not comment on the layoffs.
Basista said she hopes to stay in Columbus and in television. "I wish the station the best of luck," she said. "There are a lot of very talented people there."
A week ago, station owner Media General, which has been cutting operating costs, reported a profitable second quarter despite drooping ad revenue. In May 2008, Channel 4 laid off seven people, including a midday co-anchor, a meteorologist and five off-camera employees, as part of a companywide reduction in work force by Media General.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/07/30/wcmh_cuts.html?sid=101