Get ready for off air DTV reception before the snow flies

By Tom Lavery

National News: With just over 100 days until all full powered analog TV stations go away for digital, the time is now to make sure that you'll have perfect reception. A report on WSEE on Tuesday night (October 28th) reminds viewers to make sure everything is in working order before the winter weather makes it impossible to check your outdoor antenna. This is a good point for those who rely on an outdoor antenna for reception to make sure everything is connected properly and before more snow flies as it has already here in Western Pa. With the harsh winter weather ahead, I would not recommend walking on an icy roof and risking a serious injury. Plan ahead for February and see how well digital signals come in at your location with a digital TV or converter box. Those who use simple rabbit ears should also check out reception now. Those in apartments may have a much harder time using rabbit ears, depending on location and may be forced to subscribe to basic cable. Feel free to let us know how well your reception is in the PBRTV coverage area.

Posted at October 29, 2008 at 3:18 pm by
National News | sixteen comments | Link To This Entry

Layoffs come to Cumulus Youngstown

By Tom Lavery

Youngstown: There are reports over at radio-info.com confirming that several layoffs have occured at Cumulus owned stations across the country. Could some layoffs occur in the near future over at the Cumulus Youngstown radio stables over on 4040 Simon Road? Cumulus currently owns 8 stations including Classic Rock WYFM 102.9 "Y-103", Country WQXK 105.1 "K-105", CHR WHOT 101.1 "Hot 101", Alternative WWIZ 103.9 "Rock 104", AC WLLF "96.7 The River", Nostalgia WSOM 600, Sports WBBW 1240, and News Talk WPIC 790. With the state of radio today, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a few "Budget Cuts" occur over on Simon Road. Update: Thanks to our regular reader "Doug" for catching the news over on Radio-Info.com. There were a few "Budget Cuts" over on Simon Road. They include "Y-103" evening jock Dave Messersmith (who was with the station for 23 years), "K-105" evening jock Burton Lee and morning show host "K-Man", plus the entire weekend crew over at "Hot 101." This was also reported over at Ohio Media Watch who is offering those who lost their jobs free posting of contact information for stations looking for talent. I'll second that and welcome such postings here or at my e-mail address at Laveryman@hotmail.com. It's the people behind the mic that always made radio a special place and they deserve a lot better than being a victim of "budget cuts."

Posted at October 25, 2008 at 08:51 am by
Youngstown | four comments | Link To This Entry