Posted January 9, 200619 yr NBC puts WCMH-TV (Channel 4) up for sale By Tracy Turner The Columbus Dispatch Monday, January 9, 2006 1:49 PM NBC is putting WCMH-TV (Channel 4) up for sale. NBC's Columbus affiliate is among three other network-owned stations that have been put on the market, according to sources close to the deal and a report in Broadcasting & Cable magazine. NBC stations group president Jay Ireland told the WCMH staff today of the pending sale, a source close to the deal said. The sale is part of the networks bid to raise more than $600 million through shedding smaller markets, including the Columbus affiliate, according to published reports. http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=158935
January 9, 200619 yr What does this mean? I'm a little confused about how the TV broadcasting business works in general. I'm assuming that some "media group" will take over the station and the average Channel 4 watcher won't notice a difference. Is that right? I also wonder what this means for the new downtown studio being built for Channel 4.
January 9, 200619 yr Author It means another ownership group( i.e.: Viacom, Gannett or others) can buy Ch 4 from NBC (which itself if owned by GE). NBC has only owned the station since the late 1990's when they bought it from Outlet Broadcasting. Ch. 4 will likely remain an NBC "affiliate" , which means it will continue to show NBC programming. The good news (or bad news) is that by no longer being a network owned & operated (O&O) station, they can pre-empt networek programming to carry local programming (for example: if they got the rights to carry OSU basketball, or the Columbus BlueJacket's hockey games.) I'm guessing it will also mean some management shakeups at the top, and (eventually) that will mean some changing faces on their local news, which almost always comes with a change in ownership. Don't look for anything drastic, as these changes are usually very gradual. As for the downtown studio, I don't know if they have a firm commitment to build that, especially if NBC had any of its funds involved in that project. That could very well be one of the things that will be up in the air until a new owner takes over. personally, I hope a new owner would stick with the plan as it would be great for downtown.
January 10, 200619 yr Author Business First of Columbus - January 9, 2006 A little more detail on the proposed sale... Business First of Columbus - 2:32 PM EST Monday WCMH put on selling block by NBC Columbus television station WCMH is being put up for sale, a network executive confirmed Monday. NBC Universal Inc. of New York wants to sell WCMH and three other TV stations its owns and operates in Birmingham, Ala.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Providence, R.I., said network spokeswoman Liz Fischer. She declined further comment on the network's plans to dispose of the stations. Broadcasting & Cable, an industry trade publication, reported Monday that the four small-market stations would be sold so NBC can concentrate in markets with strong Hispanic demographics to feed Telemundo, its Spanish-language broadcast network. More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2006/01/09/daily5.html
January 10, 200619 yr Author WCMH-TV NBC to sell Channel 4, other stations, reports say Tuesday, January 10, 2006 Tracy Turner THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH WCMH-TV (Channel 4) is for sale. The Columbus NBC affiliate and three other network-owned stations are on the market, according to sources close to the decision and a report in the Broadcasting & Cable weekly trade magazine. The move is part of the network’s bid to raise more than $600 million by shedding operations in smaller markets, according to Broadcasting & Cable. NBC purchased Outlet Communications Inc., the former parent company of WCMH-TV, in 1995 for an estimated $396 million. http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/01/10/20060110-E1-03.html
January 10, 200619 yr Thanks for the clarification Noozer. That helps quite a bit. It sounds like this may have some effect on the downtown studio. I really hope it comes through though. Columbus is slowly developing an identity, and this would go a long way towards connecting all the suburbanites with downtown.
February 11, 200619 yr Local PBS Show "Columbus on the Record" It's on at 9:30PM Fridays and repeats late at 2:30AM. They were mostly talking about local politics, but also about the new Columbus Clippers stadium.
February 11, 200619 yr WOSU producing it's own TV show (besides "In the Know)?! :-o I didn't know they had it in them.
April 6, 200619 yr Author Media General buys Channel 4 The Columbus Dispatch Thursday, April 6, 2006 11:28 AM WCMH-TV (Channel 4) and three other NBC Universal stations have been sold to Media General Inc. for an estimated $600 million, the companies announced today. The purchase is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2006 and will make Media General the third largest independent owner of NBC affiliates. http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=177838
April 6, 200619 yr Hopefully along with a graphics change comes a studio change also. All NBC O&O stations have the same graphics packages with a few subtle changes. For example, the NBC 4 WeatherPlus theme and graphics are exactly the same for every NBC-owned affiliate across the country, which in my opinion gives WCMH a bland and uninspired look. Since WCMH will no longer be an O&O station, they will have to adopt a new graphics package. I hope they also go back to using their call letters. I hate it when stations try to standardize themselves by becoming "NBC 4" or "ABC 22."
April 6, 200619 yr ^ I'm with you! I'd venture to guess that 90% of the televised news in Columbus is the police blotter type of stuff, rather than actual news stories. For instance, the top stories on their website are: - Ex teacher acquitted in classroom sex case - Bond set at $25 million for man accused of murder - Tire shredding facility burns - Driverless pickup rolls backward killing woman - Man shot and killed in home near school - Woman claims she was kidnapped, taken to ATM I wish I were making this up.
April 6, 200619 yr Wait! A story buried on their website... http://www.nbc4i.com/station/8508642/detail.html Media General Enters Into Agreement To Purchase WCMH-TV Agreement Maintains NBC Affiliation UPDATED: 1:00 pm EDT April 6, 2006 Email This Story | Print This Story Broadcast group Media General announced Thursday that it has entered into an agreement with NBC Universal to purchase NBC 4 and three other stations. Based in Richmond, Va., Media General owns 26 local television stations, five of which are NBC affiliates. Locally, NBC 4 will maintain its NBC affiliation. "We're very pleased to be joining the Media General family of stations," said NBC 4 President and General Manager Craig Robinson. "They're a great broadcasting company whose mission closely matches our own. Media General has a proven commitment to providing quality news and to serving the needs of their communities and clients, factors which have been, and continue to be, so important to us in Columbus." The transition will take place over the next few months, according to NBC 4 station management. The three other NBC owned-and-operated stations to be purchased are located in Birmingham, Ala., Providence, R.I., and Raleigh, N.C. NBC 4 plans to open the proposed studios at Broad and High streets in downtown Columbus remain in process for 2007. The deal is pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission.
October 13, 200618 yr Author CBS sells its radio stations in Columbus WLVQ, WHOK, WAZU in $138 million deal Thursday, October 12, 2006 Tim Feran THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH CBS Radio has sold its three Columbus stations to Wilks Broadcast Group as part of a $138 million deal. Classic-rock station WLVQ (96.3 FM), country station WHOK (95.5 FM) and hard-rock station WAZU (107.1 FM) are expected to become part of Wilks in three to five weeks. The stations’ formats and personnel are not expected to change, said Jeff Wilks, chief executive of Wilks Broadcast Group. http://dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/10/12/20061012-G1-02.html
October 25, 200618 yr Brian Williams broadcasted tonight from Columbus. Mostly because of mid-term elections. They profiled Mike DeWine and Sherrod Brown, both campaigning for the state senate race. Ohio seems to be a major battleground state.
November 14, 200618 yr Newspaper outsources design work to India ENQUIRER NEWS SERVICES November 14, 2006 COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Dispatch Printing Co. has contracted its advertising design work to a company operating in India, eliminating 90 jobs in its advertising department by April. The company said the move is intended to improve the quality and speed of services. Affinity Express Inc., based in Elgin, Ill., will provide graphic design services for the company's flagship newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, from offices in Pune, India. Affinity performs similar services for other companies, including the Los Angeles Times, Lands' End and Xerox Corp. The newspaper said it will offer employees a severance and benefits package. More at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061114/BIZ/611140324/1076/BIZ
November 15, 200618 yr Ya I agree with WTF. I mean, have you ever had to talk to someone in India when you call about a problem with your credit card!? Very poor quality of service!
November 15, 200618 yr Agreed...Agreed...AGREED!!!!!! Globalization SUCKS!!!! Sure...but...can you imagine what your mini pod would cost if it were made in the good'ole US of A?
March 14, 200718 yr Business First of Columbus - March 13, 2007 http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/12/daily13.html New sports channel will focus on Central Ohio Business First of Columbus - 4:17 PM EDT Tuesday, March 13, 2007 by Kevin KemperBusiness First A new television channel plans to sate the 24-hour appetites of Central Ohio sports fans when it begins airing this month...
March 23, 200718 yr This is the most amazing promotional add I have ever seen for a New Station. I have this video posted on my Facebook Profile and I can't stop watching it! I love the band and I love the flyovers with Chopper 10 and the skyline in the background. The band is Alamoth Lane, according to there website and my corispondance with Channel 10, they will be comming out with a full legnth music video that I can only hope incorporates the Columbus Urban Area. The band is already shown on top of the Studios of 10tv in this video. Enjoy!
March 24, 200718 yr That's the exact same way I felt when I saw it as well! I was actually at work when it aired during the Superbowl. I've always been a big fan of news promos and the graphics and music used in them, so I was immediately taken in by the promo. But I was amazed to see my other coworkers stop what they were doing to watch it as well! One even commented that he was impressed by it and that he was amazed to see something so well done for a local station. I immediately found it on youtube, and like you, I was playing it over and over again, marveling at how well they integrated some incredible skyline+helicopter shots with the station talent along with the very fitting and lovely musical score. In preparation for Channel 10 to begin airing in HD, the news set and graphics package is being redeveloped as well. I can't wait to see what they have in store!
March 25, 200718 yr It sucks that Heather Pick cut all her hair off. Her husband must compliment her too much.
March 25, 200718 yr Heather Pick has been dealing with breast cancer. The short hair (and wigs, to begin with) was a result of her chemotherapy.
March 25, 200718 yr LOL. No worries. I'll bet many people (including me) were wondering about her short hair. I myself didn't find out until I saw her actually take off her wig on the air one morning during a story about breast cancer.
March 26, 200718 yr That's the exact same way I felt when I saw it as well! I was actually at work when it aired during the Superbowl. I've always been a big fan of news promos and the graphics and music used in them, so I was immediately taken in by the promo. But I was amazed to see my other coworkers stop what they were doing to watch it as well! One even commented that he was impressed by it and that he was amazed to see something so well done for a local station. I immediately found it on youtube, and like you, I was playing it over and over again, marveling at how well they integrated some incredible skyline+helicopter shots with the station talent along with the very fitting and lovely musical score. In preparation for Channel 10 to begin airing in HD, the news set and graphics package is being redeveloped as well. I can't wait to see what they have in store! I'm sorry you were at work during the superbowl. I had to work in the studio where we had access to the game, so I kinda know how you feel. I'm really impressed that your co-workers stopped what they were doing to watch the promo. Must mean it works! If you don't mind my asking, what kind of work do you do or what kind of atmosphere is it? I just love those moments where everyone just stops what they are doing and are all in tune to the same thing. ^^KingFish, this is a thread about Channel 10, not Channel 4. Just so ya know.
March 27, 200718 yr Regardless... "Stay Classy, Columbus!" It can't stay classy with Michiganders like you living there. :-P
March 27, 200718 yr I so rarely use smileys, but in this case I am compelled... :behind: :behind: :behind:
March 27, 200718 yr I so rarely use smileys, but in this case I am compelled... :behind: :behind: :behind: Like I said. It can't be classy with you there. :box:
September 12, 200717 yr WCPX Channel 48 will join WQHS Channel 61 in Cleveland as the only 24-hour local spanish language affiliates in Ohio. WQHS is owned and operated by spanish language television giant Univision. Azteca America Spanish network signs on Nov. 1 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 3:29 AM By Tracy Turner and Stephanie Czekalinski THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH -- www.dispatch.com One of the largest Spanish-language broadcasters in the United States soon will be on the air in central Ohio. Azteca America, a broadcasting network based in Los Angeles, will begin broadcasting Nov. 1 on its new local affiliate, WCPX-TV (Channel 48). Azteca America is a subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V. in Mexico...
September 12, 200717 yr Yay!!!!! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 30, 200717 yr Since we have a similar thread for media in Cleveland, let's get one started for Columbus. Here's the first entry. Diversity on radio talk shows reappears..... Radio WVKO-AM switching to liberal talk format Friday, November 30, 2007 4:31 AM By Tim Feran THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Progressive talk radio will return Monday to the Columbus airwaves. WVKO (1580 AM), which returned from bankruptcy a few months ago and has been airing Spanish-language content, will switch to a format featuring liberal talkers Bill Press, Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz -- barring last-minute engineering issues. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2007/11/30/2_WVKO_TALK.ART_ART_11-30-07_D7_JP8KGO7.html?sid=101
November 30, 200717 yr Variety is good. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 1, 200717 yr I'll miss the spanish language broadcast on 1580AM (RadioSol, as it was known), since La Equis 103.1 is purely Mexican music. While staying on the subject of Columbus radio, a completely new FM station is slated to take to the airwaves on Monday. Radio conglomerate Clear Channel recently shuffled their mid-Ohio stations around, resulting in one of them being moved to Columbus. The new station will air on 106.7. For those of you familiar with Columbus radio, the new station is rumored to be reminiscent of Channel Z which, if true, will make me very happy.
January 2, 200817 yr Some local televisions new... NBC 4 finally switched to a high definition format. The changeover includes a new graphics package, yet the music theme stays the same. No studio changes other than a slight backdrop change in the Storm Team 4 studio. Channel 10, the city's leading news station, was the first to broadcast in HD back in April of 2007. Channel 6, the red-headed stepchild of Columbus media, likely won't change over for several years. Speaking of Channel 6, the only reason to watch their newscasts leaves this month. Simone Wilkinson will leave WSYX for a spot at KUSA 9 in Denver. Ms. Wilkinson charmed many Central Ohio viewers with her Australian accent and lovely looks. No word on whether her replacement will come equiped with a foreign accent.
January 24, 200817 yr which helped high-flying hip-hop station WCKX (106.7 FM) I'm pretty sure he meant 107.5 FM.
January 25, 200817 yr Speaking of Channel 6, the only reason to watch their newscasts leaves this month. Simone Wilkinson will leave WSYX for a spot at KUSA 9 in Denver. Ms. Wilkinson charmed many Central Ohio viewers with her Australian accent and lovely looks. No word on whether her replacement will come equiped with a foreign accent. We're all doomed! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
March 2, 200817 yr Couric, Smith coming to town BROADCAST BITS Saturday, March 1, 2008 - 3:09 AM The Columbus Dispatch CBS anchors Katie Couric and Harry Smith will visit Columbus for the Ohio primary. Couric will anchor the CBS Evening News on Monday and Tuesday from Columbus, and present updates from Ohio throughout Tuesday evening. Smith will appear Tuesday from Columbus on The Early Show, which he co-hosts. In anticipation of the national exposure, Downtown property owners are being encouraged to leave lights on Monday and Tuesday -- to present the city in its best "light," said Cleve Ricksecker of the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/03/01/2_BROBITS01.ART_ART_03-01-08_D5_6U9GHUR.html?sid=101
March 3, 200916 yr 'Dispatch' announces 45 layoffs on editorial staff Monday, March 2, 2009 4:30 PM The Dispatch is reducing the size of its newsroom, laying off 45 people effective on April 3, management of the newspaper announced today. "These are challenging times for many industries, including the newspaper industry," said John F. Wolfe, publisher and CEO, who explained the changes to the staff. Editor Benjamin J. Marrison said the newsroom staff reductions will hasten a restructuring of the newsroom to put a sharper focus on local news, local sports, enterprise reporting, and building a more robust online presence at Dispatch.com. http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/03/02/dispatch_staff.html?sid=101
March 3, 200916 yr Details will be announced on Tuesday. Staffers have not yet been told who will be laid off. The announcement was made today near the end of the annual "editorial clinic" (several days of speakers and events to get the staff motivated, thinking about the future). The number of layoffs amounts to 20 percent or so -- perhaps as high as 25 percent -- of the newsroom staff. This is a devastating chunk out of an already-thin staff.
March 3, 200916 yr It seems like almost every newspaper in the county is hurting right now. Even the Dispatch. (Over the weekend I merged a number of smaller Columbus related media threads into a "Columbus Media News and Discussion" thread previously created by noozer. I merged this Dispatch posting into this too.)
March 3, 200916 yr Ouch that's depressing. I've been impressed with the Dispatch so far considering the miserable quality of the papers in the last two towns I've lived in (Cincinnati and Newport News/Williamsburg,VA).
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