And even though this is end of radio as we know it... There looks to be a new, independently owned and run station coming to the block, coincidentally at the (low) end of the radio dial.

 

Tune in to 87.7 FM, which has been playing the godawful Michael Stanley "My Town", followed by the great "Indians Fever" and "Come on Cavs" themse songs, and the old Cleveland Browns fight song.

 

New Cleveland radio station to aim for hyper-local approach

By Shaina Cavazos, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland radio is heading back to its roots with the launch of a new local station by the end of July.

 

Tom Wilson, a Cleveland native and broadcast industry veteran, and partners Tom Embrescia and Larry Pollock plan to launch WLFM-LP FM/87.7, which will highlight local musicians and focus on local issues and events.

 

The still-in-the-works format of talk, a blend of "more mature" rock music and a team dedicated to everything Cleveland will fill a hole that Wilson said he sees in Cleveland's radio market.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/06/new_cleveland_radio_station_ai.html

 

 

Also there was an article in Crains, but it has reverted to subscription-only on their website.

 

Longtime radio exec plans launch of new Cleveland rock station

Tom Wilson, who with his partners sold two of the city's top-rated stations, WDOK-FM, 102.1, and WRMR-AM, 850, in a four-station package deal 13 years ago for more than $200 million, is launching a new radio station here.

 

Was anyone else disgusted by Cleveland.com's front page article about Lebron possibly having an affair/impregnating Sharon Reed, leading to her dismissal. Cleveland.com's lack of class was particularly appalling in this desperate act for attention, and I'm really hoping the PD didn't print this TMZ $hit.

 

WHAT?!  I missed that

 

 

Was anyone else disgusted by Cleveland.com's front page article about Lebron possibly having an affair/impregnating Sharon Reed, leading to her dismissal. Cleveland.com's lack of class was particularly appalling in this desperate act for attention, and I'm really hoping the PD didn't print this TMZ $hit.

 

Was anyone else disgusted by Cleveland.com's front page article about Lebron possibly having an affair/impregnating Sharon Reed, leading to her dismissal. Cleveland.com's lack of class was particularly appalling in this desperate act for attention, and I'm really hoping the PD didn't print this TMZ $hit.

 

 

I posted on another thread that it looks like they took the article down.

I've dreamed of this.

 

87.7 FM.

 

Here is a radio station that plays "Indians Fever: Be a Believer!" and Michael Stanley's "This Town" back to back to back to back......

^LOL, they had the old Cavs song on as well.

 

there was an article in Crains either last week, or two weeks ago, saying that someone is testing the frequency out, and that later this month it becomes a new 'rock' station. Whatever that means. The Cavs/Indians /Michael Stanley mix is meant to imply it's going to be locally based, owned with local jocks, etc.

 

Edit: here's the link

Longtime radio exec plans launch of new Cleveland rock station

Radio industry veteran says new station will use lots of local content to compete with satellite, Internet options

 

By MICHELLE PARK

 

 

Tom Wilson has taken to the Cleveland airwaves successfully before to the tune of a multimillion-dollar payday in 1999 and he's fixing to do it again.

 

 

Mr. Wilson, who with his partners sold two of the city's top-rated stations, WDOK-FM, 102.1, and WRMR-AM, 850, in a four-station package deal 13 years ago for more than $200 million, is launching a new radio station here. He's confident the local content and local personalities he plans to deliver will prove profitable, even in this era of satellite and Internet radio. Mr. Wilson, who has spent three decades in the broadcasting business, expects to launch the new station, WLFM-LP, 87.7, in late July.

 

Two weeks ago, the station began running a four-song loop to test its signal, playing the fight songs of the Cleveland Browns, Indians and Cavaliers, and My Town by The Michael Stanley Band. That spawned speculation that it will be a sports format, though the Ohio Media Watch blog noted: For all we know, the sports-themed songs are an attempt to "sound Cleveland' as few songs exist that mention the city by Lake Erie.

 

That's exactly it: Mr. Wilson says the station will work to sound Cleveland. He has planned a rock and entertainment talk format driven by a team of about a dozen people who will take to the streets of Cleveland and put Clevelanders on the air. (What kind of rock is still up in the air, and yes, he's open to involving local artists.)

 

 

 

 

http://crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120625/SUB1/306259976/0/SEARCH

 

 

 

^LOL, they had the old Cavs song on as well.

 

there was an article in Crains either last week, or two weeks ago, saying that someone is testing the frequency out, and that later this month it becomes a new 'rock' station. Whatever that means. The Cavs/Indians /Michael Stanley mix is meant to imply it's going to be locally based, owned with local jocks, etc.

 

 

Aghh, sounds like they're going to ruin it lol!! I like it the way it is. But it actually does sound promising. Just        p l e a s e  if you're going to play music, make sure it's new music.

Michael Stanley had some good songs... it's a shame that "My Town" is increasingly the only one he's known for.  What an insipid piece of crap.

^Maybe he can team up with MGK to create Cleveland's version of 'Empire State of Mind'.

 

^LOL, they had the old Cavs song on as well.

 

there was an article in Crains either last week, or two weeks ago, saying that someone is testing the frequency out, and that later this month it becomes a new 'rock' station. Whatever that means. The Cavs/Indians /Michael Stanley mix is meant to imply it's going to be locally based, owned with local jocks, etc.

 

 

Aghh, sounds like they're going to ruin it lol!! I like it the way it is. But it actually does sound promising. Just        p l e a s e  if you're going to play music, make sure it's new music.

 

I know, I find myself returning and singing along. The Indians Fever and Cavs songs are catchy! I especially love the 'be-boop' synthesizer music.

^Maybe he can team up with MGK to create Cleveland's version of 'Empire State of Mind'.

 

 

This is very old, so it mentions Lebron slightly.

 

^ At least it's not that 'Please stay LeBron' claptrap that Polk put out. <shudder>

The Indians song is incredibly catchy, but about 4 times longer than it needs to be.

 

"More mature" doesn't excite me because I already have 98.5 to flick to briefly and then ignore when it's a song I've inevitably head 100 times in my life. 

^^I never realized Polk was responsible for that video too!  I still feel embarrassed everytime I think about it.  That was THE cheesiest thing I have ever seen and, frankly, did more damage from a national perspective to the City than his 'hastily made' tourism video..... because nobody outside of Polk (including seemingly the participants in the video) realize it was supposed to be more tongue-in-cheek than a sincer plea

I haven't watched any of the Polk videos because I'm afraid they'll piss me off.

Ahem... someone up thread made an unfortunate comment regarding one of the greatest pure Cleveland songs in recorded history. And I am sure at this point an apology will be on it's way. But while we wait for that let's enjoy the Michael Stanley Band and "This Town". BTW if you don't know the words by heart, please delete your account immediately.

^ That seems harsh. I moved here from out of town!

 

^^I never realized Polk was responsible for that video too!  I still feel embarrassed everytime I think about it.  That was THE cheesiest thing I have ever seen and, frankly, did more damage from a national perspective to the City than his 'hastily made' tourism video..... because nobody outside of Polk (including seemingly the participants in the video) realize it was supposed to be more tongue-in-cheek than a sincer plea

 

Shows you what I know. Up until your post, I thought it WAS sincere....horribly embarrassingly sincere...

 

 

^^The song doesn't mention Cleveland at all.  It's about whatever town he happens to be playing in.  Meanwhile, his cover of "Rosewood Bitters" is a masterpiece and way better than the original.  I've been tempted to call him at 98.5 and ask about chords I haven't quite figured out.

His cover? OK I won't beat you up to much. But Michael Stanley wrote " Rosewood Bitters ". Google is your friend.

His cover? OK I won't beat you up to much. But Michael Stanley wrote " Rosewood Bitters ". Google is your friend.

 

Beat me to it...LOL.  Joe Walsh's cover was released at least ten years after the original, IIRC.

 

I've heard "My Town" was an angry retort to an insider who told him he needed to move to LA and was obnoxious about it.

 

Do they realize they are playing another station's DJ.  FWIW, he's now been a DJ longer than his band was active full time?

 

We've had people think he owns the bar I work at, since his real last name is Gee.

Mark this down... 327 was completely wrong about something.  Makes me feel better to know his is the original.

Mark this down... 327 was completely wrong about something. 

 

First Higgs-Boson, and now this?? There is no god!!!

Mark this down... 327 was completely wrong about something. 

 

First Higgs-Boson, and now this?? There is no god!!!

 

Just a particle....

In regards to 87.7, my radio scanner just recently picked up and I thought it was hilarious that it kept playing the same four songs over and over.  Glad to hear that there's actually some good reasoning behind that.  C'mon Wilson, gotta make it happen!

 

Now to the annoying...as I've probably mentioned several times on this thread, I love listening to WJCU 88.7 which has always come in very clearly for me throughout the eastern suburbs and even well into the city limits of Cleveland.  Unfortunately over the past few weeks I've noticed that the station is receiving a lot of interference from another station.  A few days back I was finally able to hear identification from the other station and it appears to be 89X (which is really also 88.7), an alternative station out of Windsor, Ontario.  Anyone else noticed this recently too?  WJCU plays a great selection of tunes, but more and more the only place where I can pick up a consistently clear signal is in University Heights where the station is located.  This stinks!

^that's not limited to 88.7. I've had a lot of bleedover with many stations that I've historically pulled in w/ no problem (98.1 and 97.5 out of Akron, 97.1 out of Ashtabula, I've never been able to pull in 99.1, and 88.7 has been giving me fits). Just this morning, 98.5 was getting interference from some top 40 station. I don't know if it's weather related (solar flares?) or something else

^ Its completely weather related. You're experiencing what us radio geeks call "Tropo". When the atmosphere is just right, you can get stations booming in as a local even though its signal is hundreds of miles away. It is most noticeable in the spring and summer. This past week saw one of the biggest tropo events in years around here. In some cases, it causes the farther away signal like CIMX to overwhelm a local signal - WJCU, hence you get static and the two signals bleeding over each other.

^that makes sense, since I've been pulling in a couple Canadian stations over the last couple of weeks. I was trying to figure out why there were commercials for odd products (like cell phone companies I'd never heard of)

I've had the same problem with WJCU lately (my guess would be the past two weeks or so)mostly in the downtown to Lakewood area.

 

Last night (July 10) there was no interference, but this morning WJCU was unlistenable when driving downtown.

^that's not limited to 88.7. I've had a lot of bleedover with many stations that I've historically pulled in w/ no problem (98.1 and 97.5 out of Akron, 97.1 out of Ashtabula, I've never been able to pull in 99.1, and 88.7 has been giving me fits). Just this morning, 98.5 was getting interference from some top 40 station. I don't know if it's weather related (solar flares?) or something else

 

The new 99.1?  Yeah I've never been able to pick that up clearly on the eastside.

Has anyone been seeing the new WKYC commercials during the Olympics?  There have been at least 3 different variations and they are the most pro-Cleveland videos I've seen out of any local media.  They really get me excited when I watch them and it seems that WKYC is really starting to jump on the pro-Cleveland bandwagon (rather than the bash Cleveland bandwagon).  All 3 that I've seen talk about a resurgence and how the people of Cleve are bringing this city back to be a major player in several industries and they also highlight the entertainment options.  Unfortunately I can't find the videos online.

I've seen those commercials, and they are very upbeat.  The realist in me says that Cleveland proper and the MSA will continue to lose population for a while yet though.

 

Related to media coverage, I found it interesting how many people SHREDDED the PD in the comments section of their editorial today on Jimmy Dimora getting what he deserved today.  Basically everyone said the same thing: Pretty weak of the PD editorial staff to say Dimora had it coming, after they endorsed him, Russo and McFaul time after time, and didn't break any story on the corruption till the FBI blew it open...

Everyone seen the new Cleveland.com format?

 

The consensus seems to be "ugh".  It looks like change for the sake of change, the same thing that brought about the abysmal "Timeline" format on Facebook. 

 

The PTB are "blaming" the national management.

I'm not really a big fan of the new Cleveland.com layout, particularly that bar at the top of the screen that follows you as you scroll down.  Particularly annoying for me because I mostly use the "pg up" and "pg dn" buttons on my laptop to move the screen and it blocks a lot of the text.

The new cleveland.com has one of the worst UI's I have seen in a long time. The font choice is awful. I am not sure what they were thinking.

The new cleveland.com has one of the worst UI's I have seen in a long time. The font choice is awful. I am not sure what they were thinking.

 

Yeah, and the scolling header is horrible as well.  I think they went live with the special fonts for the legally blind.

So, a quick update on pending station 87.7 (you know, the 'Indians Fever' / Michael Stanley station). Scene has a quick blurb about a new morning host that they hired. Also, looks like they're going for the 'AAA' format, like what 107.3 had before they went back to smooth easy listening.

 

Right now the station is dead air. I don't know when they're going to start.

 

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2012/07/30/soon-to-debut-radio-station-877-clevelanders-rock-finds-its-morning-drive-host

 

One of the comments had an interesting point, which is that this station is technically the audio feed of the old analog channel 6. I don't know what that means, really, but there it is.

 

 

Here's the test feed they had. I just found that online as well. I'm not really as obsessed with this station as this post might make you think. I'm just curious about how a new station comes on the air

 

WLFM-LP Analog Ch. 6 87.7 FM FrankenFM Cleveland Aircheck 6 28 12 7pm est - full cycle

You're obsessed, admit it...

I'd be happy if they just kept playing "Indians Fever", and "come on Cavs". The first is so square, the second, so funky!

I'd be happy if they just kept playing "Indians Fever", and "come on Cavs". The first is so square, the second, so funky!

 

Thank you for making my day!!  I'M A BELIEVER.

If they can be a long-term AAA format station in NEO, I'll be obsessed with them, too!

I turned it on this morning to see if they were broadcasting yet, and it looks like they're playing 3-4 second excerpts of songs from each year chronologically up to the present. This morning around 7:30 they were playing stuff from the 60's. During lunch I got Debbie Gibson and Whitesnake. I don't know if this is another test feed, or a lead up to going live.

A truly epic fail on the part of Cleveland.com.  Read the comments.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/08/what_are_ohios_biggest_party_s.html

At least it's not as offensive as the IS SHARON REED LEBRON'S BABY MAMA headline and story. I mean, the PD/cleveland.com should have apologized to Sharon, Lebron, their families, and all readers of the PD/cleveland.com. Pulling it the next day wasn't remotely enough.

 

For that to be a story is the single most offensive thing this rag has ever produced.

At least it's not as offensive as the IS SHARON REED LEBRON'S BABY MAMA headline and story. I mean, the PD/cleveland.com should have apologized to Sharon, Lebron, their families, and all readers of the PD/cleveland.com. Pulling it the next day wasn't remotely enough.

 

For that to be a story is the single most offensive thing this rag has ever produced.

The title sat there on the "recommended stories" for awhile too.

A truly epic fail on the part of Cleveland.com.  Read the comments.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/08/what_are_ohios_biggest_party_s.html

 

I understand what they were trying to do and why the schools were limited the way they were, though the polls should have been more clear about that.

Is this the beginning of the end of a daily Plain Dealer??

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120905/FREE/120909946&template=mobile

Another Advance property just did that in Syracuse

^Not as large-scale, but the group that owns the Lake County News Herald and the Lorain Morning Journal filed (again) for Chapter 11:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/09/journal_register_co_files_for.html

 

Ok, I'm posting this here as suggested.

 

I thought it might be interesting to parse some of this recent article where Roldo decries the current downtown situation. It's a very different view than most of what I read on urbanohio.  I'm on the cheerleader side but he makes some good points.

 

http://www.coolcleveland.com/blog/2012/08/roldo-cleveland-downtown-comeback-eludes-euclid-avenue/

 

 

Roldo is a pain in the ass. He's the ghost of Cleveland Past. Lol. And not the good past. All he does is complain about EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING. I don't know if I've seen him write anything positive in recent history. He's trading off of who he used to be, but he's really just morphed into the city's resident "get off of my lawn" guy.

87.7 Cleveland Sound is now broadcasting from the Agora.  Check it out.