Tooting Our Own Horn

The news department of the Rubber City Radio Group (WAKR-AM; WONE-FM; WQMX-FM and www.AkronNewsNow.com) has been recognized as finalists in twelve categories by the 2008 Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters Awards. The finalists will learn the actual finish in the awards (first or second) during the OAPB annual convention on Sunday, June 7, 2009 in Columbus, when finalists for Outstanding News Operation will also be announced.

Among the Medium Market – Radio categories where judges awarded either first or second place:

Best Web Site: News Staff, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron “AkronNewsNow.com”
Best Spot News Coverage: News Staff, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron “Fallen Officer Josh Miktarian”; Jim Michaels, WKBN-AM Youngstown “Youngstown Fire”
Extraordinary Coverage of a Scheduled Event: News Staff, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron “2008 Election”; News Staff, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron: “Not Too Fat To Die: Richard Cooey”
Best Continuing Coverage: News Staff, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron, “Bobby Cutts, Jr.”; Tana Weingartner and Gary Scott, WMUB-FM, Oxford, “Windstorm Aftermath”
Best Investigative Reporting: Tina Kaufmann, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron, “Bungalo Five”; Cynthia Sperberg-Hart, WYSO-FM, Yellow Springs, “Springfield Strays”
Best Enterprise Reporting: Tina Kaufmann, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron, “Bungalo Five and Hot Spots”; Gary Scott, WMUB-FM, Oxford, “Sewing for Soldiers”;
Best Anchor: Larry States, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron; Tana Weingartner, WMUB-FM, Oxford
Best Reporter: Tina Kaufmann, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron; Tana Weingartner, WMUB-FM, Oxford
Best Regularly Scheduled Sports: Joe Jastrzemski, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron; Brian Deitz, WOBL-AM/WDLW-AM, Oberlin
Best Sports Broadcaster: Joe Jastrzemski, WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron and Brian Deitz, WOBL-AM/WDLW-AM, Oberlin
Outstanding Sports Operation: WAKR-WONE-WQMX, Akron; WOBL-AM/WDLW-AM, Oberlin; Sports Staff

“We are especially grateful for the judge’s consideration of individual hard work and reporting by Tina Kaufmann, Larry States and Joe Jastrzemski as well as recognition for our entire news staff and operation,” said Rubber City Radio Group Vice-President for Information Media Edward L. Esposito. “Despite much consternation that news may not be valued by our audiences, the strong showing by our news department and excellent work as shown by honors for our colleagues at WKBN, WMUB, WYSO, WOBL and others in the smaller and larger radio markets reflects the continuing commitment of local broadcasters to serve their communities.”

The Rubber City Radio Group news and sports departments also won recognition by the OAPB as Outstanding News Operation in 2006, 2007 and 2008. www.AkronNewsNow.com was honored with a national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2008 as Best Website – Broadcast.

OMG -- How This All Started

Many thanks to YouTube and my pal Tom Petner at TVSpy.com for a most welcome reminder of how what you are reading, watching and listening to now all started with the clunk of computers we would laugh at now -- and horrible waits to read scrappy text.

For old geezers such as myself this throwback to San Francisco's KRON-TV report on LBW (Life Before Web) is a knee-slapping walk down memory lane; if you are under 35, however, this slice of history may very well remind you of the silver set griping they went to school when it snowed a foot -- by walking barefoot, uphills both ways...



We've been spending the better part of the past month here at AkronNewsNow.com getting ready for our next digital media rollout...a streamed version of an Akron-centered all-news radio station but without the radio. WAKRNewsNow is a hybrid of sorts, featuring updated newscasts every hour from the Akron Radio Center via 1590 WAKR, a mix of community-centered interviews from WAKR's Ray Horner Morning Show, entertainment features from our staff including ANN Editor Ryan Haidet's Reality Check, WQMX air personality George McFly's Nashville Minute, WONE air personality Sandra Miller's Daily Buzz and plenty more.

It'll also be a prime source for live coverage of local events and stories, giving our reporters the opportunity to do longer versions of more complicated issues that don't quite fit into a six-minute newscast. It will also allow us to bring you more of the coverage you'd like to hear, such as replays of Governor Strickland's recent State of the State address or even live coverage of Mayor Plusquellic's upcoming State of the City address next month.

The idea for the all-news radio without the radio originated with our Senior VP Nick Anthony and boosted up a notch by our owner and GM Thom Mandel in recognition of the wide variety of content we produce both on-air and online. The media mantra lately has been to downplay the platform we use -- whether it be paper, transmitter or Ethernet -- and look to make our content more accessible regardless of how you get there. It's why AkronNewsNow.com recently extended ourselves to Facebook and our increasing use and consideration of Twitter as another way to provide you with the news and information you need.

We've also updated our mobile version of AkronNewsNow.com as well (calling it ANN Mobi in house but don't necessarily look for that online) to be more user-friendly to Blackberry, Palm, MotoQ, iPhone and other mobile devices. It is more of a headache since there's no set absolute standard -- phone manufacturers often tweak their specific products for improvements, which impacts what you read on the mini-screen -- but it clearly is a demand we need to meet to stay in touch with you when all you may have handy is a cellphone.

The technology changes are challenging but also inspiring; after all, we're end users too. More on WAKRNewsNow in the next few weeks...