Editor’s note: Sound off, give a shout out on “Deep Background,” our totally-random open discussion of all things Erie media.

• DTV: one month and counting: The transition to digital television is now one month away. According to our calculations at least 24,745 households in the Erie DMA will have to do “something” to get service (many satellite users still need an antenna to get the locals). If you have not purchased a digital TV or converter box, action will need to be taken now to continue to receive over-the-air television. The TV stations are ready to make the switch; are you? Get more info at DTV.gov.




• Flashback 1959: Commenter Erie BlogWatch shared an excellent link for the nostalgia minded among us. David Gleason has scanned the pages of ancient Broadcasting Yearbooks and other station directories from the middle to late 20th century. So what was happening in Erie media 50 years ago?
  • By 1959, the Erie Morning News had already replaced the Erie Dispatch Herald for a few years, while continuing the afternoon Erie Daily Times.
  • TV viewers had two analog channels to choose from:
    • WICU ch. 12 – Licensee: Dispatch Division of Air-Way Branches Inc.
    • WSEE ch. 35 – Licensee: Great Lakes Television Co.
    • Additional allocations were for channels 41 (educational) and 66
  • On the radio:
    • WERC 1260 & WERC-FM 99.9 – Licensee: Cleveland Broadcasting Co.
    • WICU 1330 – Licensee: Dispatch Division of Air-Way Branches Inc.
    • WOTR 1370 (Corry) – Licensee: Olivia T. Rennekamp
    • WJET 1400 – Licensee: Jet Broadcasting Co.
    • WLEU 1450 – Licensee: Radio Station WESB
  • As far as new media is concerned, Al Gore had not yet invented the internet, but a fortunate large company could have been leasing the IBM-1401 for about $2,500 a month, complete with 4,000 bits of memory. Would that even light up a LCD watch?
• Clear Channel to layoff 1,500: Radio and outdoor giant Clear Channel will layoff about 7% of their 20,000 person workforce on Tuesday, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal. The radio strategy reportedly will be to replace local shows with nationally-syndicated programming, while the bulk of the layoffs will be in the sales staff, allowing top performers to maximize compensation.
• Newspaper bankruptcies come to Twin Cities: There’s a trend here: a few years back, when credit was easy, a private equity firm conducts a leveraged buyout of major metro newspaper chain, even in a declining advertising climate. Fast forward to today: cost savings (read major layoffs) are offset by continued advertising weakness, and the media company overcome by debt tanks. On Thursday, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The number 19 newspaper in the US in circulation was purchased by Avista Capital Partners, a private equity group, who purchased the newspaper for $530 million in 2007.