Media Beat

Andy Ellis boasts that he "was pretty darn good at staying quiet" in the WGUC-FM studio as a kid. Thankfully, he's over that.

Ellis, 35, son of former WGUC producer Bruce Ellis, returns to the station as 4-9 p.m. classical music host on Monday, Aug. 26.  He made his radio debut at age eight on the station, and worked here as an announcer-engineer from 2003-2011.

Thirteen was a very lucky number for Cincinnati's American Ninja Warrior finalists, as nearly half of the contestants advanced to the four-week Las Vegas finals in Monday's telecast.

And it was a historic night for the show. For the first time in 11 seasons, two women completed the course in a city finals. Only one woman had done that in the previous 10 seasons.

We know how many. We just don't know who. NBC tells me that 13 contestants from the Cincinnati American Ninja Warrior finals airing Monday will advance to the four-week national finals in Las Vegas where the winner gets $1 million.

Who are the 13? We'll find out 8-10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, when NBC broadcasts the Cincinnati finals taped Memorial Day weekend. It was shot the night after filming the Cincinnati auditions broadcast July 8.

CBS' live Big Brother episode will air 9 p.m. Thursdays for three weeks on WSTR-TV because of Bengals preseason games on WKRC-TV.

Flintstones! Meet The Flintstones! They're the modern Stone Age family!

From the town of Bedrock, The Flintstones are heading to MeTV at 6 p.m. weekdays starting Monday, Sept. 30 in Cincinnati on WLWT-TV Channel 5.2 and in Dayton on WHIO-TV Channel 7.2.

Area filmmakers are being encouraged to scare the pants off their competition.

Fright Film Competition organizers are looking for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky filmmakers to make short (13 minutes or less) horror films over the next two months.

Shortly after noon, actress Glenn Close and director Ron Howard relaxed together in front of a Middletown house which has played a central role in filming Hillbilly Elegy this week.

While more than 50 production staffers set up the next shoot down Harrison Street, and another crew filmed in the alley behind the house, Howard and Close appeared to be doing an on-camera interview Wednesday likely for the Netflix media kit for Hillbilly Elegy.

Seven-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close made her Middletown film debut in a most unglamorous way – chain-smoking cigarettes while wearing an oversized pink T-shirt and blue printed pajama pants.

Hillbilly Elegy production crews have spent the weekend in Middletown preparing to film scenes in the hometown of author J.D. Vance starting Monday.

The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting will celebrate 75 years of the VOA Bethany station with a Sept. 21 fundraiser to improve access to the West Chester Township museum.

The Simply Money consumer reports seen on WXIX-TV since 2006 moves to WKRC-TV on Thursday, Aug. 1.

On his birthday four years ago, I first proposed the Reds honor Hall of Fame radio announcer Marty Brennaman with the "ultimate birthday present," a statue on Crosley Terrace. I've updated the column for his 77th birthday today during his 46th and final season on Reds radio. Happy birthday, Marty! ! (And Happy Birthday to his wife, Amanda, who also celebrates one today!)

As he celebrates his 77th birthday today, Marty Brennaman sounds as excited as that rookie big league radio announcer who joined Joe Nuxhall in 1974. That’s what made him a Hall of Famer.

Director Ron Howard's adaptation of the memoir Hillbilly Elegy for Netflix will come to author J.D. Vance's hometown Aug. 5 to film for four days. Reporter Ed Richter of the Journal-News broke the story Thursday.

On July 26, 1949, WCPO-TV debuted on Channel 7 as Cincinnati's third television station.

WCPO-TV – which was moved to Channel 9 by the federal government in 1952 – has done a wonderful job in recent weeks recalling its rich history.  And it will air a one-hour anniversary special Thursday, July 25 (7 p.m., Channel 9).

Tuesday July 23 update: Work resumes this week on WCPO-TV's tower -- from which Cincinnati Public Radio broadcasts -- requiring WVXU-FM and WGUC-FM to reduce power for the crew's safety. The work will take two or three weeks.

Original post Friday July 19: Work on WCPO-TV's tower – from which Cincinnati Public Radio broadcasts – will require WVXU-FM and WGUC-FM to reduce power starting at about noon today, and may requiring switching to a back-up antenna that has a smaller reach.

Why did WLWT-TV hire Seton High School graduate Alanna Martella to replace traffic reporter Vanessa Richardson after only two years?

WCPO-TV has such a rich history that it's taking several months to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

A tribute to late Highlands High School University of Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen will be streamed live at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 11, from the high school.

WCET-TV, WPTD-TV and WPTO-TV resumed broadcasting at 11:40 a.m. today after nearly four days off the air.

Longtime WKRC-TV anchor Cammy Dierking has told her bosses she's leaving the station at the end of her contract in December, multiple sources tell me.