Every weekday in 2014, I'll be keeping an eye on what's happening in the media. My focus will be on some of my favorite subjects...the moguls, the pundits, the broadcast news biz, show business, and the publishing business. (Read "$everance" if you want a crystallization of my positions on those subjects.) And, of course, I'll also keep tabs on Chicago's media.
Chicago Media
~Chicago Radio's Cash Register
Robert Feder published the money totals from all Chicago radio stations yesterday. The numbers range from WBBM's $41,969,000 to WNUA-HD2's $601,000. It looks like the biggest increase from last year went to WTMX (up over $3 million) and the biggest decline was felt by WLIT (down almost $5 million).
~Mancow's Syndication Deal
According to Tom Taylor at NOW, Mancow's syndication deal is up and is not being renewed. He is talking to another syndicator, but nothing is ready to be announced yet.
The Pundits
~Bill O'Reilly's Tip of the Day: Abandon Radio
The former nationally syndicated radio host ripped music radio and promoted Pandora on his television show last night. He also took a gratuitous shot at "Hang On Sloopy," which is typical of O'Reilly. After all, Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town. Be nice, Bill. Hang on, Sloopy.
~Ronan Farrow's New Show
Politico reports it will air during the daytime hours and will be called (wait for it)..."The Ronan Show".
Showbiz
~Comedians have psychotic personality traits, study finds
Anyone who knows comedians knows this is absolutely true. Not all of 'em, but many of 'em.
~Jezebel Offering $10,000 for untouched Vogue pictures of Lena Dunham
There's a weird strain of mean-girl hatred of Lena Dunham that I just don't understand, and I think this is a pretty good example of it. If you don't like her show, don't watch it.
~Duck Dynasty Ratings Down Nearly 30% for Season Opener
I'm a little surprised by this. The way the conservative media rallied to defend the anti-gay and anti-black ocmments, I figured the ratings would actually go up.
~American Idol ratings lowest since 2002
I've been following the reviews (which are pretty positive), but it looks like that hasn't translated into viewers. Of course, it's still a huge hit (more than twice as many viewers as Duck Dynasty), but everything is relative.
