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
~Joel Daly on the WGN Morning News
The legendary news anchor be there at 8:45 this morning promoting his book "The Daly News". (Full disclosure: This is a book that my company Eckhartz Press has published, and I will be there too--which is the reason for this abbreviated edition of media spotlight.)
~Ben Finfer Joins "The Game"
Finfer leaves his gig at the Socre to join the new sports operation being run at 87.7FM by WGN's braintrust of Jim deCastro and Todd Manley. The article in Chicagoland Radio & Media quotes Finfer from my 2010 Chicago Radio Spotlight interview. If you'd like to read that interview, click here. I was on Twitter last night, and this is what Dan McNeil tweeted: "Going to bed soon hoping either a) I have the winning Powerball tickets in my SUV or b) @BenFinfer wakes up tomorrow and changes his mind."
Broadcast News
~Brian Williams apologizes to Arsenio
Seems the NBC News anchor forgot to include Arsenio in pictures of Late Night hosts. The AP has the (non)story.
The FCC
~FCC Seeks A New Path To Net Neutrality
If you use the internet, which you do...you're reading this, you should care about this story. It's a very wishy-washy proposal aimed at quieting critics while giving the big boys absolutely everything they want. From the New York Times...
With the latest plan, the F.C.C. is hewing close to previous efforts — albeit with some technical differences — with rules that would prevent Internet service providers from blocking any legal sites or services from consumers and would aim to restrict, but not outlaw, discrimination.
Showbiz
"About A Boy" Has Good Pedigree
The show will be written by the creator of "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights", and is based on the novel by the great writer Nick Hornby.
The Radio Biz
~Putting a Price on Radio Play
This Newsweek article really only covers one side of the issue, but it's a good read, nevertheless. The counterargument is addressed, but dismissed. My personal opinion is that the artists are really undervaluing how much money radio brings them simply by making them popular. If you're not popular, no money. Now you can argue that radio isn't as important as it used to be, and that's a fair point. But it's a little unfair to change the rules of the game now when radio is struggling to survive.
