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~Chicago Magazine's Unpublished Harold Ramis interview
They posted it on Monday. It's an interesting read. The interview was conducted in 2008. Ramis was a complex deep thinker, and a hell of a funny man. I love it when those characteristics co-exist. Really bummed about his passing.
~WBEZ Offers Listeners "Pledge Free" Stream
One of the most irritating things about listening to NPR (in Chicago--WBEZ) is hearing the constant begging for money. According to Radio Ink this morning, there will soon be a way to avoid that...
Chicago's WBEZ will eliminate requests for money for online listeners who give $15 per month or more as part of the WBEZ High Fidelity Program. Other listeners can also sign up for pledge-free listening by making a one-time $40 donation. Membership Director Jillian Shepherd said, "We're experimenting by adding this to the range of special offers and exclusive events that members already get access to. We want to say "thank you" to our loyal members who have stuck with us year in and out with an opportunity to listen to the station they know and love outside of our pledge drives."
~Joel Daly on WGN Radio
He will be promoting his book "The Daly News". Once again, full disclosure: my company published this book. I'll also be on hand to take pictures and chronicle the event. The interview begins at 1:05.
~WGN Pulls Robin Baumgarten and Paul Konrad from Thanksgiving Parade coverage
How do I know this? They've been mentioning it on Facebook and Twitter. Robin posted this picture below, with the following explanation:
Sadly, I will not get another opportunity to wear this great ensemble again, as Paul and I have officially been asked to "resign" our duties as hosts of the annual Thanksgiving parade. On the upside, I don't have to watch Paul looking up the skirts of oversized balloons.
The Moguls
~As the Rupert Turns
You'll find the latest about the phone hacking trial of Rebekkah Brooks at the link. Last week she was saying she didn't know it was happening. This week she is saying that she didn't know it was illegal. To me, that's a much better approach. I can believe that in the wild wild world of British tabloid journalism, someone who rose from a receptionist wouldn't have known it was illegal--because everyone else was doing it. It's not going to stop her from being convicted, but it could shorten the sentence.
Broadcast News
~PBS Space Reporter Miles O'Brien Loses An Arm in a Freak Accident
He blogs about it at the link with great humor, but holy moly, this is a very scary story.
Showbiz
~Oscars Advertising
Adweek takes a look at some of the twitter-brand-marketing plans for the broadcast. They didn't have too much success with this last year, but they're going to try it again.
~Seth Meyers Ratings Success
Of course you can't judge these things for awhile, but Seth Meyers did beat Jimmy Fallon's Late Night debut, and by quite a lot.
The Radio Biz
~Joe Piscopo Gets Conservative Talk Radio Show
Finally, finally, finally we can hear Joe Piscopo's thoughts about politics. I thought this day would never come. From Inside Radio...
Best known for his impressions of Frank Sinatra and other celebs as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” in the early ‘80s, Joe Piscopo is the latest veteran of the seminal comedy show to transition to conservative talk radio. Following in the footsteps of WestwoodOne’s Dennis Miller, Piscopo has joined Salem talk “970 The Answer” WNYM, New York in morning drive.
