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
~Mary Dixon
Finishing up my next column today (deadline is Monday) for Illinois Entertainer. WXRT morning news anchor Mary Dixon will be the subject. She was a delight to speak with the other day.
~Steve Edwards
The former WBEZ mainstay gets a promotion at the Univeristy of Chicago Institute of Politics (founded by David Axelrod). Robert Feder has the details.
~Scott Shannon retires
He was really a New York radio star, but he was on the air here in Chicago for several years as the host of Real Oldies. Radio Insight has the details of his retirement at the link.
The Moguls
~As the Rupert Turns
According to the Vanity Fair article, Rupert was physically abused by his ex-wife Wendy. I knew she was tough (remember when she chased down that shaving-cream-pie thrower?), but I had no idea she was (allegedly) pulling stuff like this...
It allegedly had gotten physical in early 2011, in [the Murdoch’s] triplex on Fifth Avenue in New York. “[Deng] got angry at [Murdoch] and shoved him, and he fell backwards into the piano in the living room and then onto the floor, and he couldn’t get up,” says an individual to whom Rupert confided at the time. “He had to have emergency treatment that night.” The former News Corp. employee in the U.K. adds, “He clearly hurt himself, and he made some excuse that he tripped over something in the office. He made excuses that he wasn’t well. He only talked about what happened later.”Who could have forseen something like this happening? When your marriage begins in the noblest of ways, by dumping your older wife (and mother of your children) for a much younger Chinese woman with connections to the Chinese media market you want to break into, how can that possibly go wrong?
~Will Yahoo! and AOL Get Married?
That's not my headline, that's CNNMoney's headline. Sounds like it's a possibility.
The Pundits
~James Carville Signs With Fox News
That should be interesting. There may be some heads exploding when he explains things happening outside of the bubble.
Showbiz
~Leno's Last Show
I watched the entire show last night, probably the first time I've ever done that in the 22 years he's been hosting. This was the highlight as far as I'm concerned. Billy Crystal's send off tapped into my favorite musical for inspiration...
~The Oscars Broadcast is Sold Out
14 major advertisers are each paying $1.7 million per 30 second spot.
~The Beatles Salute
Don't forget to set your DVR. It's on at 7pm (central) on CBS. Beatle-haters, don't fret. In two years we'll celebrate the 50th anniversary of the "we're more popular than Jesus" uproar, and you can burn your Beatles records all over again.
