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
~The Chicago Daily News
The great afternoon newspaper in Chicago, the Chicago Daily News, closed its doors on this day in 1978. Some of the greatest journalists of all-time worked at that newspaper over the years, including Mike Royko, and the immortal Ben Hecht. They don't write stuff like this any more...
~Ted Novak's Fat Tuesday Tidbit
WGN traffic reporter Ted Novak reminds us all today via facebook: "It's the time of year again for me to point out that paczki is plural. Paczek is the singular."
Showbiz
~The Delivery Man at the Oscars
ABC News has the backstory of exactly how the delivery guy ended up going on stage to deliver the pizzas. #1--he was a real delivery guy. #2--he had no idea he would be going on stage. #3--his tip was a thousand dollars (and a billion-ish viewers)
~Dancing with the Stars for Season 18
Again, I really think they should be legally obligated to change the name of the show to "Dancing with the Stars, and a few other people who have achieved a tiny smidgen of celebrity". It's a little wordy, but it's accurate. I've only heard of three of this season's "stars"...
Sean Avery
Billy Dee Williams
Drew Carey
Candace Cameron Bure
Charlie White
Meryl Davis
Danica McKellar
Cody Simpson
Diana Nyad
NeNe Leakes
James Maslow
Amy Purdy
The Moguls
~As the Rupert Turns
Rupert attended an Oscars bash with a 44-year-old blonde bombshell, who by the way, happens to also be a venture capitalist. He appears to have landed on his feet. The Daily Mail has a photo at the link.
~Facebook Wants To Buy Drones
I kid you not. People scoff at me when I mention that media moguls have the power, influence, and access to take over the world, but check this out. From Techcrunch...
Facebook is interested in using these high-flying drones to blanket parts of the world without Internet access, beginning with Africa. The company would start by building 11,000 of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), specifically the “Solara 60″ model.
The FCC
~FCC Issues $2 Million Fine
The fine is for airing a movie trailer with the Emergency Broadcasting tone in it, something every broadcaster knows you're not supposed to do. Details at the link.
The Radio Biz
~Pandora Claims They are #1 in 28 Markets
I'm pretty sure you can't say this without a third party backing up your statistics, but they said it anyway. From Radio Ink...
Pandora Chief Revenue Officer John Trimble says the Internet Pure Play dominates listening in nearly 30 markets. "The way we've looked at it, we're the No. 1-ranked station in 28 major U.S. markets."
The Publishing Biz
~Simon & Schuster Sets Up Book Review Site
The reviews will be written by Simon & Schuster staffers, and will be offered in a daily e-mail to people interested in reading good reviews about Simon & Schuster books. (I added that last part, but c'mon, let's get real here)
