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
~WIND's Joe Walsh Adds New York Market
The insufferably abrasive Congressman goes to a market that better appreciates the insufferably abrasive. Robert Feder has the details at the link above. I sure hope he doesn't leave us fulltime. It would be a shame to lose the local treasure. (I kid. Please go.)
The Moguls
~Senate to have hearing on Comcast Merger
Happy to hear it. Senator Franken, who knows the media business well, is leading the charge.
Journalism
~AP Photographer and Reporter Killed in Afghanistan
Terrible story that illustrates the danger journalists face in war zones. Both of the victims were women; Anja Niedringhaus and Kathy Gannon. Neidringhaus was a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Showbiz
~Stephen Colbert is CBS' first choice to succeed Letterman
Great choice. According to this piece linked here, Colbert is into the idea, and the timing could be right:
Colbert's contract to host The Colbert Report on Comedy Central runs through the end of 2014, which would free him up in time to move over to CBS when Letterman ends his 33-year run in late-night TV.
~"Captain America" Sets April Box Office Record
April is normally not a big month for movies, but the nearly $100 million that "Captain America" pulled in is very impressive.
~Fox Considers Wife-Swapping Reality Show
Just when you thought reality television couldn't go any lower. Deadline Hollywood has the story.
The Radio Biz
~Passion For Your Team Does Matter in Radio Ratings
From Tom Taylor's NOW Column:
The Chicago Cubs lost 30 more games than they won last year, while the Pittsburgh Pirates won 26 more games than they lost and galvanized their western Pennsylvania fan base. Guess how their respective radio flagships did on Monday, Opening Day, when the Cubs visited PNC Park? Nielsen Audio says the age 12+ AQH cume for Cubs flagship WGN (720) was 133,700. But Pirates flagship “93.7 the Fan” KDKA-FM, beginning its third season with the team, drew a cume of 190,100. Remember that Chicago has a far larger population. Looking at share, the Pittsburgh station’s AQH share was 26.9%, versus 6.6% for the Cubs and their 1pm game on WGN. Nielsen says a flash study of that contest and three other Opening Day games shows that passion “may be the most important factor in determining the ratings for an opening day forecast – even more so than what time the first pitch was thrown, what the weather was like, how the team performed.”
~An Article Sure To Be Forwarded By Everyone in Radio
It's called: The Remarkable Resilience of Old-Fashioned Radio in the U.S. According to the results of this study, 90% of Americans still listen to it. (Warning, before you click on the link, you should know that you'll be greeted by a huge picture of Rush Limbaugh.)
