Friday, August 18, 2023

Media Notebook--8-18-23















MEDIA NOTEBOOK

A curation of news items about the media from this past week, with a particular emphasis on Chicago

(By Rick Kaempfer)



RADIO/PODCASTS

 

 

*WBBM Newsradio Wins Murrow Award

=WBBM won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award this week for their breaking news coverage of the Highland Park shooting last year. Congrats to the team. The full list of Murrow winners is here.

 


*WBBM Newsradio Alumni Lunch

=Recognize any of the pros in this photo? They had lunch at Greek Islands recently. Among them, Sherman Kaplan, Jim Benes, Bernie Tafoya, Jennifer Keiper, Leon Colvin, Andrea Wiley, Marilyn Idelman Soglin, Mary Novak, Julie Mann, Natalie Olinger Bolin and more. (Photo via Facebook)

 


 

*Lin’s Tribute

=The concert at the Metro is sold out, but as you can see on this WGN post, there are other ways you can contribute.


 =You can also get your very own "Your Best Friend in the Whole World" t-shirts through WXRT. That benefits the scholarship fund too.



 

*Sound Exchange Sues Sirius/XM for $150 million

=This lawsuit is all about the way music royalties are calculated, and Sound Exchange is saying that Sirius/XM isn’t doing it correctly. Details are here.


 

 

*Podcast Corner

=42% of Podcasters Already Using AI. That’s according to this survey, published this week in Inside Audio Marketing

=Geraldo, the Interview 

=The Legacy of Michael Jackson

 


*Rest in Peace

=Jerry Moss

He was the M in A&M Records. A giant in the music business. Moss was 88.


 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 


*August 13—Danny Bonaduce birthday

=He was a star in the 1970s on TV, and in the 1990s on the radio in Chicago (The Loop). Danny currently hosts a morning show in Seattle. I interviewed him several times, most recently in 2021 for Illinois Entertainer.


*August 14—Rick Hall birthday 

=Rick is the music director and afternoon personality at SHE-FM (100.3) in Chicago.

 

*August 14, 2004—Infamous Dave Matthews Band Poop Incident

=This week in 2004, hundreds of pounds of human waste were dumped out of their tour bus, and splattered all over people on a Chicago River tour. Bobby Skafish was the first one to interview Matthews about that day, and a partial transcript appears in his book We Have Company: Four Decades of Rock and Roll Encounters 

 

*August 15—Justin Kaufmann birthday

=Justin is now with Axios Chicago, but he previously worked at WBEZ and WGN Radio. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2012.


*August 16—Scott Mackay birthday

=Mackay is the morning man at The River in Aurora. He has been working there now for 15 years.

 

*August 16, 1954—Sports Illustrated debuts

=Next year the magazine will be 70 years old. The first issue featured Eddie Matthews of the Milwaukee Braves slugging in County Stadium.


*August 16, 1977—Elvis Presley Dies

=Do you remember where you were when you heard the news?


*August 18—John Jurkovic birthday

=Jurko has been at ESPN Radio in Chicago for twenty years. He currently co-hosts the midday show with Carmen Defalco. Before his radio career, he was an NFL lineman for a decade. I interviewed him for Shore Magazine in 2008. 

 

*August 18—Sarah Spain birthday

=Sarah got her start locally here in Chicago at ESPN Radio, but now works for the TV network. 

 

*August 18—Doug Bensing birthday

=Doug worked in radio for years at The Score, WJMK, and WMVP.

 

*August 19—Buzz Kilman birthday

=The newsman/bluesman was a big part of both Steve & Garry’s show and Johnny B’s show on the Loop. He talked about those days in this interview I did with him in 2009.


*August 19—Brendan Sullivan birthday

=The former Loop/WCKG producer/writer currently works as a Creativity Coach. He also co-wrote the novel The Living Wills with me in 2011. That book launched my company Eckhartz Press. This 2012 interview of Brendan for Chicago Radio Spotlight goes over the highlights of his radio career.


*August 19—Lin Brehmer birthday

=The late WXRT great is being celebrated all weekend in Chicago (at the Metro and Wrigley). I interviewed Lin in 2018 for Illinois Entertainer. 

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

 

*Corey McPherrin Stepping Down

=46 years. News, sports. Stellar career.



*NBC Grants

=NBC Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, and Comcast NBCUniversal announced the not-for-profit organizations in Chicago they have given grants to, a total of $225,000. The money is from the Comcast NBC Universal Foundation, which helps Next Generation Storytellers, Youth Education & Empowerment, and Community Engagement. The grants were given to…

+Dion’s Chicago Dream (helping those with food insecurity)

+Snow City Arts Foundation (helping children in hospitals through art)

+O-TV Open Television (helping artists from marginalized communities)

+Spark Shop (inspiring the next generation of engineers)

+The Outreach House (helping struggling people in York Township)

+Foster Progress (helping former foster kids attain college degrees)

+Rebuilding Together Aurora (rebuilding homes in Aurora)

+Girls 4 Science (giving young girls early access to STEM)

 

 

*ME-TV’s “Back to School with Me”

=On Sunday, August 27 from 8:00am – 5:30pm, MeTV is running a marathon of school-themed episodes from classic shows like The Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, Leave It to Beaver, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan’s Island, Mama’s Family, The Love Boat, and Saved By The Bell.

 

 

 

*The WGA and SAG/AFTRA Strike

=A protest this week in Chicago.


=Meanwhile, in LA, the WGA blasts the new gatekeepers.

 

 

*Actual Diversity


 

 *Non-traditional viewing now more than 50% of all viewing

=Or as they call it in Variety, non-linear viewing. 

 

 

*Al Michaels Profile

=Is there anyone in the broadcasting business who doesn’t respect and admire Al Michaels? Great profile here in the Sports Business Journal. 

 

 

*Cable News Corner

=Massive changes at CNN. The new 9pm (CT) host is Abby Phillip. The 10pm (CT) slot goes to Laura Coates. Phil Mattingly and Kasie Hunt join the morning show with Poppy Harlow. There are lots more changes to the weekend lineup, and one unusual weekday entry—Charles Barkley. Check out the full list here.

=Yet another lawsuit against Fox News. 

 


*Rest in Peace

=Tom Jones

Not the singer. The writer of Broadway’s long running musical “The Fantastiks”

=Clarence Avant

The Black Godfather of the Entertainment business. 

=Michael Parkinson

The BBC's most famous interviewer. He was 88.



DIGITAL/PRINT

 

 

*Police Raid Kansas Newspaper

=This sounded like an obvious breach of freedom of the press. CBS News has the details.

=Looks like that thought finally occurred to local law enforcement too…


 

*Local Picks

People ask me what I read to stay in touch? Here are a few…

=If you don’t already read Jim O’Donnell in the Daily Herald, you really should. He covers sports/media with flair. For instance, check out this interesting take on Coach Q

=There’s always something surprising in Block Club Chicago as well. Didn’t expect to see a piece on Ronnie Woo Woo, for instance.

=”Best Free Daily Roundup in Your InBox” is how The Reader describes Charlie Meyerson’s Chicago Public Square newsletter. Couldn’t agree more. It’s worthy of a subscription. For cryin’ out loud, it’s free. 

 

 


SOCIAL MEDIA

 

 

*More Twitter Controversies

=Special Counsel received Trump’s DMs, despite Twitter’s “momentous” effort to delay. 

=Elon Musk’s X Throttled Traffic to Websites He Dislikes. So much for Mr. Free Speech Absolutist. 



As always, if you have any media story you’d like to share or think that I might be interested in sharing, drop me a line at rick@eckhartzpress.com or amishrick@yahoo.com. If you're in Chicago media and wondering why I didn't mention your birthday, it's probably because I don't know it. Drop me a line and let me know and I'll put you on my calendar.


If you're interested in some of my other projects...


Minutia Men Podcast: Naming Body Parts

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview Podcast: Jim Peterik & Larry Millas from the Ides of March

Free Kicks with Adam & Rick returns later today.

The Fifth Edition (2023) of EveryCubEver is out now!  Buy your copy today

The Fifth Edition (2023) of EveryCubEver is also on amazon. Buy your copy today.

My latest novel: Back in the D.D.R

Windy City Reviews Back in the D.D.R.

Podcast Interview about Back in the D.D.R: Military Family Museum Podcast

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