MEDIA NOTEBOOK
A curation of news items about the media from this past week, with a particular emphasis on Chicago.
RADIO/PODCASTS
*Chicago Radio Ratings
=A few big moves this month in the radio ratings. These numbers are M-SU, 6am-Midnight, ages 6+. The top ten are…
WLIT 6.9
WBBM-AM 6.2
WDRV 5.8
WVAZ 5.1
WXRT 5.0
WOJO 4.6
WUSN 3.5
WSCR 3.4
WLS-FM 3.3
WGN 3.1
=During the
holiday season WLIT had a 16.0, so after they stopped playing holiday music,
those numbers had to go somewhere. What’s interesting here is they didn’t
necessarily go where they were before the holidays. For instance, WXRT had a
huge month (+1.8), so did WBBM-AM (+1.3), and the Score-WSCR (+0.9). Those
Score numbers are as good as I’ve ever seen them.
=WVAZ, on the other hand, lost
audience (-1.0). They were the only station in the top 15 to do so, other than
WBMX (-0.2)
*New Afternoon Man at WXRT
=Changes are rare at WXRT, but
there’s a big one coming soon. This week the station announced a new afternoon host/music director. His name is Andy Chandley, and he’s been on the air in Los
Angeles for the past few decades. Chanley grew up in the area (Indiana). His
arrival moves Ryan Arnold back to evenings, and Emma Mac to weekends.
*Audacy Restructuring Plan Approved
=Radio Insight has the details. Let the George Soros conspiracy theories begin.
*Cumulus Fighting Off Hostile Takeover
=Remember the story of the Singapore-based billionaire who gutted Sports Illustrated? His company is trying to do a hostile takeover of Cumulus Media, which owns (in Chicago) WLS-AM, WLS-FM, and WKQX-FM. Cumulus is taking steps this week to fight them off.
*Rob Hart’s Tour of the Titanic
=Rob anchors at WBBM-AM 780 by day.
He’s also a Titanic historian by night…
*Danny Parkins Profile
=Barrett Sports Media did a profile
of The Score’s afternoon co-host Danny Parkins. You can read it here.
*Ex-Chicago Radio
=
PJ Kling’s VP position at NuVooDoo
has been eliminated. He had been with the company since 2016. Before that, he
worked in Chicago radio for WKQX and WLUP (2011-2015)
*Podcast Corner
=Funny or Die is returning
to the podcasting world. Their latest podcast is called God Bless These Braces.
*Harper Radio Brings Home More
Hardware
This time it’s the 2024 BEA Festival of Media Arts Awards. Congrats to…
=Student Ricardo
“Richy” Garcia, Harper Radio show host, for his audio
submission “NoirVember” (Best of Festival)
=Student and WHCM General Manager Matt Byrne, Harper Radio show host, for his audio submission “The Night Shift
Promo”
=Student Cheryl Winkelmann for her video entry “Short
Film Insanity”.
*The Loop
Files
=The date is
March 9. At least five former Loopers (Mitch Michaels, John Landecker, Dan
McNeil, Roman Sawczak, and me) will be there. A live podcast will be
followed by a Q&A and a book signing.
MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES
*February 18, 1998—Harry
Caray dies
=A momentous day in
Chicago broadcasting history. The Cubs had just signed his grandson Chip to
work in the booth alongside Harry, but Harry never made it to Opening Day. Hard
to imagine a more beloved announcer in history. Harry’s been gone now for more
than 25 years and he’s still remembered by legions of fans who probably never
heard him live. A fourth generation of Carays begins this season (story in TV
section below)
=My all-time favorite
Harry Caray play-by-play moment.
*February 19—Lou
Canellis birthday
=Lou broke through locally
when he was tapped to be the sideline reporter during Bulls broadcasts in the
midst of the team’s championship run. He probably interviewed Michael
Jordan more than any other sportscaster in town. Of course, Lou now
holds down the fort as the main sports anchor at Fox-32 Chicago. For the past
few years he has been the host of the station’s extensive Bears coverage.
*February 19—Rich
Samuels birthday
=Rich was a TV reporter
for Channel 5 for nearly two decades (1973-1990) and then worked at Channel 11
as a correspondent for Chicago Tonight. Rich is one of the foremost
Chicago media historians. His site richsamuels.com is a goldmine of
information about broadcasting in Chicago between the years 1921-1989.
*February 19—Jill Urchak-Levy birthday
=In 2010, before she
married fellow Chicago broadcaster Dan Levy and added the
hyphenate last name, I interviewed Jill for Chicago Radio Spotlight.
*Februry 19—Neil
Fiorito birthday
=Neil is the afternoon Traffic Anchor on WBBM Newsradio
780 AM and 105.9 FM.
*February 20—Tom
Skilling birthday
=Simply the greatest
weatherman/meteorologist in Chicago history. Tom Skilling is
still going strong every night on WGN-TV, but at the end of this month he is
officially retiring.
=I had him on my podcast this week and he explained this photo. He will also be my featured
interview in the next Illinois Entertainer.
*February 20—Tom Waddle birthday
=The former Chicago Bear
receiver has been a mainstay on the Chicago radio dial for decades now, first
at WGN Radio with David Kaplan, and now at ESPN Radio (AM 1000)
with Marc Silverman. Waddle & Silvy are on the
air every weekday afternoon.
*February 20—Cynthia DeNicolo birthday
=Cynthia was one of the
producers of the Eric & Kathy show on WTMX. She made news a few
years ago when she sued the station and Eric Ferguson. That case was
later dismissed.
*February 22—Matt
Piacente birthday
=Matt has been in the TV
news business in Chicago since 1998, first with Channel 5 as an executive
producer and manager, and since 2016 he’s been the VP/News Director at Channel
32.
*February 22—Marty Zivin birthday
=It’s hard to believe that
it’s been seven years since he passed away. Robert Feder wrote a beautiful
tribute to Marty when he passed away
that begins with this memorable line: “Marty Zivin loved radio more
than anyone I ever knew.”
*February 22—Bob Zak birthday
=Bob was an air
personality at virtually all the suburban radio stations in Chicago (most
notably a 14-year run at the River), but also worked at Y107.9 (the 70s
station) and WCKG in the 90s. He’s currently at 1620 The Bear in Winter Haven,
Florida.
*February 22, 1980
=Do you believe in
Miracles?
*February 23—Monica
Desantis birthday
=Desantis is a news and
traffic reporter at WJOL in Will County, but has also worked at WLS and WBBM,
and the short-lived Merlin Media all-news version of Q-101.
*February 23—Jim
Anthony birthday
=Anthony was a newsman for
WGN Radio for years but has since found a home in the world of public
relations.
*February 23--Sarah Jindra birthday
=Co-host of WGN-TV daytime show, Spotlight Chicago.
*February 24—Harvey
Wells birthday
=Harvey was a long-time
radio executive in town for the likes of WXRT, WSCR, WCKG, WUSN, WCPT, and
Nine-FM, among others. In 2022 he founded the company LowerTechBills.
*February 24—Ray
Stevens birthday
=Ray was part of the
Chicago radio landscape for thirty years, most notably at WUSN (US-99)
with John Howell and later Lisa Dent, and also at
WLS-AM 890. He’s currently doing talk radio in Kansas City. I’ve interviewed
Ray several times over the years. Here’s one for Chicago Radio Spotlight from 2010.
*February 24—Paul Lepek birthday
=The former Carmel
Catholic High School teacher has been doing a radio show at WRLR radio in Round
Lake Beach since 2012.
*February 24—Jon
Zaghloul birthday
=Jon hosts a YouTube
sports talk show called SportsTalkChicago. I was so impressed with
the youngster’s go-getter spirit, that I featured him in my column at Illinois Entertainer in
2021.
TV/STREAMING
*Roz Varon
to Retire
=On the heels
of losing our most famous Chicago weatherperson (Tom Skilling), it looks like
we’ll also be losing Chicago’s most famous TV traffic reporter. After a 35-year
career at Channel 7, Roz Varon is stepping down on April 5th.
=This is the message Roz shared with her colleagues: When I walked through the doors at 190 N. State St. 35 years ago, little did I know I would spend the rest of my career there. The visionaries who decided that traffic should be a part of the new morning newscast they were about to launch, laid the groundwork for my perfect transition from radio traffic reporter to the first TV Traffic Anchor in the country. I have been blessed to work with and learn from the best in the business. A special thanks to Alan Krashesky for teaching me how to write packages for TV (SO different than radio) in one week before our morning show debuted. In the past 3 and a half decades I have worked with: - 3 General Managers - 4 News Directors - 9 Anchors - 3 Meteorologists While we’re at it, I’ve worked during the tenure of: - 5 Mayors - 7 Governors (2 who went to prison!) I have covered a range of transportation stories, from the Chicago Flood of 1992 to the Chicago Blizzard of 2011. I reported on (and got to drive on before opening to the public) several new expressways and tollways, including Rt. 390 (Elgin-O’Hare Expressway), I-355 and the I-355 southern extension. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help so many get to their destinations safely and efficiently. I have been fortunate to have gone “On The Road…” to locations throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. I have met all kinds of people, in all walks of life through this job, from celebrities to amazing locals who “Make Chicago Proud.” On a personal note, I am incredibly blessed by the friendship and support of my colleagues who have stood by me during my battles with breast cancer since 2006. I am honored to have been inducted into the NATAS Silver Circle, and to have a “bucket list” dream come true, dancing in the “Countdown Chicago” New Year’s Eve special. It has been an incredible career and I can’t think of anything I’d want to have changed as I journey forward - except maybe not having to get up at 1:30 in the morning! -Roz
#CelebratingSkilling with WGN Morning News at the Music Box Theatre@Skilling pic.twitter.com/3W7Ewk64DM
— WGN Morning News (@WGNMorningNews) February 22, 2024
*The Fourth
Caray
=First there
was Harry. Then his son Skip. Then Skip’s son Chip. Now, there’s a fourth
generation. Chris Caray has been signed to do play-by-play for the
Oakland A’s. If he follows in his great-grandfather’s footsteps, he’ll do just
that one season in Oakland before joining the White Sox.
*Jon Hansen Leaves WCIU
=He's down to only three jobs now...
*John Schriffen Debuts Today for White Sox
=The new TV voice of the White Sox debuts today. He'll be calling the White Sox spring training (do we still call it the Cactus League?) game against the Cubs. Jeff Agrest from the Sun Times caught up with him to chat about the challenge.
*Films
About All Four Beatles
=The same director, Sam Mendes, will be at the helm for individual biopics about all four Beatles. Count me in. Paul, Ringo, and the families of John and George have signed off on the scripts. Variety has more info.
*Jon
Stewart & John Oliver
=The Monday night numbers for The Daily Show were huge.
=Is it just me, or has Jon Stewart’s triumphant return to The Daily Show also caused John Oliver to crank it up a notch? He made news this week with his offer to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. “Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential justice on the court right now, and he’s never really seemed to like the job. He’s said it’s not worth doing ‘for the grief.’ So what if he could keep the luxury perks that he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief? We have a special offer for you tonight. We are prepared to offer you $1 million a year for the rest of your life if you simply agree to leave the Supreme Court immediately and never come back.”
*The Untold
Story about the Founding of ESPN
=I knew none of this. It’s the story of the father-son team who came up with the idea for ESPN and were pushed out for peanuts (comparatively) just a few years later.
*Sports
Streamer Sued
=Remember that announcement of the mega-sports streamer (WB, Fox, ESPN combined) from a few weeks ago? They are already being sued. The Wall Street Journal has the story.
*America
Ferrera to Direct Film of Chicago-Set Best Selling Novel
=The novel is called I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Block Club Chicago has more information about the project.
*The Live Price is Right Coming to
Chicago
*More Award
Shows
=Full list of winners from The People’s Choice Awards
=Full list of winners from The BAFTAS
*Sinclair’s
Recipe for Local TV News
=A story about the agenda of Sinclair-owned local TV stations. From the Washington Post: The answers are evident in
Sinclair’s programming. Crime, homelessness, illegal drug use, failing schools
and other societal ills have long been core elements of local TV news coverage.
But on Sinclair’s growing nationwide roster of stations, the editorial focus
reflects Smith’s conservative views and plays on its audience’s fears that
America’s cities are falling apart, according to media observers, Smith
associates, and current and former staffers who spoke
on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal company matters.
PRINT/DIGITAL
*Chicago
Reader’s Best of Chicago Issue
=This is the issue we wait for every year, in all its digital glory.
*Mehdi
Hasan Joins the Guardian
=The former MSNBC anchor is now a columnist.
*Pro-Publica
Wins 3 Polk Awards
=One of the awards was given for their Supreme Court investigation.
*A Book
Explains the Demise of Newspapers
=It’s called
Hedged: How Private Investment Funds Helped Destroy American Newspapers and
Undermine Democracy and it’s written by Margot Susca. Jack Shafer
interviewed her for Politico.
SOCIAL MEDIA
*SEC
Approves Merger Between Trump Media & Digital World Acquisition Corp
=What does it mean?
It could potentially mean up to $4 billion for Trump.
