Media Notebook--10-13-23

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

(By Rick Kaempfer)

TV/Streaming

 

*Tom Skilling's Big Announcement

*75^th anniversary for Channel 5

=If you’ve been watching Channel 5 News this week, you’ve seen some of the segments celebrating the station’s 75^th anniversary. Great features from the wayback machine. They’re going to keep on doing it through December. New interviews with Channel 5 alums like Ron Magers, Carol Marin, Mark Giangreco, Bob Sirott, Rob Stafford, Lisa Parker, Phil Rogers, Rich Samuels and more will be part of the celebration. I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

 

 

*Um, so close

=Whoops…

I don’t think that’s alderman Brendan Reilly @fox32news pic.twitter.com/wQxCTl5LJH

— AudubonAndrew (@AudubonAndrew) October 9, 2023

 

 *Blackhawks Broadcasting Plans for 2023

=The season started this week. The broadcasting crew has some new names, some old. 

 

 

*SAG/AFTRA strike talks break down

=If you assumed the SAG/AFTRA strike talks would be resolved quickly after the WGA strike was settled (like I did), you were mistaken. This piece in the Hollywood Reporter explains the contentiousness of the negotiations. 

 

 

*How big will it be?

=Taylor Swift’s concert movie comes out today. Experts are predicting box office records. 

 

 

*A Conversation with Brian Williams

=My alma mater (U of I) scored Brian Williams for a chat. He’ll be down in Urbana, but it is possible to join via zoom. October 23^rd, 7-8pm. 

 

 

*Cable News Corner

=CNN Boss Assesses His Network

The big one, from his recorded message: “TV is also too dominant at CNN and digital, too marginal.” He added: "Despite some recent encouraging developments like the launch of CNN Max, this company is still nowhere near ready for the future.”

— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) October 9, 2023

*Rest in Peace

=Terence Davies

 

Media birthdays/milestones

 

*October 10--Jeff Hoover birthday.

=I’ve interviewed the WGN Morning News producer a number of times over the years. This one from 2007 was the first time. Yes, he will also be featured in my upcoming book, The Loop Files.

 

*October 10--Carol Marin birthday.

=You surely know that Carol has won countless awards (including Emmys, a Polk, a Peabody, and more), but did you know she was the sister-in-law of the late news great Garrick Utley? She is also an Illini. Just sayin.

 

*October 11, 1975, SNL debuted. By my math, that’s 48 years ago. Laraine Newman says 49.

Can’t believe it. 49 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/XDEtfd4BNC

— Laraine Newman (@larainenewman) October 11, 2023

*October 12--Marv Nyren birthday

=WLS Radio executive, VP/Market Manager 

 

*October 12--Stephanie Tichenor birthday

=Another WLS Radio executive, Program director

 

*October 12--Ryan Chiaverini birthday.

=Former Windy City Live host and current ABC-7 sportscaster 

 

*October 12-- Tom Teuber birthday.

=Tom recently passed away but is remembered fondly in this town for his time at WMET and WBEZ.

 

*October 13--Roseanne Tellez birthday.

=Roseanne has been on television in Chicago since the mid-90s. She previously worked for Channel 9 and Channel 2, and currently works at Fox-32.

 

*October 13—Ty Bentli birthday

 =The former Kiss-FM host is now out in Los Angeles.

 

*October 14—Lisa Wolf birthday

=The former WGNer and current AM 560 air personality also happens to be the cover girl of this month’s Highland Park Neighbors

 

Radio/Podcasts

 

*Delilah to be Awarded Inaugural Gracie’s Icon Award

=Consider it to be a lifetime achievement award, if you will. Delilah can be heard locally in Chicago at WLIT. 

 

*WGN Spooktacular

= WGN Chicago (720) will air “WGN Radio Theatre Spooktacular with Carl Amari” on Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 8pm-1am. The five-hour special will include old-time radio episodes of “Lights Out,” “Suspense,” “Inner Sanctum Mystery,” “The Whistler,” and “The Sealed Book.” That last one originally aired on April 14, 1945, on WGN. That’s two days after the death of FDR, and two weeks before Hitler’s suicide in the bunker.

 

*Spotify’s Supremium

=Word is leaking about the latest plans at Spotify. They are working on a new category of listening that will go for $19.99/month. Read more about it here to see if it’s worth it for you. 

 

*The bots have come for podcasts

=Semafor explains.

 

*Podcast Corner

=Surprised it took this long. Chip and Joanna Gaines announce their own podcast network. 

=One for the youngsters: NPR’s college podcast scholarship opportunity 

 

*Rest in Peace

=Rudolph Isley

Writer of the classic tunes "Shout", "It's Your Thang" and "That Lady" among others. He was 84.

*The Loop Files

=The Loop Files  book has gone to the printer. In the meantime, I appeared on Matt Kissane’s podcast this week to talk about the book. 

=Many thanks also to the RAMP newsletter for their nice write-up about the book. 

=Here are a few more teases of what you’ll find in the book, including stories by Bobby Skafish, Dorothy Humphrey, and Buzz Kilman 

=I’m getting the galleys in my hands (for interviewers) in the next week or two.

 

 

Digital/Print

 

 

*Washington Post Cutting 240 Jobs

=The paper has been having financial difficulties. The Hill has details of how these cuts will occur. 

 

 

*Getting Evan Released

=From the Wall Street Journal…

In an email today, WSJ editor @emmatuckerWSJ says DC bureau chief Paul Beckett will shift to a job working full-time to secure the release of Evan Gershkovich, and WSJ will search for a new DC chief https://t.co/wtjPmIvIlJ pic.twitter.com/peVi4Q6NpW

— Katie Robertson (@katie_robertson) October 11, 2023

 

Social Media

 

 

*X (Twitter) Under Pressure for Lack of Content Moderation

=The European Union is demanding that X do a better job of moderating content from Hamas. NBC News has the details. 

 

 

*Utah Sues TikTok

=They claim that it harms the mental health of Utah’s youth. 

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: The Animal Kingdom

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview Podcast: Apple Co-Founder Ronald Wayne

Free Kicks with Adam & Rick: Premier League Predictions

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

 

The Eckhartz Bookshelf: Cameo

 With over 80 books in our library, this year we're taking some time every week to highlight one of the books on the Eckhartz bookshelf. This week's book is Cameo by Beth Jacobellis. 

The future looms mysteriously in front of Samantha Ricks, who at the young age of twenty-three, finds herself at a crossroads. Driven by boredom and an innocent pursuit of divine intervention, Samantha makes an impromptu visit to Ingrid Eloise Cook, the infamous local psychic. The moment Samantha walks through Ingrid’s door marks the beginning of her tumultuous journey, tainted with Ingrid’s quiet foreboding that nothing that lies ahead of her will be what it seems.

As Samantha starts to see Ingrid’s predictions coming true, she finds herself thrust into the fast-paced, lucrative and unhinged world of Chicagoland Radio. Through resilient friendship, tremendous loss and a true love that transcends the hands of time, Samantha’s destiny unfolds while a simple piece of jewelry becomes the unexpected link between the present and the past.

• Beth Jacobellis is a masterful storyteller and her latest work, “Cameo” takes us on an unforgettable journey through a powerful representation of timeless love.

  Carl Amari, Film, TV and Radio Producer

• Mythical but modern, Cameo shows us how to listen to the past to find love in the present.

  John Williams, WGN Radio host

Media Notebook--10-28-22

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

*Halloween Radio/Podcasts

=WGN Radio (720AM) will present a six-hour Halloween special on Monday night, from 7pm-1am. It will be hosted by Carl Amari, and he’ll have classic Halloween material from the early days of radio. Among the Halloween episodes featured will be “My Favorite Husband” starring Lucille Ball, and “Our Miss Brooks” starring Eve Arden.

=Last Halloween the If The Walls Could Talk podcast released two bonus episodes about a 1977 murder in Lincoln Park. The story involves a ghost, a kitchen knife, and somehow…John Wayne Gacy. Super popular last year. Rediscovering an audience this year. Perfect Halloween entertainment, wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted by Chicago radio vets Todd Ganz and Stephani Young.

=Here’s one from the Audacy Halloween world: Mayim Bialik interviews Cassandra Petersen, better known as Elvira. 

=And here are nine more Halloween podcasts for 2022.

*The Trump Tapes

=Bob Woodward released the audio of his Donald Trump interviews. It’s really a fascinating look at the former president, but for me, it’s an even more fascinating look at how Bob Woodward conducts his interviews. This is raw tape, not polished broadcast-ready interviews. It seems like Woodward’s technique is just letting his subject talk.

 

*The Men of the Mix

=There’s something a little off-putting about the “Men of the Mix” moniker, but during this Breast Cancer Awareness month of October, the male on-air staffers at WTMX have flexed their promotional muscles to raise more than $17,000 for breast cancer research. You can still contribute here.

 

*The Radio Talent Institute

=Columbia College will be the home for next summer’s (June 19-28) Radio Talent Institute, which is an intensive summer program designed to serve as an incubator for new and upcoming radio talent. This is the brainchild of the IBA (Illinois Broadcasters Association) and the RAB (Radio Advertising Bureau).

 

*Harry Caray Interview from 1985

=The Facebook page Radio Archives and Memories has been posting some classic interviews from the mid-80s, conducted by Bill Schenold. None of these have been heard before and this one with Harry Caray is really a gem. Harry discusses Disco Demolition, getting fired in St. Louis, Bill Veeck, and even Wally Phillips.

 

*Jon Zaghloul leaves WCKG

=I interviewed the University of Chicago student last year for Illinois Entertainer when he began broadcasting on WCKG. Jon announced this week that he and WCKG are no longer affiliated. The kid has some chops if you are looking for sports talkers.

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*Former WGN Radio program director Mary June Rose celebrated a birthday on October 24. She now lives in North Carolina and works as a photographer (MJ Rose-Photos).

 

*Former WLUP (and CBS-Boston) promotional guru Anne-Marie Kennedy’s birthday was also October 24.

 

*October 25, 2014, we lost one of the good ones. Cindy Gatziolis was the promotion director at the Loop during the second Loop hey-day in the 90s, before going on to work for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. I wrote this tribute to her the day she passed away.

*Chicago rock radio royalty Patti Haze celebrated her birthday on October 25. I interviewed Patti for Illinois Entertainer in 2016.

*Chicago radio/TV producer Jasmine Cooper’s birthday was October 26. Jasmine was kind enough to appear at the Chicago Writers Association conference (Let’s Just Write!) for a panel discussion I moderated earlier this year. Jeff Hoover from WGN-TV was there as well.

 

*Former Chicago personality Liz Wilde’s birthday is October 27. She worked at the Loop in Chicago in the mid-90s, but has also been on the air in Miami, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas and more.

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*Halloween review

=One of the big names in terror/horror these days is Guillermo Del Toro. The New York Times reviews his latest Netflix series, Cabinet of Curiosities.

 

*NewsNation Fires Reporter After He Questions “Mission”

=NewsNation reporter Paul Gerke was on a conference call with news president Michael Corn when he questioned the supposed mission of NewsNation after they aired a two-hour Trump rally without commentary or analysis. He pointed out that didn’t seem to fit in with the mission of being an unbiased program, the supposed reason this program was created in the first place. Gerke soon found himself out of a job. 

 

*45 Years of Dorothy Tucker

=CBS-Channel 2 reporter Dorothy Tucker was recognized this week by the National Association of Black Journalists for her 45 years of excellence in the television news field.

 

*The Dangers of Being a Reporter

=The television news business isn’t all lollipops and rainbows, especially when the subject a reporter tackles is politics. Take a look at this Arizona reporter’s Twitter timeline for an idea of how toxic it is out there these days, especially for women.

 

*Network TV Corner

=Jim Nantz is stepping down from covering the NCAA basketball tournament after 30+ years of doing it. Ian Eagle will be taking his place.

=If you haven’t seen Dr. Phil’s show in a while, you may be a little surprised at the political turn it has takenrecently.

 

*Where do young people get their news?

=Would you believe Tik Tok? This Pew Research Study has the details.

 

*Cable TV Corner

=Ben Smith’s first media column for Semafor is about a Fox News lawyer’s screw-up, that might lead to Lachlan Murdoch’s secrets being revealed.

=The Washington Post looks into Tucker Carlson’s bullying of a Republican Congressman over an innocuous story about Tucker’s son, Buckley.

=Layoffs to hit CNN soon. CEO Chris Licht plans to lay off up to a thousand employees by year end.

 

 

NATIONAL MEDIA NEWS

 

*Musk Takes Over Twitter

=It became official yesterday. He walked into the headquarters carrying a sink; a joke telling people they need to let this sink in. Get it? Then he fired the top management immediately. Buckle up for what comes next. 

 

*DOJ Codifies Rule Barring Secret Subpoenas of Journalists

=Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the official change on Wednesday: “Because freedom of the press requires that members of the news media have the freedom to investigate and report the news, the new regulations are intended to provide enhanced protection to members of the news media from certain law enforcement tools and actions that might unreasonably impair newsgathering.”

 

*Should the Government Bail Out Local Media?

=Perry Bacon wrote an op-ed last week suggesting that the government should spend billions to save (or revive) local media. Interesting idea. Never gonna happen.

 

*Bad Winter Coming for US Media Companies

=Saved this one for last. If you’re currently working in the media world, I wouldn’t read this with any sharp objects nearby. The report comes from Axios.

 

If you have any media stories (Chicago or national) that you think I might like to share in future columns, feel free to drop me a line at rick@eckhartzpress.com or amishrick@yahoo.com