Media Notebook--9-27-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

*Laurence Holmes Moves to Afternoons at the Score

=Holmes is replacing the departed Danny Parkins on the afternoon show with Matt Spiegel. Taking the place of Holmes on the midday show with Dan Bernstein is Marshall Harris. Harris has been filling in at the Score for a few years. He was previously the sports director at WBBM-TV.

=Jeff Agrest explains why some staffers consider this a controversial move in light of the recent Bernstein/Barstool blowup.

 

 *Crystal Mic Awards

=The Illinois News Broadcasters Association announced the winners of this year’s Crystal Mic Awards over the weekend. Chicago radio stations (especially WBBM) and announcers fared well. Among the winners…

Best Large Market Radio Station—WBBM-AM Chicago

Best Newscast—1^st place/WBBM, 2^nd place/WLS-AM

Best Reporter—Lisa Fielding, WBBM

Best Sports Report—Jeff Joniak, WBBM

Best Use of Sound—(2^nd place) Lisa Fielding, WBBM

 

 *Pizza named after George Ofman

=George’s Deep Dish in Chicago (6221 N. Clark St.) has named several of their menu items after celebrities, including sportscaster George Ofman. That’s his pizza below, “Ofman’s Towering Line Drive”. Other pizzas on the menu include Wendt’s Corner Barstool, Clooney’s ER, Harrison’s White Album, and McFly’s Sci-Fi.

 *Illinois Rock and Roll Museum Reschedules Induction Ceremony

=It was scheduled for October 20, but there were some unforeseen issues with the venue (The Rialto Square Theater), so they were forced to move it to Spring 2025 (at the same venue). A new date will be announced soon. Among the inductees this year, WDRV’s Bob Stroud. WGN’s Bob Sirott will emcee.

 

*Ex-Chicago Radio News

=Veronica Carter, formerly of WBBM-AM, is now co-hosting San Diego Morning News with Ted Garcia on NewsRadio 600 KOGO.

=J.J. Jeffrey (former WLS) update courtesy of Chuck Knapp

 

*BIN Looking for a News Anchor

=Whenever I see an opening in the radio biz in Chicago, I’ll pass it along to you. This is for a news anchor position at Black Information Network. Details about the position are here.

*Podcast Corner

=Ten Latino podcasts to add to your queue.

=Surprise breakout podcast star of 2024? The Bulwark.

=The New York Times is launching podcast subscriptions through Spotify and Apple.

*Music News

=Weird Al is coming to Chicago next summer.

 *Rest in Peace

=Freddie Salem

Guitarist for the Outlaws. He was 70.

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*September 22—Captain Whammo birthday

=The wild-man morning host at WMET in the late 70s. When I tracked him down for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2012, I was shocked to discover he had gone a very different direction since he left Chicago. He passed away last year.

 

*September 22--Cisco Cotto birthday

=WBBM-AM’s morning co-host. He was with WIND-AM 560 when I chatted with him back in 2008, and then at WLS-AM 890 when I interviewed him in 2010. Both interviews can be accessed here.

 

*September 22--Mike Caplan birthday

=Meteorologist at Fox-32, WFLD.

 

*September 23—Marty Lennartz birthday

=WXRT morning man. I interviewed Marty for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2010.

 

*September 23, 1969—The ABC Movie of the Week debuts

=It featured this theme song written by Burt Bacharach. (h/t Rob Hart and Rick O’Dell)

 

*September 24, 1970--The Partridge Family debuts on NBC.

=Of course, former Chicago radio talker Danny Bonaduce had a starring role on that show. He told a few entertaining stories about those days when I interviewed him for my Minutia Men Celebrity Interview a few years ago.

 

*September 25—Kerri Kendall birthday

=The former Playboy Playmate was the co-host of Playtime with Bill & Kerri on WGCO for several years. I featured them in my Illinois Entertainer column a few years ago.

 

*September 25-- Paul Meincke birthday

=Long-time award-winning reporter at WLS-TV, Channel 7. Retired a few years ago.

 

*September 26—Johnny Morris birthday

=Former Chicago Bear and WBBM-TV sports anchor. Johnny has kept a pretty low profile since stepping down at Channel 2, although he did make this appearance at Rich King’s book signing in 2014.

 

*September 26, 1960

=The first ever televised presidential debate took place in Chicago at the old WBBM-TV studios on McClurg Ct, John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon.

 

*September 26--Don Nelson birthday

=Former on-air talent at the likes of WLUP, WLS AM & FM, and WFYR.

 

*September 26---Phil Ponce birthday

=Former Chicago Tonight host. 

 

*September 27—Neal Sabin birthday

=The wunderkind behind the scenes at Me-TV. He is featured prominently in this piece I wrote for Illinois Entertainer a few years ago, when Me-TV FM first started making an impact.

 

*September 27--Doug James birthday

=Former Jammin Oldies and WE-FM morning man. I’ve worked with the talented voice over man in the past. He was kind enough to pen this guest blog for me when I first began blogging back in 2006.

 

*September 27--Guy Bauer birthday

=Former Brandmeier producer. I interviewed Guy for Illinois Entertainer after he left Johnny’s show and started up his own video production company.

 

*September 27--Mike Parker birthday

=News anchor and reporter at Channel 2 for 36 years. He passed away in 2018.

 

*September 27, 1992

=The Dr. Demento Show featured a song I wrote for the Ebony & Ivory show on AM 1000 (“Okoberfest is Hier!). I still have the record. My second song played by the Dr. I wrote hundreds after that, but never again made it on Dr. Demento.

 

*September 28—Ed Sullivan birthday

=If you’ve ever wondered what the experience of being on the Ed Sullivan show was like, I’ve interviewed a few people who have told their stories about Ed, including former Rascals lead singer Felix Cavaliere, and Buckinghams guitarist Carl Giammarese.

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*Farewell to NBC Sports Chicago

=They are going out with a bang this weekend. Here are a few of the programming highlights…
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

2:00 PM – WHITE SOX at Detroit Tigers (L)

5:00 PM – White Sox Postgame Live (time approx.)

5:30 PM – NBC Sports Chicago: Celebrating 20 Years

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

5:30 AM – 2010 Blackhawks Stanley Cup Parade & Rally

8:30 AM – 2016 Cubs World Series Parade & Rally

1:30 PM – 2005 White Sox World Series Parade & Rally

7:30 PM – 2013 Blackhawks Stanley Cup Parade & Rally

11:30 PM – NBC Sports Chicago: Celebrating 20 Years

11:59:59 PM – (Sign Off)

 

*The Black Sox

=This airs tonight on WTTW.

It’s the most notorious scandal in the history of professional baseball. Eight Chicago White Sox players conspired to throw the World Series in 1919. Watch the next episode of Chicago Stories on Friday, September 27 at 8:00 pm on WTTW and streaming at https://t.co/GWBWC3sS46 pic.twitter.com/OWCHw6UxSD

— WTTW - Chicago PBS (@wttw) September 25, 2024

 

*Crystal Mic Awards

=The Illinois News Broadcasters Association also announced the winners in the television categories for the Crystal Mic Awards. Among the Chicago winners…

Best Large Market TV Station—WLS-TV (2^nd place)

Best Newscast—WLS-TV (2^nd place)

Best Breaking News Coverage—WGN-TV

Best Digital Presence—WLS-TV

Best Sports Report—WGN-TV (2^nd place)

Best Weather Operation—WLS-TV

=Note: This competition included the whole state, plus St. Louis. In all of the categories above where Chicago finished in second place, St. Louis (KSDK) claimed the top spot.

 

*Hota Ktob Leaving Today Show

=She wrote a letter to her co-workers explaining the decision. You can read it here.

*More Layoffs at CBS

=Among those cut in the latest round of layoffs, CBS Saturday Morning co-host Jeff Glor. Also gone, Illinois native Anna Werner and Chicago-based reporter Roxana Saberi

*West Wing 25^th Anniversary

=The New York Times takes a look back at the iconic series to see if it stands the test of time.

 *Cable Corner

=Smartmatic settles with Newsmax just as the trial is beginning.

=The best episode ever of Succession, the real-life trial about Rupert Murdoch’s irrevocable trust, is approaching its finale. It’s now in the hands of the judge.

*Rest in Peace

=Kathryn Crosby

Actress in over 20 films. Widow of Bing Crosby. She was 90.

=Larry Hoover

Father of WGN-TV’s producer Jeff Hoover. Jeff featured his father prominently in his social media feeds, and he also appeared on the WGN-TV Morning show, telling jokes. He was 88.

 

DIGITAL/PRINT

 

*The Olivia Nuzzi Controversy

=New York reporter Olivia Nuzzi is on administrative leave from her magazine after word got out that she had a digital affair (non-physical) with Robert Kennedy Jr. while she was covering his campaign. This has caused an uproar in the journalism world. It’s probably not doing wonders for Kennedy, either, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines. Nuzzi did admit to it, in a statement to the New York Times.

         “Some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source. The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I’ve disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York.”

=Nuzzi previously had a relationship with Keith Olbermann, which also came to light this week.

*NY Post Urged Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes to Endorse Harris

=The Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper did this, according to this article, to try to distance Trump from Fuentes. Trump is still taking heat for dining with the self-proclaimed white supremacist. Fuentes refused the Post’s offer, so the paper dropped it. We are not exactly living in the golden age of news media, are we?

 

*How to Cover the Worst MLB Team in History Without Going Insane

=The Washington Post talked to members of the press who must follow the White Sox for a living. Fun piece.

 

*Coming Soon to The Daily Beast

=They’ve added a whole new slew of contributors and journalists to spice up their coverage. Among them; Samantha Bee, Larry Wilmore, and Kara Swisher.

*Rest in Peace

=Bob Merrifield

Bob was a long-time (1976-2000) Chicago Tribune copy editor, news editor, makeup editor, and reporter. He was 84.

 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.

Media Notebook--4-21-23

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

 

*Chicago Radio Ratings

=The numbers for March came out on Wednesday. The full list is here.

=The top ten are…

WLIT (6.7)

WDRV (5.6)

WXRT (4.9)

WBBM-AM (4.8)

WVAZ (4.4)

WOJO (4.3)

WUSN (3.9)

WTMX (3.7)

WBEZ (3.4), WGN (3.4), WLS-FM (3.4)

=The station with the biggest jump in ratings over last month is the Score (1.7 to 2.5). WLIT had the biggest drop (8.0 to 6.7), but as you can see above, that still puts them in first place in Chicago.

 

*Bears Radio lineup

=ESPN Radio in Chicago this week announced who will be part of their Bears broadcasts beginning this fall, their first year as the official Bears radio outlet. The game itself will still be handled by Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer, but the new sideline reporter will be former Bear Jason McKie. The biggest changes are back in the studios. Marc Silverman, Dionne Miller and former Bears All-Pro linebacker Lance Briggs will do the pre-game for the Bears radio network. Silvy has the halftime show to himself, and is promising it will be more fan-centric. John Jurkovic and Peggy Kusinski will be given the mics after the game. It should be a very different presentation from the past 20+ years, but the people in place here are more than capable of handling the challenge.

 

*Q-101 Names New Morning Co-Host

=The Q-101 Morning Crew co-host chair has been empty since last fall when Ali Mattacola left the show. When I interviewed Brian and Justin in February, they said a search was on to replace her, and this week they announced the newest member of the show. Kenzie K (Kenzie Roman) will begin on May 2. She comes to Q-101 from crosstown B-96 where she had been hosting middays. Inside Radio has more details about the new hire.

*Save AM Radio in Cars

=Left and right are uniting. Left and Right radio, that is. Last week I posted a few pieces from conservative radio stars saying this effort to remove AM radio from cars was a plot to punish conservatives. This week here’s a piece implying the decision to remove AM radio has racial implications, because a lot of Black and Hispanic stations are AM. Suffice it to say, radio is sufficiently freaked out by this move by the automakers.

=He’s a former AM Radio talk show host himself, so it seems only fair that former Vice President Mike Pence has recorded a “Save AM Radio” promo. You can listen to it here.

=And here’s what Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg had to say about the subject: “We certainly recognize the importance and the important role that AM radio has played and continues to play with regard to people getting information that they need for safety, notably but not only when it comes to weather emergencies and one thing we know about these times is that weather emergencies are becoming more frequent and more severe. While I don’t know of a formal legal role that we have with regard to that, it’s certainly something that will be on our mind as we remain in dialogue with the auto industry and with related industries when it comes to transportation.”

 

*Harry Teinowitz needs a new liver

=Former ESPN Radio host (and Jeff-award nominated playwright) Harry Teinowitz is experiencing a grave medical emergency...

HEALTH UPDATE: Hi everybody. No jokes in this tweet. I need a liver transplant… and I need one ASAP. If you or someone you know might be a match, please email findharryaliver@gmail.com. RETWEETS would be appreciated. Trying to get the word out. Thanks! https://t.co/R18mS9dEVo pic.twitter.com/tmhdfttr3m

— Harry Teinowitz (@HeyTweetHarry) April 13, 2023

 

 

*Sober and Successful in Seattle

=An update on the life and times of Danny Bonaduce, courtesy of the Seattle Times. 

 

*Record Store Excitement

=This is pretty cool. Andy Derer from Blue Village Vinyl (in Westmont) shared this news: WXRT will be placing 20 vintage vinyl records from their radio studios in our racks this Saturday at Blue Village Vinyl! Hunt them down and own a piece of Chicago radio history for a $20 donation to a Foundation To Be Named Later! Doors open at 10am Saturday!

 

 

*Dick Biondi movie

=A sneak prevue of The Voice that Rocked America—The Dick Biondi Story will be held at the Des Plaines Theater on May 21 at 2pm. A few of the movie’s participants and creators will be on hand. Tickets available now.

 

*Podcast Corner

=A must listen for Prince fans. CNN audio is releasing a podcast called The Prince Mixtape.

=The popular "Pod Save America" podcast will now have a sister podcast on the other side of the Atlantic. It will be called "Pod Save the UK"

 

*A Tribute To Lin

=Axios has the story about Tony Fitzpatrick’s and Jon Langford’s tribute to their old pal Lin Brehmer. 

=Greg Kot was there... 

 

 

*A Tribute to Gino

=Gino Giovannetti worked for Jonathon Brandmeier here and in LA, and Johnny & Buzz recently dedicated an entire podcast episode to their comrade who recently passed away. (Listen to that here)

=The episode features some of Gino’s highlights on the show, but the truly emotional part comes at the end when Johnny reads the final message from Gino. Very touching.

 

 

*The Loop Files

=It posts every Tuesday. This week I featured Ed Tyll. You may not like what he says, but he’ll say it anyway.  (I’ve been getting notes all week saying “thanks a lot for putting that theme song back in my head.”)

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*April 1975—Talk about an eclectic music selection. This is the WXRT featured artist card from this month 48 years ago. Thanks to Chicago FM Rock Stations of the 70s for posting it. 

 

*April 17, 2019—Chet Coppock’s death

=I got the news via phone call early in the morning that day. We were in the midst of a publicity tour for Chet’s book “Your Dime My Dance Floor” and Chet and I were working on his next book, a collaboration with former Bears receiver Dennis McKinnon. I wrote a tribute to Chet on the EckhartzPress website that morning. Unfortunately, after Chet’s death Dennis took the book and self-published it.

 

*April 17—Keith Conrad birthday

=Keith is one of the best-known radio producers in Chicago, having worked at WLS, WGN and WIND. He’s also a published novelist. His book “Righteous Might” is still available. 

 

*April 17—Bob Dunsworth birthday

=The talented radio production man (The Loop, AM 1000, Q101, ESPN) is now working full time as a voice over artist.

 

*April 17, 1967—WPGU radio signs on the air in Champaign-Urbana.

=Scores of WPGU grads eventually worked in Chicago radio (including me). I wrote about WPGU and their many alumni for Illinois Entertainer a few years ago.

 

*April 18—Danny Zederman birthday

=Zederman is the content director at ESPN Radio AM 1000 and came up through the ranks as a producer. This photo is from a Randy Merkin book signing in 2022. (L-R...Danny, Randy, Kap)

 

 

*April 18—Harry Volkman birthday

=Chicago’s great weatherman Harry Volkman is remembered fondly by Chicago viewers all these years after his death. Son Eddie is still going strong hosting afternoons on the suburban Star network.

 

*April 19—Dan Michaels birthday

=Dan worked at WLUP, WCKG and WMET in his Chicago radio days, but moved out of the market and established himself as a well-regarded program director in places like Houston, Washington D.C., and Pittsburgh (among others).

 

*April 19—Eliot Ephraim birthday

=One of Chicago media’s big agents. President and Owner of Ephraim and Associates.

 

*April 19, 1924—WLS debuts “The Barn Dance” radio show, one of the longest running shows in radio history.

 

*April 21—Rick Camp birthday

=Former long-time Score producer now works for 4for4/Betsperts. For years people asked me if I produced a show on the Score because our names sound similar.

*April 21—Robin Meade birthday

=Robin was a TV fixture here in Chicago before moving down to Atlanta to helm the Headline News Network morning show (Morning Express with Robin Meade). She was one of broadcasters let go in December of ’22 when the network rebranded.

 

*April 21—David Schuster birthday

=David is one of the longest serving Chicago sports radio reporters. He has covered 12 major Chicago sports championships. His career dates all the way back to Sportsphone. This week his old colleague Fred Huebner posted this article from 1984 (Chicago Sun Times). That’s David in the photo.

 

*April 21—Bob Hale birthday

=Hale was one of the original WLS rock jocks when the format began in 1960, but he was already well known before that. His claim to fame is that he was the emcee for the very last Buddy Holly concert, the night Buddy, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper passed away in the plane crash. I got a chance to interview Bob about that and his WLS days for Chicago Radio Spotlight back in 2008.

 

*April 21—Vince Argento birthday

=Vince is the production director at Cumulus/WLS these days but has also worked with some of the biggest names in Chicago radio history as a producer, including three shows in the Radio Hall of Fame—Steve & Garry, John Records Landecker, and Jonathan Brandmeier. I interviewed my old pal back in 2010 for Chicago Radio Spotlight.

 *April 22—Joe Ostrowski birthday

=Ostrowski is heard on the Score as a talk show host. His expertise is gambling. Joe is also a sports betting analyst at the BetQL network.

 

*April 23—Todd Ganz birthday

=Todd is the co-creator of the “If the Walls Could Talk” podcast and was the content production manager for Hubbard Broadcasting Chicago for more than 12 years before that.

 

*April 23—Scott Straus birthday

=The former radio producer/production man is now in the real estate business. I got a chance to interview him and his brother J.R. for Chicago Radio Spotlight back in 2008.

*April 23, 1914—Wrigley Field birthday

=I’ve written about that first game at what was then known as Weeghman Park many times, most recently in my book EveryCubEver.

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

 

*Chicago’s Crazy Weekend

=Chicago police weren’t the only ones tested by the big downtown protests/riots over the weekend. TV News was too. I caught quite a few excellent reports. Here’s one from NBC-5. 

 

 

*The Fox-Dominion Settlement

=This is obviously a big deal. (Full details here) Fox clearly thought they were going to lose this case in court, and instead of undergoing weeks of humiliation during a trial and the ignominy of their big stars and executives testifying under oath that they knowingly lied on the air to their viewers (which the court ruled they did), they opened the checkbook and wrote a very big check. $787.5 million to be exact. In exchange, Fox doesn’t have to apologize for their behavior or actions on the air. They merely agree to this statement: “the court found that certain claims about Dominion were false.” 

=Remember, this is just the first of these lawsuits against Fox News. There’s another voting machine company, Smartmatic, that has a pending lawsuit as well. That one is even bigger—they are suing for $2.7 billion. And they were certainly paying attention to this case. Their attorney said: “Dominion’s litigation exposed some of the misconduct and damage caused by Fox’s disinformation campaign. Smartmatic will expose the rest.” 

=Also, Dominion is still suing others including the My Pillow Guy (who was ordered to pay $5 million yesterday to a man who proved his election claims were bunk), Sidney Powell, Rudy Giulliani, and the Overstock.com guy.

=Stephen Colbert was one of the people upset that Fox News didn’t have to admit on air what they had done. So he did it for them…

The Fox News apology we deserve.

pic.twitter.com/eukfb2rpYe

— Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) April 20, 2023

 

 

*Disney “Bloodbath” Coming on Monday

=Those aren’t my words, they are the words of Deadline Hollywood. The big layoffs are coming early next week.

 

 

*Writers vote yes to strike

=The signs were there that this was on the way. This week the WGA made it official. 

 

PRINT MEDIA

 

 

*Washington Post Contributor (and Kremlin Critic) Gets 25-year Sentence

=Putin isn’t a fan of criticism. The gruesome details are here. 

 

 

*The End of Computer Magazines (in Print)

=The last two computer magazines stopped printing hard copies and went to on-line only. Technologizer has the eulogy. 

 

*Chris Jones honored by Columbia College

=Long-time Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones is being honored by Columbia College, along with jazz legend Bobbi Wilsyn, with honorary degrees at the upcoming commencement ceremonies. More details are here.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*Facebook Users Could Receive Settlement Payment

=Facebook’s corporate owner Meta lost a big lawsuit about selling private information, and because it was a class action suit, any Facebook user can file a claim for a portion of the $725 million settlement. Via the Washington Post: Claims can be filed on the settlement website or by mail. The deadline to file a claim is Aug. 25, and the deadline to opt out or object to the settlement is July 26. It’s hard to say exactly how much money users will receive; it will depend on a variety of factors, including legal and administrative fees, how many claims Meta receives and how long a particular user was on Facebook during the class period. Each of the eight named plaintiffs could receive up to $15,000, and a maximum of 25 percent of the $725 million fund could also go toward legal fees, according to the settlement papers. What is left will be divided among potentially tens of millions of users.

 

*More broadcast outlets leave Twitter

=Swedish Radio became the first European broadcasting company to do so. 

=The Canadian Broadcasting Company followed suit. Like NPR, the CBC also chafed at the new government funded label because it implies they are somehow controlled by the government, which of course they aren’t. 

 

 

*Twitter Permanently Suspends Writer from Wired

=This seems like an odd choice for a permanent ban. The writer interviewed someone who had hacked the Twitter account of Matt Walsh. The full story is here. 

 

 

*13-year-old boy dies after TikTok Challenge

=It’s called the “Benadryl Challenge” which supposedly brings on hallucinations when you take lots of Benadryl. For Jacob Stevens in Ohio, it resulted in death. 

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 from this week...

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.

Minutia Men: Mfing snakes on a MF plane

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview: 1883 star Eric Nelsen

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview Classic: NY Times Best Selling Author James Finn Garner

Free Kicks with Adam & Rick: The Race is On

Meet the Eckhartz Press Author: Judy Ann Jamerson

From the Eckhartz Book Shelf: Death of the Angels

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