Media Notebook--2-2-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

*Is Eric Ferguson Coming Back?

=Eric posted a birthday message on Facebook this week. (h/t to Charlie Meyerson at Chicago Public Square for spotting this)

=Axios has more

=He's been off the air for a few years now. Sounds like he wants to come back. The question is which station is willing to take a chance on him? Despite the lawsuits against him being adjudicated in his favor (they were eventually dismissed), the details were widely spread. His reputation took a big hit. It would be a risky hire, but his long track record of ratings success could compel someone to take a flier.

 

*Terry Chess

=The son of Phil Chess (one of the famous Chess Brothers), and the first general manager of The Loop back in 1977, Terry Chess, is my interview subject this month in Illinois Entertainer. I didn’t interview him in time to be part of The Loop Files, but he has read the book, and lets me know what I have right and wrong about the first two years of the station.

=Coming next month: Tom Freakin Skilling

 *John Records Landecker

=A podcast interview with one of the greats, my old boss and friend John Records Landecker…

=John arrived in Chicago this week in 1972. Thanks to Midwest Radio Memories for posting this…

 *Radio Hall of Fame Looking for Suggestions

=Every year at this time the National Radio Hall of Fame looks for nominations from the listening public. They opened for suggestions yesterday, and will continue accepting them until March 31. Click here to submit a name. You'd be surprised how many all-time greats have yet to be inducted.

*Carmen DeFalco

=Barrett Sports Media wrote a nice profile of ESPN AM 1000’s midday co-host.

 *Mike North

=Barrett Sports Media also caught up with former Score host Mike North to talk about his retirement and what he is up to these days. 

 

*Podcast Corner

=Smartless Wins The Lottery

Nine figures, baby. More money than any of them made in TV/film. Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes’ SmartLess Media has signed a multi-year agreement with SiriusXM. The deal is worth more than $100 million.

=Paul Anka Gets a Podcast

From the ‘everyone in the world has a podcast’ department, add the name of singer Paul Anka. He is teaming up with business whiz Skip Bronson to do a weekly interview podcast. Anka, by the way, is the father-in-law of Jason Bateman. Between the two of them they can now swim in pools of money like Scrooge McDuck.

=Charlie Sykes is leaving The Bulwark

Sorry to hear this news. I’m a regular listener. He announced his departure in his newsletter yesterday, saying: As much as I love putting out a 2000-word morning newsletter and six podcasts a week —and having conversations with the smartest and most interesting people around — there’s always the risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of idiocracy out there.

 

*Music News

=Elton John and Bernie Taupin to receive the Gershwin Prize for popular song. The award is given out annually by The Library of Congress.

*Former WVON jock Joe Cobb Sues Soul Train

=He is the man behind that iconic Soul Train scream. The 80-year-old Cobb is suing to get some of those Soul Train royalties. The Sun-Times has the story. 

 

*Cheeseland Awaits

=Former WLS staffer Cosette Nowik is heading to Wisconsin.

*Ex-Chicago Radio

=Liz Wilde had a stint in Chicago in the mid-90s (WLUP). She is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer and updated her fans and friends on her progress…

=Elizabeth Grattan has exited WDOK/Cleveland. She had been there since 2019. Elizabeth previously worked in Chicago at WGN and WZZN.

 

*Mardi Gras Weekend Kick-off Broadcast

=WLUW (88.7FM) is hosting a live Mardi Gras weekend kickoff party at Gale Street Inn on February 10, from 11am-2pm. DJ Tom Jackson will host and Naomi Ashley and Jon Williams will perform. Make your reservations through Gale Street Inn.

 

*Rest in Peace

=Melinda Wilson

Wife, manager, “savior” of Beach Boy Brian Wilson. She was 77.

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*January 28—Jack Silver birthday

=Jack was the ringmaster at AM 1000 back in the Johnny/Kevin/Steve & Garry heyday. He went on to become a bigshot for CBS Radio and later Audacy in Los Angeles. I interviewed him in 2009.

 

*January 29—Oprah Winfrey birthday

=It’s hard to remember that Oprah was a complete unknown when she arrived in Chicago in the mid-80s. They didn’t quite know what to do with her, and even used her on the news with Joel Daly.

 

*January 29—Dane Placko birthday

=The top reporter for WFLD-TV (Channel 32) has been there now for over 30 years. He has a closet full of Emmys, and a profile in Illinois Entertainer written by me. This is a fun interview about his forced month-long vacation in England.

 

*January 29—Tony Lossano birthday

=The former host of the Nude Hippo show and the podcast Lossano & Friends is also a long-time radio producer (WLIT, WLS) and podcast producer (including my podcasts, Minutia Men & Minutia Men Celebrity Interview).

 

*January 30—Chuck Swirsky birthday.

=Chuck is not only the play-by-play man of the Chicago Bulls. He’s also an author. His book Always a Pleasure came out during the holiday season of 2022.

 

*January 30, 1935—Warner Saunders birthday

=Warner Saunders had a long and distinguished television career in Chicago at NBC-5. He retired in 2009 and passed away in 2018.

 

*January 30, 1969

=The Beatles performed live for the very last time. 55 years ago this week, they climbed onto the rooftop of their Apple Records headquarters. The entire show was part of the Get Back special that aired on Disney+ a few years ago.

 *January 30--Lisa Dent birthday

=Lisa hosts afternoons on WGN Radio. I was lucky enough to interview her for Illinois Entertainer in 2016, shortly after she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (during her days at US-99). 

 

*January 31, 1975

=This is a fun trip back in time. John Coleman is the host. Bob Sirott, Chuck Schaden, Sherman Kaplan, and Clark Weber are the guests. The show is called Midnight. Thanks to Chicago Radio Archives & Memories for posting it.

 *January 31—Josh Liss birthday

=The morning sports anchor for WBBM News Radio was featured in the December 2016 edition of Illinois Entertainer.

 

*January 31—Nick Shepkowski birthday

=Shepkowski was a producer and host at the Score for 15 years. 

*February 1—Lisa Miller birthday

=Lisa has been one of the most powerful media agents in Chicago for the past four decades. She is married to Channel 5 meteorologist Brant Miller. By the way, it’s pronounced Lissa.

 

*February 3—Karen Conti birthday

=Karen has been a legal analyst and host at WGN Radio for many years. She also has a new e-book coming out in March called Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy: Defending America's Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row 

 

*February 3—Dan Roan birthday

=Dan retired as the sports director of WGN-TV in 2022. I snapped this photo of Dan and his fellow WGN-TV colleagues at Rich King’s book launch party just a week or so before Dan retired.

*February 3—Steve Sanders birthday

=Steve also retired from WGN-TV and is also in that photo above (second from the right).

 

*February 3—Lisa Greene birthday

=Lisa did stints at several radio stations in Chicago, including WJMK. I interviewed her for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2008. She currently lives in California.

 

*February 3—Steve Bertrand birthday

=Steve has been a news mainstay at WGN radio since the mid-80s. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2012.

 

*February 3, 1959—The Day the Music Died

=I interviewed Bob Hale, the DJ who introduced Buddy Holly on stage before his last concert, the night of the plane crash. What an incredible story.

=Bob Dearborn was a DJ at WCFL when Don McLean’s “American Pie” came out. That song immortalized the phrase “the day the music died”. Dearborn became famous for his analysis of the song because McLean refused to explain it. That explanation is here. 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*Demetrius Ivory Named Chief Meteorologist

=Big shoes to fill. He will be replacing Tom Skilling when Skilling retires at the end of the month. Of course, Ivory has been with WGN-TV for more than ten years.

*The Only Guaranteed Ratings

=The NFL has had an incredible playoffs ratings-wise.

In conclusion of its 30th season of NFL coverage, @NFLonFOX is projected to score its best #NFCChampionshipGame in twelve years with 56,691,000 viewers. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/OY3m1huB5r

— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) January 29, 2024

*Top Streamers for 2023

=The numbers are in, and we have a new streaming champion. Suits set a streaming record in 2023, breaking the record formerly held by The Office. Of the new shows last year, the most streamed show was Ted Lasso. The Hollywood Reporter has more info.

 

*U2 at the Grammy’s

=Live from the Sphere in Las Vegas. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CBS (@cbstv)

 

*The Greatest Night in Pop

=Richard Roeper reviews the Netflix special about the making of the song “We Are The World” 

 

*Cable News Corner

=OAN may have broken laws while spreading election lies 

=Joy Reid has a potty mouth

“Starting another f*cking war.” Joy Reid drops f-bomb on hot mic while clip is being played. She later apologized. (Video: MSNBC) pic.twitter.com/JmyBNRXgOb

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) January 30, 2024

 *Rest in Peace

=Chita Rivera

Broadway legend. 10-time Tony Nominee. She was 91.

=Hinton Battle

Choreographer, dancer. 3-time Tony winner (The Wiz). He was 67.

PRINT/DIGITAL

 

*Very Bad Month for Journalists

=More than 500 journalists were let go in January.

*Tribune Guild Protest

=All is not well between The Tribune Guild and the owners of the newspaper. They staged a digital picket line (a click-it line) yesterday…

Here’s how you can show your solidarity:

DO NOT click on stories at https://t.co/m1zKvUd4Bt
DO NOT engage with Trib social media accounts
DO NOT open and engage with Chicago Tribune emails and news alerts Thursday.
Respect our picket line by not crossing the “click it” line! pic.twitter.com/Ux7rElLuCR

— Chicago Tribune Guild (@CTGuild) January 31, 2024

*The Onion Union Settles

=Meanwhile, The Onion Union reached a tentative agreement with their owners. 

*Jake Sheridan

=Shifts from covering emerging news to covering City Hall.

*Miranda Davis

=Hired by Bloomberg to cover money and power in Chicago and the Midwest. She was previously with The Real Deal.

*Rest in Peace

=Al Borcover

The former Travel Editor for the Chicago Tribune was 92. 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*Social Media CEOs Testify to Senate

=The subject was child exploitation. The Associated Press reports how it went.

*Twitter Blocks Taylor Swift Searches

=After this past weekend’s Chiefs game, you would assume that Taylor Swift was a popular search. She was, but not for the reason you think. Someone posted fake nudes of her. And those went viral, prompting Twitter (X) to block the searches of her name. 

 

*Universal Music Pulls Songs from TikTok

=This includes music from artists like Taylor Swift and Drake. It’s a royalty dispute.

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.

20 Years: A Fine Mess--Cooking with Wine

 

 This year marks my 20th year as a professional writer. Over the course of 2024, I'll be sharing a few of those offerings you may have missed along the way...

For three years I was the featured columnist for Shore Magazine. My column was called A Fine Mess, inspired by the old Stan Laurel saying, "This is another fine mess you've gotten us into, Ollie."

This particular column was in the February 2012 issue.

When my wife told me that she wanted to sign us up for a cooking class with another couple, I must admit, I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect.

 

“It’s one of those Living Social packages,” she said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

 

I’m not 100% positive I said anything out loud, but I most certainly groaned on the inside. Then she said the magic words to stop the groaning: “Every person in the class is supposed to bring a bottle of wine.”

 

“You mean the two of us would bring two bottles?” I asked, as a matter of clarification.

“Yes.”

 

“I’m in.”

 

What she didn’t tell me was that the class would be held on a Saturday morning.  Even someone with a low “it’s gotta be happy hour somewhere in the world” threshold like me has a hard time justifying pulling the cork at 10 AM. By the time I found out, it was too late to renege.

 

The cooking class was at Au Vin on Elston Avenue in Chicago. There were six couples in the group. My wife and I, our old college buddies Mike and Lynee, a mother-in-law and her brand new daughter in law, and three young hip couples from the city.

 

All of us were given aprons and chef hats, and instructed to write our names on the hats so our classmates could identify us. The teacher/chef was named Cecil, a 20-something tattooed bon vivant with gigantic earrings. He was enthusiastic and passionate about the matter at hand: French cooking.

 

“The first thing we’re going to make is a soufflé,” he said.

 

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Top Chef (I’m a devoted follower), you know that soufflé is one of the most difficult and delicate things to make. Even Top Chef Contestants get it wrong all the time. Cecil immediately warned us how easily it could happen to us: “If there’s even one tiny—and I mean even the slightest hint—a whiff, a whisper, or drop of yolk in the egg whites, the entire soufflé will be ruined.”

 

I think that’s when I started panicking.

 

I cook dinner for my family every night—but I’m entirely self-taught, and I hate it when anyone watches me. I know that my food will end up tasting good, but I’m a little insecure about my techniques. The way this class worked, we all took turns separating the egg whites while everyone else watched. With all eyes on me, I suddenly couldn’t do it. I was choking under pressure.

 

That’s when my buddy Mike made a suggestion that rescued me: “Maybe we should open the wine.”

I now have an answer to this question: “What is the earliest you’ve ever started drinking?”

 

My answer: “10:15 A.M”   (Paging Dr. Phil.)

Mock me if you will, but after the wine began to flow, I really got into the class. I learned how to properly julienne vegetables (as I suspected, I had been doing it incorrectly). I learned how to correctly poach an egg (something I’ve never been able to do before). And I learned how to make a soufflé that didn’t fall.

 

We created an incredibly beautiful four-course lunch; tilapia wrapped with prosciutto and julienned vegetables, cauliflower au gratin, fresh salad with a poached egg, and chocolate soufflé. And most importantly, we got to eat it.  

 

It tasted as good as it looked. The tilapia was heavenly. The cauliflower was complex and delicious. And though I never would have ordered a salad with a poached egg on top, it was a really interesting combination of flavors. Plus that soufflé was sinful, and if I can pat myself on the back for a moment, it was perfectly prepared.

But if you are ever invited over to dinner at my house, don’t expect me to serve this meal. I couldn’t possibly julienne a vegetable, separate an egg white without a hint, whiff, or whisper of yolk in it, or poach an egg again. That knowledge was gone by dinner that night.

I’m thinking that the 10:15 AM wine might have been a contributing factor.

 

At least that’s what Dr. Phil told me.

Studio Walls--1-31-24

 

A weekly update/preview of my latest podcasts, and a look back at some of my previous audio work from this week in history over the past 40+ years.

Two of the podcasts returned last week. The latest Minutia Men is called My Husband Forces Me To Listen to Your Podcast and the latest Free Kicks is titled Sanctions-Palooza.

Here are some other options from this week in history...

*January 28, 2023

=This week last year, Minutia Men aired our 300th episode. You know the Rick and Dave dancers were there. Listen to it here. 

*January 29--Dane Placko birthday

=The local Chicago news treasure has been on the show multiple times. Here are a few examples...

Dane Placko Part 1 

Dane Placko (Part 2) 

*January 30—Chuck Swirsky birthday

=I got a chance to interview the Bulls announcer shortly after his book came out. For some reason, Dave wasn't a part of it.

*January 30--Dwier Brown birthday

=The Field of Dreams star was our first ever official Minutia Men Celebrity Interview. "Dad, you wanna have a catch?"

*January 31—Nolan Ryan birthday

=What is it like facing one of the greatest flamethrowers in baseball history? Former White Sox slugger Eric Soderholm described it to us. 

*January 31, 1933

=The Lone Ranger debuted on the radio. Approximately 90 years later, The Lone Rogainger debuted on Minutia Men.

*January 31—Ernie Banks birthday. 

=The Cubs great would have been 93 this week. We uncovered an old 1955 interview with Ernie that we played on this episode of Minutia Men. 

*February 2—Nicole Zwiercan birthday

=Who is Nicole? Only Mrs. America. We chatted with her last year. 

*February 2—Graham Nash birthday

=Comedian Mike Toomey opened for Crosby Stills and Nash and told us what it was like performing comedy in front of that famously mellow crowd. Listen to his story here 

*February 3—Maitland Ward birthday

=She started her career as a sitcom star (Boy Meets World). She is now an adult film actress. Dave and I did more research before this interview than any other.  

Publishing Portal--January 30, 2024

The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.

Eckhartz Press at the CWA Book of the Year Awards

=Six, count 'em, Six Eckhartz Press authors represented our little publishing company last weekend at the Tip Top Tap room in the Allerton Hotel for the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Awards. (Left to right) Randy Richardson (Cubsessions), Bob Boone (City U), Rick Kaempfer (The Loop Files), Richard Reeder (1001 Train Rides in Chicago), Dave Stern (The Balding Handbook), and Dr. David Fletcher (Chili Dog MVP).

Happy Birthday!

=Eckhartz Press author Chuck Swirsky is celebrating a birthday today (January 30). The Chicago Bulls radio play-by-play man added "author" to his business card when Eckhartz Press published his memoir Always a Pleasure in the fall of 2022. The book is chock-full of great photographs including this one with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who is also celebrating a birthday today.

Joe Jackson, Plaintiff, vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club, Defendant

=Great article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about our Joe Jackson trial transcript. This is the 100th anniversary of the trial, and the transcript had never been seen since we published it late last year. 

The Living Wills

=The Living Wills is the first book we ever published, and it remains one of our best selling books largely thanks to the passion of co-author Brendan Sullivan. 12 years after it's release he is still doing appearances promoting it.

    Brendan: This past Thursday I had the pleasure of discussing "The Living Wills," the novel I wrote (with Rick Kaempfer) at another book club meeting. We discussed our unique creative writing process, as well as the plot and character development. Wonderful members of the "Let's Get Lit" club in Bolingbrook, IL. You can learn more about the novel (and/or order a copy) at the publisher, Eckhartz Press, And I'm always available to meet with any book club who wants to talk to the author. Always a fun evening. I'm a low maintenance guest. Very proud of "The Living Wills."

The Unplanned Life

=This week in 2011, Roger Badesch was one of the people stuck on Lake Shore Drive during a horrible snowstorm. He called into WGN Radio (where he worked) and provided a truly amazing play-by-play of the mayhem until his phone battery died and he had to abandon the car. That inspired this cover photo (taken that day) for his book, which was published by Eckhartz Press in 2020. 

Leaving Glory for Greatness

Don't forget, this weekend: Lou Macaluso will be signing and selling his Eckhartz Press book Leaving Glory for Greatness at the Thornton Distillery Book Fair, 400 E. Margaret Street, Thornton, IL on February 4th from Noon to 5pm. 

Down at the Golden Coin

This week in 2012, We released our second book ever, Down at the Golden Coin by Kim Strickland. It's a fun and quirky novel about meeting the Messiah at a laundromat.

Nose Over Toes

=This week in 2019, pre-sales began for Nose Over Toes by Janet Sutherland. It's the harrowing but inspiring  tale of Janet's recovery from a brain aneurysm.

The Loop Files

=One of the photos in the book (below) was taken this week in 1992.  The Loop held a Blood Drive and the following Loop jocks showed up to help. (L-R: Terry Gibson, John Fisher, Wendy Snyder, Rick Kaempfer, Stan Lawrence)

=Another person mentioned prominently in the book, Jack Silver, is celebrating a birthday this week.

The Daly News

=Here's a trivia question for you. Who was the first (and last) news anchor to co-anchor a newscast in Chicago with Oprah Winfrey? That would be Eckhartz Press author Joel Daly, who tells that memorable tale in the pages of The Daly News.

EveryCubEver

=I'm hard at work doing the update of the book, which will be released around Opening Day this year. Two great stories that don't need updating are the life stories of two birthday boys this week. The greatest Cub of all-time, Ernie Banks, and one you may not remember at all, Bob Muncrief.

Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=John Landecker's memoir was a Book of the Year finalist in 2013. Shortly after the book came out, Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner passed away. John had a great story about his brush with the band, so we offered up that section as a free except. You can read it here.

=The great thing about this book is the timelessness of it. A full five years later (this week in 2018) John Landecker appeared on WGN radio with Justin Kaufmann to talk about the book. Ironically, after Justin left the station, Landecker was named as the new host of that timeslot. I talked to him about that same book last time I was on the air with him, in the fall of 2023.

Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars

=Bill Paige's 2017 Eckhartz Press book has a ton of great interviews with rock stars, including this week's birthday boy, Phil Collins.

Monkey in the Middle

=This week in 2016, Eckhartz Press author Dobie Maxwell debuted his new radio show, The Diabetic Show on WGTD. Just a year later he stopped by Steve Cochran's show on WGN radio to talk about his book Monkey in the Middle.

Safe Inside

=Lee Kingsmill's novelized memoir Safe Inside had a lot of big fans (including the CWA who named it a Book of the Year finalist in 2018). One of them was fellow author Dan Callahan, who wrote the definitive biographies of Vanessa Redgrave and Barbara Stanwyck. Here is what he wrote about Lee's book: 

    “This beautifully written and sensitive novel about growing up in Chicago in the 1940s and ’50s and falling in love with the movies is that rare thing, a story that totally recreates a vanished world. Every detail of both place and character is so closely observed and evocative that you feel like you are there. ”

 

We Have Company

=Bobby Skafish's tome about his 40 years of rock and roll encounters is like a history book of the genre, written by someone who personally met and interviewed the biggest stars imaginable. Two of the greats featured in the book are celebrating birthdays this week, Johnny Rotten (The Sex Pistols) and Graham Nash (photo with Bobby)

Your Dime My Dance Floor

=Chet Coppock was friends with George Halas, founder of the Bears and the NFL. Chet went to every opening game for the Bears for 68 straight years. When Papa Bear died in 1983, Chet broke the story on the local news (he was doing sports at Channel 5 at the time).  He also wrote about him in his Eckhartz Press book. Papa Bear was born this week in 1895.

 

 Death of the Angels

 =On the 60th anniversary of one of Chicago's most tragic fires, at Our Lady of the Angels school, veteran television reporter and producer (ABC-7, WGN-TV) Alex Burkholder released his comprehensive study of that fire, which included his well researched theory of how that fire began. WGN-TV's Steve Sanders (celebrating a birthday this week) brought Alex (middle) onto the midday news to discuss it, along with one of the grown kids who survived the fire.

Ike & Me

=Rich King wrote a book in 2022 called Ike & Me, about his relationship with cameraman Richard "Ike" Isaacs. The Black & White team worked together for decades under the guidance of former WGN-TV sports director Dan Roan. Both Rich and Ike speak highly of this week's birthday boy in the book.