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
*Todd Cavanah steps down at Audacy
=After 33 years, Audacy Chicago VP of Programming and B96
and 104.3 Jams Brand Manager Todd Cavanah has announced his resignation.
His statement was sent out by the Audacy brass. Here’s part of it… It’s
unheard of especially in this business, to work for the same station for 33
years but I did it. I have been fortunate to work with so many amazing people
these past three decades. We generated millions and millions of dollars with
our amazing brands B96 and 104-3 JAMS… After much consideration I have decided
to part ways with Audacy and spend the summer traveling with my boys as they
play baseball all across the country. I am looking forward to embarking on my
next career opportunity. I will soon be a free agent and excited to see what my
next 33-year job will be. I look forward to speaking with my
friends over the next few months.
=Replacing
Todd as Brand Manager at B-96 is Molly Cruz. She is a native of
Chicago’s suburbs, and most recently worked in Milwaukee. Erik Bradley
was named the interim Brand Manager at 104-3 JAMS.
*Mitch Rosen Interview
=My interview with another Audacy Brand Manager, Mitch
Rosen from the Score, was posted this week by Illinois Entertainer. One
highlight from the interview is Mitch’s description of the moment Pat Hughes
was named to the Hall of Fame.
*John Fisher back on the air in Seattle
=John Fisher was a legend in Chicago radio in the
80s and 90s, at WMET, WCKG, and the Loop. He moved to Seattle 30 years ago and
has become a legend there too. He just joined his fourth station in Seattle.
Fisher will be the midday man at 98.9 KPNW-FM.
*Senator
asks automakers to keep AM radio in cars
=I’ve previously
reported on this trend of automakers taking AM Radio out of their cars,
especially electric vehicles. Well, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts
recently wrote letters to the eight automakers who have yanked AM out of their
newest models and asked them to reconsider. According
to the Senator, none of the eight are having any second thoughts. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency’s plea for public safety information to the public
during times of emergency didn’t sway them. The Senator’s letter didn’t sway
them. It’s not looking good for AM radio in cars.
*RIP Molly Hall
=Got
this news from former Chicago radio newsman Bob Roberts, via his
Facebook page…. Former INBA President and WCIA-TV anchor/reporter/Capitol Bureau Chief Molly
Hall has died suddenly and I am urging friends to remember her with a
donation to the INBA Foundation in her memory. This is such a shock. Far too
soon. Molly was innately positive, always smiling and a tireless advocate for
journalism and the First Amendment, serving as the Illinois News Broadcasters
Association's president in 1989. In fact, she was the one who first recruited
me to serve on the INBA Board -- a commitment of mine that lasted for 30 years.
John, Becky, Ben and the rest of the family, you have my prayers. I would also
urge INBA members and friends to donate to the INBA Foundation scholarship fund
in her memory. Flowers are beautiful for a week; donations to the Foundation
can change a life. I believe that Molly would approve.
*The Loop Files
=Remember it posts every Tuesday. This week’s feature is Danny
Bonaduce.
*Local radio sale
=The sale is now final for these suburban radio stations.
Studstill Media and the Studstill family, owners of Mendota Broadcasting, Inc.
and Laco Radio, Inc. have closed on the sale of the following stations: WALS-FM,
WIVQ-FM, WSTQ-FM, WYYS-FM, WGLC-FM, WBZG-FM, WSPL-AM, and W253BX 98.5 FM. The
purchaser is Shaw Local Radio Co. The purchase price was $1,800,000. Bob
Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group served as the exclusive
broker for the Seller in this transaction.
*Podcast Corner
=I like that there is a women’s soccer podcast on iHeart. I don’t love the name of it. They call it “Snacks”
=On my podcast Minutia Men Celebrity Interview, I had a chance this week to interview John Lennon’s girlfriend/companion during his famous Lost Weekend, May Pang. Some great stories here.
*Best in Chicago
=The Chicago Reader’s Best in Chicago issue named Lin
Brehmer as the best DJ in Chicago. Another fitting tribute to Lin.
=WBEZ was chosen as the best radio station in town.
=Brand new Hall of Famer Pat Hughes was named as
the best sports announcer in Chicago.
=City Cast Chicago was the best podcast in the
city.
=And Car Con Carne was chosen as the best music
podcast in Chicago.
MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES
*April
2—Jim Johnson birthday
=His daughter Alexis posted this on the former WLS newsman’s birthday this week…
*April 2--Dr. Demento
birthday
=The king of the wacky song,
Dr. Demento championed Weird Al Yankovic and a whole generation
of parody song writers. Including me. When Stan Lawrence and I got our first
songs on Dr. Demento during our Ebony & Ivory days (1991-1992), it
was one of the highlights of our career. Dr. Demento retired from terrestrial
radio in 2010, but is still hanging in there. This week he turned 81 years old.
*April 3—Paul Konrad
birthday
=Konrad is one of the stars
of the WGN-TV Morning News, the top-rated morning television show in Chicago.
This photo of Paul with Rich King and Pat Tomasulo was taken in the WGN
offices. It appears in Rich’s book Ike and Me.
April 3—Ellen Miller birthday
=Ellen is the co-host of Out
Chicago on WCPT, Sundays from 11am-1pm. She previously worked at WXRT for
many years as a senior account executive. Ellen is married to Chicago radio
newscaster Kathy Voltmer.
April 3—Brian Noonan birthday
=Brian is a stand-up comic
who graced the airwaves at WGN radio for 15 years, usually in the evening and
overnight slots. He can currently be heard on the air in Milwaukee at WTMJ. I
previously interviewed Brian for Chicago Radio Spotlight back in 2008.
*April 4—Wayne Juhlin
birthday
=Wayne would have been 86
years old this week. The former WFYR morning man is uncle to Gregg and Dag
Juhlin who both went into the media as well, and husband to former radio
personality Penny Lane.
*April 4, 1994—Hillary
Clinton gets a wet one from Harry Caray
=This incredibly memorable
Chicago Tribune photo from this week in 1994 still haunts me…
*April 4, 2013—Roger
Ebert passes away
=Hard to believe he’s been gone ten years already. Roger was one of the all-time greats. A Pulitzer Prize winner. A great storyteller. And one of the most memorable people I’ve ever met. John Landecker wrote about his friend Roger in his book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. You can read that free excerpt here.
*April
5, 1948--The Tribune Company begins broadcasts over WGN-TV on Channel 9
=You’ve
been seeing their 75th anniversary clips for weeks now. Well, this
week was the official 75th anniversary. On Wednesday night they
aired a two-hour special.
*April 5--Pat Brickhouse birthday
=Jack Brickhouse’s widow Pat was a dogged champion of her late
husband’s legacy. Pat was tough as nails, and not afraid of anyone or anything.
She was the one who got the statue of Jack (on Michigan Avenue) created. Pat passed away in January 2022 at the age of 91.
*April 6—Dan Sorkin birthday
=When I asked Fred Winston who he considered the
greatest Chicago radio morning man of all-time, he said a name that surprised
me: Dan Sorkin. I didn’t know about Dan at the time, but the more I
researched him, the more I wanted to talk to him. Sorkin was the morning man at
WCFL in the early 60s and discovered a local Chicago comedian named Bob
Newhart. I was lucky enough to interview Dan in 2010 for Chicago Radio
Spotlight. He passed away in 2016.
*April 7—Melissa Forman birthday
=She’s the morning host on the top-rated radio station
in Chicago, WLIT. Melissa has now been in Chicago radio for nearly 30 years.
I’ve interviewed her several times, including this 2021 feature in Illinois Entertainer.
*April 7—Dorothy Humphrey birthday
=Dorothy’s unique voice was one of the highlights of the Kevin
Matthews show on AM 1000 back in the day. Dorothy was a traffic reporter in
Chicago for many years. She now works for SRN Testing Services.
*April 7—Bebe North birthday
=Chicago sportscaster Mike North talked about his wife
Bebe so often she became a Chicago radio celebrity in her own right.
TV/STREAMING
*WGN 75th Anniversary/Backstory
=Rick Kogan of the Tribune wrote a great piece
this week about Larry Potash and his show Backstory, and the 75th
anniversary of WGN-TV.
=This piece on the WGN-TV website is an interesting
behind the scenes look at a day in the life of WGN.
*Sam Charles Leaves WGN
=He announced the news himself this week on Twitter.
Personal/professional news: Today is my last day at @WGNNews.
— Sam Charles (@samjcharles) March 24, 2023
I'm heading to the @chicagotribune, where I'll continue covering the Chicago Police Department and other criminal justice topics.
*Streaming Corner
=This is a great profile of Succession star Kieran
Culkin in Esquire Magazine.
*ABC News loses 50 staffers
=It seems like every media company in the world is
downsizing. ABC is owned by Disney, and this week they announced layoffs in the
ABC News department.
*Cable News Corner
=Elizabeth Vargas debuted this week on NewsNation
=Don Lemon was accused of misogyny in new Variety story.
=Ana Cabrera moves from CNN to MSNBC. Her new show
debuts on Monday.
=There may be turmoil in Rupert Murdoch’s relationship. The engagement has been called off.
*Jim Nantz says farewell to NCAA Final Four
=When U Conn won the NCAA National Championship this week
it also marked the official end of Jim Nantz’s three decade run as the voice of
the tournament. The Chicago Tribune wrote a nice piece about Nantz this week.
*Roku slashes 200 jobs
=That’s 6% of their workforce.
PRINT/DIGITAL MEDIA
*Pro-Publica's Clarence Thomas Story
=This explosive story about the Supreme Court Justice and the billionaire who plies him with gifts while he has cases pending before the Supreme Court is a great example of what journalism can do.
*Why retired journalists are hopping back into the profession
=Nieman Reports published this piece explaining why
retired local news people don’t tend to stay retired very long.
*Lawyers visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter in
Russia
=This Evan Gershkovich story is getting worse and worse.
The latest update involves lawyers from the Wall Street Journal visiting him in
Russia, in an unsuccessful attempt to get him released. NBC News has the story.
*The biggest story of the week
=This is Time Magazine’s take on it. Trump is famous for
coveting his Time Magazine covers. I’m guessing he won’t covet this one.
SOCIAL MEDIA
*Twitter Labels NPR “State-Sponsored Media”
=This Elon Musk character is
losing his mind. Twitter labeled
National Public Radio’s account “US state-affiliated media” on Tuesday night, comparing
it to propaganda networks like Russia’s RT and China’s Xinhua News Agency.
Needless to say, this is a preposterous comparison. NPR CEO John Lansing
responded: “NPR and our Member stations are supported by millions of
listeners who depend on us for the independent, fact-based journalism we
provide. NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding power accountable. It is
unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way. A vigorous, vibrant free press
is essential to the health of our democracy.”
=It should be noted that government
financed BBC (UK) and CBC (Canada) are considered exceptions to Twitter’s state-sponsored
rule. So are US-government financed Voice of America and the Stars
& Stripes newspaper. NPR used to be considered in the same category as
them, which of course, they should be.
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
Minutia Men: Rick and Dave Confess
Minutia Men Celebrity Interview: John Lennon girlfriend/companion May Pang
Minutia Men Celebrity Interview Classic: Head of the Class star Dan Frischman
Free Kicks with Adam & Rick: Sad Sacked
Meet the Eckhartz Press Author: Mike Gentile
From the Eckhartz Book Shelf: Cubsessions
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
