Friday, October 06, 2023

Media Notebook--10-6-23















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 ratings for September came out this week. These are the top ten stations according to Nielsen...

WLIT (6.8)

WDRV (6.8)

WBBM-AM (4.9)

WXRT (4.7)

WVAZ (4.2)

WTMX (4.1)

WOJO (3.6)

WLS-FM (3.4)

WGN (3.4)

WBMX (3.3)

=The Score finished just outside the top ten but had one of their best overall numbers in a long time (3.2) 

=The Mix and the Drive both shot up the rankings. WTMX went up 0.7, and WDRV went up 0.4, to claim a share of the top spot. WGN also had their best month in a long time (up 0.4)

=WLIT had the biggest drop, down 0.9 since last month. On the other hand, they are still tied for first and doesn't Christmas music start up in  a few weeks?



*Internet-FM interview

=The October issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and includes my interview with Internet-FM founders Steve and Eric Leventhal. 

 


*Rick O'Dell Leaves Me-TV FM

=His last day at the station was Wednesday. One of radio's good guys, Rick O'Dell, has left his PD job and his coworkers threw him a going away party. Bob Lawson is in the interim PD. Neal Sabin is interviewing PD candidates. I asked Rick what was coming next for him and he wasn't quite ready to call it a full retirement. "I enjoyed much good fortune during my time in radio, getting to spend my entire career in my hometown and work for several very successful stations.  No immediate plans, and I'm totally fine with that."




*WLS Adds Two Hours of Local Talk

=In a bit of a surprise move, WLS-AM announced yesterday that they are adding two local news hours in the afternoon. Bret Gogoel, Nick Gale, Annie Krall and Kim Gordon will anchor from 3-5pm weekdays. The 3pm show is called The Closing Bell, and the 4pm show is PM Chicago Radio Insight has more information.



*Audacy Financial Woes

=I’m no financial expert, but after reading this piece about Audacy’s financial woes, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are in deep trouble. I had to read it several times because the jargon is so thick you can cut it with a knife, but after you cut it away, the bottom line is they skipped an $18 million loan payment. That can’t be good.


 

*iHeart Breast Cancer Walk

=The seventh annual Sista Strut Pink Celebration will be held tomorrow (October 7) at the Salvation Army Community Center on the Southside of Chicago. All seven iHeart-Chicago radio stions will participate: 107.5 WGCIWVAZ (V103)WGRB (Inspiration 1390)WKSC (103.5 Kiss FM)WLIT (93.9 Lite FM)WCHI (Rock 95 FIVE), and WMFN-AM (Chicago's BIN 640). The walk benefits Sisters Network Chicago, a Black breast cancer survivorship organization. The sponsor for the event is Your Local Ford Dealers.

 

*Brian Noonan update

=The former WGN host is now hosting nights at WTMJ in Milwaukee, but he’s also co-hosting a new podcast that might interest you. It’s called Crafty Brewers: Tales Behind Craft Beer. The executive producer of the show is Noonan’s longtime producer Cody Gough. The co-host is Katherine Vallaeu, co-owner of Exit Strategy Brewing Company in Forest Park. Find it on all podcast platforms and YouTube.

 

 

*Garry Meier on WLS

=Look who was back in town last week hosting the afternoon show on WLS.   It was only a guest shot, but he certainly sounded comfortable saying the call letters WLS. The whole week of shows is here.



*Kevin Matthews Movie Premiere

=Last night at the Arcada theater in St. Charles, Kevin Matthews premiered his documentary about his band Ed Zeppelin to several hundred fans. I wanted to be there not just because I directed the film, but also because my son Tommy edited it. I understand it was received warmly. Kevin was kind enough to snap this shot with Tommy after the show...



 

*New Radio Hall of Famers

=These are all people who have passed away and are being inducted posthumously. Bob Grant (On-Air Personality); Dave Robbins (Programming Executive); Ed Christian (Executive); Eduardo Caballero (Executive); Jack "The Rapper" Gibson (On-Air Personality / Writer); Joe "Butterball" Tamburro (Programming Executive); Long John Nebel (On-Air Personality); Marty Glickman (Play-by-Play Host / Executive); Mary Turner (On-Air Personality); Steve Rivers (Programming Executive); Terry Dorsey (On-Air Personality); and Tom Rounds (Executive).

=Robbins spent part of his career in Chicago (WBBM-FM, WJMK-FM, US-99), and he has one claim to fame the others on this list can’t match: He is the only person in radio who ever fired me. He was very upbeat about it. Said he was jealous of all the time I’d get to spend with my kids. (Not kidding, he really said that)

 

 

*Q-101’s Twisted X-mas

=Pretty strong lineup for this year’s concerts. Click on the picture for see artists and dates. Pre-sale tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com



 

 

*FCC allows foreign ownership

=The company is Alpha Media, and they have successfully lobbied the FCC to allow them to sell a 70% stake in the company to foreign investors. The old cap was 25%. 

 

 

*The Voice of the CTA

=Cool story about the man who has been the voice of the CTA for the past 25 years. 

 

 

*Rest in Peace

=Terri Bristol

One of the pioneering club DJs (Smart Bar). She was 66.


 

*Countdown to the Loop Files

=Follow the countdown on my blog, teasing the stories told in the book by Lee Abrams, Matt Bisbee, Danny Bonaduce,  Jonathon Brandmeier, Chet Coppock, Steve Dahl, and Sky Daniels.

=And of course, you can pre-order here. It ships in mid-to-late November.

     

 


MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*October 1--Norm Winer birthday.

=Norm was the driving force behind WXRT for many decades. He’s currently the co-founder and chief content curator at Noteworthy.

 

*October 2-- Michelle Damico birthday.

=Former WBEZ broadcaster

 

*October 4—Pete Kastanes birthday

=Pete is the administrator of Vanished Chicagoland Facebook group.

 

*October 6—Jay Goeppner birthday

=Former Beatle Brother and frequent radio guest

 

*October 7--Melissa McGurren birthday. 

=I previously interviewed her for Shore Magazine (2008), when she was still part of the morning show at the Mix. She is now morning co-host at US-99.

 

*October 7--John Owens birthday

=Chicago/Midwest chapter President of the the National Academy of Arts and Sciences until July of this year. Owens currently works at ABC-7 in Chicago and is the co-author of the book Chili Dog MVP.

 

 

TELEVISION/STREAMING

 

 

*A new star hits Chicago

=After that bad ending to Cubs season, and horrible start to Bears season, who is up for some hockey?


 

 

*Bulls on NBC Sports-Chicago

=After that bad ending to Cubs season, and horrible start to Bears season, who is up for some basketball? 78 Bulls games will be telecast this year on NBC Sports Chicago, but don’t forget your streaming options. Every Bulls game telecast, along with surrounding pre/postgame coverage, will also be live streamed to authenticated NBC Sports Chicago viewers on NBCSportsChicago.com and the “NBC Sports” app. For more information about NBC Sports Chicago’s live streaming of its Bulls telecasts, viewers are urged to visit the following link: Bulls Streaming – NBC Sports Chicago

 

 

*End of writer’s strike

=At least one of the strikes is settled now. SAG/AFTRA won’t be far behind. 

 

 

*Rupert Steps Down

=Last weekend media titan Rupert Murdoch finally stepped down as chairman and handed the reigns to his son Lachlan. Tech and media journalist Kara Swisher described Rupert Murdoch’s legacy perfectly: “the single most destructive force in America, England and Australia.”

 

 

*Cable News Corner

=Watching Fox News with Gavin Newsom

This is a pretty interesting piece about learning the depth of the media silo. 

 

 

*News and documentary Emmy Awards

=The full list is here and includes David Muir, Anderson Cooper, and Frontline, but the much-maligned CNN newsroom really cleaned up. 

 

 

*Roy Wood is leaving The Daily Show

=Once he found out that he isn't being considered as Trevor Noah's replacement, he decided that his eight year run is over



*Byron Allen’s Pitch for ABC

=This is his pitch to ABC. Sounds like something Bob Iger will at least consider.


 

*Rest in Peace

=Michael Gambon

You probably remember him as Dumbledore


 

 

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...

I haven’t been able to podcast recently because of arm surgery (I’m also typing one-handed, bear with me), but these are my latest episodes…

 

Minutia Men Podcast: Sweet Home Chicago

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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.RMilitary Family Museum Podcast