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
WGCI, WVAZ (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
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
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
Minutia Men Celebrity
Interview Podcast: The Sultan of Slowjamistan
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.
Windy City Reviews Back in the D.D.R.
