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.

20 Years: EveryCubEver

 

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.

In 2019 I released the first edition of my book EveryCubEver. It has thousands of stories about all (yes, all) of the players who ever played for the Cubs, along with a few other historical nuggets.

The following stories are all appropriate for this week...

September 24—Mario Encarnancion birthday

=Here is listing in EveryCubEver...

Mario Encarnacion 1975--2005 (Cubs 2002)
The outfielder got to bat exactly nine times in a Cubs uniform. He didn’t get a single hit. The Dominican played nine seasons in the minors, mostly in the Oakland A’s organization. He also played in Taiwan, and that’s where he met his mysterious demise. Mario was found dead in his team dormitory on October 3, 2005. The cause of death is officially listed as a congenital medical condition, but he was only 30 years old.

***

September 25—Pat Malone birthday 

=Here is his listing in EveryCubEver...

Pat Malone 1902--1943 (Cubs 1928-1934)
Malone was a two-time 20-game winner with the Cubs and led the team to the 1929 and 1932 World Series, but he also hung out with Hack Wilson. When they weren’t playing baseball, they were either drinking or brawling. The stories are legendary. In Malone’s first season with the Cubs his roommate was Percy Jones. They didn’t get along. Jones insisted on getting a new roommate after Malone trapped some pigeons on a hotel ledge and put them in Jones’ bed as he slept. One night Malone and Wilson got into a huge fist fight in a hotel. They were walking down the hallway of their hotel, and Wilson laughed. Someone in a hotel room mimicked his laugh. Wilson and Malone broke into the room and beat the hell out of four men, until all of them were out cold. One of the men was still standing and Malone kept punching. Wilson pointed out that he was already knocked out. “Move the lamp and he’ll fall.” Malone moved the lamp, and the man fell to the ground. It didn’t end well for either man. Wilson was only 48 years old when he drank himself to death. Malone didn’t even last as long as Hack. He was only 40 years old when he died in 1943.

               Historical note: On the day Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh (1928), Pat walked in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth in a 4-3 Cubs loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia.

***

September 27, 1876—Cubs win their first title

=This is the way I told that story at Justonebadcentury.com...

The last game of the first official National League season is played on September 27, 1876. The Chicago White Stockings (today’s Cubs) beat the Hartford Dark Blues 16-10. Because Chicago ends the season seven games ahead of the second place St. Louis Brown Stockings, they are declared the champions.

Among the players on that team: Hall of Famers Albert Spalding (a 47-game winner that season) and Cap Anson (below, who batted .356). Neither of them are the biggest star of that team, however. That honor goes to second baseman Ross Barnes, who leads the league in hitting (.429), runs, hits, doubles, triples, and walks.

Of course, modern day fans would barely recognize the 1876 game because they play with very different rules. Very different.

For instance, the pitchers mound is only 45 feet away from home plate. The pitchers throw underhand, and batters can request either high or low pitches. If a ball bounces over the fence, it’s a homer…and some fences are less than 200 feet away from home. It also takes nine balls to get a walk, and a foul ball is an out if it is caught on one bounce.

Like we said, very different.

But a championship is a championship, and no one can take away Chicago’s glorious 1876 title.

***

September 28, 1932—World Series begins

=A few photos and memories from that classic Yankees-Cubs World Series. The team photo. The official poster. And the official scorecard.

***

September 28, 1938—The Homer in the Gloamin

=As told at Justonebadcentury.com...

The second place Cubs were playing the first place Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. It was the bottom of the ninth, the score was tied 5-5, and Cubs catcher Gabby Hartnett stepped to the plate.

The umpires were sure to call the game because of darkness if the Cubs didn’t score in the bottom of the inning. No one knows how Hartnett even saw that ball from Pittsburgh pitcher Mace Brown, but Gabby knocked it out of the park, in a moment that will always be remembered as the “Homer in the Gloamin.” The Cubs overtook the Pirates for first place, and clinched the pennant a few days later.

All these years later, “The Homer in the Gloamin'” remains the second most famous home run in Wrigley Field history.

 

Studio Walls--9-25-24

 

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.

Here are a few from the archives...

September 22, 1994—Friends debuts

=If it happened in the 90s, I have written a parody song about it. You can hear it here. 

 

September 23, 1977: Aja Released by Steely Dan

=Bill Schnee was the recording engineer on that album and told us what is was like working with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.  

September 23, 1986: Matlock debuts

=Voice over actor Richard Epcar worked on the show. He even remembered his lines when we interviewed him 30+ years later.

 

September 24, 1970—Patridge Family debuts 

=Danny Bonaduce was on our show.

September 24, 1993—Boy Meets World debuts

=One of the stars of that sitcom, Maitland Ward, was on our show. You'll never guess what she's doing now. She's an adult film actress. 

September 24, 2007—Big Bang Theory debuts 

=Bridget and I were on the set...(OK, it was just part of the WB tour)

September 24, 2013—The Goldbergs debuts

=One of the stars of that sitcom, Hayley Orrantia, was a delightful interview.  

 September 24--Eric Soderholm birthday

=We talked to the former White Sox slugger in this episode. He later endorsed our book Chili Dog MVP.

September 25--Michael Douglas birthday

=One of the most memorable interviews I booked for John Landecker. We have the audio from that day. I told the story in this episode. 

September 25, 2021—Arlington Park closes forever. 

-For a few glorious summers, Dave was the wacky Quinn Ela at Arlington Park. We wrote the bits together. Here's an example...

 

September 26—George Gerschwin birthday

=We wrote a radio ad for Biasco Music starring George Gerschwin. It was an award winner.

September 26, 1965—Gilligan's Island debuts

=I wrote a parody song about our morning show to the tune of this theme song. Will we play it this week?

September 26, 1969—The Brady Bunch debuts

=We had Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver) on the show. 

=We also had NY Times Best Selling Author William Dameron on the show. In this interview, he refers to his family as The Gaydy Bunch. 

September 26, 1969—Abbey Road released

=On the same exact day as the Brady Bunch? Does not compute. My boys and I went to street crossing of Abbey Road when we were in England.

September 26, 1975—Rocky Horror Picture Show released. 

=Fee Waybill starred in it. He told us all about it.  

 

September 27, 1992—Dr. Demento plays Ebony & Ivory song “Oktoberfest ist here”

=Don't believe me? Here's the show list for that day. 

September 27—Debi Derryberry birthday

=We interviewed the voice of Jimmy Neutron on this episode. 

September 27—Wilford Brimley birthday

=Mark Giangreco told us a story about how he once got in a trouble for making a Wilford Brimley joke.  

September 27—The Inheritance debuts on Broadway. 

=We talked to the producer of that show, Eric Nelsen. 

 

September 28, 1938—The Homer in the Gloamin

=We have the audio of Gabby Hartnett's famous homer--probably the second most famous homer in Wrigley Field history.