Media Notebook--10-18-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

*WFMT Host Fired, Files EEOC Complaint

=Dennis Moore was the morning man at WFMT, but he has been off the air for months with no explanation. This week he gave one. He was fired over a work conditions dispute after a 3-month Family Leave absence. According to the EEOC discrimination filing (under the Americans with Disabilities Act) he was having sleep issues and wanted to do the show from home. His bosses refused.

=I’m not downplaying the sleep issues (I didn’t have REM sleep for almost two decades thanks to my radio schedule), but I have a hard time believing he will win this one, unless there is some unknown medical issue that is not being reported. The article does hint that might be the case.

 

 

*Mary Boyle Named One of Best Radio Managers in Country

=Radio Ink Magazine recognized twenty radio station general managers around the country in their most recent issue. Mary Boyle of WGN Radio was among them.

 

*Podcast Corner

=Former Loop Morning co-host Dobie Maxwell has a new podcast with fellow comedian Vince Carone. It’s called Put Your Funny Where Your Mouth Is, and it’s a very entertaining discussion about comedy.

=According to Axios Chicago, Erin Allen is moving from co-hosting the WBEZ podcast The Rundown to the team at Curious City.

=Sound Opinions pays tribute to Chicago blues legend Nick Gravenites

=The Hollywood Reporter profiles Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper

=You won't get a bigger guest than Al Pacino. Conan O'Brien and Marc Maron both interviewed the movie icon on their podcasts this week.

 

*Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Threatens Radio Host’s Job

=Remember the fun days of Mike Ditka lashing out at radio and television hosts in Chicago? Jerry Jones just took it up a notch in Dallas. Awful Announcing has more.

 

*Jeff Davis Releases Book of Poetry

=Here’s what he announced this week via Facebook…

Already available with Kindle, the print versions will be available in a few days. It's called "Echoes From the Canyon." I'll let you know when it goes live.

 

*WGN Radio Studios Used in TV Movie

=Talk about a true Chicago location…

Lights...camera...action! WGN Radio was a location for the upcoming Chicago-made @verymerryent holiday movie "Christmas on the Ranch" See it on @hulu Nov. 1! https://t.co/rdUIFlPxzD

— WGN Radio 720 (@WGNRadio) October 16, 2024

*Warren Buffett Quietly Buying Sirius/XM Stock

=He now owns 32% of it. CNBC reports.

 

 

*Kamala Harris Interviewed by Charlamagne

=It aired over 130 iHeart radio stations. Inside Radio recapped the interview.

 

*Music News

=Martin Scorsese has a new film coming in November to Disney+ about the Beatles and their 1964 trip to America. Looks like I have to wait a few more months to cancel my Disney+.

=The Hits Keep Coming For Diddy. Six new lawsuits were filed against him this week. CNN has the details.

 

*Rest in Peace

=Liz Wilde

Former Loop evening personality (mid-90s). Real name Anne Whittemore Firestone. She was only 52.

=Liam Payne

Former singer in One Direction. Fell off his balcony in Buenos Aires. He was 31. 

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*October 13--Roseanne Tellez birthday.

=Roseanne has been on television in Chicago since the mid-90s at CBS-2, WGN-9, and Fox-32.

*October 13—Ty Bentli birthday

 =The former Kiss-FM host is now out in Los Angeles.

 

*October 14—Jerry Bryant birthday

=Host of JBTV.

*October 14—Lisa Wolf birthday

=Former WGNer and current AM 560 air personality

 

*October 15--Harry Teinowitz birthday

=I’ve interviewed Harry many times over the years, including about his Jeff Award-nominated play When Harry Met Rehab. Of course Harry is probably better known for his radio career. I interviewed him about that for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2007.  

 

*October 15, 1934—John Coleman birthday

=Former Chicago weatherman John Coleman is remembered here in Chicago for his wacky antics at Channel 7, but his greatest achievement was probably founding the Weather Channel. Coleman passed away in 2018. (Photo: as part of the Eyewitness News Team in 1972) 

*October 15—Ted Cox birthday

=Ted wrote about the media for The Reader and The Daily Herald.

 

*October 16, 1975

=A drunk Charlie Rich announces John Denver’s CMA Award. It did not go well…

*October 16--Johnny Mars birthday

=WXRT royalty.

*October 17--Mitch Rosen birthday

=The head honcho at the Score.  I had a chance to interview Mitch back in 2011 for Chicago Radio Spotlight.

 

*October 17--LeeAnn Trotter birthday

=Entertainment/Lifestyles Reporter at WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago

 

*October 18—Mark Edwards birthday

= The former WLIT program director was kind enough to chat with me back in 2008.

 

*October 18—Patty Martin birthday

=The former WXRT and WDRV music director. I interviewed Patty back in 2011.

 

*October 18—Stan Lawrence birthday

=The other half of Ebony & Ivory on AM 1000 back in the day (that's us below) Also co-hosted radio shows with Terry Armour (WCKG) and Seka (The Loop), and contributed to Chicago Tonight on WTTW, but is probably best known for his contributions to the Steve & Garry show over the years.

 

*October 19--John Williams birthday

=The long-time WGN midday talker was featured in this Illinois Entertainer piece I wrote back in 2020.

 

*October 19--Alan Krashesky birthday

=The recently-retired long-time WLS-TV anchor.

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*The Top Draw in TV Remains Football

=To give you an idea how popular NFL football is right now, Amazon Prime’s growth has eclipsed all the other streaming services since they added Thursday night football.

=And it’s not just with English-speaking fans. This year’s Super Bowl will be simulcast on two different Spanish-language outlets, Telemundo and Fox Desportes.

*Jim Gaffigan at the Al Smith Dinner

=Kamala didn't attend. Trump wasn't funny. But Jim Gaffigan had his moments...

 

*Blackhawks Chairman Danny Wirtz Disappointed in CHSN Rollout

=It has been bumpy to say the least. They still haven’t made deals with some of the biggest carriers like Comcast. The Sun Times has more.

 

*JB on the Mend

=From his Facebook page…

 

*Cable News Corner

=Kamala Harris gets interviewed by Fox News. Based on my X-feed, the interview was a Rorschach test. Partisans on both sides think that they “schooled” the other side. Pretty sure one (or both) are wrong.

=MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell wins 2024 Gracie Icon Award

=North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson Sues CNN Over Porn Story

 

STAGE/SCREEN

 

*Ben Mankiewicz Interviews Al Pacino

=This was done for CBS, but it’s a really great interview of one of the best actors of his generation.

 

*Rick Kogan Reviews Debut Novel of Director Andrew Davis

=Davis directed “The Fugitive” among other films. He’s a Chicagoan. Kogan assesses his first crack at writing a novel.

 

*Rest in Peace

=Mitzi Gaynor

Star of “South Pacific”. Appeared on the same Ed Sullivan Show as the Beatles (from Miami). She was 93.

 

DIGITAL/PRINT

 

*Gallup: Trust in Media at Record Low

=The numbers aren’t great. 31% trust mainstream media. 33% trust it sometimes. 36% trust it never.

 

*The Olivia Nuzzi-Ryan Lizzo Saga Continues

=They met in court this week. To say that some of the details are salacious is a bit of an understatement. I’m thinking RFK’s wife isn’t thrilled with the “impregnate” portion of the testimony.

 

*Guitar Player Magazine Going On-Line Only

=It’s a growing trend. Luckily it’s not going away entirely.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*Free Speech Absolutist?

=That’s what Elon Musk said he was. He also worked with the Trump campaign to keep the leaked JD Vance files off the platform.

 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.

Publishing Portal--April 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.

*Author Birthday!

=April 30 would have been the birthday of Eckhartz Press author Chet Coppock, who wrote his last (and most highly regarded) book Your Dime, My Dance Floor for us in 2018. Chet died the following year, but as long as Eckhartz Press is in business, Chet's words and photos live on...

The Loop Files

=This week: The Loop goes somewhere it's never been before! A public library. Rick Kaempfer will be appearing at the Ela Public Library in Lake Zurich on May 1 from 7-8pm. Find out more information about it here.

=Next weekend: May 11. Another one that is destined to bring out the fellow Loopers. Jeff Hoover from the WGN-TV morning news (a former Looper himself) is helping to host this party.

=Three of the contributors to the Loop Files are celebrating birthdays this week. Lee Abrams (April 29) was the man who created the Graffiti Loop era (middle of first photo) and Larry Wert (April 30) was the boss man during the second heyday of the Loop (in the late 80s/early 90s). In addition, Greg Gumbel (May 3) was on  hand during the most famous moment in Loop history, Disco Demolition. That's Greg below interviewing Steve Dahl that day at Comiskey Park.

Grammar Moses

=Jim Baumann has been the executive editor of the Daily Herald for the past few years. This week he announced  in his final Grammar Moses column that he was retiring from the paper, effective May 10. Jim says he'll be working on the great American novel in his retirement. Maybe that will lead to his second Eckhartz Press book.

Surviving Sue

=Vicki Atkinson will be appearing next week in Palos Heights. More information about that upcoming appearance here.

Mob Adjacent

=The man who ran the mob in Chicago for decades, Tony Accardo, would have been celebrating a birthday this week. He's not around anymore, but he certainly makes a few appearances in the Eckhartz Press book Mob Adjacent, by Jeffrey and Michael Gentile. 

*Happy Anniversary!

=Two Eckhartz Press books were released this week in 2020, Grace Fights Covid 19 by Ken Korber (May 1) and The Unplanned Life by Roger Badesch (May 3). This Q&A of Roger appeared on our website that week.

 EveryCubEver

=This week in 2019, the first edition of EveryCubEver was released. Author Rick Kaempfer appeared on WGN-TV Morning News doing a Cubs bit with Larry Potash, Mike Toomey, Pat Tomasulo, and Dean Richards. It led to Rick getting his own IMDB page. That same week the EveryCubEver launch party was held at Moretti's in Mt. Prospect. If you were one of the many thousands who bought that first edition, it's definitely time to update. There are 600 more entries in the 6th edition that came out this month.

 Monkey in the Middle

=This week in 2016, Dobie Maxwell appeared on Mancow's show on the Loop. It was exactly ten years after Dobie's biggest fan Drew Olson joined OnMilwaukee.com. This is what Drew had to say about Dobie and his book...

• “If you grew up in Milwaukee in the 1970s or ’80s, you knew about Samson – the huge, famous and hugely famous gorilla that resided at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Samson, who now resides in that “jungle in the sky,” thrilled generations of visitors, even when he was eating and sleeping. Dobie Maxwell’s book, Monkey in the Middle, tells the tale of a much lesser-known gorilla / bank robber in our shared hometown. Once you start reading this story, you might not feel like eating or sleeping until you’ve finished. It’s a story of friendship, loyalty, betrayal and conscience told by a comedian with a knack for pointing out absurdly funny moments during a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride.”

  Drew Olson | On-air host/ESPN Wisconsin

 Chasing the Lost City

=This week in 2018, Eckhartz Press author Tom Weinberg appeared on Chicago Tonight to talk about his fascinating new book Chasing the Lost City...

Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=This week in 2013, John Landecker & Rick Kaempfer were interviewed by the Daily Herald about Landecker's memoir Records Truly Is My Middle Name. 

Cheeseland

=This is the anniversary (April 28) of author Frederick Lee Brooke debuting his series of mystery books. Brooke is a big fan of Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson's 2012 novel Cheeseland. Here's what he had to say about it...

• If you liked Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show, you’ll love Cheeseland, Chicago’s answer to that Texas classic. Highly recommended!

  Frederick Lee Brooke, the Annie Ogden Mysteries

In Small Boxes

=Author Jim Korkoris (born May 4) is a fan of fellow author Ann Wilson's memoir In Small Boxes. This is what he had to say about her Eckhartz Press book...

• At times, poignant, sad and very funny. A wonderfully unique coming of age story. We will all see pieces of ourselves and our lives
  in this book.

  — Jim Kokoris, author of four novels including It’s. Nice. Outside.

Grun Weiss Vor!

=One of the biggest stars to ever play for Green White Soccer Club, Illinois Soccer Hall of Famer Joe Filian is celebrating a birthday this week (May 1). Joe is featured prominently in the book Grun Weiss Vor, including this photo from his time on the New York Cosmos.

 

Doin the Cruise

=This week marks the anniversary of the Kent State Massacre (May 4, 1970). One of our authors was actually there that day, and wrote about it in his memoir Doin the Cruise, Mitch Michaels. Mitch was already in radio in those days and it would be just a few short years later when he arrived on the dial in Chicago. 

 

Rick and Dave

=During the pandemic Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern were Zoom-interviewed by the Chicago Writers Association about Eckhartz Press. This interviewed happened this week (May 2) in 2021.

Publishing Portal--March 19, 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.

 

Happy Birthday!

Two Eckhartz Press authors are celebrating a birthday this week. Happy birthday Rich King (March 18) and Mitch Michaels (March 20) 

 Happy Anniversary!

Two Eckhartz Press books had book launch parties this week, Cameo by Beth Jacobellis (2018) and Nose Over Toes by Janet Sutherland (2019). Photos from those book launch parties are below. By the way, this is 20th anniversary of Janet's aneurysm (which is what the book is about). She is still going strong.

Surviving Sue

=A peek inside Vicki Atkinson's book...

Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=This week in 2013 was a big week for Records Truly Is My Middle Name. You don't really know what you have with a book until the Chicago Tribune's Rick Kogan chimes in. His excellent review in the Tribune came out this week, and Rick also conducted this interview in the Tribune newsroom.

St. Patrick's Day

=St Patrick's Day has always been a big day for Eckhartz Press. Our Irish cup runneth over. Joel Daly (The Daly News) covered the parade for Channel 7 for 40 years. John Landecker been has going to the parade since the 1970s (photo below with Bob Sirott) and Brendan Sullivan (The Living Wills) wrote a piece for us about what it means to grow up South Side Irish. It's all here.

Monkey in the Middle

=This week in 2016, Dobie Maxwell was making the rounds in his native Milwaukee. He had a big appearance at Shank Hall.

Back in the DDR

=In 2023, Windy City Reviews dropped an incredible review of Rick Kaempfer's novel Back in the DDR...

• “For those reminiscing on or wishing they could have visited Cold War Europe, this reviewer has the next best alternative for you, in the form of Rick Kaempfer’s fascinating new novel Back in the D.D.R. In his highly polished and breezy writing style, Kaempfer takes the reader on a literary adventure of a lifetime, back to Checkpoint Charlie and the whispers of espionage.

  Having an understanding of the geography, when added to Kaempfer’s descriptive and detailed writing, helps to transport the reader to these locations. Indeed, the reader may begin to feel as if they are physically accompanying Rudi and his family as they travel.

  This fantastic story ends on a triumphal note for thirteen-year-old Rudi, who is forced to mature in a short time. Emblematic of this dawning maturity is when Rudi states, “In Chicago I always felt like a German boy pretending to be American, in Germany I discovered that I was not pretending.”

  Charles Kuner, Windy City Reviews

=Also, coming later this week to Rick's blog, a free excerpt from the book. On March 20, 1976, Patty Hearst was convicted, an event woven into the pages of Back in the DDR. That portion of the book will be posted on Thursday.

 

Cubsessions

=Two of the contributors to Cubsessions are celebrating birthdays this week, actor Gary Sinese (March 17) and Shawon Dunston (March 21). Dunston himself doesn't appear in the book, but the man who created the Shawon-O-Meter (Dave Cilha) does. That's Dave (on the far right) at one of the Cubsessions book signings.  Others in the photo--author Randy Richardson, former Cubs ball girl Kathy Wolter, and Ronnie Woo Woo.

 

The Loop Files

=This week in 1989, Steve Dahl got his vasectomy live on the radio, and Garry Meier had to describe it. That story is told in the pages of The Loop Files. 

 

=When the Eagles came to Chicago a few weeks ago, Joe Walsh mentioned Steve & Garry on stage...

=Joe is also in the book...

Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind 

=This week in 1861, Benedictine Sisters of Chicago founded. Eckhartz Press author Vicki Quade is a huge supporter of the organization, and they, in turn, are huge supporters of Vicki...

• “Vicki Quade’s new book reminds me of Martin Buber’s quote which was always a favorite of mine: All real living is meeting. Anyone who loves or wants to know Chicago will enjoy Vicki’s keen humor and vivid memories. They invite us to find new ways to live and laugh, especially during this pandemic isolation. Maybe it will encourage some to write their own memories of human encounters!”

  Sister Patricia Crowley, O.S.B., Benedictine Sisters of Chicago

 

Safe Inside

=This week in 2020, Lee Kingsmill's great book was given a long and heartfelt endorsement by WGN Radio's Steve King and Johnnie Putman. 

 Always a Pleasure

=This week in 2023, Chuck Swirsky pitched his memoir Always a Pleasure in Canada. It was a coming home of sorts for Swirsky who was the play-by-play man for the Raptors for many years. 

Chili Dog MVP

=One of the 1972 White Sox is celebrating a birthday this week (March 23). Jim Geddes is featured in the pages of Chili Dog MVP. 

EveryCubEver

=The first day of Spring is this week, or as we call it at EveryCubEver headquarters, the first day of Jack Spring.

=The new version of the book is coming soon!