Showing posts with label John Dempsey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Dempsey. Show all posts

Friday, August 25, 2023

Media Notebook--8-25-23















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

 

*Joey Boy Leaves B-96

=He announced the news on his Instagram feed this week:

I’ve decided to take my “talents” back to Phoenix‼️ I have made a personal decision to come back HOME. First to be with ALL my kids and loved ones. And secondly, to focus on my well being, as well as my attention on the Valley. Rockin for you Mornings, on Live 101.5‼️ With that said. The other members of the show decided to still rock for you in Chicago and I wish them nothing but good luck and success.

=The show, which had been simulcasting in Phoenix, will simulcast no more. The rest of the B-96 show is Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepard and Karla Hernandez. The station is looking for a replacement for Joey Boy. Click here if you want to know more.


 

*National Radio Day

=I always look forward to National Radio Day (August 20). It’s a great day to see old pictures from radio’s heyday. This one is my favorite from this year’s batch. Sky Daniels…


 

 

*ESPN Radio Changing Transmitters

=I’ve actually been out to the old transmitter, which still has the WCFL call letters on it. ESPN 1000 announced this week they have applied to move to a new transmitter, 20 miles south, at the night site of WCPT’s tower in Willow Springs. Good Karma (owner of ESPN 1000) is not selling the old transmitter because they never owned it. It still belongs to Disney. ESPN would still be 50,000kw during the day, and 38,000kw during the night.

 

 

*50 Years of Charlie Meyerson

=Charlie’s career has included stops at WXRT, WNUA, and WGN, and he is currently the editor-in-chief of Chicago Public Square, but this week also marks the 50th anniversary of his career launch at the University of Illinois radio station WPGU. Congrats to Charlie.


 

*Bernie Tafoya Steps Back

=In case you missed it, at the end of June, WBBM morning reporter Bernie Tafoya announced he was stepping back from his full-time reporting job after (only) 37 years at the radio station, and 25 years as the morning reporter. I know what you’re thinking. “But I still hear him on the air!” Well, it’s not a full-fledged retirement. Bernie just cut down to three days a week.

=How tough of a reporter is Bernie? He’s a southside Cubs fan. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2009. 

 


*Calling all podcasters!

=This year’s Chicago’s Arts in the Dark parade, a parade of Chicago artists, is also inviting podcasters to participate. If you’re a podcaster and you’d like to participate (there’s no fee), e-mail info@rivet360.com and ask for all the information. They will send it to you. The parade is on October 21st from 4:30-8pm.

 

*Podcast Corner

=The 2023 Most Powerful People in Podcasting

=iHeart starting up a True Crime podcast network. 

=White noise podcasts are costing Spotify millions. It’s algorithm related. 

=A podcast about sobriety. 

=NPR’s podcast chief is leaving. 

 


*Pick the Winner

=These four media pros (Andrea Darlas, Rick DiMaio, Kathy Voltmer, and John Dempsey) golfed together this week. Guess who won? (*The answer at the end of the column)



 

 


MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*August 21—Joel Daly birthday

=The late great newscaster would have been 89 today. My publishing company Eckhartz Press published Joel Daly's book The Daly News in 2014.  My co-publisher David Stern and I had monthly breakfasts with Joel until he got too sick. He was a great storyteller. Joel seemingly met every major historical figure from the second half of the 20th century.



*August 21—Steve Johnson birthday

=The former arts and culture writer for the Chicago Tribune has always been one of my favorite local writers.

 

*August 21—Joe Strummer birthday

=The late Clash guitarist obviously isn’t a member of the Chicago media world, but I do have this picture of him with former WXRT great Bobby Skafish (from Bobby’s book: We Have Company) 



 *August 21—Marcella Raymond birthday

=The former WGN-TV reporter (she just stepped down in June ’23) owns her own public relations firm, Marcella Raymond Media.

 

*August 21—John Filo birthday

=Who is John Filo, you ask? He’s just the guy who won the Pulitzer Prize for taking this photo during the Kent State Massacre. I interviewed him on the 50th anniversary. The story of how he happened to be there to take that photo, and what it took to get it to a newspaper, is a great one. Filo went on to become an executive at CBS.



*August 22—Alison Moran birthday

=Alison is a trailblazer in covering women’s sports. I interviewed her in 2012 for Chicago Radio Spotlight. 

 

*August 22—Darrin Jackson birthday

=The White Sox radio analyst.


 

*August 23, 1991—The World Wide Web

=It’s not that long ago. Think how much it has changed the world. The World Wide Web officially opened to the public this week in 1991.

 

*August 25—Ken Zurski birthday

=Ken is a long-time radio traffic reporter (currently working in Peoria), but he’s also an author. His book is called The Wreck of the Columbia

August 26—Ernie Scatton birthday

=Ernie was one of the blade men (old term, look it up) at ESPN Radio in Chicago for many years.


*August 26—Vicki Truax birthday

=Vicki Truax was a traffic reporter and morning co-host at WJMK in the 1990s. She was also married to the late sportscaster Tim Weigel.


*August 26, 1968—The Whole World is Watching

=This is the anniversary of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which famously ended with a nasty confrontation between Chicago police and war protestors. A friend of mine, local Chicago actor (and son of the police chief at the time) Johnny Conlisk was there. He wrote about that day for myblog a few years ago. 



TV/STREAMING

 

*The Air & Water Show

=Barry Butler took the best pictures…


=Christian Piekos Rode with the US Air Force Thunderbirds, as part of Channel 7’s coverage of last weekend’s Air & Water show

=Stephan Holt Rode with the US Army Golden Knights, as part of Channel 5’s coverage of last weekend’s Air & Water show.

=All well and good but check this out.


 

*Ex-Chicago TV

=Remember Larry Mendte? He was controversial anchor/reporter here in Chicago during his television days at Channel 2 (1991-1995). He is now a conservative talk radio news director. Details are here.


 

*Strike Update

=The two sides are talking at least, although the latest offer was rejected by the union yesterday.



*ESPN Announces New Monday Night Countdown crew

=Suzy Kolber had been the host of the show in previous seasons. She was let go this summer. The new host is Scott Van Pelt. The rest of the crew is noted here. 

 


*Guess Who is a Cult Hero Now?

=Would you believe it’s Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company? I definitely didn’t see this one coming. The New York Times has the story. 

 


*Cable News Corner

=Is Newsmax shaking down non-Trump candidates to appear on their network? 

=CNN considering NYT editor for new boss


 

*Rest in Peace

=Ron Cephas Jones

The “This Is Us” star was only 66 years old.

=David Jacobs

He was the creator of Dallas and Knot’s Landing


 

 

PRINT/DIGITAL


*What happened to theater in Chicago?

=An in-depth piece by Tribune theater critic Chris Jones about an industry devastated by COVID.



*Froomkin vs. Baker

=Dan Froomkin was a reporter for the Washington Post for years and is now a media critic. This piece about New York Times reporter Peter Baker is quite the take-down.



 *Rest in Peace

=John Warnock

Creator of the PDF. He was 82.



SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*More Twitter Controversies

= Elon Musk to Limit Block Feature. Trolls will now have free reign. Just what everybody wants. 

=Twitter will now also remove news headlines. Forbes has the story. 


 

*The winner of the golf outing was Kathy Voltmer.




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...


Minutia Men Podcast: Spiders, Frogs, and Gorillas

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview Podcast: Jim Peterik & Larry Millas from the Ides of March

Free Kicks with Adam & Rick: New Season Kickoff

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.R: Military Family Museum Podcast

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Friday, May 12, 2023

Media Notebook--5-12-23















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

 

 

*Dave Kerner retires

=The WBBM-AM veteran logged a solid 43 years to his career. He announced the news on his Facebook page this week…

 

 

*Suspect Arrested in New Orleans Shooting

=This is a media story because this is the shooting that WXRT disc jockey Terri Hemmert witnessed in New Orleans. The Chicago Tribune has the full story.


 

*Mitch Rosen/Ryan Porth Promotions

=Jeff Agrest of the Sun Times reported that Mitch Rosen was promoted to VP/Brand Manager at the Score, and Ryan Porth, who came to the Score in 2022 from Nashville, is now going to take over the day-to-day responsibilities of running the station.



*RIP Mike Fowler

=Sad news to report. Former Rock 103.5 GM/Oldies 104.3 WJMK GM/ESPN sales manager Mike Fowler passed away over the weekend in Atlanta. He moved down to Atlanta in 2015 as the Audacy market manager there. Last year his family announced that Mike was suffering from ALS. Deepest condolences to his family: Pam, Jack and Emily.


 

*More Info on WLS anniversary

=Last week I posted a piece about the history of WLS, and the anniversary of it becoming a rock (Top-40) station. I heard from long-time WGNer Max Armstrong who told me more about that anniversary. I thought this was fascinating. From Max…”Rick, I was in the Prairie Farmer Magazine archives this week, and it was interesting to see how they treated the switch at WLS 63 years ago. And this was the week that paved the way for my long-time colleague Orion Samuelson. Within four months Ward Quaal had brought Orion down to WGN from WBAY in Green Bay to win over the farmers (and their advertisers) lost in the WLS conversion.”



 

 

*AI-Generated DJs Hit the Airwaves

=Figures. May I offer my “NO” vote on this development?


 

*Julie Chronis joins the Rock 95.5 lineup

=Julie is a traffic reporter for iHeart, but recently added another duty. She holds down the rock and roll fort on Saturdays at 95.5 FM from 11am-4pm.

 

 

*Eddie V & Hannah B

=Congrats to the Star Network radio duo on their one-year anniversary.  


*Ex-Chicago Radio Update

=Bart Shore, one of the most notable traffic reporters in Chicago radio history, moved to North Carolina last year, but he has managed to keep a toe in the broadcasting waters in Brevard, NC on WSQL AM & FM. This is how Bart described it to me: “It is only fill in work as needed, but it allows me to still be mostly retired and come into the station and play the kind of music I love- they let me do whatever I want- (they also air my Zecom and Time Warp Radio Show and Song of the Day)”

=Jim Johnson update. His daughter Alexis Del Cid has been updating everyone about her father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. It’s obviously a difficult situation, but Alexis’ stories are often heartwarming. This one is a good example of it.

=John Dempsey, former WLS newsman, seems to be enjoying his retirement. He was in Ireland this week attending a Bruce Springsteen concert.


 

*The Loop Files

=It posts every Tuesday. This week I featured Garry Meier.


 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*May 7—John “Swany” Swanson birthday

=Swany is the dean of Chicago radio producers. He got his start as a technical producer for Jonathon Brandmeier, but later produced shows by Steve Cochran and Kevin Matthews, and most famously was the executive producer of the long-running Eric and Kathy Show. He still produces the show that emerged from that, the Mix Morning Show. (And, oh yeah, he also co-wrote The Radio Producer’s Handbook with me).

 

*May 7—Dina Bair birthday

=Dina has been with WGN-TV since the mid-90s. She currently co-hosts the WGN Midday News and serves as the station’s medical reporter.

 

*May 10—Andy Masur birthday

=WGN Radio sportscaster Andy Masur has been part of the Chicago Cubs broadcasts (I interviewed him about that in 2010), part of the Chicago White Sox broadcasts (I interviewed him about that in 2020), and part of the San Diego Padres broadcasts. He also writes for Barrett Sports Media.


 

*May 11—Larry Hawley birthday

=Larry is a reporter and producer for WGNTV.com, concentrating mostly on sports.

 

*May 12—George Carlin birthday

=The brilliant comedian would have been 86 years old this week. Sadly, he passed away a long time ago. Shortly before his death, I wrote about my brush with Carlin. The article was written in 2007. It takes place in 2001. 

 

*May 13—Ben Ponzio birthday

=Ben was a professional poker player for a while, but his day job has always been radio salesman. Right now he’s the General Sales Manager for Audacy in Chicago.

 

*May 13—Jim Baumann birthday

=Baumann is the executive editor of The Daily Herald. Last year he also penned a book that collected examples of his popular Grammar Moses column. It’s really quite good, and I don’t just say that because I published it.


*May 13—Mark Giangreco birthday

=The long-time Chicago sportscaster (WMAQ-TV, WLS-TV, ESPN Radio) is no longer on the air in Chicago, but he’s a great follow on Twitter. I was lucky enough to interview him a few times, including once on my podcast, and once for Shore Magazine.



 

TV/STREAMING



*Chicago Tonight Goes Back to Earlier Timeslot

=WTTW moved the show up against the other 10pm newscasts late last year. Well, now they are moving it to 5:30pm, with a re-broadcast at 10:00pm. The station says they may still go live at 10pm on days when there is a particularly compelling breaking news story.


 

*Chicago Headline Club’s Lifetime Achievement Awards

=No one knows for sure who will win the Lisagor Awards handed out at the ceremony tonight, but we do know who is getting recognized with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The prestigious foursome is Dorothy Tucker, Phil Ponce, Rick Pearson, and Chuck Neubauer. There’s more about all four of them here. Best wishes to all the Lisagor nominees tonight, too.


 

*The NATAS Silver Circle Inductees

=It’s the second Friday in a row for media awards in Chicago. Last Friday NATAS inducted new members into the Silver Circle. Among the inductees, Josea Sanders from ABC-7. 

=Channel 2 photographer/editor Mike Klingele was inducted by Dave Savini. 

=NBC-5’s Andy Avalos was introduced by Alex Maragos.


=Also inducted this year, Marlaine Selip, Jay Shefsky, Gail Sikevitz, and posthumous inductees were Vince Lloyd, Bill Hamilton and Donald Farnham. Read more about the awards and the inductees at the Chicago Emmy Online website.

=If you missed it, the entire ceremony will be aired on WCIU-TV on May 21st from 1-2:30pm.

 

 

*Fill a Bag, Fill a Bus

=The Steve Wilkos show on CW26 is doing a food drive to help end hunger. On May 17th, they'll be collecting non-perishable food items at the Jewel Osco on 103rd Street in Oak Lawn from 3-8pm. On May 18th, they'll be at Jewel Osco at 7525 W. Lake Street in River Forest from 3-8pm. 



*RIP Newton Minow

=The former FCC Chairman who famously declared television “a vast wasteland” (and that was 60 years ago), passed away this week at the age of 97. He was a champion of public television, a Peabody winner, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.


 

*Hoover logs 20 years at WGN

=WGN-TV Morning News producer Jeff Hoover showed off his traditional “20-year money clip” on Facebook. Pretty fancy…



 

*MTV News Shuts Down

=There was a time when MTV News was a very influential part of the music media. Granted, that time was decades ago, but it was still a surprise to read the news this week of it’s ultimate demise. The Washington Post has the story.


 

*Cable News Corner

=Trump’s CNN Town Hall Turns into a Trump Rally. Tom Jones at Poynter has a pretty scathing criticism of CNN in his Poynter column.

=Fox isn’t in the apology business, and that could cost them tons of money. NPR reports. 

=Tucker Carlson ready to torch Fox News. So says Axios.

 

 

*Mark Harper Enjoying Retirement

=The local NW Side newspaper The Sounds featured a piece about 11-time Emmy Winner Mark Harper this week. The article was written by his wife, former B-96 newscaster Karen Hand. I can’t link to it because it isn’t on-line, but this photo of the article is pretty easy to read.


 

*Writers Strike May Last for Months

=I’m not optimistic after reading this piece in the New York Times. 

 

 

*ESPN Leading Candidate to Sign Pat MacAfee

=The former NFL punter turned podcast star signed a $120 million deal with Fan Duel, but according to this piece in the New York Post, he’s thinking of walking away from that deal, and ESPN is hovering.


 

*Chicago, Movie Capital of America…at least for one night

=The stars of Sebastian Maniscalco’s new movie were in town over the weekend for the movie premiere. Rick Gieser was there. 


 


PRINT/DIGITAL MEDIA

 

 

*Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced

=Tuesday was the biggest day of the journalism year, the day the Pulitzer Prize winners were announced. Check out the full list here. Among the winners, a father-son team in Alabama. Seriously.


 

*Puck Co-Founder and CEO Leaving Company

=It’s odd that Axios reported this before Puck did, but that’s what happened this week. Puck CEO Joe Purzycky sent a note to the staff saying he was leaving the company, and Axios obtained a copy of it.


 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*Elon Musk Hires Mystery Woman as Twitter CEO

=Who is this woman? 

=The Wall Street Journal speculates the mystery woman is NBC-Universal's Linda Yaccarino.



*Tucker Carlson to Re-Launch Show on Twitter

=He released a video saying he would do it. Variety reported on the news. But there are few things to keep in mind here. First of all, the announcement was very vague. No timetables were given. And there are a lot of legal hurdles that still need to be cleared.



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

The Fifth Edition (2023) of EveryCubEver is also on amazon. Buy your copy today.

Minutia Men: Philharmonic Ecstacy

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview: Hustling Hitler Author Walter Shapiro

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview Classic: Paul Michael Glaser

Free Kicks with Adam & Rick: The Blonde Assassin

Meet the Eckhartz Press Author: Lee Kingsmill

From the Eckhartz Book Shelf: Down at the Golden Coin

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


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