MEDIA NOTEBOOK
A curation of news items about the media from this past week, with a particular emphasis on Chicago.
RADIO/PODCASTS
*Chicago Radio Ratings
=The numbers for July are out, and here are the top ten rated stations in Chicago (M-Sun, 6am-Mid,
6+)…
WDRV—6.6
WVAZ—6.5
WLIT—5.9
WXRT—5.3
WBBM-AM—5.2
WUSN—4.0
WLS-FM—3.9
WRME-FM—3.9
WOJO—3.1
WBMX—3.0
WTMX—3.0
=The Drive is back on
top after a big month (+0.5) but take a look at WRME’s (Me-TV FM) numbers. The
little engine that could moved up a whole ratings point (1.0) in the last month
to vault into the top ten (tied for 7th). WXRT also took a nice jump
(+0.6) to finish in fourth.
=On the other side of
the ledger, the biggest drop occurred at US-99 (WUSN). They are down over a
full point (-1.1). WLIT (-0.7) and WOJO
(-0.6) also took a hit.
*Is Danny Parkins
Leaving the Score?
=According to this piece in Barrett Media, Parkins has been offered a seven-figure deal to move to FS1.
=If he is leaving, it won’t be in the next few weeks. Next week he is hosting the Score’s Cubs-for-a-Cure Radiothon beginning at 10am.
*White Sox Announcer
Escalates Fight with the Score
=Yes, it’s true that
Score talk show hosts have been pretty rough on new White Sox TV Play-by-Play
man John Schriffen. But I don’t think this is a good way for him to win them
over. Awful Announcing reports.
*Remembering Triad Radio
=Really interesting piece in the Reader about Triad Radio. It went off the air in 1977, but while
it was around, the commercial free experimental station (remember the term
“progressive rock”?) made its mark. Saul Smaizys is now trying to
digitize his archives.
*Rewound Radio
=It’s coming back again
this Labor Day weekend, a tribute to WCFL and WLS. A whole weekend of airchecks
with music and original commercials from the all-time great jocks of the 1960s
and 1970s. I interviewed Ted Gorden Smucker about it this week for Illinois
Entertainer and I’m very excited. He even sent me a few promos, which I’ll give
you between now and then. Here’s one of my all-time favorites, the great Fred
Winston. Listen to Fred’s quips in this 40 second bit. Is there anyone better?
*Music News
=Taylor Swift shows in Austria were canceled because of a threatened terrorist attack.
=Steven Tyler’s vocal injury will prevent the band from ever performing again. Variety has the details. I only saw them in concert once, in 1984 in Springfield IL, and it did not go well. (This was pre-rehab). Tyler fell off the stage during the first song, the band got into a fight on stage, and just like that, show over.
*Ex-Chicago Radio
=Jaybeau Jones
was once a program director in Chicago (Jammin’ Oldies). He is now the new morning man on Frank-FM in New Hampshire. For the past twelve years he was on
Sirius/XM.
=Native Chicagoan (Former B-96 and WSHE) Rob Rose has gone into radio sales in Columbia, Missouri.
*Podcast Corner
=Hubbard named a new
VP/Podcasts this week. John Goforth is his name. He is based in Chicago.
=The Pod Save America
gang is undergoing a bit of labor unrest. Variety has the details.
=One of the most popular podcasters in America is Joe Rogan, the comedian. But how good is he at comedy? The New York Times reviews his latest Netflix special.
=Another popular podcaster, Bill Simmons, will become a free agent in 2025. That’s when his contract with Spotify runs out.
*Rest in Peace
Transformed WIND from a music station into a news/talk station. He was 76 years old.
Scott Simon eulogizes his NPR colleague. She was 75.
Treasurer of the
Illinois Broadcasters Association. He was 74.
MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES
*August 4, 1957—Robin Robinson birthday
=For many years Robin anchored the marquee newscast at Fox-32. She retired a few years ago after a distinguished career.
*August 4—Phil
Manicki birthday
=Former Loop/Drive
jock was a fixture of rock radio in Chicago for decades. My 2019
Illinois Entertainer interview with Phil is here. He also did a stint as a fill-in host at WGN, but for the last year
or so he has been the program director of Me-TV FM. I interviewed him about that earlier this year.
*August 4—Scott May birthday
=Scott worked with
Kevin Matthews on the Loop, with Mort Downey Jr.’s television show, and is
currently the keyboardist for the Ides of March. I interviewed him last year for my podcast.
*August 5, 1962
=Marilyn Monroe
found dead in Los Angeles. This is the Newsreel report on the day of her death.
*August 5—Geoff
Pinkus birthday
Geoff is a former
WIND/WCKG talker. My 2008
Chicago Radio Spotlight interview with Geoff is here.
*August
6—Fahey Flynn birthday
=Fahey
Flynn was born this week in 1916. He also passed away this week in
1983. Fahey was one of the most popular and successful television news anchors
in Chicago history, especially during his time paired with Joel Daly at
Channel 7.
*August 6—Elizabeth Hess birthday
=Elizabeth worked at WJMK
and WCKG in Chicago, and later co-hosted a show on WDWS-Champaign Urbana.
*August 6—Tom Kent birthday
=Kent was a veteran of the
WLS music era, and became the president of the Tom Kent Radio Network, which
syndicated programming to 600 stations nationwide. He passed away earlier this
year.
*August 7—Lorna Ozmon birthday
=Lorna was an air
personality (WKQX), and program director (WTMX) in Chicago. She is now a very
successful radio consultant and has been for decades.
*August 7—Chuck Knapp birthday
=Chuck is another alumni
of the WLS-AM music era (1971-1972) and WCFL-AM.
*August 8, 1958—Deborah
Norville birthday
=The host of Inside
Edition worked locally here at Channel 5. For one of the greatest
stories you’ll ever hear about Deborah, check out cameraman Chuck Quinzio’s
book Life Behind the
Camera.
*August
9—Bob Sirott birthday
=The WGN
Morning man was inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
September. Click here to read
my most recent profile of Bob from 2021.
*August 9--Fred Weintraub birthday
=Fred is
a Renaissance man. He co-hosts a radio show from all over the globe, covers the
Royal family, and handles the local high school sports programming for
WCIU-TV. I interviewed him in 2020.
*Pat Boyle Re-Signs with Blackhawks TV
=He confirmed the news himself this week on X/Twitter
I can confirm.. Let’s Go!!! https://t.co/xNFq67ityh
— Pat Boyle (@BoyleNBCS) August 7, 2024
*Thom
Brennaman’s Second Chance
=There are a couple of interesting nuggets in this piece about Thom Brennaman and his return
to sports broadcasting. Among them, the roles played by NexStar’s Perry Sook
and Sean Compton. They championed his return.
=The Chicago native and former WGN radio announcer got a promotion this week in Boston. He moves from the radio booth to the television booth on Boston Bruins broadcasts. Judd is the nephew of WGN Radio morning man Bob Sirott.
*Colin Jost’s Bumpy Ride as a Surfing Correspondent
=He was in Tahiti
covering the Olympic surfing events, which sounded like a dream gig. But he cut
his foot and got a staph infection. Then he got an ear infection. And now he’s back home.
*Price
Hikes Coming for ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu
=Also, I’m guessing the folks at Disney aren’t thrilled with Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. They’ve asked the DOJ to investigate the new sports streaming service Venu as a monopoly.
*Cable
News Corner
=CNN’s media reporter Oliver Darcy has left the network to start a media newsletter called
Status.
*Barkley
Not Retiring After All
=This week he signed a new long-term contract with TNT. 10 years/$210 million, despite the
fact that there will only be one more season of NBA basketball on TNT. Should
be interesting to see what else they assign him to do in the following years.
*Maya
Rudolph
=Not sure if
there’s anyone more excited about Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign than
Maya Rudolph. She’ll be back on SNL this season to portray Kamala on the show.
*Art Norman
=It turns out
that Donald Trump’s appearance at the NABJ conference wasn’t the only thing
that happened there…
Watch this wonderful story by @nbcchicago @Charlienews honoring @artnorman. @NABJ inducted Art into the Hall of Fame at the Chicago conference https://t.co/nBWyWd9LY1 via @YouTube
— Sally Ramirez (@SallyRamirez) August 3, 2024
*Fergie and
Kenny
=Like I said,
it turns out that Donald Trump’s appearance at the NABJ conference wasn’t the
only thing that happened there…
Greatly honored to have been honored by the NABJ
— ferguson Jenkins (@FergusonJe2831) August 3, 2024
Recieved the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award with these other Great Chicago nominees
Walter Payton, Candace Parker, Isaiah Thomas,
Bill McKinney, Dorothy Gaters, Kenny McReynolds, Ken Williams, the 1991-1992 National Championship Chicago… pic.twitter.com/YgIJ6wBt1F
*Rest in
Peace
Asian-American
actress, starred in television (Star Trek Next Generation) and films (Gung Ho).
She was 70.
Showrunner/writer/producer
for NCIS. He was 82.
DIGITAL/PRINT
*Broadcasting
+ Cable to Cease Print Publication
=The news was announced this week.
Print editions will cease at the end of September. The newsletter will also go
away but will be replaced by “a new curated SmartBrief newsletter on Media and
Entertainment.”
*Layoffs
at Axios
=50 people
across the country, or about 10% of their staff.
NEW: Axios is laying off 50 people across the company. CEO @JimVandeHei just sent out this note — which says the layoffs are because of “changes in the media business” pic.twitter.com/lLVemNFh0N
— Katie Robertson (@katie_robertson) August 6, 2024
=One of
Bloomberg’s top reporters Jennifer Jacobs was fired for violating the embargo
on the story. An editor has been demoted. The New York Times has more.
STAGE/SCREEN
*Vince
Vaughn Interview
=I thought
this profile of Lake Forest’s very own Vince Vaughn was very revealing. He
talks about his upbringing in a way I hadn’t heard before. It was in the Sunday
New York Times.
*Bill &
Ted on Broadway
=The actors
who played Bill & Ted in the movies, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, are
going to co-star again, but this time on Broadway. And no, it’s not a stage
version of Bill & Ted. They’ll be doing “Waiting for Godot”.
*Glengarry Glen Ross Revival Coming to Broadway
=Check out this cast...Kieran Culkin, Bill Burr, and Bob Odenkirk.
*Rest in
Peace
Hollywood
agent to stars like Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe. Inspiration for the film The
Apartment. Click on his name to read the obit. What an interesting life! He
was 97.
SOCIAL MEDIA/TECH
*Google
Loses Monopoly Case
=This is
probably the biggest story in the media news this week. Google has legally been
declared a monopolist. CBS News explains the implications of this decision.
=Six ways the Google case could change the internet
*Grok
Pushing Misinformation on X
=Five Secretaries
of State are urging X to fix their AI Chatbot Grok, which sent out false
information about the upcoming election. Reuters has this story.
*Google
Pulls AI Ad
=Perhaps you
saw the ad while you were watching Olympic coverage. It was about AI helping a
child write a fan letter to an athlete. I must admit, it bugged me when I saw
it. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Google has pulled the ad.
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.
