Media Notebook--4-12-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

 

*WLS 100

=This weekend you'll want to tune in to this...

=One of the many interviews of former WLS personalities featured recently. Steve Cochran interviews Bill Leff

=Since today is the actual 100th anniversary, here's some light reading for you. My interviews with some of the all-time WLS greats (in alphabetical order). Click on their names to read the interviews.

Chuck Buell

Roe Conn

Jeff Davis

John Dempsey

Tommy Edwards

John Gehron

Les Grobstein

Bob Hale

Catherine Johns

John Records Landecker

Larry Lujack

Garry Meier

Ron Riley

Bob Sirott

Jim Smith

Kris Erik Stevens

Clark Weber

Fred Winston

*Blackhawks Re-Sign with WGN Radio

=The Blackhawks and WGN made the announcement this week. 3 more years. Troy Murray and John Wiedeman will remain on the broadcasts, and Joe Brand will remain on the pre- and post-game shows.

 

*What is George Soros Planning to Do in the Audio World?

=George Soros is a famous liberal financier. He is now the majority owner of Audacy, and recently invested in Crooked Media (the company created by former Obama aides, the hosts of the popular Pod Save America). Why is he putting his money here? Max Tani, the media writer for Semafor, speculates and analyzes.

=According to this piece in Radio Insight, Soros is also in talks to acquire Cumulus broadcasting. In Chicago, Cumulus owns WLS-AM, WLS-FM, and WKQX-FM. Since one company can only own 8 stations in a market (5 FMs, 3 AMs), and Audacy already owns WXRT-FM, WBBM-FM, WBBM-AM, WSCR-AM, WBMX-FM, WUSN-FM, and WCFS-FM, they would be forced to sell at least 2 FM stations if that sale really occurs. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see what Soros would do with conservative talk WLS-AM?

*Dave Benson

=When I heard that former WLUP, WXRT, and WMET jock/music director Dave Benson was programming some internet stations from his home, I had to check them out. I’ve always admired his impeccable taste in music. So, I listened to it this week. Incredible. You can check it out here. He has a jazz station (Thejazzstation365), a mix of rock, blues, indie, folk and more (Bensonic) and one that combines all genres (The Odd Sunday). 

 

 

*Has NPR Lost America’s Trust?

=That’s what current NPR business editor Uri Berliner claims in this essay. I’m guessing he wasn’t welcomed in the NPR hallways with big hugs after this came out.

=Case in point.

 

 

*Podcast Corner

=WGN’s Karen Conti (now also an author) appeared on the True Murder podcast to talk about her book Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy

=Coming soon to your podcast machine: Dora the Explorer.

 

*The Loop Files

=I had a great time on this podcast. Thanks to Vicki & Wynne for having me on...

=Vicki also wrote a wonderful blog about what that station meant to her.

=I’ll be back on the road promoting the book in a few weeks. Next stop is Lake Zurich at the ELA Public Library, May 1^st from 7-8pm. More info is here. I’ll be doing a whole presentation. Register at the link. Seating is limited. I believe they have only 60 seats left. 

 

*Rest in Peace

=Randi Landes

Randy worked at WJMK and ESPN in the traffic department and was a wonderful colleague and friend to those who knew her (including me). She was a huge Cubs fan too. This is Randi with her hero Billy Williams.

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

 

*April 7, 1984

=Steve King marries Johnnie Putman. Congrats on 40 years of marriage.

 

April 7—Melissa Forman birthday

=She’s the morning host on the top-rated radio station in Chicago, WLIT. Melissa has now been in Chicago radio for nearly 30 years. I’ve interviewed her several times, including this 2021 feature in Illinois Entertainer.

 

 

*April 7—Dorothy Humphrey birthday

=Dorothy’s unique voice was one of the highlights of the Kevin Matthews show on AM 1000 back in the day. Dorothy was a traffic reporter in Chicago for many years. In the book The Loop Files she tells an incredible story about jumping out of an airplane on Kevin’s show.

*April 7—Bebe North birthday

=Chicago sportscaster Mike North talked about his wife Bebe so often she became a Chicago radio celebrity in her own right.

 

 

*April 7—John Dacosse birthday

 

*April 8—Esmerelda Leon birthday

=Esmerelda is currently co-hosting the Nick D podcast (with Nick Digilio) on the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.

 

 

*April 8—Doug Dahlgren birthday

=Doug had a good run in Chicago in the 1970s, most prominently at WCFL. I got a chance to interview him for Chicago Radio Spotlight back in 2012.

 

 

*April 8—Tom O’Toole birthday

=Tom was a long-time market veteran. One of his claims to fame: playing the first ever song on the Loop back in 1977.

 

 

*April 8, 1974—Henry Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s record

= I was watching and I’ll never forget it. Vin Scully on the play-by-play…

 

 

*April 9—Dan Levy birthday

=Levy is a prominent voice-over man in Chicago.

 

 

*April 9, 1982—Harry Caray’s first home game as Cubs announcer.

=Fergie Jenkins got the win. Lee Smith got the save. Bill Buckner hit a homer to win it.

*April 10—Robert Murphy birthday

=The great Murphy in the Morning had an incredible run as morning man at Q-101 in the 1980s, and more recently worked at WLS-FM. I had a chance to interview him a few times over the years, most recently in 2014 for Illinois Entertainer.

 

 

*April 11—Ryan Manno birthday

=I interviewed the former Q-101 jock along with his brother back in 2008 for Shore Magazine.

 

 

*April 11—Gil Gross birthday

=Gil was a newsman at WLS-AM back in the 1970s, before taking his skills out to the West Coast and having a very long and successful radio career in San Francisco.

 

*April 12, 1924—WLS Radio is born

=That’s right, WLS is 100 years old. I’ll be at their celebration banquet tonight.

 

*April 12—Larry Schreiner birthday

=Radio’s all-time “street reporter” at WGN, Schreiner passed away in 2014. The WGN radio website did a nice tribute to him at the time. 

 

*April 12—David Letterman birthday

=He looks a little bit like Santa Claus today with that big beard of his, but Letterman will always be remembered as one of the kings of late night television. I interviewed his good pal Tom Dreesen a few years ago on my podcast, and he told some great stories about Letterman. 

 

*April 13—Bob Stroud birthday

=I’ve interviewed Bob many times over the years, including in 2022 for Illinois Entertainer.

 

*April 13—Ken Nordine birthday

=The word-jazz master died in 2019 at the age of 98. The New York Times did a great tribute to him at the time. 

 

*April 13--Amy Guth birthday

=Amy is currently with Crain’s Chicago, but she was with the Tribune and WGN Radio before that.

 

*April 13--Shawn Burke birthday

=Burke was the morning man at Oldies 104.3 WJMK in the early 90s. He currently resides in Florida.

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

 

*Gene Honda

=Gene has been a PA announcer in Chicago for decades (Blackhawks, White Sox, Depaul, University of Illinois, Big Ten Tournament, and NCAA Final Four since 2010), and before that he was a radio guy at WLAK (now known as WLIT), and a TV guy at WTTW.  Fellow Illini.

Gene Honda, the PA announcer of the @MFinalFour, is announcing his last Final Four game tonight 👏

Thanks for all the memories 🙌 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/HNsGeK629s

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 8, 2024

 

*Sports Emmy Award Nominees Announced

=The full list is here. The NFL Network snagged 11 nominations to lead the sports television pack.

 

*Pat Sajak’s Final “Wheel of Fortune” Episode Date Set

=It was announced this week. Mark your calendars. Sajak’s final “Wheel of Fortune” will air on June 7. It was taped on Friday, the final episode of the 41^st season.

=Ryan Seacrest will be taking over for him. He says he’s feeling the pressure.

 

*Roz Varon farewell

=It happened last Friday. Her good friend Bart Shore was there taking pictures...

 

 

*Women’s NCAA Final Sets Ratings Record

=Huge numbers. 18.7 million. Up 89% from last year. And 4 million more than the Men’s Final. Pretty incredible.

 

*Ozempic Jingle

=You've obviously seen and heard that “oh, oh, Ozempic” jingle that is on every television show these days. You may even remember the 1975 song by Pilot it is based on (“Magic”). But did you know it’s the same singer? The New York Times has the story.

=I was only 12 at the time, but when “Magic” came out, it was one of my least favorite songs ever. It’s right up there with “We Built This City” (the still undisputed heavyweight champ of hated songs).

=The Ozempic jingle has rapidly moved up my most hated jingles chart, but still sits in second place behind the Kars-4-Kids jingle.

 

*Conan Returns to the Tonight Show

=It was his first time back in 14 years.

 

 

*Jon Stewart Visits Duke

=And talks to the journalism students there. Hilarity ensues.

 

*ESPN signs 9-year deal with the Mannings

=Technically, it’s a 9-year deal with their production company Omaha Productions, but it includes a deal with Peyton & Eli Manning to continue on their Monday Night Football broadcast.

 

*Hot Mic on the Golf Course

=Remember, Tyrell Hatton is a Brit. If you are sensitive to bad language, don’t click on the video.

There has never been a hotter mic pic.twitter.com/k4rEjFbL0R

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 8, 2024

 PUBLISHING

 

*$everance

=This month the rights to my first novel $everance reverted to me, and I'm now allowed to sell it at Eckhartz Press. I'm still very proud of that book. It predicted many of the changes that have occurred in the media over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, it was a satire, so those predictions were supposed to be ridiculous.

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.

Media Notebook--2-10-23

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

 

*Jim Johnson Update

=Jim Johnson had a legendary career at WLS radio. The newsman was a big of part of shows starring Steve & Garry, Roe & Garry, and Roe and Roeper, among others. Shortly after he retired he was diagnosed with Alzheimers. His daughter Alexis Del Cid is a journalist/anchor/Emmy winner herself, and she has been posting regular updates about her dad and his health status. The one she posted this week really tugged at my heart strings. I asked her if it was Ok to share it, and she said yes.

= Recently when my dad was spending an afternoon at my house, I went through his phone with him. We do this from time to time. I’ll read out the names of friends and relatives he has programmed into it. When one catches his attention- I’ll help him make the call. It gives him joy when he reaches someone who will chat with him. Also, I know one day the people he is calling will yearn to hear his voice. He was on the phone with my Aunt Rosie, his sister. They were on speakerphone. She is always so good about guiding him through the conversation, bringing back childhood memories, gently answering, and steering the ship when he gets off course. She asked him what he was doing. “Well… I’m here at my… my….” He looked at me quizzically. I held my breath. “Who are you to me?”

Since the moment we got the Alzheimer’s diagnosis, this was a moment I had feared, had nightmares about, daymares about, played over in my head, anticipated, rehearsed, dreaded. I always envisioned that when this part happened I would collapse. I would simply fall to my knees and die. I would disintegrate. I could not imagine living after The Moment. But my heart kept beating. I said with a big smile, “Daddy, I’m your daughter, silly!” I gave him a hug and he laughed. “Oh right right! I’m here with my daughter!” The conversation went on. That night I made him baked salmon. And after dinner, I gave him a bowl of ice cream. It was not sugar-free which is all he usually eats. I told him it was a special treat and that when he was at my house we could do whatever we want because dietary rules do not apply. He laughed. I told him whenever he’s with his daughter, he can break all the rules. He laughed every time I said it.

Later he looked at me with a very serious face, “I was wondering… do you think I could have a second bowl?”

“Of course, Daddy. When you’re with me you can do whatever you want!” I gave him another bowl. He was delighted, and as I placed it in front of him he announced, “I love my life!” Later that evening before my mom came to pick him up and I was getting his things together he walked over to me and stood before me with his hand extended. I stood up and shook his hand. Curious. He broke into a big smile and with a glimmer in his bright blue eyes he declared, “You’re my daughter. And we can do whatever the fuck we want.” I burst out laughing and wrapped my arms around him. Amen, Pops.

 

*Johnny B Returns!

=I had just posted my Buzz Kilman interview for this week’s Loop Files on Tuesday when I got wind of a mystery guest appearing on the WGN-TV Morning News. I knew about the show’s connection to Brandmeier (Robin Baumgarten and Jeff Hoover both got their starts on Johnny’s show), so I suspected it might be him. It was! Same boundless energy. He also updated everyone on why we haven’t seen him around lately. Watch the interview here.

 

*Ramblin’ Ray’s New Gig

=Ray Stevens is the new host of Drive Chicago on WLS, Saturday mornings at 8am. For the next few weekends he’ll be out at the Chicago Auto Show, along with Jim OBrill, the Director of Marketing Chicago Automobile Trade Association / Chicago Auto Show and Mark Bilek, the Senior Director of Communications Technology, Chicago Automobile Trade Association.

 

*Dobie Maxwell in Milwaukee

=Dobie is a stand up comedian, but he’s also been a radio guy for thirty years, including a stint at WLUP in the early 00s. Lately he’s been turning up as a fill in doing sports talk in Milwaukee for 97.3FM, The Game. He says: “This is THE most fun I have ever had at a station anywhere - and technically I don't really work there. The staff is fantastic, knowledgeable and fun to work with and I grew up in Milwaukee so I have a lifetime history of sports there.”

 

*Dan McNeil Working on a Book

=I think I may know who the publisher will be…

 

*On the Mend

=You may have noticed that Blackhawks radio voice John Wiedeman wasn’t on the mic for a handful of recent games. The Chicago Tribune interviewed him this week and he explained the reason for his absence. “It just took a long time to get rid of the infection that had taken hold of my body,” Wiedeman told the Tribune. “And I tried to fight through it (but) some point you have to do what’s necessary in order to get rid of it. So that’s what I did.” Joe Brand filled in for him while he was gone.

=Also at WGN, Rollye James hasn't been on the air lately either, but not because of her own health problems. Her husband John had a stroke. Her website has the full (pretty optimistic) update.

 

*Podcast Corner

=If you haven’t heard him yet, local Chicago treasure Duane Scott Cerny (co-owner of The Broadway Antique Market) appears bi-monthly on Amber LeMay Live! with his "Amber's Crazy in the Attic" segments. It's live on Sundays via Facebook and YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and every platform that aren't shoes. (That’s Duane’s joke. The man is a stitch.)

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

 

*February 6, 1964, WCIU-TV signed on the air.

=It was Chicago’s first UHF station at the time.

 

*February 6—Ed Tyll birthday

=You might not like what he says, but he’ll say it anyway, Ed Tyll. The nighttime talker worked at AM 1000 for a few years in the early 90s. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2010.

 

*February 8, 2000—Bob Collins passed away.

=The legendary WGN morning man's death was dramatic and shocking. He died in a plane crash. Chicago Radio Archives and Memories posted the audio of WMAQ’s coverage of that day. Photo of Bob Collins courtesy of Spike O’Dell.

*February 8—Bob Shomper birthday

=The former program director of WGN (2006-2009) is now retired.

 

*February 8, 2018—John Landecker gets a diploma

= Landecker had dropped out of college in the late 60s to take a radio job in Philadelphia. He was just a few hours short of a degree at the time. When he was asked to speak at his old school (Grand Valley State University), unbeknownst to him, the University had a big surprise for him. It’s a great story. I wrote about it for Illinois Entertainer.

 

*February 10—Alex Burkholder birthday

=Alex was an investigative reporter/producer for WGN-TV (21 years) and WLS-TV (24 years) working alongside the great John Drury. Burkholder is the author Death of the Angels, about the fire that claimed so many lives at Our Lady of the Angels school in 1958.

 

*February 11—Jim Moran birthday

=I interviewed the former WLS man in 2011 for Chicago Radio Spotlight.

 

*February 11—Rob Creighton birthday

=Creighton worked at Next Media in the Chicago suburbs as a programmer and air talent.

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*RIP Jack Taylor

=Anyone who grew up in Chicagoland in the 60s and 70s remembers the legendary anchorman Jack Taylor wearing that mustard yellow blazer on the WGN-TV news. He was 94 years old when he passed away this week. WGN paid tribute to him. 

 

*Network Corner

=Disney’s first earnings report since CEO Bob Iger returned exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. So naturally, Disney announced they would be cutting over 7000 jobs. The New York Times has the full story. Lots of big changes coming, including the spinning off of ESPN (probably to sell it), and a focus on the streaming service.

=James Corden’s replacement was named this week. Remember the Comedy Central show @Midnight? It’s getting a reboot.

=Speaking of reboots. Not sure how I feel about this one. Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese, was one of my all-time favorite shows. This week Cleese announced that he is bringing the show back. Read this piece about it in the New York Times.

 

*Tom Brady Not Quite Ready for the Broadcast Booth

=Don’t worry. He’ll be there soon. Just not this upcoming NFL season. He made that announcement this week.

=Jeff Agrest has a great piece in the Sun-Times about the man Brady will probably share the booth with when he finally starts broadcasting: Kevin Burkhardt. 

 

*US House Decides to Restrict C-SPAN cameras

= Despite considering giving C-SPAN a little more leeway, the U.S. House of Representatives opted not to. Vanity Fair has the story.

*The Grammy Awards

=Believe it or not, this year’s Grammy Awards show was a ratings hit. If you missed the show, the full list of winners is here.

 

PRINT MEDIA

 

*The Chicago Tribune hires Lizzie Kane as business reporter.

=Before coming to the Tribune in January, she worked at Bloomberg, the Indianapolis Star and the Baltimore Brew.

 

*Block Club Chicago’s new West Side reporter is Trey Arline.

=Arline was previously with the Daily Herald and the cannabis newsletter Grown In.

 

*David Jackson leaves the BGA

=Jackson is one of the best investigative reporters around. He previously worked for the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Reader. He won a Pulitzer, and was a four time Pulitzer finalist. Jackson joined the BGA in 2020. The BGA has lost some other big names the past few years including another Pulitzer winner, Madison Hopkins.

Today was my last day @BetterGov:

After 29 months of flat-out reporting with the best in our profession,

I'm grateful for every one of the great friends I made - and all the good we got to do together!

— david jackson (@poolcar4) January 30, 2023

 

*News Corp to Lay off 1000

=Another media company laying off a lot of people (this time in the print world mostly). The Hollywood Reporter has the news.

*Springsteen Fanzine To Shut Down In Protest Over Ticket Prices

=When the face value of a concert ticket has four digits, it no longer fits the working man’s budget. That caused the longtime Springsteen fanzine Backstreets to end their publication. The Guardian has more on this story.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*Elon Musk’s Work/Sleep Balance

=After reading this piece in the Wall Street Journal, I’m relatively sure that Elon Musk is miserable. He does two things: works and sleeps. And the sleep is an afterthought at best.

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...

Minutia Men:  Circumstantial Evidence

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview: Friday Night Light's Louanne Stephens

Minutia Men Celebrity Interivew: The Mad Drummer Steve Moore

Free Kicks with Adam & Rick: Breaking the Law

From the Eckhartz Book Shelf: Best Seat in the House, Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher

EveryCubEver: Bill Faul

My latest novel: Back in the D.D.R