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