*Q-101
Lawsuit
=When Justin
Nettlebeck left Q-101 last year, I heard rumblings about some pretty
shocking behavior by former program director Troy Hanson. Hanson left the
station a week later. At the time, I tried to get answers to my questions on
the record, but nobody was willing. Well, if this lawsuit filed this week by
Nettlebeck is true, those questions have been answered. Nettlebeck claims Hanson “engaged in abusive
and discriminatory behavior including graphic sexual remarks about female
employees, showing him explicit images in places he couldn’t avoid them and
made sexually-oriented insults toward him.”
When he reported this behavior, Nettlebeck says he was threatened,
harassed, and punished. More info here. It’s not a pretty story.
*Chicago
Radio Ratings
=These are the full 6+, M-Sun, 6A-Mid numbers for the holiday season. Record setting numbers
for WLIT.
*Podcast
Corner
=Current Blackhawks studio analyst, former
player John Scott, also hosts a podcast called “Dropping the Gloves.”
This week he implied that the controversial firing of Blackhawks player Corey
Perry had something to do with a pass Perry made at an NBC colleague. That
apparently is NOT true, and Scott was forced to apologize publicly.
*Lineup Changes at ESPN Radio Chicago
=Beginning on Monday, the ESPN radio lineup will be slightly different. Carmen & Jurko add an hour, and will now air from Noon-3pm. Waddle & Silvy will come in at 2:30 to do 30 minutes of crosstalk, and then will go until 6:30pm.
*Remembering
Lin
=Cathleen
Falsani wrote this piece on the one-year anniversary of Lin Brehmer’s death.
*NPR Names
New CEO
=Katherine
Maher was formerly the head of Wikimedia. Read more about her here.
*WLS 100
=Another great
interview for the 100th anniversary of WLS: Fred
Winston.
*Ex-Chicago
Radio
=Former WLS-AM
morning man Bruce St. James has a new gig. He will be co-hosting the afternoon
show on KTAR in Arizona. Details here.
*Rest in
Peace
=Charles Osgood
For years the
veteran CBS newsman’s radio feature The Osgood Files aired on WBBM News
Radio. He was 91.
=Mary Weiss
The
lead singer of the Shangri-Las (“My Boyfriend’s Back”). She was 75. Tracy Landecker,
oldest daughter of John, wrote a great tribute to Mary and her famous song.
=Melanie
Best Known for her song "Brand New Key" and performing at the original Woodstock. She was 76.
=David Roe
He was an
anchor/reporter at NewsRadio 780 for 35 years before retiring a few years ago. Roe
was only 71 years old.
*The Loop
Files…
=Thanks to
everyone who came out to the book signing. Saw some media pals like Mike
Murphy, Fred Huebner, Lou Visconti, and Alison Moran, plus some
fellow ex-Loopers like these knuckleheads Neil Sant, Artie Kennedy, and Bill
Holub. Also, former Loop engineer Patrick Berger. Next up is a visit to NW Indiana (details
coming soon).
MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES
*January
21—Andrew Dahn birthday
=Andrew
currently works at WBBM NewsRadio 780 as a reporter/anchor.
*January
21—Mike Nowak birthday
=Nowak’s Let’s
Talk Gardening show was a staple at WGN Radio. He also had a long
stint at WCPT 820am, and WCGO.
*January
21—Mike Leiderman birthday
=Leiderman
had a long and distinguished television career as a reporter/anchor/producer/host.
He was a sports reporter for Channel 5, the host of PM Chicago at
WFLD-TV, the executive producer of Chicago Tonight at WTTW,
and more.
*January
21—Jason Thomas birthday
=The
former WXRT evening jock now lives in Colorado.
*January
21--Len Kasper birthday
=I
interviewed Len a few times when he was the Cubs announcer including this piece from
Illinois Entertainer/2017 and this podcast interview just before his final season with the Cubs. He is now
the radio voice of the Chicago White Sox.
*January
21—Wolfman Jack birthday
=One of
the most famous rock and roll disc jockeys of all time. Fellow Hall of Famer
John Records Landecker wrote about his brush with the late American
Graffiti star in his book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. You can read that excerpt for free here.
*January
22--Charlie Meyerson birthday
=I interviewed the editor-in-chief of Chicago Public Square (and former radio guy at places like WXRT, WNUA, WGN)
for Illinois Entertainer shortly after he began his excellent
newsletter.
*January 23—Jack
Quinlan birthday
=Jack was the radio
play-by-play man for the Cubs for several years. His life was tragically cut
short in a car accident in 1965. Cub geeks like me still look for audio of his
work. Here is something from 1962.
*January 23—Dan
Walker birthday
=Danger Dan, as he was
known on Murphy in the Morning (Q-101), had a long and distinguished
career in Chicago radio. I worked with him at WJMK in the 1990s.
*January 24—Jack
Brickhouse birthday
=Jack has been gone now
for more than 20 years, but the Hall of Famer was the soundtrack to our youth
(for the 55+ crowd). Luckily there are still lots of samples of Jack’s work out
there for us to enjoy. Here’s
one.
*January 24—Greg Solk birthday
=Greg has been a Chicago
radio executive since he was a very young man. He was the program director of
the Loop for many years and has served in the executive suite for companies
like Bonneville, Hubbard, and Audacy. I interviewed Greg for Chicago
Radio Spotlight in 2010.
*January 24, 2009
=Fifteen years ago this week, I interviewed Jonathon Brandmeier's newsman at the time, Kent Voss.
*January 25—Cindy
Gatziolis birthday
=The former Promotion
Director for the Loop went on to work for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
Gatziolis sadly passed away in 2014 at the way too young age of 56. I interviewed Cindy for Chicago Radio
Spotlight shortly after her
beloved White Sox won the World Series. She was responsible for putting that
victory parade together. (I also wrote this tribute to her after
she passed)
*January 25—Joan
Esposito birthday
=The WCPT talk-show host
is still probably better known in Chicago for her many years as a
reporter/anchor on television. I was lucky enough to interview her
for Illinois Entertainer in 2021.
* January 25—Suzanne Le
Mignot birthday
=Suzanne is the weekend morning news
anchor for CBS-2 Chicago and works as a
reporter during the week.
*January 25—Brian
Haddad birthday
=The current morning man
at Q-101. I interviewed him last year for Illinois Entertainer.
Obviously it was before the unpleasantness of today’s top story. Former co-host
Justin Nettlebeck is part of the interview too.
*January 26—Tom Barnas birthday
=Tom
now works as a producer at Channel 2 and hosts a podcast called Stories from
the 78.
*January 27--Eric Ferguson birthday
=For 20 years Eric ruled the ratings roost at WTMX. He has been in exile since accusations of inappropriate behavior with female colleagues emerged a few years ago.
*January 27—Pat
Tomasulo birthday
=Sportscaster and
comedian, one of the stars of WGN-TV’s morning news. This photo of Pat in
action (interviewing Chuck Swirsky about his book Always
a Pleasure) is from last year.
TV/STREAMING
*Meet the New Voice of the White Sox
=His name is John Schriffin and he signed a multi-year deal. Shiffrin previously worked for ESPN. He'll be teamed up with Steve Stone on White Sox TV broadcasts. The Sun-Times has more info.
*Jon
Stewart Returning to The Daily Show
=Best. News. Ever. It’s only through the election, and it’s only Monday nights, but we’ll
take what we can get.
*The Oscar
Nominations
=These are the
best picture nominees
=The biggest snubs.
=The complete list.
=The
documentary category has a surprising nominee: The Associated Press. It’s the
first ever Oscar nomination for the AP.
*NFL
Ratings Record
=If it feels
like everyone you know was watching the NFL playoffs last weekend, you aren’t
wrong. That Bills-Chiefs game is now officially the highest rated divisional playoff game in history.
*Me-TV "Love ME" Marathon
=Over the Valentine's weekend (Sunday February 11 from 11am--5:30pm), Me-TV is doing a marathon of love-related episodes of classic sitcoms. Included in the marathon: episodes of The Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver, the Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, Mama's Family, The Love Boat, and The Andy Griffith Show.
*Does the F.C.C.
Have the Right to Revoke Licenses for Election Lies?
=Obviously the
FCC only regulates traditional over-the-public-airwaves outlets. Is there
recourse that can be taken against television stations that knowingly aired
election lies? According to this piece, the answer is yes, the FCC does have
that right.
*Cable News
Corner
=An interview
with Chis Cuomo
=Old People Still Love Cable News and They Vote
=No Actual
Questions please
*Rest in
Peace
=Norman Jewison
The three-time
Oscar winner directed “Fiddler on the Roof” “In the Heat of the Night”
“Moonstruck” and many others. He was 97.
=David Gail
The 90210 star
was only 58.
=Herbert Coward
He starred in Deliverance. "Cowboy" was 85.
PRINT/DIGITAL
*A Reminder
=From the Wall
Street Journal
*Neil
Steinberg
=Neil’s poignant take on the demise of Sports
Illustrated.
*Tuesday
was a Bleak Day for Print Media
=The LA
Times, Time Magazine, and National Geographic all announced layoffs.
*Actually, the Last
Few Weeks Have Been Grim for Journalism
=The New York Times took the news story above and went even further.
*All-female
front row in White House press room.
=I wonder what
Helen Thomas, long the only female in the front row, would think…
