Media Notebook--3-29-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

*WLS 100

=Look who was lured into Steve Cochran’s WLS studios this week. It’s media writer (emeritus) Robert Feder. That’s a rare radio appearance. I unsuccessfully tried to book him for decades. Scott Childers was filling in for news.

 

*Eddie & Jobo To Reunite

=And not just anywhere…they are reuniting on B-96 on Monday morning. Be sure to tune in. Will it be a permanent thing? I’m guessing not. Check the date on the calendar.

 

*Lin Brehmer Tribute for Opening Day

=Pete Crozier was Lin's producer. This is what he posted this week on his Facebook page...

Last July, Sara and Lin's brothers asked me to produce a movie about Lin to share with family and a small group of friends and colleagues.

It was truly one of the greatest honors of my life and reminded me of the immeasurable impact he had on me (and, if you're lucky, you).

While the entire movie will never be posted as it was a personal gift to the family, on this, MLB's Opening Day, Sara is giving her permission for me to share the section about Lin's love of the city of Chicago and the Cubs.

Enjoy.

*Gracie Award Winners

=The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation announced the winners of this year's Gracie Awards this week. The full list is here, and includes WGN Radio's Lisa Dent.

*Bernstein and Holmes Interview Ian Eagle

=The new lead play-by-play man for the NCAA tournament was a recent guest of WSCR’s midday show. A good interview with the man of the hour.

*Maria Pappas on the Radio

=The Cook County treasurer hosts a weekly show on WVON. Among her fans, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg. 

*Bob Heymann at the NAB

=Chicago’s very own Bob Heymann (Media Services Group Managing Director) has been chosen to moderate a session at this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas. M&A’s Outlook on TV/Radio – a Look at the M&A Landscape and How to Prepare for Buying and Selling’s Impact will be presented at 11:30 AM on Monday, April 15, 2024.

“I am truly honored to speak at this years NAB Show,” said Bob. “I hope to impart some of my knowledge of the station marketplace in an informative and engaging manner.” For more information, visit: https://nabshow.com/2024/

 

*Podcast Corner

=The Bill Maher Podcast Network is coming soon. First hire is Sage Steele.

=The Daily Wire Dismisses Candace Owens. Ben Shapiro (founder of the network) has been arguing on-air with Owens about the Israeli war in Gaza for months. That strong disagreement led to her dismissal. Forbes has more information about it. 

 

*Music News

=Beyonce's new country album "Cowboy Carter" officially drops today. 27 tracks include a cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and the Beatles "Blackbird". The New York Times review is here.

*Rest in Peace

=Tommy Williams

The voice of Lakeshore Sports in Northwest Indiana, and a ten-year member of the air staff at the Score. He was only 66.

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*March 24—Julie Unruh birthday

=Julie was a reporter/anchor at WGN-TV for twenty years. She signed off in 2021 to spend more time with her family.

 

*March 25—Didi Foley birthday

=You may have heard her on the air at the Mix and WSHE over the years, but for the past 15 years she has also been the Campus Services Manager for Waubonsee Community College in Aurora.

 

*March 25, 1954—Color TV

=Color TV is 70 years old this week. RCA unveiled the very first one in 1954. It had a 12-inch screen and cost $1000.

 

*March 26—Ken Cocker birthday

=Ken was a fixture on the Chicago radio dial for years at stations like WMET, WJMK, WUSN, and K-Hits. He was also once a minor league baseball player. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2012.

 

*March 26—Shane Riordan birthday

=Shane is executive producer, and content and operations manager for the Score. He also sports a mighty impressive beard.

*March 26—Bob Woodward birthday

=The Washington Post reporter and editor who broke the Watergate story with Carl Bernstein grew up in Wheaton, Illinois.

 

*March 27—Quentin Tarantino birthday

=The legendary director may not have any connections to Chicago, but recently he inadvertently propelled a Chicago cab driver’s novel up the charts by recommending it. Block Club Chicago has that story.

 

*March 28—John Records Landecker birthday

=Why did John Landecker call his memoir Records Truly Is My Middle Name? Because it truly is. Nobody believes this when he tells them, but it’s true. His mother’s maiden name was Records, and she gave it to him as a middle name. His Radio Hall of Fame career was destiny. (He’s also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). I was honored to speak at his ceremony in Indiana a few years ago when the Governor awarded him with the state’s highest honor. Of course, John is still on the air most weeknights on WGN-Radio.

=I posted a free excerpt from his book yesterday. It’s about Martin Short. 

 

*March 28—Jimmy “Mac” McInerny birthday

=Jimmy was one of the producers for Jonathon Brandmeier’s show for many years and also worked as a producer and production guru for Kevin Matthews back in the day. His podcast Rebel Force Radio is a huge hit and a must listen for Star Wars fans. Jimmy Mac is married to Wendy Snyder.

 

*March 28, 1971—Final Ed Sullivan Show

=Ed Sullivan took the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater for the very last time this week in 1971. The rerun of the show aired in June. The last musical guests to appear were Gladys Knight and the Pips. 

 

*March 30—Fred Winston birthday

=Fred is one of the all-time great DJs in Chicago radio history. He worked at WLS, WCFL, WFYR, WJMK, and more. I interviewed Fred several times over the years, most recently in 2018 for Illinois Entertainer.

 =This week in 1976...Fred was the cover boy of the WLS survey.

 TV/STREAMING

 

*Paris Schultz Leaving WTTW

=The co-host of Chicago Tonight and host of Week in Review announced this week that he is leaving Channel 11 in April. Schultz has been at the station for 20 years. His co-host on Chicago Tonight, Brandis Friedman will remain on the show as the solo-host, and the new host of Week in Review will be Amanda Vinicky.

=Mary Ann Ahern offered this clue as to Paris' next destination (h/t Eric Zorn). Could it be Channel 5 (where Mary works)?

 *Rafer Weigel Update

=The son of legendary Chicago sportscaster Tim Weigel is leaving the business. He had recently re-launched his television career in San Diego.

 

*The Ronna McDaniel Controversy

=The fury amongst the NBC news staff about her hiring reminded me a lot of the fury the local NBC news team exhibited when Jerry Springer was brought aboard to provide political commentary in the 1990s.

=Luckily for NBC, it didn’t end the same way. In Chicago, the top talent quit. At NBC Network, they just reversed their decision and fired McDaniel…before anyone quit. Republicans (who fired McDaniel themselves a few weeks ago) claim to be outraged by this firing.

*Kevin Hart Wins Mark Twain Prize

=The most prestigious award in comedy/humor this year goes to comedian Kevin Hart. NPR has the details.

*Steve Martin

=Richard Roeper’s Sun-Times review of the new Steve Martin documentary on Apple TV.  Count me in.

PRINT/DIGITAL

 

*One Year Anniversary of Evan Gershkovich's Imprisonment in Russia

=The Wall Street Journal reporter remains detained with little hope on the horizon for his release. The New York Times interviewed his parents about the ordeal.

*Paul Sullivan’s Dave Van Dyck tribute

=I was surprised when I heard last week about Van Dyck’s passing, because I hadn’t seen any tributes to him at his old papers. Paul Sullivan came through this week in the Tribune. Great piece. 

 

*AP Photographer Snags Classic Pope Francis photo

=Just wait for the Pope to walk outside with his beanie on during a windy day, and voila! 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

*Trump Media Trading at Ridiculous Levels

=Super sketchy on the financial details here. From the New York Times…

The company took in $3.3 million in the first nine months of 2023 and recorded a loss of $49 million, yet its market value—based on Tuesday’s share price—is nearly 2,000 times its estimated annual revenue . . . Other social media companies trade at far lower price-to-sales ratios than Trump Media’s: Reddit is around 10, Meta is 7 and Snap is 6, according to FactSet. Superstar tech stocks like the chipmakers Nvidia and ARM trade at price-to-sales ratios of about 25.

=And yet, after two days of trading it was worth even more: $9 billion.

=Seth Meyers warning to Trump Media investors last night on his late night NBC show...

    “The only way this business could be any more of a failure is if every time you opened an account, you got a free Zune, a bottle of Crystal Pepsi, a Blockbuster card, a Motorola flip phone that came preloaded with a MySpace account and a round trip next to the door on Alaska Airlines.” 

*Twitter Usage Down 1/5 Since Musk Purchase

=About 20% of previous American Twitter users have fled the former king of social media. The Guardian has the story.

*Florida Bans Social Media for the Under-14 crowd

=I have a hunch this one won’t survive a court challenge, but it’s now the law in Florida. 

 

 

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--1-27-23

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 Holiday season numbers are out, and to the surprise of no-one, WLIT is strongly atop the ratings perch. They pulled in an amazing 14.8 rating (12+), which is their best in eight years. Rounding out the top five are…WDRV and WVAZ (tied for second at 5.0), WBBM-AM (4.8) and WTMX (3.7)

=Other stations that brought in respectable numbers this time around include WBEZ (3.4), WOJO (3.3), WLS-FM (3.2), WXRT (3.1).

=Also in the top 15, US-99 (2.9), WKSC (2.9), WGN (2.8), WBMX (2.8), WLEY (2.6), and WGCI (2.3)

=Obviously this isn’t broken down by daypart or other demos, but the numbers are available for all to see at Radio Online.

*Tributes to Lin Brehmer Pouring In

=Chicagoans were reeling all week after WXRT announced the news that Lin Brehmer had passed away. The Marquees at his favorite old concert venues (like the Vic, the Metro, and more) paid tribute to him. Fellow broadcasters from all across the radio dial chimed in with their words of admiration and comfort, and so did music artists like Steve Earle. And, of course, WXRT produced an incredible tribute to him that aired on Monday.  Here are few other tributes you might have missed…

=His congressman Mike Quigley posted this video of him praising Lin on the floor of the US House of Representatives. It’s from ten years ago, but how many other Chicago broadcasters have a similar video?

=His longtime producer Pete Crozier has been writing touching tributes to Lin all week. I recommend going on his facebook page to read them. Beautifully written. This is also the very last Lin’s Bin,courtesy of Pete. 

=I had no idea that Channel 5’s Alex Maragos grew up across the street from Lin.

=This interview Lin did with RadioGirl (Margaret Larkin) was certainly one of his last long form interviews. Worth a listen.

=My own interview with Lin (from 2018) was reposted by the Illinois Entertainer this week and got tons of retweets.

=I also posted this excerpt from the Eckhartz Press book “Cubsessions” that featured an interview with Lin talking about how much the Cubs World Series win meant to him. 

=And finally, I think this might be the tribute that would have meant most to Lin.

RIP @LinBrehmer. pic.twitter.com/3VqyCNGwkr

— Ryan Cox (@CoxRyan89) January 22, 2023

 

*The Loop Files

=I’ve been very gratified at the interest this new feature of mine (posted every Tuesday) has been generating on social media. This week I featured my interview with former Brandmeier show producer/writer Brendan Sullivan. Since I posted it, I was sent the audio of a very funny bit Brendan referenced in the piece. Harry Caray (Jim Volkman) and Jerry Lewis (Jeff Hoover) recreating the Royale with Cheese scene from Pulp Fiction. I posted it at the end of the interview.

 

*Sportscaster of the Year

=Congrats to ESPN Radio’s Jonathan Hood for being named Sportscaster of the Year for his work with the UIC Flames. You’ll probably recognize a few of the other faces in this photo.

Congratulations to The Voice of the Flames, @tweetjhood for being named @PitchHitClub's Sportscaster of the Year!#FireUpFlames pic.twitter.com/OjsGNdQwyS

— UIC Flames Athletics 🔥 (@UICFlames) January 23, 2023

 

*Chicago-Area Cluster of Radio Stations Sold

=This news comes from Bob Heymann, who brokered the deal. Shaw Local Radio Co, an Illinois corporation, has purchased WALS-FM, WIVQ-FM, WSTQ-FM, WYYS-FM, WGLC-FM, WBZG-FM, WSPL-AM, W253BX98.5FM from Studstill Media and the Studstill family. The stations are licensed in Ogelsby, Spring Valley, Streator, Mendota, and Peru, Illinois. The price tag was $1.8 million.

 

*Job Opening at Audacy

=Whenever I see an opening like this in Chicago, I’ll try to pass it along. Audacy is looking for a Midwest regional promotions director based in Chicago. You can apply right here. That page also lists the job duties and the qualifications necessary to be considered.

 

*Ex-Chicago Radio Corner

=Todd Fooks, who worked at Q-101 in Chicago for six years, was just named the host of the syndicated show Loudwire Nights. He had been hosting the weekend version of the show. Radio Insight has more information.

 

*Podcast Corner

=The top 20 rated podcasts of 2022 are featured in this piece in Radio Ink. Six of them come from the NPR family including the top podcast of the year, NPR News Now.

=George Ofman interviewed Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios this week on his podcast. Worth a listen for sure.

 

*Mike Fowler

=The former General Manager of Rock 103.5 and WJMK Oldies 104.3 is dealing with a major health crisis. He has been diagnosed with ALS. Mike and his daughter announced it publicly this week via his Facebook page. Best wishes to Mike and his family as they go through this. I know his former colleagues (including me) are rooting for him.

 

RIP Jerry Blavat

=Jerry was unknown in Chicago, but he was huge in Philadelphia. John Records Landecker paid tribute to Jerry in his book “Records Truly Is My Middle Name.” He told an abbreviated version of his Blavat story on his Facebook page this week: I just learned that Jerry Blavat died. Shit. Many associate my career with Chicago. That's true. BUT before Chicago I was In Philadelphia at WIBG. It was my big break. I dropped out of my senior year at Michigan State to go there. Philadelphia was more than radio stations. There were HUGE personalities who transcended any individual radio station. Joe Niagra, Hy Lit and Jerry Blavat. I've always thought that one of the cool things about my career was the list of people I worked with. Hy Lit, Joe Niagra, Jerry Blavat, Joey Reynolds, Larry Lujack, Fred Winston, Tommy Edwards, Bob Sirott, Jonathon Brandmeier, Steve and Garry, Joel Sebastian, and more. Jerry was amazing. I worked until 10pm and he would invite me over to his home for some cocktails at an outdoor bar by the pool. Then we would go to the second story of a garage where he had turntables, microphones, a board and a stack of 45's. He would put on a private show. Playing the hits and doing talkovers. Mind you this was not on the air just in a garage. It was something .....RIP

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

*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 now Auducy. Since 2021 he has been the VP/Programming for Audacy-Chicago. I interviewed Greg for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2010.

 

*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-2Chicago and works as a reporter during the week.

*January 25—Brian Haddad birthday

=The current morning man at Q-101 will be my next feature in Illinois Entertainer. It comes out late next week.

 

*January 26—Tom Barnas birthday

=The WGN-TV staffer has worked on both the midday news and morning news, and is the host of The Chicago Scene

*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 just a few months ago.

*January 28—Jack Silver birthday

=Jack was the ringmaster at AM 1000 back in the Johnny/Kevin/Steve & Garry heyday. He went on to become a bigshot for CBS Radio and later Audacy in Los Angeles. I interviewed him in 2009.

*January 29—Oprah Winfrey birthday

=It’s hard to remember that Oprah was a complete unknown when she arrived in Chicago in the mid-80s. They didn’t quite know what to do with her, and even used her on the news with Joel Daly.

 

*January 29—Dane Placko birthday

=The top reporter for WFLD-TV (Channel 32) has been there now for over 30 years. He has a closet full of Emmys, and a profile in Illinois Entertainer written by me. This is a fun interview about his forced month-long vacation in England.

*January 29—Tony Lossano birthday

=The former host of the Nude Hippo show and the podcast Lossano & Friends is also a long-time radio producer (WLIT, WLS) and podcast producer (including my podcasts, Minutia Men & Minutia Men Celebrity Interview).

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*Larry Potash Rates Chicago TV Anchors in Order of Handsomeness

=Of course, he added the caveat (not named Ponce). You can watch him do his top ten list here.

 

*Paul Deanno Leaves NBC-5

=It seems like half the staff has left over the past few months. Here’s another one.

Best wishes to one of the good ones in our business, @PaulDeanno. He heads to @CBSLA to be closer to family out West. It was great working with him these past 3+ years. pic.twitter.com/SQzcO6fKjF

— Alex Maragos (@AlexMaragosNBC) January 21, 2023

 

*Streaming Corner

=The list of top streaming programs from 2022 was released yesterday, and there aren't too many surprises on the list. #1 is Stranger Things. #2 is Ozark. The top 15 list is here.

*GM3 Anchor Soap Opera/Controversy Still Unresolved

=This story broke months ago and it still hasn’t been resolved. GM3 anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach have both left their spouses and are engaged in a love affair. When the network (ABC) found out, they weren’t happy about it and took them off the air. It appears that ABC wants them out for good now, but Holmes and Robach are not leaving quietly because they don’t think they violated any workplace rules. The Daily News has the update, which involves the two sides going to mediation. Sounds a bit messy.

 

TV Show Based on Twitter Handle

=I admit it. I’ve been following Super 70s Sports on Twitter for years, and he really is a great follow. But I never would have thought of making his quips into a television show. Jimmy Kimmel is the executive producer of it.

 

*Chip Caray Joins Cardinals TV Booth

=The former Cubs TV play-by-play man has agreed to sit in the booth of the enemy. Naturally he doesn’t look at it that way because his grandfather also did games for the Cardinals.

 

*Cable News Corner

=Fox News is being sued by former head-booker Laura Luhn. The Hollywood Reporter has the details, and it’s about as lurid as anything you’ll ever read. It involves sexual blackmail, oral sex, S&M, and more. Roger Ailes is the culprit.

=In another Fox News lawsuit, NPR and the New YorkTimes have asked a judge to unseal the files in the Dominion case.

=You ever get the feeling you’ve witnessed the making of a star? I got that vibe when I watched this young TikTok comedian make his cable news debut this week on Ari Melber’s show on MSNBC. Best Trump I’ve ever seen.

 

*Academy Award Nominations Announced

=Just in case you haven’t seen the full list yet, it’s here.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA/PRINT MEDIA/DIGITAL MEDIA

 

*It was a rough week in the media world…

=Spotify laid off 6% of their workforce

=Vox Media made massive layoffs

=The Washington Post fired 20 staffers.

=But at least none of them did it quite as heartlessly as Google allegedly did it in New York. Yowza.

Google NYC employees who arrived at the office early this morning stood in a line to test their badges-- if light turned red, it meant you had been laid off. if green, you were safe. 👎

— Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) January 20, 2023

 

*The DOJ Files an Anti-Trust Lawsuit Against Google for their Advertising Monopoly

=It’s the second bite of the apple for the government against Google. Seems like they have a pretty good case.

 

*Facebook Letting Trump Back on their Platform

=The company released the news this week via a Nick Clegg blogpost. They promise new guardrails will be in place, and any repeat insurrection talk will not be tolerated.

 

*Ad Spending on Twitter Drops by 70% in December

=I’m guessing the welcoming back to the platform of actual Nazis (that’s not a slur on my part—they call themselves that) isn’t helping the advertising atmosphere. Details here.

*Margaret Sullivan Back on the Media Beat

=She left the Washington Post last year, and it appeared that was the end of her reporting on the media. Guardian USA stepped in this week and lured her back, on a once-a-week basis. They made the announcement this week.

 

*The Last Days of Hollywood’s Most Reviled Reporter

=Nikke Finke of Deadline.com was feared and hated by those she covered. This piece examines her sad final days.

 

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.