Colbert's One Day Perch at Top of Ratings Ends

Stephen Colbert had a good run at #1...one day.

On day two, Jimmy Fallon beat him.

Last night's Colbert show featured an excellent and emotional interview with VP Joe Biden, but I must admit it's been a little light on the comedy. Tonight he'll be crushed by Fallon who has Donald Trump on the show.

Wisconsin Jersey Sales

You'll never believe who has the top selling NFL jersey in Wisconsin. I love this, and will cherish this one last moment before Sunday's Bears-Packers game returns me to reality...

At the end of last year, as expected, the #12 of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the top seller in not only Wisconsin, but Iowa as well. At the start of the 2015 NFL season, it's a bit quieter in Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood, as he lost his top jersey sales spot in both states.

Iowa now belongs to the #12 of Indianapolis Colts' QB Andrew Luck, but Wisconsin now belongs to the #22 of the Chicago Bears' Matt Forte.

That has to sting a little for Packer fans.

I met Matt Forte when I brought Joel Daly in to Windy City Live last year and snapped a photo. I was surprised by how small he looks in person. Although maybe it's because Joel is a big man too. If I had taken a picture with him it would have looked a little different.

My 9/11 Story

Everyone in broadcasting has their own 9/11 story. This one is mine. I was the executive producer of the John Landecker show at the time. In the pages of “Records Truly Is My Middle Name“, John Landecker tells the full story of that day on the air…

The most unique broadcast that I have ever been a part of, has nothing to do with planning, promotion, prizes, and listeners. It was the morning of September 11th, 2001.

I’m sure that every morning show in the country has their own story of what they did when the planes hit the twin towers in New York. This is mine.

We were doing our regular show. Our producer Rick was on the phone with Butch Patrick, who had played Eddie Munster on The Munsters. He was going to be a mystery guest — listeners were to call in and try to figure out who he was. When Rick got in touch with Butch, the news had just broken that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.

“Are you watching this?” Butch asked Rick.

“Yeah,” Rick replied. “I don’t think we’re going to do this mystery guest bit.”

“No, you better not,” Butch replied.

Brant Miller was our weatherman and had a broadcast line hookup to his home. He was also the meteorologist for NBC-Channel 5 in Chicago, and had access to all of the NBC News information. Richard Cantu was our news man, and he’s a real journalist, and was connected to the CBS Radio network.

Needless to say, after the news had come across that the first plane had hit, we turned on the television in the studio, and we were all watching it, and the microphones were open, when the second plane hit the tower.

I’ll never forget what Brant Miller said: “We’re under attack.”

Well what do you do in a situation like that? Our decision was to go all news right on the spot. There weren’t many details early on, so there was a lot of repetition, as to the content, but we didn’t play any music. I thought it would really be ridiculous to play “Hang on Sloopy” and then do more content about being under attack.

We did play commercials, but not because the clients had paid for them to air — because we needed that time to regroup and find out as much information as we could so we could better inform our audience what was going on. News stations didn’t play commercials, but they were set up to handle this much better than we were. They had a full staff on hand. We just had the four or five of us in the studio.

But I’m really proud of what we were able to deliver. Brant was able to tap into what NBC was getting. Richard was able to tap into what CBS was getting. And I sort of quarterbacked and anchored the whole thing; repeating the facts as we knew them, and encouraging people not to jump to conclusions about who did this, because we didn’t know anything for sure.

I found out later that listeners stuck with us during that morning show, and didn’t tune into the news station, and that the radio station itself toyed with the idea of keeping us on the air until noon. The adrenaline, the being in the moment, and the feeling you have in that situation takes on a whole different sensation — one that I hope I never have again frankly.

It was certainly one of the most memorable mornings I’ve ever spent on the air.

LESLIE KEILING remembers
Leslie Keiling was one of the co-hosts of the show during the WJMK run, including the day of 9/11. This is how she recalled that time… “I wouldn’t trade the time we spent together on the morning show at WJMK for anything in the world. Being with everyone on that show on the morning of 9/11/2001 is etched in my head and heart. I now have a glimmer of understanding about sharing a foxhole.”

Sherman Kaplan Retires

WBBM Radio's Sherman Kaplan, host of the noon-time business show on the station, has retired again. Robert Feder has the details.

Sherman's a great guy. I interviewed him a few years ago for Chicago Radio Spotlight, and he had some really great stories to share, including his story about 9/11--appropriate for today. You can read that interview here.

As the Sumner Turns

Viacom and CBS Chairman Sumner Redstone's life is like a soap opera, and not in a good way. He may be a billionaire, but let's just say that he has never exactly attained happiness. Read his autobiography sometime. You will hate him when you finish reading it. (It's not always a good thing to own your own publishing company--in his case Simon & Schuster--and have all your employees hate you. A good editor would have saved him from publicly saying some of the horrible things he said.)

Here's the latest twist and turn, courtesy of the New York Post...

The media mogul’s split last week from longtime girlfriend Sydney Holland is being met with a sigh of relief by a host of advisers to the ailing executive, who have long complained about feeling she kept them away from Redstone and left in the dark about his state of health, sources told The Post on Wednesday.

Redstone threw Holland out of his gated Beverly Hills mansion after accusing her of cheating on him, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke news of the split. Holland’s exit may not be the end of the drama surrounding Redstone, however. Manuela Herzer, Redstone’s former girlfriend who still lives in the mansion, may be the next to go, sources said. Herzer and Holland, once close, have had a falling out too, sources said. Herzer couldn’t be reached for comment.

The nonagenarian’s messy personal life has been a concern for investors who question whether he is still fit to hold the title of executive chairman of CBS and Viacom.

David Gregory Dishes

When he was rather uncerimoniously released from Meet the Press, David Gregory didn't say much. In this New Yorker profile with Gabriel Sherman he finally talks.

I really enjoyed reading it. It sounds like he's had a necessary moment of introspection.

Colbert's Ratings

Well, at least for one night, at the very least America was curious. Colbert killed it on his first night.

His ratings were more than double Jimmy Fallon's 2.92 million viewers for Tuesday's Tonight Show—and triple Jimmy Kimmel's 1.75 million. In the key demographic of adults 18-49, Colbert's 1.4 was also a victor compared to Fallon's 0.9 adults and Kimmel's 0.4 adults

We'll have to see if he can keep it up. I watched night #2 yesterday, and it's obvious they're still working the bugs out a little bit. I'm rooting for him.

It's A Great Business

I know quite a few radio guys who found out they lost their jobs by reading it in the newspaper. This newspaper guy heard about losing his job by hearing on the radio. From Radio Ink...

Politico reports that L.A. Times Publisher Austin Beutner found out he lost his job while listening to Frank Mottek’s Money Report on KNX in Los Angeles Tuesday morning. Beutner, who for 13 months had been making a daily commute to downtown Los Angeles from his home in Pacific Palisades, was listening to CBS's KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO during the commute.

Around the Publishing World (September 10)

We stay on top of happenings/trends in the publishing world to help out busy writers who are spending their time doing what they should be doing: writing.

 

1. Barnes & Noble is in trouble
We hate to say it, but it's really beginning to look like the country's biggest book seller isn't going to make it. The Wall Street Journal has the ugly details.

2. How to write a short story with deep structure (and a win a prize for it)
Dr John Yeoman, PhD Creative Writing, judges the Writers’ Village story competition and is a tutor in creative writing. He gives some good advice for those of you submitting entries to writing contests.

3. Best Chicago Novels by Neighborhood
I was a little sad to see my novel "The Living Wills" wasn't included as a Jefferson Park (or Beverly) book, but I have no issues with some of the books that were chosen.

4. Younger Readers prefer printed books.
Writers of kids books should keep this in mind. Part of the experience that creates a love of books is the whole experience of turning the pages, looking at the pages, and touching the book. It's a tactile wonderland.

Believe

Chicago Radio Ratings

Eric & Kathy and the Mix had a huge month in the ratings. The station is #1, and their show is #1--tied with WBBM news radio.

Robert Feder has the details.

Unauthorized Use of a Survivor Song

When Kim Davis came out of jail yesterday, it was one of the most comical and ridiculous productions I've ever seen, done to the soundtrack of Rocky III--the Survivor hit "Eye of the Tiger".

Would you be surprised if I told you that Jim Peterik (who wrote the song) was not happy with that development? Here's what he wrote on his facebook page...

I have not authorized the use of Eye of the Tiger for use in the release of Kim Davis and my publisher will issue a stop and desist. I have just spoken to Billboard magazine with a statement that reflects this. This usage In no way reflects my views.

Keep Rocking!
Jimbo

The Top 25 Universities

US News and World Report ranked the top universities in the country. They didn't list the pricetags...not that any of my boys will be going there anyway.

The top 25 national universities ranked by U.S. News, and their annual change in position.



1. Princeton University — unchanged
2. Harvard University — unchanged
3. Yale University — unchanged
4. Columbia University — unchanged
4. Stanford University — unchanged
4. University of Chicago — unchanged
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — unchanged
8. Duke University — unchanged
9. University of Pennsylvania – down 1
10. California Institute of Technology — unchanged
10. Johns Hopkins University – up 2
12. Dartmouth College – down 1
12. Northwestern University – up 1
14. Brown University – up 2
15. Washington University in St. Louis – down 1
15. Cornell University — unchanged
15. Vanderbilt University – up 1
18. University of Notre Dame – down 2
18. Rice University – up 1
20. University of California-Berkeley — unchanged
21. Emory University — unchanged
21. Georgetown University — unchanged
23. University of California-Los Angeles — unchanged
23. Carnegie Mellon University – up 2
23. University of Southern California – up 2

Colbert's First Show

The New York Times reviews Stephen Colbert's first show. It's a very positive review.

Here's his first opening monologue...

Truth

Thanks to "RS" for this one...

RIP Judy Carne

She was a huge television star in the 60s as the "Sock it to me" girl on Laugh In, but the rest of her life was tragic. This Washington Post obit will tell you the details. It's not pretty.

Judy was 76 years old.

Curt Schilling

ESPN has suspended Schilling for the entire season now. They had initally agreed to let him back on the air after he apologized for his tweet comparing Muslims to Nazis, but just as he was about to be reinstated he got into a war of words with an on-line sports website. You can read all about that here.

I have a feeling that the real reason he's suspended again has nothing to do with his unrepentant feelings, which is what ESPN is saying publicly. It has more to do with his ripping of an ESPN colleague (Chris Mortensen), and his terrible decision to get into a war of words with that website.

My personal opinion is that Schilling was a moron to respond, particularly when his position was so precarious. Rule #1 of getting out of a hole--stop digging. On the other hand, if he's really being suspended for believing what he believes, that's not right either...even if I happen to disagree with what he believes.

Making Money With Donald

Say what you will about Donald Trump and whether or not he is good for the country or his party. He's definitely good for the television biz. The ad rates for this week's debates are a little higher than normal. Normally, an all-news station would get in the neighborhood of $5000 for a 30-second spot.

For this week's debate, CNN is charging between $150,000 to $200,000 for 30 seconds.

You'd like to think that sort of thing wouldn't affect their coverage, but...30 times more money (minimum) for every thirty seconds is hard to ignore.

Tom Brady's Dad Goes Off

Tom Brady's father was listening to a show on KGO that was ripping his son. He called in and went nuts on the host. I'm not a big Tom Brady fan (probably out of jealousy, if I allow myself to be honest), but I've always thought this whole deflate-gate controversay was a load of hooey. Way to go, Dad.

Abbey Road Outtakes

We all know this iconic photograph of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road, but have you ever seen the outtakes?

You can see them here.

The End of America's Love Affair with Cars?

Great long piece in the Washington Post about the "car culture" in America, and how it has slowly disolved over time. According to this article, saying "car guy" now is the same thing as saying "old guy".

I had friends in high school who were reeeeeeally into it. I never was. Part of it was that I was thrilled to have something (anything) to get me from point A to point B, even my 1971 Duster. Even my 1976 Cutlass Supreme Station Wagon. Even my 1982 Buici (the two prongs of the "K" came off the last letter, so I pretended it was Italian). And when I was able to actually afford something a little more reliable--its reliability was really the only thing I cared about.

Don't get me wrong--I always thought it would be cool to have a 1965 Ford Mustang. I thought that was the coolest car ever. But I know a mechanic who told me he got rich fixing those things...because they broke down all the time.

Rick Perry

Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write: "I feel sorry for Rick Perry"

Yesterday he was asked if Trump was right about something, and Perry responded: "Even a broke clock is right once a day."

At least he didn't say "Whoops" after that one.

David Kaplan Leaves WGN

From this morning's NOW column...

David Kaplan spent 20 years doing sports for Tribune’s WGN Chicago (720), but recently found there was less work there. As the Chicago Tribune says, “His duties and the station’s direction shifted this year, with the loss of Cubs games and the demise of The Game, WGN’s ill-fated one-year foray into FM sports talk radio” on a leased Channel 6 TV station. Kaplan’s “leaving to join rival WMVP 1000,” says the Tribune. Kaplan will host the noon-2pm “Kap and Co.” on Disney-owned/ESPN-run WMVP starting September 16.

I've previously interviewed Kaplan (in 2011) for Chicago Radio Spotlight. You can read that here.

Trump vs. Kareem

Donald Trump responded to a critical editorial by Kareem Abdul Jabaar in his usual way. Kareem posted Trump's response, a handwritten note that basically says everyone hates Kareem.

I'm beginning to admire the simplicity of Trump's responses. It's a mixture of high school mean girl (you're ugly and nobody likes you), school yard mean boy (you're a puss), and prep school spoiled brat (I can buy and sell you and my daddy will ruin your daddy).

Has anyone ever really come up with a good way to combat that? You can punch the mean boy, but the prep school spoiled brat will sue you. You can personally insult the mean girl, but she is better at personal insults and will destroy you. You can ostracize the spoiled brat, but then he'll throw a party with the Rolling Stones, and your friends will say "You know I'm on your side...but he does have the Rolling Stones at his house."

No one has ever run for office completely abandoning the rules of adulthood before. It could work.

1940s Chicago

It was the 3rd of September

The memorable first line of Papa was a Rollin Stone...

WGN Cuts Bob & Marianne

Sounds like strictly a financial move. From Tom Taylor's NOW Column...

Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano will host their last noon-3pm shift on Tribune’s talk WGN tomorrow. No mystery about why. VP/Content and Programming Todd Manley tells the Chicago Tribune “Right now, we need to invest in one less show…it’s just a matter of resources.” WGN will cover the schedule by spreading out existing talent, in the lineup that was revamped by GM Jimmy de Castro starting in 2013. Husband-and-wife Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano have both done radio and TV in the Windy City, and Bob says “It’s been fun to be able to do whatever we wanted” on WGN. New lineup starting Monday is Steve Cochran, 5am-10am. Bill Leff & Wendy Snyder, 10am-noon. The Wintrust Business lunch with Steve Bertrand. Then Bill and Wendy, back for 1-3pm. Roe Conn, 3-7pm. The Download with Justin Kaufmann, 7-11pm. Patti Vasquez, 11pm-2am. And Nick Digilio, 2-5am. What’s next for Bob and Marianne? Bob says “After Friday, we’ll be going out to dinner, I guess.”

It was clearly not a contentious parting of the ways or they wouldn't have allowed these last two shows.

Team Caleb

My cousin's 2-year-old boy Caleb has recently been diagnosed with a rare cancer, and we're doing whatever we can to help. He's a tough little kid who is responding well to treatment so far. Hang in there, little guy!

This is the link to Team Caleb's GoFundMe campaign. He will be receiving treatment for this his entire life, and as you might have guessed, the medical bills will be immense. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Army University

I don't often brag about my friends, but one of my best friends from high school was just named the Provost of the newly formed Army University. He's a general now...Brigadier General John Kem.

I haven't seen him in nearly 20 years, but we've managed to stay in touch.

Way to go, (General) John!

I can relate

That's me, until right now. Rewarding myself with the last stage atm...hehe #amediting #amwriting #romance #histfic pic.twitter.com/yud3jNkRtL

— Sarah Dahl (@sarahdahl13) August 31, 2015

Booking Wars

NBC is not standing idly by while Stephen Colbert grabs all the stories and headlines next week. They have booked a big name guest to compete with Stephen. He used to work for NBC. You may have heard his name once or twice recently.

It's Trump.

Is Ryno Coming Back to the Cubs?

Caveat on this report from the Sun Times. It was reported by Sneed.

She's wrong ALL THE TIME.

Floor plans of your favorite TV shows

I'm not an architect or a real estate guy, but I still got a kick out of these artist renderings of the floor plans from a bunch of classic television shows. I thought you might enjoy them too.

Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2015

Looks like none of our Chicago-based people made the final cut this year. Larz at Chicagolandradio and Media has the list of the inductees and the backstory...




Active Local/Regional (10 years or more):
- Big Boy (Kurt Alexander), Los Angeles

Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more):
- Ronn Owens, San Francisco

Networks/Syndication (10 years or more):
- Dave Ramsey, Nashville

Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more):
- Bob Kevoian & Tom Griswold ("The Bob & Tom Show"), Indianapolis

Music Format On-Air Personality:
- Elvis Duran, New York

Spoken Word On-Air Personality:
- Clark Howard, Atlanta

The Colbert Guest List, Week 2

They just released some of the names of the guests scheduled for the second week of shows. This is an eclectic guest list to say the least...

Bernie Sanders will appear on the show on Sept. 18, which happens to be just two days after the CNN Republican Primary Debate on Sept. 16. The Democratic candidate is joined by other guests Lupita Nyong’o and “An American in Paris” choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and lead dancers Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope.

Emily Blunt and Justice Stephen Breyer kick off Colbert’s second week of shows for the Sept. 14 episode, with a musical performance by the Dead Weather. Jake Gyllenhaal is the only guest for the Sept. 15 show with a musical performance by Run the Jewels with TV on the Radio.

The next night, Colbert will talk to Kevin Spacey, Carol Burnett, comedians Abbi Jacobson and Illana Glazer, and Willie Nelson, who is also the musical performer that night. Naomi Watts and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wrap up Thursday for Colbert.

Obama the Survivalist?

This is hard to believe, but it's true. President Obama will be getting survival tips from Bear Grylls. From the press release...

Obama will meet with Grylls while visiting Alaska to observe the effects of climate change on the area. The two will then “come together” in the Alaskan wilderness, the network and production company said.

I happen to like this president, but I really don't picture him as the outdoorsy type. Should be interesting.

John Records Landecker

My Illinois Entertainer media column this month is a tribute to the radio career of John Records Landecker. Other radio pros share their opinions about one of the all-time greats.

You can read it here.

The other side of the story

This organization against guns opened a gun store in NYC to make a point. What's your take on it?

Posted by New Yorkers on Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Lost Lennon Song

I've never heard this one...

30 Facts

Thirty facts that sound made up, but are true...

1. Mammoths were alive when the Great Pyramid was being built.

2. Betty White is older than sliced bread.

3. From the time it was discovered to the time it was stripped of its status as a planet, Pluto hadn't made a full trip around the Sun.

4. The lighter was invented before the match.

5. Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Jr. were born in the same year.

6. France last used a guillotine to execute someone after Star Wars premiered.

7. Harvard University was founded before Calculus existed.

8. If you have 23 people in a room, there is a 50% chance that 2 of them have the same birthday.

9. It’s never said that Humpty Dumpty was an egg in the nursery rhyme.

10. The water in Lake Superior could cover all of North and South America in a foot of water.

11. North Korea and Finland both border the same country; Russia.

12. When you get a kidney transplant, they usually just leave your original kidneys in your body and put the 3rd kidney in your pelvis.

13. Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire.

14. National animal of Scotland is a Unicorn.

15. The Ottoman Empire still existed the last time the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

16. The lighter the roast of coffee, the more caffeine it has.

17. A speck of dust is halfway in size between a subatomic particle and the Earth.

18. If the timeline of earth was compressed into one year, humans wouldn't show up until December 31 at 11:58 p.m.

19. If you were able to dig a hole to the center of the earth, and drop something down it, it would take 42 minutes for the object to get there.

20. We went to the moon before we thought to put wheels on suitcases.

21. A human could swim through the arteries of a blue whale.

22. If you could fold a piece of paper in half 42 times, the combined thickness would reach the moon.

23. On both Saturn and Jupiter, it rains diamonds.

24. Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia.

25. You can line up all 8 planets in our solar system directly next to each other and it would fit in the space between Earth and the Moon.

26. The youngest known mother was 5 years old.

27. The Earth is smoother than a billiard ball, if both were of the same size.

28. Nintendo was founded in 1889.

29. If you take all the molecules in a teaspoon of water and lined them up end to end in a single file line, they would stretch ~30 billion miles.

30. In Australia, there was a war called the emu war. The emus won.

Approaching 10 Million Views

This was created after Sandy Hook in 2012. Still nothing at all done about this problem. Literally nothing.

Annie Get Your Gun

One of my favorite bands from the late 70s and early 80s was Squeeze. Their singer Glen Tilbrook is celebrating his 58th birthday today. This was their last big single before they broke up...

Around the Publishing World (August 31)

We stay on top of happenings/trends in the publishing world to help out busy writers who are spending their time doing what they should be doing: writing.

 

1. Another Amazon worker's story
Amazon claimed that they didn't know of any amazon employees who had been treated the way that New York Times article portrayed. This former employee begs to differ.

2. On the other hand, we can't quit you...
We want to stay mad at amazon, we really do, but then we read something like this. Amazon is about to go into home delivery of alcohol.

3. Self Publishing is Good for the Industry
We’ve always been firmly on the side of self-publishing. Wired has a great article on some of the many reasons why it’s good for the industry.

4. October 8th is Book-a-palooza
If you haven’t removed the Christmas lights from your home, don’t bother. October 8th marks the official start of the season for the publishing industry. More than 500 books will be released on that day.

5. Fifty Shades of Legal Problems
The BBC reports that the publisher of Fifty Shades of Grey has to set aside $10 million in an ongoing dispute with a business partner. In case you don't want to do the math, that’s $200,000 per shade.

6. From Avon to Self-Publishing Queen
Newsweek has a great piece on how a former Avon Lady became the queen of self-publishing. It’s apparently easier than selling soap.

Vin Scully Says He'll be Back One More Year

Ken Sumka

The former WXRT jock and WBBM traffic reporter moved up to Wisconsin a few years ago when his wife was transferred there. He hooked on to a radio station in Milwaukee and has been moving right up the ladder. His latest promotion, via the RAMP newsletter...

On the heels of Jordan Lee's recent promotion to PD of RadioMilwaukee non-comm WYMS (88Nine RadioMilwaukee), the station moves a few more programming puzzle pieces into place -- afternoon personality Ken Sumka is awarded Lee's former APD stripes and weekender Justin Barney is upped to MD. Sumka will oversee 88Nine's Studio Milwaukee sessions, the weekly 414 Music segment and the station's annual Milwaukee Music Awards. In addition to his weekend shifts, Barney will continue to write and produce the weekly feature, 5 Songs We Can’t Stop Listening To.

I interviewed Ken for Chicago Radio Spotlight many moons ago, during his Chicago radio days. You can read that interview here.

No-No Pajama Man

I'll just be over here watching Starlin's pirouette celebration all night... https://t.co/yeYTqKQiTH

— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) August 31, 2015

Best thing @JArrieta34 did today? Wearing a MUSTACHE onesie to his press conference. #DomiNoNo #Legend pic.twitter.com/PmlkSpBVhj

— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2015

One of their rewards

Remember those Americans who stopped the terrorist attack in France? Well, one of them was wearing a Bayern Munich jersey at the time, and that got the attention of the club. They invited him to Bayern's training session and introduced him to the man who wears that uniform for real...Thomas Mueller. Cool moment captured on Twitter...

Today we had a visit of #Thalys-hero Alek Skarlatos on the training ground of @FCBayernEN #esmuellert pic.twitter.com/VFaodnOCaM

— Thomas Müller (@esmuellert_) August 26, 2015

Facebook Has 1 Billion Users in One Day

It happened on Monday. A billion people around the world were on facebook in a 24-hour period. A billion.

I must admit I was one of them.

My kids were not. They tell me they are too cool for Facebook.

New Daily Show Hire

From this morning's Hollywood Reporter: The former digital director for 'The Onion' will create viral content for the Trevor Noah-hosted program.

His name is Baratunde Thurston and he's also the author of "How to Be Black". His job on the Daily Show will be to create viral content outside of the show itself.

Johnny B Sells His House

The Tribune has the story. Nice pad. Sold for $4.9 million. From the article...

Features include six full baths, four half-baths, six fireplaces, a full-floor master suite, a movie theater, an elevator, multiple decks and an attached three-car garage.

Sounds exactly like my house.

Brian Epstein

On this day in 1967, Beatles manager Brian Epstein passed away. He was only 32 years old.

This interview with Murray the K took place just a few months before his death.

A Volunteer's Retort

As someone who volunteers hundreds of hours a year, I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically endorse this message. Thanks to "MS" for sending it to me...

Historic Chicago Taverns, Part 2

Rick Kogan takes a look at five more historic taverns in today's Chicago Tribune. I appreciate the tireless research he has done on behalf of journalism. I will have to follow his lead and check a few of these out. There are three that I've never visited.

MSNBC Moves Sharpton

Al Sharpton's show, which currently airs at 5pm Central, is being moved to Sunday mornings. Great move by MSNBC. That show was completely unwatchable. Al may be a gifted orator, but he couldn't read a teleprompter to save his life. MSNBC hasn't announced what will take Al's place, but I have a suggestion. How about news? I know it's a radical concept for an all-news station, but I sure would appreciate it.

Where There's A Will...

George Will has two things going for him in my book. #1, he is a Cubs fan. #2, he's a good writer. I don't agree with his politics, but I still like reading his column. I usually find at least one sentence that makes it worthwhile. Today's masterpiece is his column's opening sentence...

Every sulfurous belch from the molten interior of the volcanic Trump phenomenon injures the chances of a Republican presidency.

We'll be reading an awful lot about Trump between now and his political demise, but I doubt we'll get a better sentence than that.

Say it Ain't So, Rose

Another Chicago sports icon accused of a rape. This time it's Derrick Rose.

This one is a little different because it happened two years ago, so it's a civil lawsuit and not a criminal complaint, but it's still yucky. Derrick's lawyer is calling it a money grab.

Cubs/Perfect Strangers Mash-Up

Happy National Dog Day

Happy National Dog Day to Ivy. Right now she's where she is every day at this time. Sitting at my feet as I write.

TV Reporter & Cameraman Killed on Live TV

This is a horrible story. A TV reporter and her cameraman were doing a routine story on the morning news when someone started shooting. Both the reporter and the cameraman are dead.

LATE UPDATE: The gunman was surrounded, and he shot himself.

First Day of School

Can't get this song out of my head. My oh my what a wonderful day! (And that's coming from someone who has a dentist appointment today)



Or this song...

Fox News Vs. Trump

It looks like Fox News is now turning on Trump because he broke the rules of their recent (We won't rip you if you don't rip us) agreement by ripping Megyn Kelly again. But I think they've made a classic schoolyard mistake in the way they are doing it. Here's the headline: Roger Ailes: Trump Should Apologize to Megyn Kelly; Fox News Won’t be ‘Bullied by Anyone’.

Think about it. What would Fox do if someone demanded that they apologize and accused them of bullying? We know exactly what they'd do because they've been doing it for twenty years. They'd go on the air and imply whoever is accusing them of bullying is a puss. "Oh, wah. Are your fragile wittle feelings hurt?" That's exactly what Donald Trump is going to do to them. There's an endless game of "I know you are but what am I" brewing, with no end in sight until one side realizes that "Nuh uh" is not a sufficient retort.

Who do you think is more likely to buckle first, Trump or Fox? My money's on Fox. Their mommy is looking up Donald's mommy's phone number right now.

We're #1

According to Chicago Police, Cubs fans are #1!

#1 at urinating in public, that is.

It ain't much, but it's something to build on.

Ashley Madison

Only three Zip codes in America (according to Gawker) do not have any Ashley Madison accounts. Two are in Alaska and another is in New Mexico.

I'll be looking at everyone a little differently this morning when I drop the kids off at school. Which one of you is the cheater? J'accuse!

RIP Chico Maki

He was one of the Blackhawks of my youth. Ron "Chico" Maki passed away yesterday at the age of 76.

On teams that featured the likes of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito, good ol' #16 was not one of the stars of those great Blackhawks teams (although he did manage to make three all-star teams), but he was an important cog. He played throughout the 60s and retired in 1975.

Brandwidth

Many thanks Robert Feder for the mention of Kipper McGee's ‪‎Eckhartz Press‬ book ‪#‎Brandwidth in his Robservations column yesterday‬. The book has been getting great reviews from media types who recognize the wisdom in Kipper's words.

Get your copy today.

Rizzo Channels Moises, Cubs get SI cover

Fun Anthony Rizzo interview. He admits he has tried the Moises Alou method of toughening up his hands.

Also, is Sports Illustrated still a jinx if you only appear on the regional cover? The Cubs are about to find out.

The Colbert Guest List

Adweek has a list of Stephen Colbert's first week guests, and it's already pretty clear it's going to be a slightly different kind of show than that time slot normally sees...

"Colbert's first guest for his debut show on Sept. 8 is George Clooney. GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush will also appear on Day 1, along with a musical performance by Jon Batiste and Stay Human. On Wednesday, actress Scarlett Johansson and SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk will be Colbert's guests, followed by another hot startup name on Thursday: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Comedian Amy Schumer and author Stephen King will be on Friday's show, as well as an interview with and musical performance by Troubled Waters. Grammy winners Kendrick Lamar and Toby Keith will also perform during the first week—Lamar on Wednesday and Keith on Thursday."

Pope-apalooza Merchandise

My favorite Pope ever is coming to America (Washington, New York, Philadelphia) soon, and the American tschotschke industry has been kicking into high gear making the commemorative gear.

The Washington Post has a rundown of some of the more interesting stuff. From the article...

“It’s amazing.This pope may sell better than sex sells,” said Rocco Palmo, a Philadelphia-based journalist who writes the “Whispers in the Loggia” blog. “You can’t walk within a mile of St. Peter’s Square without people accosting you with T-shirts, rosaries, everything but a vacuum cleaner with the pope’s picture on it.”

When my grandmother's favorite Pope (John Paul II) came to Chicago in 1979, Oma bought a truckload of this stuff. I remember when we moved to America in 1980, she gave each of us a commemorative coin. She kept the small Pope bust for herself.

Around the Publishing World (August 24)

Reprinted with permission (from me because I wrote it) from my blog at our new service, Chicago Author Solutions...

We stay on top of happenings/trends in the publishing world to help out busy writers who are spending their time doing what they should be doing: writing.

 

1. How One Chicagoan Keeps Winning the New Yorker Caption Contests
I'm posting this piece for a few reasons. One, go Chicago writers. Two, I love the tweet that alerted me to this Chicago Magazine article...

Annals of punctuation: Man avoids exclamation points. Man wins. Case closed. http://t.co/N9M6hRrhKr

— Henry Fuhrmann (@hfuhrmann) August 17, 2015

 

2. How much is Amazon paying these days under the new "pay only for pages read" metric?
I've been reading quite a bit lately about this trying to get a handle on it. On it's face, it sounds like such a an incredibly horrible deal. But there are a few pieces out there praising it, including the one I linked. According to this, Amazon pays about 1/2 cent per page view.


3. Should writers respond to negative comments on their articles?
This is a question our authors ask us all the time because most authors also write something else (articles, blogs, etc) and they inevitably get negative comments. Why? The internet is a cruel cesspool of bile. (That's my opinion as a 10-year blog writer). I personally no longer allow comments on my personal blog because I found it's better to simply stay above the fray. Life's too short to argue with trolls. You can never win those arguments anyway and it makes you look thin-skinned and impotent. Other writers disagree with me. Lots of different opinions at the link.

4. Apple's mistake was hooking up with the book-publishing cartel
My condolences to you if you own Apple stock. It's been a rough few weeks. According to this piece in Fortune Magazine, their big mistake was to make a deal with the major book publishers. Read the piece and judge for yourself if you agree or not.

5. Another look at Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"
The New York Times Book section took a new look at one of the classic American poems, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken". I'm guessing my fellow writers will find this story as interesting as I did. There's apparently a new middle ground theory about the poem's meaning.

6. Mastering the Radio Interview: 10 Tips for Authors from a Talk Radio Host
As a twenty-year radio veteran and a frequent radio guest for the past ten years, I can tell you that the linked article is the best advice I've ever read for authors who are planning on appearing on a radio show. It gives you tips for how to get booked, what to expect when you're on the air, and what to say or do when you get your chance. All of it is true. Great stuff.

How Not To Run A Sales Department

I know that times are tough in radio and television ad sales, but this story from the Courthouse News in Arkansas is unbelievable...

"Defendants were at risk of not obtaining this lucrative, advertising business account. It was during this time of high stress and pressure to obtain this account that plaintiff was requested to perform sexual acts or favors for potential male clients to obtain advertising business for defendants," she says.

There was nothing subtle about it, Easby-Smith says. She claims that Wilkinson "specifically requested and pressured plaintiff to bypass the adverting agency, contact the large, potential client directly, call immediately, and do whatever was necessary to obtain their business for defendants, including performing inappropriate sexual acts or favors. Defendant Wilkinson verbally requested and demonstrated the type of sexual acts that he said plaintiff should engage in to obtain the large, advertising client for the monetary advancement of defendants' business."

Easby-Smith says she became "physically sickened, shocked and stunned by the request," which she refused.

Not only did they allegedly tell her to do this, they allegedly fired her when she didn't get the account.

Mike North Back on the Air in Chicago

Longtime Score talker Mike North has been off the air in Chicago for a few years now, but that will be changing in a few weeks. He has joined fellow Ex-Score host Dan McNeil on classic rock WDRV. Unlike Danny Mac, who co-hosts the morning show, North will be doing a Bears show. Radio Online has the details...

The three-hour program immediately following Bears games on Sundays will debut on September 13, after the Bears opener against Green Bay.

Senior VP/Programming Greg Solk told staff, "As The Drive continues our endeavor to provide the best local and relevant content to audiences. We believe there is a void on Sunday afternoons for post-game Bears talk on the FM dial. I'm proud to announce today the addition of a brand new Sunday afternoon, 3pm-6pm, show on The Drive hosted by the one and only Mike North. Mike will give Chicago a no-holds-barred wrap-up show after every Bears game."

North commented, "It's gonna be great to be back on the air in Chicago once again talking Bears! I'm psyched to be back with the listeners and on 97.1 FM The Drive. It's a perfect station for me, with a massive male listenership. Chicago, get ready for the truth about the Bears!"

The Case Against Salad

You can bet your bippy I'm sending THIS LINK to the wife today. It makes the case against salad, from a nutritional and earth-friendly perspective.