Rick Kaempfer

Friday, April 11, 2014

50 Years Ago Today

The Beatles had 14 songs in the top 100. Incredible. They were...

1. "Can't Buy Me Love"

2. "Twist and Shout"

4. "She Loves You"

7. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

9. "Please Please Me"

14. "Do You Want to Know a Secret?"

38. "I Saw Her Standing There"

48. "You Can't Do That"

50. "All My Loving"

52. "From Me to You"

61. "Thank You Girl"

74. "There's a Place"

78. "Roll Over Beethoven"

81. "Love Me Do"

Didn't realize that this one made it that high. It's one of my favs...

Media Spotlight--April 11

Every weekday in 2014, I'll be keeping an eye on what's happening in the media. My focus will be on some of my favorite subjects...the moguls, the pundits, the broadcast news biz, show business, and the publishing business. (Read "$everance" if you want a crystallization of my positions on those subjects.) And, of course, I'll also keep tabs on Chicago's media.

The Moguls

~Rupert Interview
He often tweets and spouts (and testifies), but he doesn't often sit down for an interview. Fortune Magazine talked to Rupert about his ex-wife, his pick for 2016, and more. The link I'm providing here goes to Time Magazine's summary, but a link to the article itself is contained there too.

~Moonves Buys Mansion on Billionaire's Beach
That's in Malibu, by the way. Naturally he bought it from another billionaire--Paul Allen.

Broadcast News

~CNN Is Dropping Talk Show in the 9ET/CT Slot
Documentaries will air in that timeslot instead. I can see the logic in this. Even during the last ten years or so of Larry King's reign, the talk show didn't do well in that timeslot.

Showbiz

~Variety's Take on Stephen Colbert Hiring
They sound a little skeptical about Colbert at Variety. I'm not at all. I've been watching him since he worked in Chicago. Don't underestimate the guy's talent. He is defintely not a one-trick pony. Also, they quote his ratings in this piece and compare them to Fallon, Kimmel, and Letterman. Um, you'd think this was obvious, but let me point it out in case it isn't. He's on Comedy Central!

~Is Craig Ferguson on the Way Out Too?
Sounds like it when you read the comments from Les Moonves. He flat out says "12:30 is up in the air". If I'm Craig Ferguson and I'm reading that, I'm quietly packing my bags.

Today's Best Tweets--April 11

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

Lou Brutus ‏@LouBrutus 3m
I never met a Friday I didn't like. #HappyFriday #TGIF

Alex Quigley ‏@alexquigley 6m
Today is the weather day that we dreamed about all winter long. We finally made it.

Lou Manfredini ‏@loumanfredini 3m
Yes spring is here. Our tulips are starting to sprout! Woot woot!! What are your signs that spring is here? http://fb.me/6vLHkM2TI

New York Post ‏@nypost 34m
Barack saves Michelle from an embarrassing Marilyn Monroe moment http://nyp.st/QcR1KQ pic.twitter.com/14QGyENoDI

People magazine ‏@peoplemag 30m
Hillary Clinton dodges shoe thrown at her during speech in Las Vegas - watch the video: http://peoplem.ag/vGpXi

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 41m
NJ Man Accidentally Shot Himself At An NRA Event http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/accidental-shooting-nra-event …

Esquire Magazine ‏@Esquiremag 1h
Meet the man who will be James Brown: http://esqm.ag/60159VbF pic.twitter.com/tkWEgTE5eh

Jim O'Donnell ‏@jodonnell17 52m
Jim Nantz is sooooo Bushian; dandy pick to sit next to at Osmonds concert.

Wayne Slater ‏@WayneSlater 59m
GeoWBush at LBJ Library: "Former presidents compare their libraries the way other men compare their … well ... Wonder how LBJ would've?"

Naomi Klein ‏@NaomiAKlein 6m
Really impressive letter from 100 Harvard faculty members on the moral imperative of fossil fuel divestment http://www.harvardfacultydivest.com/

Sounds Painful

Thanks "JJ" for sending this...

Just One Bad Century--April 11

Another tough loss yesterday afternoon for the Cubs (5-4 to the Pirates...after leading 4-0). It's getting harder to be Mr. Bright Side (my New Year's Resolution). How about this: They haven't been swept yet this year. The Cubs go back at it tonight against the Cardinals.

Today in Wrigley Field history goes back to 1967 and 1969. Our Hall of Fame pitcher beats his old team in one game, and in the other, a brand new franchise (that has since relocated) makes it's first ever appearance in Chicago.

Today's Historical Event is the U.S. sending troups to Vietnam for the first time. Where were the Cubs?

Four former Cubs are celebrating a birthday today. One of them had his very last career at-bat in the World Series. Another is the only big leaguer in history born in Singapore. Do you realize that when this year is over, I will have featured every single player who ever wore a Cubs uniform? I usually think about that on days like today when I feature such obscure players.

The A/V Club features Sam "Toothpick" Jones, who became the first African American Cub to win a game on this day in 1955.

And, just for kicks, I checked out the Count Up Clock on the home page at Just One Bad Century. It tracks (down to the second) how long it has been since the Cubs last won the World Series. In case you were wondering, as of 7:13 this morning, we're at 38530 days 7 hours 14 minutes and 58 seconds.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Kurt Cobain

Today is the 20th anniversary of Cobain's funeral. Over 5000 fans attended. The surviving members were on Jimmy Fallon last night. They'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

It inspired me to look up this video. I remember watching this and discussing it with my Loop colleagues. I remember Dave Benson, our music director at the time, saying "This is not going to end well for Kurt Cobain."

Today's Best Tweets--April 10

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

Guess what's trending on Twitter?

CBS Television ‏@CBS 24m
Stephen Colbert announced as the next host of #LateShow ! More details here: http://bit.ly/1eoOIzR

jimmy fallon ‏@jimmyfallon 13m
I'd like to welcome the great @StephenAtHome to network late night and also congratulate him on his new name: Jimmy Colbert.

Jake Tapper ‏@jaketapper 4m
Who inspired Stephen #Colbert to be a comedian? Our web exclusive from last yr http://cnn.it/OKloHN #tbt #TheLead pic.twitter.com/kMp5runWvH

gwen ifill ‏@gwenifill 51m
So I guess this means #CancelColbert worked? After a fashion?

Patton Oswalt ‏@pattonoswalt 3m
Hey, could someone ask Suey Park to start a #CancelOswalt campaign? I'd love to host the Oscars next year.

Slate ‏@Slate 2m
We want to congratulate Stephen Colbert, who's been a friend to Slate. Here he is 'as himself' on our Gabfest in 2013 http://slate.me/1hDQEPD

Paula Faris ‏@paulafaris 5m
Stephen Colbert's publicist tells @ABCNews "I won't be doing the new show in character, so we'll all get to find out how much of him was me"

Pete Dominick ‏@PeteDominick 49m
CBS just announced its Colbert. I wrote a piece last week for @thedailybeast as to why he'll be great http://ow.ly/vElxi

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 20m
If yer curious what Colbert's like out of character, here's some rare video we took several years ago http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/holy-crap-colbert-replaces-letterman …

Judd Apatow ‏@JuddApatow 24m
Congrats @StephenAtHome ! The world rejoices!

Media Spotlight--April 10

"I have had my eye on Shila for a few years and I'm very excited to have her join the air staff at US99.5," said Jeff Kapugi, CBS RADIO Vice President, Country Programming and Program Director, WUSN. "She's a very dynamic personality that brings a fresh approach to afternoon drive in Chicago, Shila joins a talented team featuring Lisa and Ray in mornings, recently promoted midday host Drew Walker and 'Jax' at night."

~Former CBS Marketing Director Writes Book About Cancer
His name is Ken Churilla and he has a compelling story to tell. The link will take you to Chicagoland Radio & Media for more information.

~A Radio Story From Way Back
From Tom Taylor's NOW Column today, this story from over 50 years ago:

Syndicated host Stan Major says "Back in 1959-1960 when I was rocking away every afternoon on Chicago's WJJD, I was quite popular. Well, it was way before WLS and our only competition was WIND, with a signal that might get to La Grange, but we were heard all the way to Boston. Some creep in the thief business decided he would pose as me and approach the teen cashiers at local businesses and pull the fast-change scam. It appeared to work. He said he was 'Stan Major' and 'on the radio,' and the cashiers got a bit flustered. He gave them a $5 bill, then claimed it had been a $20. He pulled this off for awhile without getting caught. Someone at a store called me and told me what was going on. I never heard anything from any police department, but I do know that one store he hit was in Mt. Prospect, the suburb where our home was. It all faded away when I left Chicago, and I’ve never mentioned it until now."

The Moguls

~Comcast CEO to Congress: "Comcast represents the American dream"
And, we wll know the American dream is to crush your competition and create a monopoly so you can charge as much as you want without having to answer to your customers needs and wants. Who wouldn't want to live that dream?

~As The Rupert Turns
Turns out the story that broke this whole phone-hacking scandal in Britain in the first place (the hacking of the missing kid's phone--which was denied vehemently by all involved at the time), was absolutely true this whole time. It has now been confirmed under oath in a courtroom.

Showbiz

~Colbert gets the Late Show Gig!
It's official now. It's being announced this morning. Should be an awesome show. Very excited.

~Why is Jimmy Fallon Killing It in the Ratings?
His interviewing is a work in progress (at best), but then he'll do something (easily sharable) like this. Dude's got talent...

What Are You Giving Up For Lent?

I asked a buddy of mine this question (via e-mail), and he sent me this. Made me laugh.

Tipping Table

This is helpful for tipping in America. If you're like me, and you're never quite sure, it may help you too.

Imagine The Band

Cool mashup of "Imagine" instrumental sped up and "Band on the Run" vocals slowed down...

Which Biblical Character are You?

I took the quiz.

This is not good. I turned out to be Eve.

The description: "You have a big heart and are very protective of the ones you love. You will go out of your way to care and provide for your friends and family and expect little in return."

Throw Back Thursday

Throw back Thursday.

My sister and I in 1967 or so.

Not sure why they called me the German boy.

Just One Bad Century--April 10

Big Cubs win last night. Jason Hammel is 2-0. Anthony Rizzo got four hits. It's nice to win even when your pitchers give up five homers (including two in the ninth that made me a little nervous).

On JOBC toay, we've got a new batch of Historical Events for this week. Today's entry is about Paul McCartney announcing the breakup of the Beatles. Where were the Cubs?

Today in Wrigley history bookends Billy Williams Cubs years...1959/1974. It was also a momentous day in 1992. Find out why.

Today's Cubs birthdays include a Cub who became a TV star, a local Mt. Prospect boy, and someone they called Tacky Tom. The A/V Club has video from our famous Cub's television series.

In today's Cubs news, it appears the team is seriously talking about moving out of Wrigley. For the time being, I'm choosing to consider that posturing, and/or frustration talking. Junior Lake is frustrated that he's only playing against lefties. And, there's one more name in the minor league system you should be excited about: Dan Vogelbach.

Cubs are back in action today against the Pirates. It's a 1:20 game. Travis Wood will be on the mound for the Cubs.

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Media Spotlight--April 9

Steve Harvey obviously knew the NAB honor was a big deal, but he’s a professional funny guy, and here are a couple of lines from his appearance that ran over-time (though nobody complained). First, he acknowledged the winners of the Crystal Awards, saying those stations are “giving to the community, helping Habitat for Humanity, feeding hungry people…it’s radio the way it should be done.” Then he jokes about the Radio Luncheon food – “That is the biggest piece of free meat I’ve ever seen...I’m scared of my steak.” The onetime Apollo Theater entertainer shares a story from his first radio gig in Chicago, hired by Marv Dyson, recalling that he’d heard a news story about Heineken pulling its ads off a show in London because there were too many black people on it. He urged his listeners to drop their Heinekens “on the [freeway], and they did. I thought it was cool.” But the account executive at the station was “having a brain aneurism” and told Steve “how it was affecting his family. I told him I didn’t give a damn.”

~Chet Coppock
Polishing up my latest Illinois Entertainer column. Due date is tomorrow. Release date is May 1. What does Chet talk about? Let's just say that he isn't holding back.

The Moguls

~Opposing the Merger
Groups opposed to the Time Warner/Comcast merger are doing something that Time Warner and Comcast must support. They are merging. Details at Media Bistro.

Broadcast News

~Fox News Coverage of Climate Change is Now More Scientifically Accurate!
They used to contain inaccurate or misleading statements in 93% of their reports. They are now only inaccurate 72% of the time! Congratulations. (Note: These figures come from a scientific organization, so they obviously can't be trusted. We all know about that giant worldwide scientists-conspiracy)

Showbiz

~Julia Louis Dreyfuss nude on cover of Rolling Stone
Can you spot the problem in this photo? It took me a minute to see it too. The writing on her back is the U.S. Constitution, but it also has John Hancock's signature. The problem with that is John Hancock didn't sign the constitution--he only signed the Declaration of Independence. (Don't worry...I also noticed she's nude. I'm an old curmudgeon. Not a dead one.)

~FX Networks Plan For the Simpsons
T-Dog Media summarizes the details that are behind the paywall of Broadcasting & Cable for those of us (I'm raising my hand) too cheap to subscribe.

Today's Best Tweets--April 9

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...

Emily Bazelon ‏@emilybazelon 13m
The passionate case for bringing up kids w/ lots of risk & adventure http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/04/rebel_heart_sailboat_rescue_eric_and_charlotte_kaufman_are_part_of_my_community.2.html …

Michael Tomasky ‏@mtomasky 1h
New Column: Repubs don't want women to have equal pay. They've proven it many times. Believe them. http://thebea.st/1qoeVOP via @thedailybeast

Patrick Mooney ‏@CSNMooney 35m
Theo's plan won't bank on Cubs selling minority ownership shares: http://bit.ly/1qoO1GH

David Frum ‏@davidfrum 34m
In honor of Appomattox anniversary, here’s link to classic James Thurber essay, “If Grant Had Been Drinking …” http://02dddd4.netsolhost.com/poetry/Grant.shtml …

steve rosenbloom ‏@steverosenbloom 37m
No stars? Check. Still winning? Check. Blackhawks tweak their checklist. The RosenBlog: http://bit.ly/1g7urgM

#AMillionWays ‏@AMillionWays 8h
Anyone dressed like Spider-Man in the Old West would've been dragged through town and fed to pigs. #AMillionWays

Steve Grzanich ‏@SteveGrzanich 1h
Temps remain near or above 60 all week in #Chicago http://ow.ly/i/5bod9 http://ow.ly/vASxY

The Daily Beast ‏@thedailybeast 2m
Prince George got through his first public engagement and only made one little girl cry http://thebea.st/Q2DAx7

James Finn Garner ‏@jamesfinngarner 6m
RT @Bardball: Hank Aaron gets the "Sgt. Pepper" treament: http://bardball.com/april-8-1974-side-1-track-1/ … #braves

Matthew Hasselbeck ‏@Hasselbeck 18m
Every time I get tested for steroids reminds me of the elderly lady at the airport that TSA pulls out of line for a pat down.