Ben Hollis

Ben Hollis, the pith-helmeted host and co-creator of WTTW-Channel 11's "Wild Chicago," is about to release a DVD featuring highlights of the fondly remembered magazine show.

From 1989 to 1992, Hollis took viewers on a weekly safari through the "urban jungle" of Chicago, spotlighting offbeat places and eccentric personalities rarely seen on television. The series continued for another decade, but the Hollis years were its defining ones.

"The love and affection from fans to this day still humbles and uplifts me," Hollis told me. Continue reading →

Larry Sands

The revolving door finally may have stopped spinning at Chicago’s leading Spanish-language television operation.

Despite continued ratings and revenue success, Univision WGBO-Channel 66 and its TeleFutura sister station, WXFT-Channel 60, are on their fifth vice president and general manager in eight years — and their third in just the last three years. That's a lot for any media outlet.

The appointment last June of Larry Sands as regional vice president of Univision Chicago was seen as a stabilizing move for the unit here, although he also continues to oversee the operations of Univision Puerto Rico, where he had been working since 2002. He is based in Chicago. Continue reading →

Jon Kelley

The first time Jon Kelley came to Chicago, he was a 25-year-old rookie sportscaster at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 who became known more for his handsome face and Armani wardrobe than for his reporting or anchoring skills.

Now, more than two decades later, it looks like he may be returning to host "Good Day Chicago" on WFLD-Channel 32. Nothing's confirmed, but Kelley's recent visit to the Fox-owned station has insiders convinced he's close to a deal. Continue reading →

Andrea Hanis

Think of it as a startup about startups.

The Chicago Tribune has fielded a seasoned team of editors and reporters to launch a business news enterprise dedicated to covering the city's entrepreneurs and innovators.

Blue Sky Innovation debuted Monday in the newspaper's business section, offering highlights of content from the new free-standing digital hub at blueskyinnovation.com. A premium website and newsletter focusing on the innovation, high-tech and entrepreneurial scene kicked off last Wednesday. Continue reading →

Kim Vatis

Off to pursue "new adventures," WMAQ-Channel 5 reporter and news anchor Kim Vatis is resigning her full-time position at the NBC-owned station after 16 years.

Her last day anchoring weekend morning newscasts alongside Anthony Ponce is expected to be Dec. 1. But Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, is leaving the door open for Vatis to return.

"Kim has decided it's time for a change in her life," Whittaker said in a memo. "With her daughter, Dakota, now off to college, Kim is hoping to travel more and take on other projects outside of local television news. Continue reading →

Jim Laski

If there were a special wing in the Radio Hall of Fame for classless jerks, Jim Laski would be the first inductee.

The exhibit would include a recording of Laski's final show Saturday on WCPT AM 820 in which he went after the station's bosses for having the nerve to expect him to pay his bills. Continue reading →

Hugh Hill

They don’t make reporters like Hugh Hill anymore.

A giant of Chicago journalism for 43 years, he practically invented the role of political reporter on local television news and played it longer and with more gusto than anyone.

Hill, who died Friday at 89, interviewed every U.S. president from Truman to Clinton and covered every Chicago mayor from Daley to Daley. His in-your-face style of interrogation and remarkable institutional memory made him a legend. Continue reading →

OK, let's get this straight: First WLS-Channel 7 drops its top-rated 11 a.m. news program after more than 20 years, becoming the only major station in town without a newscast between 9 a.m and 4 p.m. on weekdays.

And now the ABC-owned station adds an hour of news at 5 o'clock in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays, boasting that it offers "the most weekend TV news in Chicago." Continue reading →

Barry Mayo

Twenty-five years ago today, WVAZ FM 102.7 signed on with an urban adult-contemporary music format that had never been heard here before. “We will be a major player,” predicted founder Barry Mayo.

He was right.

Today V103 is the top-rated station in Chicago with a 6.2 percent share and an audience of more than 1.1 million. Revenue for the Clear Channel outlet exceeded $20.8 million in 2012. Among its stars are Steve Harvey, Doug Banks and Herb Kent.

Here is my Sun-Times column of Oct. 19, 1988 — one day after V103 debuted. (Posted with permission.) Continue reading →

Joel Lisinski

What would you call this guy?

His real name is Joel Lisinski. On the radio in Milwaukee, he's Joel Sheridan. And now that he's been hired as nighttime personality on WUSN FM 99.5, he's about to get a new identity. Continue reading →