After 90 years as the radio flagship of the “World’s Greatest Newspaper,” WGN AM 720 is about to raise its voice and expand its reach to the FM band.

Although blocked by federal regulations from owning an FM signal in Chicago, bosses of the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station have made a deal to lease the frequency of 87.7 FM through September 2015. It's a potential game changer for the market. Continue reading →

Bill Applegate

You’d have to go back more than 20 years (and six general managers) to recall the last time WBBM-Channel 2 was No. 1 in the ratings at 10 o’clock.

I thought of that the other day when I read that my old friend Bill Applegate was retiring after 45 years in broadcasting. While he’s spent the last 13 years running a couple of stations in Cleveland, he left an indelible mark on Chicago during two tours of duty here. Continue reading →

Natasha Korecki

The next big brawl in Chicago journalism may be waged on the political battlefield.

Hoping to win the votes of the campaign cognoscenti — and capture a larger share of advertising revenue — both Crain’s Chicago Business and the Sun-Times are beefing up their coverage of government, politics and public affairs. Continue reading →

Jeannie and Johnny Morris

News that trailblazing sports broadcaster and journalist Jeannie Morris was named the first female recipient of a Ring Lardner Award was cheered Tuesday by two who followed in her path.

Starting in 1967 — at a time when women were virtually nonexistent in sportscasting — Morris spent 24 years as a sports reporter, producer and host first at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and then at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2.

“This is well-deserved!” tweeted CBS 2 sports anchor Megan Mawicke. “Working at CBS I know just how much Jeannie paved the way for the rest of us!!”

Tweeted: NBC 5's Peggy Kusinski: “Every Woman Sportscaster in Chicago should know & thank Jeannie Morris for being smart & a Pro - I'm a huge fan!” Continue reading →

Meteorologists from WLS-Channel 7 will deliver weather reports on the Sun-Times’ website as part of a new marketing agreement between the ABC-owned station and the newspaper.

Starting this week, ABC 7’s Tracy Butler, Mike Caplan and Phil Schwarz will record video forecasts three times a day on weekdays and twice daily on weekends for streaming on suntimes.com. Continue reading →

WCIU logo (2014)

Fifty years ago this week, Chicagoans lucky enough to receive snowy signals on their makeshift UHF tuners got their first glimpse of WCIU-Channel 26 (whose call letters stand for “Chicago’s First UHF”).

In addition to time-brokered ethnic and foreign language programming, initial offerings on the new broadcast outlet included old movies, local wrestling matches, bloody bullfights from Mexico and reruns of the 1950s sitcom “Amos ’n Andy.” Continue reading →

Twenty-five years ago a public television documentary captured Chicago’s hottest radio station at its absolute zenith.

The station was WLUP AM/FM 1000/97.9, its biggest stars were Jonathon Brandmeier, Steve Dahl, Garry Meier and Kevin Matthews, and the man at the center of it all was a brash 35-year-old executive named Jimmy deCastro. After eight years as ringmaster of the Loop, he was openly gunning for top-rated WGN AM 720. Continue reading →

Steve Edwards

There is life after radio for Steve Edwards — and it keeps getting better.

The former Chicago Public Media star, who hosted “The Afternoon Shift” and “Eight Forty-Eight” on WBEZ FM 91.5, has been named executive director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. Edwards most recently was deputy director for programming at the public policy and public service institute founded and led by David Axelrod.

“Thrilled to welcome Steve Edwards, whose thoughtful show was a staple on Chicago public radio, as new exec director of @UChiPolitics,” Axelrod tweeted Thursday. Continue reading →

Mark Suppelsa, Dan Roan, Tom Skilling and Micah Materre

Tom Skilling still may be America’s weatherman, but his unparalleled nightly forecasts aren’t reaching viewers from coast to coast anymore.

After more than 35 years as a staple of Tribune Broadcasting’s cable superstation, WGN-Channel 9’s 9 p.m. newscast has been dropped from the nightly schedule of WGN America. Continue reading →

Dave Savini (Naperville police photo)

An apologetic Dave Savini said he took “full responsibility” for his actions after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to drunk driving last month in west suburban Naperville.

“There’s no doubt about it, I made a mistake and used bad judgement, to drive after drinking,” the WBBM-Channel 2 investigative reporter said in a statement after his appearance in DuPage County Circuit Court. It was the first public comment by Savini since his arrest Jan. 4 following a minor traffic accident in a Taco Bell parking lot. Continue reading →