Dave McKinney
From the blockbuster sale of 38 suburban newspapers to the return of Chicago’s most famous radio renegade, October brought one surprise after another on the media beat.
Not to mention the resignations — for very different reasons — of a top political reporter from the Sun-Times and a Hall of Fame columnist from the Tribune. Continue reading
Phil Ponce
Veteran Chicago public television newsman Phil Ponce is expected back on the air Monday after several days in the hospital for treatment of chest pain and a cyst in his liver.
“Phil is grateful for everyone’s good wishes and asks that the public not send cards or letters,” according to a statement from WTTW-Channel 11, where Ponce hosts the flagship nightly news program “Chicago Tonight.” “He emphasizes that he is perfectly fine and is looking forward to getting back to work.” Continue reading
Marcus Riley
On the eve of the Chicago Emmy Awards, the president of the local television academy chapter suddenly lost his day job as a producer for NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5.
Marcus Riley was forced out this week as a content producer at NBC 5, according to insiders, for making errors in news stories that were posted on the station’s website. Continue reading
Chicago Tribune
It’s official: Tribune Publishing Co. announced Friday it has acquired all 38 suburban publications owned by the Sun-Times parent company and will continue printing and distributing the Sun-Times daily newspaper under a new long-term agreement with Wrapports LLC.
Terms of the agreement, first reported here October 21, were not disclosed. Sources said negotiations to finalize the deal ran late into the night Thursday in order to meet the goal of a November 1 deadline. Continue reading
Steve Dahl
Monday marks Steve Dahl’s return as afternoon personality on WLS AM 890 — and a comeback to terrestrial radio that many of his fans probably thought would never happen.
“I’m excited for it,” Dahl said Thursday. “It’s been six years since I last had my own radio show. I’m pretty sure it’s like riding a bicycle, but I’m going to wear a helmet just in case.” Continue reading
Jack Diamond
Move over, Brant Miller: Jack Diamond is on his way.
Diamond, 60, a longtime Washington, D.C., radio personality, is expected to be named morning host at WLS FM 94.7. Insiders said he’ll start Monday on the Cumulus Media classic hits station, succeeding Miller from 5:30 to 9 a.m. weekdays. Continue reading
Newcity is about to come out with its annual Best of Chicago issue, and once again editor and publisher Brian Hieggelke is rocking the local media boat.
Who else but Hieggelke would proclaim the besieged Sun-Times “best local daily newspaper,” declare an architecture critic “best Chicago news columnist” or project a landslide election for governor next week? Continue reading
Ellen Warren
The incomparable Ellen Warren, a Hall of Fame journalist whose insight and flair graced the pages of three Chicago newspapers, is retiring after more than two decades as senior correspondent and columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Friday will be Warren’s last day at the Tribune, culminating a reporting career that stretched from Chicago City Hall to the White House and from the presidential campaign trail to the Middle East. Continue reading
Chicago Sun-Times
Will a new national strategy help save Chicago's money-losing No. 2 local newspaper?
The struggling parent company of the Sun-Times is banking its future on the creation of a network of websites and mobile apps delivering content from multiple sources to 70 cities across the country. Continue reading
Thirty-two years after Doug Banks began broadcasting in Chicago, he’s still riding high in the ratings.
Nielsen Audio figures released Monday for the period from September 11 to October 8 again give Banks the top spot for his syndicated afternoon show on iHeartMedia urban adult-contemporary WVAZ FM 102.7. That’s the same frequency where it all began for Banks in 1982 under the call letters WBMX. Continue reading
