Roz Varon, Hosea Sanders, Judy Hsu and Tracy Butler

Chicago’s arctic January warmed the hearts of local TV bosses, as ratings rose for morning newscasts at every station in town.

Between 4 and 10 a.m. weekdays, viewership for the month was up across the board compared with January 2013. Ratings analysts attributed the boost mainly to weather-related coverage, including interest in school closings and commuting issues. Continue reading →

Darren Davis

I should have known Darren Davis would be running all of the Clear Channel networks someday. I just never imagined it would happen by age 40.

As head of programming and operations at Clear Channel’s Chicago stations for less than three years, the California native earned a reputation as a smart, creative manager who combined a lifelong passion for radio with a discipline for business. By the time he was named senior vice president of programming for the company in 2008, his meteoric trajectory was set.

On Tuesday, Davis was named president of Clear Channel Networks Group, overseeing Premiere Networks, Total Traffic and Weather Network, the 24/7 News Network and the iHeartRadio Network. The newly unified group was created after John Hogan retired Jan. 13 as chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. Continue reading →

Roe Conn, Richard Roeper and Lou Canellis

It took a year for WLS AM 890 bosses to figure out what most listeners realized from Day One: A full hour of sports talk at 5 p.m. each day was killing Roe Conn and Richard Roeper’s afternoon show.

Faced with disastrous ratings, the Cumulus Media news/talk station is dropping “The 89 WLS Sports Pregame Show,” the somnambulant segment that featured Fox 32 sports anchor Lou Canellis and interviews with sports figures. Its final airing will be Wednesday. Continue reading →

Seven weeks from today, primary voters will go to the polls to choose candidates for offices ranging from U.S. senator and Illinois governor to circuit court judges. But once again, they won’t be able to look to the Sun-Times for guidance.

Despite a report last fall that the newspaper was rescinding its ban on endorsements, sources said the Sun-Times editorial board will be sitting out the March 18 primary, as it has every election since it opted out of vetting political candidates in January 2012. Continue reading →

For someone who spent his entire career behind a microphone, “Superjock” Larry Lujack left a remarkable legacy of work in front of the camera, too.

From his television commercials to his movie theater trailers and from his talk show interviews to his Hall of Fame acceptance speeches, Ol’ Uncle Lar invariably proved as charming and delightful on screen as he did on radio. Continue reading →

Bruce Rauner

Bruce Rauner = GTCR = Merlin Media = Randy Michaels. Continue reading →

Kenard Karter

Ten years after he began his career as a weekend overnight personality and promotions assistant at WGCI FM 107.5, Chicago native Kenard “K2” Karter is returning to the Clear Channel urban contemporary station as program director.

Karter, who rejoins WGCI March 3, spent the last four years as assistant program director and midday personality at Clear Channel’s KMEL FM in San Francisco. Continue reading →

The Beatles' first American television appearance 50 years ago next month — said to be the most significant moment in pop music history — also marked a turning point for Top 40 radio.

Nowhere was the British invasion welcomed more warmly than at WLS AM 890, where the Fab Four dominated the Silver Dollar Survey on Chicago’s 50,000-watt giant for rest of the decade.

Here is the piece I wrote for the Sun-Times on Feb. 5, 1984 — days before the 20th anniversary of the Beatles’ debut in America. (Posted with permission.) Continue reading →

It was a Christmas to remember for WLIT FM 93.9.

More than 3.2 million listeners tuned in to the Clear Channel station each week in December while it played nothing but Christmas music around the clock for the 13th consecutive year. Continue reading →

Jane Monzures

Jane Monzures, the multitalented Chicago television and radio host, has been hired as afternoon personality at WILV FM 100.3.

Monzures started Monday at the Hubbard Radio adult contemporary station, replacing Brian Middleton, who signed off Jan. 8 after seven years. “We are excited to hear Jane’s wit, energy and positivity every day from 2 to 7 p.m.,” program director Marty Bender said in announcing the appointment. Continue reading →