Big John Howell

When Big John Howell starts Monday at WLS AM 890, he’ll have more on his agenda than hosting a morning show on the news/talk station.

As part of his agreement with Cumulus Media, the veteran Chicago radio personality is expected to double as host and producer of a nationally distributed country music show, which could be launched as early as this spring. Continue reading →

Alison Scholly

Alison Scholly is stepping down as chief operating officer at Chicago Public Media — nine months after she was passed over for the top job at the parent company of WBEZ FM 91.5.

Scholly, 46, who has held the COO position since June 2010, told colleagues Friday she plans to leave at the end of the month. Continue reading →

Editorial employees of the Chicago Reader voted unanimously Friday to join the Chicago Newspaper Guild and approve the union as their collective bargaining representative.

The 19-0 vote paves the way for writers and other staffers to negotiate their first contract in the 44-year history of the free alternative weekly. Continue reading →

Not so fast: Live Well Network, the digital subchannel carried by WLS-Channel 7 and other ABC-owned stations, won’t be signing off Friday after all.

ABC Owned Television Stations Group announced last June that it would cease operation of the network at the end of this week. But the company now says it will continue to air reruns of Live Well programming for at least the next two months on its eight owned stations, including Chicago’s ABC 7, which launched the network in 2009. Continue reading →

Roe Conn and Steve Cochran

Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720 confirmed Thursday what readers of this blog have known since Monday: Roe Conn is onboard as afternoon personality.

Starting January 26, the veteran Chicago broadcaster will hold forth from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, replacing the duo of Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder, who will return to their former midday slot from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays. To accommodate the moves, additional changes were announced to WGN’s weekend lineup. Continue reading →

Bill Kurtis

Television news icon Bill Kurtis has signed to host “Through the Decades,” the signature daily information and entertainment series on a new digital network being launched this spring by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting Co. and CBS Television Stations.

Set to debut this May, the Decades network will air on a digital subchannel of WBBM-Channel 2 and 15 other CBS-owned stations nationwide, featuring programming culled from CBS archives and organized around theme and dates. Continue reading →

Kelli Walker

Traffic reporter Kelli Walker, whose contentious relationship with WLS AM 890 morning host Bruce Wolf exploded in an on-air confrontation about race eight weeks ago, has been forced out from the Cumulus Media news/talk station.

No reason was cited for dismissing Walker, whose last day on the air was Monday. Her most recent contract with the station expired last October. Continue reading →

Dick Biondi

Two high-profile hosts at WLS FM 94.7 — evening legend Dick Biondi and morning personality Jack Diamond — are missing in action from the Cumulus Media classic hits station.

Both have been off the air for weeks due to health issues, according to Jan Jeffries, senior vice president of corporate programming for Cumulus Media and program director of WLS FM. No word on when either will return.

Biondi, 82, whose last appearance on the station was during his annual toy drive marathon broadcast December 13, was sidelined with the flu when he injured himself in a fall at home. “We love him and we’re just anxious for him to get back,” Jeffries said. “He loves this station and he loves this business. We need him.” Continue reading →

Amber "Alabama" Cole

Chicago’s new country music station WEBG FM 95.5 completed its local talent lineup Tuesday with the hiring of Amber “Alabama” Cole to host afternoons and Erik Zachary to host evenings.

Branded as Big 95.5, the iHeartMedia station previously announced the hiring of Mason Schreader and Zach “Remy” Hoesly as morning personalities and Steve Stewart as program director and midday host. The station switched to country January 5 after five years in Spanish-language music formats. Continue reading →

Steve Stewart

Along with its format switch to country music and rebranding as Big 95.5, WNUA FM 95.5 is about to unveil a new station identification bearing the call letters WEBG.

Replacing the designation the station has carried since 1987 (when “WNUA” signified its nascent New Age music format), iHeartMedia Chicago is expected to flip to WEBG FM 95.5 within the next day or two. Continue reading →