Newsweb Radio

Fred Eychaner’s Newsweb Radio is voluntarily giving back the license of one of its eight Chicago area radio stations to the Federal Communications Commission.

WCFJ AM 1470, a time-brokered ethnic and foreign-language station licensed to south suburban Chicago Heights, ceased broadcasting Saturday, according to Charley Gross, president of Newsweb Radio. Continue reading →

P.J. Hoff

Three legendary Chicago personalities — weatherman P.J. Hoff, commentator Len O’Connor and sportscaster Tim Weigel — will be honored posthumously with induction in the Silver Circle of the Chicago Television Academy.

Among six living broadcasting veterans to be inducted this spring by the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will be husband and wife Jay Levine, chief correspondent at CBS 2, and Mary Ann Childers, former news anchor at CBS 2 and ABC 7. Continue reading →

WYCC

The next time you hear Mayor Rahm Emanuel talk about the city’s financial problems, remember the deal he just turned down.

In response to a suggestion here Thursday that could have netted City Colleges of Chicago a cool $474 million by auctioning off the license of its little-watched public television station, the mayor flatly rejected the idea — for all the wrong reasons. Continue reading →

WYCC

While Chicago’s financial crisis keeps getting worse, City Hall appears to be ignoring a potential jackpot worth nearly a half-billion dollars.

Up to now, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration seems unaware that the city could reap a windfall as high as $474,185,700 by relinquishing the license of WYCC-Channel 20, the little-watched noncommercial television station operated by City Colleges of Chicago. Continue reading →

Elaine May and Mike Nichols

The legendary Mike Nichols will be the subject of an upcoming “American Masters” documentary directed by his former creative partner, Elaine May.

Exploring Nichols’ life and 50-year career as a trailblazing performer and Oscar-winning director, “American Masters: Mike Nichols” will kick off the 30th anniversary season of the acclaimed PBS series on January 29. Continue reading →

Cheryl Scott

Robservations on the media beat:

Is Cheryl Scott about to take Chicago radio by storm? The WLS-Channel 7 meteorologist turned up twice last Friday with weekend weather updates on hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9. She first joined the top-rated morning team of Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, and later appeared on Kevin “Koz” Koske’s afternoon show. Sources say Scott soon could have a weekly role on all three Hubbard Radio stations — The Mix, classic hits WDRV FM 97.1 and adult contemporary WSHE FM 100.3. She’s been a rising star at the ABC-owned station since she signed on last December. Continue reading →

ABC 7 studio

WLS-Channel 7 goes into the November sweeps with a fancy new studio and a decidedly uphill battle for the late-news viewers that translate into advertising dollars.

Although the ABC-owned station held the lead at 10 p.m. weekdays in total households, Nielsen numbers for October show that it fell farther behind NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 among viewers between 25 and 54. It marked the sixth straight month that NBC 5 beat or tied ABC 7 in the vital “money demo.” Continue reading →

Fred Mitchell

Legendary sports reporter and columnist Fred Mitchell is stepping down after more than four decades at the Chicago Tribune.

Mitchell, 67, confirmed Wednesday that he has applied for a buyout under the voluntary staff reduction plan offered by Tribune Publishing. He may be the best-known personality among dozens of Tribune editorial employees who are believed to have opted for buyouts. Continue reading →

Leila Rahimi

Comcast SportsNet Chicago completed its talent roster Wednesday with the hiring of Leila Rahimi as a full-time anchor/reporter. She most recently worked for Comcast SportsNet operations in Philadelphia and Houston.

Starting Thursday, Rahimi will appear on “SportsNet Central,” the regional sports network’s nightly sports news program, and contribute to its digital initiatives on CSNChicago.com. Continue reading →

Justin Kaufmann

Justin Kaufmann, the WGN AM 720 evening host who’s been off the air while dealing with what he called “a private and personal matter,” released a statement Tuesday that appears to pave the way for his return.

In an open letter to friends and family, Kaufmann apologized for a “lapse in judgment” in his personal life. “I made a mistake,” he wrote. “As a husband, I let my wife and my family down. And I will also tell you that this issue is between me and my wife.” Continue reading →