Chicago Sun-Times

Less than six months after Chicago media mogul Michael Ferro left the Sun-Times to take over Tribune Publishing and transform it into tronc, another key figure has defected.

Paul Pham, who served as senior vice president and general manager of the Sun-Times for more than four years under Ferro’s ownership, is the latest to exit for Tribune Tower. Continue reading →

Catalyst Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

Linda Lenz

It’s the end of an era for Catalyst Chicago, the highly influential journal on public education and school reform. This week marks its final edition as a print publication. After 25 years of award-winning reporting, it’s merging with The Chicago Reporter, the investigative news organization focusing on race, poverty and income inequality. Both are funded by the non-profit Community Renewal Society. Once the merger is complete in 2017, the Catalyst brand will be retired, according to a statement from the organization, which added: "Thank you all for reading and supporting Catalyst over the years.” The move coincides with the retirement of veteran journalist Linda Lenz, the founder and publisher of Catalyst Chicago. Continue reading →

Anthony Ponce

Robservations on the media beat:

Chicago television is about to lose one of its Ponces. Anthony Ponce has resigned as reporter and weekend morning news anchor at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 to pursue other opportunities outside of TV news. Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, said Ponce’s last day on the air will be July 24. “We appreciate all that he has done over the years,” Whittaker told staffers in a memo. Ponce, who joined the station in 2007, recently was passed over for promotion to weekday morning news anchor after the departure of Stefan Holt. Ponce’s brother, Dan Ponce, continues as morning news anchor at Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9. Their father, Phil Ponce, hosts “Chicago Tonight” on Window to the World Communications WTTW-Channel 11. Continue reading →

WGN TV

Paul Rennie, a veteran of Tribune Broadcasting stations in Indianapolis and Seattle, has been named president and general manager of WGN-Channel 9, the hometown flagship of Tribune Media in Chicago.

Rennie’s appointment, effective immediately, was announced Tuesday by Larry Wert, Tribune Broadcasting’s president of broadcast media. In addition to “Chicago’s Very Own,” Rennie also will oversee CLTV, the regional cable news channel. Continue reading →

Joe Walsh

Days after he was widely criticized for a series of incendiary tweets attacking President Obama and Black Lives Matter, former Chicago area congressman Joe Walsh has carved out a wider berth for his radio rantings.

Walsh announced Monday the expansion of his self-syndicated radio program to Houston, Indianapolis and Birmingham, Alabama, bringing to seven the number of affiliates for his two-hour weekday talk show. It already has been airing on stations in New York, Phoenix, Denver and Dallas. Continue reading →

Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart

Twelve veteran broadcasters were named 2016 inductees to the National Radio Hall of Fame Sunday, including Chicago personalities Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, and nationally syndicated hosts Steve Harvey and Michael Savage.

All 12 will be inducted November 17 in ceremonies at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast and Communications, which has been home of the national shrine to radio’s top performers and programs since 1991. Continue reading →

Kathy Hart and Eric Ferguson

Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, who may well be the most popular and successful morning team in Chicago radio history, are headed for the National Radio Hall of Fame.

The duo known as Eric & Kathy, stars of Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9 for two decades, will be on the list when official announcement of this year’s inductees is released Monday, multiple sources have confirmed. Continue reading →

Comiskey Park July 12, 1979

To Dave Hoekstra and most of the other 50,000-plus young people who packed old Comiskey Park on July 12, 1979, Disco Demolition was nothing more than a chance to have a little goofy fun on a hot summer night and blow off some steam.

Enter Steve Dahl, a pitch-perfect pied piper for Chicago’s rock and roll rebels: Right on cue, the 24-year-old recently-hired morning host from WLUP FM 97.9 exploded a box of disco records between games at a White Sox double-header with the Detroit Tigers. Suddenly thousands of rowdy fans stormed the field. The ensuing pandemonium, which forced the White Sox to forfeit the second game, made worldwide headlines the next day. Continue reading →

WBBM Newsradio

Robservations on the media beat:

CBS Radio

News this week that CBS Radio would spin off into a separate entity means the company’s seven-station Chicago cluster is assured of remaining intact. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, parent company CBS disclosed plans to take its radio division public by the end of the month. The decision to proceed with an IPO effectively ends speculation of a sale or merger with another company. CBS Radio owns 117 radio stations in 26 markets nationwide. In Chicago it includes all-news WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9; sports/talk WSCR AM 670; Top 40 WBBM FM 96.3; country WUSN FM 99.5; adult album alternative WXRT 93.1, and classic hits WJMK FM 104.3. The Chicago station group led the market in 2015 with total revenue of $123.54 million. Continue reading →

Mason, Alabama and Remy

Eighteen months after iHeartMedia Chicago launched WEBG FM 95.5 as a country music competitor to CBS Radio’s WUSN FM 99.5, it’s finally living up to its billing as Big 95.5.

In the Nielsen Audio survey released Tuesday, Big 95.5 narrowed the margin with US 99.5 to a scant 0.3 percent share among all listeners. The latest ratings report covered the period from May 19 to June 15. Continue reading →