Robert Jordan

Robservations on the media beat:

Murder in the News

Close to 50 years in the television news business taught Robert Jordan a lot about how newsrooms cover murder and mayhem. Now that he’s retired, Jordan is sharing what he learned in a thoughtful and insightful new book. The distinguished former news anchor for Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 has just written Murder in the News: An Inside Look at How Television Covers Crime, published by Prometheus Books. Focusing on Chicago stations and the decisions they make day in and day out, Jordan analyzes why some murders are deemed more newsworthy than others. Along the way he offers a sober assessment of his much-maligned profession. Continue reading →

ReachMe.TV

Robservations on the media beat:

Me-TV Network

Weigel Broadcasting, Chicago-based parent company of the popular Me-TV Network, is suing Los Angeles-based Pervasive TV for using the name ReachMe.TV. In a lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court, Weigel is claiming trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices by Pervasive, which shows its ReachMe.TV mobile entertainment network online and on screens at airports and hotels across the country. “Pervasive is attempting to improperly ride on Weigel’s coattails and capitalize on the success of the Me-TV Network and the strong goodwill in the Me-TV mark by using a confusingly similar trademark,” the suit says. Pervasive officials did not respond to requests for comment on the suit. Weigel officials declined to comment. Continue reading →

Mark Rivera

The yearlong job opening for a weekend morning news anchor and reporter at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 has finally been filled.

Joining Stacey Baca as ABC 7’s Saturday and Sunday morning news anchor will be Mark Rivera, who grew up in northwest suburban Crystal Lake and most recently worked in Tampa, Florida. He starts December 11. Continue reading →

Tribune Tower

The parent company of the Chicago Tribune is shrinking its newspaper in Elgin from daily publication to three times a week.

As of this week, the print edition of the Elgin Courier-News will be published on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays only, a spokeswoman for tronc confirmed Monday. Online publication will continue daily. Continue reading →

Jimmy deCastro

Prominent Chicago media entrepreneur and radio powerhouse Jimmy deCastro has been tapped to run CBS Radio’s seven Chicago stations, soon to come under new ownership.

The unanticipated move was announced Monday by Entercom Communications, which is expected to close November 17 on its $1.7 billion acquisition of CBS Radio. Continue reading →

Mick Lee and Edison the Reindeer

The calendar says it's November 6, but for one Chicago radio station, this is Christmas Eve.

At 4:35 p.m. Tuesday, holiday music will begin airing around the clock for the 17th consecutive year on WLIT FM 93.9, the iHeartMedia adult contemporary station known as 93.9 My FM. Continue reading →

Brian Peck

Robservations on the media beat:

Jeffrey T. Mason

Brian Peck signs on today as midday personality at WJMK FM 104.3, the CBS Radio classic hits station. Also at K-Hits, Jeffrey T. Mason shifts from middays to afternoons, replacing Gary Spears, who left last month to move to Florida. Dave Fogel continues in mornings. “Adding Brian to K-Hits gives us a unique opportunity to reset our on-air lineup with three veteran Chicago voices, all perfectly suited for their dayparts,” Greg Solk, program director and operations manager, said in a statement. “Brian is a great fit for K-Hits and Chicago listeners will be thrilled to have him back on the air.” Peck, who’s been on Chicago radio since 1992, hosted mornings on Hubbard Radio adult contemporary WSHE FM 100.3 until late last year. “I cannot wait to get back on the air and reconnect with this magical city’s radio listeners,” he said. “They are the best anywhere.” Continue reading →

Joe Ricketts

A vote last week by newsroom employees in New York to unionize was a factor in the decision by Joe Ricketts to shut down the digital news sites DNAinfo Chicago and Chicagoist, the company acknowledged Thursday.

A reported 115 journalists in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington suddenly found themselves out of work after the closing of DNAinfo and its affiliated sites by Ricketts, the company’s billionaire founder and CEO. Continue reading →

DNAinfo Chicago

DNAinfo Chicago, the hyperlocal digital news enterprise, was abruptly closed Thursday along with its counterparts in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, putting more than 100 journalists suddenly out of work.

“Today, I've made the difficult decision to discontinue publishing DNAinfo and Gothamist,” Joe Ricketts, founder and CEO of the company, said in a public post. “Reaching this decision wasn't easy, and it wasn't one I made lightly.

"While we made important progress toward building DNAinfo into a successful business, in the end, that progress hasn't been sufficient to support the tremendous effort and expense needed to produce the type of journalism on which the company was founded.” Continue reading →

Robservations on the media beat:

On the eve of what would have been Walter Cronkite’s 101st birthday, the Decades Network will premiere an original documentary that couldn’t be more timely. “Eye on the World: The Rise of Walter Cronkite and The Evening News” is a masterful account of the legendary anchorman’s career at CBS News, culminating in his acclamation as “The Most Trusted Man in America.” With a wealth of footage from the network’s archive and interviews with colleagues, scholars and admirers (including yours truly), it chronicles a golden era of broadcast journalism before media fragmentation and allegations of “fake news” took hold. The two-hour documentary, produced and directed by Billy Miossi, airs at 7 p.m. Friday (repeated at 7 p.m. Monday) on Decades Network, the digital channel of CBS and Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting. It’s seen here on Comcast Channel 338. Don’t miss it. Continue reading →