Michigan Avenue (July/August issue)

Robservations on the media beat:

Modern Luxury

Writers for one of Chicago's fanciest lifestyle magazines say they haven't gotten paid in months. Michigan Avenue magazine, which relies on freelance contributors for much of its content, is behind as much as eight months in paying for work it has published. Officials of Modern Luxury, which owns Michigan Avenue, acknowledge "ongoing invoicing issues," which they attribute to their merger with GreenGale Publishing (formerly Niche Media) in April 2017. "The executive team has realized the extent of a large technical gaffe in the accounting department when Modern Luxury merged accounting software with Niche Media during our acquisition of their company," Stephanie Davis Smith, editorial director of Atlanta-based Modern Luxury Media, told staffers in an email. "We want to assure you that the company is solvent, the accounting process is getting the full attention of the CFO and CEO, that we are committing our resources to resolving the issue, that you WILL get paid, and our accounting team is doing the best they can to sort through the issues so we don't underpay or double pay." In Chicago, Modern Luxury also owns CS (Chicago Social), NS (North Shore), Modern Luxury Weddings Chicago and Modern Luxury Interiors, among other titles. Continue reading →

Cheryl Scott and Dante Deiana (Photo: Cheryl Scott)

The engagement of ABC 7 meteorologist Cheryl Scott and Chicago DJ Dante “Dante the Don” Deiana atop a Hawaiian volcano, and news that Brian Hanley had been cut as morning co-host at The Score led the top 10 most-read stories here in July.

To read the full posts, click on the headlines: Continue reading →

Carl Grapentine (Photo: WFMT)

If the radio voices that wake you up in the morning or keep you company on your way to work sound different lately, you’re in good company.

At least 10 Chicago area radio stations have made notable changes in recent months to their morning-drive talent lineups. In the past week alone, three stations bid farewell to prominent personalities on the sunrise shift — Carl Grapentine on classical WFMT 98.7-FM, Brian Hanley on sports/talk WSCR 670-AM, and Charles Thomas on news/talk WVON 1690-AM. Continue reading →

Rob Johnson and Irika Sargent

Robservations on the media beat:

Jeff Harris

Jeff Harris just stepped into what may be the toughest job in Chicago television. As the new vice president and news director of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, Harris inherits a perpetually challenged news operation with nowhere to go but up. Since his arrival from ABC affiliate WEWS in Cleveland two weeks ago, insiders say, he's expressed an interest in investigative reporting over crime coverage — which some see as an encouraging sign. "He likes to defy conventional wisdom," said one newsroom veteran, who described Harris as a "smart, quiet guy." In the July Nielsen sweep, CBS 2's 10 p.m. newscast with Rob Johnson and Irika Sargent trailed the market in fourth place with a 2.7 rating (89,091 households) and 5.3 share. Among viewers between 25 and 54 — the so-called money demo — it registered a scant 0.5 rating and 1.7 share. Continue reading →