Date Archives → October 2018

Robservations: Van Dyke trial coverage wins praise — and viewers

Jason Van Dyke with attorney Dan Herbert (Photo: WGN)

Robservations on the media beat:

Chicago television stations went wall-to-wall all afternoon Friday with coverage of the verdict in the trial of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke and its aftermath. By 2 p.m. viewers in more than 481,192 households tuned in to see Van Dyke convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. Leading the way, according to Nielsen figures, was Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9, whose CLTV cable news outlet had aired the trial in its entirety. WGN led among viewers between 25 and 54 throughout the day Friday and at 9 p.m. that night. (ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 tied with WGN for first place among all viewers during the 2 p.m. hour.) Just before the verdict was announced, Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan made a point of thanking the news media for its "professional coverage" of the three-week trial. “We need transparency," he said. Continue reading →

It’s official: Tronc changes name back to Tribune Publishing

Tronc

Two years after the parent company of the Chicago Tribune renamed itself tronc, it’s going back to calling itself Tribune Publishing, the company announced today.

The name change, which formally takes effect Tuesday, will close a sorry chapter in the history of the Chicago media giant, which drew nearly universal revulsion and ridicule when it unleashed tronc on the world in June 2016. Continue reading →

Robservations: Chuck Schaden returns for 'Those Were the Days' milestone

Chuck Schaden

Robservations on the media beat:

Steve Darnall

Radio Hall of Famer Chuck Schaden, the preeminent broadcast historian who launched "Those Were the Days" in 1970, returns to the old-time radio showcase this weekend to mark its 2,500th program. Schaden will join Steve Darnall, who succeeded him as host and producer in 2009. They'll celebrate the milestone with re-creations of classic radio shows they've staged over the years, including "Ma Perkins," "The Lone Ranger" and "X Minus One." "There's something undeniably enjoyable — for performers and audiences alike — in bringing these classic shows to life in front of present-day audiences," Darnall said. "Those Were the Days" airs from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays on College of DuPage's WDCB 90.9-FM and wdcb.org. Continue reading →

Robservations: WBEZ launches ‘The Rundown’ daily newsletter

WBEZ

Robservations on the media beat:

Hunter Clauss

Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM has launched “The Rundown,” a weekday afternoon email newsletter highlighting the big stories of the day. “As we establish WBEZ as the premier news organization in Chicago, we continually seek new and different ways to engage with broader, more diverse audiences, and that means expanding beyond our on-air programming with more digital offerings, such as our WBEZ app and now this daily newsletter,” Goli Sheikholeslami, CEO of Chicago Public Media, said in a statement. “We expect ‘The Rundown’ to become a daily habit for Chicagoans who value news, information and context from WBEZ.” (Here is the link to subscribe.) It’s aggregated by Hunter Clauss, digital editor of WBEZ, along with the station’s multiplatform news team. Clauss joined WBEZ in 2016 after working as a producer for WTTW-Channel 11’s “Chicago Tonight” and a reporter for the Sun-Times and Chicago News Cooperative. Continue reading →

Chicago radio ratings: Cubs light up The Score at night

Javier Baez (Photo: John Starks)

Despite losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central tiebreaker game Monday, the Chicago Cubs came up a big winner for radio flagship on WSCR 670-AM.

Thanks largely to Cubs broadcasts, the Entercom sports/talk station finished first at night in ratings from mid-August to mid-September. The Score was up overall, posting its highest audience share since October 2017. Continue reading →

Anne Elizabeth Moore named editor of Chicago Reader

Anne Elizabeth Moore (Photo: WTTW/Chicago Tonight)

Anne Elizabeth Moore, the noted author, artist, cultural critic and comics journalist, has been named editor-in-chief of the Chicago Reader, as the 47-year-old alternative weekly shifts to new ownership and management.

Tracy Baim, new publisher of the Reader, announced the appointment Monday along with the hiring of Karen Hawkins as managing editor for digital. A national search continues for a managing editor for print. Continue reading →

Robservations: CBS 2 promotes meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist

Mary Kay Kleist

Robservations on the media beat:

Mary Kay Kleist has been promoted to 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weekday meteorologist at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2. Kleist, who joined the station’s weather staff in 2002 from WXYZ, the ABC affiliate in Detroit, has been filling in as CBS 2’s top forecaster since Steve Baskerville retired in December 2017. “Mary Kay has done a wonderful job stepping in since Steve’s retirement and stands as yet another example of her hard work and dedication to our station over the past 16 years,” Jeff Harris, vice president and news director of CBS 2, said in a statement. “More importantly, her commitment to folks throughout the Chicagoland area, keeping us safe and prepared with her ability to clarify our complicated weather, is unquestioned.” Kleist is married to Mark Zonca, executive producer of “Good Day Chicago” at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32. Continue reading →