Paddock Publications

After 120 years of family ownership, Paddock Publications is changing hands. The descendants of patriarch and founder Hosea C. Paddock are selling their interest in the parent company of the Daily Herald, which is expected to convert to full employee ownership before the end of the year.

Calling it “one of the most important decisions we have ever made,” Doug Ray, chairman, publisher and CEO of the company, announced Thursday that Paddock Publications would switch entirely to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, a move approved unanimously by the board of directors Tuesday. The Arlington Heights-based publisher has been partially employee-owned since 1976 when the ESOP was established. Continue reading →

Chicago Reader

Tracy Baim, a trailblazing Chicago journalist and the longtime publisher and executive editor of Windy City Times, has been named publisher of the Chicago Reader.

Dorothy Leavell, who heads the leadership team buying the alternative weekly from the parent company of the Sun-Times, announced Baim’s hiring Thursday. Leavell will serve as chairman of the board of directors of the Reader. Continue reading →

Weigel Broadcasting

Robservations on the media beat:

Weigel Broadcasting, Chicago-based parent company of WCIU-Channel 26, Me-TV and a host of other broadcast stations and digital networks, just switched on the future of television. On Sunday, Weigel launched "Chicago 3.0," an experimental next-generation full-power station broadcasting from Willis Tower. Although not yet available to the general public, the ATSC 3.0 technology eventually is expected to allow viewers to watch anything they want, on any device, wherever they are. "We are excited to collaborate with our vendor partners as we explore the viability and the potential opportunities of what the future broadcast standard has to offer for viewers, our affiliate partners and the industry," Evan Fieldman, Weigel's vice president of digital, said in a statement. "We look forward to sharing various aspects of our findings with the broadcast community.” Continue reading →

Laquan McDonald (October 20, 2014)

Robservations on the media beat:

Jason Van Dyke

Cable news channel CLTV will broadcast live coverage of the trial of Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer charged with the murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan approved the request this week by Tribune Broadcasting, parent company of CLTV and WGN-Channel 9. WGN reporter Julie Unruh will lead the station's coverage, starting with opening statements by the prosecution and defense through the conclusion of the trial. Jury selection is currently underway. CLTV is carried on Comcast Xfinity Channels 352/1091, RCN Channel 616 and Mediacom Channel 215. Continue reading →

Studs Terkel (Photo: Christopher Walker)

Robservations on the media beat:

Public Narrative

Four longtime Chicago journalists have been named recipients of 2018 Studs Terkel Awards by Public Narrative, the nonprofit community media organization. They are: Dahleen Glanton, columnist for the Chicago Tribune; Odette Yousef, reporter for Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM; Kathy Chaney, assistant audience engagement editor of the Sun-Times; and Michael Spencer Green, photojournalist for The Associated Press. In addition, poet Kevin Coval, head of Young Chicago Authors, will receive the Studs Terkel Uplifting Voices Award. All five will honored September 20 at Row 24, 2411 South Michigan Avenue. (Here is the link for tickets.) “These five winners are not only amazing storytellers but all elevate the stories, the beauty and the power of Chicago’s greatest asset — its people," Susy Schultz, president of Public Narrative, said in a statement. "I wish Studs were here today. Not only because we need him to inspire us, but because he would be proud of this group." Continue reading →

Katie Kim

Robservations on the media beat:

Katie Kim, a reporter at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, has been promoted to weekend morning news anchor. While continuing to work with the NBC 5 Investigates unit during the week, she'll join anchor Susan Carlson on Saturday and Sunday mornings, according to an announcement Wednesday by Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5. "Katie has done a great job filling in, and did a wonderful job for us reporting from the Winter Olympics earlier this year," Whittaker said. A southern California native and magna cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California, Kim joined NBC 5 in 2014 from KRQE-TV, the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Continue reading →

Steve Seaver

A three-way tie for first place in afternoon drive pretty well sums up how tightly compacted the Chicago radio scene has become.

Nielsen Audio figures released Tuesday show afternoon personalities Steve Seaver of Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV 97.1-FM, Ron Parker of Cumulus Media classic hits WLS 94.7-FM, and Joe Soto of iHeartMedia urban adult-contemporary WVAZ 102.7-FM tied for the top spot in the August survey. That's never happened before. Continue reading →

NBC Tower

Robservations on the media beat:

Cardinal Blase Cupich

WMAQ-Channel 5 is defending itself against criticism that the NBC-owned station unfairly edited an interview last week with Cardinal Blase Cupich. The cardinal called reporter Mary Ann Ahern's story "misleading" because he said it "gave the false impression that Pope Francis and I consider the protection of children to be less important than other issues, such as the environment or immigration. Nothing could be further from the truth." (Here is the link to Cupich's statement.) In response, NBC 5 said: “We believe our story to be accurate in that Cardinal Cupich was referring to the memo about sexual abuse allegations in question. The cardinal was making a point that until accusations are verified, the Pope shouldn’t respond.” The station posted the full unedited interview on its website. (Here is the link to the unedited video.) Continue reading →

WGN

The surprise resignation of Jennifer Lyons as news director of Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 and a surge in the ratings by Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV 97.1-FM and Cumulus Media classic hits WLS 94.7-FM led the top 10 most-read stories here in August.

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

WGN

Sinclair Broadcast Group fired back Wednesday against Tribune Media, countersuing the Chicago-based owner of WGN-Channel 9 and WGN 720-AM over the collapse of their proposed merger.

Sinclair’s response came three weeks after Tribune Media filed a $1 billion breach-of-contract lawsuit against Sinclair, alleging the Maryland-based broadcaster botched the original transaction through its “unnecessarily aggressive and protracted negotiations” with the Department of Justice and the FCC. Continue reading →