Dan McNeil
Chicago radio star Dan McNeil has been silenced for health reasons just weeks after signing on as afternoon personality at Entercom sports/talk WSCR AM 670.
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” he wrote in a Facebook post Friday, disclosing that he is recovering from a paralyzed vocal cord. It’s not known how long he will be off the air. Continue reading
Linda Yu (Photo: Ashlee Rezin)
Robservations on the media beat:
Linda Yu, the legendary news anchor who retired in 2016 after 37 years on Chicago television, is back in front the camera. Starting today, she’ll host “Food We Love with Linda Yu,” a new weekly video series produced for the website of the Sun-Times. It will feature Chicago celebrity guests talking about the food traditions of their families and sharing their favorite recipes. “I’d like you to feel like we’re bringing you into our kitchen,” she said. Yu and her partner, Stuart Ellison, are part of the investor group assembled by Edwin Eisendrath that bought the Sun-Times in July. Continue reading
Tribune Tower
The Chicago Tribune unveiled a massive reorganization of its newsroom Thursday, including an extensive overhaul of its editorial masthead.
Confirming plans first reported here March 5, the moves followed the elimination last month of at least a dozen reporting and editing positions at the newspaper. More layoffs are expected as the Tribune prepares to relocate from its historic headquarters at Tribune Tower to smaller space at Prudential Plaza. Continue reading
Tom Skilling
Tom Skilling’s decision not to host his annual weather seminar had nothing to do with the impending takeover of Tribune Broadcasting stations by Sinclair Media Group, the WGN-Channel 9 chief meteorologist said Wednesday.
Skilling posted a lengthy message on my Facebook page after I reported that he would not be hosting his annual Tornado and Severe Weather Seminar for the first time in 38 years. The early April event has drawn sell-out crowds to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia since Skilling started it in 1981. Continue reading
101 WKQX
Robservations on the media beat:
Cumulus Media has agreed to buy WKQX FM 101.1 from Merlin Media, securing the station’s future as an alternative rocker. The deal, announced late Tuesday, also includes the call letters of WLUP and that station’s intellectual property. Reported price was $18 million. Last month Merlin sold WLUP FM 97.9 to Educational Media Foundation, ending The Loop’s run operated by Cumulus under a local marketing agreement. “I am truly pleased that we have reached an agreement to bring WKQX into the Cumulus family and fully focus on driving growth in the Chicago market,” Marv Nyren, vice president and market manager of Cumulus Chicago, said in a statement. “We have lots of great programming planned for WKQX and our other stations in the Chicago market, and we look forward to growing these legendary stations and providing great content to our listeners and effective marketing strategies for our advertisers in and around Chicago.” Cumulus also owns news/talk WLS AM 890 and classic hits WLS FM 94.7. Insiders speculate that WLS FM morphs into "94.7 The Loop" (but management denies that). With the end of Merlin in Chicago, it’s so long to CEO Randy Michaels. Continue reading
Derek Dalton
Just in from Rochester, New York, longtime television station executive Derek Dalton has been named president and general manager of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2. He succeeds Marty Wilke, who stepped down after six years at CBS 2.
Dalton, 61, who most recently was vice president and general manager of WHEC, the NBC affiliate in Rochester, previously worked in Chicago as national sales manager for WGN-Channel 9 and director of sales for Tribune Broadcasting. Continue reading
WGN News
Jeff Hoover, a longtime producer and on-air contributor for WGN-Channel 9’s top-rated morning news show, was the first employee to speak out Monday about the impending takeover of the Tribune Media station by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
He also was the last.
In response to a video montage that went viral last weekend showing anchors at Sinclair stations delivering identical messages parroting President Donald Trump’s anti-media talking points, Hoover tweeted: “Re: Sinclair - There is NO WAY any of our on-air anchors and reporters will read their scripted messages on our show. Chicago's Very Own, not owned.” Continue reading
Gabe Ramirez, Nina Hajian and Kevin “DreX” Buchar (Photo: B96)
Robservations on the media beat:
It’s official: Kevin Buchar, the radio veteran known as DreX, started today as morning personality at Entercom Top 40 WBBM FM 96.3. “I’m honored, privileged and humbled for this opportunity to come home to the Chicago audience,” he said in a statement. DreX hosted mornings on iHeartMedia Top 40 WKSC FM 103.5 from 2003 to 2010. Joining him as co-host at B96 is Nina Hajian, who previously worked for stations in New York, Sacramento and Seattle. “The DreX and Nina Show,” airing from 5:30 to 10 a.m. weekdays, also will feature Gabe Ramirez, a holdover from B96’s last morning show, hosted by Jamar “J Niice” McNeil and Michelle “Showbiz Shelly” Menaker. Continue reading
The Loop
Breaking news on the sale of WLUP FM 97.9 to a Christian broadcasting company and the sudden demise of The Loop after four decades as one of Chicago radio’s most powerful brands led the top 10 most-read stories here in March.
To read the full posts, click on the headlines: Continue reading
For a frightening glimpse into what may be in store for “Chicago’s Very Own” WGN-Channel 9 and WGN AM 720, look no further than to a chilling video montage that went viral over the weekend.
Posted by Deadspin, the video shows anchors from local stations owned by Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group reading a message that supports President Donald Trump’s attacks on the news media. (Here is the link.) All Sinclair stations were required to deliver the message exactly as scripted by the company. Continue reading