Matt Dahl and Pat Dahl

Robservations on the media beat:

Steve Dahl as Elvis (1981)

Fans of a certain age still remember how radio renegades Steve Dahl and Garry Meier shocked the media establishment when they won a Chicago Emmy Award for “Greetings from Graceland,” their 1981 special about Elvis Presley. (Here is the link.) Thirty-seven years later, the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored two of Dahl’s sons for their TV work. At Saturday’s 60th annual regional Emmys, Pat Dahl, founder and vice president of Banner Collective, won for a Wintrust Bank commercial. Matt Dahl, former manager of digital video for the Chicago White Sox, won for “Night Before Soxmas.” (Matt now works as a firefighter in Mount Prospect.) “Consider me one proud dad (and PR department),” their famous father wrote. “They have great talent and wonderful wives!” Continue reading →

Frayn and Clifton Utley

A husband-and-wife team who pioneered television news commentary and global-affairs reporting in the 1950s are among the broadcasting legends named recipients of Silver Circle Awards, the Chicago TV industry’s highest honor.

Clifton and Frayn Utley were announced Saturday along with nine other 2019 Silver Circle honorees at the 60th annual regional Emmy Awards, sponsored by the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. They’ll be inducted May 3. Continue reading →

Chicago Tribune

As the parent company of the Chicago Tribune continues to seek a buyer, a new round of job cuts is the on the way.

In an email to managers and editors Friday, Tribune Publishing announced a companywide voluntary buyout plan as a possible precursor to "further workforce reductions." Continue reading →

Ben Shapiro (Photo: Yehuda Remer)

Robservations on the media beat:

Erich Mancow Muller

We’ll soon be hearing more of Ben Shapiro on WLS 890-AM, according to insiders. The editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com and conservative commentator, whose hourlong podcast now airs at 9 p.m. weekdays, is expected to host a syndicated afternoon show on the Cumulus Media news/talk station. Starting early in the new year, sources said, he’ll replace afternoon star Steve Dahl, whose last show on WLS airs December 21. Confirmation of the deal could come Monday when Shapiro originates his podcast from WLS studios in Chicago. There’s also word that Erich Mancow Muller may be in line to host mornings on WLS, shifting Big John Howell to another role at the station. Muller, who paired with Pat Cassidy in middays on WLS from 2008 to 2010, most recently hosted mornings on the former WLUP (aka The Loop) before it was sold in March. Marv Nyren, vice president and market manager of Cumulus Chicago, declined to comment on any personnel moves. Continue reading →

Peter Alexander and President Donald Trump (Photo: NBC News)

Fresh from his contentious exchange with President Donald Trump at a White House press conference Wednesday, NBC News correspondent Peter Alexander will be in Chicago Saturday to host the 60th annual regional Emmy Awards ceremony.

Alexander, White House correspondent and co-anchor of “Weekend Today,” will emcee the event, sponsored by the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, at the Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile, 540 North Michigan Avenue. Continue reading →

Alan Krashesky and Cheryl Burton

With Cheryl Burton anchoring election night coverage alongside Alan Krashesky for the first time on WLS-Channel 7, the ABC-owned station again proved a decisive winner in the ratings Tuesday.

Straight up at 10 p.m., when all five general market stations were competing head to head, ABC 7 led the Nielsen ratings in overall households and among viewers between 25 and 54. NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 was No. 2 in overall households, while Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 was No. 2 in the 25-54 demographic. Continue reading →

93.9 Lite FM

Ready or not, here comes Christmas: At 4:05 p.m. Thursday, holiday music will begin airing around the clock on WLIT 93.9-FM, the iHeartMedia adult contemporary station.

Edison the Reindeer will return as mascot of “Chicago’s Christmas Music Station” to kick off the format in the studio with Lite FM personalities Melissa Forman, Robin Rock and Mick Lee. The sounds of the season will air through the end of the year. Continue reading →

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon

Robservations on the media beat:

Here’s your chance to attend a taping of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” in Evanston. Hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser will originate their show November 16 from Northwestern University’s newly renovated Welsh-Ryan Arena hours before the Northwestern and Binghamton University men’s basketball game. (Admission and parking are free.) Wilbon is a 1980 graduate of NU’s Medill School of Journalism (where he has been on the faculty since 2015), and Kornheiser is a 1970 graduate of Binghamton. The two also will be calling that night’s game with ESPNews play-by-play commentator Will Flemming.
Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times (November 6, 2018)

Robservations on the media beat:

Another day, another change at the Sun-Times: Citing phone calls and emails from readers, the Sun-Times has restored the evening TV grid to its pages, effective today. The move follows the return Friday of the paper’s daily crossword puzzle. Both were casualties of cutbacks announced last week. In a note explaining the latest reversal, the Sun-Times said: “Newspapering in 2018 isn't easy; in rolling out the changes, we noted that newsprint and other production costs have taken their toll on our industry. That hasn't changed. Paring back some comics and interspersing others through our classifieds space is allowing us to invest in the quality journalism you’ve come to expect.” Lottery results are back at the bottom of the TV grid page, rather than in the sports section, where they’d been running in recent days. And Ziggy? He's still a goner. Continue reading →

Mike Parker

Blessed with a deep voice, handsome features and a rare gift for storytelling, Mike Parker was a fixture at WBBM-Channel 2 for more than 35 years. The veteran broadcast journalist, who retired from the CBS-owned station in 2016, has died at 75.

On its morning news Monday CBS 2 reported Parker died overnight at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he had been admitted for heart failure last week. Continue reading →