Robservations on the media beat:
Marc Silverman, widely admired afternoon co-host on Good Karma Brands ESPN sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM, disclosed on his show Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. He said he would be starting chemotherapy treatment next week. An outpouring of well-wishes followed. "All of us at ESPN Chicago and Good Karma Brands know that Silvy is a fighter and he’s strong," said Mike Thomas, market manager for ESPN Chicago. "We’re here for him 100 percent whatever he needs during this time." Silverman, 48, grew up in Skokie and graduated from Niles North High School and Southern Illinois University. He worked as a sports intern and reporter at news/talk WGN 720-AM before joining ESPN 1000 on its launch in 1998. Since 2007 he's been teamed with Tom Waddle from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The union representing editorial staffers at the Chicago Tribune is pushing back on furlough plans by Tribune Publishing. CEO Terry Jimenez announced Tuesday that nonunion employees throughout the company making between $40,000 and $67,000 per year would either take three weeks off without pay or leave with severance. "We also are actively pursuing cost savings within our unionized workforce," Jimenez wrote. In response, the Chicago Tribune Guild tweeted: "It's crystal clear that the company shouldn't be asking us to sacrifice without opening its books so we can understand the reasons we're taking pay cuts. This proposal comes on top of other measures the company has put forth while failing to provide information we should have before we start negotiating. We understand there is a global pandemic and people everywhere are suffering. We're simply calling on the company to share information we should have if we're going to enter negotiations over our livelihoods."
City Bureau, the nonprofit civic journalism lab serving Chicago’s South and West Sides, has unveiled a new website to help bring critical information to people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Chicago COVID Resource Finder features more than 1,000 local resources covering a wide range of needs. (Here is the link.) "Whether you're a parent looking for childcare resources or an immigrant looking for legal aid, you can narrow down this list of resources with just a few clicks and find the information you need," said Darryl Holliday, co-founder and news lab director at City Bureau. Also launched this week is the Information Aid Network, a phone tree to assist people with limited internet access.
John Williams has signed a two-year extension to continue as midday personality at Nexstar Media Group news/talk WGN 720-AM. “What we do at WGN Radio has never felt more vital and I think we’ve never done it better,” he said Tuesday. “It’s a privilege to host a show here.” The Joliet native and Southern Illinois University graduate began as a college intern for WGN superstars Wally Phillips and Bob Collins. Williams returned to WGN in 1997 as midday host. He's currently on from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays.
Rick Tulsky, editorial director of Injustice Watch, is stepping back from the Chicago-based nonprofit investigative journalism organization he co-founded with Rob Warden in 2015. "The organization is now in the good hands of Juliet Sorensen and two editors, Jonah Newman and Adeshina Oluwatoyin Emmanuel, and it'll be a delight to see where they take it," Tulsky wrote on Facebook. "As for me? 2020 seems like the time to actually shed my long-standing avoidance of any political involvement, and see if I can involve myself on behalf of returning the country to normalcy. If not now, when?" A Pulitzer Prize-winning former investigative reporter and editor, Tulsky previously was director of the Medill Watchdog program at Northwestern University.
Tuesday’s comment of the day: Justin Kulovsek: The big question: Will CBSN Chicago become the new CLTV? It's great that you can watch it on your TV using the CBS News smart TV app. Now they just have to get the word out!