Rich "Svengoolie" Koz

A memo from management of WGN 720-AM barring iconic horror-movie host Rich "Svengoolie" Koz from appearing as a guest on the Nexstar Media Group news/talk station led the top 10 most-read stories here in August.

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

President Donald Trump tweet

Hours before tonight’s debut of a three-hour primetime national newscast from Chicago that promises to be free of political bias, “News Nation” has received an unsolicited blessing from President Donald Trump.

“Good luck to Sean Compton, a winner at everything he does!” Trump tweeted at 9:02 a.m. Tuesday over a link to Stephen Battaglio’s story Monday in the Los Angeles Times raising the curtain on “News Nation.” Continue reading →

Bruce Levine (Photo: WTTW/Chicago Tonight)

Robservations on the media beat:

Veteran Chicago sports reporter Bruce Levine, who’s been off the grid since he posted a controversial tweet on August 23, is expected to return this week as baseball insider on Entercom sports/talk WSCR 670-AM, insiders said Monday. Under a seemingly innocuous tweet reporting that outfielder Ian Miller had been recalled by the Chicago Cubs, Levine attached a photoshopped image of President Donald Trump with a lewd comment about Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. It’s not clear how the image became linked to Levine’s tweet, but friends insisted it was out of character for the longtime journalist and must have been a mistake. Within moments of posting, Levine deleted the offending tweet and quickly followed with a mea culpa: “Apologies for a picture that was sent. I have zero political agenda.” Since then neither Levine nor his bosses at The Score and Marquee Sports Network have commented on the matter. Continue reading →

Lisa Fielding

For the seventh consecutive month, WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM took front and center in Chicago's radio ratings during August.

Nielsen Audio figures released Monday showed the Entercom all-news combo boosting its first-place lead among all listeners. WBBM Newsradio also finished first in mornings with Pat Cassidy, middays with Cisco Cotto, and afternoons with Keith Johnson and Lisa Fielding. Continue reading →

Marion Brooks

Robservations on the media beat:

Marion Brooks, veteran news anchor and investigative reporter at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, just launched a weekly series of special reports on "Race in Chicago: How Did We Get Here." (Here is the link.) Airing each Wednesday on NBC 5's 6 p.m. newscast through the end of the year, stories by Brooks and her colleagues, including Phil Rogers, Kate Chappell and Chris Hush, will examine the African American experience in Chicago and provide historical perspective on vital issues. “As a journalist, I feel a sense of responsibility to report stories that will hopefully inform and educate viewers about the important issues that have led to the Black Lives Matter movement," Brooks said. "Context is critical, and through our journalism, we will deliver the in-depth background that will hopefully spur honest conversations across our communities." Continue reading →

Rachel Hinton (Photo: WTTW/Chicago Tonight)

Just three years after joining the Sun-Times as an intern straight out of DePaul University, Rachel Hinton has been promoted to chief political reporter.

Chris Fusco, executive editor of the Sun-Times, confirmed Hinton's meteoric rise in an email to staff announcing her appointment Wednesday. She most recently has been covering Cook County government. Continue reading →

"News Nation" (from left): meteorologist Albert Ramon, news anchors Joe Donlon and Marni Hughes, and breaking news anchor Rob Nelson

One week from tonight, television history will be made in Chicago.

Straight up at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 1, viewers across the country will get their first look at “News Nation,” the three-hour primetime national newscast to air seven nights a week on the WGN America cable network. Continue reading →

Meagan Fitzgerald

Meagan Fitzgerald, weekend morning news anchor at the NBC-owned station in Washington, D.C., has been named Chicago-based correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC.

“A heartfelt and sincere honor,” Fitzgerald tweeted today shortly after her hiring was announced by David Verdi,  NBC News senior vice president of worldwide news gathering. “I’m very excited and grateful to join this team!” Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

Robservations on the media beat:

Nykia Wright

They're bracing for layoffs at the Sun-Times following an all-staff virtual meeting Friday with CEO Nykia Wright. An analysis of the company's workforce will determine "a limited number of strategic staff reductions," Wright said, although none will involve reporters, editors, visual journalists or other content curators and producers in the newsroom. "Economic stresses on the pre-COVID business model require us to more deliberately think about our future and the type of media company we will need to be to continue to educate and inform our readers — but also to grow," she said. "We do not have a target number of employees in mind; instead we are looking to match the right people with the responsibilities needed to sustain ourselves in a post-COVID world." Wright also told employees they will not be required to report to the office until January 2 at the earliest. Continue reading →

Ray Cortopassi

“Chicago’s Very Own” WGN-Channel 9 has reached out to its company’s station in Indianapolis to hire a new co-anchor for its nightly newscasts.

Ray Cortopassi, 53, who grew up in south suburban Dolton and graduated from Columbia College Chicago, is coming home to join the Nexstar Media Group station here. Starting September 28, he’ll co-anchor WGN’s 5, 6, 9 and 10 p.m. Monday-through-Friday newscasts with Micah Materre. Continue reading →