Nexstar hires former ABC News exec Michael Corn to run NewsNation

Michael Corn

Michael Corn, former senior executive producer of “Good Morning America” and a 19-year veteran of ABC News, has been tapped to run NewsNation, the Chicago-based cable news network, sources said Monday.

At a staff meeting Tuesday Corn is expected to be introduced as president of NewsNation by parent company Nexstar Media Group. He will report to Sean Compton, president of Nexstar Networks. Continue reading

Cheryl Corley, Greg Kot win Headline Club Lifetime Achievement Awards

Cheryl Corley and Greg Kot

Cheryl Corley, Chicago-based correspondent for NPR, and Greg Kot, former music critic for the Chicago Tribune, have been named recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Chicago Headline Club.

The two will be honored at this year’s Peter Lisagor Awards virtual ceremony May 14. Presenting the awards will be Headline Club president Madhu Krishnamurthy and president-elect Amanda Vinicky. Continue reading

Former Fox News anchor Leland Vittert joins NewsNation

Leland Vittert

Leland Vittert, a former weekend anchor, reporter and foreign correspondent for Fox News, has landed at NewsNation, Nexstar Media Group's Chicago-based cable news network, as an anchor/correspondent.

He is expected be part of the anchor lineup for a morning news show to launch later this year. According to insiders, he is likely to team with Adrienne Bankert, who recently was hired from ABC News. Continue reading

Robservations: John Kass walks back 'enemy of the people' blast at media

John Kass

Robservations on the media beat:

Rebuked by his colleagues for promoting a tweet that referred to the media as “the enemy of the people,” Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass now says he shouldn't have done it. As reported here last week Kass retweeted a comment from Tom Bevan, co-founder of RealClearPolitics, that included the slur on his profession along with a headline about victims of police shootings. Among the first to chastise Kass was Chicago Tribune Guild president Greg Pratt, who said such talk "puts reporters, editors and photographers in actual danger and diminishes newsrooms everywhere, including the Tribune.” On his WGN Radio podcast "The Chicago Way" Saturday, Kass said: "But I don't want to believe that journalism and journalists are the enemy of the people. I want to believe that journalists bring light to chaos, order, reason. And despite the suggestion of some, I don't want journalists subjected to violence." (Here is the link.) "But there were other ways for me to make a point about the dangerous and willful lack of context in headlines. I should not have retweeted a political slogan. In my heart I wasn't endorsing the idea that media is the enemy of the people. Is retweet an endorsement? I was angry at the irresponsible headlines. But I did it, and got hammered for it, and lesson learned." The podcast was transcribed and first reported by journalist John Greenfield, who monitors the columnist on his Kass Watch Twitter account. Continue reading

Weigel expands memorable entertainment menu with 'MeTV Plus'

MeTV Plus

Weigel Broadcasting is about to launch a new 24/7 digital network to extend the brand and expand the audience of MeTV, its “Memorable Entertainment Television” franchise of classic programming.

Starting May 15 “MeTV Plus” will join the array of diginets programmed by the Chicago-based station owner. Locally it will air on WCIU 26.5 — replacing Bounce TV, which is moving to a digital tier Ion WCPX-Channel 38. Continue reading