Akemi Harrison

NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 has hired Akemi Harrison as assistant news director. She currently holds the same position at WVIT, the NBC-owned station in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, announced the appointment, effective August 2, in an email to staff Tuesday. Continue reading →

Chicago Tribune

Robservations on the media beat:

Paul Sullivan

You don't replace a Phil Rosenthal, whose words and thoughts "shined like diamonds" before he gracefully bowed out last month as sports media columnist at the Chicago Tribune. But the beat goes on. Monday brought the debut of a "sports media week in review" column by Paul Sullivan, the veteran baseball writer and "In the Wake of News" sports columnist — including a couple of generous nods to previous Tribune sports media columnists Rosenthal and Teddy Greenstein. (Here is the link.) Sullivan told me he's not really covering the media beat, but he didn't say whether his media recap will become a regular weekly feature. Here's hoping it does. Continue reading →

Eric Zorn

Columnist Eric Zorn's decision to leave the Chicago Tribune after more than 40 years under the buyout offer that resulted in the departure of dozens more editorial employees led the top 10 most-read stories here in June.

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

Chris Boden

Robservations on the media beat:

Chris Boden won’t be returning as studio host for Chicago Blackhawks hockey broadcasts on Nexstar Media Group news/talk WGN 720-AM. “After four years, my time with the Blackhawks ends today, informed at season's end the pre/postgame host position is being eliminated due to COVID-related financial losses,” Boden posted on social media Wednesday. (Here is the link.) “As this chapter ends, this lifelong Chicagoan seeks and looks forward to whatever is next.” The veteran Chicago sportscaster and former Comcast SportsNet Chicago host grew up in south suburban Burbank and graduated from Luther South High School and Columbia College. Continue reading →