CBS 2 Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

Jennifer Lyons

Now that Jennifer Lyons has been named president and general manager of WBBM-Channel 2, look for the CBS-owned station to green-light plans to launch a 4 p.m. Monday-through-Friday newscast. The widely admired broadcast news executive who led WGN-Channel 9 to new heights and launched NewsNation in record time inherits a perennial also-ran in the ratings that appears poised for brighter days with Lyons and news director Jeff Harris. Newsroom veterans hailed her appointment Thursday as a huge morale boost — and a potential game-changer for the market. The good news came just 48 hours after CBS 2 won the coveted national Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence. "We’re fired up to have a true news lion with heart lead us @cbschicago. Welcome aboard, @JenLyonsTV," tweeted CBS 2 news anchor Brad Edwards. The last time a former news director ascended to the front office at CBS 2 was 2008. Anyone remember Bruno Cohen? Continue reading →

Jennifer Lyons

Jennifer Lyons, who's been one of Chicago’s most honored and respected broadcast news executives for more than two decades, has been named president and general manager of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2.

Her appointment, effective Monday, was announced today by Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations.

“We feel extremely fortunate to have someone like Jennifer, who has a proven track record of success in Chicago, joining as the leader of our team, products and platforms at CBS 2,” McMahon said in a statement. Continue reading →

Jack Rosenberg Way

The dedication of "Jack Rosenberg Way" at East Illinois Street and Cityfront Plaza Drive drew a gathering of family, friends and sports media personalities Wednesday to remember the beloved sports editor for WGN-Channel 9 and WGN 720-AM.

Jack “Rosey” Rosenberg, whose name was synonymous with WGN sports for more than 40 years, died in December at 94. WGN morning host Bob Sirott spearheaded the effort to honor him, and Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly sponsored the City Council resolution designating the honorary street naming just east of Tribune Tower, former home of WGN. Continue reading →

Quinn Myers

Robservations on the media beat:

Block Club Chicago

Quinn Myers, a reporter and producer for WTTW-Channel 11's "Chicago Tonight," has been hired by Block Club Chicago to cover the Wicker Park, Bucktown and West Town neighborhoods for the nonprofit neighborhood news site. "Wicker Park and Bucktown readers have been some of Block Club's biggest supporters from Day One, so we're thrilled to be bringing in an experienced reporter who deeply cares about the community," said co-founder and director of strategy Jen Sabella. "Like many Block Club reporters, Quinn lives in the beat he’s covering. We believe that deep connection to the community makes our hyperlocal coverage more reflective of the neighborhoods." Myers, a graduate of George Washington University, joined the Window to the World Communications station as an associate producer and reporter in 2019. He previously worked as a reporting intern and contributor for Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM. "Absolutely thrilled to be part of one of the most engaged and vital newsrooms in the city and I can't wait to get started," Myers tweeted. At Block Club he replaces Hannah Alani, who moved out of town. Continue reading →

Alicia Roman and Andy Avalos

With the impending retirement of longtime meteorologist Andy Avalos, NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 has promoted Alicia Roman to primary weekday morning weather duties, effective August 30.

Roman, who joined NBC 5 in 2011 from then-CBS affiliate WISH in Indianapolis, most recently has been weekend morning meteorologist and backup to Avalos during the week. Now she'll take over from 4 to 7 a.m. weekdays. Continue reading →

Ryan Chiaverini

Robservations on the media beat:

Ryan Chiaverini can’t catch a break. In July he got word that “Windy City Live,” the daily talk show he’s been co-hosting for the past 10 years on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, had been canceled effective September 3. Then last week he returned from officiating at co-host Val Warner’s wedding in Cancun to learn he had tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. “Here I am, one of the many breakthrough cases that we’re seeing in our state and across the country,” Chiaverini told ABC 7 news anchor Judy Hsu. “I do really believe that because I am vaccinated the severity of my symptoms have been much less and I’ve been able to recover much faster. My fever only lasted about six hours or something like that,” adding: “I was super surprised and it is disappointing. . . . I’ll be the first to admit I was back out giving hugs and handshakes and living our lives like we wanted to get back to, but this thing is real.” P.S. Warner tested negative. Continue reading →

Andy Avalos

After more than three decades on the weather front of two Chicago TV stations, Andy Avalos is ready to ride off into the sunset.

Avalos, 66, announced Friday he’s retiring as primary morning meteorologist at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. Before joining NBC 5 for the first of two runs in 1994, he spent 10 years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.

His last day on the air will be August 27, according to Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5. Continue reading →

Maddie (Photo: Sean Lewis)

A poignant and heartfelt tribute by Tom Skilling on the passing of his beloved dog Maddie elicited an outpouring of condolences to the famed Chicago meteorologist.

More than 1,000 people wrote in comments of love and support on Facebook Wednesday after Skilling shared his sadness on the loss of  "a member of our family who has brought us such abiding love and affection and whose absence seems insurmountable at this moment in time." Continue reading →

WGN Radio Walk of Fame

Robservations on the media beat:

WGN Radio Walk of Fame — 2021

There's a new twist to the strange saga of the WGN Radio Walk of Fame. Launched in 2014 as a promotional gimmick to honor current and former personalities of news/talk WGN 720-AM, plaques for dozens of inductees were embedded in the pavement outside Tribune Tower, then home of the Tribune Broadcasting radio flagship. With the sale of Tribune Tower in 2018, the plaques were removed with talk of eventually securing a “new, suitable home” for them. At some point they wound up in a makeshift graveyard at WGN's transmitter site in northwest suburban Elk Grove Village. Now comes word WGN has given up on finding a new site and has begun offering the plaques to the inductees. (The idea surfaced after a report here that Marlene Wells, a WGN sales promotion coordinator and 2019 inductee, already had her plaque in her garden at home.) On Tuesday Mary Sandberg Boyle, vice president and general manager of WGN, said: "While we hoped to find a suitable place to display the plaques, when we realized that the honorees would rather be in possession of them, we felt it would be a more fitting tribute to grant their request." No word yet on how many have accepted the offer. Continue reading →

Colin McMahon

Colin McMahon resigned Tuesday after 18 tumultuous months as the top editor of the Chicago Tribune, citing the need for “an injection of new energy and commitment” to the beleaguered newsroom.

His departure, effective August 20, marks the end of a 34-year run for McMahon, who rose from copy editor to editor-in-chief of the Chicago Tribune and chief content officer of Tribune Publishing.

His tenure as editor coincided with the takeover of Tribune Publishing by New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital and the departure of scores of journalists through buyouts, resignations and cutbacks. Continue reading →