Sandy Pudar

Robservations on the media beat:

NewsNation

Just weeks before the planned expansion of "NewsNation," the Chicago-based cable news operation on WGN America suddenly finds itself without a news director. Sandy Pudar, who oversaw the launch of the three-hour primetime newscast in September, resigned Tuesday, multiple sources confirmed. It's not yet known why she quit. Pudar and officials of parent company Nexstar Media Group declined to comment. Despite chronically low ratings for its first five months on the air, NewsNation plans to add two more hours of news and a nightly talk show hosted by Ashleigh Banfield on March 1. That's also when WGN America will be renamed NewsNation, pointing to further expansion of the news operation that's promoted as free of bias and opinion. Pudar worked closely with Jennifer Lyons, the former WGN news director of WGN-Channel 9 who moved up to vice president of news for WGN America. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Pudar joined WGN in 1999 and worked as a news writer and producer before becoming executive producer of “WGN Morning News” in 2009 and assistant news director in 2014.  She began as an intern for "Larry King Live" at CNN. Continue reading →

Amy Jacobson (Photo: Fox News)

Twice in the past three days Amy Jacobson appeared on the Fox News morning show “Fox & Friends” to comment on the dispute over reopening Chicago Public Schools for in-person learning.

On the air Jacobson was identified only as “a Chicago parent and volleyball coach” before she launched into a broadside against the Chicago Teachers Union for keeping kids out of school.

"I think a lot of people enjoy working from their homes in Florida and their homes in California — their second homes," Jacobson told “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt Monday. Continue reading →

Charmaine Bey

The promotion of VH-1 reality star Charmaine Bey to midday personality at WGCI 107.5-FM, the iHeartMedia hip-hop station, led the top 10 most-read stories here in January.

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

Dorian Orr, Aria Vivian and Irika Sargent

Robservations on the media beat:

Irika Sargent

It’s back to work today for new mom Irika Sargent, who returns to CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 as Monday-through-Friday news anchor alongside Brad Edwards. Along with a photo of her sans makeup, Sargent tweeted: “I'm deeply grateful for a life-changing three months on maternity leave with my family. No makeup for all that time was a bonus! Excited to be back anchoring the @cbschicago news tomorrow at 5, 6 & 10pm and sharing more pics of my girl then!” Aria Vivian was born November 12 to Sargent and her husband, Dorian Orr. Sargent, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, and a graduate of the University of Missouri and Cornell Law School, joined CBS 2 in 2015 from CBS-owned WFOR in Miami. P.S. Kudos to newcomer Marie Saavedra, who did an impressive job filling in for Sargent. Expect to hear more from her, too. Continue reading →

Steve Dolinsky (Photo: Todd Rosenberg)

Steve Dolinsky, the award-winning food critic who's been covering the eat beat with gusto for more than 25 years in Chicago, is stepping down as the "Hungry Hound" at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.

His final reviews will air February 19 and 20, according to Jennifer Graves, vice president and news director of ABC 7.

"Steve is leaving ABC 7 to focus on his own food-related projects," Graves wrote in an internal memo Thursday. "Please join me in wishing Steve every success as he pursues his passions and builds on this work. His plans include expanding his food and restaurant coverage to other cities and developing a service to curate culinary talent for food halls and music festivals around the country." Continue reading →

Greg Kot

One year after stepping down as the nationally renowned music critic at the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot is about to help launch an ambitious new multimedia startup billed as "a new way to experience music."

Kot will serve as editorial director of The Coda Collection, which will debut February 18 with a channel on Amazon Prime featuring rare concerts, music documentaries and film premieres. (Here is the link.) Continue reading →

WLS 890 AM

Robservations on the media beat:

Kim Gordon

Hearing Judy Pielach in mornings and Kim Gordon in afternoons, you might think you're listening to WGN 720-AM, where both spent decades anchoring and reporting the news. But in fact they’re the two newest on-air voices at WLS 890-AM, the Cumulus Media news/talk station. Credit for their hiring goes to Stephanie Tichenor, program director of WLS, who previously worked with them when she was director of news and operations at WGN, the Nexstar Media Group news/talk competitor. On Tuesday Tichenor officially confirmed Gordon’s start as afternoon news anchor, succeeding John Dempsey on “The John Howell Show.” Until her resignation last week Gordon had been a news anchor and reporter at WGN for 15 years. “You need experience and grit to craft a meaningful, accurate newscast and Kim Gordon has both of those qualities in spades,” Tichenor said in a statement. Last month WLS added Pielach as a contributor to “The Bruce St. James Morning Show.” In 2019 Pielach took a buyout from WGN after 32 years as an anchor/reporter. Continue reading →

Melissa Forman

More than 2.2 million listeners tuned in to “Chicago's Christmas Music Station” in December, giving iHeartMedia adult contemporary WLIT 93.9-FM another humungous victory across the board in the latest audience survey.

Nielsen Audio ratings released Tuesday delivered Lite FM its highest overall share in at least four years. Continue reading →

CBS 2 Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

Marty Wilke

In 2018 Marty Wilke stunned the Chicago media community when she abruptly resigned after six years as president and general manager of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2. Except for a brief statement expressing gratitude “for having the opportunity to run my hometown CBS station,” Wilke declined to elaborate on her decision to walk away. “It struck some as odd that a 53-year-old woman would retire at the peak of her career,” according to the Los Angeles Times. “She was a battle-tested manager who had previously run the iconic WGN station in Chicago during a turbulent time — the corporate bankruptcy of its parent, then known as Tribune.” On Sunday an L.A. Times investigation revealed that Wilke had been forced out by CBS Television Stations President Peter Dunn after the two repeatedly clashed. (Here is the link.) Once she left CBS 2, nearly all of the senior female executives Wilke had championed were also driven out, she told the L.A. Times. After obtaining a waiver from her nondisclosure agreement, Wilke met with investigators looking into allegations of misconduct, including racism and misogyny, at the company's highest levels. “My goal is to change the culture for the benefit of so many good people still at the company,” Wilke was quoted as telling them. But now she wonders whether it was worth it. “What was that whole investigation about? Was it just for show?” Wilke asked. “The culture starts and stops with Peter Dunn.” Dunn declined to comment. Continue reading →

Joe Donlon

After five months as co-anchor of NewsNation, the signature primetime newscast on WGN America, Joe Donlon is being reassigned as solo anchor of a one-hour news show at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“The Donlon Report,” billed as a mix of “news and interviews with today’s newsmakers,” will premiere March 1 — coinciding with a rebranding of the Nexstar Media Group cable network from WGN America to NewsNation. Continue reading →