ESPN Chicago

On the same day the Chicago White Sox opened their playoff series, a top management change suddenly unfolded behind the scenes at the team’s radio home, WMVP 1000-AM.

Debbie Brown, vice president of marketing at Good Karma Brands and a 22-year veteran of the company, was named interim market manager of the ESPN Chicago sports/talk station. Continue reading →

Amy Freeze

Robservations on the media beat:

Fox Weather

Remember Amy Freeze? From 2007 to 2011 the aptly named weather forecaster gained a wide following at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32, where she was the first female chief meteorologist on Chicago TV. Now she's just been hired as an anchor for Fox Weather, a new 24/7 advertiser-supported video-on-demand streaming weather service, set to debut October 25. (Here is the link.) Freeze signed off Sunday after 10 years as weekend meteorologist at WABC, the ABC-owned station in New York. Before joining Fox 32, Freeze worked for stations in Philadelphia, Denver and Portland, Oregon. The native of Provo, Utah, is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Pennsylvania. Continue reading →

Eric Ferguson

While embattled Radio Hall of Famer Eric Ferguson faces allegations of misconduct from a growing number of former co-workers, he'll be off the air at least through the end of the month.

In court documents filed Tuesday Melissa McGurren, former morning co-host on WTMX 101.9-FM, became the third woman to publicly accuse Ferguson of inappropriate behavior at the Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary station. “For many years, Ferguson has grossly abused his power, and his conduct was the major reason the station became a hostile working environment,” she said in the filing. Continue reading →

Melissa McGurren and Eric Ferguson

Melissa McGurren, former morning co-host at WTMX 101.9-FM, has become the third former employee of the station to file documents in court alleging misconduct by veteran morning host Eric Ferguson.

McGurren worked for 22 years at the Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary station, where she rose from traffic reporter to co-host of Ferguson’s morning show before she left in 2020. At the time she posted a video on social media saying the company's version of events was "not accurate" and added: "The truth will come out."  Continue reading →

Gabe Ramirez and Nina Hajian

Robservations on the media beat:

After three years on the dawn patrol at Audacy Top 40 WBBM 96.3-FM it's over and out for Gabe Ramirez and Nina Hajian. Last week the company posted a job opening for a new morning team. (Here is the link.) Station bosses declined to comment on their plans for the show. Hajian has been off the air without explanation since August. Look for Ramirez soon to follow. For now he's still listed solo on B96's website. The duo first united in 2018 under morning host Kevin "Drex" Buchar, who left the following year. It's been "The Gabe and Nina Show" since then. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey B96 tied for 22nd place in mornings with a 1.6 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 279,300. Continue reading →

PatCassidy

With veteran morning news anchor Pat Cassidy leading the way, WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM bounced back to first place in the latest survey of Chicago radio listenership.

In addition to ranking No. 1 overall, the Audacy all-news combo won in mornings with Cassidy, middays with Cisco Cotto and afternoons with Keith Johnson and Lisa Fielding, according to Nielsen Audio figures released Monday. Continue reading →

Eric Ferguson (Photo: Hubbard Radio Chicago)

Now that a second woman has come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Radio Hall of Famer Eric Ferguson, even his most ardent supporters have to wonder how long Chicago’s highest-paid morning host can survive a public pillorying over claims about his conduct off the air.

Ferguson, 54, has about three years left on his contract with WTMX 101.9-FM, sources said. His female-targeted morning show has been a top performer for the Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary station since 1996. Continue reading →

Allison Payne (Photo: Jennifer Girard)

News of the death of Allison Payne, who was a prominent news anchor at WGN-Channel 9 for 21 years, led the top 10 most-read stories here in September.

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

Luis Felipe Godinez

Robservations on the media beat:

Univision Communications has tapped the news director of its station in Sacramento, California, to lead the news operation of WGBO-Channel 66, Chicago's top-rated Spanish-language station. As vice president of news, Luis Felipe Godinez succeeds Teri Arvesu, who shifted to a new corporate role. A graduate of San Francisco State University, Godinez worked as assistant news director and executive producer at KDTV in San Franciso before joining KUVS in Sacramento in 2020. Earlier he worked in Las Vegas, Denver and Amarillo, Texas. "Luis is a forward-thinking journalist who brings with him with a wide range of experience including multimedia journalist, executive producer and five years as assistant news director in San Francisco," Doug Levy, president and general manager of Univision Chicago, told staffers in an email. "With so many amazing professionals working here in Chicago, I am excited to see how Luis will help to shape our newsroom to best position us for growth and success in the future." Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ Chicago

The Chicago Sun-Times would become a subsidiary of Chicago Public Media, nonprofit parent company of WBEZ 91.5-FM, under a “historic partnership” being pursued by the two legacy media organizations.

Confirming a report here, the board of Chicago Public Media voted Wednesday to approve a non-binding letter of intent to “explore joining together as one organization to grow and strengthen local journalism in Chicago.” Target for completion of the merger is the end of this year. Continue reading →