Jennifer Hudson

Robservations on the media beat:

Jennifer Hudson, the Chicago-born Grammy-winning and Oscar-winning singer and actress, is getting her own daytime talk show this fall. "The Jennifer Hudson Show" will air in syndication on WFLD-Channel 32 among other Fox-owned stations in big cities. Based in Los Angeles, the new show from Warner Bros. TV will debut just as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” ends its run after 19 seasons. “People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning — 20 years ago — and I’m so ready to join their journey as we sit down and talk about the things that inspire and move us all,” Hudson said in a statement. “I have always loved people and I cannot wait to connect on a deeper level and let audiences see the different sides of who I am, the human being, in return. . . . We’re about to have a lot of fun and shake things up a little bit!” Continue reading →

Ryan Chiaverini (Photo: ABC 7 Chicago)

Robservations on the media beat:

It was deja vu for Ryan Chiaverini, who filled in for two days this week as sports anchor on WLS-Channel 7 newscasts. Before he spent a decade as co-host of the now-dead “Windy City Live,” Chiaverini anchored sports for five years at the ABC-owned station. Since September he’s been co-hosting “Windy City Weekend” with Val Warner at 11:30 a.m. Fridays. “This is what happens when you buy a hot tub time machine,” Chiaverini joked on Facebook Wednesday. “First time in a decade I filled in anchoring weekday sports for ABC 7 Chicago.” A station representative said Chiaverini will fill in on the sports desk “as needed.” Continue reading →

Alan Krashesky and Cheryl Burton (Photo: ABC 7 Chicago)

Robservations on the media beat:

With one day left in the February sweep, ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 is poised to claim another across-the-board win at 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m. in household ratings and in the key demographic of viewers between 25 and 54. It's worth noting ABC 7's substantial margin of victory in the face of competition from the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl LVI on NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. Ratings analysts said it was the first time in memory the Winter Games bestowed no discernible "Olympic halo" on a station's news ratings. At 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, ABC 7 had 229,119 households, followed by NBC 5 with 128,445 households, Nexstar Media WGN-Channel 9 with 83,316 households, CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 with 79,844 households, Univision WGBO-Channel 66 with 62,487 households and Telemundo WSNS-Channel 44 with 31,243 households. At 9 p.m. weeknights WGN had 138,860 households and Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 had 52,072 households. “I couldn’t be more proud of our entire team both on and off air for their daily commitment to Chicago news viewers,” John Idler, president and general manager of ABC 7, said in a statement. Continue reading →

Peggy Kusinski and Dionne Miller

The inspired pairing of Chicago sportscasters Peggy Kusinski and Dionne Miller on Good Karma Brands ESPN sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM led the top 10 most-read stories here in February.

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

Cheryl Burton

Cheryl Burton, now in her 30th year as news anchor at top-rated ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, has been named to iHeartMedia Chicago's 2022 class of Women Who Win.

Coinciding with Women's History Month, the honor celebrates the achievements of prominent women who've "made a significant impact in the community as a direct result of their exceptional leadership."

It's presented by iHeartMedia Chicago and YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, joined this year by Chicago Foundation for Women. Continue reading →

Kristie Graybill

Robservations on the media beat:

It’s over and out for Kristie Graybill after one year as a contributor to Christopher “Fred” Frederick’s morning show on Top 40 WKSC 103.5-FM. She'd been missing from “The Fred Show” for two weeks without explanation before iHeartMedia confirmed that she no longer works for Kiss FM. No further comment was provided. Graybill, an Ohio native who previously co-hosted mornings at KSLZ in St. Louis, joined the show after longtime co-host Angi Taylor shifted to mornings on rock WCHI 95.5-FM. A replacement for Graybill is expected to be named soon. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, Kiss FM ranked first in mornings among all listeners between 18 and 34 and among women between 25 and 54. Continue reading →

Melody Mercado and Mack Liederman (Photos: Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Des Moines Register; Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago)

With the addition of two new reporters, Block Club Chicago just expanded its full-time staff to 22. That’s nearly a threefold increase since the nonprofit neighborhood news site launched in 2018.

The latest to sign on are Melody Mercado, who most recently was a reporter for the Des Moines Register, and Mack Liederman, former per-diem news writer at Nexstar Media WGN-Channel 9 and freelance contributor to Block Club Chicago. Continue reading →

Anita Blanton

Robservations on the media beat:

Slone Salerno

Anita Blanton, a news anchor at NBC affiliate WAVY in Norfolk, Virginia, has been signed to co-anchor “Good Day Chicago” on Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32, starting April 4. Matt Piacente, vice president and news director of Fox 32, called Blanton “a dynamic journalist and storyteller who brings a passion to her work and to the community.” Before joining WAVY in 2013, Blanton worked for stations in Oklahoma City; Richmond, Virginia; and Waco, Texas. On Fox 32’s morning show, she’ll be part of an anchor rotation that includes Scott Schneider, Anita Padilla, Sylvia Perez, Terrence Lee and Roseanne Tellez. “I can’t wait to say ‘Good Day Chicago’ to the great people of the Windy City,” Blanton said in a statement. “Joining this team of respected journalists at a station dedicated to going beyond headlines with memorable, impactful coverage each day is more than a dream.” Also joining Fox 32 as a producer for “Good Day Chicago” is Slone Salerno, a morning news producer for CBS affiliate WMTV in Madison, Wisconsin. She’s the daughter of longtime Chicago TV news producer Irene Lobo Salerno and the late Chicago news anchor Randy Salerno. Continue reading →

WBBM Newsradio; V103

WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM, the Audacy all-news combo, and WVAZ 102.7-FM, the iHeartMedia R&B station, tied for first place in Chicago radio ratings released Tuesday.

WLIT 93.9-FM, the iHeartMedia adult contemporary station that rose to record-high ratings for its nonstop Christmas music in December, fell back to fifth place in the latest Nielsen Audio survey, which ran from January 6 to February 2. Continue reading →

The CDGA Golf Show

Already dreaming of hitting the golf course? You're not alone.

In partnership with the Chicago District Golf Association, Good Karma Brands ESPN sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM will air “The CDGA Golf Show" from 7 to 9 a.m. Sundays, starting April 3. It will feature interviews with top golfers, news updates about the PGA Tour and other events, and interaction with listeners. Continue reading →