Brian Sherman and Steve Tingle

Robservations on the media beat:

One of the meanest, funniest bits Brian Sherman and Steve Tingle ever did was a lacerating parody of Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart. At the time (circa 2011) Sherman & Tingle were the highly underrated morning duo at WKQX FM 101.1, the alternative rock station then owned by Emmis Communications. Then as now, Eric & Kathy were kingpins of Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9. As luck would have it, after five years apart, Sherman & Tingle are about to be reunited by — you guessed it — Hubbard Radio. On Halloween they’ll debut as morning hosts at classic rock WDRV FM 97.1. Can’t wait to hear what happens when they run into Eric & Kathy in the hallway.

Pete McMurray

Tuesday marked Pete McMurray’s last day as morning host on The Drive. With the hiring of Sherman & Tingle (see above), McMurray chose to step down immediately. Hubbard Radio will continue to pay him through the expiration of his contract in March, sources said, although he’s free to pursue employment elsewhere. His best bet would be a return to Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720. McMurray's departure marks the last chapter in his ill-fated pairing with Dan McNeil in February 2015. McNeil exited The Drive last June. Also out is producer Scott Miller. Kathy Voltmer, morning news anchor since 2001, will shift to a public service role, according to program director Rob Cressman. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, The Drive ranks fifth in mornings with a 3.9 percent share and cumulative weekly audience of 402,200. Continue reading →

Jimmy deCastro (Photo: Glenn Kaupert)

Jimmy deCastro, the charismatic radio showman who brought familiar voices and profitability back to WGN AM 720, is stepping down after three and a half years as president and general manager of the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station.

The veteran media executive said he plans to leave WGN at the end of the month to focus on The Content Factory, his Evanston-based national syndication and new media company, and to expand into the area of sports representation.

“I’ve done everything I can to respect and build on the legacy of this amazing place, and I believe I accomplished everything I set out to do,” deCastro told me. “It’s been great fun to work with the incredibly talented people here. Now the time is right for me to go back and build something new.” Continue reading →

Sylvia Perez

Sylvia Perez, a prominent news anchor and reporter for 24 years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, is returning to Chicago television news as weekend morning anchor for WFLD-Channel 32, the Fox-owned station announced Monday.

Starting October 3, Perez will join Fox 32 as anchor of the Saturday and Sunday editions of “Good Day Chicago” and will deliver special reports during the week for the 9 p.m. newscast. She succeeds Kristen Nicole, who shifted to weekday mornings last month.

Continue reading →

Chip Cronkite (Walter Cronkite III)

Robservations on the media beat:

On Friday I had the honor of attending a special performance of “And That’s The Way It Is: Cronkite’s Journey” at Lincoln Center in New York commemorating the centennial of Walter Cronkite’s birth. Cronkite's family and members of his staff were among those honoring the legendary anchorman. The three-act multimedia tribute was presented by Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, home of the Walter Cronkite Memorial. Long known as “The Most Trusted Man in America,” Cronkite was born in St. Joseph on November 4, 1916. Continue reading →

Phil Kadner

Robservations on the media beat:

Phil Kadner, the Chicago journalism legend and veteran columnist who accepted a buyout at the end of 2015 after 37 years at the Daily Southtown, is making a comeback via the Sun-Times. Starting September 29, his column will appear twice a week. “With this incredible political season upon us it is so wonderful to have Phil's analysis back with the Sun-Times,” said Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief. “He's a pro who can write honestly and eloquently on just about any subject. He is a welcome addition to an already strong bench of voices here.” Continue reading →

Chris Fusco

Chris Fusco, an award-winning investigative reporter who’s had a hand in breaking some of the biggest stories of recent years, has been named managing editor of the Sun-Times.

In his new role, Fusco will oversee daily print and online news coverage, according to an announcement Wednesday by Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times. Continue reading →

Dave Hoekstra, Steve Dahl and Paul Natkin

Thirty-seven years after Disco Demolition rocked old Comiskey Park and the music world, it’s becoming a museum piece.

Based on the recently published oral and pictorial history Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died, photographs and artifacts from the infamous event will be displayed at the Elmhurst History Museum, starting in June 2017. Continue reading →

Bob Seidenberg

A veteran reporter for the Evanston Review is being shipped out to the west suburbs in retaliation for withholding his byline from a story, according to the Chicago News Guild.

Bob Seidenberg, an award-winning writer who has covered the north suburb for nearly 30 years, was reassigned to Franklin Park and other west suburbs about a week after he removed his name from a story that he said had been rewritten inaccurately by an editor. Continue reading →

Eddie Volkman

Chicago radio veteran Eddie Volkman has signed off from his summertime gig on west suburban WCKG AM 1530, calling it a “very valuable experience.”

Since early June Volkman had been hosting from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays on the Oak Brook-based daytime talk station while teaching morning classes at Illinois Media School in nearby Lombard. His last show for WCKG aired Friday. Continue reading →

Daily Herald

Robservations on the media beat:

With the closing of its two remaining bureaus in Lisle and Elgin, the Daily Herald continues consolidation of staff at its Arlington Heights headquarters and Paddock Printing Center in Schaumburg. Both moves, to be completed by year’s end, follow the closing last December of the Daily Herald’s Lake County bureau in Libertyville. In addition to saving money, Doug Ray, publisher and CEO of Daily Herald Media Group, cited the ability of mobile journalists to report from where news happens. “This move reinforces our strategy to put more emphasis on ‘being there’ rather than ‘in-the-office newsgathering,’ ” he said. Continue reading →