WYCC

Last fall, Mayor Rahm Emanuel flatly rejected a suggestion I made here to sell the license of WYCC-Channel 20 in a government-sponsored auction, which could result in a potential windfall for the financially strapped City Colleges of Chicago.

“Chicago should sell the station because the city is in desperate financial straits, and the marketplace is offering an extraordinary premium for Channel 20's broadcast bandwidth,” the Chicago Tribune editorial board wrote in support of my idea. “There are other ways to teach college kids the media business besides operating a little-watched TV station via the 20th century technology of a broadcast transmitter and rabbit ears.” Continue reading →

Joyce Winnecke

Changes that swept through Tribune Publishing Wednesday included the leadership of Tribune Content Agency, the company’s syndication and licensing unit, as well as Chicago Tribune Suburban Media.

Veteran Chicago journalist and prominent media executive Joyce Winnecke departed as president of Tribune Content Agency. She was named to the post in 2014 after six years as associate editor of the Chicago Tribune. Continue reading →

Norm Winer

Chicago radio legend Norm Winer, who’s been the heart and soul of WXRT FM 93.1 for 37 years, resigned Wednesday — just weeks after he lost his position as program director of the CBS Radio adult album alternative station.

“I have decided to leave WXRT and CBS Radio,” Winer wrote to his staff. “I have been exceptionally fortunate to have been here, surrounded by people who mean so much to me.” Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

Long plagued with a clumsy, useless and altogether user-unfriendly website, the Sun-Times unveiled a new online presence Wednesday at chicago.suntimes.com.

The new site is cleaner, neater and easy to navigate. Continue reading →

Bruce Dold

Two weeks after he was named editor of the Chicago Tribune, Bruce Dold has been promoted again — to the newly combined role of publisher and editor-in-chief.

The move was part of a sweeping reorganization of Tribune Publishing announced Wednesday by Michael Ferro, who took control of the Chicago-based company as leading investor and board chairman February 4. Ferro also announced he was giving up his financial stake in the Chicago Sun-Times to "avoid perceived conflicts of interest." Continue reading →

Michael Ferro

If you’re Michael Ferro, $44.4 million will buy you more than the board chairmanship of Tribune Publishing, parent company of the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

It’ll also get you tickets to the Academy Awards. Continue reading →

Lisa Chavarria and Joanie Lum

Elizabeth Matthews

Robservations on the media beat:

The station that told its reporters they couldn't wear hats in winter now has them wearing bright red jackets branded with the company's logo. Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 ordered the emblazoned coats and headgear for employees after the station was ridiculed here for telling staffers they had to go hatless during live shots. (Fox 32 boss Dennis Welsh later disavowed the edict, calling it “5,000 percent not a station policy.”) One insider called the new red regalia “a typical overreaction by management.” Continue reading →

Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano

The husband-and-wife team of Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano will host Illinois primary election night coverage March 15 on WLS AM 890, the Cumulus Media news/talk station.

Starting at 6 p.m. and airing until at least 10 p.m., Sirott and Murciano will host a roundtable of newsmakers, analysts and journalists, including veteran City Hall reporter Bill Cameron. Continue reading →

Terrell Brown (ABC 7, February 26, 2016)

WLS-Channel 7 has apologized to its viewers for mistakenly using the logo of McDonald’s restaurants to illustrate a story about the Chicago police shooting of Laquan McDonald.

The error occurred during the ABC-owned station’s 6:30 a.m. newscast Friday when the graphic appeared over the shoulder of news anchor Terrell Brown. The station was bombarded with ridicule on social media after the image appeared on Facebook and Twitter. Continue reading →

Chris Reese

A morning show producer for CBS Radio country WUSN FM 99.5 is moving up to evening personality at Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9.

Switching companies and changing formats is Chris Reese, who’s been executive producer of US 99.5’s morning show, hosted by Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray Stevens. Continue reading →