Toni Ginnetti
Veteran Chicago sportswriter Toni Ginnetti, who was among the first women to cover a wide range of professional and college sports beats — including both the White Sox and the Cubs — retired Friday after 33 years at the Sun-Times.
Although she’ll continue to write occasionally for the paper on a freelance basis, her retirement caps a Chicago journalism career of outstanding work and groundbreaking achievement. Continue reading
Jane Hirt
Three years ago this week I published a list of 21 women I considered to be the most powerful in Chicago journalism. It was purely subjective — and highly debatable.
As expected, it touched off a spirited conversation among readers about women in media, and prompted three other male bloggers — Chicago magazine’s Whet Moser, the Reader’s Michael Miner and Our Man in Chicago’s Scott Smith — to propose alternate candidates. Continue reading
Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman
Looking forward to “crackling on the airwaves once more,” Chicago theater reviewers Kelly Kleiman and Jonathan Abarbanel are returning to public radio.
Starting this weekend, their “Dueling Critics” segment will air every other week on “The Arts Section,” a new Sunday morning newsmagazine show on the College of DuPage’s WDCB FM 90.9. Gary Zidek will host the 30-minute show, airing at 8 a.m. Sundays. Continue reading
Jim Richards
Leaving Chicago will be “really bittersweet” for veteran radio programmer Jim Richards, who guided two of Chicago’s legendary rock stations to the top of the ratings among their respective audiences.
After two years as operations manager of classic rock WLUP FM 97.9 and alternative rock WKQX FM 101.1, Richards, 47, is headed to San Francisco to become operations manager/program director of Cumulus Media’s KFOG FM and KSAN FM.
In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, the Loop ranks No. 1 in its target demographic of men between 25 and 54, while WKQX ranks No. 1 among men between 18 and 34 and men between 18 and 49. Continue reading
James W. Mabie
After 13 years on the board of trustees of Window to the World Communications, James W. Mabie was elected chairman Wednesday of the parent company of public television WTTW-Channel 11 and classical music WFMT FM 98.7.
Mabie, 78, also serves on the board and is a past chairman of Chicago Public Media, parent company of WBEZ FM 91.5, where a performance studio is named for him. He previously was on the board of the defunct Chicago News Cooperative. Continue reading
Here are my picks for the 10 most notable Chicago media stories of the month.
Click on the arrows to advance the photos. To read the original posts, click on the headlines under each photo:
Linda Bergstrom
After two years overseeing features at the Sun-Times, Linda Bergstrom resigned Tuesday as associate editor, citing personal reasons.
Bergstrom, whose last day will be Thursday, declined to comment. She was the highest-ranking woman in the editorial department of the paper. Continue reading
David Scott
David Scott, Chicago-based editor of the 14-state central region for The Associated Press, is headed to Washington, D.C., as AP’s new national political editor.
Scott, 37, will direct the news agency's national political reporting and oversee AP's coverage of the 2014 and 2016 elections under Washington bureau chief Sally Buzbee.
"The political editor job is a critical one for AP — directing our national political coverage, advising states on political reporting and working with colleagues on our race-calling, accountability, vote count and polling operations," Buzbee said in a statement. "It requires superb news skills, keen interest in both politics and policy, and strong competitive instincts. We are thrilled David is taking it on." Continue reading
Roy Leonard
Chicago broadcast legend Roy Leonard says he’s “feeling fine” after falling and injuring himself as he was leaving a performance Sunday at the Civic Opera House.
Leonard, 83, said he was on his way back to his car with his son, Kolin, after attending the press opening of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s “The Sound of Music” when he tripped over a small rise from the sidewalk to a brick-paved entrance to the parking garage. Continue reading
CNN should be ashamed. I know I am.
“Chicagoland,” the much-ballyhooed documentary series that completed its eight-week run on CNN Thursday, turned out to be as manipulative as its critics suspected.
A front-page story in Friday’s Chicago Tribune revealed the extent to which producers kowtowed to City Hall for what was billed as “a non-scripted, eight-part original series about a heartland American city.” Whatever it was, it wasn’t journalism. Continue reading