Nearly 700 layoffs hit Tribune Co. newspapers Wednesday, as CEO Peter Liguori announced a sweeping reorganization of the company’s publishing business, resulting in consolidation of advertising sales, consumer marketing, digital media and other areas.

Sources said the layoffs include about a dozen editorial positions at the Chicago Tribune — although none of those affected will be reporters or photographers. Continue reading →

Kevin Matthews

The man of a thousand voices is bringing them all to WGN.FM.

Chicago radio veteran Kevin Matthews is forming a creative alliance with Tribune Broadcasting to serve as the imaging voice and overall spirit of WGN.FM, the online content portal associated with WGN AM 720. Known informally as “The G,” the site is being developed to incorporate audio, video and social media components.

“We really want to give Kevin a fun platform for all of his characters — hopefully to do things he’s never been able to do before,” said Todd Manley, vice president of creative content at WGN. “And he’d done some pretty cool, crazy stuff.” Matthews will work from his home studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Continue reading →

Johnnie Putman and Steve King

Steve King and Johnnie Putman, the husband-and-wife team who hosted overnights on WGN AM 720 for more than 26 years, will be heard again on the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station.

In the couple’s first return engagement since they retired from WGN in December 2011, they’ll fill in Christmas week for morning personality Steve Cochran. Continue reading →

Toni Falvo

Toni Falvo, the dean of Chicago television station ratings and research analysts, is joining Tribune Broadcasting as senior vice president of research.

In the newly created position, Falvo will reunite with Larry Wert, president of broadcast media for Tribune Co. The two previously worked together at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, where Falvo has been vice president of research, programming and press. Until he joined Tribune Co. last February, Wert was president and general manager of NBC 5.

Earlier, the two worked together at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, where Falvo was director of research and Wert was local sales manager. Continue reading →

Charlie Meyerson

From the old dog/new tricks file today comes Charlie Meyerson, the veteran Chicago radio newsman, digital editor and consultant.

Meyerson is one of the forces behind HearHere Radio, a Chicago-based startup that's about to launch a mobile app offering customized audio news content.

Billed as an Internet news radio station, H2 Radio will debut next month as a free app on the iPhone, with plans to expand to other platforms, including Android and automotive, in 2014. Its content will originate from studios at 300 West Adams in the Loop. Continue reading →

Walter Jacobson

On the early afternoon of Friday, November 22, 1963, Walter Jacobson, a 26-year-old reporter and news writer for WBBM-Channel 2, was having lunch at the Chicago Press Club in the Hotel St. Clair when his conversation with executive producer Dick Goldberg was interrupted by news that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas.

Almost at once, Jacobson, Goldberg and the 25 or 30 other reporters, producers and writers in the room got up and left. Continue reading →

Tanja Babich

It seems like Chicago news anchors come and go all the time — except at WLS-Channel 7.

The ABC-owned station is such a bastion of stability that it’s been seven years since anyone from outside joined the anchor team (Ravi Baichwal in 2006), and 10 years since a new anchorwoman was added to the lineup (Karen Jordan in 2003.) Continue reading →

As if the Sun-Times needed any more problems lately, the newspaper’s website came under cyber attack Saturday.

Some morning visitors to suntimes.com found the site had been replaced by an "under construction" page from its domain host, Network Solutions. Others found nothing at all.

Later in the day, Sun-Times editors tweeted: “Yep. One of our vendors got hacked and it's trickling down.” Followed by: “Thanks for your patience and apologies for our site issues. All should be cleaned up in the next few hours.” Continue reading →

Dave Ross

When sports reporter and producer Dave Ross announced he was leaving the Fox-owned station in Washington, D.C., he said it was to start a new job in Chicago.

“Yes it's true ya'll,” he tweeted Nov. 6. “Cat's out of the bag. after 18 years i'm leaving my beloved @myfoxdc for the windy city. but fox will always be my home.” Followed by: “Leaving the fox family sadly.. details to come…”

So where is he going?

Ross did not respond to my inquiries, but Pressbox D.C. reported that his new gig in Chicago — whatever it may be — is expected to give him the chance to do something new in sports, cutting edge and free form. "I'm excited for the new challenge," Ross told DCRTV.com blogger Dave Hughes. “But it's hard to leave a place and the people in it that you respect and enjoy working with. Gonna miss this town." Continue reading →

Thanksgivukkah is still two weeks away, but it’s already beginning to sound a lot like Christmas on the radio.

WLIT FM 93.9 began airing its annual around-the-clock Christmas music programming at 4:50 p.m. Thursday. The kickoff tune was indeed Perry Como’s 1951 version of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Continue reading →