Richard Roeper

No one can replace Roger Ebert. We all know that.

But in a casting decision that makes perfect sense, the Sun-Times has named veteran columnist Richard Roeper its leading man on the movie beat.

Under a multiyear contract renewal to be announced Thursday, Roeper, 53, will take on the title of movie columnist, with his reviews and columns appearing in print, online and on mobile devices. In addition, he'll host two weekly video shows ("The Roeper Rundown" on Wednesdays and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" on Fridays) on a new suntimes.com video channel. Continue reading →

Walter Jacobson

In a broadcast journalism career spanning 50 years, Walter Jacobson has never held a radio job and has never made commercial endorsements. Now he’s about to do both.

The celebrated Chicago anchorman has agreed to appear on WLS AM 890 as a commentator and as a spokesman for an advertiser specializing in reverse mortgages. Continue reading →

Kori Chambers

It's official: Kori Chambers is signing off as morning and noon news anchor at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 to join Tribune Broadcasting's WPIX-TV in his native New York.

His last day on the air here will be Thursday. Chambers currently anchors “Good Day Chicago” from 5 to 7 a.m. with Dawn Hasbrouck and the noon news with Anna Davlantes. No word yet on a replacement for either newscast.

WPIX announced Monday that Chambers has been hired to anchor from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays alongside Sukanya Krishnan, starting Oct. 7. Continue reading →

Don and Roma Wade

Don Wade defined talk radio in Chicago for nearly 30 years. But without a doubt, his greatest legacy was the extraordinary partnership he shared on and off the air with his wife, co-host and inspiration, Roma.

"Last Friday morning, my hero, my best friend, my soulmate left this mortal coil behind and entered the realm of spirit while wrapped in my loving arms," Roma wrote in a message posted on the WLS AM 890 website Sunday night. "I love him more than life itself."

Just days short of one year after he suffered a seizure and underwent surgery for a malignant brain tumor, Wade died in Florida, where the couple spent their time since officially retiring from WLS last December. He was 72. Continue reading →

Burton Jablin

As a kid growing up in Highland Park, Burton Jablin faithfully watched Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson deliver the news every night and dreamed of someday becoming host of the "Today" show.

While "Today" never beckoned, Jablin did get to work closely with Bill & Walter at WBBM-Channel 2 — rising from research assistant on Jacobson's staff to executive producer at the CBS-owned station. Now, three decades later, he's running an entire network.

Jablin, 53, last week was named president of Scripps Networks, parent company of HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel and Great American Country. He succeeds another former Chicagoan, John Lansing, onetime news director at CBS 2, who retired. Continue reading →

Leslie Keiling

To fans of Steve Dahl and Garry Meier in the 1980s, she'll always be known as "Lane Closure." And though her unmistakable voice was heard on almost every radio station in town since then, Leslie Keiling has spent the last decade delivering traffic reports exclusively for WGN AM 720.

Now we're about to hear a lot more from her than the travel times on the Kennedy. Continue reading →

Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips, who co-hosted the final season of "At the Movies" in syndication, is returning to national television.

Starting Sept. 6, Phillips will host "Friday Night Spotlight: Future Shock," a monthlong series for Turner Classic Movies examining "visions of the future as depicted on film." The 16 films in the series span 75 years — from Fritz Lang's 1927 "Metropolis" to Steven Spielberg's 2002 "Minority Report." Continue reading →

Wendy Snyder and Bill Leff

Fifteen years after their Chicago radio partnership abruptly ended, Wendy Snyder and Bill Leff are teaming up again. Snyder has been hired to join Leff as his midday co-host on WGN AM 720, starting next week.

Snyder, a lifelong Chicagoan and 28-year radio veteran, has been morning traffic reporter on WLS AM 890 since 2007. She resigned Thursday.

Snyder and Leff were first paired as evening hosts on WLUP FM 97.9 in 1994. Two years later they moved to mornings on the former WKQX FM 101.1. At Q101, they were just gaining traction in the ratings when they were dumped for Mancow Muller in 1998. Continue reading →

Amy Guth

Amy Guth, who's been a rising star at Tribune Co. since she began as a digital editor in 2009, has been promoted to general manager of RedEye, the daily tabloid newspaper, and Metromix, the website.

Guth most recently has been social media and SEO manager for Chicago Tribune Media Group. An author, blogger, broadcaster and social media expert, she also is president of the Association for Women Journalists Chicago. In 2011, the Texas native was named to Chicago magazine's list of "The 50 Most Beautiful Chicagoans." Continue reading →

Regina Waldroup

Regina Waldroup, a former news anchor and reporter at CLTV who went on to teach broadcast journalism at two local colleges, is returning to television news as a part-time reporter for NBC 5.

Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, confirmed her hiring Tuesday in a memo: "Please welcome Regina Waldroup to the newsroom," he told staffers. "Regina is joining us as a per diem reporter and will work part-time to fill out our reporting schedule."

Continue reading →