Chicago Sun-Times, December 11, 2019
The Chicago Sun-Times signed a new lease on life this week by extending its printing and distribution agreement with the parent company of the Chicago Tribune.
Under the deal the Sun-Times will continue to be printed at the Tribune's Freedom Center production plant and Tribune vehicles will continue to deliver the paper. Continue reading
Alicia Roman, Siafa Lewis and Michelle Relerford
Robservations on the media beat:
Yes, that was Siafa Lewis co-anchoring the weekend morning news Saturday with Michelle Relerford (and meteorologist Alicia Roman) on WMAQ-Channel 5. It was a first for the NBC-owned station's lead sports anchor. "I’m not leaving the sports chair," said Lewis, who joined NBC 5 from WNBC in New York in 2014. "This is just me seeing if I can expand my horizons. I’m multi-faceted, pretty eccentric and I hate being placed in a box." He's the latest Chicago sportscaster to try his hand at news, following Ryan Baker, Corey McPherrin and others. Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, said Lewis might turn up on the news desk again. "We’ll be giving opportunities to several of our people who’ve expressed interest in growing their skills," Whittaker said. There's an anchor opening on weekend mornings since Susan Carlson was cut back to reporting three days a week. Continue reading
Bob Sirott
It’s been two years since the husband-and-wife team of Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano were cut from WLS 890-AM as the Cumulus Media station doubled down on its conservative talk format.
The jury may still be out on whether WLS made the right move in the purge that also cost the jobs of Steve Dahl and Ramblin’ Ray Stevens among other local radio veterans. But it looks like the time is right for Sirott to return to Chicago broadcasting full time. Continue reading
Tom Joyner
Robservations on the media beat:
On the eve of his retirement, Radio Hall of Famer Tom Joyner is taking a victory lap in Chicago. He'll be the guest of honor Saturday at "The World's Largest Day Party" at Chicago State University's Jacoby Dickens Center, 9501 South King Drive. The event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. is hosted by 95.1 FM Clubsteppin Chicago, which airs Joyner's syndicated morning show. The pioneering urban radio personality skyrocketed to fame as the legendary “Fly Jock” in the '80s and '90s at WGCI 107.5-FM. "Yes, there's no way I was going to retire and not come back to the city that gave me all of the love and support over the years . . . and for the food," he said in a statement. Culminating his 25th year in syndication, Joyner, 70 will retire later this month, turning over his Dallas-based show to Rickey Smiley, the comedian, reality-show star and radio personality. Continue reading
Lee Bey
Robservations on the media beat:
Chicago journalist and author Lee Bey, who gained a wide following as architecture critic of the Sun-Times, is returning to the paper as a part-time editorial writer. He'll work three to four days a week with editorial page editor Tom McNamee. "Lee brings a deep understanding of our city, its people, its architecture, its physical and social landscape and its politics to our newspaper, which helped give him his start as a celebrated writer, photographer, teacher and consultant," Sun-Times editor-in-chief Chris Fusco told staffers in an email. After five years on the architecture beat, Bey left the Sun-Times in 2001 to serve as deputy chief of staff for architecture and urban planning under former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Now a senior lecturer at the Art Institute of Chicago, Bey is author of the critically acclaimed Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side. Other former Sun-Times staffers who've recently returned to the fold include Stephanie Zimmermann, David Roeder and Lorraine Forte. Continue reading
iHeartMedia Chicago
After a decade as the acknowledged master of urban radio programming in Chicago, Derrick Brown has more than earned his corporate stripes.
iHeartMedia today announced his promotion to vice president of urban programming for the Chicago region, overseeing all programming and digital operations for urban adult-contemporary WVAZ 102.7-FM, urban contemporary WGCI 107.5-FM and gospel WGRB 1390-AM. Continue reading
Richard Roeper and Roe Conn
Robservations on the media beat:
The Best Movies of the Decade
Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper has teamed up with WGN 720-AM radio personality Roe Conn on their first podcast series. "The Best Movies of the Decade," based on Roeper's top picks by genre, is being produced by the duo for the Sun-Times. (Here is the link.) "We’re thrilled Rich and Roe brought this idea to us and are glad to see the natural rapport they’ve built over the years on the radio transfer so effortlessly over to a podcast focused solely on movies," said Sun-Times editor-in-chief Chris Fusco. "I’m confident Roger Ebert would give them a ‘thumbs up’ and we hope listeners will, too." It marks the latest podcast collaboration for the Sun-Times, following "The Ben Joravsky Show" with the Chicago Reader and Frank Main’s "Motive" with Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM. Roeper continues as regular contributor to Conn's afternoon show on WGN. Continue reading
Wendy Snyder and Bill Leff
A Monday-through-Friday programming shakeup at news/talk WGN 720-AM under new owner Nexstar Media Group and the ouster of midday co-hosts Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder led the top 10 most-read stories here in November.
To read the full posts, click on the headlines: Continue reading
Rafer Weigel
With a deep bow to the late, great Roy Leonard, whose Turkey of the Year Awards were a Thanksgiving Day tradition on news/talk WGN 720-AM for decades, here’s a hearty flip of the bird to this year’s Chicago media recipients:
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Rafer Weigel to hit the "send" button on explicit photos of himself and the married mother of four with whom he was having an affair. As the year's tawdriest soap opera played out in an Indiana courtroom, the "Good Day Chicago" news anchor found himself caught up in three-way allegations of harassment and revenge porn involving the scorned woman and an ex-fiancee. Vowing to clear his name, Weigel (who has not been charged with a crime) remains suspended without pay from Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32. Continue reading
Mark Giangreco and Janet Davies
Robservations on the media beat:
New Year's Eve revelers will have four live, local TV specials to choose from when they ring in 2020. Together again for their 19th year, Mark Giangreco and Janet Davies will make merry (and, in all likelihood, smooch at midnight) on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Over on Nexstar Media WGN-Channel 9 Ana Belaval, Dean Richards and Sarah Jindra will host the debut edition of “Chicago’s Very Own New Year’s Eve Blast.” Also airing countdown specials will be NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and Telemundo Chicago WSNS-Channel 44 — although hosts for those shows have not been announced. After all, it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Continue reading