Dave Fogel

Chicago radio veteran Dave Fogel just signed on for three more years of mornings at WLS 94.7-FM, the Cumulus Media classic hits station.

WLS program director Wade Linder confirmed the deal to keep Fogel on the morning show with co-host Kim Berk through 2022. Terms were not disclosed. Continue reading →

Mike Thomas

Although he's spent the last decade as program director of a sports/talk station in Boston, the new boss of ESPN Radio WMVP 1000-AM considers himself "a lifelong Chicago sports fan."

On Monday downstate Illinois native Mike Thomas was named market manager of ESPN 1000, where he will oversee sales, content and marketing strategy and execution for Chicago's No. 2 sports/talk outlet, starting in January. Continue reading →

NBC Tower

Robservations on the media beat:

Joseph Schiltz

Joseph Schiltz, former chief marketing officer and senior vice president of development at Chicago Tribune Media Group, has been hired as vice president of creative services and programming for NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and Telemundo Chicago WSNS-Channel 44. He most recently was a partner at Narrative US, a Chicago-based marketing tech company. At NBC 5 Schiltz succeeds Diane Hannes, who was promoted in May to president and general manager of WVIT, the NBC-owned station in Hartford, Connecticut. Continue reading →

"The Power 25" at Union League Club, Thursday, October 3 (Photo: Matt Ragas)

Robservations on the media beat:

On Thursday night DePaul University and its Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence brought my column on the Most Powerful Women in Chicago Journalism to life. Twenty of the 25 women on the 2019 list gathered at the Union League Club for a town hall meeting, masterfully moderated by Carol Marin. In the company of colleagues and DePaul journalism students, members of "The Power 25" engaged in a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation on the role of women in media, how they balance their lives and careers, and what they think of the power they wield. It was an extraordinary assemblage of all-star women — ranging from CEOs and publishers to news directors, editors and columnists — all at the pinnacle of their profession. For me it was a night I'll never forget. (Here is the link to the complete list.) Continue reading →

Hannah Stanley, Fred Weintraub and Justin Kulovsek

Three ambitious Chicago broadcasters are teaming up to host a weekly talk show aimed at “pushing the limits of smart conversational radio.”

They are: Hannah Stanley, longtime host at news/talk WGN 720-AM and ESPN Radio; Fred Weintraub, executive producer at Weigel Broadcasting and a frequent talk-show guest known as Chicago’s globe-trotting “Royal Watcher"; and Justin Kulovsek, vice president of innovation at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Continue reading →

Neil Funk

Neil Funk today announced plans to retire, capping nearly three decades as Chicago Bulls basketball announcer and nearly 50 years in broadcasting.

Funk, 72, will work through the end of the 2019-20 season and continue as TV play-by-play voice for all preseason and regular season home games. But he'll reduce his workload on the road, according to the Bulls. Continue reading →

WBEZ

Robservations on the media beat:

Jenn White

Chicago Public Media news/talk WBEZ 91.5-FM has announced a title and start date for its new midday talk show as part of a revamped daytime lineup. "Reset with Jenn White," airing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, will debut October 14. White has been host of "The Morning Shift," which is being dropped along with Jerome McDonnell's "Worldview." (Both will have their final broadcasts Friday.) “We’ve significantly expanded the size and scope of our newsroom in recent years to better serve Chicagoans across dayparts and platforms,” said Steve Edwards, WBEZ’s chief content officer and interim CEO. “'Reset with Jenn White' reflects our continued commitment to providing outstanding programming that connects Chicagoans to each other and to the broader world with depth, context and perspective.” Continue reading →

V103 102.7-FM Chicago

WVAZ 102.7-FM, the iHeartMedia urban adult-contemporary station known as V103, took top honors Tuesday in the Nielsen Audio survey for September.

Jumping from third place to first, the R&B powerhouse recaptured the Chicago radio ratings crown for the first time since October 2018. V103 also was No. 1 in evenings with Chris Michaels. Continue reading →

Mark Giangreco

Now in his 25th year at WLS-Channel 7, Mark Giangreco will continue as lead sports anchor at the top-rated ABC-owned station under a three-year renewal signed Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources said Giangreco, 67, will remain the highest-paid local sportscaster in America. It's believed he'll dip below the million-dollar annual salary of his previous agreement with the ABC-owned station, which expired Monday. Continue reading →

Bill Kurtis

Robservations on the media beat:

The dulcet voice of legendary Chicago anchorman Bill Kurtis won’t be heard on WGN 720-AM anymore. New owner Nexstar Media Group has dropped Kurtis after three years as the signature voice of the news/talk station. Starting today, station identifications and promos will be recorded by Steve Kamer, a New York-based voice-over artist known for work on NBC Olympics coverage. Under executive vice president Sean Compton Nexstar is seeking to broaden the appeal of the former Tribune Broadcasting radio flagship and tie it more closely to TV sister station WGN-Channel 9. Case in point: New jingles for WGN Radio incorporate the familiar theme music from the TV station's newscasts. "We are embracing our Midwest roots," a Nexstar spokesman said. "Going to bring back the warmness of WGN — a station for everyone." Continue reading →