"The Morning Mess" cast Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepard, Joey Rodriguez and Karla Hernandez (Photo: Audacy)

Years of underperforming ratings and a revolving door of talent at Chicago’s Top 40 WBBM 96.3-FM have led parent company Audacy to import a new morning show straight from its Top 40 station in Phoenix.

Four personalities from Phoenix's KALV — known collectively as “The Morning Mess” — are moving to Chicago to broadcast live from B96, Audacy announced Wednesday. They'll start on the air the week of April 4. Continue reading →

Joe Donlon

Robservations on the media beat:

Nice guy Joe Donlon had it made as the No. 1 news anchor at WGN-Channel 9 when he took a flier on NewsNation, the Chicago-based cable news startup launched by parent company Nexstar Media Group in 2020. Overcoming a rocky start, he’s been hosting “The Donlon Report,” a news and talk show airing at 6 p.m. weeknights, for the past year. Now he’s calling it quits. Donlon’s last show will air March 25. “It has been an honor to occupy this seat for the past year,” he said in a statement. “Not many people get to host a national show like this, and I will always appreciate the opportunity. I have learned more than I ever could have imagined. I want to thank the incredible team at ‘The Donlon Report’ for all their hard work. I have the utmost respect for what everyone at NewsNation is trying to accomplish, and I wish my friends there nothing but the best moving forward.” Donlon is the third of four original on-air hires to bail out of NewsNation, following news anchor Rob Nelson and meteorologist Albert Ramon. The fourth, Marni Hughes, continues to anchor “NewsNation Prime.” Continue reading →

Jerry Springer (Photo: NBCUniversal Syndication Studios)

The news that NBCUniversal Syndication Studios will cease production of Jerry Springer's daytime court show at the end of its third season has TV industry watchers wondering what the longtime host will do when he hangs up his robe for good.

Springer has been hosting "Judge Jerry" since 2019, adjudicating cases filed in small-claims courts around the country from a courtroom studio in Stamford, Connecticut.

Drawing on his 1968 Northwestern law degree, the series followed his 27-year run as ringmaster of "The Jerry Springer Show," the raucous daytime talk show that made him famous. Continue reading →

Bob Ramsey

As an experienced TV programmer, manager and executive, Bob Ramsey left an indelible mark on two Chicago broadcasting companies and on colleagues who remember him with "love, respect and affection."

Ramsey, who was 65, died Tuesday at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. He succumbed to complications while awaiting a liver transplant, according to friends.

Before he retired — first to Palm Springs and later to Mexico — Ramsey held senior management jobs at Weigel Broadcasting Co. and the former Tribune Co., then owner of WGN-Channel 9. Continue reading →

Lisa Miner and Jim Slusher

Seasoned journalists and longtime newsroom leaders Lisa Miner and Jim Slusher have been promoted to managing editor roles at the Daily Herald.

Miner was named managing editor and Slusher was named managing editor for administration and opinion, effective immediately.

Both moves were announced Thursday by Jim Baumann, executive editor of the Daily Herald. Before he succeeded John Lampinen in December, Baumann had been managing editor since 2012. Lampinen retired in December after 48 years with the newspaper, including two decades as top editor. Continue reading →

Les Grobstein

Robservations on the media beat:

Les Grobstein would have celebrated his 70th birthday this Friday. To honor the incomparable Chicago radio sportscaster who died in January, Mayor Lori Lightfoot this week officially proclaimed March 11 "Les Grobstein Day in Chicago." (Here is the link.) The tribute recalls that Grobstein "was known as a walking sports encyclopedia who had an ironclad memory of even the smallest details and who equally loved all Chicago sports from high school, college, professional and everything in between." It even mentions Grobstein’s historic role in recording Lee Elia’s infamous eruption at Wrigley Field in 1983. Capping a legendary 50-year career in his hometown, "The Grobber" hosted overnights on Audacy sports/talk WSCR 670-AM. Continue reading →

Modern Healthcare

Robservations on the media beat:

Mary Ellen Podmolik

Mary Ellen Podmolik, former business editor of the Chicago Tribune, has been hired as editor of Modern Healthcare, the Chicago-based magazine and digital site published by Crain Communications. “I’m excited to join Modern Healthcare and help position it for the future by working with a team dedicated to empowering industry leaders by providing them with unbiased and trusted news, analysis and data,” she said in a statement. Podmolik, who accepted a buyout from the Tribune after 13 years in 2021, most recently was director of communications for the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. At Modern Healthcare she replaces Aurora Aguilar, who left after seven years to join WebMD as senior director of editorial, news, features and perspectives. Aguilar previously worked for Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM and the Daily Herald. Modern Healthcare has seen an exodus of top talent — including the departure of more than 15 reporters and editors — since 2020. Insiders describe an organization sorely in need of new editorial leadership with the skills and savvy to straighten things out. Podmolik is just what the doctor ordered. Continue reading →

WGN Radio “Chicago Theatre of the Air” (1941)

Robservations on the media beat:

WGN Radio

Call me a spoilsport, but Nexstar Media might want to rethink plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of WGN 720-AM this spring. Details are still under wraps, but in addition to on-air promos, insiders at the news/talk station say they’re expecting a party for advertisers and maybe a primetime special on WGN-Channel 9 in May — 100 years after Mid West Radio Central launched WDAP from the Wrigley Building. To kick off the hoopla, Nexstar has already been using a faux-retro logo for WGN, “celebrating 100 years of radio.” Just one problem: WGN has always considered its official birthday June 1, 1924. That's when the Chicago Tribune purchased WDAP and renamed it WGN for “World’s Greatest Newspaper” (the paper's slogan from 1911 to 1976). Colonel Robert McCormick, owner and publisher of the Tribune, called his novelty “the little box that picks sounds from the air.” By 1927, WGN was assigned its present, clear-channel frequency at 720 kilocycles. No matter what Nexstar says, WGN doesn't really turn 100 until 2024. Continue reading →

Melissa McGurren and Eric Ferguson (Photo: 101.9 The Mix Chicago)

The dismissal of Melissa McGurren's $10 million defamation lawsuit against Hubbard Radio Chicago doesn't mean the end of legal problems for Eric Ferguson or the parent company of hot adult-contemporary WTMX 101.9-FM.

McGurren, you'll recall, was co-host of Ferguson's morning show when she left in 2020 after 22 years at The Mix.

In a complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and in later court filings, McGurren said Ferguson subjected her to an “unbearable hostile work environment” with the knowledge of their bosses. She also described a pattern of abuse against women at the station by Ferguson. Continue reading →

CHGO Sports

There’s a new game in town for Chicago sports fans. Welcome to CHGO Sports.

Debuting today, the new digital media outlet is the latest expansion of All City Network, which launched similar sites in Denver and Phoenix. (Here is the link.) Continue reading →