Chicago magazine

A veteran City Hall reporter, an investigative news editor, and two local media executives are among The 50 Most Powerful Women in Chicago, according to rankings published in the May issue of Chicago magazine and posted online today. (Here is the link.)

Not surprisingly, the top spot on the list is held by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. But after that, the editors compiled a wide range of women with clout "from all over the city and from every field." Continue reading →

Heather Cherone

Robservations on the media beat:

Chicago media dynamo Heather Cherone has joined WTTW-Channel 11 after two years as managing editor and City Hall reporter for The Daily Line, the subscription newsletter on state and local politics. The Window to the World Communications public television station announced today that Cherone has been hired as a digital news reporter covering City Hall. A native of Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood and graduate of Kenwood Academy and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Cherone previously worked for DNAInfo/Chicago and the Chicago Tribune, where she helped launch TribLocal in the south and west suburbs. Earlier she covered politics and government for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Oakland Tribune. Cherone recently moderated Chicago Journalism Town Hall 2020 with Ken Davis, and was cited here among the 25 Most Powerful Women in Chicago Journalism. Continue reading →

Chuck Goudie

Chuck Goudie thought he’d be in Walt Disney World this week with his family to celebrate his 40th year at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. At least that was the plan.

Instead the renowned chief investigative reporter for Chicago’s top-rated station is confined to his west suburban Hinsdale home where he’s been broadcasting I-Team reports live up to four times a day from a workstation in his living room. Continue reading →

Jeffrey Dubow, Brooke Fox and Jose Bolanos

Jubal Fresh, who’s been missing for more than three months from the syndicated morning show that bears his name, has officially parted company with Hubbard Radio.

Effective April 20, the company announced today, “Brooke and Jubal” will be rebranded as “Brooke and Jeffrey in the Morning,” with executive producer Jeffrey Dubow promoted to permanent co-host alongside Brooke Fox. Jose Bolanos continues as a regular contributor. Continue reading →

Chicago Tribune

Robservations on the media beat:

Salary reductions were announced Thursday for employees at the Chicago Tribune as parent company Tribune Publishing seeks to offset "sharp declines" in advertising revenue due to the coronavirus shutdown. Effective April 19, the company will permanently reduce the base pay of non-unionized staffers on a sliding scale of up to 10 percent, with those earning more taking steeper cuts. Employees have until April 17 to decide whether to accept the salary reduction or leave the company and receive severance. Tribune Publishing CEO Terry Jimenez, who’ll take a 13.8 percent pay cut along with Tribune Publishing board members, said in a memo to employees: “We also will pursue cost savings within our unionized workforce with measures that will affect both employees covered by existing collective bargaining agreements and employees who are not.” In response, Megan Crepeau, president of the Chicago Tribune Guild (which represents newsroom employees), tweeted: “Has the gap between Tribune corporate and Tribune journalists — the difference in empathy, courage, perseverance — ever been so wide? We're risking our health to inform readers about a worldwide pandemic. In return they deny us sick leave and try to cut costs.” Continue reading →

Chicago magazine

Robservations on the media beat:

When the first case of coronavirus in a downtown office building was disclosed at another company in the Prudential Building, employees of Chicago magazine were sent home March 11 — and plans for the May issue were revised from top to bottom. The result is out this weekend with a dramatic cover on “Life in the Time of COVID-19.” It includes a photo essay on eerily vacant venues of events that didn’t happen and a shut-in’s guide to not losing your sanity, among other timely features. “We did it all in two weeks, working from home, and using Zoom meetings and Slack to stay in touch,” said Susanna Homan, editor-in-chief and publisher of Chicago. “The issue is something we are all so proud of because this is an important moment in history and to do anything less than address it immediately and thoroughly wouldn’t have served our readers.” Continue reading →

WLS 890 AM

Robservations on the media beat:

Cumulus Media

Tuesday was Cumulus Media’s day to share the financial pain of the coronavirus shutdown with its employees, following similar draconian moves by iHeartMedia and Entercom. Salaried employees will take three weeks of unpaid leave in one-week installments over the next 15 weeks. Others will take 90-day pay cuts, and a third group will be put on 90-day furloughs, starting April 16. Cumulus CEO Mary Berner, who’s reducing her salary 50 percent, told employees: “Even though these are intended to be temporary actions, I know they are going to land hard — really hard — and that is in the emotional and financial toll that a furlough or salary cut will take on each of you, but also in terms of the increased workload the vast majority of you will have to take on during your co-workers' furlough weeks. I am truly sorry and sad about this announcement. None of you deserves this.” Marv Nyren, vice president and market manager of Cumulus Chicago, said the moves will keep all workers employed without resorting to layoffs. But SAG-AFTRA, the union representing on-air employees, raised objections to the plan, saying Cumulus “cannot unilaterally implement changes upon union represented staff.” In Chicago the company includes news/talk WLS 890-AM, classic hits WLS 94.7-FM and alternative rock WKQX 101.1-FM. Continue reading →

Zach Boog

WGCI 107.5-FM has promoted part-timer Zach Boog to evening personality, the iHeartMedia urban contemporary station announced today.

“It is a dream and an absolute honor to take over nights at this legendary station,” said Boog, who grew up in Gary, Indiana, listening to WGCI. “I couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds.” Continue reading →

Kaitlin Sharkey

Robservations on the media beat:

With the world of sports at a standstill, this may seem like an inopportune time to hire a sportscaster. But Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 has its eyes on the future with the addition of Kaitlin Sharkey. Just in from WITI, the Fox station in Milwaukee, Sharkey replaces Shae Peppler, who departed in January after two years as a sports reporter and weekend sports anchor. A Milwaukee native and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sharkey worked for two stations in Green Bay before joining WITI in 2017. “Milwaukee is home, will always be home, but my time here is done,” she wrote on Facebook. “I’m excited about a new opportunity.” Sharkey starts on the air at Fox 32 next week. Continue reading →

NBC Tower

Robservations on the media beat:

Rob Stafford and Allison Rosati

As local TV stations grapple with the coronavirus shutdown and stay-at-home orders, they're finding new ways to accommodate their employees. Starting today, NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 will begin an at-home rotation with principal news anchors Rob Stafford and Allison Rosati. One of them will anchor from the studio and one will anchor from home each day, according to Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5. While meteorologists, traffic reporters and other on-air personnel already have been broadcasting from home, NBC 5 and co-owned Telemundo Chicago WSNS-Channel 44 are believed to be the first in Chicago to have their main news anchors do so as well. Continue reading →