WCKG 1530 AM

Robservations on the media beat:

WCKG 1530-AM, the DuPage Radio sports/talk station that's been calling itself "Fox Sports Radio," this week is being rebranded as "Sportsbook Radio." The move capitalizes on the legalization of sports wagering at casinos in Illinois. No word yet on any new programming at the west suburban Elmhurst station or on a replacement for Rich Eisen, whose syndicated midday show will be dropped by Premiere Networks, as of April 7. "We're planning to develop long-form and short-form 'Sportsbook Radio' content on WCKG, with local casino and media partners to be announced," said station manager Matt Dubiel. "That work is underway, but rather than have sports personalities cover gambling, we'd prefer to have gambling experts on air. Ultimately, we will see our studio inside a Chicago-area sportsbook to get as close to the action as possible." Continue reading →

College of DuPage Student Resource Center

Robservations on the media beat:

Steve Darnall

An emergency evacuation on the College of DuPage’s Glen Ellyn campus knocked public radio station WDCB 90.9-FM off the air for about 35 minutes Saturday afternoon. Listeners to “Those Were the Days” were hearing the rebroadcast of a 1945 speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when host Steve Darnall and his crew were forced to vacate their studio in the west suburban college’s Student Resource Center. Station manager Dan Bindert called the evacuation “a precautionary measure [that was] ultimately resolved without incident,” adding: “Normally in emergency situations our crew has a little more time to line up backup programming or set up an alternate form of remote broadcasting, but the nature of this particular safety event was different. The safety of Steve and the entire crew was our most important concern. We thank our audience for their patience and understanding.” WDCB came back on just in time for Darnall and Bindert to explain what happened and sign off the show. “We'll see about putting the missing pieces in place when we archive our show on Tuesday,” Darnall tweeted. Continue reading →

Clark Weber

As a pioneering rock and roll disc jockey in the 1960s and for decades later as a multifaceted talk show host, Clark Weber entertained generations of Chicago radio listeners with impeccable style, class and professionalism.

Beloved by fans as “Mother Weber’s Oldest Son,” the legendary broadcaster, program director, advertising executive and industry elder statesman died of cancer Saturday in Evanston. He was 89. Continue reading →

Tom Skilling (Photo: Bill Snyder)

Robservations on the media beat:

Legendary meteorologist Tom Skilling came through gastric bypass surgery Wednesday with a sunny outlook and a smile. He released a photo of himself on social media with a message from Bill Snyder, weather producer for Nexstar Media Group WGN-Channel 9: “Happy to report that our very own Tom Skilling is doing well, and resting following successful gastric bypass surgery earlier today. The doctor had to repair a small hernia that he found when they went in, leading to a longer than normal procedure. But Tom is resting and in good spirits!” Skilling, 68, who underwent the operation to lose weight, told WGN: “Thank you for all the wishes. It got me through this procedure. It’s the first step but what a step! I can’t wait to tell you about it as the process continues.” Continue reading →

Aileen Ocana (Photo: Univision Chicago)

Robservations on the media beat:

Doug Levy

A closer look at the latest Nielsen Audio survey shows Univision Chicago’s flagship WOJO 105.1-FM with a big win in two key adult demographics. The regional Mexican music station known as “La Que Buena 105.1” finished first in both 25-to-54 and 18-to-49 demos. (Nielsen guidelines prohibit publishing specific demographic shares.) "WOJO enjoys a very long heritage of leadership in the Spanish-language space, but it is especially gratifying when the station is at the very top of the entire marketplace among listeners in the key demographics most valued by advertisers," said Doug Levy, president and general manager of Univision Chicago. "The current ratings performance is proof positive that Chicago’s Hispanic consumer segment is not only large but also incredibly engaged with their favorite radio station — WOJO. I’m very proud of our team of programmers and personalities who make this station one of the very best in the industry." Continue reading →

ABC 7 Chicago

Four employees of WLS-Channel 7 were kept away from work Tuesday out of concern they may have been exposed to the coronavirus, officials of the ABC-owned station confirmed.

The action was taken “out of an abundance of caution,” the station said, after an ABC 7 reporter and photographer interviewed a food service worker Monday at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights where a coronavirus patient was being treated. Continue reading →

The Score House II

Robservations on the media beat:

The Score House

The Score House is back. In a reprise of last year's radio reality show in the desert, Entercom sports/talk WSCR 670-AM is renting another sprawling fun house to accommodate its crew covering Cubs and White Sox spring training in Arizona. "Last year was such a huge success from an over-the-air and digital content perspective we plan to take this year to the next level," said operations director Mitch Rosen, promising "more digital content (via radio.com) and some fun surprises along the way." Living with Rosen in the Scottsdale pad are Score hosts Dan Bernstein, Connor McKnight, Danny Parkins, Dan McNeil and Matt Spiegel, producers Jay Zawaski and Nick Shepkowski, digital content producers Brian Gertsch and Marty Rosenbaum, and social media content provider Shane Riordan. Can they all survive until next week under one roof? Stay tuned. Continue reading →

Steve Sanders

The retirement of news anchor Steve Sanders after more than 37 years at WGN-Channel 9, and the resignation of music critic Greg Kot after 40 years at the Chicago Tribune led the top 10 most-read stories here in February.

To read the full posts, click on the headlines: Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times (March 2, 2020)

The union representing editorial employees at the Chicago Sun-Times has approved a three-year contract extension that includes substantial raises and efforts to improve racial and gender diversity in the newsroom.

The new agreement, announced today, is retroactive to September when the previous contract expired. Members of the Sun-Times unit of the Chicago News Guild ratified the deal unanimously last week. Continue reading →

Tom Skilling

Tom Skilling, Chicago television's superstar meteorologist, says he will undergo gastric bypass surgery Wednesday in an effort to lose weight.

"I've been working over the past half-year to get ready for this," Skilling announced on Facebook Saturday. "I am actually relieved the moment to get this under way nears." Continue reading →