Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics

A traveling multimedia exhibit exploring how rock and roll has influenced politics and social movements around the world will open in late May at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications.

Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics, curated by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Newseum in Washington, D.C., combines video, photographs, artifacts and interactive elements to examine the role of music in reflecting society through 11 presidential administrations — from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama. Continue reading →

Eddie Volkman, Alex Quigley and Patrick Capone

Robservations on the media beat:

Say goodbye to WFXF 103.9-FM, the northwest suburban classic rocker known as 103.9 The Fox. Educational Media Foundation is expected to finalize its purchase of the station from Matrix Broadcasting and flip it to the “K-Love” noncommercial Christian music format on Monday. When it learned the transfer was imminent, The Fox moved up its annual "Adult Easter Egg Hunt" from April 19 to this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake. Then it's over and out for morning host Eddie Volkman, midday host and program director Alex Quigley, and afternoon host Patrick Capone. "We knew it was coming and now we know when," Volkman wrote on Facebook. "We will always cherish you Fox Rockers, and like the Grateful Dead said, 'We will get by, we will survive'! Long live rock ‘n’ roll!" Continue reading →

Deborah Norville (Photo: "Inside Edition")

Deborah Norville, longtime host of “Inside Edition” and former Chicago news anchor, underwent surgery Tuesday to have a cancerous nodule removed from her thyroid.

“Out of surgery. Everything went great,” she tweeted through an assistant. Continue reading →

CBS 2 Chicago

The firing of news anchors Rob Johnson and Marissa Bailey and the promotion of Brad Edwards and Mike Puccinelli to their positions at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 led the top 10 most-read stories here in March.

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

ABC 7 Eyewitness News This Morning (1990) clockwise from top left: Alan Krashesky, Roz Varon, Jerry Taft, Kathy Brock

Thirty years ago local news on morning television in Chicago was pretty much a no man’s land.

If you wanted to know what happened overnight, whether to wear a coat or carry an umbrella, or how long your daily commute might take, you were better off turning on the radio.

On April 3, 1989, the game changed with the debut of “Eyewitness News This Morning” from 6:30 to 7 a.m. weekdays on WLS-Channel 7. Continue reading →

Erich Mancow Muller

Robservations on the media beat:

It's no April Fool's joke: Starting today there’ll be more of “The Mancow Morning Show” to love — or hate — as the case may be. Cumulus Media news/talk WLS 890-AM is moving up the start of morning star Erich Mancow Muller by 30 minutes to 5:30 a.m. WLS chose not to renew the contract for the syndicated “America’s First News,” which preceded the morning show. That's been the plan since Muller joined WLS in January, according to Marv Nyren, vice president and market manager of Cumulus Chicago. The show still ends at 9 a.m. Quoth The Mancow: “If you think I sucked at 6 o’clock in the morning, wait till you hear me at 5:30.” Continue reading →

Bob Roberts

Friday’s news that Bob Roberts was retiring after an outstanding run as one of Chicago’s premier broadcast journalists elicited an outpouring of accolades here and on social media from friends, colleagues and admirers.

It also prompted this personal message from Roberts himself (aka Robert Rodenkirk), whose last day as a reporter at Entercom all-news WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM will be April 16: Continue reading →

Mike Puccinelli and Erin Kennedy

Robservations on the media beat:

Maybe it's time to bring back "Captain Kangaroo." Morning news ratings can't get much worse for CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, which ended another month dead last in the Nielsens from 4:30 to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday. The only thing more dismal than the station's 0.5 overall rating (16,256 households) was its infinitesimal 0.1 rating among viewers between 25 and 54. Earlier this month CBS 2 abruptly replaced Marissa Bailey with Mike Puccinelli as morning co-anchor alongside Erin Kennedy. But did anybody notice? For the record, Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 and ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 tied for first place with a 2.1 rating (68,277 households) from 4:30 to 7 a.m., but WGN doubled ABC 7's rating in the money-making 25-54 demographic. Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times March 28, 2019

With an infusion of new capital from prominent Chicago investors Michael Sacks and Rocky Wirtz, the Chicago Sun-Times is getting a change of control at the top — and what may be a new lease on life.

The deal announced today will shift control of the company from a consortium of organized labor groups to Sacks, Wirtz and Jorge Ramirez, who continues as board chairman. A majority of seats on the board will be held by the new entity, Sun-Times Investment Holdings LLC. The announcement did not disclose financial details. Continue reading →

Eddie Arruza (Photo: WTTW)

Eddie Arruza, the veteran newsman who’s been a capable and well-informed correspondent on “Chicago Tonight” for 15 years, announced he’s leaving WTTW-Channel 11 to pursue new ventures.

Friday will mark his last day at the Window to the World Communications public television station with his final appearance as host of “The Week in Review.” Continue reading →