Amy Guth

Robservations on the media beat:

The Daily Gist

Amy Guth, the illustrious Chicago journalist and weekend personality at Tribune Broadcasting news/talk WGN 720-AM, has been hired to host a new daily podcast for Crain’s Chicago Business. Starting March 4, "The Daily Gist" will upload by 4:30 p.m. weekdays with a mix of the day's top stories and an in-depth segment in which Guth will interview a Crain's reporter or columnist. “We are thrilled we can connect our journalists with Amy to kick off this product launch,” said Jim Kirk, publisher and executive editor of Crain’s Chicago Business. “She is a terrific broadcaster and her experience as host of WGN’s ‘Wintrust Business Lunch’ makes this partnership with us a natural. I can’t wait to hear how she will shape this podcast for the Crain’s audience and beyond.’’ "The Daily Gist" will be available at chicagobusiness.com, the WGN Plus podcast network and Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. It's the first step in what's expected to be a broader partnership between Crain's and WGN Radio. Guth, former general manager/publisher of RedEye Chicago and former social media manager for Chicago Tribune Media Group, continues as a WGN host, executive director of the Midwest Independent Film Festival and president of Association for Women Journalists Chicago. Continue reading →

Tamron Hall

Tamron Hall, the former Chicago news anchor who rose to national stardom on NBC, is coming to primetime five nights a week this fall on WCIU-Channel 26, the Weigel Broadcasting station known as The U.

Hall's new syndicated talk show, which was being pitched as a daytime offering, will air instead from 8 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday on The U. It's a huge coup for Hall and an exceedingly shrewd move by the bosses of Weigel Broadcasting. Continue reading →

Wrigley Field

The Chicago Cubs today announced the launch of a long-anticipated regional sports network in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group, starting in February 2020.

Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies will continue as announcers for all Cubs games on the new Marquee Sports Network. Continue reading →

Eddie Volkman

Robservations on the media beat:

Two northwest suburban radio stations owned by Matrix Broadcasting — classic rock WFXF 103.9-FM and adult contemporary WZSR 105.5-FM — will be acquired by Alpha Media in a $4.7 million deal, according to an FCC filing Monday. Alpha Media has been operating the two stations under a shared services agreement since Matrix Broadcasting filed for bankruptcy protection last year. In order to comply with ownership limits, Alpha Media will spin off 103.9 The Fox to Educational Media Foundation, the noncommercial Christian broadcasting company behind the "K-Love" and "Air 1" formats, for $900,000. That's bad news for morning personality Eddie Volkman, the longtime Chicago radio star, and the rest of the station's lineup, including Alex Quigley and Pat Capone. "All I know for now is it's business as usual, so I'll keep going in to entertain until they tell me not to," Volkman said. While it will continue to operate Star 105.5, Alpha Media also will sell southwest suburban active rock WRXQ 100.7-FM to Walnut Radio Illinois for $300,000. Continue reading →

Peter Bolger

Capping a 44-year career in radio, Peter Bolger has announced he's retiring as operations manager and program director of WLS 890-AM, the Cumulus Media news/talk staton.

Bolger, 64, said he plans to move back to Portland, Oregon, where he lived and worked in the 1980s before taking on programming jobs in Miami, San Antonio and Chicago. His last day at WLS will be March 15. Continue reading →

Gabe Ramirez, Nina Hajian and Kevin “DreX” Buchar

It’s over and out for Kevin Buchar, the radio veteran known as DreX, after 10 months as morning personality at Entercom Top 40 WBBM 96.3-FM.

Friday turned out to be the last day on the air for DreX, whose brief run on B96 never approached the ratings popularity he commanded on iHeartMedia Top 40 WKSC 103.5-FM from 2003 to 2010. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, B96 tied for 18th in mornings with a 1.8 percent share. Continue reading →

Steve Harvey

The Steve Harvey money machine just keeps on rolling along.

The latest enterprise by the ubiquitous TV and radio host is Steve Harvey Deals, a website offering discounts on products and services. Continue reading →

Block Club Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

Jamie Nesbitt Golden

Three new full-time reporters have been hired at Block Club Chicago, the nonprofit subscription-based digital news site founded by former editors of DNAinfo Chicago. Jamie Nesbitt Golden, who freelanced for Block Club and DNAinfo, now covers Englewood, Chatham and Auburn Gresham. She replaces Lee Edwards, who left to become a program coordinator at Free Spirit Media, based in North Lawndale. Hannah Alani, a former reporter for The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, covers Wicker Park, Bucktown and West Town. She replaces Alisa Hauser, who moved to Portland, Oregon. Jonathan Ballew, who freelanced for Block Club, now covers Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park. His position was one of two funded by a two-year, $150,000 grant from the Joyce Foundation to expand neighborhood news coverage. “We now have a total of seven full-time reporters to go with the three editors," said Shamus Toomey, Block Club’s co-founder and editor in chief. "More reporters means more neighborhood news to share. To be able to grow after being live for just eight months is extremely exciting. We're grateful for the tremendous support of the Joyce Foundation and the ongoing trust of our loyal readers." Continue reading →

Barry Rozner (Photo: Joe Lewnard/Daily Herald)

As expected, Daily Herald sports columnist Barry Rozner has severed ties with WSCR 670-AM after 10 years as a prominent weekend and fill-in personality at the Entercom sports/talk station.

Rozner confirmed that he’s stepping down as host of “Hit & Run,” which airs from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays during baseball season. He made it official after conferring Tuesday with Mitch Rosen, operations director of The Score. Continue reading →

“Bozo’s Circus: The 1960s”

Robservations on the media beat:

This is big. Really big. “Bozo’s Circus: The 1960s,” a new two-hour special featuring digitally remastered full-length segments from the first decade of the legendary Chicago children's show, will premiere at 7 p.m. Sunday, February 17, on Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9. Hosted by Dean Richards and produced by George Pappas, the special includes sketches, guest circus acts and the Grand Prize Game, starring original cast members Bob Bell (as Bozo), Ray Rayner, Don Sandburg, Ned Locke and Bob Trendler. The special also will be streamed live at WGNTV.com/Live and on the WGN Live app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play. It will be rebroadcast at noon Sunday, February 24. Widely regarded as the most popular and successful locally-produced kids' show in television history, "Bozo" aired on WGN from 1960 to 2001. Continue reading →