WLS Radio picks up Illini football, basketball

University of Illinois

University of Illinois football and basketball will move to WLS 890-AM this fall under a new five-year agreement announced Monday with the Cumulus Media news/talk station.

Illini football and basketball broadcasts have been airing for more than a decade on Entercom sports/talk WSCR 670-AM. Illini basketball will continue to air on The Score through the rest of the current season. Continue reading →

Cliff Kelley leaving WVON afternoon show

Cliff Kelley

Cliff Kelley, the former Chicago alderman who forged a distinguished career as a news analyst and radio talk show host, is stepping down as afternoon star of urban news/talk WVON 1690-AM.

March 29 will be Kelley’s last day as the self-styled "Governor of Talk Radio" after 25 years at the Midway Broadcasting station. He broke the news to his listeners at the end of Friday's show. Continue reading →

Robservations: Bobby Moynihan won't be live on Saturday night

Bobby Moynihan

Robservations on the media beat:

Two days before Bobby Moynihan was expected to headline a sold-out event at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications, he canceled. The manager for the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member called Thursday to say that Moynihan had to be in Los Angeles because of a "sudden scheduling conflict," according to a spokeswoman for the museum. "Feel absolutely awful about this last minute change," Moynihan tweeted. "As a lifelong SNL fan I was looking forward to this more than you know." Dean Richards was to have moderated the "Conversations in Comedy" program Saturday in conjunction with the museum's “Saturday Night Live: The Experience” exhibition, which runs through March 31. "Excited to see the exhibit and reschedule this before the exhibit closes in March," Moynihan wrote. "See you soon." Ticket holders will receive refunds. Continue reading →

Chicago TV news warms up to common sense

Gaynor Hall (Photo: WGN)

Often criticized for putting reporters and news crews in hazardous situations unnecessarily, Chicago television finally got smart this time.

Local stations covering this week’s dangerous deep freeze wisely avoided gratuitous live shots of reporters standing outside in subzero temperatures even as they admonish viewers to stay inside. Continue reading →

Robservations: Jim DeRogatis to write the book on R. Kelly

Jim DeRogatis

Robservations on the media beat:

Veteran Chicago music critic and “Sound Opinions” co-host Jim DeRogatis is the subject of a glowing profile in the New York Times, which credits him for his heroic reporting of alleged sexual misconduct by R&B star R. Kelly over the past two decades. CNN's Brian Stelter called it "a must-read story." (Here is the link.) The case was reignited after the recent airing of “Surviving R. Kelly,” a six-part documentary series on Lifetime. The New York Times also reports that DeRogatis has signed with Abrams Press to publish Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly this fall. In the book DeRogatis will chronicle his reporting of the case and "delve into some of the topics that have consumed him as a critic, like the insidious power of celebrity media." Continue reading →

Robservations: ABC 7 newsroom has family ties to three politicians

ABC 7 Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

Tanja Babich

ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 isn't just Chicago's top-rated television station. With employees related to three prominent Democrats, it also may have the most politically connected newsroom in town. Morning news anchor Tanja Babich is the daughter-in-law of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, recently hired per-diem reporter Meghan Kluth is the daughter of Congressman Mike Quigley, and per-diem reporter Alexis McAdams is the niece of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. It's strictly a coincidence, according to John Idler, president and general manager of ABC 7. "These are all talented people who were hired on their own merit," Idler said. "No other considerations were involved in their hiring." Babich married Paul Durbin in 2018 — four years after she joined ABC 7. The station was aware of the connections before Kluth and McAdams started, Idler added. Continue reading →

Robservations: Tribune Media sells last piece of Cubs to Ricketts family

Wrigley Field

Robservations on the media beat:

Ten years after the Ricketts family bought 95 percent of the Chicago Cubs from Tribune Co. for $845 million, they've just acquired the remaining 5 percent. Tribune Media announced that it has sold its ownership interest in Chicago Entertainment Ventures, parent company of the Cubs, for an undisclosed price. The original deal was structured as a leveraged partnership to allow both parties to avoid capital gain taxes. As of Friday, the Ricketts family has taken full ownership, effectively ending the team's 38-year association with Tribune Media and its Tribune Co. predecessor. Continue reading →

Robservations: CBS 2 alums Sudberry, Baskerville team up on podcast

Howard Sudberry and Steve Baskerville

Robservations on the media beat:

Two well-known veterans of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 — former sports anchor Howard Sudberry and former meteorologist Steve Baskerville — are reuniting to launch their own weekly podcast. Starting in late February they'll co-host "Back 2 You" for the Radio Misfits Podcast Network. "It’s light, it’s fun, it’s about a lot of this and that," said executive producer Tony Lossano. "They’ll also talk about various work experiences that everyone can relate to, their contacts with legendary stars, and interviews with well-known people." Sudberry, who left CBS 2 in 2009, has been senior director of marketing and communications at Arlington International Racecourse since 2011. Baskerville retired from CBS 2 in 2017. Joining Sudberry and Baskerville on the podcast each week will be Alyssa Ali, an on-air reporter for Arlington Park. Continue reading →