Me-TV FM

Robservations on the media beat:

Neal Sabin

Fans are up in arms about the sudden disappearance of Me-TV FM — Weigel Broadcasting’s soft-rock oldies and classic hits WRME 87.7-FM — from Chicago's Comcast/Xfinity Channel 877. But there may be hope: "We're always evaluating the content and channels we offer customers, so [Me-TV FM] may be available in the future," Xfinity posted in a response to complaints Monday. (Here is the link.) Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting, said he was sorry Comcast elected to remove the station in a channel realignment December 1. "We have a very good relationship with Comcast, and while disappointed, we respect their right to carry programming they feel their audience desires," Sabin said. "We have received well over 100 calls and emails about the loss of the TV carriage, which included weather radar and forecasts along with our music and song information. We are thankful for our loyal audience reaching out to us." Stayed tuned. Continue reading →

WGN Radio

Robservations on the media beat:

Cumulus Media, parent company of news/talk WLS 890-AM and two other radio stations in Chicago, could be first in line to make a bid for news/talk WGN 720-AM if the station's incoming owners put it up for sale next year. Nexstar Media Group has agreed to acquire Tribune Media, which includes 42 television stations, WGN America cable network and the standalone radio station. It's willing to sell WGN Radio, according to Crain's Chicago Business, which reported that Nexstar has no plans to build out a radio portfolio. Mary Berner, president and CEO of Cumulus Media, told staffers in Chicago last week that the company definitely was interested in WGN Radio. "It's on our radar," one insider said. Cumulus Media, which emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year, also owns classic hits WLS 94.7-FM and alternative rock WKQX 101.1-FM. Also reportedly considered potential buyers of WGN Radio are Hubbard Radio and Entercom Communications. Continue reading →

Michael Sneed

Robservations on the media beat:

Michael Sneed, whose gossip column has been a staple of the Sun-Times for 32 years, is reducing her workload. Starting this weekend, her Page 4 column will appear only on Sundays. It most recently has been running three days a week. "The rest of the week, we’ll capitalize on Sneed’s strength — getting news first — whether it’s Mike Ditka being hospitalized or today’s item about a letter to a Chicagoan penned by late President George H.W. Bush. We won’t wait a minute to post those scoops, running them both online and in print," Sun-Times editor-in-chief Chris Fusco wrote in a letter to readers Friday. "Like the rest of us at the Sun-Times, Sneed is adapting to deliver you the news you need when you need it, and we're hoping you continue to enjoy her work." Sneed, 75, joined the Sun-Times in 1986 after 18 years at the Chicago Tribune and two years at City News Bureau. She also worked briefly at City Hall as press secretary under Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne. Continue reading →

Good Neighbor Radiothon

Robservations on the media beat:

Eddie “Chicago Ed” Schwartz

Here's to you, Eddie: “Chicago Ed” Schwartz, the legendary overnight radio host who died in 2009, was known for the annual “Good Neighbor Food Drive” he started in 1982. It eventually morphed into the “Good Neighbor Radiothon,” which continues to this day on Entercom all-news WBBM 780-AM and WCFS 105.9-FM. Starting at 5 a.m. Friday, WBBM Newsradio morning anchor Pat Cassidy will host the 18-hour fundraiser for The Salvation Army Bed & Bread Club live from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. “Our journalists look forward to this event every year; it is a chance for WBBM’s entire news team to report on the positive work being done to provide food, clothing and shelter to neighbors in need within our own community,” Jimmy deCastro, senior vice president and market manager of Entercom Chicago, said in a statement. “Our listeners are among the most informed, caring and generous of Chicagoans, and their support each year speaks volumes.” Continue reading →

Chris Fusco

Robservations on the media beat:

Carol Fowler

A newsroom power struggle is over at the Chicago Sun-Times, where Carol Fowler is out after 14 months as senior vice president, digital news products. The action by the board of Sun-Times Media makes editor-in-chief Chris Fusco sole leader of the newsroom. "The board decided the newsroom structure didn’t work and the company is moving forward in a different direction," Sun-Times Media said in a statement Tuesday. "The SVP position was eliminated." Fowler's departure follows that of Edwin Eisendrath, who resigned in October as chief executive officer of the company. Eisendrath hired Fowler to oversee "innovative storytelling," including video production, podcasting and other digital media efforts. But her role — and Eisendrath's interference — clashed with Fusco's authority, according to insiders. Fowler previously served as news director of three Chicago stations (Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9, CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 and Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32) before she became an entrepreneur in social media management and strategy. Continue reading →

101 WKQX

Brian Haddad, the former Chicago radio personality known as “Sludge,” is coming back to host mornings on Cumulus Media alternative rock WKQX 101.1-FM.

Starting Monday “The KQX Morning Crew” will feature Haddad, co-host Ali Mattacola and executive producer Justin Nettlebeck from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays. Continue reading →

Lisa Dent

Lisa Dent, one of Chicago radio’s best-known country music personalities, has moved up to middays on WEBG 95.5-FM, the iHeartMedia country station announced today.

Since June, Dent has been hosting weekends at Big 95.5. Effective immediately, she’ll be on from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday. Continue reading →

WGN TV

Robservations on the media beat:

Nexstar Media Group

And the winner of Tribune Media is: Nexstar Media Group. In a $6.4 billion deal announced Monday, the Irving, Texas-based firm agreed to buy the parent company of "Chicago's Very Own" WGN-Channel 9, CLTV and WGN 720-AM along with TV stations in 41 other markets. Nexstar currently owns 174 stations across the country. It's expected to take several months to complete the transaction, which will require approval of federal regulators and the divestiture of some stations to comply with ownership limits. The agreement for Tribune Media comes four months after the collapse of a $3.9 billion deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which ran afoul of the FCC. Incidental info: Chicagoan Dennis FitzSimons, former chairman and CEO of Tribune Co. (and a former vice president and general manager of WGN), is on Nexstar's board of directors. Continue reading →

WGN TV

Buyouts offered to employees of Tribune Media, including those at WGN-Channel 9 and WGN 720-AM, and the passing of longtime CBS 2 news anchor and reporter Mike Parker led the top 10 most-read stories here in November.

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

Kate Chappell

Kate Chappell, a news anchor and reporter from Milwaukee, has been hired by NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. She starts Monday as a reporter and fill-in anchor, according to an announcement by Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5.

Chappell, a native of Lake Geneva and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined WDJT, the CBS affiliate in Milwaukee, as morning news anchor in 2015. Since 2017 she has been anchoring the 5 and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts for the Weigel Broadcasting station. Continue reading →