Jennifer Lyons

Jennifer Lyons, a much loved and respected leader who guided Chicago’s busiest television news operation to the top of the ratings, announced her resignation Tuesday as news director of Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9 and CLTV.

Lyons, 50, said she has accepted a new position as vice president of communications and external relations for Catholic Extension, a Chicago-based fundraising organization that supports and strengthens poor mission dioceses nationwide. No date has been set for her departure from WGN. Continue reading →

Greg Brown (Photo: Tony Lossano)

Rock oldies turned to ratings gold for two Chicago radio stations in the latest Nielsen Audio survey.

Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV 97.1-FM and Cumulus Media classic hits WLS 94.7-FM jumped to a tie for second place, according to the July ratings report released Monday. Continue reading →

Bobby Bones

Bobby Bones, one of iHeartMedia's biggest syndicated morning stars, is coming to WEBG 95.5-FM, the country music station known as Big 95.5.

Live from Nashville, "The Bobby Bones Show" will air from 5 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, starting August 13. Amber “Alabama” Cole, who now hosts mornings on Big 95.5, will move to middays. Continue reading →

Chicago Reader

On June 15, Edwin Eisendrath stood before the Rainbow PUSH Convention at the Hyatt Regency Chicago and revealed the sale of the Chicago Reader to a group led by Dorothy Leavell, publisher of the Chicago Crusader.

"I'm here to say that the future of the Reader is in African-American ownership," announced Eisendrath, CEO of the Sun-Times, which has owned the Reader since 2012. "You're about to have a major publication in Chicago that is African-American owned." The news drew a standing ovation from the crowd. Continue reading →

Michigan Avenue (July/August issue)

Robservations on the media beat:

Modern Luxury

Writers for one of Chicago's fanciest lifestyle magazines say they haven't gotten paid in months. Michigan Avenue magazine, which relies on freelance contributors for much of its content, is behind as much as eight months in paying for work it has published. Officials of Modern Luxury, which owns Michigan Avenue, acknowledge "ongoing invoicing issues," which they attribute to their merger with GreenGale Publishing (formerly Niche Media) in April 2017. "The executive team has realized the extent of a large technical gaffe in the accounting department when Modern Luxury merged accounting software with Niche Media during our acquisition of their company," Stephanie Davis Smith, editorial director of Atlanta-based Modern Luxury Media, told staffers in an email. "We want to assure you that the company is solvent, the accounting process is getting the full attention of the CFO and CEO, that we are committing our resources to resolving the issue, that you WILL get paid, and our accounting team is doing the best they can to sort through the issues so we don't underpay or double pay." In Chicago, Modern Luxury also owns CS (Chicago Social), NS (North Shore), Modern Luxury Weddings Chicago and Modern Luxury Interiors, among other titles. Continue reading →

Cheryl Scott and Dante Deiana (Photo: Cheryl Scott)

The engagement of ABC 7 meteorologist Cheryl Scott and Chicago DJ Dante “Dante the Don” Deiana atop a Hawaiian volcano, and news that Brian Hanley had been cut as morning co-host at The Score led the top 10 most-read stories here in July.

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

Carl Grapentine (Photo: WFMT)

If the radio voices that wake you up in the morning or keep you company on your way to work sound different lately, you’re in good company.

At least 10 Chicago area radio stations have made notable changes in recent months to their morning-drive talent lineups. In the past week alone, three stations bid farewell to prominent personalities on the sunrise shift — Carl Grapentine on classical WFMT 98.7-FM, Brian Hanley on sports/talk WSCR 670-AM, and Charles Thomas on news/talk WVON 1690-AM. Continue reading →

Rob Johnson and Irika Sargent

Robservations on the media beat:

Jeff Harris

Jeff Harris just stepped into what may be the toughest job in Chicago television. As the new vice president and news director of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, Harris inherits a perpetually challenged news operation with nowhere to go but up. Since his arrival from ABC affiliate WEWS in Cleveland two weeks ago, insiders say, he's expressed an interest in investigative reporting over crime coverage — which some see as an encouraging sign. "He likes to defy conventional wisdom," said one newsroom veteran, who described Harris as a "smart, quiet guy." In the July Nielsen sweep, CBS 2's 10 p.m. newscast with Rob Johnson and Irika Sargent trailed the market in fourth place with a 2.7 rating (89,091 households) and 5.3 share. Among viewers between 25 and 54 — the so-called money demo — it registered a scant 0.5 rating and 1.7 share. Continue reading →

Maze Jackson and Charles Thomas

In the latest Chicago radio surprise, longtime political journalist Charles Thomas has resigned as co-host of Maze Jackson’s morning show on WVON 1690-AM, the Midway Broadcasting African-American news/talk station.

Thomas quit days after Politico Illinois Playbook reported on connections between Jackson and a political consultant working for the reelection campaign of Governor Bruce Rauner. Rauner recently appeared on the show, where he declared: "We've done historic things for the black community. I would argue more than any other governor." Continue reading →

Mike Mulligan and David Haugh

Can one of Chicago’s most prominent sports columnists also host the city’s premier morning-drive sports radio talk show? David Haugh is about to find out.

Starting today, Haugh will join Mike Mulligan as co-host from 5 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on Entercom sports/talk WSCR 670-AM. The longtime Chicago Tribune columnist is replacing Brian Hanley, whose contract was not renewed after 26 years at The Score. Continue reading →