Richard Roeper (Photo: Windy City Live/ABC 7)
Richard Roeper is returning to the pages of the Sun-Times as a news columnist while continuing to serve as the newspaper’s film critic. His general-interest column will appear Tuesdays and Thursdays in addition to his weekly output of movie reviews.
Roeper’s expanded role was part of a realignment of columnists announced to the staff Thursday by Chris Fusco, editor in chief of the Sun-Times. Continue reading
WGN
Robservations on the media beat:
Mark Suppelsa
More than five months after Mark Suppelsa announced he was retiring from WGN-Channel 9, the Tribune Broadcasting station still hasn’t found a replacement for its top anchorman. News director Jennifer Lyons confirmed that there would not be a successor in place for the February rating sweep, which starts next Thursday. As the anchor search goes on, a variety of insiders have been filling in alongside Micah Materre at 5, 6, 9 and 10 p.m. WGN continues to hold a wide lead over Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 at 9 p.m., according to Nielsen figures for January. Continue reading
Jeff Glor
Robservations on the media beat:
Mosheh Oinounou
Mosheh Oinounou, who grew up in north suburban Prairie View and graduated from Stevenson High School, has been named executive producer of “The CBS Evening News.” His appointment, effective February 5, follows the recent promotion of Jeff Glor to anchor of the flagship newscast. The two previously worked together at CBSN, where Oinounou managed the launch of the live streaming network news service and was its first executive producer. "I look forward to working with Jeff and the talented team at 'CBS Evening News,'" Oinounou said in a statement Tuesday. "It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work on this broadcast as we make it even more relevant in the 24/7 digital world." He joined CBS News in 2011 as senior producer of “CBS This Morning.” With an M.A. in security policy studies and B.A. in political communication from the George Washington University, he previously worked for Bloomberg Television and Fox News Channel. Continue reading
Erich Mancow Muller
Erich Mancow Muller, morning host on WLUP FM 97.9 and one of Chicago’s best-known radio personalities, is suddenly a man without a contract.
Cumulus Media, which operates the classic rock station, pulled the plug last week on its talent agreement with Muller’s company, American Patriot LLC, according to a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. Continue reading
Andy Shaw
Robservations on the media beat:
Andy Shaw, who’s been the public face of the Better Government Association since 2009, is stepping down as president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit civic watchdog group. A search is on for his successor, who is expected to be named next month. “The time is right for someone else to take over day-to-day management of the BGA while I continue to help the organization in a variety of other ways leading up to our centennial celebration in 2023,” Shaw said Monday. Shaw, 69, joined the BGA as executive director in 2009 and was named president and CEO in 2011. He previously had been political reporter for ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. “I enjoyed 37 wonderful years as a print and television reporter in Chicago, and it’s been an honor and a privilege to spend the past eight-plus years participating in the revitalization of this legendary and critically important watchdog organization,” he added. Continue reading
John Coleman (Photo: ABC 7)
John Coleman was a complicated and often confounding personality who brought the weather home to millions of viewers during more than 60 years as a broadcast meteorologist.
Chicagoans may remember him best for runs at two local television stations — from 1968 to 1979 at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, and from 1984 to 1990 at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. At ABC 7 he came to personify the “happy talk” hijinks of Eyewitness News, where he was known for delivering the weather standing on his head or spritzing seltzer at news anchors Fahey Flynn and Joel Daly. Continue reading
Cumulus Media
Robservations on the media beat:
Struggling to emerge from bankruptcy, Cumulus Media announced plans Thursday to drop its money-losing multiyear contracts to broadcast White Sox baseball and Bulls basketball on news/talk WLS AM 890. The company also moved to cancel its deal with Merlin Media to acquire alternative rock WKQX FM 101.1 and classic rock WLUP FM 97.9. Cumulus has been operating the two stations since 2014 under a local marketing agreement. "As part of our operational turnaround, we have been focused on taking proactive steps to address unprofitable areas of our business,” Mary Berner, president and chief executive officer of Cumulus Media, said in a statement. “We are taking this action because the economic terms of these legacy contracts guarantee that we lose money and, as such, continuing them in their current form is not in Cumulus's best interests.” U.S. Bankruptcy Court is scheduled to rule February 1 on the company's plan to reject the contracts. It’s not known where the White Sox and Bulls will go or who will operate 101 WKQX and The Loop after Cumulus. Continue reading
Jim Kirk
Veteran Chicago journalist Jim Kirk, former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times, was appointed interim editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News Thursday.
The move comes four months after the New York tabloid was acquired by tronc, Chicago-based parent company of the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. The Daily News has been without an editor-in-chief or publisher since Arthur Browne retired from both jobs at the end of December. Continue reading
Joel Weisman (Photo: WTTW)
An all-star lineup of Joel Weisman’s A-list guests over the years will headline an hourlong special tribute to the retiring host of “Chicago Tonight: The Week in Review.”
Airing at 7 p.m. Friday on public television WTTW-Channel 11 (and online at wttw.com/chicagotonight) the special will mark Weisman’s final appearance after a record 40 years as host of the weekly roundtable of Chicago journalists. Continue reading
WeAreAllShitholers.com
Robservations on the media beat:
It’s only the middle of January, but courtesy of President Donald Trump, we already may know the word of the year: “Shithole,” of course. A Chicago area publisher has secured the online domain WeAreAllShitholers.com and released a line of merchandise bearing the logo he designed featuring the Statue of Liberty. (ImAShitholer.com was already taken.) “Ultimately, I'd like to create a website that highlights the contributions of immigrants from those so-called shithole countries,” said David Stern, co-founder and publisher of Eckhartz Press. “Until then, all profits from any merchandise sold on WeAreAllShitholers.com [T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, tote bags, etc.] will be donated to charities that improve the lives of people in those areas.” Added Stern: “My parents emigrated from Berlin in 1949. I imagine there wasn't a bigger ‘shithole’ on Earth back then.” Continue reading