Robservations: Baskerville leaves cloudy weather front at CBS 2

Steve Baskerville

Robservations on the media beat:

As Steve Baskerville wraps up his 30-year run at WBBM-Channel 2 this week, the CBS-owned station has not yet named a successor as chief meteorologist. Friday will mark Baskerville’s last day on the air as 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weekday weather anchor. After that, “a variety of fill-ins from amongst the weather team” will appear on the newscasts, according to Jeff Kiernan, vice president and news director of CBS 2. In other words, look for Mary Kay Kleist and Ed Curran to take turns until further notice. Baskerville, 67, announced his retirement last month, telling colleagues: “It is a natural time for me to step away and be more available for my family and loved ones.” Continue reading →

Robservations: ABC 7, NBC 5 to square off on New Year’s Eve

Mark Giangreco and Janet Davies

Robservations on the media beat:

New Year’s Eve Live in Chicago

It’ll be another battle of the countdown shows for Chicago viewers this New Year’s Eve. Mark Giangreco and Janet Davies will host “Countdown Chicago 2018” on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, marking their 17th year of ringing in the New Year together. Joining them from party venues around the city and suburbs will be ABC 7’s Terrell Brown, Hosea Sanders, Cheryl Scott, Liz Nagy, Val Warner, Ryan Chiaverini and Ji Suk Yi. Meanwhile, NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 will air “New Year’s Eve Live in Chicago,” hosted by Marley Kayden and Kalee Dionne, along with radio personalities Christopher “Fred” Frederick of Kiss FM and Joe Soto of V103. (But no "Chi-Town Rising" this year.) Both specials will start shortly after 11 p.m. and culminate with midnight fireworks from Navy Pier. Continue reading →

Surprise! Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra getting married today

Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra (Photo: J. Geil Photography)

The 40-year romance of Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra will culminate in matrimony today.

Chicago’s legendary power couple will tie the knot before Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke, surrounded by a small group of friends, Kurtis confirmed in a call just before the ceremony. “It just seems like the right time,” he said. “Forty years is a nice warm-up period.” Continue reading →

Sirott & Murciano cut from new WLS talk lineup

Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano

A push by Cumulus Media to solidify WLS AM 890 as a conservative talk station is forcing out the husband-and-and-wife team of Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano as midday co-hosts. Their show has been airing for the last year from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.

Starting January 1, WLS will add a Washington-based syndicated talk show hosted by Chris Plante from 9 to 11 a.m. and return Rush Limbaugh to a live broadcast from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the station announced Wednesday. Limbaugh has been airing on delay from noon to 3 p.m. Continue reading →

Robservations: Year of retirements isn’t over yet

Exit

Robservations on the media beat:

Jim Ramsey

On Tuesday weatherman Jim Ramsey became the latest Chicago media personality to announce his retirement in 2017. Among those who’ve already bowed out — or said they plan to do so in 2018 — are Mike Adamle, Steve Baskerville, Terry Boers, Bruce DuMont, Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, Mike Imrem, Tom Joyner, Frank Mathie, Mike North, Victor Parra, Wendy Rice, Roger Simon, Gary Spears, Mark Suppelsa, Charles Thomas and Joel Weisman. That’s not even a complete list. Look for at least one more prominent figure to call it a career before the year is up. Continue reading →

Fred Eychaner realigns Newsweb management

Newsweb Corp.

Charley Gross, who’s been Chicago media magnate Fred Eychaner’s right-hand man for 25 years, is retiring as president and chief executive officer of Eychaner’s Newsweb Corp., the company announced Monday.

“It has been a remarkable 25 years,” Eychaner said of his association with Gross, who was named to the non-executive position of chairman emeritus. Newsweb plans to announce a new president and CEO later this month, according to a company statement. Continue reading →

Robservations: Suburban staffers protest stalled talks with tronc

tronc

Robservations on the media beat:

Editorial employees at the Pioneer Press suburban newspapers, the Lake County News-Sun and the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune, who’ve been without a contract since last December, are turning up the heat on owner tronc. In a letter to advertisers, the 25 journalists represented by Chicago News Guild said their pay rates are the same as they were eight years ago, and there has been “no sign that the company plans to make any serious offer to us.” In an effort to jumpstart talks, community leafletting will begin this week. One-quarter of the Pioneer Press staff was fired in layoffs earlier this year. "Tronc cannot cry poor when its stock is rising, the CEO salary increases to over $8 million, and it's buying new assets,” said Rick Kambic, Pioneer Press unit chair of the Guild. “Aside from that, we have numerous unresolved non-economic issues in which tronc is refusing to meet us half way." Tronc did not respond for comment. Continue reading →

Robservations: WGN presents ‘Family Classics,’ Suppelsa farewell tonight

Dean Richards

Robservations on the media beat:

“Family Classics” airs tonight for the first time in 17 years as a special primetime presentation on WGN-Channel 9. From 7 to 9 p.m. Dean Richards will host ”Scrooge,” the film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. “‘Family Classics’ is a WGN legacy and we wanted to make sure we got this right,” said Paul Rennie, president and general manager of the Tribune Broadcasting station. “The set pieces, the quality — which is why we chose the 1951 Alastair Sim movie ‘Scrooge.’ Likewise, we couldn’t think of a person more suited to host this than our very own Dean Richards.” The great movie series was hosted by Frazier Thomas from 1962 to 1985 and by Roy Leonard from 1985 to 2000. Continue reading →