Terri Hemmert

Barely three months ago WXRT FM 93.1 was languishing in 15th place among men between the ages of 25 and 54. Hardly a lustrous showing for “Chicago Finest Rock.”

On Wednesday the CBS Radio adult album alternative station tied for first place in its target demographic, according to Nielsen Audio figures for June. Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

In the end, one man made all the difference.

Edwin Eisendrath, the former Chicago alderman who ran losing campaigns for governor and congressman earlier in his career, just won the most unlikely challenge he’d ever undertaken: He kept the Chicago Sun-Times independent and out of the clutches of Chicago Tribune owner tronc.

“It was bashert,” Eisendrath told me, using the Yiddish word for “destiny.” How else to explain the odds he overcame to make it happen? Continue reading →

Noticiero Telemundo Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

In the latest expansion of local Hispanic media, Telemundo Chicago WSNS-Channel 44 will launch 30-minute newscasts at 5 and 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, starting July 22. Weekend editions of Noticiero Telemundo Chicago will feature news anchor Hernan Fratto, weather anchor Jessica Delgado, sports anchors César Rodríguez (on Saturdays) and Rodrigo Arana (on Sundays), and reporters Angélica Gómez and Jorge DeSantiago. “This local news investment delivers on the commitment we have to our viewers to give them the most up-to-date information across all platforms no matter the day of the week,” David Doebler, president and general manager of Telemundo Chicago and WMAQ-Channel 5, said in a statement. Both stations are owned by NBCUniversal. Rival Univision Chicago WGBO-Channel 66 has been airing local news seven nights a week for years. Continue reading →

Jim Kirk

With the future of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Reader in the balance, anxious employees received a message of support from their boss Tuesday.

One day after a group led by Edwin Eisendrath and a coalition of labor unions secured financing to purchase the publications from Wrapports Holdings LLC, staffers got a pep talk in the form of an email from Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times. Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

Edwin Eisendrath and a coalition of labor unions made good on their promise to secure funding to acquire the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Reader, the former Chicago alderman confirmed Monday.

With more than $11.2 million placed in escrow, Eisendrath and his group met the deadline set by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division to complete the transaction with Wrapports Holdings LLC. Continue reading →

Marisa Kollias, a former spokeswoman for Chicago Sun-Times owner Wrapports, has been hired as vice president of corporate communications for Chicago Tribune parent company tronc.

She succeeds Dana Meyer, who resigned last April as executive director of corporate communications. Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

Robservations on the media beat:

Edwin Eisendrath

A confident Edwin Eisendrath said Sunday he will make good on his bid to acquire the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Reader, keeping both publications out of the hands of Chicago Tribune owner tronc. Monday is the deadline set by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division for Eisendrath’s group to secure funding in order to complete the transaction with Wrapports Holdings LLC. “Everybody is committed,” he told me. “I expect us to be able to move forward and close the deal.” Even if the money is in place Monday, however, it’s unclear whether Eisendrath will be able to finalize the full agreement by the end of the day. Backing the effort are unions affiliated with the Chicago Federation of Labor and “less than 15” individual investors, he said. Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times, told staffers: “Management and the Wrapports board continue to work hard to make sure that the Sun-Times will thrive under new ownership which has resulted in thorough due diligence on all sides. The top priority is to make sure the company is healthy and able to flourish going forward.” Continue reading →

Tribune Tower

The corporate bosses of Sinclair Broadcast Group are claiming their acquisition of Chicago-based Tribune Media — creating a television juggernaut with 233 stations in 108 markets — isn’t just good for their company and their shareholders. They say it also will serve the public interest.

But the people who’ll benefit most from the deal may be executives of Tribune Media. Continue reading →

Univision Chicago

Robservations on the media beat:

On second thought, cancel the fiesta: Univision Chicago acknowledged Thursday that WGBO-Channel 66’s Noticias Univision Chicago was not the top-rated 10 p.m. newscast in June, contrary to the station’s declaration of victory reported here Wednesday. The actual winner, according to final Nielsen figures, was ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. The numbers cited by Univision Chicago changed after Nielsen recalculated the monthlong averages to account for nights when the NBA Finals delayed the start of ABC 7’s news. In the end, ABC 7 was No. 1 by a margin of 0.6 among viewers between 18 and 49. ABC 7 maintained it was No. 1 all along. Continue reading →

After five years as head of creative services and local programming at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, Curtis Miles is leaving to run a station in north central Wisconsin.

Miles has been named general manager of WAOW, the ABC affiliate in Wausau, Wisconsin. A 13-year veteran of ABC Television Group, Miles joined ABC 7 as vice president of creative services and local programming in 2013. Continue reading →