Ashley Barnes
It’s a new morning at Weigel Broadcasting with the addition this week of two new reporters to the staff of “You & Me” on WCIU-Channel 26.
Chicago natives Ashley Barnes and Rodney Spencer have joined the local talk-and-entertainment show, airing from 6 to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday on The U. Their hiring follows a realignment of the show earlier this year when it was cut from three hours to two. Continue reading
Ji Suk Yi, Ryan Chiaverini, Val Warner and Common
Robservations on the media beat:
Chicago’s singular locally produced talk and entertainment show kicks off its sixth season Tuesday with a lineup of special guests, including Academy Award-winning musical artist and Chicago native Common. “Windy City Live” now airs at 1 p.m. weekdays on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. In addition to Common, who'll perform the world TV debut of his new song “Black American Again” a cappella, the season opener will feature Chicago actor Joe Keery from the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” and “Silicon Valley” star T.J. Miller. Returning as hosts are Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini with regular contributor Ji Suk Yi. Continue reading
"Chi-Town Rising" (2016)
Robservations on the media beat:
David Doebler
You may be thinking about Labor Day, but the folks at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 already have their plans for New Year’s Eve. For the second consecutive year, NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago WSNS-Channel 44 will broadcast “Chi-Town Rising,” the outdoor countdown and music special live on December 31. “We’re thrilled that the city of Chicago is supporting this great New Year’s Eve celebration once again, and look forward to bringing the broadcast to our viewers who can experience the excitement from home and from giant monitors around the downtown area,” David Doebler, president and general manager of NBC 5, said in a statement Thursday. Last year’s event won the ratings for NBC 5, with 594,000 households tuned in at midnight. Continue reading
Tribune Tower (Photo: Robert Feder)
The sale of Tribune Tower doesn’t mean WGN AM 720 will be moving its studios and offices any time soon.
Officials of the Tribune Media news/talk station assured employees Tuesday they’ll continue to work out of the landmark neo-Gothic tower at 435 North Michigan Avenue despite their parent company’s agreement to sell the property in a $240 million deal with Los Angeles-based developer CIM Group. Continue reading
Brian Urlacher
Robservations on the media beat:
Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has signed to headline a new weekly show on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. “The Hard Count with Brian Urlacher” will air at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays, starting September 15. Host Mark Schanowski, former Bears quarterback Jim Miller and former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt will join Urlacher to discuss the team’s next game and break down the match-up from a defensive, offensive and head coaching standpoint. Also joining Comcast SportsNet as game day studio analyst is former defensive end standout Alex Brown. Continue reading
Justin Roman and Doug Stylz
As Doug Stylz and Justin Roman are headed to new roles as country music morning hosts, they wrapped up 10 years as a Top 40 afternoon duo with more than one million loyal listeners in the Chicago area.
Nielsen Audio ratings released Monday showed Stylz and Roman’s afternoon show on CBS Radio Top 40 WBBM FM 96.3 in sixth place overall with a 3.9 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 1,021,700. Their last show on B96 aired August 12 — two days after the latest ratings survey concluded. Continue reading
Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten
Robservations on the media beat:
OK, it’s not the comeback of “Bozo’s Circus,” but it’s still pretty big: Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9 is finalizing plans for a two-hour, live primetime special showcasing Chicago’s “must watch” morning news. The special nighttime edition of “WGN Morning News” will air from 7 to 9 p.m. September 14. Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten are main anchors of the top-rated show, which airs from 4 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. The ensemble also features Dan Ponce, Lourdes Duarte, Paul Konrad, Pat Tomasulo, Dean Richards, Ana Belaval, Erin McElroy, Demetrius Ivory, Marcus Leshock — and a cast of thousands. Continue reading
Rob Johnson
Rob Johnson, veteran news anchor at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, is laid up at home this week while recovering from knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
A CBS 2 spokeswoman said Johnson is expected back to work on Monday. Irika Sargent will be anchoring the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts solo for the rest of the week. Continue reading
Peggy Kusinski
Veteran Chicago sportscaster Peggy Kusinski will be shifting gears after 16 years at WMAQ-Channel 5, the NBC-owned station announced Monday.
Starting next month, Kusinski will give up the daily sports reporting beat to work on investigative and in-depth sports stories for NBC 5’s newscasts and “Sports Sunday.” Continue reading