Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart

Will this be their year? Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, Chicago radio’s most successful morning team for more than 20 years, have been nominated again for the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Twenty-four nominees in six categories were announced Monday, including a second appearance by the durable morning duo from Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9. Last year Eric & Kathy lost out in the balloting to Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander of Los Angeles. Continue reading →

WGN studios

Tribune Media flagship WGN-Channel 9 declared its independence Monday by dropping its affiliation after 10 years with The CW Network.

Starting September 1, “Chicago’s Very Own” will return to its roots as an independent station with a fully local programming lineup. Additional news, sports and syndicated programming are expected to replace the network shows in primetime and on weekends. Continue reading →

The CW Network

Robservations on the media beat:

In a rare change of network affiliations in Chicago, the CW Network will move this fall from Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9 to Fox-owned WPWR-Channel 50, sources said Sunday. The switch, expected to be announced Monday, will return “Chicago’s Very Own” to an independent station with a strictly local programming lineup, starting in September. Tribune Media still owns CW affiliates in 12 other markets, including New York and Los Angeles. Formed in 2006 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS, the network includes such primetime shows as “The Flash” and “Jane The Virgin.” In addition to two hours in primetime each weeknight, CW also programs five hours of children’s programming on Saturday mornings. Sources said the move to WPWR, low-rated sister station of WFLD-Channel 32, is expected to mean a shift of less than $4 million in revenue. Continue reading →

Tammy Leitner

Tammy Leitner, an investigative reporter for NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, is moving up to become a network correspondent for NBC News.

The promotion, announced in the NBC 5 newsroom Friday, is effective in early June. Continue reading →

Dan McNeil

Following a high-decibel eruption with his bosses, Chicago radio personality Dan McNeil was missing Friday from the morning show he co-hosts with Pete McMurray on Hubbard Radio classic hits WDRV FM 97.1.

Although McNeil has a long history of altercations with colleagues at other stations throughout his colorful career, up to now there hadn’t been any reports of bad behavior since he joined The Drive last year. Continue reading →

Lauren Victory

Robservations on the media beat:

The last time Lauren Victory worked in Chicago, she was an associate producer for “You & Me,” the weekday morning show on Weigel Broadcasting WCIU-Channel 26. Now she’s back as a per-diem news reporter for CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2. A 2011 graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Victory most recently was a reporter and fill-in news anchor at WITC, the Fox affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut. She previously worked for WPTZ/WNNE, the NBC affiliate in Burlington, Vermont; and WLNS, the CBS affiliate in Lansing, Michigan. Victory signed on at CBS 2 Monday. Continue reading →

Greg Solk

Greg Solk, a Chicago radio legend and one of the industry’s most successful and respected programming executives for nearly four decades, has been forced out as senior vice president of programming and operations at Hubbard Radio.

The surprise move was confirmed Tuesday by Drew Horowitz, president and chief operating officer of Hubbard Radio, who called it “a senior management decision to make a structural change.” Horowitz said he and Ginny Morris, chair and CEO of Hubbard Radio, met with Solk earlier in the day to finalize his departure, which was effective immediately. Continue reading →

Doug Banks

Friends and colleagues of the late, great Doug Banks will honor the beloved radio and television personality at a memorial service in Bronzeville next week.

“iHeartMedia Chicago Remembers Doug Banks” will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Harold Washington Cultural Center, 4701 South Martin Luther King Drive. It will be open to the public, and doors will open at 10 a.m. Continue reading →

Kelly Leonard

Kelly Leonard, longtime artistic leader, producer and executive with The Second City, will host a new weekly podcast in partnership with Second City Works and Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720.

Titled “Getting to Yes, And,” the program will upload new episodes at 7 a.m. every Tuesday on iTunes and WGNPlus.com, starting this week. Continue reading →

Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy

The CBS Radio all-news simulcast combo of WBBM AM 780 and WCFS FM 105.9 remained the most popular spot on the dial in the latest Chicago radio ratings.

Led by longtime morning drive anchors Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy, WBBM Newsradio again finished first in Nielsen Audio survey results released Monday. Continue reading →