WTTW studio

Robservations on the media beat:

Chicago’s two leading public broadcasters announced a news partnership Monday that could lead to joint reporting of stories and online collaborations. Via a newly installed robotic camera, reporters from Chicago Public Media WBEZ FM 91.5 will appear on “Chicago Tonight,” the nightly news program on Window to the World Communications WTTW-Channel 11. In turn, a new high speed fiber line will allow WTTW hosts and correspondents to appear live on WBEZ news and talk shows. Continue reading →

Angela Martin

It’s a new day at Inspiration 1390 AM.

Angela Martin announced her retirement Monday as morning host at WGRB AM 1390, prompting a new daytime lineup at the iHeartMedia gospel station. Continue reading →

Adrienne Samuels Gibbs

Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, a former arts and culture writer for the Sun-Times, is stepping in to oversee all editorial content at Newcity while editor/publisher Brian Hieggelke takes time out to produce a movie.

Gibbs has been named interim senior editor of the weekly publication and website. The position of senior editor has been vacant since 2009.

Continue reading →

Liz Nagy

Robservations on the media beat:

There’s another new face coming to ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Starting Monday as a per-diem reporter is Liz Nagy, just in from WSVN, the Fox affiliate in Miami. Before joining WSVN in 2011, Nagy worked for WEAR, the ABC affiliate in Pensacola, Florida, and WVIR, the NBC affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia. A Philadelphia native and graduate of Elon University in Elon, North Carolina, she began at WEIU, the PBS station in Charleston, Illinois. Nagy is engaged to John Hendren, Chicago-based correspondent for Al Jazeera English. Continue reading →

Harry Porterfield

Celebrated Chicago journalists Harry Porterfield, Jon Hilkevitch and Linda Lenz have been named recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Chicago Headline Club.

The three will be honored May 6 at the group’s 39th annual Peter Lisagor Awards dinner at The Union League Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson Street. Continue reading →

Larry Mowry

ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 announced the addition of meteorologist Larry Mowry to its weather team Wednesday, confirming what readers of this blog knew two weeks ago.

Mowry, who has been chief meteorologist at CBS-owned KTVT in Dallas since 2008, officially starts here April 11. He will appear on ABC 7’s Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts, anchored by Stacey Baca and Ben Bradley, and fill in on other “Eyewitness News” broadcasts.

The deal negotiated by Mowry’s agent, attorney Joel Weisman, marks a homecoming for the former Chicagoan, who worked weekends at ABC 7 in 2004 and freelanced at Tribune Media CLTV in 2003. Continue reading →

Mark Giangreco

Never let it be said that Mark Giangreco isn’t a man of his word.

On Tuesday the hirsute sports anchor at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 made good on a sports bet and submitted to some creative manscaping live on the radio. Continue reading →

Shila Nathan

When the winners of this year's Gracie Awards were announced Monday, I wasn’t sure if I’d be writing about them.

The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation bestows the honors each year for “exemplary programming created by, for about women” in all facets of media. I remember Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey won one back in 2008 (a year before they were inexplicably canned from WGN AM 720), but otherwise I haven’t paid much attention to the awards, which are named after the late comedienne Gracie Allen. Continue reading →

Lilia Chacon

Robservations on the media beat:

Fresh from her stint on the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, veteran Chicago journalist Lilia Chacon has joined GreenMark Public Relations as director of public affairs. Sue Markgraf, founder and president of the Chicago-area firm, said Chacon will oversee Food and Agriculture RoadMap for Illinois (FARM Illinois) among other accounts. Chacon was a Peabody Award-winning reporter for Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 and spokeswoman for the city treasurer of Chicago before serving as Iowa press secretary for Sanders. “It’s a perfect fit for me,” Chacon said of her new job. “Sue Markgraf is a connector and I feel that I am too.” On May 20 Chacon will be inducted in the Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Continue reading →

Cheryl Scott

The newest weapon in Chicago TV’s weather wars is a radar system previously available only to the National Weather Service and the U.S. military.

ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 has declared itself the first television station in the country to secure a dual pole S-band Doppler radar license from the federal government. ABC 7 will debut “Live Doppler 7 Max” on its 4 p.m. newscast Monday. Continue reading →