Dennis Hastert

Memo to Illinois broadcasters: Dennis Hastert won’t be coming to your convention this week.

The former U.S. House Speaker was scheduled to appear before the Illinois Broadcasters Association Wednesday to present the group’s Vince Wasilewski Broadcaster of the Year Award to longtime friend and radio station owner Larry Nelson.

Now comes word that Hastert has been taken off the program at the association’s annual state conference at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Continue reading →

Andrew "Finnigan" Hart

Andrew Hart, the evening host known as “Finnigan” on Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9, is headed for San Francisco.

Hart, who announced his resignation Friday after three years at The Mix, will be leaving at the end of this week to host mornings at KOIT, an Entercom Communications adult contemporary station in San Francisco. Continue reading →

Ed O'Bradovich (Photo: Michael Tercha)

Ed O'Bradovich, whose longtime, irrepressible partnership with the late Doug Buffone became “must-listen radio” for Bears fans on CBS Radio sports/talk WSCR AM 670, is switching broadcast teams this fall.

Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720 has hired O'Bradovich to host a three-hour Bears postgame show with fellow ex-Bears Dan Hampton and Glen Kozlowski. After a preseason special in August, “The Hamp & O.B. Show with Glen Kozlowski” will officially debut September 13 and follow every regular season game. Continue reading →

Amy Jacobson and Dan Proft

When Big John Howell and Dan Proft traded places on Chicago radio stations earlier this year, no one predicted there’d be any seismic changes in the ratings.

But in a surprising footnote to Nielsen Audio figures released this week, Salem Media news/talk WIND AM 560 beat Cumulus Media news/talk WLS AM 890 in morning drive for the first time. It’s the latest indication of how far the 50,000-watt giant WLS has fallen. Continue reading →

NBC 5 News

Richard Maginn, a highly respected former executive producer of the 10 p.m. Monday-through-Friday newscast at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, has been hired as managing editor at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Richard’s local experience join our team,” Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5, said in announcing Maginn’s appointment to the newly created position Wednesday. Continue reading →

Bob Sirott, Marianne Murciano, Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan

International superstar Gloria Estefan and her producer husband, Emilio Estefan, join veteran Chicago broadcasters Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano for a two-on-two interview on WTTW-Channel 11.

Billed as “Sirott & Murciano Backstage,” the half-hour special will air at 8:30 p.m. June 26 on the Window to the World Communications public television station. Continue reading →

Elizabeth Matthews

Elizabeth Matthews, a Columbia College graduate and former intern at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, is the newest face at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32.

Matthews debuted this week as a per diem reporter at Fox 32. "Check out my first story on @fox32news tonight at 9pm," she tweeted Tuesday. "Researchers have created a Bionic Leg and we get to see it in action!"

Continue reading →

Jarrett Payton and Josh Frydman

The newest team in Chicago’s sports-talk game will take the field Sunday on CLTV.

Set to kick off on the Tribune Media cable news channel is “Sports Feed,” a live sports talk show hosted by Jarrett Payton and Josh Frydman, airing from 6 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Practice runs are under way this week leading up to Sunday's debut. Continue reading →

iHeartMedia Chicago

In the latest Chicago radio ratings, the winner and still champion is WVAZ FM 102.7. The iHeartMedia urban adult-contemporary station also finished first in middays, afternoons and evenings.

Nielsen Audio ratings released Monday for the period from April 23 to May 20 showed V103 leading the market among overall listeners and among those between 25 and 54 — the prime demographic favored by advertisers. Continue reading →

Brady Broski

It didn’t take long for iHeartMedia to fill the afternoon vacancy on Top 40 WKSC FM 103.5.

On Monday the station promoted evening personality Brady Broski to afternoon drive host and assistant program director of Kiss FM. Brady, as he’s known on the air, has been filling in from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays since Ryan “Jordan” Gorman was dropped last week. Continue reading →