If radio revenue is down by double digits and more listeners are turning to other sources for music, why would one of Chicago’s savviest television operators be getting into radio now?

The announcement last week that Weigel Broadcasting was extending the brand of its MeTV digital network by launching an oldies radio station may seem counterintuitive. That it’s doing it on WGWG LP 87.7, a low-power signal with a strange dial position and a checkered history, makes the move even bolder. Continue reading →

Dan Proft

Dan Proft, who’s been filling in as guest morning host at WIND AM 560 since John Howell signed off last month, spilled the beans Thursday night: He’s getting the job permanently.

Proft, who was emceeing the annual Northwest Suburban Republican Lincoln Day Dinner in Rolling Meadows, preceded his introduction of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie by telling the crowd of 900 that he’d accepted the WIND gig. “So do a fellow conservative a solid and listen in,” he said, "because I only get paid if you listen." Continue reading →

Erik Bradley

The man who’s been calling the musical shots at WBBM FM 96.3 for more than two decades soon will be calling them from a thousand miles away.

Erik Bradley is considered so vital to the success of the CBS Radio Top 40 station that when he told his bosses he was moving to Dallas, they arranged to keep him on the job as music director and assistant program director. Continue reading →

NBC Tower Chicago

Employees of NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 have been ordered to review the network’s 83-page manual on news guidelines in the wake of the Brian Williams scandal at NBC News.

NBC 5 news staffers were told they have until Friday to acknowledge in writing that they have read NBCUniversal News Group Policies and Guidelines, a massive tome that covers everything from accuracy and fairness in reporting to ownership of securities and insider trading. “It is important that our staff and daily hires be up to date on NBC News Policies and Guidelines,” NBC 5 news director Debra Juarez told employees Tuesday. Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

Management of the Sun-Times is looking to cut its editorial staff by as much as 22 percent through a combination of buyouts and layoffs set to start on Wednesday.

Between 12 and 15 positions are expected to be eliminated out of a total of 68 employees covered by the newspaper’s contract with the Chicago Newspaper Guild, sources said. They’re the latest cutbacks in the paper’s ongoing struggle to survive despite continuing revenue losses and circulation declines. Continue reading →

Dan McNeil and Pete McMurray

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for “The McMorning Show.”

Veteran Chicago radio personalities Dan McNeil and Pete McMurray are about to team up as morning co-hosts on Hubbard Radio classic hits WDRV FM 97.1, sources said. Continue reading →

Chicago Sun-Times

Editorial employees of the Sun-Times will be encouraged this week to accept buyouts before the next round of layoffs hits the financially troubled newspaper, sources said.

Sun-Times staffers represented by the Chicago Newspaper Guild will meet Tuesday night to hear details of the buyouts being offered as the paper’s parent company, Wrapports LLC, moves to reduce its payroll to offset continuing losses. Terms of the buyouts were negotiated between the Guild and company representatives. Continue reading →

Weigel Broadcasting, the Chicago-based company behind The U, Me-TV and other popular television channels, is about to launch an oldies radio format on WGWG LP 87.7 and rebrand it as MeTV FM.

Confirming a report here December 30, the move marks Weigel Broadcasting’s first foray into radio through an agreement with Venture Technologies Group, which owns the license for the low-power television frequency. It has been operating as an FM radio station under a variety of formats since 2008. Continue reading →

Mark Grote

Chicago sportscaster Mark Grote emerged from among hundreds of applicants Monday to win the coveted job of pre-game and post-game host for Cubs broadcasts on CBS Radio all-news WBBM AM 780.

He’ll join Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer as the third member of the radio team this spring. Continue reading →

Felicia Middlebrooks

Felicia Middlebrooks of WBBM AM 780 and Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business have been named recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Chicago Headline Club.

The two will be honored at the 38th annual Peter Lisagor Awards ceremonies May 8 at the Union League Club of Chicago, according to Mary Wisniewski, president of the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Continue reading →