Elizabeth Brackett
Elizabeth Brackett, a respected veteran of four Chicago TV news operations, retired Tuesday after 20 years as a full-time staff correspondent for “Chicago Tonight,” the nightly news program on public television WTTW-Channel 11.
But she won’t be leaving the show altogether. In her new role as “special correspondent,” Brackett will contribute 10 long-form stories in the coming year. Continue reading
Chicago magazine
It’s a busy week at Chicago magazine, where an interim publisher was named on the business side and two digital editors were replaced by insiders on the editorial side.
Tom Conradi, advertising director of the Chicago Tribune Media Group monthly since 2008, was given the additional title of interim publisher. The move follows the resignation in June of Rich Gamble after five years as publisher and general manager. Continue reading
Lourdes Duarte
The growth of WGN-Channel 9’s late-afternoon news block will mean more time for anchors Mark Suppelsa and Micah Materre and a move to early mornings for Lourdes Duarte.
Starting September 8, the Tribune Broadcasting station will add an hour of news at 4 p.m. weekdays, boosting its output to a record 61 hours of live local news each week. Continue reading
Rafer Weigel
The handwriting was on the locker room wall.
Rafer Weigel, who once seemed destined to inherit his late father’s legacy as one of Chicago’s top sportscasters, is leaving town after little more than three years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Continue reading
Cheryl Scott
The next sound you hear will be hearts breaking all over Chicago.
With her contract up next month at WMAQ-Channel 5, Cheryl Scott is leaving the NBC-owned station after three years as weekend meteorologist. Continue reading
Dan McNeil
Dan McNeil will have plenty of time for fishing and other pursuits now that he’s officially parted company with CBS Radio sports talk WSCR AM 670.
The mercurial midday personality, who’s been off the air since mid-June, was unable to reach agreement on a contract renewal after five years at the Score, station management announced Friday. His demands reportedly included a move to afternoon drive and a raise from $300,000 to $500,000 a year, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. Continue reading
The latest war of words between the Chicago Newspaper Guild and Sun-Times Media involves a requirement that reporters for the suburban Pioneer Press group produce a minimum number of stories each day or face disciplinary action. Continue reading
Radio Disney
Walt Disney Co. is selling all but one of its 24 Radio Disney stations nationwide, including WRDZ AM 1300 here.
The move, effective September 26, will end Radio Disney’s 18-year run as a local radio operator and shift all of its programming and resources to digital platforms. It’s expected to mean the loss of nearly 200 jobs, mainly in advertising sales and operations. Continue reading
Sandy Pudar
Sandy Pudar, executive producer of WGN-Channel 9’s top-rated morning news show and a 15-year veteran of the Tribune Broadcasting station, was promoted Wednesday to assistant news director.
The No. 2 post has been vacant since Jennifer Lyons moved up to news director, succeeding Greg Caputo, who retired in June after 11 years. Pudar worked as a news writer and producer before she was named executive producer of WGN Morning News in 2009.
“For more than five years as executive producer, she’s maintained our No. 1 status in the highly competitive morning news time slot and actually grown it, which is quite a feat,” Lyons said in a statement. Continue reading
Jimmy deCastro
When Jimmy deCastro took over as president and general manager of WGN AM 720 in June 2013, he promised to have an impact on the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk flagship. "My hope is to bring a new energy to a classic institution,” he told the Chicago Tribune.
By any measure, that’s just what he’s done. Continue reading
