Greg Caputo (Photo: Slawek Chrzaszcz)

Greg Caputo, a widely admired and respected television news executive who headed three Chicago news operations over more than three decades, is retiring as news director of Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9.

Caputo announced Monday that he plans to step down in June — one month before he turns 65. “I think the time is right for me to pay more attention to my personal, family life after 30-plus years as a news director at this level,” he told me. Continue reading →

Joan Esposito

Fifteen years after she left Chicago television, former news anchor Joan Esposito is getting back on the air.

Esposito, 60, has been hired part-time at Chicago Public Media WBEZ FM 91.5, where she will serve as a backup and vacation-relief news anchor during mornings, middays and afternoons.

Now that her two children (son Ben, 20, and daughter Thomasina, 16) are older, Esposito expressed interest in returning to broadcasting on a limited basis, according to Sally Eisele, managing editor at WBEZ. “What we’re doing is developing a relationship with someone who can help us out and get to know the public radio side of the business,” Eisele said. Continue reading →

Toni Ginnetti

Veteran Chicago sportswriter Toni Ginnetti, who was among the first women to cover a wide range of professional and college sports beats — including both the White Sox and the Cubs — retired Friday after 33 years at the Sun-Times.

Although she’ll continue to write occasionally for the paper on a freelance basis, her retirement caps a Chicago journalism career of outstanding work and groundbreaking achievement. Continue reading →

Jane Hirt

Three years ago this week I published a list of 21 women I considered to be the most powerful in Chicago journalism. It was purely subjective — and highly debatable.

As expected, it touched off a spirited conversation among readers about women in media, and prompted three other male bloggers — Chicago magazine’s Whet Moser, the Reader’s Michael Miner and Our Man in Chicago’s Scott Smith — to propose alternate candidates. Continue reading →

Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman

Looking forward to “crackling on the airwaves once more,” Chicago theater reviewers Kelly Kleiman and Jonathan Abarbanel are returning to public radio.

Starting this weekend, their “Dueling Critics” segment will air every other week on “The Arts Section,” a new Sunday morning newsmagazine show on the College of DuPage’s WDCB FM 90.9. Gary Zidek will host the 30-minute show, airing at 8 a.m. Sundays. Continue reading →

Jim Richards

Leaving Chicago will be “really bittersweet” for veteran radio programmer Jim Richards, who guided two of Chicago’s legendary rock stations to the top of the ratings among their respective audiences.

After two years as operations manager of classic rock WLUP FM 97.9 and alternative rock WKQX FM 101.1, Richards, 47, is headed to San Francisco to become operations manager/program director of Cumulus Media’s KFOG FM and KSAN FM.

In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, the Loop ranks No. 1 in its target demographic of men between 25 and 54, while WKQX ranks No. 1 among men between 18 and 34 and men between 18 and 49. Continue reading →

James W. Mabie

After 13 years on the board of trustees of Window to the World Communications, James W. Mabie was elected chairman Wednesday of the parent company of public television WTTW-Channel 11 and classical music WFMT FM 98.7.

Mabie, 78, also serves on the board and is a past chairman of Chicago Public Media, parent company of WBEZ FM 91.5, where a performance studio is named for him. He previously was on the board of the defunct Chicago News Cooperative. Continue reading →

Here are my picks for the 10 most notable Chicago media stories of the month.

Click on the arrows to advance the photos. To read the original posts, click on the headlines under each photo:

Continue reading →

Linda Bergstrom

After two years overseeing features at the Sun-Times, Linda Bergstrom resigned Tuesday as associate editor, citing personal reasons.

Bergstrom, whose last day will be Thursday, declined to comment. She was the highest-ranking woman in the editorial department of the paper. Continue reading →

David Scott

David Scott, Chicago-based editor of the 14-state central region for The Associated Press, is headed to Washington, D.C., as AP’s new national political editor.

Scott, 37, will direct the news agency's national political reporting and oversee AP's coverage of the 2014 and 2016 elections under Washington bureau chief Sally Buzbee.

"The political editor job is a critical one for AP — directing our national political coverage, advising states on political reporting and working with colleagues on our race-calling, accountability, vote count and polling operations," Buzbee said in a statement. "It requires superb news skills, keen interest in both politics and policy, and strong competitive instincts. We are thrilled David is taking it on." Continue reading →