History will note that the first shot was fired Wednesday in the Great Chicago Sports Radio War of 2014.

It came in the form of a talent raid as 33-year-old producer and host Ben Finfer was hired away from CBS Radio sports/talk WSCR AM 670 to join upstart competitor WGWG LP 87.7. Branded as The Game 87.7 FM, the FM counterpart to Tribune Broadcasting news/talk WGN AM 720 launched with considerable fanfare Monday. Continue reading →

Here’s a look at Chicago’s top 10 morning shows (as measured in January by Nielsen Audio from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday), followed by average share of audience. Click on the arrows to advance the photos: Continue reading →

James C. Dowdle

James C. Dowdle, who began his career as an advertising salesman for the Chicago Tribune in 1956, retired 43 years later as executive vice president of Tribune Co. — and as the man who brought Harry Caray to the Cubs broadcast booth.

“He was a great executive, a great family man and a great sports fan,” WGN AM 720 host Bob Sirott said Tuesday in a podcast tribute to Dowdle, who was a longtime friend and neighbor. “He knew about Harry [Caray] and he also was very instrumental in the success of Bob Collins at this radio station.”

Dowdle died Monday of congestive heart failure at his home in Wilmette, according to his family. He was 79. Continue reading →

When Joel Daly stepped down as the dean of Chicago television news anchors in 2005, he insisted that I not describe his departure from WLS-Channel 7 as a “retirement.”

Yes, he was leaving the ABC-owned station after 38 years, but there was still plenty he wanted to do. “No, I’m not retiring. That smacks of Arizona and mid-week golfing,” he told me. “It’s more of a ‘change of pace in a different place.’” Continue reading →

Gerry Kern

Maybe it says something about the diminished importance of the media in Chicago these days. Maybe it says something about the low regard journalists have for their own profession. Or maybe it just says that I’m a sucker for meaningless lists.

Whichever the case, the March cover story of Chicago magazine left me scratching my bald head. For the third year in a row, the respected monthly ranks “the 100 most powerful Chicagoans.” And for the third year in a row, it gives short shrift to the city’s media constellation.

“You must have the influence, ability, or potential to make big things happen, for good or for ill,” reads an editor’s note on the criteria. "When you talk, people listen.” Continue reading →

Tracy Byrnes

Chicago-based Towers Productions has signed to produce a weekly reality series for Fox Business Network that will examine “real-life stories of unconventional inheritances.”

Production begins later this month on “Strange Inheritance,” to be hosted by Fox Business Network anchor Tracy Byrnes. It will debut this summer as part of the network’s initiative to diversity its prime-time programming. Continue reading →

Here’s a look at some prominent Chicago media couples who’ve gone splitsville over the years. (Updated May 20, 2015.)

Click on the arrows to advance the photos: Continue reading →

A combination of seasoned veterans, promising young talent and a few players to be named later are teaming up as Tribune Broadcasting's WGN AM 720 expands its franchise to a brand-new sports/talk station on 87.7 FM.

They’re calling it “The Game.” Continue reading →

After 90 years as the radio flagship of the “World’s Greatest Newspaper,” WGN AM 720 is about to raise its voice and expand its reach to the FM band.

Although blocked by federal regulations from owning an FM signal in Chicago, bosses of the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station have made a deal to lease the frequency of 87.7 FM through September 2015. It's a potential game changer for the market. Continue reading →

Bill Applegate

You’d have to go back more than 20 years (and six general managers) to recall the last time WBBM-Channel 2 was No. 1 in the ratings at 10 o’clock.

I thought of that the other day when I read that my old friend Bill Applegate was retiring after 45 years in broadcasting. While he’s spent the last 13 years running a couple of stations in Cleveland, he left an indelible mark on Chicago during two tours of duty here. Continue reading →