{"id":13955,"date":"2017-04-19T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=13955"},"modified":"2017-04-19T11:09:40","modified_gmt":"2017-04-19T16:09:40","slug":"13955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2017\/04\/19\/13955\/","title":{"rendered":"Robservations: New morning show rising at The U"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

<\/a> Weigel Broadcasting (Photo: Google Maps)<\/p><\/div>\n

Robservations on the media beat:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

David Plummer<\/p><\/div>\n

With the hiring of Chicago television veteran David Plummer<\/strong> as executive producer, Weigel Broadcasting moved a step closer Wednesday to launching its new morning news and lifestyle show. The still-untitled show is slated to debut in mid-summer on WCIU-Channel 26.<\/a> Plummer\u2019s producing credits include a long run with the syndicated \u201cAt the Movies\u201d and a number of roles with \u201cWindy City Live\u201d on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.<\/a> A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, he began as an intern with \u201cThe Late Show with David Letterman<\/strong>.\u201d \u201cWhat excites me the most is the chance to put a spotlight on the everyday people who often go unnoticed, but ultimately make this city so special,\u201d Plummer said. \u201cOur goal is to entertain and connect with our viewers, while giving them the information they need to start their day.\u201d Last month The U cut <\/a>Jeanne Sparrow<\/strong> and Melissa Forman<\/strong> as hosts of \u201cYou & Me,\u201d airing from 6 to 8 a.m. weekdays. Since then Jon Hansen,<\/strong> the show\u2019s social media coordinator, has been hosting \u201cYou & Me\u201d with a mix of guest co-hosts.<\/p>\n

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Cate Cauguiran<\/p><\/div>\n

Joining ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 as a per diem reporter is Cate Cauguiran,<\/strong> who most recently was a general assignment reporter and fill-in news anchor at KPIX, the CBS-owned station in San Francisco. A graduate of the University of Southern California\u2019s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, she previously worked at KTVL, the CBS affiliate in Medford, Oregon. \u201cShe\u2019s energetic on air, enthusiastic behind the scenes and is excited about making Chicago her home,\u201d Jennifer Graves,<\/strong> vice president and news director at ABC 7, told staff Tuesday. Cauguiran starts here May 8.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Niala Boodhoo<\/p><\/div>\n

Niala Boodhoo,<\/strong> former host of \u201cThe Afternoon Shift\u201d on Chicago Public Media WBEZ FM 91.5, <\/a>will be spending much of the summer back in Chicago. As host and executive producer of \u201cThe 21st,\u201d a daily talk show based out of Illinois Public Media<\/a>\u00a0and airing across four stations, she\u2019ll be broadcasting from the Chicago newsroom of Northwestern University\u2019s Medill School of Journalism. The other reason she\u2019ll be here is to undergo treatment for breast cancer, diagnosed a few months ago in her first-ever mammogram. Calling herself \u201cthe poster child for early detection,\u201d Boodhoo, 41, said: \u201cIt has, almost certainly, saved my life. I\u2019m so thankful to my doctors, nurses and medical team. Like many other Americans, especially women with breast cancer, I plan to continue to work through my treatment. I am so thankful to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends, as well as incredible co-workers, who have been so supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lou Manfredini<\/p><\/div>\n

Chicago\u2019s beloved \u201cMr. Fix-It\u201d Lou Manfredini<\/strong> is taking on the Big Apple. WABC Radio in New York has picked up \u201cHouse Smarts with Lou Manfredini\u201d for airing each weekend. His weekly home improvement talk show continues to air here from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturdays on Tribune Broadcasting news\/talk WGN AM 720. <\/a>\u201cI\u2019m like your big brother in the business, giving straight answers and having some fun along the way, too,\u201d he said in a statement. Manfredini also appears as a regular contributor to NBC\u2019s \u201cToday.\u201d<\/p>\n

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DNAinfo<\/p><\/div>\n

In a followup to Monday\u2019s report here<\/a> on the future of DNAinfo Chicago<\/a> in the wake of staffers\u2019 efforts to unionize, a company spokesperson confirmed that management has seen the letter from employees about their intent to organize. \u201cAt this point, DNAinfo is considering its options, but whatever the company decides to do, it will be in accord with both the letter and spirit of the National Labor Relations Act,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cBeyond this, we have nothing more to say at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jim Gannon<\/p><\/div>\n

Chicago radio veterans are remembering the great Jim Gannon,<\/strong> who died April 1 at 86. Once known as the dean of morning radio newscasters, he was a longtime news anchor at WIND AM 560,<\/a> including 16 years alongside top-rated morning star Howard Miller.<\/strong> A native of Dixon, Illinois, and graduate of Notre Dame University, he also was a prominent sports announcer for Mutual Radio Network and the radio voice of Northwestern University football. After his retirement, Gannon recorded books for The Chicago Lighthouse, a nonprofit service for the blind and visually impaired.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dick Penn<\/p><\/div>\n

Tributes also are pouring in for Dick Penn,<\/strong> former executive vice president of NBC Radio Network and the first general manager of WKQX FM 101.1,<\/a> starting in 1978. Penn, who was 75, died of lung cancer Saturday in Philadelphia. A native of Columbus, Ohio, and graduate of Ohio University, he also launched the Talk Net radio network, syndicating Sally Jessy Raphael<\/strong> and Dr. Ruth Westheimer,<\/strong> and later was an executive with Shadow Broadcast Services, NAVTEQ and iQMedia Corp.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robservations on the media beat: With the hiring of Chicago television veteran David Plummer as executive producer, Weigel Broadcasting moved a step closer Wednesday to launching its new morning news and lifestyle show. The still-untitled show is slated to debut in mid-summer on WCIU-Channel 26. Plummer\u2019s producing credits include a long run with the syndicated... Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13955"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13955"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13971,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13955\/revisions\/13971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}