{"id":14089,"date":"2017-05-03T06:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=14089"},"modified":"2017-05-03T06:03:27","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T11:03:27","slug":"robservations-wheres-heart-iheartmedia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2017\/05\/03\/robservations-wheres-heart-iheartmedia\/","title":{"rendered":"Robservations: Where\u2019s the heart in iHeartMedia?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/a> iHeartMedia Chicago<\/p><\/div>\n

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

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Steve Harvey<\/p><\/div>\n

On the same day iHeartMedia<\/a> announced a long-term renewal<\/a> for syndicated morning star Steve Harvey<\/strong> Tuesday, the company initiated another wave of layoffs<\/a> nationwide. No full-time on-air personalities in Chicago were affected, but sources said at least two part-time weekend hosts were among the cuts here. With the company staggering under $20.4 billion in debt and warning investors it may not survive<\/a> the next 10 months, does it really help iHeartMedia to put a couple of part-timers out of work? Matt Scarano,<\/strong> president of iHeartMedia Chicago, did not respond to requests for comment. Harvey\u2019s show airs on urban adult-contemporary WVAZ FM 102.7.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Brad Hamm<\/p><\/div>\n

Brad Hamm,<\/strong> dean of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications<\/a> at Northwestern University, is defending a decision not to seek continued accreditation<\/a> for the school from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. \u201cWe find little value in the current version of accreditation,\u201d Hamm wrote in an email to alumni<\/a> Tuesday. \u201cInvesting 18 months and hundreds of hours of faculty and staff time within the current flawed system\u00a0is not useful. . . . We hope ACEJMC will commit very soon to changing its leadership, strengthening and updating its standards, and improving the review process.\u201d Sun-Times <\/a>columnist Neil Steinberg,<\/strong> Class of 1982, wrote:<\/a> \u201cMaybe now that Medill has rejected being officially approved, it can really go out on a limb and return to using a name that doesn\u2019t make loyal graduates cringe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Nielsen Audio<\/p><\/div>\n

Voting is under way among Chicago area broadcasters to eliminate Kenosha County,<\/a> Wisconsin, from the Chicago metro market defined by Nielsen Audio. <\/a>Proponents say the move would \u201clevel the playing field\u201d since Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV FM 97.1<\/a> derives up to one-third of its ratings from its simulcast signal on WWDV FM 96.9<\/a> at the Wisconsin border. Jeff England,<\/strong> vice president and market manager of Hubbard Radio Chicago, did not respond to a request for comment. Along with the addition of Jasper County, Indiana, the proposal would more closely align the radio market with Nielsen\u2019s Chicago television DMA (Designated Market Area). If three-fourths of Nielsen\u2019s clients approve the change, the new boundaries would take effect later this year. Voting ends May 12.<\/p>\n

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Steve Dahl<\/p><\/div>\n

Speedy recovery wishes to Chicago radio legend Steve Dahl,<\/strong> who\u2019s in the hospital again for diverticulitis. <\/a>On Tuesday he underwent surgery to repair his large intestine. \u201cHe has been touched by all the kindness and love, and wishes he could broadcast this like the vasectomy [in 1989]<\/a>,\u201d wife Janet Dahl<\/strong> told Facebook<\/a> friends. \u201cHe also wishes his post op only involved a bag of frozen peas on the groin. . . . We are blessed by the circles of love and support. You can never have too much family.\u201d Dahl hopes to return next week to his afternoon show on Cumulus Media news\/talk WLS AM 890.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Jeff Davis<\/p><\/div>\n

Returning to live air shifts at night, Cumulus Media classic hits WLS FM 94.7<\/a> will rotate Tom O\u2019Toole<\/strong> and Danny Lake<\/strong> as hosts from 7 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday. Jeff Davis,<\/strong> who had been on at night since John Records Landecker<\/strong> resigned<\/a> in 2015, will continue as weekend and fill-in host. Most recently Davis has been filling in Saturday and Sunday mornings for\u00a0Dick Biondi,<\/strong> who\u2019s recovering from a leg ailment. \u201cI am still very much involved with WLS, as I have been for a very, very long time,\u201d Davis told Facebook<\/a> friends.<\/p>\n

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Vincent Sollecito<\/p><\/div>\n

Vincent Sollecito<\/strong> is moving up after nine years as vice president and general sales manager of ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. <\/a>He\u2019s been promoted to President of ABC National Television Sales for the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. John Idler,<\/strong> president and general manager of ABC 7, said Sollecito \u201chas developed fantastic relationships with our valued clients both here in Chicago and around the country,\u201d adding:\u00a0\u201cHe leaves behind a legacy of building one of the top sales and sales management teams in the industry.\u201d An 18-year veteran of the ABC Owned Station Group, Sollecito began as an account executive at WABC in New York. No word yet on a successor at ABC 7.<\/p>\n

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iHeart Media<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robservations on the media beat: On the same day iHeartMedia announced a long-term renewal for syndicated morning star Steve Harvey Tuesday, the company initiated another wave of layoffs nationwide. No full-time on-air personalities in Chicago were affected, but sources said at least two part-time weekend hosts were among the cuts here. With the company staggering... 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\/14089"}],"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=14089"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14103,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14089\/revisions\/14103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}