{"id":16774,"date":"2018-02-05T07:30:39","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T13:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=16774"},"modified":"2018-02-05T12:09:32","modified_gmt":"2018-02-05T18:09:32","slug":"robservations-guild-staffers-picket-tribune-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2018\/02\/05\/robservations-guild-staffers-picket-tribune-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Robservations: Guild staffers picket Tribune awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

<\/a> Chicago News Guild demonstration Friday (Photo: Rick Kambic)<\/p><\/div>\n

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

Editorial employees at the Pioneer Press suburban newspapers, the Lake County News-Sun and the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune have been without a contract<\/a> since December 2016. To protest the lack of progress with owner tronc,<\/a> about a dozen members of the Chicago News Guild <\/a>demonstrated outside the Chicago Tribune\u2019s annual Beck Awards ceremony Friday at River Roast. They passed out fliers and erected a large inflatable rat in front of the LaSalle Street restaurant. \u201cThe company gala came just two days after company negotiators refused to change their offer that amounts to taking money from the pockets of the few hard-working employees who remain,\u201d said Rick Kambic,<\/strong> Pioneer Press unit chair of the Guild. \u201cTronc's divisive actions continue to far outweigh any illusion of harmony, and we're willing to call them out on it.\"<\/p>\n

Monday noon update:<\/strong> A spokeswoman for tronc released the following statement: \u201cWe are engaged in active negotiations and do so at the negotiating table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brooke Hunter<\/p><\/div>\n

Brooke Hunter,<\/strong> longtime Chicago radio personality, told Facebook<\/a> friends Saturday she is in therapy for alcoholism. \u201cI have had a drinking problem for about a year, but things really took a downward spiral over the past 6 months,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThis disease is SO destructive. It has destroyed relationships, jobs, and most importantly, people\u2019s trust in me. I am sad, I am ashamed, I am depressed and I feel alone & very scared.\u201d Hunter, who most recently hosted weekends on Hubbard Radio adult contemporary WSHE FM 100.3, previously worked for WLIT FM 93.9, WCFS FM 105.9, WKQX FM 101.1, WTMX FM 101.9 and the former WZZN. \u201cI do believe that I am taking the proper steps to recovery . . . but all that time when I chose to mask my sadness and fear in alcohol has only made this journey extremely difficult,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Alpha Media<\/p><\/div>\n

Shoppers at Gurnee Mills soon may be able to browse past a few local radio stations on their way to the food court. The Daily Herald\u2019s<\/a> Doug T. Graham<\/strong> reports Alpha Media <\/a>is in talks to move four of its stations to the north suburban mall. Hot adult-contemporary WXLC FM 102.3, Spanish sports\/talk WKRS AM 1220, active rock WIIL FM 95.1 and news\/talk WLIP AM 1050 would broadcast from the site, according to the plan. The company\u2019s studios in Waukegan sustained major flooding after heavy rains in July 2017. \"There have been many flooding experiences in that building over the years,\" general manager Karl Wertzler<\/strong> told Graham. \"Our corporate officers would like to get us out of there.\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Fred Winston<\/p><\/div>\n

Illinois Entertainer\u2019s<\/a> February issue checks in with Chicago radio legend Fred Winston.<\/strong> \u201cI guess I am retired,\u201d he told Rick Kaempfer,<\/strong> \u201calthough I don\u2019t feel like it\u2019s done. I\u2019m always reticent to say that I\u2019m done now because I do feel like I could drop back behind the mic and with a little [WD-40] in the mouth, I could pick up where I left off.\u201d Winston, 71, who first joined WLS AM 890 in 1971 when it was a Top 40 powerhouse, last worked full-time in 2013 at classic hits WLS FM 94.7. He\u2019s busier than ever on his Berrien County farm in Southwest Michigan. \u201cThe frustrating thing about being a gentleman farmer . . . are the many tiny engines that need spark plugs and oil changes. Rather than flap my mouth, I now bang my knuckles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Old Time Radio's Comedy Couples<\/p><\/div>\n

Dan McGuire,<\/strong> a Bensenville writer and broadcast historian with a fondness for old time radio, has a new book out just in time for Valentine\u2019s Day. Old Time Radio's Comedy Couples,<\/a><\/em> available for pre-order from BearManor Media,<\/a> tells the stories of five couples who were married both on the air and in real life: Goodman<\/strong> and Jane Ace<\/strong> (\u201cEasy Aces\u201d); Phil Harris<\/strong> and Alice Faye; Ozzie<\/strong> and Harriet Nelson; George Burns<\/strong> and Gracie Allen;<\/strong> and Jim<\/strong> and Marian Jordan<\/strong> (\u201cFibber McGee and Molly\u201d). It\u2019s billed as a look behind the scenes at some of radio\u2019s biggest stars and the contrasts between their public characters and private lives.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s best comment: <\/a>Carol Marin:<\/strong> Hedy Weiss is a fine journalist, fair reporter, fine writer, and superb critic. This will not be the final act. Bravo, Hedy, for all your fine work.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robservations on the media beat: Editorial employees at the Pioneer Press suburban newspapers, the Lake County News-Sun and the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune have been without a contract since December 2016. To protest the lack of progress with owner tronc, about a dozen members of the Chicago News Guild demonstrated outside the Chicago Tribune\u2019s annual Beck... 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\/16774"}],"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=16774"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16790,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16774\/revisions\/16790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}