{"id":25274,"date":"2020-04-27T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T11:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=25274"},"modified":"2020-04-27T06:48:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T11:48:37","slug":"robservations-nbc-5s-dick-johnson-riding-northern-michigan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2020\/04\/27\/robservations-nbc-5s-dick-johnson-riding-northern-michigan\/","title":{"rendered":"Robservations: NBC 5\u2019s Dick Johnson riding it out in northern Michigan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

<\/a> Dick Johnson<\/p><\/div>\n

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

There\u2019s no telling the next time viewers will see veteran Chicago newsman Dick Johnson,<\/strong> who\u2019s been holed up on short-term disability from NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5<\/a> for nearly two months. \u201cIronically, in early March I was covering the advent of COVID-19. That\u2019s when my doctors strongly suggested I retreat to a less populated area because of a respiratory condition and my age,\u201d Johnson, 66, told me over the weekend. \u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to have a house in northern Michigan. Thankfully, the incidence of coronavirus has been in the single digits here. It was the right call. Despite NBC 5 implementing extraordinary safety protocols, I\u2019m not sure when my doctors will give me the all clear. I\u2019m very much looking forward to returning to work and whatever the new normal might be.\u201d Johnson joined NBC 5 as a news anchor and reporter in 2002 after 20 years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler (Chicago Sun-Times)<\/p><\/div>\n

Sunday's announcement on Instagram that reality star Kristin Cavallari<\/strong> and former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler<\/strong> were divorcing ordinarily would have been treated as big news. But at a time of global pandemic it just doesn't seem as important. Both the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald buried stories about the breakup in Monday's editions. Only the Sun-Times headlined it on the front page. \"Very Cavallari,\"<\/a> the E! reality series that highlighted the couple's seven-year marriage and three children, recently completed its third season. No word yet on whether it will return.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Christy Gutowski<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite mass furloughs and cutbacks attributed to the coronavirus shutdown, the Chicago Tribune<\/a> has nearly quadrupled the number of reporters and editors handling obituaries for COVID-19 fatalities in the Chicago area, according to CNN.<\/a> Now with 19 reporters assigned to the grim task, managing editor Chrissy Taylor<\/strong> told CNN: \u201cWe are preparing to add more people to the team. Our goal is to do as many as we can.\" Said lead reporter Christy Gutowski:<\/strong> \"I don't view it as a typical obit with a set template. I am writing a life story to ensure history properly remembers someone's loved one. . . . I feel that I, in a small way, am making a positive contribution at such a difficult, important time in the world.\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Harold Davis Jr.<\/p><\/div>\n

Harold Davis Jr.,<\/strong> prominent anti-violence community activist and host of \u201cThe Butt Naked Truth\u201d <\/a>radio show, died of complications from COVID-19 April 12 at Rush University Medical Center. He was 63. Launched in 2010, the talk show aired from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday on WBGX 1570-AM,<\/a> the south suburban gospel station now in receivership. Davis was best known as a mentor to at-risk teens. \u201cHe was working with people the world had rejected,\u201d recalled <\/a>longtime friend Gregory Sain.<\/strong> \u201cThey didn\u2019t know where to go for help. And here comes Harold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s comment of the day: <\/a>Steven Weseman:<\/strong> I have supported Report for America and appreciate its work was mentioned here. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robservations on the media beat: There\u2019s no telling the next time viewers will see veteran Chicago newsman Dick Johnson, who\u2019s been holed up on short-term disability from NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 for nearly two months. \u201cIronically, in early March I was covering the advent of COVID-19. That\u2019s when my doctors strongly suggested I retreat to a... 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\/25274"}],"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=25274"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25294,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25274\/revisions\/25294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}