{"id":32418,"date":"2022-02-24T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=32418"},"modified":"2022-02-24T07:34:21","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T13:34:21","slug":"robservations-fox-32-hires-anita-blanton-morning-anchor-courtney-cronin-cover-bears-espn-len-kaspers-sonic45-releases-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2022\/02\/24\/robservations-fox-32-hires-anita-blanton-morning-anchor-courtney-cronin-cover-bears-espn-len-kaspers-sonic45-releases-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Robservations: Fox 32 hires Anita Blanton as morning anchor; Courtney Cronin to cover Bears for ESPN; Len Kasper's Sonic45 releases video"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Anita Blanton<\/p><\/div>\n

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

\"\"

Slone Salerno<\/p><\/div>\n

Anita Blanton,<\/strong>\u00a0a news anchor at NBC affiliate WAVY in Norfolk, Virginia, has been signed to co-anchor \u201cGood Day Chicago\u201d<\/a> on Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32,<\/a> starting April 4. Matt Piacente,<\/strong> vice president and news director of Fox 32, called Blanton \u201ca dynamic journalist and storyteller who brings a passion to her work and to the community.\u201d Before joining WAVY in 2013, Blanton worked for stations in Oklahoma City; Richmond, Virginia; and Waco, Texas. On Fox 32\u2019s morning show, she\u2019ll be part of an anchor rotation that includes Scott Schneider, Anita Padilla, Sylvia Perez, Terrence Lee<\/strong> and Roseanne Tellez.<\/strong> \u201cI can\u2019t wait to say \u2018Good Day Chicago\u2019 to the great people of the Windy City,\u201d Blanton said in a statement. \u201cJoining this team of respected journalists at a station dedicated to going beyond headlines with memorable, impactful coverage each day is more than a dream.\u201d Also joining Fox 32 as a producer for \u201cGood Day Chicago\u201d is Slone Salerno,<\/strong> a morning news producer for CBS affiliate WMTV in Madison, Wisconsin. She\u2019s the daughter of longtime Chicago TV news producer Irene Lobo Salerno<\/strong> and the late Chicago news anchor Randy Salerno.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

Courtney Cronin<\/p><\/div>\n

Courtney Cronin,<\/strong> who\u2019s been reporting on the Minnesota Vikings for ESPN<\/a> since 2017, is coming home to cover the Chicago Bears for the network. She succeeds her mentor and friend, Jeff Dickerson,<\/strong> who died of cancer in December. Calling it \u201can opportunity of a lifetime to be back in the city that raised me and be near my family,\u201d Cronin wrote:<\/a> \u201cI\u2019m overjoyed to also continue to grow in my role as a national host for ESPN Radio and can\u2019t think of a better market than Chicago to expand my reach. . . . JD set the standard for how to be a journalist, radio host, teammate and friend. I will strive to carry on that standard while honoring his legacy in my next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Len Kasper, Matt Spiegel and Dag Juhlin<\/p><\/div>\n

Sonic45,<\/a> the indie rock band launched by Chicago White Sox announcer Len Kasper,<\/strong> just released a video for \u201cDifferent Man.\u201d (Here is the link.<\/a>) It\u2019s the latest single from their debut album \u201cSpace and Time.\u201d In addition to Kasper, who plays bass, the group features two other Chicago radio personalities \u2014 Matt Spiegel,<\/strong> afternoon co-host of Audacy sports\/talk WSCR 670-AM, as lead singer and Dag Juhlin<\/strong> of Poi Dog Pondering and Steve Dahl<\/strong> podcast fame, on guitar. Kasper said the record explores \u201cthe passage of time from youth to middle age in a way that aims, at times, to acknowledge the fleeting nature of our time on earth and the constant struggle\u00a0of balancing self-awareness with letting yourself go in the moment. Life is nuanced and my goal in writing these songs was to reflect that in as palpable a way as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Robert Herguth<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMurals and Mosaics,\u201d<\/a> a weekly feature on public art that\u2019s been running in the Sun-Times<\/a> since 2019, just added a free weekly email newsletter. (Here is the link to subscribe.<\/a>) It\u2019s the work of reporter Robert Herguth,<\/strong> who created and oversees the ongoing project with editor Paul Saltzman.<\/strong> \u201cThis has been a surprisingly popular feature with readers, and the stories not only delve into the visuals of the artwork, but often the important themes behind them and the voices of a lot of really\u00a0creative local\u00a0people,\u201d Herguth said. The companion website includes an interactive map of 850 public paintings and mosaics throughout the Chicago area.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Roger Ebert<\/p><\/div>\n

Fortified with more than $5 million from donors, the Roger Ebert<\/strong> Center for Film Studies<\/a> will launch this fall at the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Funding will support such annual programs as the Ebert Symposium, Ebert Lecture and a screening series. \u201cUnlike many centers on film studies, which focus primarily on the skills of making a film, Roger\u2019s center will also focus on analysis and study of films, the state of the industry and the impact of film on individuals and society for personal and social change,\u201d said Chaz Ebert,<\/strong> publisher of RogerEbert.com<\/a> and wife of the late film critic. Roger Ebert, an Urbana native and University of Illinois graduate, won a Pulitzer Prize at the Sun-Times and hosted a nationally syndicated movie-review show. He died in 2013.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Radio Hall of Fame<\/p><\/div>\n

Nominations are being accepted through March 31 for 2022 inductees to the Radio Hall of Fame<\/a>. (Here is the link.<\/a>) \u201cIt is important to hear from those within the industry as well as the listening public to arrive at a deserving list of nominees for the 2022 Radio Hall of Fame class,\" said Dennis Green,<\/strong> nominating committee chair. \"We welcome suggestions from around the country as we begin the process that will culminate with the induction of this year\u2019s honorees later this year.\u201d The national shrine to radio's outstanding performers and programs is based at Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications.<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s comment of the day:<\/a> Sherman Kaplan:<\/strong> Happy to see WBBM Newsradio continuing its news dominance, especially in all-important morning drive. Cisco Cotto brings the requisite energy and journalistic knowledge to the job.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robservations on the media beat: Anita Blanton,\u00a0a news anchor at NBC affiliate WAVY in Norfolk, Virginia, has been signed to co-anchor \u201cGood Day Chicago\u201d on Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32, starting April 4. Matt Piacente, vice president and news director of Fox 32, called Blanton \u201ca dynamic journalist and storyteller who brings a passion to her work... 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\/32418"}],"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=32418"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32434,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32418\/revisions\/32434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}