As anticipated, ESPN lays off staffers, writers, on-air personnel Several recognizable names cut, including two with Chicago ties As expected, ESPN announced Wednesday it was laying off around 100 people – many of them on-air personnel and a few of the layoffs were surprises. ESPN has suffered some ratings downturn in the last few years, and revenues have declined as more and more […]
Also: Bill O’Reilly out at Fox; Sinclair buys a TV station group (but it’s not who you think); WCIU lays groundwork for new morning show; black-ish heads to syndication via multiple outlets In more bad ratings news for CSN Chicago, the Bulls recorded the lowest regular-season ratings in nearly ten years, according to Nielsen and reported by Crain’s. The Bulls […]
Look for more consolidation as FCC gifts media conglomerates by relaxing media ownership rules In all my years of following the television industry, I’ve never seen an outright scam perpetrated onto the public by a government agency. But that’s what we have as the Federal Communications Commission announced Thursday the restoration of the UHF discount abolished a few months ago in […]
Also: ‘Showtime At The Apollo’ returns; The end of the road for “MyTV” branding? Blackhawks’ ratings for 2016-17 drop An update on the WGA labor situation: With the May 1 deadline approaching, the chances of a walkout by the Writer’s Guild seems to be increasing. According to the New York Times, progress has been made on issues such as pay […]
Reflects the world we live in these days in the Trump era (WARNING: Contains spoilers.) (Editor’s Note: This post has been edited due to the video in this story being removed from YouTube.) If you’ve read this blog for the last decade, I’ve often called out Survivor for their failure to deal with social issues such as racism. Wednesday night, […]
As first reported by Sports Media Watch, tonight’s Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoff Quarterfinal between the Nashville Predators and the Chicago Blackhawks could be moved to CNBC if the game runs past 10 p.m. due to Saturday Night Live. Tonight is the first time ever Saturday Night Live is going live across the country, including the Mountain and […]
If you are an over-the-air customer in Chicago – or anywhere for that matter, get ready for some big changes as six local stations relocate. The FCC released a list Thursday of how many stations across the country sold their spectrum to wireless companies – and several big-market stations are on the list – including Chicago. Six local TV stations […]
Also: WCIU has another prime-time stand up comedy special; Dateline NBC to enter syndication this fall (Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information.) The Chicago Blackhawks begin their quest for their seventh Stanley Cup Thursday night when they drop the puck against the Nashville Predators in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the popular […]
Chicago is a Simpsons town; NCIS, Duck Dynasty not so much Viewing patterns are racially segregated as the city is Two weeks ago, the Metropolitan Planning Council and the Urban Institute proclaimed in a study (another in a very long line) something we’ve known for decades: the Chicago metropolitan area is one of the most racially segregated areas in the country. And to a […]
Also: Page Six clears 90 percent of country First look at new Defenders; ABC 7 drops “First Alert” branding; Frank Mathie retires. In an unusual move late in the regular season, ESPN announced earlier this week the promotion of Michelle Beadle as NBA Countdown host, ESPN/ABC’s pre-game show. She’ll also host halftime segments in-between games. Beadle returned to ESPN a few years ago […]
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