Colin Cowherd moves “The Herd” to Chicago

First national daily show to be set here since Steve Harvey left in 2017 Fox Sports announced Thursday that The Herd, a daily talk show strip hosted by Colin Cowherd on FS1, will shift production to Chicago later this year.  The move is part of a new contract with Fox that Cowherd recently signed, as he and his wife are […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Dr. Phil makes mockery of immigration crisis

Former daytime host “rides along” with officials to boost his fledgling TV network This space in September 2023 jokingly suggested Dr. Phil McGraw should come to town and give a hardened pep talk to the Chicago Bears after the Kansas City Chiefs blew out the team in front of millions of viewers and Taylor Swift, who was at the game. […]

Marquee, CHSN: A possible merger?

Comcast impasse with both fueling speculation According to a report from the Puck newsletter, local regional sports networks CHSN (Chicago Sports Network) and Marquee may be seeking to merge.  CHSN and Marquee have a common enemy: Comcast, the largest cable provider in Chicago, had refused to add CHSN to its network and plans to move Marquee to a higher, more […]

The Media Notepad: Bears fourth quarter blunder draws 37 million

Also: Ramblin’ Ray gives up KCMO gig to focus on WLS-AM; Moffett Nathanson gives mixed reviews of upcoming NBCU cable spinoff Unlike other Chicago Sports embarrassments this year, this one was shown live in front of the largest audience of the season. The Bears’ major meltdown against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving drew a record of 37.5 million viewers for CBS […]

The 2024 T Dog Media Turkey Awards

Chicago sports teams and politicians dominate the list [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on November 29, updating and switching around entries due to Matt Eberflus’ firing, which took place earlier in the day, and again on December 9 to add two new entries.] If 2024 is Chicago’s worst year ever, this list sums up everything that’s gone wrong. From […]

The Chicago Bears’ “Hard Knocks” edition begins tonight

Highly anticipated TV show takes center stage  For Chicagoans, the Chicago Bears’ edition of Hard Knocks might be one of the most anticipated television shows to debut in recent years.  The show is already being met with excitement from fans and those in local sports media, thanks to a trailer that dropped last week featuring rookie Bears QB Caleb Williams […]

Paramount, Skydance deal falls through

Future uncertain for the studio A merger between Paramount Global and Skydance has collapsed as controlling company National Amusements has ended talks.  National Amusements, Inc. (NAI) is the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, owned by Shari Redstone, daughter of the late Sumner Redstone, who ran NAI and controlled the former Viacom. She reportedly had a deal with Skydance, run by […]

Chicago Bears involvement on “Hard Knocks” a win for NFL, Max

Comes over Bears’ Chairman’s objections While former President Donald Trump’s 34 felony indictments were being handled down Thursday afternoon, the NFL snuck through this piece of news –  the Chicago Bears will finally be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks for a five-week run beginning August 6 and streaming on Max.  “We are honored to feature such an iconic NFL franchise […]

Rewinding media in 2023

  A year dominated by labor strife, awful Chicago sports teams, and – oh yeah, Elon  If you watched the WWE, you remember Vince McMahon playing himself as an arrogant CEO and billionaire, ruling over anything and everything – the ultimate heel. It’s a real-life trend we’re seeing as we close 2023. Led by billionaire Elon Musk, CEOs – whether […]

Washington Capitals, Wizards head out of D.C. for Virginia

The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are on the move after owner Ted Leonsis announced Wednesday he was moving the teams out of Capital One Arena in downtown Washington D.C. come 2028 and to a new $10 billion sports and entertainment complex in nearby Alexandria, Va. known as Potomac Yard. “We are committed to providing world-class fan experiences […]

The 2023 T Dog Media Turkey Awards

Your winners/losers in the 18th annual roundup of the worst in everything: Donald Trump. He’s back.  Elon Musk. I’ll tell you what. You can click on this link, which leads to every story this space has featured on the arrogant billionaire, none of it positive.  Jerry Reinsdorf. Speaking of arrogant billionaires, the 87-year-old is currently one of the worst owners […]

WMAQ-TV marks 75th Anniversary

Joins ABC 7 and WGN in doing so with special segments So far, 2023 saw ABC’s WLS-TV and Nexstar’s WGN-TV mark their 75th anniversaries, the latter with a two-hour special. And now NBC-owned WMAQ-TV (branded as NBC 5 and NBC Chicago locally) is also joining the party.  Several WMAQ alumnus will be joining the station for special segments during the […]

The Media Notepad: MeTV FM’s Rick O’Dell to retire

Also: Timberwolves strike iHeartMedia deal; CBS affiliates decline Bears game in large numbers; Survivor names a tribe after an old media company Longtime Chicago radio veteran Rick O’Dell is the latest media figure to announce his retirement, doing so on Facebook. His final day is October 4. Currently the program director of MeTV FM (WRME-FM), O’Dell is best known for […]

Bears flounder on the field and in the ratings

Bears sink in ratings locally despite gains for football – pro and collegiate elsewhere Last year, Chicago football fans had hope the Bears would drastically improve as they finished 3-14 and earning the first draft pick, whom they traded to the Carolina Panthers to get even more draft picks and acquiring a few standout veterans such as DJ Moore and […]