Also: CBS wins another stay in Wheel/Jeopardy battle It’s quiet this Easter week, and not much is going on, so here are two notable items making news this week (this has to be the shortest Media Notepad ever:) – After thirteen years at Hubbard Chicago, 101.9 The Mix/WTMX midday host Lisa Allen has exited the station, per Radio Insight. Allen […]
Paramount Global to appeal ruling in last-minute bid In a surprise ruling Thursday, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge sided with Sony in their battle with CBS Media Ventures over syndication rights of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. Barring any appeals (which will likely happen), Sony will take over distribution to 200+ stations in the United States starting Monday, including […]
Also: “Flip Side” renewed, “Perfect Line” a firm go; WCIU reveals Sky schedule [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 3.] Longtime news legend Walter Jacobson gave his final “Perspective” last Thursday morning on WGN Radio, but it seemed more of a “see you later” than a retirement as he left the door open for a possible return. In […]
Sony putting game veteran game shows up for bid Two longtime prime access game shows are finally joining the streaming age. Sony Pictures Television is soliciting bids from streamers to air next-day episodes of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy starting this fall, putting new episodes on the platform for the first time. The streamers and tech companies Sony plan […]
Conflict could impact ABC-owned stations, including ABC 7 The battle between Sony and Paramount Global’s CBS is heating up as the syndicator is looking to take control of the distribution of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! – maybe as soon as next week. On Monday, CBS Media Ventures received a letter from Sony Pictures Television stating that they were taking […]
Pictionary, Person Place Or Thing, and Dish Nation to end as Fox’s TV stations plan to make significant changes next season In a surprise shellacking, Fox First-Run canceled three syndicated half-hour shows Tuesday: Person Place Or Thing, Pictionary, and the long-running Dish Nation, according to TVNewsCheck as Fox’s owned stations – including Fox 32 (WFLD) and Fox Chicago Plus (WPWR), […]
Also: Meteorologist loses job due to social media post; new game show announced; Trump Country returns to SW Florida With revenues falling short of expectations, WBEZ and Sun-Times owner Chicago Public Media announced Wednesday it was offering buyouts to certain employees, including journalists at the paper and business employees from the radio station. In a staff meeting Wednesday, newly installed […]
Believes CBS-owned syndicator isn’t delivering the revenue needed for shows Sony Pictures and CBS are headed to court in a real-life game of hangman. Sony sued CBS Media Ventures Thursday for breach of contract, alleging the syndication company had undersold Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, failed to reap significant revenue from each show’s sales, and made unauthorized deals under market value in foreign […]
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 […]
Comes at a time of uncertain future for local institution While all the hoopla was over WGN-TV celebrating its 75th year of broadcasting, let’s not forget there’s another station celebrating its 75th, too. ABC-owned WLS-TV, branded as ABC 7 since the 1990s, celebrated its 75th on September 17. Although there was no two-hour special to comminate the occasion like WGN’s, […]
Also: Person, Place, or Thing gets greenlight to fall series; Pat Robertson dies; Chris Licht out at CNN After forty-plus years as host of Wheel Of Fortune, Chicago native Pat Sajak announced on Monday he was stepping down effective at the end of next season. The 76-year old made his announcement Monday evening on Twitter: Well, the time has come. […]
Also: Fox re-ups Animation Domination as White Sox voices Jason Benetti and Steve Stone get reneweals, too; DirecTV adds a NewsMax replacement; Blackhawks’ ratings sag as does the rest of the NHL Even though it’s a ratings period most radio stations not playing Christmas music ignore, the “Holiday” book for iHeartMedia’s 93.9 FM The Lite dominated to no one’s surprise […]
Jennifer Hudson and Sherri Shepherd also have their shows renewed While there are those who are eagerly awaiting the presumed death of linear TV, Wednesday was a reminder there’s still a lot of life left in the platform – especially in the world of first-run syndication with the renewals of four shows. Case in point – CBS Media Ventures and […]
After nine shows were wipe off the schedule, a quieter 2023 is ahead If there’s anything after the great syndication purge of 2022, 2023 is shaping up to be much different. An article on NextTV’s website Tuesday detailed how there are very few first-run syndicated programs in development as this year’s new entries are likely to stick around. Even though […]
Shepard Smith also exits the business channel [Editor’s Note: This post was updated November 9.] Back in September 2020, we looked at whether or not news marketed as unbiased and straight down the middle – the near simultaneous launches of CNBC’s The News With Shepard Smith and NewsNation, would be viable in a sea of opinionated cable news networks. After […]
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