Twitter’s path under Elon Musk follows those of other media companies In the 37 years I’ve followed media, I have never seen a media company – social or not – that’s been run into the ground quicker than what I’m seeing with Elon Musk and Twitter. In the sixteen years I’ve written this blog, I’ve written about how egotism and […]
Chicago sports teams now have something in common with media companies – rebuilding when the good times end Chicagoans better get used to a word they’ve been hearing a lot: rebuild. Last week, two of Chicago’s sports franchises – the Bulls and Blackhawks announced changes that dramatically overhauled their lineups for next season. On the day of the NBA Draft, […]
WGN-AM President and General Manager Jimmy deCastro has decided to step down from the station effective at the end of this month. The decision was made as the radio exec decided to more focus more on his Evanston-based company, The Content Factory. His firm handles syndication for several programs and distributes new media content. “I’ve done everything I can […]
Happy anniversary to T Dog Media! It’s a different media world today than it was when I started this. As we mark the ten-year anniversary of T Dog Media this weekend, I would like to take a look back – not at dopey posts from the early years such as these (really bad idea)…or getting involved in feuds (Wil Wheaton and […]
Gobble, gobble everyone! It’s that time of year… to celebrate (and criticize) the worst in media. It’s the 2014 T Dog Media Turkey Awards. If you’ve noticed, the first eleven items are all local, and makes up a third of the list. Just goes to show you the power of The Chicago Way. The sad part is, the Jackie Robinson West […]
Though his career in Chicago radio was brief, Kevin Metheny made a notable impact on the medium. As reported by Rich Liberman’s 415 Media blog in San Francisco, Metheny was found slumped over his desk Friday afternoon at Cumulus’ KGO/KSFO-AM, suffering from a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital, but died a short time later. Cumulus Executive Vice President, […]
If one thought positively about Garry Meier’s move from WGN-AM to WGN’s Internet feed, one could think he would do for Internet Radio what Howard Stern has done for satellite radio. It could be “revolutionary”. Um, no. WGN’s decision to move Meier from its AM terristial station to WGN.FM could rank as one of the biggest blunders in Chicago radio […]
– This move didn’t generate as much outrage as Ben Affleck being cast as Batman last Friday, but the day before, trash TV talk show host Jerry Springer was named as host of the Chicago Emmy Awards, set to take place on November 3 . The announcement did cause one member of the Academy board to resign, as many in […]
WGN Radio brings back some of its personalities; station hopes listeners return as well; Brandmeier moves online – for now Hoping to undo the damage done by years of mismanagement, WGN-AM general manager Jimmy DeCastro is retooling the station’s lineup nearly from top to bottom, bringing back familiar names and hoping to reconnect with Chicago listeners. As first hinted by […]
– In a rather unusual move, WGN-AM announced Wednesday it was shifting Mike McConnell (left) from its main terrestrial station to a secondary, online stream usually reserved for spillover programming. In addition, McConnell’s show is being available via podcast. Since being hired away from WLW/Cincinnati by then-PD Kevin Metheny in August 2009, McConnell has not been able to find an […]
Also: Jim Laski ends radio comeback Monday was an active day in Chicago radio as two big personnel moves took place. Hubbard Broadcasting’s WILV-FM (aka Rewind 100.3) hired Marty Bender as the station’s new program director (PD), effective soon. Bender ran WFBQ (Q95) in Indianapolis for over two decades and also oversaw “The Bob And Tom Show”, a station staple […]
In a move that is being praised by many media observers, former Evergreen Media exec Jimmy de Castro has been named president and general manager of Tribune Broadcasting’s WGN-AM (720), effective June 3. He will report to Tribune President of local programming Larry Wert – the same Wert who reported to DeCastro at WLUP-AM/FM in the 1990’s. de Castro succeeds […]
In what may be the first of many changes inside Tribune Tower in a post-bankruptcy world, Tribune Broadcasting’s WGN Radio announced the departure yesterday of General Manager Tom Langmyer after seven years at the station. The move comes as Tribune is expected to exit bankruptcy in the next few weeks as the company may be looking to sell many of […]
Last week’s episode told what a lot of us already know: Hollywood really doesn’t respect people of color On Grey’s Anatomy, they had the Ferry Boat accident. For The Simpsons, it was changing the backstory of the series to create a lame plot on how Homer Simpson “discovered” grunge music. For this show, […]
Tuesday and Wednesday saw Disney’s ABC and ABC Family take over the TCA Press with ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee addressing the media on Tuesday regarding numerous issues: – Lee said that despite low ratings AND the show being pulled off the schedule AND the episode order being cut, Pan Am actually has a shot of returning next season. In […]