The Media Notepad: Audacy to emerge from bankruptcy soon than expected…thanks to George Soros

Also: KC radio personality killed in parade shooting; MLB to produce Colorado Rockies games; TVNewsCheck might stick around after all – for a price One of the most despised individuals in conservative circles might become the largest shareholder in one of America’s biggest radio companies. George Soros – who is known as a force in progressive politics, is on track […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: Megyn Kelly stumbles, bumbles in premiere

If you are employed during the day, be extremely grateful you don’t have to witness the battle of the mediocre at 9 a.m.: September 25th saw the premiere of Megyn Kelly’s new talk show on NBC competing with Live With Kelly and Ryan on ABC affiliates in most markets, including nine of the ten largest with programs actually tying each […]

Cubs post-season run begins

Media outlets looking for boost – even those who aren’t carrying games For better or worse, the worldwide spotlight on Chicago lately hasn’t been a positive one: the city continues to make headlines for its gun violence epidemic, as Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has name-dropped Chicago every chance he got as a symbol of what’s wrong in America – […]

Cubs headed to WLS-TV

  ABC-owned station to run 25 games a season from 2015 through 2019 “Catch the action on WLS”… That’s right, you heard me… ABC-owned WLS-TV (that’s TV, not AM) struck a five-year deal with the Chicago Cubs to air 25 games a season beginning this spring. According to the station’s website, WLS would air games in daytime, primetime, and weekend […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Bears fall again, hit another season ratings low (what else is new?)

Let’s get this over with: the Bears hit another season-low on Sunday with yet another blowout loss –  a 22.6 Nielsen household rating according to Chicago Business Journal, down 16 percent from last week’s game against Miami. The Bears lost to the New England Patriots 51-23, with the team trailing by 38 at halftime. Ratings have plunged 28 percent since their last […]

Cubs, White Sox bleed viewers

Disastrous season on both sides of town had fans fleeing for the exits – but at least they’re not the Astros After the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup June 24, most local sports fans checked out for the summer, thanks to the inept play of both the Chicago Cubs (66-96) and Chicago White Sox (63-99), each finishing last in […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: OMG! “The Insider” is getting a new name

News on The Insider, Howie Mandel, The World Series, and more: – OMG! OMG! OMG! Can you stand the excitement?!!! In a bid to lure younger viewers, CBS Television Distribution’s The Insider is adding an OMG to its name and beginning in January, will be known as OMG! Insider! Exclamation points!!!! (all right, calm down bucko.) Originally, the series was […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Four-for-one special

It’s a four-for-one-special in this edition of T Dog’s Think Tank – thoughts on four subjects in one post. What a deal! – Is Fox’s incompetence at its local Chicago stations spreading to the network? Last week, the network scheduled X Factor to Wednesday, but game three of the NLCS between San Francisco and St. Louis (which started earlier in […]

Debate or game? Chicagoans vote with their remotes

Election day isn’t for another two weeks, but Chicagoland viewers already had a tough choice to make Monday night – the Lions-Bears game or the third Obama-Romney Presidential Debate? Turns out Chicagoans preferred Obama and Romney over Jay Cutler and Ndamukong Suh. But it was close, according to Nielsen Media Research. Monday night, the Bears-Lions game delivered a 16.8 household rating […]

The Six Pack: The Halloween edition

        Boo! Scared already? Then you will be as T Dog Media presents a Six Pack full of treats and tricks this Halloween: Treats The World Series. After a slow ratings start, the World Series matchup between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals dominated the ratings Thursday with an epic Game 6 people will be talking […]

FCC approves Comcast-NBC merger

Big media just got bigger. The FCC approved the Comcast-NBC Universal deal on Tuesday more than a year after the deal was announced, with the Justice Department also giving its blessings. And unlike the Sirius/XM merger, this deal wasn’t voted upon party lines.The FCC voted in favor of the deal 4-1 with Democratic commissioner Michael Copps the lone dissenter. While […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: The white flag

On Monday, the Chicago White Sox traded veterans Jim Thome to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jose Contreras to the Colorado Rockies, bringing back memories of the July 1997 White Flag Trade which sent Wilson Alvarez and two others to the San Francisco Giants. The move was sent as a signal the White Sox has given up on the season […]