First-ever street race a boon for the city, NBCUniversal looks to capitalize on unique event For the first time in a very long time, Chicago is hosting a NASCAR race within the city limits and it’s not at some race track – it’s the streets of downtown Chicago in the inaugural NASCAR Street Race. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed a […]
NBC’s over-the-air duopoly in Chicago Monday named two new executives to lead their news operation Chicago’s NBC stations announced some executive moves on Monday: Sally Ramirez was named into a newly created position of Senior Vice President of news for both NBC’s WMAQ and Telemundo’s WSNS, who both share NBCUniversal as a owner. A native of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, Ramirez […]
Also: NBC 5 makes a new hire while a Baltimore TV reporter gets fired. The second edition of The Field Of Dreams game didn’t have the theatrics of last year’s contest, but still drew a healthy amount of eyeballs. The game featured two teams who were already out of playoff contention this season: The 44-64 Chicago Cubs and the […]
Local stations pre-empt programming on holiday For a city used to the horrors of gun violence, even this was too much to take. On a sparkly clear day, a Fourth Of July parade in the north suburban community of Highland Park was interrupted by a gunman who opened fire from a roof of a commercial building, hitting spectators below. As […]
Trailblazing woman worked at WGN-TV, WCIU, and WSNS Longtime media personality Merri Dee – one of the first Black television personalities in Chicago, passed away at the age of 85 Wednesday. This is a tweet from her official account, posted the same day: Merri loved connecting with people anywhere, everywhere — in-person, on-air, often in the airport, & always online. […]
Also: NBC 5/Telemundo to award nonprofits; Sherri Shepard to succeed Wendy Williams; Introducing Ion Mystery Is WGN-AM staging a return to the top? The first PPM numbers released for 2022 shows the Nexstar-owned station placing fourth overall, up 49 percent from the last survey – marking their highest ranking since October 2008 at the dawn of the PPM era. Leading […]
Johnny Green Jr. becomes first African-American in position in WCBS’s history ViacomCBS announced Wednesday the promotion of interim news director Johnny Green Jr. to president and general manager of WCBS-TV, the CBS flagship station in New York City, becoming the first Black executive to hold the title at the CBS-owned station. “Since returning to CBS nine weeks ago, I have […]
Steve Edwards departs for a non-media role In a major realignment at one of Chicago’s major radio stations, WBEZ-FM (91.5 FM) named Tracy Brown as Chief Content Officer of the public radio station last Friday, who is replacing Steve Edwards (no relation to the former WLS-AM and KTTV Los Angeles personality) in the role as he departs for an executive […]
Takes over role June 1 In a masterful stroke of corporate synergy, current NBC Sports Chicago senior vice president and general manager Kevin Cross will assume the same responsibilities (as president and GM) for NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) and Spanish-language Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV) effective June 1, succeeding a retiring David Doebler, who is exiting after eight years. The news was first […]
NBC 5, Telemundo also announce layoffs At a time when the Covid pandemic has hammered advertising revenues, it isn’t surprising media companies are making cuts. And it hit home today with Comcast’s NBCUniversal division announcing layoffs with NBC Sports’ regional sports networks taking the hardest hits. NBC Sports Chicago laid off several personnel Tuesday on-air and off as Leah Rahimi […]
Closes book on botched Tribune deal In one of the biggest fines ever levied against a broadcast company, the FCC fined Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcasting $48 million Wednesday for misrepresenting themselves in their pursuit of Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting, which was later sold to Nexstar. The fine and consent decree also closes three investigations into the company, […]
Brings total number to four If you plan to stay home on New Year’s Eve this year, you’re going to have numerous local choices. As announced a few weeks ago, WGN-TV plans to produce their first-ever New Year’s Eve show called Chicago’s Very Own New Year’s Eve Blast, live from downtown Chicago where a large fireworks display over Lake Michigan […]
Local TV stations already shunning ads; Juul halts all advertising (Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on September 22 and has been updated.) With complaints from viewers increasing on social media and users being hospitalized (including a few in the Chicago area), three major media companies announced they were no longer accepting advertising for vaping products and e-cigarettes. WarnerMedia, […]
WPWR-CW breakup illustrates how some affiliate partnerships don’t work The major networks have enjoyed long, prosperous relationships with their affiliates. For example, Milwaukee’s WTMJ, St. Louis’ KSDK, and Cincinnati’s WLWT each has enjoyed a long relationship with NBC dating back to the late 1940s. CBS and New Orleans’ WWL have been partners since 1957. And ABC and Dallas’ WFAA go […]
Legendary sports anchor, radio host, and author was 70. (Editor’s Note: Correction made to date when crash happened. – T.H.) In news shocking everyone in Chicago sports and media circles, legendary sports anchor Chet Coppock died Wednesday from injuries sustained in a car crash near Hilton Head, S.C. on April 6. Coppock was a major influence on numerous media personalities […]