Collins, Lujack honored by different HOFs

The late Bob Collins was nominated to the Radio Hall of Fame in a long overdue move, while another Chicago radio legend (Larry Lujack) gets his induction into the National Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame (scroll down.)

WLS-TV wins TV Week award

In the magazine’s TV Managers of the year, Midwest division -apparently, being number one for 22 years (as well as capitalizing on your competitors’ mistakes – and there are a lot of them) doesn’t hurt, either. And yours truly thinks this is obviously the right choice. Dominant ABC affiliates in Philadelphia (WPVI-TV), Dallas (WFAA-TV), and Atlanta (WSB-TV) and NBC affiliate […]

WCIU gets "Punk’d"

But it’s no trick: WCIU-TV acquired the rights to air MTV’s Punk’d with Ashton Kutcher to strip five nights a week beginning in September from Trifecta Entertainment. The proram cleared 80 percent of the U.S. with WNYW-TV in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles also on board. This comes as Trifecta and Litton Entertainment announced a strategic partnership last […]

"Desperate Housewives" comes back with a mighty thud

Hitting a season-low in the money demo (adults 18-49) for an episode that was … well, let’s just say the Housewives writers should have stayed on the picket line. But the big story here is a first-run episode of The Simpsons beat Oprah‘s Big Give in the ratings last night head-to-head. D’oh!

Wild romps in ratings

The beast known as American Idol has finally fallen – at least in Minneapolis-St. Paul. A Minnesota Wild NHL playoff game topped Idol last Wednesday night with Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Colorado Avalanche earning a 11.3 household rating and a 22 household share on independent KSTC-TV with Idol on Fox-owned KMSP-TV nabbing a 10.3/19. […]

The Wizard of Oz (corrected)

Look! It’s Oprah behind the curtain… Harpo Productions is preparing for a launch of a new talk show in September 2009 featuring Dr. Memhet Oz, who regularly appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The launch is being prepared the same way Dr. Phil was launched in 2002. Keep in mind that CBS Television Distribution is launching a talk show this […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Can you smell what the mayor is cookin’ ?

Usually, the T Dog Media Blog doesn’t devolve into local politics since this is a media blog (it says that in the name!) and not a political one. But yours truly can’t pass up an opportunity to take this on since it involves the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Last Friday, Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago blasted the Tribune […]

Tavis Smiley out at the TJMS

No, he didn’t have a meltdown like Artie Lange did on Howard Stern’s show yesterday. But longtime contributor Tavis Smiley has exited from The Tom Joyner Morning Show. The reasons are coming to a “he said, he said” situation: Smiley said he left because of other commitments (he hosts a nightly show on PBS.) But Joyner said the real reason […]

PTC to Hip-Hop: You’re next

The boisterous group is now targeting MTV and BET, in a really pathetic attempt to act like they care about the African-American Community (but it might not help given the Parents Television Council is also targeting the equally grating Tyra Banks and her “reality” show.)

Can you tell them apart?

Cartman and J.R. Ewing. Separated at birth? Television has a rich history of evil TV characters fans love to hate. From J.R. Ewing to Montgomery Burns, their scheming ways have made memorable storylines. So what happens when you combine J.R. and Burns and toss in a little Archie Bunker, and what do you get? The perfect heel character in Eric […]

Katie Couric out at CBS?

According to the Wall Street Journal. CBS denies the reports, but look – we all know the handwriting’s on the wall when you get beaten in the ratings by reruns of According to Jim (ugh.)

Inside the CBS job cuts

“The message being sent is, if you succeed in your job, you succeed in your craft, look out! You’re too expensive.” – Tom Petner, TVSpy.com, quoted in “CBS layoffs signal in a financial squeeze on TV stations” article in the Los Angeles Times today. That quote can be attributed to any industry these days, but nowhere where it rings more […]

‘XRT format lands in L.A.

Bonneville’s new acquistion, KRBV-FM (100.3) didn’t change its call letters, but the station once known for Scott Shannon’s “Pirate Radio” and “The Beat” is now known for “The Sound”. KRBV launched an Adult Album Alternative (a.k.a AAA, or Triple A) format on Tuesday, similiar to heritage outlet WXRT-FM in Chicago and Bonneville’s WDRV-FM, The Drive (listed on R&R as a Classic Rock […]