Jonathon Brandmeier heads to WLS-AM

Chicago radio legend lands deal with Cumulus and Westwood One – new show to be syndicated to other stations After turning down a deal with WJMK-FM, Jonathon Brandmeier signed one with WLS-AM owner Cumulus and Westwood One to air a weekday syndicated strip, airing from 9 to Noon, starting next month. With WLS-AM as its home base, Jonathan Brandmeier’s show […]

Tough season for Chicago sports fans get tougher

                Rose, Kane injuries could have local and national ratings impact Like in golf, Chicago sports fans would like a mulligan and start 2015 all over again. After a fall season of horrendous Bears football, Chicagoans spent the early part of 2015 turning their focus toward the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, who were […]

Oscar telecast shows some rust

The 2015 Oscars telecast declines from last season Mirroring the film industry, The 87th Academy Awards saw some major ratings declines from a year ago. According to Nielsen, the Neil Patrick Harris-hosted extravaganza drew 36.6 million viewers and a 10.8 rating among adults 18-49. While any network or TV station would kill for those numbers, the Oscars were down considerably from […]

White Sox, Cubs nail down 2015 broadcast schedules

As expected, WGN-TV announced it was moving 20 or so Chicago White Sox games from Weigel’s WCIU to Fox-owned WPWR-TV. The move to the My Network TV affiliate, means WPWR gets to air baseball for the first time. WPWR is also picking up five Chicago Cubs games WGN-TV is producing. Earlier this season, WGN moved six Chicago Bulls games from WCIU […]

Chicago is “Empire’s” kind of town

Chicago-produced hip-hop drama is city’s top-rated show Despite its New York setting, Chicago is becoming Empire’s kind of town. While the locally-shot Fox drama is showing unprecedented ratings growth (at least in this day and age), more and more Chicago viewers can’t get enough of the Lyons. In a ratings report as part of an overall look at the Chicago market […]

Here we go again: “Family Guy”, PTC trade punches

While the FCC has moved on to Net Neutrality and the upcoming spectrum auction and Fox is busy celebrating the success of new hit drama Empire, the Parents Television Council wants to remind you there is some unfinished business that needs to be attended to – old rival Family Guy. As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the conservative group is […]

It’s McMornings at The Drive

McNeil, McMurray to provide WDRV listeners with a morning Happy Meal Rise and shine, everyone! The McMorning Show is on its way, providing you with Drive-Thru fun, hoping You’re Lovin’ It. According to RobertFeder.com, former sports talk show host Dan McNeil and WGN radio host Pete McMurray are close to singing a deal to co-host morning drive at Hubbard’s WDRV-FM, […]

Jon Stewart exits “The Daily Show”

In news considered a shocker, Daily Show host Jon Stewart announced Tuesday evening he was exiting Comedy Central’s late-night satire news program after sixteen seasons. Five years after his syndicated talk show tanked (a last-minute replacement for the original Arsenio Hall Show), Stewart took over after the departure of Craig Kilbourn in 1999 and turned the program into a destination […]

Introducing MeTV: The Radio Station

Weigel Broadcasting enters the radio business with an Oldies format Get ready for MeTV – the radio station. Weigel Broadcasting unveiled plans on what they have in store for the 87.7 frequency it is leasing from Venture Technologies. Launching as 87.7 Me Tv FM and branded as Me Music – the station plans to offer an Oldies format with music targeted […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Bulls score in ratings despite slump

Also: Rentrak signs Tribune stations; Grudge Match eyes return; Shout! launches online TV channel – Despite a lackluster January where the Chicago Bulls went 8-9, the team scored a winning ratings record on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The RSN scored a 4.8 Nielsen household rating in January – up a whopping 65 percent from last year, when the team was without […]

Super Bowl XLIX: One for the record books

The last-minute nail biter between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots becomes the most-watched program of all time and the tenth-highest rated Chicago pulls in higher number for Super Bowl XLIX than the Bears’ Super Bowl XLII appearance Super Bowl XLIX between Seattle and New England set several ratings records as Americans plopped down in front of their couches […]

Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials of 2015

Super Bowl XLIX featured a bizarro batch of ads: love, death, a film on how beer is made, and human running around in a big video game. $4.5 million well spent, I assume. Overall, many of the Super Bowl ads struck a serious, somber tone not seen since Super Bowl XXXVI – the first Super Bowl to take place after […]

WLUP launches morning show search

In order to find its next morning superstar, Cumulus’ classic rocker WLUP-FM is holding open auditions for the next few weeks. Beginning Monday, “The Loop 97.9 Morning Show Search” begins, with four different sets of hosts will have a one-week tryout during the month of February from 6 to 9 am each weekday morning. At the end of the month, […]