Think Tank Express: Chicago, you have a problem

(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

With corruption, high taxes, and gang violence, Chicago has become an international embarrassment and may never recover 

If you’ve read this blog for the last ten years, then you know yours truly doesn’t just write about the media business. I’ve also written about Chicago and its image problems.

The latest international embarrassment came last week when a nine-year old was gunned down by gang members in the city’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, the same area where yours truly graduated from high school 25 years ago, Leo High.

The murder angered community leaders and the such. But the murderer hasn’t been caught.

To no one’s surprise, the crime has caught international attention, which crimes of this stature usually does now from Chicago. But Len Cannon, an anchor reporting the story for Tegna-owned CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston asked where was the outrage over this senseless killing (You can click here to see the full video.)

So how come no news figures on any of Chicago’s news stations ask similar questions? Where are the Walter Jacobsons? The Len O’Connors? Why is the outrage coming from a local news station in Houston and not here?

Maybe local stations are more concerned about expanding their newscasts and ranking in more political revenue than providing in-depth analysis on issues like Chicago’s violence epidemic – and no, wall-to-wall coverage of Spike Lee’s Chiraq movie – another embarrassment to Chicago – doesn’t count. The National Association of Broadcasters goes on and on about how great broadcasters serve their communities but yet stumble on urban issues. It’s a crock of bullshit. As I said before, local stations need to EARN their licenses.

So it goes on and on. Yeah, yours truly has railed against this before – read here, here, here, here, and here. Oh yeah, and don’t forget this. Of course this is a place where more people are outraged over Garry Meier’s unemployment, WGN Radio management, and what Cheryl Scott is wearing on-air than more important issues. Where corruption runs rampant and not only in politics. Where else can a has-been fucktard like Mancow can get on the air again and be hypocritical about it?

Chicago is a national laughingstock and no one here cares… all you have to look and see how Chicago has lost more African-American TV homes than any other large market – sliding from second-largest to fourth in the last ten years – even behind Washington D.C. African-Americans are heading for the exits as the city’s black community continues to lose more and more clout.

And it won’t be long before other aspects are felt. Tourism is already down. Radio stations’ revenue is down from a year ago. And more and more people are leaving the Chicago area, which would no doubt have an impact on ad revenue in the future. Look at Detroit, St. Louis, and Cleveland and ask me why smaller markets in the South are pulling in more revenue than they are.

But what can you say? Yours truly has said it for ten years. There is nothing much more left to be said. Read my previous articles on Chicago’s image. Just slap today’s date on the post, there is no difference.

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