Signs six-year deal that begins in 2025 A NASCAR racing league is shifting gears to a new home – on The CW. The Nexstar-owned network and NASCAR announced Friday the move of the NASCAR Xfinity Series – 33 races in all – to The CW starting in 2025. This marks the first time the entire package would be airing on […]
Replaces Jeff Enguland, who steps down Minneapolis-based Hubbard Radio announced Friday a management change at the executive suites at its Chicago cluster, with Keith Lawless taking over as Market Manager for Hot AC 101.9 The Mix/WTMX, Classic Rock 97.1 The Drive/WDRV/WWDV, and Classic Hits WSHE-FM. “We are pleased to welcome Keith to Hubbard Radio and look forward to watching him […]
Twitter rebrands into a letter In perhaps one of the dumbest rebranding decisions since Tribune Publishing decided to call itself “tronc”, Elon Musk decided Sunday to change the name of the social media platform Twitter into X – as in the 24th letter of the alphabet. The rebrand comes a little over a year after Musk bought Twitter for $44 […]
Revamped app launched Tuesday As their subsidiary Diamond Sports Group struggles to pay MLB teams and saw two of them fly the coop, things are faring much better for Sinclair in Chicago. Marquee Sports Network – the joint venture between the Maryland-based broadcaster and the Chicago Cubs announced Tuesday a new, direct-to-consumer service to stream games for fans in […]
After decades of indifference, his takeover of franchise put team back in vogue with three Stanley Cup championships In shocking news, Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz died Tuesday at the age of 70 after a brief illness. The announcement stunned fans, media, and players alike. Condolences poured in from all over Chicago, including the city’s sports teams, the business community […]
Not able to come to terms on a new contract IHeartMedia’s Rock 95.5 producer/on-air personality Abe Kanan have parted ways after failing to come to terms on a new conract, as first reported by Radio Insight. Kanan was executive producer of Angi Taylor’s morning show and also was her on-air sidekick. Kanan joined Rock 95.5 a month after the station […]
Suns and Diamondbacks bail on bankrupt RSN The sun is setting on Bally Sports Arizona in the Valley Of The Sun as Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks are the latest team to bail on the company who runs the regional sports network. A significant development took place Monday as Bally’s bankrupt owner Diamond Sports Group skipped its rights payment to […]
Latest media trade to close operations In a stunning announcement published on their website Friday afternoon, online radio trade All Access announced it was closing its doors after 28 years due to the continuing economic difficulties hammering all traditional media. The move is effective August 15 at 8 p.m. CT. One of the first online trade magazines, All Access was […]
Iger’s possible move could have implications for local and network TV In an interview with CNBC Thursday morning, Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger from a financial conference from the side of the road in red-state Idaho stunned observers saying he is open to selling ABC and its non-sports cable networks such as FX and Freeform as they “may […]
Actors likely to join writers on picket line as studios continue to hold the line If the last 24 hours are any indication, it might be a long time before your favorite TV shows come back. Despite a twelve day extension – and barring any last-minute deal, SAG-AFTRA is expected to hit the picket lines Thursday morning for the first […]
Succeeds the retiring Dennis Walsh in role Fox’s Chicago duopoly quickly found a new leader by announcing Tuesday the hire of Sheila Oliver to run Fox 32 (WFLD) and My50 (WPWR). Oliver moves over from the Fox-owned Seattle duopoly of KCPQ and KJZO. “Sheila is a Fox Television Stations veteran of both news and sales who leads with her Midwestern charm […]
WGN unveils latest local programming initiative as station dumps first-run syndicated product After the September 2021 launch of Daytime Chicago, Nexstar-owned WGN-TV is looking to duplicate its success by launching another lifestyle show, this time in the afternoons. Beginning September 11, WGN is launching Spotlight Chicago, a new weekday show to air at 3 p.m. According to a rather vague […]
The nostalgia-themed network is already available to Chicago-area subscribers through low-power station [Editor’s Note: Updated November 29.] Even though Nexstar is currently blacking out their owned and affiliated stations on DirecTV, the satellite operator is adding new channels. Beginning today, viewers outside of the Chicago area can access Weigel Broadcasting’s MeTV on Channel 77 on DirecTV and DirecTV Stream in […]
NFL team took team’s non-regular season game rights to market, opts to stay with Fox While the Chicago Bears are now expanding their search for a new home to suburbs other than Arlington Heights, at least the team isn’t going anywhere when it comes to official team programming on local TV (and answers one of our ten questions in […]
NBC, NASCAR, City of Chicago benefit despite near-rainout [Editor’s note: This post will be updated as more ratings data comes in.] Despite the constant complaining from numerous residents and local media types, the first-ever NASCAR Chicago Street Race was a smash hit with not only viewers but also fans who attended the race. The NASCAR race was indeed a boon […]