Colin Cowherd moves “The Herd” to Chicago

First national daily show to be set here since Steve Harvey left in 2017 Fox Sports announced Thursday that The Herd, a daily talk show strip hosted by Colin Cowherd on FS1, will shift production to Chicago later this year.  The move is part of a new contract with Fox that Cowherd recently signed, as he and his wife are […]

Fox dumps syndicated shows – and possibly Jennifer Hudson, too

Pictionary, Person Place Or Thing, and Dish Nation to end as Fox’s TV stations plan to make significant changes next season In a surprise shellacking, Fox First-Run canceled three syndicated half-hour shows Tuesday: Person Place Or Thing, Pictionary, and the long-running Dish Nation, according to TVNewsCheck as Fox’s owned stations – including Fox 32 (WFLD) and Fox Chicago Plus (WPWR), […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Dr. Phil makes mockery of immigration crisis

Former daytime host “rides along” with officials to boost his fledgling TV network This space in September 2023 jokingly suggested Dr. Phil McGraw should come to town and give a hardened pep talk to the Chicago Bears after the Kansas City Chiefs blew out the team in front of millions of viewers and Taylor Swift, who was at the game. […]

Rufio, “The Fred Show” part ways

Kiss 103.5 FM personality exits iHeartMedia after 17 years As first reported by Radio Insight Sunday morning, Kevin Santiago, known as “Rufio” on the show, has exited WKSC-FM’s The Fred Show after a seventeen-year run.  In a lengthy post on Instagram, Rufio explained his decision:  “After 17 years at iHeartRadio and 7 years as part of The Fred Show, my […]

The Media Notepad: Chicago Public Media to offer buyouts to selected employees of WBEZ, Sun-Times

Also: Meteorologist loses job due to social media post; new game show announced; Trump Country returns to SW Florida With revenues falling short of expectations, WBEZ and Sun-Times owner Chicago Public Media announced Wednesday it was offering buyouts to certain employees, including journalists at the paper and business employees from the radio station. In a staff meeting Wednesday, newly installed […]

Jesse Jackson Jr. heads to WVON as afternoon host

Joins Jim Laski and Clifford Kelley as convicted felons rehabilitate their image as radio hosts On a day when a convicted felon returned to the White House, it’s only fitting another convicted felon lands a job as a radio talk show host in Chicago.  Former disgraced congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., whose father is a civil rights icon, is back with […]

Report: Chuck Goudie out at ABC 7

The longtime investigative reporter was at the ABC-owned station for 44 years Axios Chicago is reporting that Chuck Goudie has been let go from ABC-owned WLS-TV after a four-decade-plus run at the top-rated station.  “Chuck Goudie was a valued member of our ABC7 team for many years and we thank him for his groundbreaking contributions,” a station spokesperson told Axios […]

The Media Notepad: Jim Williams exits CBS Chicago

Also: WFMT names new morning host; Tubi to stream Super Bowl LIX for free; Philly jock removed from air because “she wasn’t funny enough”  Jim Williams, a longtime fixture on Chicago television, announced he was stepping down from his 4 p.m. anchor role at CBS Chicago on Thursday as he wraps up a 40-year career. “I hesitate to call it […]

DirecTV offers skinny bundle sports package, “MySports”

Comes after Venu collapse Just days after the planned Disney-Fox-Warner Bros. Discovery joint venture Venu fell through, one of the principals that helped bring down the effort is releasing its own “skinny bundle”.  DirecTV announced Tuesday it was launching MySports, a new sports streaming service available at launch in seventeen of the top twenty markets including Chicago, and includes local […]

Grand Opening, Grand Closing: Disney, WBD, Fox abandon Venu effort

Dish and DirecTV objections and Fubo offering a similar package led to the demise  The Venu is closed before it even opens.  Despite a settlement reached in a lawsuit settled by Disney and Fubo due to the latter agreeing to sell itself to them, the joint venture between Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery to launch a new affordable skinny […]

Comcast, Paramount Global renews deal

CBS Chicago to stay on Xfinity systems; subscribers to get Paramount Plus Paramount Global and Comcast announced a new carriage deal on Tuesday. The multi-year deal includes Paramount’s portfolio of networks, including CBS and its owned stations, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and others. Comcast subscribers will also continue to gain access to streamers Paramount Plus, BET Plus, and Pluto […]

Disney’s Hulu + Live TV merges with Fubo, Venu lawsuit settled

Paves way for new Disney-WBD-Fox joint venture to launch [Editor’s Note: This article has been updated.]  In a stunning turn of events, virtual multiple video program distributor Fubo announced Monday that it agreed to terms to merge with rival Hulu + Live TV, owned by The Walt Disney Company. Just as important, it removes a key stumbling block for sports-themed […]

Rock 95.5 launches “The Morning Mosh Pit”

Existing station personalities come to mornings iHeartMedia Chicago rock station Rock 95.5 launched new morning show The Morning Mosh Pit Monday with Matt Harris, Michael Mason, and Maria Palmer at the helm.  “We have assembled an insanely talented group to entertain Chicago’s incredible rock lifestyle fanbase,” iHeart Media Chicago Regional Senior VP of Programming and WCHI PD James Howard said […]

The Media Notepad: WCIU, “On The Block” part ways

Also: Diginet changes in the new year: KSDK becomes the latest media property to leave downtown St. Louis; Diamond becomes Main Street In another blow to local linear TV, non-profit news organization Block Club Chicago and Weigel independent WCIU have parted ways on On The Block after nearly years.  The announcement was made on X Friday with the last episode […]