CBS fills vacant “After Midnight” time slot with “Comics Unleashed”

Syndicated show returns to CBS’ late-night lineup after test run in ’23 After CBS canceled After Midnight after two seasons, the network decided to replace it with…reruns of a syndicated show.  CBS announced on Tuesday that it is bringing back Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed in the slot following The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, beginning the week of September 22, […]

Update: Regal Mile Studios project scrapped?

The project’s website has vanished and questions arise if this was even real It looks like the Regal Mile Studios project, which was supposed to anchor the area around 79th and Stony Island on the South Side, has quietly been scrapped. At Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting, businessman Jerald Gary spoke during the public comment portion, saying his plans for […]

The Media Notepad: “The Food Guy” exits NBC 5

Steve Dolinsky takes job at Levy Restaurants; Chicago Sky expands distribution; 93.9 The Lite returns to the top of the PPMs [Editor’s Note: The first item of this piece was updated on May 22 to add Facebook post.] “The Food Guy” has reviewed his final plate on Chicago television. Steve Dolinsky announced this week he was departing NBC 5 (NBC-owned […]

Wendy McMahon is out as head of CBS News and Stations

Cites loss of editorial independence after 60 Minutes lawsuit Paramount Global’s CBS News lost its leader Monday as Wendy McMahon was essentially fired as head of the CBS News and Stations group.  On Saturday, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks demanded her resignation from CBS News after she reportedly apologized to staff for how CBS was handling the 60 Minutes fiasco. The […]

NBC 5 launches new real estate show, “The Listing”

Features luxury residences for sale in the Chicago area NBC 5 (NBC-owned WMAQ-TV) launched a new show this weekend called The Listing.  Airing Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m., Chicago viewers get an inside look at the hottest residential and luxury properties in the area, with “a deep, visual dive into the most-coveted listings in Chicago and the city’s surrounding suburbs, […]

Warner Bros. Discovery taking HBO to the Max…again

Warner Bros. returns HBO name to its streaming service Proving things can come full circle in media, Warner Bros. Discovery announced they were rebranding its streaming service from Max back to HBO Max, as it is focusing on quality instead of quantity as it continues to reduce the number of titles on its platform. So why the name change? Again? […]

ABC in 2025-26: More of the same

Network stands pat with a few changes ABC released its 2025-26 schedule on Tuesday, and like the other broadcast networks (except NBC), familiarity and stability are the key.  There is only one new show debuting on the schedule this fall, an indication of the lessening power linear TV has in today’s media space, and was indicated at the Disney upfront […]

NBC in 2025-26: More NBA, less entertainment

Tuesdays are set aside for hoops; Jimmy Fallon adds a primetime show NBCUniversal held its upfront presentation on Monday, and while the focus wasn’t necessarily on NBC and its 2025-26 season (but on Peacock and the newly-reacquired NBA instead), we are seeing how primetime is shaping up next season and if you’re a fan of scripted and unscripted fare, you […]

Fox introduces new streaming service, season schedule

Fox introduces streaming service and 2025-26 schedule Fox Corporation made a pair of announcements on Monday regarding its upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service and the 2025-26 broadcast network season. Fox unveiled Fox One, a new streamer carrying the Fox broadcast network, Fox News, Fox Business, FS1, FS2, Fox Weather, Big Ten Network, and your local Fox affiliate, pending if they can […]

CBS unveils 2025-26 lineup

  Dominated by procedurals, the schedule features four comedies on the lineup Despite winning the total viewership crown for the seventeenth consecutive season, the 2024-25 season has one to forget for CBS, which is battling President Trump over whether 60 Minutes defamed him, and the continued limbo the Paramount-Skydance deal is in as the FCC is continuing to investigate the […]

WGN-TV to host town hall with Mayor Brandon Johnson

Announced after Nexstar ordered the station to run segments supporting media deregulation  For the first time since he was elected mayor in 2023, Brandon Johnson is sitting down with a local television station to discuss issues facing the city.  Titled A Town Hall Meeting With Mayor Brandon Johnson, the one-hour news special airs this Wednesday at 6 p.m. over Nexstar’s […]

Trump administration ends funding for NPR, PBS in executive order

Chicago area’s public broadcasters to be affected American public networks PBS and NPR are exploring legal options after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday night, eliminating federal funding for both. The moves are certain to impact Chicago’s WTTW and WBEZ, and Merrillville’s Lakeshore Public Media, which consists of WYIN and WLPR-FM (89.1 FM). The order comes as no […]

Trump installs tariffs on movies: “The movie industry is dying”

  Could TV shows be next? Those dreaded tariffs have now been extended to the entertainment industry. President Trump announced Sunday he is imposing a 100 percent tariff on movies made outside of the United States, saying foreign movies are a “national security threat.” Trump claims movies shot overseas not only draw filmmakers away from the U.S., but also bring […]

CBS dumps “Equalizer” after five seasons

Queen Latifah’s reboot of the 1980s series ends after time period shift  The curtain has closed on Queen Latifah’s reboot of the 1980s crime drama as CBS canceled the series after five seasons. According to the logline, Latifah played Robyn McCall,“an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her extensive skills as a former CIA operative to help those […]