Dick Clark dies

The television, music, and radio industries lost a legend today with the passing of Dick Clark. Clark suffered a massive heartattack a day after after an outpaitent procedure in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 82. Born in 1929 in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Clark got his first job at his family-owned radio station in Utica, where he started in the […]

Allstate to create Mayhem for WGN Radio

Watch out WGN Radio fans! Mayhem is coming your way. But don’t worry – the station’s listeners are still in “good hands”. First reported by Chicagoland Radio & Media Friday night, Tribune-owned WGN-AM radio made a deal with Northbrook-based Allstate Co. to rename its Michigan Avenue streetside studio the Allstate Showcase Studio. The studio is basically used for its afternoon […]

The Grab Bag: It’s Chicagolicious!

The Grab Bag today includes a revival of a classic game show – with a hip-hop bent; a local time slot change for syndicated reruns of 30 Rock; and Chicago lands another reality TV show: – Oprah and Rosie are long gone from the Windy City, but believe it or not, television production is expanding in Chicago – of the […]

The radio firing squad

It’s a phrase we’ve been hearing for the last couple of years: it’s not a good day to be in the radio business. And no day was as brutal as this past Thursday. In addition to Cumulus cutting loose Chicago radio veteran Michael Damsky after four years at WLS-AM/FM, Clear Channel had to come and announce scores of layoffs – […]

T Dog’s Think Tank Update: Mayor Emanuel stands behind journalists

(Editor’s Note: Even though Prop 101 is still in effect, its being lifted for this story only, since WIQI is part.) A little over ten days ago, yours truly wrote a Think Tank regarding an incident that happened outside Mt. Sinai Hospital between the Chicago Police and two journalists – WGN-TV’s Dan Ponce and WMAQ videographer Donte Williams who were […]

T Dog’s Six Pack: Picking up the slack

  With Crain’s Chicago Business’ Ed Sherman ending his business of sports blog, T Dog Media is now the only place to get your weekly winners and losers fix. Only there’s six items – three winners and three losers. And mostly doesn’t deal with sports. Okay, sometimes it does. Incidentally, credit for T Dog’s Six Pack should also go to […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Terminating the right to report: could it happen?

A bizarre scene unfolded Saturday afternoon at a West Side hospital involving WGN-TV reporter Dan Ponce, a WMAQ-TV cameraman, and the Chicago police. Three local stations and four cameramen were at Mt. Sinai Hospital to file reports from the place on camera after a six-year old girl was gunned down in Chicago’s Little Village (South Lawndale) neighborhood earlier in the […]

T Dog’s Six Pack: The March Madness edition

Did you fill out your brackets yet? It’s time for T Dog’s March Madness Six Pack. We have two regionals: The Chicago Bulls region (winners section; the Bulls have the best record in the NBA) and the Pac-12 Supersectional (losers; – seriously, just two teams in the NCAA tournament?) It’s time for tip-off! The Chicago Bulls Regional Steve Harvey to […]

The Grab Bag: Conan, “Archer” receive contract extensions

  – One up, one down: Archer just received a vote of confidence from FX as the cable net green-lighted the animated series for a fourth season for thirteen new episodes. Ratings for the show in the Thursday night time slot are up 32 percent in total viewers and 62 percent among adults 18-34. In addition, the show’s creators (Adam […]

T Dog’s Six Pack: The Valentine’s edition

It’s a Valentine’s edition of T Dog’s Six Pack – the heart-shaped winners and the prune-shaped losers: A fine box of chocolates The Grammys. Fueled by the death of Whitney Houston (who paid tribute) and Adele’s 6-for-6 night, the 54th Grammy Awards drew 40 million viewers, the second-largest audience for the awards show in history (The 1984 Grammys drew 43.8 […]

The Grab Bag: “Brandmeier” renewed; Antenna TV a hit – in Cleveland

This week’s Grab Bag include plenty of local TV items – and some not so local: – In an item first reported Saturday at Chicagoland Radio and Media, Brandmeier has been picked up for a second cycle by NBC-owned WMAQ-TV. The series stars WGN-AM morning host Johnathan Brandmeier where takes on the week’s headlines and interviews special guests. Brandmeier had […]

Public memorials, tributes set for Don Cornelius

Many tributes are being planned this weekend and in the coming week in light of Don Cornelius’ death on Wednesday: – WCIU and new diginet Bounce are both simultaneously airing a seven-hour Soul Train marathon this Saturday night starting with the first syndicated episode from October 2, 1971, which featured musical guest Gladys Knight & The Pips and his final […]

Don Cornelius dies

  The television and music industries are mourning the death of Soul Train host and creator Don Cornelius. He was found dead in his home in Los Angeles Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Cornelius’ health had been declining for the last few years and was reportedly showing signs of dementia. Cornelius also had brushes with the law; he was […]