The 2007 T Dog Media Blog Turkey Awards

With the Pumpkin Pie Awards for Excellence Welcome to the second annual T Dog Media Blog Turkey Awards. Once again, we’re here to serve up the disasters in media in 2007. I have nineteen turkeys to hand out… so let’s get gobbling! And this year’s awards go to… – The Chicago Bears. A Super Bowl hangover this year. And especially Rex […]

A message from yours truly

To: Our Readers Over the last fourteen months, I have had the pleasure of writing about TV and radio to you, and we’ve had some fun along the way. But let me tell you something. When people – notably those who hate the media business (radio and TV) and say I’m wasting my time writing this blog, I say to […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Hello? You Play To Win The Game! (TV-MA)

Yours truly posted this on the PI Feedback forum regarding Thursday night’s episode of Survivor: Rant ahead: It gets kind of boring listening to these guys talk about strategy every week for ten minutes. Why “Survivor” still dominates the ratings every week is something I can’t figure out, let alone the stupid twists (maybe it’s that.) What’s with this crap […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: We are pissed

The FCC came to Chicago last Thursday, for public hearings on media consolidation and diversity. The whole thing was webcast for the world to hear on the FCC’s website, and yours truly hooked it up to listen for eight hours. Eight loooong hours… The FCC was there at Operation PUSH, and if you listed to the webcast- hell, you’d think […]

T Dog Media Think Tank: Nine-FM’s not an alternative

Yours truly remembers two years ago when Nine-FM – the triplecast of WDEK, WKIE, and WRZA – ran promos that stated “Give corporate radio the finger.” But today, it seems that a corporate radio-like atmosphere has taken over Nine-FM – and it’s not owned by one of the big radio chains. It’s a issue that’s being debated hotly on Chicago […]

T Dog Media Blog Think Tank: Is the off-network sitcom dead?

That’s the question TVnewsday’s Steve Passwaiter is asking (registration may be required.) With the sitcom drought on the networks, the reliable comedies needed for stations not affiliated with the big three networks to fill non-prime time periods are fading away, and there is nothing coming in to replace them. Many stations are using the time slots that were once reserved […]

T Dog Media Blog Think Tank: Local media blows it again

From the blog that gave you “The NHL blows it again” and “Radio blows it again”, now we proudly present “Local media blows it again.” Yes, we now have a “blows it again” franchise. As you know by now, Amy Jacobson, a reporter for NBC-owned WMAQ-TV in Chicago was fired from her job after a video surfaced of her at […]

T Dog Media Think Tank: Grow Up, Chicago

I have a feeling we’re going to lose that Olympic bid. And we have the usual people to thank. North. Ozzie. Mariotti. CBS Radio. The Sun-Times. Daley. It was worst enough when 5 people were shot on a CTA bus (one of them died) on the South Side and a 7-year old was killed in East Chicago (Ind.), all caught […]

T Dog Media Blog Think Tank: Ten years later….

Gather around my children, and let me tell you a story about when journalism jumped the shark…. A month ago, radio personality Don Imus was fired for racially insensitive comments about the mostly black Rutgers’ womens’ basketball team, and it opened a debate on race as well as an examination of the radio industry. But it was ten years ago […]

It’s official: Grey’s Anatomy has jumped the shark

After the stunt in which Grey apparently drowned while rescuing people from a ferry boat accident, she “survived” on Thursday Night’s episode. Wow! It’s a miracle! It’s amazing! It’s a bunch of crock. Thursday’s episode was about as predictable as Mayor Daley winning next Tuesday’s election. We all knew they weren’t going to kill off the lead character of a […]

T Dog Think Tank: NHL blows it again

This is becoming a common theme here at the T Dog Media Blog Think Tank: _____ blows it again. Fill in the blank. Two weeks ago, it was radio. Again. This week, the NHL. Again. It’s like we’re playing The Match Game. Only this time, we’re dealing with people much dumber than Dora. This year’s NHL All-star Game, which was […]

T Dog Think Tank: Radio industry blows it again

If you haven’t heard by now, a woman died in a radio stunt in Sacramento earlier this month. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year old mother of three, participated in a “Hold Your Water For A Wii” contest for local radio station KDND-FM, a Pop/Top 40 station in Sacramento, aka “The End”, as part of the morning show called “The Morning Rave”. […]

T Dog Blog Think Tank: Second Chances

Miss USA Tara Conner and Chicago Bears’ defensive tackle Terry “Tank” Johnson may not cross each other in their lifetimes, but they share a lot in common: On Tuesday, they both got second chances from their respective organizations. Both held press conferences, both apologized, and both were told it was their last chance. Tuesday morning, Miss Universe Organization CEO Donald […]