The last few topics I dealt with on the Think Tank involved Homer Simpson Jumping the Shark and Jim Belushi. Yikes. Now there’s some issues that really require some thought. But this piece is a lot more serious, given I live here. I may step on a few toes, but I’m kind of pissed, and this must be told. It […]
Today’s feedback in Robert Feder’s column in today’s Sun-Times was about the recent corporate cutbacks at Citadel’s WLS-AM and WZZN-FM. Among the universally critical letters of Citadel were three former WLS staffers – one of which (Jake Hartford) was fired Friday. If the Citadel firings are any indication, the radio business has taken a major step backwards (again) and has […]
Last week, two programs reminded us how much the words “vertical integration” meant to the TV business. The possible renewals of tired sitcoms According to Jim and Scrubs. Both come from the same studio (ABC Studios) and both are being considered for pickups by ABC next season, despite the fact both have drawn less and less viewers over the last […]
The T Dog Media Blog has reached its 1,000th post. And in those one thousand posts, what has we learned? Well… – Jim Belushi still has no talent whatsoever. – Chicago celebrities in Hollywood can be just as much as a jerk as anyone else – except the one who won the Oscar last year. – If you a guy, […]
Originally published on January 30th, but slightly re-written to further explain why the show finished first on the Excellent 10 list last year and to address the series’ last few seasons. When I read the synopsis for January 27th’s Simpsons episode That ’90’s Show, yours truly was worried. Really worried. Meredith’s ferry boat crash-worried. Well, I tuned in, and my […]
Sure is a great time to live in Chicago. Our transit service is about to scaled back or cut all together, our taxes have been raised, and to top it all off, our sports teams continue to suck, with the dysfunctional Bulls leading the way. This squad makes the ultra-stupid reality show Crowned more watchable than most of their games […]
From #10 to #1, the best TV shows of 2007… 10) Chuck (NBC) Computer geek who works at a big-box is also a spy. Great concept. 9) Mad Men (AMC). Realistic look at ad agency business in the 1960’s, far more accurate than what you saw on Bewitched. On Mad Men, nobody becomes impotent from spells cast by Endora. 8) […]
There were a lot of forgettable moments in media in 2007, and we have them right here… First, let’s start off with the year’s worst TV, from #10 to #1: 10) The O’Reilly Factor (Fox News): This show still sucks. 9) Around the Horn (ESPN) Ditto. 8. Chicago Sports (various channels) What a great year for Chicago Sports! The Cubs […]
Ah, a think tank that isn’t more than ten paragraphs long… The FCC has dismissed a bogus license challenge against WGN-TV, coming after the Tribune Company got waivers to permanently keep WGN-TV, WGN-AM, and the Chicago Tribune. The interesting thing yours truly has observed regarding this controversy, is that many Chicagoans don’t seem to be concerned (or care) about the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Let me start off by saying this is the last sports-related column yours truly will write for a long time (unless if it’s providing NFL coverage maps or something ratings-related.) In fact, this is a media blog, and not a sports one, and I can tell you readers are already starting to fall asleep, giving the pathetic state Chicago sports […]
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 […]
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 […]