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 […]

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 […]

The Media Notepad: Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox go a different direction to launch new RSN

Also: Daily Herald makes changes; CBS releases fall sked early; US 99’s Drew Walker exits  The new proposed regional sports network featuring the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox now may have a behind-the-scenes change. In a surprising move reported by The Athletic Saturday night, the new regional sports network Jerry Reinsdorf is looking to launch will now be handled by […]

Sunday ratings roundup: Viewers friend “God Friended Me”

Cubs, Bears score strong in Chicago Note: All numbers are 18-49 unless otherwise noted. These are finals. In a very contentious time in America, viewers needed a friend. And they found one Sunday night. CBS received strong sampling with new drama God Friended Me Sunday night, with a 1.3 rating/5 share and 10.2 million viewers. The series is about an […]

Sunday Night ratings: “Ghosted” scores in debut

The Toy Box tanks (Editor’s note: these are preliminary adult 18-49 numbers only.)   Sunday night may be football night, but it’s definately not Toy night. Ratings in for the first Sunday of the season show Fox may have a potential hit for new buddy comedy Ghosted, starring Craig Robinson and Adam Scott. The series earned a 1.4 rating, even with […]

“Young Sheldon” is CBS’ centerpiece for 2017-18 season

CBS announces new schedule in front of buyers CBS held its 2017-18 upfront presentation Wednesday and announced its new schedule in front of ad buyers, and made a case for why the network is the “most watched in America”. CBS CEO Les Moonves addressed attendees at an upfronts breakfast Wednesday morning, subbing in for network president Glenn Geller, who is […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: America is suffering from Chicago fatigue

Non-Chicagoans tired of hearing about Chicago  Will advertisers bail out of the Windy City because of negative media coverage? During NHL All-Star weekend in Los Angeles, Chicago Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford were all booed by fans at the Staples Center. Maybe because of the Kings’ rivalry with the Blackhawks? Keep in mind San Jose […]

2016 in review: The highs and the lows…a lot of lows

“Jessica Jones” tops odd year in media – and life When you look back at 2016, there isn’t much to rave about – way too many celebrity and industry deaths (Prince, Garry Shandling, Carrie Fisher, Grant Tinker, Doug Banks, Herb Kent, etc.), the election of Donald Trump, the rise (again) of Rahm Emanuel, continuing media consolidation, and other awful things. But […]

Sunday Night Television: The Brown Bag Club

Sad sack Bears, lackluster ABC and Fox lineups dampen night Note: numbers are 18-49 preliminary unless otherwise noted.  And you thought Friday night television was bad. Sunday is fast becoming Tune-Out Night In America. And the lackluster Bears (and two of their oldest animated sitcoms who are like Steve Dahl and Jonathan Brandmeier – past-their-prime acts who won’t get off the […]

CBS trots out 2016-17 schedule

It’s back to basics as CBS restores Monday comedy block Last season, CBS did the unthinkable: the network axed its Monday night comedy block for three action-adventure series. On a night where Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Gilligan,Amzing A M*A*S*H, Murphy Brown, Raymond, and Charlie Sheen once reigned, CBS was without a regularly scheduled sitcom on the night for the first time […]

Chicago is “Empire’s” kind of town

Chicago-produced hip-hop drama is city’s top-rated show Despite its New York setting, Chicago is becoming Empire’s kind of town. While the locally-shot Fox drama is showing unprecedented ratings growth (at least in this day and age), more and more Chicago viewers can’t get enough of the Lyons. In a ratings report as part of an overall look at the Chicago market […]

Nik Wallenda draws a crowd – inside and outside

Wallenda’s stunt over Chicago skyline draws viewers Biggest draw for Discovery since 2010 – or is it? As far as we know, there was no trickery involved in Nik Wallenda’s wire-walking stunt, which he successfully walked from Marina City to the Leo Burnett Building and between the Marina City towers themselves, high above the air with no net or no […]

Indianapolis to get new CBS affiliate

In a surprise move, CBS announces its moving its affiliation to WTTV, ending a 58-year relationship with WISH-TV The current battle over retransmission money has claimed another victim – and ended a longtime relationship. Tribune Broadcasting and CBS Corporation announced a new affiliation deal which shifts CBS from LIN Broadcasting’s WISH-TV – which has been a CBS affiliate since 1956 […]

“Breaking Bad” breaks the competition

Forget the major networks, Sunday night belonged to Walter White. The series finale of AMC’s Emmy-winning drama Breaking Bad after eight seasons was the most watched entertainment show of the evening, drawing 10.3 million viewers and a 5.3 rating among adults 18-49, translating to about 6.7 million viewers. Bad finished only behind the finales of HBO’s Sopranos (11.9 million in […]