“The Jennifer Hudson Show”, “Tamron Hall” renewed for 2025-26

Daytime shows renewed by Fox, ABC/Hearst stations respectively Despite several observers writing off the daypart both are in, Disney’s Tamron Hall and Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Jennifer Hudson Show were renewed for the 2025-26 season for their seventh and fourth seasons, respectively. “Tamron’s distinctive, thoughtful ability to tap into the meaningful issues of the day continue to resonate with her […]

Report: Chuck Goudie out at ABC 7

The longtime investigative reporter was at the ABC-owned station for 44 years Axios Chicago is reporting that Chuck Goudie has been let go from ABC-owned WLS-TV after a four-decade-plus run at the top-rated station.  “Chuck Goudie was a valued member of our ABC7 team for many years and we thank him for his groundbreaking contributions,” a station spokesperson told Axios […]

Sony sues CBS over “Wheel”, “Jeopardy!” profits

Believes CBS-owned syndicator isn’t delivering the revenue needed for shows Sony Pictures and CBS are headed to court in a real-life game of hangman. Sony sued CBS Media Ventures Thursday for breach of contract, alleging the syndication company had undersold Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, failed to reap significant revenue from each show’s sales, and made unauthorized deals under market value in foreign […]

Leila Rahimi out at NBC 5

No replacement has been named as of yet If you’re wondering where Leila Rahimi’s been regarding her nightly sports anchor position, well, wonder no more. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Rahimi left NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) a few weeks ago, leaving Mike Berman as the only sports person on staff at the NBC-owned station. Rahimi’s exit follows Ruthie Polinsky’s last month […]

The Media Notepad: Report: New CHSN close to deal with DirecTV

Also: WGN-TV’s Jewell Hilary gets promoted; FCC head rejects Trump ABC license revocation request Three months after its official announcement, the Sun-Times reported Thursday the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is close to a deal with DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse.  This comes as an email was sent to YouTubeTV subscribers (including me) Wednesday stating NBC Sports Chicago – the […]

Disney networks off DirecTV, including ABC 7 Chicago

Networks disappeared a few minutes after 6 p.m. Central Time The impasse between Disney and DirecTV has resulted in a blackout of their channels, with Disney pulling the plug a little after 6 p.m. Central Time Sunday. If you are a DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, or U-Verse subscriber, you no longer receive ESPN and its family of networks, Freeform, FX, National […]

The Media Notepad: Marshall Harris exits CBS 2, Ryan Baker returns to sports beat

Also: Scripps Sports signs Stanley Cup champs; diginet Defy changes owners As first reported by the Sun-Times, CBS 2 (WBBM-TV) main sports anchor and sports Marshall Harris has exited the station, effective immediately. Harris verified the report on X/Twitter Tuesday: “In case you haven’t heard, I’ve officially moved on from CBS Chicago. I’m grateful for my time there. And I’m […]

SInclair’s Charge! shifts to WLS-TV under new ABC-owned station deal

Allen Media Group’s This TV is out as contract expires In a move that could read as an April Fools’ joke, Sinclair Inc. announced Monday it would pay ABC’s eight owned-and-operated stations to carry its digital network Charge! on its over-the-air dot-three tiers (as in 7.3, 11.3, etc.) The deal is unusual as Sinclair agreed to pay an unspecified license […]

DirecTV to offer package without local stations

But only for traditional satellite customers In a controversial move, DirecTV announced Sunday it was offering a new package without local stations. As first reported by Broadcasting & Cable (NextTV), DirecTV would offer consumers a package that would let subscribers save $12 a month (roughly $144 per year) if they dropped them. It's now officially official (thanks) https://t.co/JlHu8kTsF0 — T […]

Iger: ABC, ESPN not for sale

Disney CEO seems to backtrack on comments made last summer Remember earlier this year when Disney CEO Bob Iger was looking at selling ABC and its owned stations, several cable networks, and a stake in ESPN? Never mind.  Is ABC for sale? @andrewrsorkin asks Bob Iger "It is not for sale" — Tim Baysinger (@tim_bays) November 29, 2023 On Tuesday, […]

The Media Notepad: Introducing the Sven Squad

  Also: ABC’s stations team up with Nat Geo on another water special; Spectrum says they will drop more under performing channels; Houston’s Space City Home Network launches You heard of The Mod Squad, right? Now meet The Sven Squad.  Just in time for Halloween, MeTV’s Svengoolie is adding cast members for the first time. Joining the horror movie host […]

The Media Notepad: MeTV FM’s Rick O’Dell to retire

Also: Timberwolves strike iHeartMedia deal; CBS affiliates decline Bears game in large numbers; Survivor names a tribe after an old media company Longtime Chicago radio veteran Rick O’Dell is the latest media figure to announce his retirement, doing so on Facebook. His final day is October 4. Currently the program director of MeTV FM (WRME-FM), O’Dell is best known for […]

Report: Nexstar, Byron Allen looking to buy ABC (updated)

Comes a day after a former Nexstar exec says it could happen  [Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.] News of a potential ABC sale picked up Thursday after Bloomberg reported The Walt Disney Co. was in talks for either Nexstar or Allen Media Group (led by Byron Allen) to purchase ABC and its owned eight stations, after a Deadline […]

Disney pulls channels off Spectrum, including ESPN

NatGeo, Disney Channel, Freeform and more off Spectrum nationwide; ABC 7 off in Wisconsin  Well, you can add another carriage dispute to the Barbie (and we’re not referring to the blockbuster movie of the summer.) Without any advanced warning – no commercials, no red flag banners on station websites – nothing, The Walt Disney Company pulled all of its 20+ […]