TCA: ABC stuck in reverse

ABC continues to lag others thanks to lackluster lineup – but Paul Lee is standing pat You’d think ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee has been hanging around and taking advice from Cubs GM Theo Epstein – twiddling their thumbs while waiting for something to hit. Keep twiddling. ABC – in fourth place with perhaps the worst programs on any schedule, […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Alternative rock returns to 101.1

It’s official: the alternative rock format, which vanished from the 101.1 frequency in 2011 after Merlin Media took over, returned Friday morning at 9 a.m. prompt, simulcasting sister station WKQX/87.7 FM for a period of 30-45 days.  The move came a week after Cumulus announced it was taking over operations of three Merlin Media stations in Chicago. According to Radio […]

“Get your clothes off and get in the tub!” – Remembering Larry Lujack

Former WLS-AM “Superjock” Larry Lujack Dies Before voicetracking and corporate takeovers ruined the radio industry, there was quite a lot of personality in the medium. And from the late-1960’s to the mid-1980’s, one jock used his dry wit and sarcastic humor to win over a generation of Chicagoans… the one, the only “Superjock”… Larry Lujack. On Wednesday, Lujack died at […]

“The Sound Of Music” comes alive – with ratings

In other news, rushed Ventra card special on WTTW strikes out  A lot of people were hating it on social media (including yours truly), but viewers were fleeing into the entrances Thursday night to see Carrie Underwood in a live staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound Of Music Live! on NBC. The three-hour special – the first live network […]

Derrick Rose’s new injury likely a blow to Bulls’ ratings

CSN Chicago and WGN-TV face challenges to keep viewers  Monday was a gray and gloomy day in Chicagoland and the city’s mood certainly matches the weather. (And your mood is probably worst if you’re a Family Guy fan…) Of course, we’re talking about the Derrick Rose’s second knee injury in nineteen months, suffered in a game against the Portland TrailBlazers […]

Katie Couric exits ABC News to join Yahoo

Pending deal has no effect on daytime talk show, which is still on bubble Katie Couric’s stint at ABC News is coming to a close. But her syndicated talk show could be another story. As first reported by The Hollywood reporter Friday evening, Ms. Couric is taking take a position at Yahoo!, the internet portal which was a huge player […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: It’s another episode of “Everybody Loves Mancow”

[Editor’s Note: The first item contains profanity. Reader discretion is advised.] In the latest episode of the sitcom that never ends – Everybody Loves Mancow – the IQ-deficient shit jock in a Chicago Tribune interview Monday announced he sold his Lincoln Park condo and is moving to the suburb of Wilmette. He called the city “unlivable” and ripped the city’s […]

Marvel hooks up with Netflix

In a sign where online video distributors are ramping up their original programming slates, Marvel Entertainment announced Thursday it is pairing up with Netflix to launch four new serialized series beginning in 2015, with thirteen episodes each, scheduled for “multiple years. ” First on tap is Daredevil, followed by series based on Marvel Comics characters Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and […]

Quick Hits and Bits: Derrick Rose returns fuels Bulls ratings victory

The latest Quick Hits and Bits contains a lot of good stuff, so here we go! – Even though the Chicago Bulls lost Saturday night to the Philadelphia 76ers, the first WGN-TV regular season game featuring Derrick Rose’s return scored gangbuster ratings for the Tribune-owned station – even on a night notorious for low HUT levels. The game earned a […]

Bears win on the field – and in the ratings

After a few lackluster matchups on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, the franchise got back on track with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers meeting up at Lambeau Field – another meeting in the long, storied rivalry between these two popular teams. According to Broadcasting & Cable, ESPN drew 16.1 million viewers, making it the second most-watched MNF telecast this […]

CBS drops-kick “We Are Men”

Remember the days when CBS Monday nights were comedy gold? You’d think I Love Lucy. The Andy Griffith Show. Here’s Lucy. M*A*S*H. Rhoda (before she left Joe.) Evening Shade. Newhart. Murphy Brown (well, maybe. Yours truly hated Murphy Brown.) Everybody Loves Raymond. Monday nights on CBS is where you’d usually find the best of the best in sitcoms. These days, […]

“Scandal” remains red hot

Super Fun Night has Super Fun ratings Crazy Ones decline; NBC Thursday sitcom block flops Judging by all the viewing parties held nationwide for this show (yours truly even got an invitation to one,) you’d think Scandal would be the hottest thing since the advent of the pancake. You’d be right. Scandal skyrocketed in popularity over the past year thanks […]

Luck quickly runs out for “Lucky 7”

ABC canceled hour-long drama Lucky 7 on Friday after two low-rated episodes and became one of the shortest-lived dramas in the network’s history. The Tuesday drama premiered on Sept. 24, with a 1.3 adult 18-49 demo and dropped to a 0.7 in its second airing, declining 46 percent week-to-week and drawing just 2.6 million viewers opposite CBS’ Person Of Interest, […]