Cubs, White Sox bleed viewers

Disastrous season on both sides of town had fans fleeing for the exits – but at least they’re not the Astros After the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup June 24, most local sports fans checked out for the summer, thanks to the inept play of both the Chicago Cubs (66-96) and Chicago White Sox (63-99), each finishing last in […]

TCA: CW looking to continue its growth

With less doubt surrounding its future, The CW is looking to continue is growth by steering away from teen-oriented soaps and adding more broader appeal fare such as Arrow. During the net’s exec session, network entertainment president Mark Pedowitz said he would introduce The Flash as a recurring character on Arrow this upcoming season as a springboard for a possible […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Rob Johnson re-ups with CBS 2

Plus: Meredith clears NBC 5 and other NBC O&Os; Heroes returns – in comic book form; the “Car Bomb” departs; and another old syndication name resurfaces – Rob Johnson is here to stay – the co-anchor of CBS-owned WBBM-TV’s 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts has signed a contract renewal in news first reported by Robert Feder on […]

Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup – and the TV ratings battle

The Chicago Blackhawks are back on top in the hockey world – and in the ratings. This was quite a year for the Blackhawks, who saw some ups (the 23-game unbeaten streak) and some downs (the late start due to the lockout and Susannah Collins’ controversial firing.) But it was Dave Bolland’s game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins – one […]

Blackhawks rock the Stanley Cup House

Big tune in locally – and nationally The Stanley Cup Final began Wednesday night between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins. This marks both teams’ second appearance in the last four years with the Blackhawks last appearing in 2010 and the Bruins in 2011. The Blackhawks not only won Game 1 in a triple-overtime thriller against the Boston Bruins, […]

Blackhawks return to the Stanley Cup Final

Well, guess who’s back in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s the Chicago Blackhawks, who are looking to win their second championship in the last four years. They’ll face another “Original Six” foe in the Boston Bruins, who are looking for their second Stanley Cup in three years. Both teams face off Wednesday, with game one scheduled here in Chicago at […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Sun-Times fires entire photography staff

– In a stunning move, the Chicago Sun-Times fired almost all of its photography staff on Thursday, which left 28 people out of work. The Wrapports -owned paper instead plans to train reports to take pictures with smartphones. Yes, smartphones. Among those who were laid off include 35-year veteran Pulitzer-prize winning photographer John H. White, one of the first African-American […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: WLS-TV widens lead over rivals

Grab baggin’: – ABC-owned WLS-TV widened its lead over its competitors during the just-completed May sweeps, according to Nielsen. According to CRM, ABC 7 swept all local news time periods in households (25-54 demos weren’t available at press time), with a decisive victory at 10 p.m., surging 11 percent from May 2012 with a 10.0/18, leaving NBC-owned WMAQ-TV (5.9/11, +4% […]

Bulls, Blackhawks score in the ratings Wednesday night

The next time someone tells you a playoff game doesn’t resonate in Chicago – even when the hometown team is down 3-to-1 in a series – don’t believe them. According to Ed Sherman on his Sherman Report blog, Game 5 of the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat NBA playoff series drew a surprisingly strong 8.9 household rating locally for TNT, despite the […]

“American Idol” surges in ratings among African-Americans

This season is certainly one to forget for American Idol in the ratings department. But its a different story altogether when it comes to African-American audiences. While ratings have declined significantly for Idol overall, the opposite is true among black viewers. In fact, most weeks, Idol is either ranked at or near the top in African-American homes. According to Nielsen […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Blackhawks slipping back to old ways?

An update to Friday’s story regarding Susannah Collins: As speculated, Collins’ firing was indeed ordered by Blackhawks’ owner Rocky Wirtz who, according to Robert Channick of the Chicago Tribune Saturday, sent a letter to CSN Chicago, showing his concern about those SportsNutz videos she was in during 2009 and 2010. The copy of the letter was cc’ed to Jerry Reinsdorf […]

Comcast SportsNet Chicago cuts Susannah Collins

Comcast Sportsnet Chicago sideline reporter Susannah Collins was released from her position Thursday night after just eight months on the job, reports Robert Channick of the Chicago Tribune. In a moment that would’ve made Dick Clark and Ed McMahon proud (and would’ve make TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes), Collins made a notable on-air flub during the first intermission of a […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: “You Got Shteirized”

On Sunday, New York Times reviewer Rachel Shteir reviewed three Chicago based books. But the reviews were less about the books in question and more about Chicago itself. In her review, Shteir – who is also a professor at DePaul University and moved to Chicago thirteen years ago – talked about “poor Chicago” and used every stereotypical crack associated with […]