Media Notepad: WTTW exec exits after long run

And… James Holzhauer’s final Jeopardy scores in ratings; Gov. Pritzker honors Rockford local show; Viewers skip Red Line. The man who helmed the Window To The World has called it a career. As first reported by Robert Feder, Dan Soles is stepping down from powerhouse public television station WTTW after 24 years on the job. His most recent position was […]

Friday ratings roundup: “TGIF” smushed by Fox

Meanwhile, Chicago stations pre-empt regular programming for Jason Van Dyke verdict Note: All numbers are preliminary adult 18-49 demos, unless otherwise noted. Friday night saw the return (again) of “TGIF” brand to ABC, the beloved staple from the 1990s with family-friendly comedies and a game show. But the third time apparently isn’t the charm. Using TGIF for the first time […]

“Chicago Tonight’s” Joel Weisman calls it a career

Longtime Chicago Tonight host Joel Weisman announced Friday night his retirement from the Week In Review portion of the show after 40 years. As first reported by Robert Feder, Weisman is making way for several rotating moderators on the Friday version of the show. His final program is January 19 with an one-hour special. The move is the second change […]

The Media Notepad: Mike North calls it a (sports) career; Corey McPherrin promoted

Plus: ABC 7 dominates in ratings AND social media; Minneapolis station latest to drop “My” branding That’s a wrap…for now: Mike North went on television Tuesday night and announced he was “retiring” from sports media, including radio, television, writing, podcasts… you name it. On WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, North told host Phil Ponce talking sports today was just too complicated. He […]

“MacGyver” tops Friday ratings

CBS remake scores decent sampling; Church of Tisch dominates the evening Note: These results are based on adults 18-49 preliminary ratings. On The Simpsons, Patty and Selma said they’re favorite TV show was MacGvyer, the 1985-92 ABC series featuring Richard Dean Anderson (it was even part of a plot of one 1992 episode where Selma marries Sideshow Bob.) So you […]

“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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

TCA: ABC prepares new dramas to launch

The ABC Portion of the tour kicked off with ABC Family’s Bunheads and Pretty Little Liars, then descended into the executive session, where network president Paul Lee blundred and stumbled explaining why the network didn’t do well (finishing fourth in primetime), admitting defeat and the work ABC needs to do. Lee also admitted this past All-Star cycle of Dancing With […]