It looks like WGN Radio has finally gotten its wish to land on an FM outlet – even if its temporary. As first reported by Robert Feder Friday afternoon, Tribune Broadcasting has struck a deal to lease the 87.7 FM frequency from Venture Technologies Group, effective Monday (Feb. 17) at 1:02 p.m. – one minute after its deal with WKQX […]
The Tribune Co. announced Wednesday it was splitting its publishing properties from the rest of the company’s assets, becoming the latest media conglomerate to do so. The new company is being named Tribune Publishing Co., and consists of the Chicago Tribune, Red Eye, Hoy, Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, Sun-Sentinel (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area), Hartford Courant, Morning Call, and Daily Press. […]
Last week was a heinous one for the news media as the Boston Marathon Bombing took place – not to mention an explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas, which killed fifteen people and injured hundreds. Chicagoans had their own problems to deal with, as heavy rains brought flooding to the area, adding to the workload for already stressed-out […]
Usually, this website takes well-deserved shots at Chicago and national media outlets. But the Chicago Tribune’s salute to Boston in Tuesday’s sports section (see the photo to the left – click to enlarge) was the epitome of class. As you certainly know by now, two bombs went off near the finish line at the Boston Marathon Monday, killing three people […]
I guess in Chicago media, you don’t need a degree to get a job. Just look pretty. Or be dumb. Or be an unfunny, talentless hack. Or just yell a lot. Welcome to the Chicago media freak show, former Representative Joe Walsh. In a town whose media outlets hired embarrassments such as Randy Michaels, Jim Laski, Jenny McCarthy, Jim Belushi, […]
The Tribune Co. Unofficially puts its papers on the block; Oscar viewership is up over a year ago; and more Mancow is headed to your TV: – It looks like the Chicago Tribune is up for sale. As first reported by CNBC on Monday, the 166-year old paper and others in the chain are on the block by creditors who […]
In a move that is widely being praised by many local and national media observers, current WMAQ general manger and Chicago-area native Larry Wert was named the new president of local broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting on Wednesday. Poaching Wert from NBC is the biggest move Tribune has made yet since Peter Ligouri took over as CEO, which is coming off a […]
Station group plotting future without off-network fare in key time periods? Tribune Broadcasting announced last week it has cleared a new weekend scripted hour series from Trifecta Entertainment titled Rescue 3, created by former Baywatch showrunner Gregory J. Bonann. Clearances include WGN-TV Chicago, WPIX New York, KTLA Los Angeles, WPHL Philadelphia and KDAF Dallas. As first reported by Broadcasting & […]
Get the cranberry sauce ready: it’s time for the 7th annual T Dog Media Turkey Awards where every Thanksgiving, yours truly honors the worst in the media business for the year and 2012 is filled with so many media turkeys! Without further ado, here are this year’s, um… “winners”: Animal Practice. Premiering after the Summer Olympics (or more aptly put, […]
Notes and news – in this mostly local edition of the Grab Bag: – As mentioned briefly in the Tribune bankruptcy post on Saturday, the Chicago Tribune was recently caught using fake bylines and plagiarizing and fabricating stories in TribLocal, the paper’s hyperlocal network of websites and print properties serving Chicago’s suburbs. On Friday, the Tribune announced it was parting […]
After three years, the Tribune bankruptcy saga is finally coming to end – but at a price. A federal judge approved the bankruptcy plan created by banks and creditors on Friday. Those entities – Angelo, Gordon, and Co., JP Morgan Chase, and Oaktree Capital Management – now take control of the media company, which means for the first time in […]
Looks like Uncle Rupert’s company will have to do the Banana Split. But at least he won’t have to deal with costumed animals running around all over the place. News Corporation announced on Thursday it was splitting up into two publicly traded companies, one which has publishing assets, the other with entertainment properties. News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch will be […]
Limbaugh gets called out for nasty behavior. But what about everyone else? As you know by now, syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh made a rather nasty comment on his nationally syndicated radio show last week calling Georgetown student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” after she testified in Congress on difficulty obtaining contraception and felt she needed […]
It’s a Valentine’s edition of T Dog’s Six Pack – the heart-shaped winners and the prune-shaped losers: A fine box of chocolates The Grammys. Fueled by the death of Whitney Houston (who paid tribute) and Adele’s 6-for-6 night, the 54th Grammy Awards drew 40 million viewers, the second-largest audience for the awards show in history (The 1984 Grammys drew 43.8 […]
There is a lot of mediocrity that abounded in the media business this year. But in this post, T Dog Media is honoring the standouts of 2011 – the year’s ten best shows and the best media items. Let’s countdown the best shows of the year first… Best shows of 2011 10. Bob’s Burgers (Fox). What could’ve been the next […]
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