Chicago Sun-Times sold. Again.

Here we go again! For the six time in thirty years – and the second time in two years –  the Chicago Sun-Times has a different owner. Wrapports LLC, a newly formed venture headed by Merrick Ventures LLC CEO Michael Ferro Jr. and Madison Dearborn Partners LLC Chairman John Canning Jr. have agreed to purchase the Sun-Times and its numerous […]

The T Dog Media 2011 Turkey Awards

            Allen Gregory: Worst. Sitcom. Ever. Welcome to the 6th annual T Dog Media Turkey Awards! Every year around Thanksgiving, yours truly hashes out the worst in the media business – in television, radio, and sports. So bring out the stale stuffing and expired cranberry sauce! It’s time to go gobbling! And the “winners” are… […]

T Dog’s Six Pack: Dewey defeats Dallas

It’s like saying Power 92 is #1 in the Streets! Yep, it’s been a week of mistakes for some – ask the Miami Herald and the Toronto Star who declared some teams champions last week when they weren’t, and for anyone who went into Downtown Vancouver Wednesday evening. It’s not just some bizarre universe where Dewey defeated Truman for President […]

The Grab Bag: Power 92 fires its daytime personalities; VanOdsol exits Q101; and Rosenthal’s new gig

Sorry, you guys never really were. It’s an all-local version of The Grab Bag! News and notes from Chicago media: – In news that broke Friday evening on Chicagoland Radio and Media’s website, Urban Contemporary WPWX-FM (Power 92) has drastically changed its weekday lineup by cutting loose several of its on-air personalities including late morning host Trey Da Chocolat Jock, […]

Paige Wiser out at the Sun-Times

In a move which leaves neither big-time Chicago newspaper without a television critic, The Chicago Sun-Times fired Paige Wiser after a little over two years on the job after submitting several inaccuracies in a Glee Live! concert review, an offshoot of the popular Fox series. Wiser had been with the paper for the last seventeen years, mostly as an entertainment […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: The dinosaurs roar tonight

Your symbol of the Chicago Tribune. We do newspapers right!  Want fries with that? The only similarities between John Kass and yours truly is we are native South Siders and White Sox fans. That’s where it stops, believe me. Once again, a Big Media cronie proves how much he or she is out of touch with the realities of today’s […]

Lee Abrams: The rise and fall of

The resignation of Tribune executive Lee Abrams on Friday was pretty much expected, and came as no surprise. Abrams sent a company-wide e-mail on Monday featuring Not Safe for Work videos and angering employees company-wide, and was suspended Wednesday for doing so. Some of the videos featured stuff you would normally find on a Girls Gone Wild DVD.  And all […]

Tribune suspends Lee Abrams

Tribune Co. announced the supension of Chief Innoviation Officer Lee Abrams today after he e-mailed a rather racy memo to employees of the company on Monday. The suspension is indefinate, and further disciplinary action may take place, including termination. The story – ironically enough – broke Tuesday on Chicago Tribune’s website by Phil Rosenthal.  The move comes at a time […]

The idiots we can’t seem to ignore

The New York Times today made national what was reported in Chicago media circles for months regarding the frat house antics at Tribune Tower. David Carr had a front-page story in the newspaper regarding the dysfunctional nature that has become the Tribune Co., since Sam Zell bought the company in an ill-fated $8.2 million buyout  in 2007 with Tribune Chump […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag

Glee is off to a hot start – 5.5 adults 18-49 rating for its second season premiere. – The new fall season is underway, and here’s the storylines so far… Dancing With The Stars and Glee are in peak form; Hawaii Five-O had a successful debut; Mike & Molly was amply sampled; and all of Fox’s new shows (Lonestar, Raising […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Exit, stage left…

..and other media news of note: – Kevin Manno is exiting his afternoon gig at alt-rock WKQX-FM (Q101) to take a job hosting a yet-to-be named weekday show on MTV according to CRM. The new show debuts on September 20 and is scheduled to air weekdays at 5 p.m. Manno’s old shift is being filled temporarily by James VanOdsol. This […]

T Dog’s Four Pack: The Stanley Cup Edition

What a ride it was. The 2010 Stanley Cup Final goes down as one Chicago fans will never forget as the Blackhawks win their first championship since 1961.  Here are the winners – and losers – of the Stanley Cup Final, noting the biggest winner of them all are of course, the Chicago Blackhawks. WinnersPatrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. They […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: The Court Jester

Last week, A memo Tribune CEO Randy Michaels sent through WGN-AM News Director Charlie Meyerson, had a list of 119 words and phrases his employees at WGN should not say on the air in order to “improve the product”. And if they say any of these “forbidden” words, other employees can “rat them out” by noting the precise date and […]

T Dog’s Four Pack

A week of shock and awe – literally. A Halloween edition of T Dog’s Four Pack: Treats – White Collar. USA had a lot of goodies in its bag – to the tune of 5.3 million viewers for the debut of its new Friday night drama White Collar. With the continued success of Dexter on Showtime, being a criminal has […]