DirecTV offers RSNs as add-ons in skinny bundles

Some relief for starved Chicago sports fans – but will they take advantage?  As hinted at when it was announced in January, DirecTV is adding regional sports network add-ons to its MySports skinny bundle, including CHSN and Marquee for Chicago-area viewers, just in time for baseball season as the former features the Chicago White Sox, and the latter for the […]

FCC Chairman complains about Great American channels not being on YouTubeTV

Claims they air “faith-based programming” – or something like that  So what does the term “faith-based programming” mean?  FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seems to be playing fast and loose with the definition as he blasted Google-owned YouTubeTV for not carrying a pair of channels owned by Great American Media: Great American Family and Great American Faith & Living. The former […]

Local news organizations drawn in to Tiffany Henyard drama

NBC 5 joins WGN News, and Fox 32 in documenting Dolton’s chaos as media tries to navigate choppy waters on covering her As you know, there is never a shortage of political scandals to cover in Illinois. From Operation Silver Shovel to Blago, the non-stop corruption has kept journalists busy and fascinated observers.  And in the Year Of Our Lord […]

The Media Notepad: Elon Musk wants to get rid of over-the-air TV

Plus, Chicago radio ratings, Comcast considering the sale or spinoff of cable channels, and the CW returns to a Cleveland station after Nexstar buys it  Elon Musk has finally expressed his thoughts on television, and he is not a fan. The South African billionaire who bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 blasted the major networks on his platform recently, […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: Bad times on media row

Journalists under fire from Trump, the left, and even Mayor Johnson as journalism’s prestige continues to sag If you thought the 2024 Chicago White Sox had a rough year, the media had it worse.  Daily attacks on the Fifth Estate have become commonplace in the last few weeks leading up to the Presidential election. And it’s not just coming from […]

FCC approves controversial Audacy bankruptcy deal

Audacy to go private  The FCC approved a controversial Audacy bankruptcy plan in a politically divided three-to-two vote in which Soros Fund Management becomes the biggest shareholder in the company with a 57 percent stake through the Laurel Tree Opportunities Corporation.  As a result, Audacy – who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, will go private and David Field […]

DirecTV buys rival Dish

Creates the largest pay-TV provider in the country with an estimated 18 million subscribers As anticipated amid rumors over the weekend, DirecTV has agreed to purchase rival satellite TV provider Dish DBS (direct broadcast satellite) from Echostar for $1 and the assumption of $9.75 billion in debt. The transaction, subject to government approval, will create the largest pay-TV conglomerate in […]

The Media Notepad: Report: New CHSN close to deal with DirecTV

Also: WGN-TV’s Jewell Hilary gets promoted; FCC head rejects Trump ABC license revocation request Three months after its official announcement, the Sun-Times reported Thursday the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is close to a deal with DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse.  This comes as an email was sent to YouTubeTV subscribers (including me) Wednesday stating NBC Sports Chicago – the […]

Nexstar, Mission Broadcasting fined by FCC over New York’s WPIX

Must also sell station in twelve months In a decision that could have ripple effects for local television, the FCC has fined both Nexstar and Mission Broadcasting over their relationship with one another regarding WPIX in New York City, the market’s CW affiliate. The FCC has also ordered Mission to sell the station in the nation’s largest media market. The […]

Shaw Local Radio buys LaSalle, Dixon stations

Year-old division of Shaw Media expands even further into radio with a four-station purchase Shaw Media, who owns about eighty local newspapers across Northern Illinois and websites here and in Iowa, is making a push to get into radio. Christened Shaw Local Radio, the division announced last Thursday it was purchasing three  Illinois radio stations: Dixon’s Oldies WIXN-AM (1450) and […]

Rewinding media in 2023

  A year dominated by labor strife, awful Chicago sports teams, and – oh yeah, Elon  If you watched the WWE, you remember Vince McMahon playing himself as an arrogant CEO and billionaire, ruling over anything and everything – the ultimate heel. It’s a real-life trend we’re seeing as we close 2023. Led by billionaire Elon Musk, CEOs – whether […]

Report: Nexstar, Byron Allen looking to buy ABC (updated)

Comes a day after a former Nexstar exec says it could happen  [Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.] News of a potential ABC sale picked up Thursday after Bloomberg reported The Walt Disney Co. was in talks for either Nexstar or Allen Media Group (led by Byron Allen) to purchase ABC and its owned eight stations, after a Deadline […]