The Media Notepad: Fox 32 gets Amazon Thursday night Bears game – report (updated)

Also: local Atlanta station removes popular syndicated show to air more news; controversial political ad removed from local airwaves; the GOP looking to deregulate the media business even more; Ramsey Lewis dies [Editor’s Note: There is an update to the second story in this piece. See below.] Thursday Night Football may have left Fox, but its owned stations certainly haven’t […]

The Media Notepad: CBS 2 to launch 9 a.m. newscast

Also: NewsNation add late morning news block; Scripps adds digital subchannels to DirecTV; Samsung bulks up Plus TV  As expected, CBS 2 (WBBM-TV) is launching a new 9 a.m. half-hour newscast, starting September 12: https://twitter.com/AudrinaBigos/status/1567089635217620995 Anchoring the newscast are Audrina Bigos and Ryan Baker, with Laura Bannon on weather.  The move is part of an initiative by CBS News And […]

Report: NBC may cut back prime-time hours

  Move as a result of waning interest in linear TV In what could be potentially the biggest shake-up in prime-time since the implantation of the PrimeTime Access Rule in 1971, NBC is mulling a plan to give the 10 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. CT slot to affiliates – likely for them to program local news. “While NBC is the […]

The Media Notepad: MeTV scares up “BOOnanza” (updated)

Also: Jennifer Hudson’s local time slot set; and the Chicago Blackhawks name new analysts [Editor’s Note: The Blackhawks item has been updated with more information.]  If you are a fan of Svengoolie – and I know there are a lot of you out there, then you have a lot to celebrate this October. Weigel’s MeTV is turning the pumpkin month […]

The Media Notepad: Chicago Reader publisher steps down

Also: ABC 7 hires new person for its creative services programming team; Fox’s Chicago duopoly to air new game show; Devil in White City to be adapted for the small screen  After leading the paper through a difficult transition as a non-profit, Chicago Reader publisher Tracy Baim is stepping down after four years at the paper and three months as […]

Chicago stations cover Highland Park shooting tragedy

Local stations pre-empt programming on holiday For a city used to the horrors of gun violence, even this was too much to take. On a sparkly clear day, a Fourth Of July parade in the north suburban community of Highland Park was interrupted by a gunman who opened fire from a roof of a commercial building, hitting spectators below. As […]

Chicago Police searching for suspect who pointed a gun at TV news crew

Comes after Chicago is obliterated on the national stage again for gun violence after Texas tragedy Chicago TV news crews have mostly avoided getting attacked during live shots, which has been the case in several cities – that is until now. During a live shot Wednesday morning around 7 a.m. at the intersection of Clark and Hubbard in the River […]

Fox stations add “TMZ Hip-Hop”

  Wait a minute…Fox and Hip-Hop in the same sentence? It’s true!  Hip-Hop has been a mainstay in our culture for over thirty years. There are several magazines dedicated to the genre – Vibe, XXL, The Source, and others, dedicated to covering not only the music but the culture behind the music, including politics, sports, and race.  Rest assured, this […]

“The Real” ends after eight seasons

    Daytime talk show becomes latest casualty in changing syndication business After speculation surfaced on the shows future, the pink slip was finally handed out to Warner Bros.’ The Real after eight seasons. The decision to pull the plug came after the Fox Television Stations group declined to renew the show, and also coming on the same day Warner […]

“Judge Jerry”, “The Good Dish”, “Nick Cannon” canceled

  Hat trick of pink slips within 24 hours dooms shows  In a bizarre occurrence, not one but three first-run syndicated strips were canceled within a span of hours Wednesday – a first in recent memory as their services were no longer needed: three-season veteran Judge Jerry from NBCUniversal Syndication Studios; Debmar-Mercury’s Nick Cannon; and Sony’s The Good Dish, a […]

The Media Notepad: Winter Olympics’ lackluster ratings performance drags down NBC 5’s news ratings

Also: All CHGO launches; two network TV shows canceled; restaurant with a sitcom connection burns down Much has been made about the lackluster Winter Olympics ratings, but one angle wasn’t talked about much – their effect on NBC affiliates – or lack thereof. And no one experienced a bigger disappointment than Chicago’s NBC 5 (WMAQ.) As reported by Robert Feder […]

Jennifer Hudson lands new talk show at Fox-owned stations

  Fox 32 to air new show in fall Chicago-born Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar-award winning actress Jennifer Hudson’s new talk show from Warner Bros. is officially a firm go for September with a wide-ranging deal with the Fox-owned stations, including Fox 32 (WFLD) here. The program is also landing on Fox-owned WNYW New York and KTTV Los Angeles in nation’s […]

The Media Notepad: WGN-TV’s new “Daytime Chicago” a hit

Also: Paramount Plus adds new streaming channels; Pictionary gets green light for full-time series; Jussie Smollett found guilty Newsflash: There is a new hit on linear TV not named Ghosts or Law & Order: Organized Crime. In fact, it’s not even in primetime – and it’s local.  It’s WGN-TV’s new morning show Daytime Chicago, and it pulled out a ratings […]

“Dr. Oz” future in question after host announces Senate run

FCC’s equal-time rules takes show out of New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh markets [Editor’s Note: This post was updated at 8 p.m.]  The future of Sony Pictures Television’s Dr. Oz is in serious question after the host of said show announced Tuesday he was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania.  Mehmet Oz – who is a cardiac […]