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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

2022: A look ahead

CW sale, political races, on tap  Even though it’s January 14, it’s never too late to look ahead to see what could happen in media for the remaining 351 days left in the year. So let’s look in the crystal ball and see what to expect. As always, we’ll check back at the end of the year to see how […]

ABC 7, other ABC-owned stations renew “Tamron Hall” for two more seasons

Renewal keeps her show on the air through 2024 Looks like we’re going to hear the phrase “TamFam” for some time to come. Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution announced Monday the renewal of Tamron Hall’s daytime talk show for its fourth and fifth seasons, taking the show through September 2024, thanks to an early pickup by the ABC-owned stations including […]

Jennifer Hudson in talks to host daytime talk show

Oscar-winner in talks with Warner Bros. The first project in development in syndication next fall is a big one: a show featuring Chicago native Jennifer Hudson. While there were rumors circulating in the last few weeks, Variety confirmed Thursday a show from Warner Bros. is in development with Hudson, a local woman who rose to fame on American Idol in […]

“Young Sheldon” bows to strong ratings

Sheldon roars right out of the gate and so does Good Doctor (Updated at 4:40 p.m.) Despite hot temperatures throughout much of the country (including Chicago), viewers tuned in for the start of the new fall season on Monday, starting a week later than in recent years. The show industry watchers are keeping an eye on is CBS’ new Big […]

“American Idol” heads to ABC

ABC snags hit Fox show for reboot  [Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared Sunday and has been rewritten with new information.]  After rumors American Idol would resurface next year on NBC, ABC has acquired the rights to reboot the franchise. Variety first reported Friday a deal was near with ABC; but Fox, who aired the series for fifteen years, was reportedly still […]

Think Tank Express: “Idol” moving to NBC?

The rich could get richer Well, that didn’t take long – NBC and Fremantle Media are in talks about bringing back American Idol sometime next season. American Idol, of course, ended its run ten months ago on Fox after a fourteen-season run. During its peak, Idol drew more thirty million viewers a week and attracted nearly half of all 18-49 […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: WGN-TV succeeds with annual toy drive

Also: The Wall off to a decent start; WCIU to showcase local comedians; Drew Barrymore talker on hold; Fox duopoly picks up another show. WGN-TV held its fourteenth annual Drive-Thru Toy Drive on Thursday to benefit needy families in Chicago and the Tribune-owned independent collected nearly 14,000 unwrapped toys at the event held at the station. Award-winning actress and singer […]

T Dog Media’s Notepad: Brandmeier bows out early

Also: CBS/Viacom merger dead;  Hairspray Live! earns decent reviews and ratings; Alan Thicke dies Remember the message Jonathon Brandmeier put up on his website back two months ago when he said ” [We’ll] continue on the air until it’s officially over – or until they literally pull the plug?” Well, they just did. Cumulus and Westwood One abruptly pulled the plug on Brandmeier’s […]