Wendy McMahon is out as head of CBS News and Stations

Cites loss of editorial independence after 60 Minutes lawsuit Paramount Global’s CBS News lost its leader Monday as Wendy McMahon was essentially fired as head of the CBS News and Stations group.  On Saturday, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks demanded her resignation from CBS News after she reportedly apologized to staff for how CBS was handling the 60 Minutes fiasco. The […]

Comcast, Paramount Global renews deal

CBS Chicago to stay on Xfinity systems; subscribers to get Paramount Plus Paramount Global and Comcast announced a new carriage deal on Tuesday. The multi-year deal includes Paramount’s portfolio of networks, including CBS and its owned stations, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and others. Comcast subscribers will also continue to gain access to streamers Paramount Plus, BET Plus, and Pluto […]

CBS Mornings expands to three hours – in some places

And one of those places is Chicago, as CBS Chicago sacrifices 9 a.m. newscast on linear [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on September 27.] Tony Dokoupil and Adriana Diaz were named anchors of CBS’ new third-hour extension of CBS Mornings called CBS Morning Plus, airing live weekday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning September 30. But instead of airing the […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: The White Sox uses the CBS Chicago blueprint for its Fan Alienation Plan

Chicago’s South Side MLB team resembles CBS Chicago’s ratings disasters in every way possible  In the early 2000s, then-Chicago Tribune media critic Steve Johnson noted the management at CBS-owned WBBM-TV implemented what he called a “Viewer Alienation Plan”, a series of bad decisions repelling viewers from the station throughout the 1990s, including tabloid newscasts, awful anchor pairings, and a deer-in-headlight […]

The Media Notepad: Digitial network Bounce may soon be on the sales block

Also: Judge Judy and Hot Bench renewed through 2026; Bulls’ regular-season ratings fall; WLS-AM host falls for phishing scam Digital subchannel Bounce could soon have a new owner, according to CNBC.  Cincinnati-based Scripps has hired a financial firm to evaluate potential offers. Bounce was founded by Katz Communications and launched in 2011, offering various dramas, sitcoms, and sporting events targeted […]

The Media Notepad: Merit hooks up with TBN for distribution

Also: PBC heads to Amazon Prime; Paramount Global may be on sales block; Cord-cutting having an impact on Baltimore’s finances  More information was released last week about Dr. Phil McGraw’s new network Merit Street is relying on an old standby to distribute the network.  Trinity Broadcasting Network, who usually broadcasts non-secular fare, will air several hours of Dr. Phil’s new […]

The Media Notepad: WBBM Newsradio names Craig Schwalb news director

Also: Mayoral debates scheduled; CBS-owned stations to rebrand news properties Audacy’s all-news WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM announced last week the hire of Craig Schwalb as brand manager and news director of the station effective January 23. He succeeds Ron Gleason, who retired last month.  Schwalb comes from Hubbard’s dominant all-news station WTOP in Washington, D.C., a station who typically leads the country in […]

Internal Investigation sweeps GMs out of CBS 2 in both Chicago, L.A.

CBS 2 Chicago GM Derek Dalton out after three years; L.A. GM out too After ViacomCBS concluded its six-month investigation into racial and sexual harassment at its 28 CBS-owned television stations, the network relived two local station executives of their duties.  Fired from their positions Thursday were WBBM-TV/CBS 2 general manager Derek Dalton and Los Angeles’ KCBS/KCAL GM Jay Howell […]

CBS lays off staff, including Chicago’s CBS 2

More than a dozen staffers let go, including longtime investigative reporter Pam Zekman  [Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.]  Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter Pam Zekman was one of a dozen staffers let go at CBS-owned WBBM-TV Wednesday as parent company ViacomCBS made 300 to 400 layoffs at CBS Entertainment Group.   It appears CBS 2 bore the brunt of the […]

Report: Drew Barrymore to launch daytime talk show

New show to air locally over CBS 2 – or somewhere else It’s October and that means it’s already time to start planning for next fall’s syndicated shows. With that said, CBS Television Distribution announced a new talk show featuring Drew Barrymore, scheduled to debut in September 2020. The program cleared the CBS-owned stations in 38 percent of the country, […]

CBSN to expand to other markets, including Chicago

Local news streaming service to be based out of CBS 2 Chicago is about to get its first local news streaming service. As announced on Thursday, CBS Television Stations and CBS Interactive announced an expansion of their local news streaming service to Chicago and twelve other cities, with content provided by CBS owned-and-operated stations in those markets. Modeled after CBS’ […]

The Media Notepad: 101.9 The Mix, The Drive dominate Chicago radio ratings

Also: Decades finds new station group; FCC votes to modify kidvid rules and strike down San Francisco apartment broadband law Hubbard Broadcasting continued its dominance of local Chicago radio in the recently released May PPM Nielsen rankings. As reported by Robert Feder, WTMX finished first again, with sister station The Drive (WDRV-FM) finishing a strong second.  The Minnepaolis-based company also […]