Weigel Broadcasting’s Chicago independent WCIU-TV scored another urban sitcom coup by acquiring CBS Television Distribution’s Everybody Hates Chris. The program will air in off-network syndication as a strip beginning in the fall of 2009, assuming the CW renews the show for next season. WCIU is likely to pair Chris with Debmar’s Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, another urban sitcom that’s […]
New weekend off-network hours that are making the rounds for syndication in 2008 have cleared Chicago stations. Boston Legal, the Emmy-award series from Twentieth Television, has cleared WLS-TV in Chicago for weekend runs next fall, as well as fellow ABC O&O’s in Los Angeles (KABC), San Francisco (KGO), and Houston (KTRK). Other stations clearing the hour include Scripps’ WXYZ-TV in […]
TV stations in Los Angeles and San Diego had their hands full covering major wildfires in their respective metro areas this week, and they did so by expanding their on-air coverage (including pre-empting network and syndicated programs) and expanding their web presence. Many stations like NBC-owned KNBC in Los Angeles and McGraw-Hill’s ABC affiliate KGTV in San Diego provided live […]
CBS Television Distribution has cleared a spin-off of Dr. Phil called The Doctors in 50 percent of the country. Among station groups clearing the show include CBS, Belo, Gannett, Scripps, and Cox. Stations grabbing the strip include WCBS-TV in New York, KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, KYW-TV in Philadelphia, KTVU-TV in San Francisco, WSB-TV in Atlanta (which will likely replace Montel […]
This week’s issue of Crain’s Chicago Business details the continuing ratings struggle of CBS-owned WBBM-TV. Joe Ahern, who helped rocket competing WLS-TV into a ratings powerhouse in the ’80’s and ’90’s, is finding it a difficult task to repeat the same feat at WBBM. At issue is the station’s poorly-rated newscasts, which places behind not only ABC-owned WLS and NBC-owned […]
Instead, he is expected to renew his deal to continue on Adam Carolla’s morning show on KLSX-FM in Los Angeles, which leaves the Loop (WLUP-FM, 97.9 FM) still without an afternoon personality. The drive-home position has been vacant since Zakk Tyler left. Loop owner Emmis Communications contends that the former Partridge Family star’s antics (i.e. the brawl he was involved […]
Free FM is almost officially done with the next-to-last Fraud FM station, WKRK-FM in Detroit flipping to sports and simulcasting WXYT-AM. This means that the Opie and Anthony Morning Show is gone from that station, too. Meanwhile, CBS’ Pittsburgh FM Talk outlet is toast as well. The last Free FM station remaining is KLSX-FM, Los Angeles.
In a surprise move, Clear Channel’s KBIG-FM in Los Angeles has dumped its longtime Hot Adult Contemporary format for an Adult Hits one, putting them in direct competition with CBS’ KCBS-FM (Jack 93.1) and Emmis’ KMVN-FM (Movin’ 93.9) Core artists include Beyonce, Christana Aguliera, and John Mayer. Longtime radio personality Charlie Tuna (who is also a notable voice-over talent) was […]
We’re gonna turn it on… we’re gonna turn on the power… at Fox-owned WPWR this fall. But the power’s been off for a few years now at the station. Like other big-market MNT affiliates (WWOR and KCOP in N.Y. and L.A., respectively), WPWR has performed poorly, often placing last in total-day ratings among Chicago’s English and Spanish commercial TV stations. […]
Hal Fishman, the legendary anchor at Tribune’s KTLA in Los Angeles, died this morning of colon cancer at the age of 75. Fishman was a mainstay at KTLA off and on for 42 years. Fishman anchored his last newscast on July 30, and collapsed at his home on August 1, in which he was hospitalized with a serious infection.
NBC Universal announced this morning that John Wallace will succeed Jay Ireland as president of the NBC-owned stations (Ireland took a position with GE Capital management. GE owns NBC Universal.) Wallace will report directly to NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker. NBC owns and operates ten English-language stations in New York (WNBC), Los Angeles (KNBC), Chicago (WMAQ), Philadelphia (WCAU), […]
Robert Feder in today’s Sun-Times is reporting that “Crazy” Howard McGee will be dropped as morning host at Clear Channel urban contemporary station WGCI-FM and being replaced by Steve Harvey’s syndicated morning show. The move is expected to take place sometime around August 1. Harvey’s program had been airing on Crawford’s Urban AC outlet WSRB-FM, but Premiere Radio Networks, a […]
Paula Madison is stepping down as general manager of NBC’s KNBC-TV in Los Angeles to devote full-time to her duties as Vice President of Diversity. Ms. Madison became the first African-American to run a TV station in the nation’s second-largest market, when she landed the position in late 2000. She also inherited the duties of regional general manager of two […]
Arthur Greenwald of TVnewsday says that many ABC affiliates are passing up a chance to promote Dancing With the Stars locally. He compares the promo efforts of ABC-owned KABC-TV in Los Angeles, Tribune’s WGNO-TV in New Orleans, and Hearst-Argyle’s WTAE in Pittsburgh (which won in his book for its promo efforts over the Tribune station and the network O&O website.)
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