Accusations include rude sexually charged comments and discrimination As first reported by Radio Insight Friday evening, former Q101 (WKQX-FM) radio personality and producer Justin Nettlebeck has filed a lawsuit against the station’s owner Cumulus Media for sexual and other kinds of harassment. The lawsuit states Nettlebeck was “subjected to harassment and discriminatory treatment based on his gender, including sexual harassment, […]
Former B96 exec takes job at classic hits station Former Audacy exec Todd Cavanah has returned to Chicago radio as new PD of Cumulus’ WLS-FM, taking over the classic hits station effective immediately. Cavanah is a longtime fixture on the Chicago radio scene, spending 33 years at Audacy and its predcessor companies, CBS Radio and Infinity Broadcasting. He departed Audacy […]
Also: NBA, Stanley Cup Final earns mixed ratings numbers; Nexstar moves CW affiliations to its owned stations in three markets; “Velma” renewed for season two Usually, trades are reserved for sports teams though this one could be compared to the Chicago White Sox trading a player to the Minnesota Twins. Cumulus Media announced Tuesday the appointment of James Kurdziel from […]
Pandemic, expiring contract forces end of show [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on November 21 as Muller’s replacement was named on Friday.] The last time Mancow Muller found himself out of a job was two and a half years ago when the station he worked for was sold and flipped to a Contemporary Christian music format. This time, it’s […]
What’s traditional media’s response to a changing market? Hire the same people over and over again. Currently, broadcast network television is relying on reboots of shows no one wants to see, junk reality competition programming, paint-by-numbers procedurals (mainly on CBS) and long-running programs that never seem to end to sustain their declining ratings. But apparently, broadcast network execs must’ve gotten […]
Decision was made to protect their business interests after she became unhinged – but she never should have been rehired in the first place As one who refused to join the chorus of praise regarding the Roseanne reboot – and this person has had his fill of “reboots” already, ABC indeed “did the right thing” by cancelling the show after […]
Dropping homegrown talent for syndicated fare; enables Rush Limbaugh to be live again in Chicago As first reported by Robert Feder Wednesday, longtime Chicago media personalities Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano were shown the door (again), this time at Cumulus Media’s WLS-AM as the station canceled their 10 to noon morning show after only one year. WLS had high hopes […]
What’s revealed tells us about the sometime nuttiness of Chicago radio In a testament to how weird things can get in Chicago radio, a lawsuit was filed this week by a radio personality claiming “emotional distress” after his employer hired his old boss – who allegedly had staffers send raw meat to advertisers. Really. On Monday, Mancow Muller (who else?) […]
Also: DeCastro, Nyren return to management roles; Comic-Con HQ closes and shifts to Amazon; Mavs bottom in ratings before Bulls do Chicago’s violence epidemic is once again on the international stage – this time in Canada. Public broadcaster CBC recently aired an Chicago installment of Interrupt This Program, a series about “underground art scenes in cities under pressure and cities […]
For the second time in as many years, Jonathan Brandmeier is no longer calling The Loop home. The eclectic morning radio personality and his show was canceled by Emmis-owned WLUP-FM on Monday after four years, with Friday being the last show (Pete McMurray filled in today.) Brandmeier recently signed a one-year contract extension with the Classic Rock outlet, with Emmis […]
If you read Robert Feder’s column yesterday, or logged on to radio-related message boards on the Internet, you probably know by now that Cara Carriveau was fired from WLUP-FM (97.9), “The Loop” — all because she wrote a letter to Mr. Feder decrying the state of radio in Chicago. (The story actually broke last night in the Chicago Tribune courtesy […]