The Media Notepad: Former MBC HQ won’t be used for migrant shelter after all

Also: The NAB is concerned about crime near their headquarters; ESPN 1000 owner drops Nielsen; WNBA’s New York Liberty strikes broadcast deal with Fox in New York The River North building where the Museum of Broadcast Communications was located won’t become a migrant shelter after all. Last November, city leaders led by Mayor Brandon Johnson were looking to house migrants […]

Rewinding media in 2023

  A year dominated by labor strife, awful Chicago sports teams, and – oh yeah, Elon  If you watched the WWE, you remember Vince McMahon playing himself as an arrogant CEO and billionaire, ruling over anything and everything – the ultimate heel. It’s a real-life trend we’re seeing as we close 2023. Led by billionaire Elon Musk, CEOs – whether […]

Former MBC Building may be used for migrant shelter

Former broadcast museum considered as Venezuelan migrants continue to flood city as space for shelters dwindles  The former Museum of Broadcasting Communications building in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on State Street could be the unlikely new home for a migrant shelter.  As reported by crime news website CWB Chicago last week, city officials are looking at the taxpayer-funded building vacated […]

MBC permanently closes River North museum

Pandemic, changing lifestyles took toll After delays, taxpayer funding, and a much ballyhooed opening, it’s curtains for the Museum of Broadcasting Communications’ River North museum, which closed for good April 30 as reported Tuesday morning by the Chicago Tribune. The museum had historic artifacts from Chicago’s television and radio past, and included the Radio Hall Of Fame exhibit.  Open since […]

T Dog’s Media Notepad: Landecker heads to the Radio Hall Of Fame

St. Louis, Milwaukee stations may be spun off by Sinclair sale while John Oliver takes on the company Philadelphia radio station takes a shot a Taylor Swift; changes formats Chicago radio legend John “Records” Landecker is getting a tremendous honor: an induction into the National Radio Hall Of Fame – on the first ballot. Landecker is being inducted into the […]

Welcome Back: MST3K to return

Thanks to Kickstarter, a cult classic rises again In this era of reboots and revivals comes an unlikely name surfacing: Mystery Science Theater 3000. And so it shall be done. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, the movie mocking series Mystery Science Theater 3000 – or MST3K, for short, is indeed coming back with fourteen new episodes – thanks to a […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: CW showing signs of life, while Fox ebbs

Also: MST3K, Wild Chicago holding fan events in Chicago this weekend  The latest items in the Grab Bag: – Once left for dead, it looks like there is signs of life at The CW: Three of their freshman dramas – Vampire Diaries‘ spinoff The Originals, The Tomorrow People, and Reign have all been picked up for the full season. The […]

Quick Hits and Bits: Dahl, Meier feuding again?

Welcome to the second edition of Quick Hits and Bits! – Oh God, here we go again… another radio legend has turned down Bruce DuMont’s invite to the Radio Hall Of Fame ceremony – this time its Steve Dahl, who he and Garry Meier who are being inducted November 9. Like Howard Stern last year, Dahl reportedly was not happy […]

Bruce DuMont played for the fool again

Once again, Bruce DuMont was played the fool – and this time by one of the biggest names in all of entertainment. I’m talking about Howard Stern’s “induction” into The Radio Hall Of Fame by the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications, located in the city’s River North neighborhood, finally making it in after four tries. You’d think he’d be happy, […]

Weigel chairman Howard Shapiro dies 

Howard Shapiro, chairman of Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting, died from pneumonia today at the age of 86. A graduate in electronic engineering from Purdue, Shapiro was a electronics dealer, with a business called C.E.T. (Chicago Engineers of Television) and was one of the first advertisers who bought commercial time on WCIU, which was launched by the Weigel family in 1964, becoming […]

Public memorials, tributes set for Don Cornelius

Many tributes are being planned this weekend and in the coming week in light of Don Cornelius’ death on Wednesday: – WCIU and new diginet Bounce are both simultaneously airing a seven-hour Soul Train marathon this Saturday night starting with the first syndicated episode from October 2, 1971, which featured musical guest Gladys Knight & The Pips and his final […]