Popularity isn’t exactly overrated as 2021 ends a wild year in media Like mystery of the sphinx or crop circles, you just can’t explain the continued popularity of certain things despite questionable changes. After the firing of Mark Giangreco and seemingly public disdain for one of her former co-anchors, ABC 7 remains on top of local Chicago news ratings, […]
Local stations, broadcast and cable networks battle it out to ring in the new year I think the question we should be asking is who isn’t doing a New Year’s Eve show this year? The major networks and local stations are throwing their hats in the New Years’ Eve ring as they look to capture their share of an audience […]
The Bears aren’t having fun but the NFL, Packers, and NBC sure are as ratings up from last year’s rivalry game. Meet your new television industry overlord Every year around Thanksgiving, this site publishes a feature honoring the worst in media called The T Dog Media Turkey Awards. But now there is a new yearly tradition on T Dog Media […]
Also: Paramount Plus adds new streaming channels; Pictionary gets green light for full-time series; Jussie Smollett found guilty Newsflash: There is a new hit on linear TV not named Ghosts or Law & Order: Organized Crime. In fact, it’s not even in primetime – and it’s local. It’s WGN-TV’s new morning show Daytime Chicago, and it pulled out a ratings […]
Also: ESPN 1000 gets new GM; Packers have new Milwaukee radio home; Sinclair still have trouble from ransomware attacks Leila Rahimi, who joined WSCR-AM/The Score earlier this year as Dan Bernstein’s co-host, is now returning to television as a part-time sports reporter and anchor. The Denton, Tex. native has joined NBC-owned WMAQ-TV/NBC 5’s sports department as part of a rotation […]
Same old Sunday Night Football story for Bears I’m not going to bore you whining about why the Chicago Bears keep getting national prime-time TV appearances; I’ve covered the topic aplenty over the years, most recently here and here. But the decision to keep Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace around for another year is one of those “Chicago Way” type […]
WTTW announced the 20th season of Check Please would be its last One of Chicago television’s longest-running shows is closing its doors after two decades on the air. WTTW announced Wednesday the end of Check, Please, one of the PBS member station’s longest running local shows in its history. “This upcoming season, as ‘Check, Please!’ leaves our schedule, we look […]
Also: Young Sheldon adds TBS home; Rick Dees becomes voice of RewindTV; Dish and Sinclair avoid blackouts – for now Veteran meteorologist Andy Avalos announced his retirement on Friday after 33 years on Chicago television. Starting on August 30, fellow NBC 5 (WMAQ) meteorologist Alicia Roman is taking over Avalos’ spot on the morning newscast from 4-7 a.m. She’s been […]
Ratings are down for local news – but not out [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on June 1.] If you’ve noticed, ratings are down across-the-board for just about everything on linear TV these days. And yes, that includes local news. As reported by Robert Feder Friday, three Chicago news stations: ABC-owned WLS-TV, NBC-owned WMAQ-TV and Nexstar independent WGN-TV, all […]
Includes NBC 5 in Chicago Quickly removing any speculation, the NBC-owned stations announced they were slotting sister company NBCUniversal Syndication Services’ Kelly Clarkson Show in the time period now occupied by Ellen starting in September 2022. This means Clarkson is replacing Ellen into the plum 3 p.m. real estate spot on ten NBC-owned stations, including NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) here in […]
Announcement gives NBC-owned stations time to develop a replacement in ’22 We now know the fate of Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show as she is officially calling it quits after next season, with the NBC-owned stations and others now looking forward to programming options for September 2022. One immediate beneficiary is Kelly Clarkson, who could slide in to the 3 p.m. […]
Steve Edwards departs for a non-media role In a major realignment at one of Chicago’s major radio stations, WBEZ-FM (91.5 FM) named Tracy Brown as Chief Content Officer of the public radio station last Friday, who is replacing Steve Edwards (no relation to the former WLS-AM and KTTV Los Angeles personality) in the role as he departs for an executive […]
Takes over role June 1 In a masterful stroke of corporate synergy, current NBC Sports Chicago senior vice president and general manager Kevin Cross will assume the same responsibilities (as president and GM) for NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) and Spanish-language Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV) effective June 1, succeeding a retiring David Doebler, who is exiting after eight years. The news was first […]
Comes from sister O&O WNBC New York A former Chicago news anchor is coming home. Beginning October 12, Stefan Holt is returning to NBC-owned WMAQ-TV in Chicago after a four-year stint at WNBC in New York. Holt will take over the 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. news anchor position. In the early time slot, he’ll pair up with Marion Brooks […]
Local stations right in the thick of it [Editor’s Note: This is a new version of a story posted earlier Monday.] Just like on Survivor when an unsuspecting contestant is blindsided at Tribal Council, Chicagoans were caught off-guard after a night of looting and vandalism in downtown Chicago and River North areas early Monday morning, and some of the mayhem […]