Announced after Nexstar ordered the station to run segments supporting media deregulation For the first time since he was elected mayor in 2023, Brandon Johnson is sitting down with a local television station to discuss issues facing the city. Titled A Town Hall Meeting With Mayor Brandon Johnson, the one-hour news special airs this Wednesday at 6 p.m. over Nexstar’s […]
Comes as RSN is still shut out of Comcast’s systems [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 20, as the CHSN app is now available on Samsung TVs.] The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Friday that a deal could be in the works for Nexstar’s WGN-TV to simulcast a limited number of White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games. Nothing has […]
Must-run segments parrot Sinclair’s Nexstar Media Group is taking its crusade for deregulation to the streets – and the home viewer. According to a report by The Desk, the broadcaster has instructed its 160-plus local stations to air a brief segment encouraging viewers to contact the FCC regarding potential changes to broadcast regulations that Chairman Brendan Carr is considering. Broadcasters […]
Veteran broadcaster to lead Nexstar’s flagship station; WGN also announces new programming for WGN+ Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar Media Group announced Ric Harris would become WGN-TV’s new vice president and general manager, effective immediately. “WGN is a powerhouse in local news and the home of high-quality CW programming, including live sports like Xfinity series racing, college football and basketball, and WWE […]
Signs multi-year extension Nexstar’s WGN Radio announced a multi-year contract extension for Bob Sirott, who will continue to host the station’s morning show. “Management has given me a terrific on-air and behind-the-scenes team, plus freedom to do whatever I want,” said Sirott in a statement. “That’s why waking up at 4:30 am is fun now. Actually…that last line is a […]
Also: Diginet changes in the new year: KSDK becomes the latest media property to leave downtown St. Louis; Diamond becomes Main Street In another blow to local linear TV, non-profit news organization Block Club Chicago and Weigel independent WCIU have parted ways on On The Block after nearly three years. The announcement was made on X Friday with the last […]
Cable networks such as USA Network and E! under new ownership by 2026 With the business in freefall, Comcast Corp. has decided to part ways with its cable networks. As hinted a few weeks ago, Comcast announced Wednesday it is spinning off its cable networks from its NBCUniversal into a new company. Tentatively titled SpinCo (we hope it’s a temporary […]
Trump returns to the White House in a landslide and made huge gains in traditionally blue Chicago [This article has been updated. See below.] Fox News prevailed over its competitors on election night as Donald J. Trump was re-elected as President after a four-year break. According to Nielsen’s final national numbers, Fox News led all networks – broadcast, cable, and […]
Plus, Chicago radio ratings, Comcast considering the sale or spinoff of cable channels, and the CW returns to a Cleveland station after Nexstar buys it Elon Musk has finally expressed his thoughts on television, and he is not a fan. The South African billionaire who bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 blasted the major networks on his platform recently, […]
Also: WGN-TV’s Jewell Hilary gets promoted; FCC head rejects Trump ABC license revocation request Three months after its official announcement, the Sun-Times reported Thursday the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is close to a deal with DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse. This comes as an email was sent to YouTubeTV subscribers (including me) Wednesday stating NBC Sports Chicago – the […]
New TV era means a new way of doing business Back in the late 1980s when cable TV was growing, a big deal was made about syndicated exclusively, or “syndex” as local broadcasters complained about national “superstations” such as WWOR-TV in New York and WGN-TV in Chicago draining rating points from their programs. And so, on January 1, 1990, […]
Networks disappeared a few minutes after 6 p.m. Central Time The impasse between Disney and DirecTV has resulted in a blackout of their channels, with Disney pulling the plug a little after 6 p.m. Central Time Sunday. If you are a DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, or U-Verse subscriber, you no longer receive ESPN and its family of networks, Freeform, FX, National […]
WGN-TV is set to return to the network after a ten-year absence; CW also moving to new stations in other markets While the fall season doesn’t start for a few weeks, The CW will make numerous station switches this weekend, including in Chicago. On Saturday, WGN-TV officially returns to The CW affiliate lineup after eight years away. In a move […]
Also: American Crimes replaces NBC Home LX on digital subchannel space; Last Call for Last Call; TMZ launches new spin-off show WGN-TV vice president and general manager Paul Rennie announced his retirement, effective August 30 after a seven-year run. “It has truly been a great run, and I am filled with a mix of emotions as I prepare to leave […]
Also: The Drive reclaims the top spot in Chicago radio ratings; Young Sheldon redeems himself [Editor’s Note: The second item of this piece was updated on May 21.] Wrapping up the upfronts: ABC released its fall schedule last week as part of a Disney upfront presentation that hardly mentioned the network. And little wonder – there isn’t much to talk […]
ABC ABC-Owned Stations ABC 7 Chicago American Idol CBS CBS 2 Chicago CBS Media Ventures CBS News And Stations Chicago Bears Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Bulls Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox ESPN Family Guy FCC Fox Fox 32 Fox Television Stations Los Angeles Milwaukee NBC NBC 5 NBC Owned Television Stations NBCUniversal Syndication Studios New York City Nexstar Media Group Radio Ratings Sinclair Inc. Syndication The Big Bang Theory The CW The Simpsons Tribune Media Warner Bros. WBBM-TV Chicago WCIU Chicago WFLD Chicago WGN-TV Chicago WGN Radio WLS-AM Chicago WLS-TV Chicago WMAQ Chicago WPWR Chicago