Latest anti-consumer measure being floated, but Google, Apple, and the EU may have final say The latest nonsense coming from Elon Musk made news Friday, when he announced he was removing the “block” feature from X, or Twitter, or whatever name he is calling the platform this week he foolishly wasted billions to ruin. “Block is going to be deleted […]
Station’s rich history celebrated. But what about the next 75 years? It was on April 5, 1948 when Col. Robert McCormick fired up the transmitter to join the herd in taking advantage of a then-brand new medium to reach the masses – television. People stood outside of Tribune Tower in Chicago to see what the hubbub was about. It was […]
Also: Bless The Harts canceled; Boost 97.5 arrives while Clubsteppin’ closes; Bally Sports Net debuts to mixed reviews [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 15 to remove some incorrect information regarding Clubsteppin’ 95.1 FM. T Dog Media apologizes for the errors. -T.H.] As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court voted Thursday to uphold the FCC’s 2017 ownership rules, eliminating […]
It’s [another] end of an era in Chicago media. But this one particularly stings In a deal anticipated for months, New York City-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital announced Tuesday it has decided to acquire the 68 percent of Tribune Publishing they already didn’t own in a $630 million deal, giving them full control of the Chicago-based media company. In […]
Also approves ATSC 3.0 television transmissions If there is any federal agency that gives the Illinois legislature a run for their money for being the most dysfunctional in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission would win hands down. An example of this came Thursday when the FCC relaxed the media ownership rules and modified the lifeline program in votes […]
Anthem protests, weak record doesn’t deter fans Also news on a former Bears star; NBC 5; FCC (Editor’s Note: An earlier draft of this post mistakenly featured a picture of Drew Brees for the first item. Apologies. -T.H.) While ratings for the NFL have declined nationally – allegedly due to anthem protests, that is not the case in Chicago – […]
While 2013 is over and done with, its time to focus on what’s going to happen in 2014. Here are the top ten things to look for, in Chicago and beyond: 1. Aereo. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide this month whether or not they would hear the lawsuit brought by the major broadcast networks against the two-year old tech […]
The Tribune Co. announced Wednesday it was splitting its publishing properties from the rest of the company’s assets, becoming the latest media conglomerate to do so. The new company is being named Tribune Publishing Co., and consists of the Chicago Tribune, Red Eye, Hoy, Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, Sun-Sentinel (Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area), Hartford Courant, Morning Call, and Daily Press. […]
There’s a lesson to be learned – The Chicago Way usually doesn’t work outside of City Hall. As first reported by Chicagoland Radio and Media on April 2, Tribune fired Nils Larsen as president and CEO of Tribune Broadcasting. Larsen joined Tribune in December 2008 during the Randy Michaels-Sam Zell era. Typical to how things work in Chicago politics, Larsen […]
The Tribune Co. Unofficially puts its papers on the block; Oscar viewership is up over a year ago; and more Mancow is headed to your TV: – It looks like the Chicago Tribune is up for sale. As first reported by CNBC on Monday, the 166-year old paper and others in the chain are on the block by creditors who […]
After three years, the Tribune bankruptcy saga is finally coming to end – but at a price. A federal judge approved the bankruptcy plan created by banks and creditors on Friday. Those entities – Angelo, Gordon, and Co., JP Morgan Chase, and Oaktree Capital Management – now take control of the media company, which means for the first time in […]
Looks like Uncle Rupert’s company will have to do the Banana Split. But at least he won’t have to deal with costumed animals running around all over the place. News Corporation announced on Thursday it was splitting up into two publicly traded companies, one which has publishing assets, the other with entertainment properties. News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch will be […]
Hoffin’ around in TV Hell. Notes and notables from the past week: – One of Chicago’s best media columnists has a new home: Robert Feder has joined Time Out Chicago as the magazine’s media blogger. Beginning next month, Feder will have a blog (just like the one he had at WBEZ under the Vocalo name) on the Time Out website. […]
Conan’s excited to be on TBS. Monday finally marked former NBC late-night host Conan O’Brien venture into basic cable on a network which was once stood as a momument to Ted Turner. Conan’s conquest of the Turner Broadcasting System started in essence with an overnight rating of 2.8 for his Monday premiere. But it gets better: – The program drew […]
It was a tumulus past week in the media world, highlighted by the exit of Tribune Court Jester Randy Michaels and the possibly of the Parents Television Council going bust. Is that a cause for celebration, or what? Winners Robert Feder. His coverage of the saga at Tribune Tower was exceptional work – truly a wonderful job by Chicago’s best […]