Philadelphia station to give late-night talk a try

“Mike” looks to break the mold in local TV With the future of late-night TV iffy after the cancellation of CBS’ The Late Show, one local station in Philadelphia is jumping into the ring.  Fox-owned WTXF Philadelphia (known as Fox 29) will air Mike, a new late-night talk show hosted by Mike Jerrick, beginning September 8 at 11:30 p.m. ET, […]

The Museum of Broadcast Communications lands a new downtown home

Sets up near the Ogilvie Center After vacating their River North venue two years ago, the Museum of Broadcast Communications has found a new home. According to the Sun-Times, the museum is moving to a “pop-up” location at 440 W. Randolph in the West Loop, just two blocks north of the Ogilvie Center, the terminus of several Metra lines, making […]

CBS ends Stephen Colbert’s show and entire “Late Show” franchise

Is the move politically motivated? Colbert was a frequent Trump critic In a stunning move, CBS announced Thursday it was ending The Late Show franchise after 33 years and getting out of the late-night business entirely, claiming the decision was made due to “financial decisions.” Current CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert announced before The Late Show began on Thursday. During […]

CBS cancels “After Midnight”

Programming plans unknown; may hand time back to affiliates After thirty years, CBS is exiting the late-late night business with the cancellation of the comedy game show After Midnight.  An adaptation of an earlier version titled @Midnight on Comedy Central, the show was brought back to CBS in January 2024 with Taylor Tomlinson as host, airing after The Late Show […]

Coronavirus sacks “Jeopardy”, “Wheel” live studio audiences

Decision made after epidemic spreads across globe; Chicago film studio also affected Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m. on March 10.  The coronavirus epidemic has affected sporting events, large gatherings, canceled trade shows (including four at McCormick Place) and other places around the world. Now, it is affecting tapings of television shows. Late Monday evening, the producers […]

Election 2018: Your viewer and listener guide

Hot-button issues drives viewers to the polls – and election coverage Election night on Tuesday is going to be like Christmas morning for news organizations as viewers are expected to tune in enmasse for the results. In the past, viewers barely tuned into election night as races weren’t exciting or the outcome was expected (re: the 1984 and 1996 Presidential […]

2017: How did we do?

Back a year ago, yours truly did a look ahead into 2017. So how did everything turn out? I have the answers right here! 1. The FCC under a Trump administration. With a 3-2 FCC majority, issues the FCC championed under Tom Wheeler: net neutrality, preserving the cross-ownership rule, and other issues are going to get a hard look at […]

FCC sinks net neutrality

FCC reverses 2015 vote; leaves uncertain future for Net Never in the years I’ll followed the media business I’ve seen so much hatred for the FCC – even during the Nipplegate controversy and when former chairman Kevin Martin was running the agency. But what we saw Thursday may have Trumped everything. In yet another bitterly partisan divided vote in an […]

CBS trots out 2016-17 schedule

It’s back to basics as CBS restores Monday comedy block Last season, CBS did the unthinkable: the network axed its Monday night comedy block for three action-adventure series. On a night where Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Gilligan,Amzing A M*A*S*H, Murphy Brown, Raymond, and Charlie Sheen once reigned, CBS was without a regularly scheduled sitcom on the night for the first time […]

TV’s best in 2015

2015 in television was clearly unforgettable: a debut of a new series generating numbers not seen in years; a debate over whether we had “Too Much TV”; we said goodbye to David Letterman and Jon Stewart in late-night; and Donald Trump hijacked the news media (and will continue to do so in 2016.) As for scripted television, we went into […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: According to message board posters, “Everything Isn’t Awesome”

Constant whining about radio, TV threatens to undermine business Before social media, message boards and comment sections were basically a way to post your thoughts about a particular issue and to connect with others. But these days, message boards and comment section sections are often breeding grounds for stupidity and for people to start arguments for the sake of starting arguments. […]

CBS 2 hires a Sarge

The anchor merry-go-around continues at the local chapter of The Church Of Tisch In the latest anchor change at CBS-owned WBBM-TV, co-anchor Kate Sullivan was fired Tuesday and replaced by Irika Sargant from sister CBS-owned station WFOR-TV in Miami, as first reported by Robert Feder on Tuesday. She gets the privilege of anchoring next to (or putting up with) Rob Johnson […]

Think Tank Express: Colbert makes his CBS debut

Stephen Colbert – yes, the real Stephen Colbert – finally made his long-awaited hosting debut last night on The Late Show, only the third time a comedian has hosted under this title. Colbert is no longer chained to his “Stephen Colbert” character he played on his Comedy Central show. While judging a program by one episode doesn’t do it justice, […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Ramonski Luv out at Soul 106.3

WBBM news woes continue; CBS criticized for Mentalist reruns to replace Letterman; former Chicago FM call letters find a new home – As first reported by Robert Feder Wednesday, Soul 106.3 (WSRB) evening radio personality Ramonski Luv was released by the station after only a few months on the air. Luv, whose real name is Ramon Wade, was paired with […]

CBS unveils new 2015-16 season schedule

CBS announces seven new series – five for fall CBS announced its new 2015-16 season lineup for next season, with the network renewing 22 programs and bringing on seven new series – five of which will debut in the fall. Here’s the night-by-night throwdown: – Monday: Once again, Thursday Night Football is forcing some temporary changes, with The Big Bang […]