WGN signs Mark Suppelsa to take on Katie, Brian, and Charlie

For the first time ever in Chicago, viewers will have a real option to the network evening newscasts. As expected, Tribune-owned WGN-TV has signed former WMAQ-TV and WFLD-TV Mark Suppelsa, renewed the contract of longtime veteran Steve Sanders and is expanding the station’s newscasts. Suppelsa left Fox-owned WFLD in a contract dispute a few months ago and was slated to […]

A bunch of stuff

Headlines from the world of radio & TV: – The Raleigh News & Observer has a story on WNCN-TV, the NBC affiliate in Raleigh, N.C. whose news ratings have gone up since ownership transferred from NBC to Media General in 2006 – but not enough to eclipse top rivals WRAL-TV (a CBS affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting) and ABC-owned WTVD. […]

Houston station changes its call letters – again

And you thought WLS-FM had a quite a number of call letter changes: Chicago-based Tribune Co.’s CW affiliate in Houston is dumping its KHCW-TV call letters for KIAH-TV, as of July 15. The move is not meant to distance itself from the fledgling CW network, but the new call letters are in reference to the airport code for Houston’s airport […]

Is Tribune abandoning The CW? (updated)

Probably not, but if The CW doesn’t make it into season four, Tribune is creating a contingency plan – just in case. Tribune owns fifteen CW affiliates, including WGN-TV in Chicago, WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles. However, CW officials deny their network is going out of business anytime soon, pointing to the increased haul they took […]

Dancing With A Controversy

The folks at WGN-TV’s morning show are dancing mad – at rival WMAQ-TV for ripping off a segment of their program.For years, WGN has had a Friday Dance on its news show on – Fridays. Well, WMAQ recently started a new segment on its Friday morning newscasts. All you have to do is switch the words around of WGN’s segments […]

Report: Mark Suppelsa headed to WGN-TV

Mark Suppelsa, the anchor who left Fox-owned WFLD-TV last March, is rumored to join Tribune’s WGN-TV later this summer, replacing Steve Sanders alongside Allison Payne on the station’s 9 p.m. newscast. Suppelsa is technically still under contract to WFLD – the station has a right to match any offer a competitor offers until June 17. WGN is likely to make […]

MRC unveils CW Sunday slate

Independent studio Media Rights Capital unveiled its Sunday night schedule for The CW, and is as follows (all times Central:) – 5:30 p.m.: In Harm’s Way, a reality show in the mold of fare seen on Discovery and TLC. – 6:30 p.m.: Surviving Suburbia, A new sitcom whose creator wrote a script, tucked it away, and forgot all about it […]

Superstation WGN changes name to WGN America

Kids’ WB changes name to CW 4 Kids on same day While were you sleeping in…. With little fanfare on Saturday, Superstation WGN changed its name to WGN America, while Kids WB’ officially became CW 4 Kids. However, no programming changes took place at either network – at least not yet (WGN America’s new logo resembles the old Movie Channel […]

More sweeps numbers

Philadelphia: Like WLS here in Chicago, ABC-owned WPVI-TV swept away its competition in households (demos were not available.) Fox-owned WTXF also scored with its 10 p.m. news, thanks to American Idol, and managed to tie CBS-owned KYW-TV in rating in late news. Yay for local content? NBC O&O WCAU-TV’s 10! news/talk show, finished dead last in its’ 2 p.m. time […]

Superstation WGN in for makeover

The national version of WGN seen on cable systems and satellite (except in Chicago, where Superstation WGN is seen only on satellite), is in for a major Extreme Makeover-type overhaul. Specifics weren’t mentioned, but Superstation WGN is scheduled to be re-launched in May, but the changes may only involve imaging, and not programming. WGN went national in 1978, linking national […]

Tribune hires Compton for new TV post

Another hiring to report (now that’s more like it…) The Tribune Co. has hired radio veteran Sean Compton to senior VP of programming and entertainment for the 23-station Tribune group, which includes WGN-TV. Compton replaces Marc Schacher, who is stepping down after 29 years with the company. Schacher was behind the Tribune group purchases of programs such as Friends, Two […]

It’s official: KSWB to switch to Fox

It’s official: Tribune’s KSWB-TV – the market’s San Diego CW affiliate (and former WB affiliate) will switch to Fox effective this August. It was a rumor branded around TV circles the last few weeks, after new Tribune boss Sam Zell mentioned in a video on the company’s Baltimore Sun website (which has been since taken down) that he struck a […]