Comes after the network agrees to concessions [Editor’s note: This post was updated July 25.] After months of waiting, the FCC has officially approved the Skydance-Paramount merger, which will bring changes to the nation’s most prestigious television network. Technically, the FCC approved the transfer of 28 FCC licenses of CBS stations to Skydance. CBS operates stations in eight of the […]
Conservative personality laid off due to budget cuts Salem Media Group’s conservative talk WIND-AM, branded locally as 560 AM The Answer, has parted ways with Morning Answer co-host Amy Jacobson, according to Barrett Media. Her last day on the air was Tuesday. The controversial longtime Chicago media fixture was dropped due to ongoing budget cuts at Salem. Jacobson arrived at […]
Cites loss of editorial independence after 60 Minutes lawsuit Paramount Global’s CBS News lost its leader Monday as Wendy McMahon was essentially fired as head of the CBS News and Stations group. On Saturday, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks demanded her resignation from CBS News after she reportedly apologized to staff for how CBS was handling the 60 Minutes fiasco. The […]
Also: “Flip Side” renewed, “Perfect Line” a firm go; WCIU reveals Sky schedule [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 3.] Longtime news legend Walter Jacobson gave his final “Perspective” last Thursday morning on WGN Radio, but it seemed more of a “see you later” than a retirement as he left the door open for a possible return. In […]
Latest carriage dispute comes out of nowhere Update, February 14, 12:36 a.m.: Paramount and YouTubeTV have agreed to a short-term extension of their previous contract, keeping CBS and 22 other channels on the virtual provider as they hammer out a new agreement. Neither party stated how long the extension would last. Original Story from February 12: Another carriage dispute […]
Also: WFMT names new morning host; Tubi to stream Super Bowl LIX for free; Philly jock removed from air because “she wasn’t funny enough” Jim Williams, a longtime fixture on Chicago television, announced he was stepping down from his 4 p.m. anchor role at CBS Chicago on Thursday as he wraps up a 40-year career. “I hesitate to call it […]
CBS Chicago to stay on Xfinity systems; subscribers to get Paramount Plus Paramount Global and Comcast announced a new carriage deal on Tuesday. The multi-year deal includes Paramount’s portfolio of networks, including CBS and its owned stations, BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and others. Comcast subscribers will also continue to gain access to streamers Paramount Plus, BET Plus, and Pluto […]
NBC 5 joins WGN News, and Fox 32 in documenting Dolton’s chaos as media tries to navigate choppy waters on covering her As you know, there is never a shortage of political scandals to cover in Illinois. From Operation Silver Shovel to Blago, the non-stop corruption has kept journalists busy and fascinated observers. And in the Year Of Our Lord […]
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, […]
And one of those places is Chicago, as CBS Chicago sacrifices 9 a.m. newscast on linear [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on September 27.] Tony Dokoupil and Adriana Diaz were named anchors of CBS’ new third-hour extension of CBS Mornings called CBS Morning Plus, airing live weekday mornings at 9 a.m. beginning September 30. But instead of airing the […]
Upgrades in several key large markets as future of show was questioned last week Affirming their commitment to Drew Barrymore’s talk show, CBS Media Ventures announced Thursday a sixth-year renewal through the end of the 2025-26 season, as the daytime talker was upgraded in several large markets. Since season three, the show split into two separate half-hours, with most stations […]
Legendary, pioneering talk show changed TV Phil Donahue, who put the issues-oriented daytime talk show on the map in the 1970s, died Sunday at the age of 88 in his New York City home after a long illness. Even though Donahue’s talk show wasn’t the first syndicated talk show to originate from Chicago, he was an innovator in discussing taboo […]
Chicago’s South Side MLB team resembles CBS Chicago’s ratings disasters in every way possible In the early 2000s, then-Chicago Tribune media critic Steve Johnson noted the management at CBS-owned WBBM-TV implemented what he called a “Viewer Alienation Plan”, a series of bad decisions repelling viewers from the station throughout the 1990s, including tabloid newscasts, awful anchor pairings, and a deer-in-headlight […]
Also: Shift is underway in Chicago PPM ratings; Pelicans leave Bally Sports Look who’s back in the public eye – it’s none other than former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who was hired by CBS Chicago (WBBM-TV) to provide analysis during the Democratic National Convention here in Chicago later this month in a press release posted on social media Wednesday […]
Also: The U branding returns to Channel 26; CBS 2 boss takes over sister station in Detroit [Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 30 and updated to provide the latest information on CW 26’s shift back to independent status.] Making good on their promise, Warner Bros. Discovery filed suit against the NBA Friday after rejecting their matching […]
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