CBS to replace “Late Show” with “Comics Unleashed”

A headline you thought you would never see. But here we are. If I were to tell you three years ago that Byron Allen would replace Stephen Colbert in late-night, you’d be questioning my sanity. But he we are, and that’s exactly what’s happening. In a signal that linear TV is on its deathbed, CBS announced Monday it was replacing […]

Cubs, White Sox announce media deals

Marquee lands on Prime Video and Hulu + Live TV; the White Sox to air ten games in The U this season With the baseball season officially starting in a week, Chicago’s baseball teams have announced additional ways fans can tune in.  The Cubs’ Marquee Sports announced Wednesday it has struck a deal with Disney’s Hulu + Live TV virtual […]

Local TV expansion pushes out syndicated fare (updated)

WGN-TV, Fox 32 expands local programming [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on Sept. 8 to reflect the last-minute scheduling changes made at Fox 32 and Fox Chicago Plus.] If there’s any indication about the struggles of first-run and off-network syndication, look no further than this season’s new crop of shows, in which you count on one hand whereas in […]

Fox, YouTubeTV come to terms on a new agreement

Also: DirecTV Stream adds Weigel’s WCIU As expected after agreeing to a short-term extension, Fox Corporation and YouTubeTV reached an agreement on Thursday.  “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Fox to keep their content on YouTube TV, preserve the value of our service for our subscribers and offer more flexibility in the future. This means that […]

CHSN to air seven White Sox games on The U

Door could open for a few Blackhawks, Bulls games in the future The Chicago Sports Network announced Wednesday it has agreed to simulcast seven Chicago White Sox games this season on Weigel Broadcasting’s WCIU, branded as The U.  Chicago Sports Network and Weigel Broadcasting Co.’s WCIU, The U, have announced a new partnership to simulcast seven Chicago White Sox games […]

Weigel’s The U lands on Fubo

The deal also includes Weigel’s multicast networks including MeTV As first reported by The Desk Thursday evening, Weigel Broadcasting independent WCIU (branded as The U) will be made available to Chicago-area Fubo subscribers soon. The deal also includes Weigel’s suite of multicast networks, including MeTV and the year-old MeTV Toons, which is arriving on DirecTV Monday. The networks are widely […]

The Media Notepad: “The Food Guy” exits NBC 5

Steve Dolinsky takes job at Levy Restaurants; Chicago Sky expands distribution; 93.9 The Lite returns to the top of the PPMs [Editor’s Note: The first item of this piece was updated on May 22 to add Facebook post.] “The Food Guy” has reviewed his final plate on Chicago television. Steve Dolinsky announced this week he was departing NBC 5 (NBC-owned […]

Report: CHSN and WGN-TV could link up to carry games

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 […]

DirecTV offers RSNs as add-ons in skinny bundles

Some relief for starved Chicago sports fans – but will they take advantage?  As hinted at when it was announced in January, DirecTV is adding regional sports network add-ons to its MySports skinny bundle, including CHSN and Marquee for Chicago-area viewers, just in time for baseball season as the former features the Chicago White Sox, and the latter for the […]

Chicago Sky heads to WCIU on a full-time basis

WNBA games to be made available for local over-the-air viewers Weigel Broadcasting independent WCIU and the WNBA’s Chicago Sky announced Thursday a partnership to broadcast all non-network televised games, totaling 30-plus games.  WCIU has been carrying Chicago Sky games for years; for the last three seasons, WCIU shared rights with Marquee Sports Network, a regional sports network run by Sinclair […]

The Media Notepad: WCIU, “On The Block” part ways

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 […]

Nexstar’s WGN-TV readies its return to The CW

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 […]