As expected, WGN-TV announced it was moving 20 or so Chicago White Sox games from Weigel’s WCIU to Fox-owned WPWR-TV. The move to the My Network TV affiliate, means WPWR gets to air baseball for the first time. WPWR is also picking up five Chicago Cubs games WGN-TV is producing. Earlier this season, WGN moved six Chicago Bulls games from WCIU […]
– Life’s tough in the business: ABC-owned WLS-TV meteorologist Mike Caplan was let go from the station last week after 21 years on the air. There was speculation WLS was going to release one of their meteorologists after hiring WMAQ exile Cheryl Scott late last year. In fact, WLS announced it was going to feature Scott during the 4 and […]
ABC, Scripps stations clear new diginet; ABC to keep LiveWell after all ABC and Scripps Broadcasting announced this weekend they are launching a brand new digital subchannel called LAFF, injunction with Katz Communications beginning on April 15, “tax day”. Details on what the planned comedy network would carry (hint: you can’t go wrong with Mystery Science Theater 3000 reruns) were […]
In a groundbreaking move for Chicago television, one local station is going to produce a newscast for another local station. ABC-owned WLS-TV (ABC 7) announced it has entered a partnership with Weigel Broadcasting’s WCIU to produce a new hour-long 7 p.m. weeknight newscast effective January 12, 2015. Anchoring the program is ABC 7 morning veteran Hosea Sanders, who is teaming […]
In an unusual move, at least in this day and age, freshman first-run strip Hot Bench is changing stations locally in the middle of the season. As part of a CBS O&O deal, Hot Bench – syndicated by co-owned CBS Television Distribution – is shifting to WBBM-Ch.2 where it will air weekdays at 2 p.m effective as of March […]
At least Jimmy DeCastro didn’t screw this up. But it wouldn’t have mattered: Sony Pictures Television has canceled The Queen Latifah Show after two seasons, marking the second time she struck with with a daytime talker (the last time was in 2001, when Warner Bros. dropped her similarly-titled show after two seasons.) The program will continue in […]
It looks like there’s going to be more dysfunctional family fun for years to come. After reports saying Tribune was considering removing NBC Universal Domestic Television’s trio of “conflict talk” shows – Jerry Springer, Maury, and The Steve Wilkos Show at the end of the 2015-16 season comes word the station group has renewed all three shows through the […]
Everyone’s a winner in the first night of the TV season! Well, almost… The first night of the 2014-15 got underway Monday night and judging by the numbers, DVRs are going to be working overtime this week. Despite heavy competition, many shows were amply sampled, including heavily-hyped new entries Gotham and Scorpion. Meanwhile, The Big Bang Theory dominated its competition on […]
– Meredith Vieira off to so-so ratings start – Utopia falls out of the gate – Bulls release 2014-15 TV schedule – Despite the troubles of the Chicago Bears and the NFL in general, ratings for pro football continue strong. The season’s first game featuring the Bears and the Buffalo Bills drew a 30.3 household rating locally for Fox, with viewers sticking […]
After a season which saw several syndicated talk shows (The Test, Bethenny, Arsenio Hall, Katie, and Trisha) get canceled, this season boasts only two new shows – one of them debuted Monday. NBCUniversal Television Distribution’s The Meredith Vieira Show is the first one out of the gate in syndication, premiered today at 1 p.m. on WMAQ-TV in a ten-station NBC O&O […]
Attention viewers: baby mama drama time may soon be over. As reported by TVNewscheck on Friday, Tribune Broadcasting may not renew its contracts for its three conflict talk shows from NBCUniversal Television Distribution, hosted by Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and Steve Wilkos. Neither Tribune or NBCUniversal had comment. Tribune is developing programming for time slots in 2015 and according to […]
Also: Hollywood Daily Live, Daily Helpline debut to microscopic audiences In a rather unusual move, Tribune-owned WGN-TV has slotted Craig Ferguson’s new game show, Celebrity Name Game from Debmar-Mercury at 10 p.m., starting September 22. As first reported by Robert Feder, Name Game would replace the failed revival of The Arsenio Hall Show, which was canceled in May. While other […]
Also: Tyra Banks plans returns to daytime TV – Good news for fans of WCIU’s You and Me in The Morning (and for local television overall): the two-hour morning strip hosted by former Chicago radio personalities Melissa Forman and Jeanne Sparrow is expanding to a third hour in September. Now airing from 6 to 8 a.m. weekdays, the show is extending […]
Plus: Divorce Court to stick around; and a new first-run syndicated drama on tap – Nielsen Radio’s March PPM ratings period just concluded and it shows the new sports radio talker WGWG-FM, or The Game stalled at the starting gate. The station tied for 37th place overall with a measly 0.3 rating, far behind competitors WSCR […]
CBS Television’s Serch also sacked In a rather odd coincidence, two different syndicators announced cancellations of their respective daytime talk shows in the same genre on the same day. Meanwhile, a proposed third show in the same genre is not going forward. NBC Universal announced Tuesday afternoon it was cancelling Trisha Goodaard’s talk show after two seasons. That was followed […]
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