The Media Notepad: iHeartMedia Chicago names new region president

Also: A new syndicated radio show originates from Chicago; Cardinals strikes new deal with FanDuel Amid layoffs, iHeartMedia announced some promotions on Friday with a pair of new Region Presidents. Adam Kurtz will take over from Matt Scarano in Chicago and oversee all six iHeart brands, including AC 93.9 The Lite, Adult R&B V103, and Hip-Hop WGCI. Kurtz has been with […]

The Media Notepad: Elon Musk wants to get rid of over-the-air TV

Plus, Chicago radio ratings, Comcast considering the sale or spinoff of cable channels, and the CW returns to a Cleveland station after Nexstar buys it  Elon Musk has finally expressed his thoughts on television, and he is not a fan. The South African billionaire who bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 blasted the major networks on his platform recently, […]

The Media Notepad: ABC, The CW announce 2024-25 lineups

Also: The Drive reclaims the top spot in Chicago radio ratings; Young Sheldon redeems himself   [Editor’s Note: The second item of this piece was updated on May 21.] Wrapping up the upfronts: ABC released its fall schedule last week as part of a Disney upfront presentation that hardly mentioned the network. And little wonder – there isn’t much to talk […]

Hubbard appoints Keith Lawless as new Chicago Market Manager

Replaces Jeff Enguland, who steps down  Minneapolis-based Hubbard Radio announced Friday a management change at the executive suites at its Chicago cluster, with Keith Lawless taking over as Market Manager for Hot AC 101.9 The Mix/WTMX, Classic Rock 97.1 The Drive/WDRV/WWDV, and Classic Hits WSHE-FM.   “We are pleased to welcome Keith to Hubbard Radio and look forward to watching him […]

The Drive, WLIT tie again in latest PPM survey

Also: Ali Matta departs Q101  A touch of Christmas has led iHeartMedia’s 93.9 The Lite (WLIT-FM) to tie Hubbard’s The Drive (WDRV-FM) for first place in the overall ratings for the second time this year. The last time the two tied for first in the overall ratings was in September.  Both stations came up with even 6 shares in the […]

Chicago radio ratings: The Drive stays on top

But a Santa ratings wave is coming to 93.9 Lite FM In the final ratings period for 2022 not impacted by holiday music (in other words, before Lite 93.9 FM dominates the ratings and demos for the next two months), Hubbard’s classic rocker The Drive (WDRV-FM) topped the ratings charts, despite a month-to-month drop. Lying in wait to take over […]

The Media Notepad: The Chicago Sun-Times drops its paywall

Also: The Drive promotes Janda Lane to middays; Nexstar closes the deal to buy The CW; NATPE files for bankruptcy; Svengoolie is hiring! The move was expected for months, and now it’s official: The Chicago Sun-Times announced Thursday it is removing the paywall for all stories. This comes as the newspaper and Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM announced a non-profit merger […]

Chicago radio ratings: The Drive dominates, B96 slips

The Drive wins overall; WLS-FM finishes first in 18-34s At the start of the year, no one would ever guess Hubbard’s The Drive (WDRV-FM) would top the ratings, let alone dominate them. And as it turns out, the classic rocker is performing a clinic on how to dominate. In September, The Drive’s ratings topped all Chicago radio stations, speeding up […]

Chicago radio ratings: The Drive, 93.9 Lite FM share lead

WOJO takes home crown in demos; sports talkers grow The August PPM ratings for Chicago radio stations were released Tuesday and it showed a tie at the top. Hubbard’s The Drive (WDRV-FM) and iHeartMedia’s 93.9 The Lite (WLIT-FM) each finished in a tie for first place, both ahead of their competitors by nearly one ratings point. However for classic rocker […]

Chicago Radio Ratings: WLIT finishes second overall

The Drive is tops for the third straight month; WOJO dominates demos Who needs Rudolph anyway?  That’s the attitude iHeartMedia’s classic hits heavy-AC outlet WLIT has after scoring its highest non-Christmas ratings in years.  According the July Nielsen Audio numbers released Monday, WLIT place second, up 13 percent from June, finishing behind Hubbard’s The Drive (WDRV-FM). Generally, WLIT dominates in […]

Chicago radio ratings: The Drive motors up to record high ratings

WDRV-FM opens up a nearly two-point share lead on WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM In the May survey, Hubbard’s Classic Rock station The Drive (WDRV-FM) scored their first-ever ratings victory in their 21-year history, dislodging Adult R&B V103 (WVAZ-FM) as Chicago’s top-rated music station. Not only they repeated the feat again in June, they expanded their lead over their competitors.  The Drive topped the […]