Could be a dress rehearsal for more According to a report in the Sun-Times, Weigel’s CW 26 (or WCIU) announced Monday it is televising a Chicago Cubs spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 12 at 8 p.m. The game will be simulcast on Marquee Sports Network, the home of all Cubs games since 2020 a year after […]
Also: WXRT hires a new afternoon host; Judge Judy reruns renewed in syndication through 2027; Weigel’s stations get ready to cover March madness After 35 years on the morning traffic beat, ABC 7’s (WLS-TV) traffic reporter Roz Varon is calling it a career. Her last day is April 5. Varon was a fixture starting in 1989 as Chicago’s first traffic […]
Also: Cubs PA announcer looking to become next talk show host; A new MeTV FM hire; the former Trump Country recently became an all-Taylor Swift station Just what we need – even more of Judy. As expected, repeats of Judy Sheindlin’s new Freevee court show Judy Justice is a firm go in syndication this fall with nearly 400 episodes never […]
Also: ABC’s stations team up with Nat Geo on another water special; Spectrum says they will drop more under performing channels; Houston’s Space City Home Network launches You heard of The Mod Squad, right? Now meet The Sven Squad. Just in time for Halloween, MeTV’s Svengoolie is adding cast members for the first time. Joining the horror movie host […]
Also: Timberwolves strike iHeartMedia deal; CBS affiliates decline Bears game in large numbers; Survivor names a tribe after an old media company Longtime Chicago radio veteran Rick O’Dell is the latest media figure to announce his retirement, doing so on Facebook. His final day is October 4. Currently the program director of MeTV FM (WRME-FM), O’Dell is best known for […]
The nostalgia-themed network is already available to Chicago-area subscribers through low-power station [Editor’s Note: Updated November 29.] Even though Nexstar is currently blacking out their owned and affiliated stations on DirecTV, the satellite operator is adding new channels. Beginning today, viewers outside of the Chicago area can access Weigel Broadcasting’s MeTV on Channel 77 on DirecTV and DirecTV Stream in […]
Weigel moves to comedy network, featuring sitcoms from 1950s to 1980s [This post was updated March 27.] Weigel Broadcasting announced Monday it was rebranding diginet Decades after eight years and is launching a new channel devoted to comedies from the 1950s to the 1980s branded as Catchy Comedy. The transition takes place March 27 with most stations currently with Decades […]
Plus: MeTV expands Svengoolie; MLS and Apple makes linear broadcasting deals; PBS stations to stream on LocalNow. One of the top-rated overnight voices in Chicago radio is coming back for an encore. The husband-and-wife team of Steve King and Johnnie Putnam will be returning to WGN Radio on Saturday nights starting January 7, where they’ll have a weekly show airing […]
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 […]
Also: Jennifer Hudson’s local time slot set; and the Chicago Blackhawks name new analysts [Editor’s Note: The Blackhawks item has been updated with more information.] If you are a fan of Svengoolie – and I know there are a lot of you out there, then you have a lot to celebrate this October. Weigel’s MeTV is turning the pumpkin month […]
High school championships to remain on free TV Even though the future of WCIU’s affiliation with The CW is unclear due to the sale of the network to Nexstar, there is one guarantee set for the future – Weigel’s stations will be home to the high school sports for sometime to come. On Monday, Chicago-based Weigel and the Illinois […]
Toony the Tuna is not only an A.M. hit, he’s a nighttime one too Back in January 2021, this space heralded MeTV’s “Toon In With Me” as one of the ten things to watch in the new year ahead. Well, the daily classic cartoon show strip is not only a hit with viewers, it actually spun off a show that’s […]
Also: Televisa and Univision become one; Weigel launches another diginet ; The last tie to Marvel at Netflix severs Been away for awhile, so let’s catch up on some items of note making news: The non-profit merger between the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ officially closed on January 31, with $61 million in philanthropic backing, raised by WBEZ parent Chicago Public […]
First title for city since Cubs championship clincher in 2016 [Editor’s note: This post was updated on October 21st to add local ratings information.] While a certain quarterback for an NFL team north of the state line claims he owns the football team that plays on the Lakefront, there is one team he can’t lay claim to – and it’s […]
Tamron Hall shifts to ABC 7; WGN-TV launches new morning show As expected, ABC 7 (WLS-TV) acquired the rights to Tamron Hall’s talk show to replace Windy City Live in the 1 p.m. time slot beginning September 6, when it starts its third season. The move was too easy to predict – ABC 7 and Hall’s show share a corporate […]