WGN-TV to host town hall with Mayor Brandon Johnson

Announced after Nexstar ordered the station to run segments supporting media deregulation  For the first time since he was elected mayor in 2023, Brandon Johnson is sitting down with a local television station to discuss issues facing the city.  Titled A Town Hall Meeting With Mayor Brandon Johnson, the one-hour news special airs this Wednesday at 6 p.m. over Nexstar’s […]

March PPMs: Q101 maintains hot streak

Best ranking since the return to 101.1 frequency The March PPMs were released on Tuesday and showed an interesting trend: the resurgence of Q101.  The Cumulus-owned Alternative station is on a hot streak. WKQX scored an overall ratings increase for the fourth consecutive month and finished in a tie for eleventh place with WBEZ – the highest overall ranking since […]

Chicago radio ratings: News outlets surge

  WBBM-AM, WBEZ are up from Holiday survey; increasing number of streams showing up in ratings With the Christmas music season over and audience patterns returning to normal, two trends have emerged in Nielsen’s January PPM numbers. The change in Presidential administrations and the Los Angeles wildfires has sent ratings for all-news and news/talk stations upward, with WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM (Newsradio 105.9) […]

Bob Sirott re-ups at WGN Radio

Signs multi-year extension Nexstar’s WGN Radio announced a multi-year contract extension for Bob Sirott, who will continue to host the station’s morning show.  “Management has given me a terrific on-air and behind-the-scenes team, plus freedom to do whatever I want,” said Sirott in a statement. “That’s why waking up at 4:30 am is fun now. Actually…that last line is a […]

Jesse Jackson Jr. heads to WVON as afternoon host

Joins Jim Laski and Clifford Kelley as convicted felons rehabilitate their image as radio hosts On a day when a convicted felon returned to the White House, it’s only fitting another convicted felon lands a job as a radio talk show host in Chicago.  Former disgraced congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., whose father is a civil rights icon, is back with […]

Remembering WGN Radio exec Dan Fabian

Kept powerhouse on top of the ratings WGN Radio executive Dan Fabian, who was the key to the station’s dominance in the 1980s and 1990s, died Friday at the age of 81. Fabian rose through the ranks at the then-Tribune-owned station from college intern in 1965 to Vice-President and General Manager by the time he retired in 1996. Along the […]

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 […]

The Media Notepad: WLS-AM launches two new afternoon shows

Also: The latest Chicago radio ratings; Arizona Coyotes to move all games to broadcast TV Cumulus Media’s conservative talker WLS-AM recently announced they were adding two new afternoon shows to replace the departed Big John Howell Show. First from 3-4 p.m. weekdays is Closing Bell. Not related to the similarly-titled CNBC business news show airing at the same time, Bell […]

WGN-TV at 75

Station’s rich history celebrated. But what about the next 75 years?  It was on April 5, 1948 when Col. Robert McCormick fired up the transmitter to join the herd in taking advantage of a then-brand new medium to reach the masses – television.  People stood outside of Tribune Tower in Chicago to see what the hubbub was about. It was […]

Chicago PPMs: WXRT’s ratings soar after Lin Brehmer’s death

While others collapse with WGCI posting all-time low Chicago’s radio PPM ratings returned to normal after the holidays with a familiar name on top: iHeartMedia’s adult contemporary WLIT finishing on top for the third straight ratings period – even without Christmas music, which propelled them to the top for the last two months. WLIT also maintained their top rating in […]

The CW gets into the sports business with LIV Golf deal

  Nexstar’s The CW officially announced a deal with the controversial LIV Golf, putting them in the sports business for the very first time.  LIV Golf is a Saudi Arabia-funded rival to the PGA Tour, which has broadcast deals with CBS, NBC, and others. What makes this controversial is Saudi Arabia is accused of covering up the murder of a […]

The Media Notepad: Steve and Johnnie return to WGN Radio for Saturday nights

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 […]

Former Chicago radio personality Floyd Brown dies

Trailblazer at WMAQ and WGN radio dies at 92 One of the first African-Americans to break the color barrier at a mainstream Chicago radio station has died. Floyd Brown, who was known to be one of the few Black radio personalities to appear on WGN Radio, passed away Friday at 92. Born in Dallas, Brown arrived in Chicago enrolling in […]