Rewinding media in 2023

  A year dominated by labor strife, awful Chicago sports teams, and – oh yeah, Elon  If you watched the WWE, you remember Vince McMahon playing himself as an arrogant CEO and billionaire, ruling over anything and everything – the ultimate heel. It’s a real-life trend we’re seeing as we close 2023. Led by billionaire Elon Musk, CEOs – whether […]

Elon Musk to advertisers who paused after he supported anti-Semitic comments: “Go (bleep) yourself”

Musk responds to advertiser boycott of X platform after support of anti-Semitic remarks [Editor’s Note: This post contains some offensive language. Reader discretion is advised.] Proving he is nowhere near fit to run a business, X/Twitter Chairman Elon Musk unleashed the fury Wednesday at the New York Times DealBook summit, calling out advertisers who paused on his platform due to […]

The Media Notepad: Media companies suspend advertising on X after Musk approves anti-Semitic comments

Also: Bally Sports getting ready to close; The CW is on the move in two markets CNBC and other outlets are reporting Friday evening numerous companies have “paused” advertising on Twitter/X after owner Elon Musk boosted an anti-Semitic post on the platform.  Lionsgate (Debmar-Mercury) was the first traditional media company to pause and Apple was the first tech company to […]

Elon Musk looks to “X” out the block feature

Latest anti-consumer measure being floated, but Google, Apple, and the EU may have final say  The latest nonsense coming from Elon Musk made news Friday, when he announced he was removing the “block” feature from X, or Twitter, or whatever name he is calling the platform this week he foolishly wasted billions to ruin. “Block is going to be deleted […]

‘X’ marks the spot for Twitter as the platform buries the bird

Twitter rebrands into a letter In perhaps one of the dumbest rebranding decisions since Tribune Publishing decided to call itself “tronc”, Elon Musk decided Sunday to change the name of the social media platform Twitter into X – as in the 24th letter of the alphabet.  The rebrand comes a little over a year after Musk bought Twitter for $44 […]

Chicago media criticized for lack of Loop mayhem coverage Saturday night

Twitter users call out local media outlets for failing to inform public Saturday night’s disturbances in downtown Chicago are raising questions on how the local media covers – or fail to cover in these types of instances and whether or not social media – particularly Twitter -fills the void. With temperatures soaring into the 80s, hundreds of teens swarmed the […]

PBS follows NPR’s lead and exits Twitter after inaccurate labeling

Elon Musk defends “government-funded” label; Chicago affiliates not affected  The Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS has decided to follow National Public Radio, or NPR off of the Twitter platform after a flap regarding both being labeled as “government-funded media”.  This came as NPR stopped using Twitter last week, saying the labeling was inaccurate, noting only fifteen percent of PBS funding […]

The Think Tank: Twitter is in trouble

Twitter’s path under Elon Musk follows those of other media companies  In the 37 years I’ve followed media, I have never seen a media company – social or not – that’s been run into the ground quicker than what I’m seeing with Elon Musk and Twitter. In the sixteen years I’ve written this blog, I’ve written about how egotism and […]

The Media Notepad: Marquee sees ratings slide two years after launch

Also: Elon Musk officially takes over Twitter; “The Real Love Boat” becomes the season’s first casualty; “Dr. Phil” drifting toward right-wing propaganda? The new Marquee Sports Network’s fortunes seems to ebb and flow with the Cubs’ performance, and with two consecutive losing seasons, ratings are down. But the picture may not be what it seems. According to a Chicago Tribune […]

Chicago Fire strikes exclusive deal with ESPN Plus

Three-year pact means no linear TV – for now If you want to watch Chicago Fire, you can still watch it on NBC. But if you want to watch the soccer team of the same name…well, you are out of luck – for now. The Major League Soccer team announced Friday it has struck a deal with the new over-the-top […]

FCC sinks net neutrality

FCC reverses 2015 vote; leaves uncertain future for Net Never in the years I’ll followed the media business I’ve seen so much hatred for the FCC – even during the Nipplegate controversy and when former chairman Kevin Martin was running the agency. But what we saw Thursday may have Trumped everything. In yet another bitterly partisan divided vote in an […]

T Dog Media’s Notepad: ABC 7 leads in social media rankings

Tamron Hall seeking talk show; Hulu strikes deal for Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, and more; DuckTales returns on Aug. 12   Now you can add social media to ABC 7’s dominance: according to Share Rocket data over the last thirty days, the ABC-owned station ranks first in social media usage with an overall share of 33.8, followed by Fox 32’s 31.2, and […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: T Dog Media at 10

Happy anniversary to T Dog Media! It’s a different media world today than it was when I started this. As we mark the ten-year anniversary of T Dog Media this weekend, I would like to take a look back – not at dopey posts from the early years such as these (really bad idea)…or getting involved in feuds (Wil Wheaton and […]

Cubs score one for the record books

Cubs destroy competition off the field, including the once-mighty NFL – setting a cable TV record in the process Despite loss, Cubs clinch NL Central Even with a loss last night against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs continue to roll with a dominant ratings performance on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. According to a press release, the Brewers-Cubs telecast Thursday night on […]