YouTubeTV, NBCUniversal warn of impending blackout

    NBC prepared to take off channels Sept. 30 Just weeks after Fox Corp. and Google’s YouTube TV were involved in a retransmission dispute, another issue has emerged with NBCUniversal.  If a deal can’t be reached by Sept. 30, YouTubeTV subscribers could lose channels from the company, including NBC, Telemundo, Bravo, MSNBC, and CNBC, which broke the story Thursday. […]

The Media Notepad: WBBM Newsradio names Geoff Buchholz as new political editor

Also: Fox One to cost $20 a month; Top 25 largest broadcast station groups revealed  Audacy announced on Tuesday that it tapped Geoff Buchholz as WBBM Newsradio’s (780 AM/105.9 FM) new political editor, succeeding the now-retired Craig Dellimore, who spent 41 years in the same position.  “Chicago and Illinois are entering a critical era, and it’s more important than ever […]

Comcast confirms Marquee’s move to ultimate tier

  Move is effective Oct. 1 After months of speculation, Comcast confirmed it was moving the Cubs’ regional sports network to its ultimate tier effective October 1, giving fans the opportunity to continue ue watching the team on its basic tier for the rest of the current baseball season.   As of this writing, the Cubs are tied with division rival […]

Comcast, CHSN strike deal; network debuted Friday morning

  Lands on ultimate tier [Editor’s Note: This is an article that was originally published on June 4 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Updated June 7.] The long, local nightmare is over for Chicago-area sports fans who are Comcast subscribers – but for a price. In news surfacing late Wednesday night, the Chicago Sports Network struck a […]

Report: CHSN and WGN-TV could link up to carry games

Comes as RSN is still shut out of Comcast’s systems [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 20, as the CHSN app is now available on Samsung TVs.] The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Friday that a deal could be in the works for Nexstar’s WGN-TV to simulcast a limited number of White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games.  Nothing has […]

Marquee, CHSN: A possible merger?

Comcast impasse with both fueling speculation According to a report from the Puck newsletter, local regional sports networks CHSN (Chicago Sports Network) and Marquee may be seeking to merge.  CHSN and Marquee have a common enemy: Comcast, the largest cable provider in Chicago, had refused to add CHSN to its network and plans to move Marquee to a higher, more […]

CHSN struggles to gain distribution foothold

The move back to free, over-the-air TV for sports is hitting road bumps You would think making all games from the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox available for free on broadcast television would be terrific for fans, right? Well, you might want to think again. Two weeks after the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) launched, the network is having […]

New CHSN firms up on-air talent, distribution plans

Strikes deal with WJYS for carriage The new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) has been firming up its on-air talent and distribution plans over the last week by announcing a deal with a local TV station for carriage. CHSN will appear on the digital subchannels of religious independent WJYS-TV 62.2 and 62.3, which are currently occupied by home shopping networks Jewelry TV […]

The Media Notepad: Report: New CHSN close to deal with DirecTV

Also: WGN-TV’s Jewell Hilary gets promoted; FCC head rejects Trump ABC license revocation request Three months after its official announcement, the Sun-Times reported Thursday the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is close to a deal with DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse.  This comes as an email was sent to YouTubeTV subscribers (including me) Wednesday stating NBC Sports Chicago – the […]

NBA announces new media deals: NBC, Peacock in; WBD out

Deals worth $76 billion NBA returns to NBC for the first time in 21 years Amazon Prime gets streaming games for first time  Warner Bros. Discovery may take legal action against the league in an unprecedented move  [This article has been updated. See the bottom of this post for notations.] Roundball Rock is coming home.  After months…and months of speculation, […]

Marquee’s future on Comcast uncertain

Contract with Chicago’s largest cable provider expires soon At the same time the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox are deserting NBC Sports for  Chicago Sports Network with Standard Media, now comes word Marquee – home to the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Sky, could lose their prime channel space on Comcast this fall as their contract expires. It’s a situation […]

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 […]

The FAST rise of Xumo

A FAST streamer aiming to be just more than FAST You’ve probably heard of Xumo, one of those “FAST” apps in the streaming landscape competing with Pluto TV, Redbox, Amazon’s Freevee, and others in the growing Free Advertising Supported Television landscape, with over 190 channels dedicated to a wide variety of genres.  But Xumo is aiming for more as it […]