TUDN Univision Deportes Radio Chicago
The Spanish-language radio home of Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox and Fire broadcasts has been sold to the newly formed Latino Media Network as part of a $60 million all-cash acquisition.
WRTO 1200-AM, the full-time outlet for TUDN Univision Deportes Radio, is one of 18 stations nationwide included in the 10-city deal with TelevisaUnivision announced Friday. Continue reading
Jennifer Kho
Robservations on the media beat:
Chicago Sun-Times
Jennifer Kho, a Los Angeles-based digital media consultant and former managing editor of HuffPost and Guardian US, was named executive editor of the Sun-Times Thursday. Chicago Public Media, which acquired the newspaper in January and switched it to nonprofit status, introduced Kho as “the first woman and first person of color to lead the Sun-Times’ newsroom in the paper’s 178-year history.” “I couldn't be more excited to join the historic Chicago Sun-Times at this pivotal moment, with its new public media ownership, to create a strong sense of connection and community throughout Chicago,” Kho said in a statement. “I’m determined to build on the paper’s incomparable legacy and make the most of this huge opportunity to create a new model of community-supported journalism as an inclusive, trusted source of cohesion, empathy and positive change.” Kho starts on the job next week and will move to Chicago in September, according to the Sun-Times report.
Steve Warmbir
Steve Warmbir, who served as interim editor-in-chief since 2020, confirmed he's leaving the Sun-Times after 22 years. "No one stays in the editor-in-chief job for too long," he wrote in an email to staff Thursday. "I plan to recharge this summer before tackling other opportunities. I welcome Jennifer Kho to the newsroom and wish her nothing but the very best. I will always be the biggest cheerleader for the Sun-Times — and now our new partner, WBEZ. My goal when I started this position was to leave the Sun-Times better off than I found it, and I’ve done that, in large part thanks to all of you. . . . I will always be in the Sun-Times’ corner, and no one will be rooting harder for you than me." Warmbir, who grew up in Chicago and west suburban Downers Grove, started his career at the Daily Herald. A first-rate journalist and solid professional, he joined the Sun-Times in 1999, culminating in his rise to award-winning investigative reporter, managing editor and interim editor-in-chief. Continue reading
Annalisa
A rare on-air opening at WXRT 93.1-FM is about to bring a new voice to the full-time weekday lineup at the Audacy adult album alternative station.
Annalisa, a 37-year veteran of rock radio in Boston and San Francisco and self-described "music geek," will sign on at "Chicago's Finest Rock" June 13, according to Laura Duncan, brand manager and program director of 93 XRT. Continue reading
Stacey Baca
News of Stacey Baca’s plan to resign from ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 after 20 years as weekend morning news anchor and reporter led the top 10 most-read stories here in May.
To read the full posts, click on the headlines: Continue reading
Alan Krashesky (Photo: ABC 7 Chicago)
Robservations on the media beat:
All six Republican candidates for governor of Illinois have agreed to participate in a one-hour debate Thursday hosted by ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Starting at 7 p.m., ABC 7 news anchor Alan Krashesky will moderate the forum among Darren Bailey, Richard Irvin, Gary Rabine, Paul Schimpf, Max Solomon and Jesse Sullivan. It will air live on ABC 7 Digital Channel 7.2 and stream on abc7chicago.com and the ABC 7 Chicago News app. ABC 7 will replay the debate on its main channel at 10:35 p.m. Friday. The appearance of all six candidates is a major improvement over the fiasco May 24 when NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and Nexstar Media WGN-Channel 9 held dual debates on the same night, splitting the field in half. Panelists Thursday will be ABC 7 political reporter Craig Wall and Univision Chicago news anchor Erika Maldonado. The debate also is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Illinois and Univision Chicago.
AM 560
What's likely to be the final GOP debate before the June 28 primary will be hosted by Salem Media news/talk WIND 560-AM June 23 at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. Confirmed participants are Darren Bailey, Gary Rabine and Paul Schimpf. AM 560 news director Mike Scott will moderate the debate from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Panelists include AM 560 morning co-host Amy Jacobson and Illinois Radio Network's Greg Bishop. “As Chicago’s leading conservative media outlet, we look forward to providing a forum for the Republican candidates for governor to address our audience and make their closing arguments," said Marcus Brown, director of content strategy and program director. "We know that our listeners will be the ones that decide the outcome of this election, and we expect a spirited and informative exchange of ideas at our debate . . . just a few short days before the election.” Continue reading
Chris Boden and Kaitlin Sharkey
It's no surprise WGN-Channel 9 waited until Dan Roan retired to announce his successor as sports anchor. But in an unexpected twist, the Nexstar Media station appears to be hedging its bet on who'll get top billing.
Chris Boden, the veteran Chicago sportscaster who's been filling in at WGN since last August, and Kaitlin Sharkey, the former sports anchor and Chicago Bears reporter at Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32, were named full-time sports anchor/reporters Tuesday. Continue reading
Alan Krashesky and Cheryl Burton (Photo: ABC 7 Chicago)
Robservations on the media beat:
Overall viewership of Chicago's 10 p.m. newscasts declined nearly 14 percent from last year, according to preliminary results of the just-finished May sweep. Ratings fell for every station, but Nielsen figures showed ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 maintaining its historic lead across the board in all afternoon and evening news time periods. At 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, ABC 7 drew 172,589 households, followed by NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 (117,230 households), CBS-owned WBBM Channel 2 and Nexstar Media WGN-Channel 9 (each with 71,640 households), Univision WGBO-Channel 66 (52,102 households) and Telemundo WSNS-Channel 44 (19,538 households). “Once again the ABC 7 news team, both on and off air, did an outstanding job," John Idler, president and general manager of ABC 7, said in a statement. "Our decades-long winning streak continues to be a source of pride."
WGN had its own success story in May, extending its morning news winning streak in total audience and among viewers between 25 and 54 — the key demographic for advertising. Meanwhile, at 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, WGN led with 113,974 households, followed by Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 with 45,589 households. Continue reading
Jeff Wierus and Maddy Wierus
Along with the Ponce, Holt, Volkman and Jiggetts dynasties it's time to add a new name to the list of Chicago's multigenerational media families.
Maddy Wierus, 26, who grew up in Orland Park and graduated from Illinois State University, has joined the Chicago bureau of CBS News as a digital journalist and associate producer. She'll work with correspondent Adriana Diaz covering the Midwest and beyond.
Her father, Jeff Wierus, has been an award-winning TV photojournalist in Chicago for 33 years — including the last 29 as a sports and news cameraman for Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32. Continue reading
Richard Milne
Richard Milne, a 36-year veteran of WXRT 93.1-FM, has resigned as morning host at the Audacy adult album alternative station to care for his ailing wife.
Milne told colleagues in an email his last day on the air will be June 10. He left the door open for a possible return, but said his full attention would be on his wife, Charlene Milne, who has frontotemporal dementia. She has been in hospice care since April.
"It’s long been my intention to be with Charlene through every moment of our remaining time together," he wrote. "Sadly, the end is coming more quickly than I ever would have guessed and now is the time for me to fully step away." Continue reading
Laura Washington
Robservations on the media beat:
Laura Washington, one of Chicago's most prominent and respected political commentators, is leaving the Sun-Times after more than 20 years to write for the Chicago Tribune. Starting June 6, her weekly column will appear in the Tribune's opinion section, according to editorial page editor Chris Jones. Saying she's had a "fabulous run" at the Sun-Times, Washington told me: "I have a lot of love and admiration for my Sun-Times friends and colleagues, and I wish them all the best. Now is a great time for me to pursue exciting new opportunities and challenges. That's why I am thrilled to bring my writing and reporting on politics, race and urban issues to the Chicago Tribune’s opinion pages." Washington, who was raised on Chicago's South Side and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, worked earlier as deputy press secretary to Mayor Harold Washington and as editor and publisher of The Chicago Reporter. She continues as political analyst for ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Continue reading