Mark Giangreco

Mark Giangreco officially ended his 27-year run as the top sports anchor at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 Friday with a settlement on the remaining 18 months of his contract and a farewell memo from management.

His dismissal followed a complaint by ABC 7 news anchor Cheryl Burton that Giangreco referred to her on the air as someone who could “play the ditzy, combative interior decorator” on a hypothetical do-it-yourself show. Continue reading →

Wendy Snyder and Bill Leff (Photo: "Toon In With Me"/MeTV)

Robservations on the media beat:

Toony and Bill Leff

There’s an extra special treat for Chicago radio fans on today’s edition of “Toon In With Me,” the delightful morning cartoon and sketch-comedy show hosted by Bill Leff and his wise-cracking fish puppet Toony. (Since debuting in January it’s been doing gangbusters at 6 a.m. weekdays on MeTV, the Chicago-based network for nostalgic television.) Making her first cameo appearance on the show is Wendy Snyder, Leff's longtime radio partner. In today's bit, Snyder delivers her impression of Felicia Middlebrooks as a character called Leticia Donnybrook, and Leff reprises his parody of Mancow Muller as Simon Shock. It follows Thursday's introduction of two other new characters — dueling critics named Roger Shaddup and Jean Showacartoon. Modeled after Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, they're played by Kevin Fleming and Leila Gorstein, respectively. Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting and the genius behind MeTV, created them to poke fun at viewers who complained that Leff & Co. should just "shut up and show a cartoon." Said Sabin: "They did a great job creating these characters when I gave them direction on what we needed. It’s kinda fun being in that role with such talented writers and performers." Continue reading →

Cisco Cotto

Robservations on the media beat:

Friday will be a red letter day at WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM, the Entercom all-news powerhouse. It's the 20th anniversary of the "Noon Business Hour." First hosted by Kris Kridel and Sherman Kaplan with regular appearances by Len Walter and Bob Reed, it's now in the hands of midday news anchor Cisco Cotto and producer Andy Giersher. Kaplan and Reed will join Cotto for a brief retrospective Friday. "Through all the ups and downs, from 9/11 through COVID, from the stock market flash crash to record highs, and during the tenures of five governors, four presidents and three mayors, weekdays at noon has been a must listen for Chicagoans, as proven by the ratings," Ron Gleason, brand manager of WBBM Newsradio, told staffers in a memo. "In 2020, WBBM was number one at noon overall, plus averaged about 75 per cent more listeners at any given moment than the next closest non-music station." Continue reading →

NewsNation

NewsNation went from bad to worse this week after Jennifer Lyons followed her top two lieutenants out the door at the Chicago-based cable news network they built from scratch.

As vice president of news, Lyons hired scores of journalists who trusted they were joining a network without a political agenda, largely based on her well-earned reputation for integrity and track record of excellence at WGN-Channel 9. Continue reading →

Jennifer Lyons

Jennifer Lyons, the eminent Chicago TV news executive who segued from WGN-Channel 9 last year to launch a primetime cable news operation for parent company Nexstar Media Group, has resigned as vice president of news at NewsNation.

Her departure, announced to staff Tuesday by Perry Sook, chairman and CEO of Nexstar Media Group, closely follows the resignations of news director Sandy Pudar and managing editor Richard Maginn. It marks a wholesale exodus of top news management at a time of plummeting morale and nearly invisible ratings for NewsNation. Continue reading →

David Doebler

There’s a change coming to the C-suite at Chicago’s NBC Tower.

David Doebler announced today he plans to retire as president and general manager of NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and Telemundo Chicago WSNS-Channel 44 at the end of June. Both stations are units of Comcast NBCUniversal. Continue reading →

ABC 7 Chicago's Cheryl Scott, Alan Krashesky, Cheryl Burton and Mark Giangreco

Robservations on the media beat:

With sports anchor Mark Giangreco on his way out because of an on-air comment about news anchor Cheryl Burton, it's anyone's guess whether the implosion at WLS-Channel 7 and firestorm on social media will affect the ABC-owned station's standing as Chicago's top-rated news source. For now the "Eyewitness News" people are relieved they came through the February sweep intact. Despite year-over-year declines in late news across the market, ABC 7 remained No. 1 in total households and among viewers between 25 and 54 (the key demographic for advertisers) at 4, 5, 6, and 10 p.m., according to Nielsen figures. Giangreco was benched for the entire monthlong rating period and beyond, but the reason for his absence and the role Burton played behind the scenes were not revealed until last week. ABC 7 has been first at 10 p.m. since 1986. Continue reading →

Tim Weigel and Mark Giangreco

In a move that stuns his colleagues and angers his fans, an immensely popular sportscaster suddenly finds himself out of a job at Chicago's top-rated television station.

Named in multiple viewer surveys as "Chicago's best sports anchor," he still has more than a year left on his contract when ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 shoves him out the door without so much as a word of thanks. Continue reading →

Chicago Star

Robservations on the media beat:

Candace Jordan

There's a brand new masthead in town. The Chicago Star officially debuted this week as a subscription-based monthly publication with a focus on "uplifting news." (Here is the link.) With an initial distribution of 30,000, it's a combination and expansion of former hyperlocal monthlies New Eastside News and Streeterville News, using artificial intelligence to generate much of its content. "We are thrilled to launch this great resource for Chicago," said Elaine Hyde, publisher and editor of Chicago Star Media. Candace Jordan, the former Chicago Tribune “Candid Candace” columnist, has been named contributing editor of the Chicago Star. Among its advisory board members are Leslie Hindman, Michael Kutza, Sherren Leigh, Sargent McCormick, Maria Pappas, Alexander Pissios, Howard Tullman and Phil Vettel. Continue reading →

Cheryl Burton and Mark Giangreco (Photo: Matt Smith)

Now it can be told: Veteran Chicago sports anchor Mark Giangreco may be on the verge of losing his job at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 because he used the word “ditzy” in an on-air comment about news anchor Cheryl Burton.

ABC 7 bosses, Giangreco and his agent continue to stonewall on his unexplained absence for the last five weeks, but multiple sources confirmed Wednesday he’s under fire for a remark at the end of his sports segment January 28. Continue reading →