Robservations: Ryan Chiaverini to fill in on WLS Radio morning show

Ryan Chiaverini

Robservations on the media beat:

Ryan Chiaverini, the amiable co-host of “Windy City Live,” will give talk radio a whirl all next week on WLS 890-AM. Starting Monday, he’ll be the first weeklong fill-in morning host on the Cumulus Media news/talk station until Bruce St. James — replacement for the outgoing Erich Mancow Muller — starts December 14. “I’ve done a lot of radio as a guest on shows over the years — including Mancow many times — but this will be the first time hosting for an entire week,” Chiaverini told me. “I have developed a lot of celebrity friendships through ‘Windy City Live’ so I definitely will have some celebrity guests. I’m also creating some fun radio bits and segments. I’ve always really enjoyed radio and the creative aspect to produce some comedic bits and have the extra time for interviews that you just can’t get on television. I’m not looking forward to waking up at 3:30 a.m., but it’s a great opportunity.” Now in his 10th season with co-host Val Warner, Chiaverini continues on “Windy City Live” at 1 p.m. weekdays on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Continue reading →

Robservations: ABC 7’s Cheryl Scott forecasts Great Lakes in peril

Cheryl Scott

Robservations on the media beat:

ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 is teaming with National Geographic to produce a five-part series on the fight to save the Great Lakes. ABC 7 meteorologist Cheryl Scott and scientists from National Geographic will present “So Great, So Fragile” on successive Tuesdays, starting this week. Episodes will stream live on ABC 7’s connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. “Whether for recreational use or drinking water, Chicagoans know the value of the Great Lakes, but may be unaware of factors threatening them,” Scott said. “In our series with National Geographic, we get the chance to dig deeper on everything from climate change to pollution, revealing the impact on one of our greatest natural resources. We also show how we can work together to protect, save and keep our lakes great.” Continue reading →

Bruce St. James to replace Mancow as morning host on WLS

Bruce St. James

Bruce St. James, who’s been a radio talk show host in Phoenix for 10 years, has been tapped to replace Erich Mancow Muller as morning personality at WLS 890-AM.

St. James will join the Cumulus Media news/talk station December 14, according to Marv Nyren, vice president and market manager of Cumulus Media Chicago. Muller’s last day on WLS will be Wednesday. Fill-in hosts will substitute in the coming weeks. Continue reading →

Robservations: New deal for Lou Manfredini expands WGN Radio show

Lou Manfredini

Robservations on the media beat:

Lou Manfredini, the handyman extraordinaire known as “Mr. Fix It,” will add a fourth hour to his Saturday morning home improvement show on WGN 720-AM under a four-year contract extension announced today with the Nexstar news/talk station. Starting January 2 “HouseSmarts Radio with Lou Manfredini” will air from 6 to 10 a.m. Saturdays. The additional hour coincides with the retirement of agribusiness icon Orion Samuelson, who now hosts a one-hour Saturday morning show with Max Armstrong. (“Outside the Loop Radio with Mike Stephen” will move to 5 a.m. Saturdays.) “We are excited to continue the legacy that Lou has built at WGN Radio the past 25 years,” Mary Sandberg Boyle, vice president and general manager of WGN, said in a statement. “While his media empire looks a lot different now than when he first started here, one thing remains the same: Lou is here to serve the audience. He is patient and kind with every listener, while keeping his genuine sense of humor. He truly is the definition of the ‘helpful hardware man.’” Manfredini was inducted in the WGN Radio Walk of Fame in 2015. Continue reading →

WTTW’s ‘Chicago From the Air’ offers thrilling perspective

Geoffrey Baer

Who hasn’t dreamed of soaring like a bird over their surroundings?

Tonight WTTW-Channel 11 makes that timeless wish come true with “Chicago From the Air,” a one-hour special unlike anything you’ve imagined outside of your dreams.

Geoffrey Baer, who’s been Chicago’s genial tour guide and unofficial historian at the Window to the World Communications station for more than 25 years, has delivered what may be his most spectacular travelogue yet. Continue reading →

Sasha-Ann Simons named host of midday talk show ‘Reset’ on WBEZ

Sasha-Ann Simons (Photo: Tyrone Turner)

Chicago Public Media news/talk WBEZ 91.5-FM has gone out of Chicago to fill the vacancy for a new host on its locally produced midday talk show.

Sasha-Ann Simons, host and national correspondent at American University’s WAMU in Washington, D.C., will start December 14 as host of “Reset,” the flagship news and talk program airing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays on WBEZ. Continue reading →

Robservations: The show must go on for ABC 7’s Magnificent Mile Lights Fest

Alan Krashesky and Cheryl Burton

Robservations on the media beat:

There won’t be the traditional procession down Michigan Avenue this year, but that’s not stopping ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 from producing its annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival to kick off the holiday season. News anchors Cheryl Burton and Alan Krashesky will host the nationally syndicated special to air on ABC 7 at 6 p.m. Sunday (and repeat at 4 p.m. November 29). Janet Davies will contribute to the one-hour extravaganza, taped on a fantasy winter wonderland set in Pioneer Court. Musical performers will include Jennifer Hudson and Heather Headley. Look for Mickey and Minnie Mouse to give the cue to light up a million twinkling lights along the Mag Mile — just in time for a visit from Santa. Continue reading →

Mancow leaving WLS morning show

Erich Mancow Muller

Saying he was tired of doing “radio without joy” during a pandemic, Erich Mancow Muller is leaving WLS 890-AM after two years as morning host. His last day on the Cumulus Media news/talk station will be November 25.

“Much of the enjoyment I had left doing radio has been sucked out of it,” Muller, 54, said Monday. “Alone in an office building with no guests and endless rules is not my idea of a creative process. . . . For me, no interaction has been the radio kiss of death. Talking during this political season and hearing endless tales of woe from my listeners has been radio without joy.” Continue reading →