Steve Cochran
Robservations on the media beat:
Just days after marking his one-year anniversary as morning personality on news/talk WGN AM 720, Steve Cochran received a big vote of confidence from his Tribune Broadcasting bosses. On Thursday he signed a new four-year contract to stay right where he is. Terms were not disclosed, but Todd Manley, vice president of content and programming at WGN, confirmed the deal and called Cochran “a treasure to us.” In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, WGN ranked second in mornings with a 5.4 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 276,600. “Thanks to my amazing staff of Andrea Darlas, Dave Eanet, Orion Samuelson, Mary Vandevelde, Kevin Powell and my son, Ross, 5 a.m. is actually fun,” Cochran said. “Working for Jimmy de Castro, Todd Manley and Larry Wert is as good as it gets — and I feel like we are just getting started.”
Joyce Winnecke
Inspired by a recent post on this blog, Publicity Club of Chicago will present a program on “The Most Powerful Women in Chicago Journalism” at its monthly luncheon Wednesday at Maggiano’s, 516 North Clark Street. Panelists will include: Sally Eisele, managing editor of Chicago Public Media WBEZ FM 91.5; Jennifer Lyons, news director of WGN-Channel 9; Jen Sabella, senior editor of DNAinfo.com; and Joyce Winnecke, associate editor of the Chicago Tribune. They’ll discuss what it takes for women to break through the glass ceiling in journalism and their views on the future of media, among other topics. For reservations see publicity.org.
Dennis Rodkin
Residential real estate columnist Dennis Rodkin, who joined Crain’s Chicago Business last February after 23 years at Chicago magazine, is about to change his own residence. He’s moving to Monterey, California, to run a nursery with his younger brother. “It’s not an easy thing to give up, but I’m looking forward to working with my brother,” Rodkin told Crain’s columnist Shia Kapos, who first reported the move. “I've worked with some of the best journalists around. Chicago is a place where there are endless stories, especially about real estate.”
Mike Majchrowitz
Fox News Radio White House correspondent Mike Majchrowitz, who once worked as a reporter for Tribune Broadcasting’s CLTV here, died Sunday of throat cancer at 51. “Mike was an original — a solidly tenacious reporter, a thoughtful anchor and a good man,” Mitch Davis, vice president of Fox News Radio, said in a statement. “He earned the respect of his colleagues for many things, not the least of which was his kindness.” A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Majchrowitz spent two years at CLTV in the mid ’90s. He joined Fox News Radio at its inception in 2005 from Cox Television.