Robservations: WGN Radio signs Wood, Dempster as baseball analysts

WGN Radio

WGN Radio

Robservations on the media beat:

Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood

Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood

Just in time for Opening Day next week, former Chicago Cubs pitchers Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster have been hired as baseball analysts at Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720. Throughout the season Dempster will appear Thursday mornings on Steve Cochran’s show, and Wood will appear Thursday afternoons on Roe Conn’s show. “Woody and Dempster are the perfect pair to drive the conversation during a year loaded with great story lines,” said Todd Manley, vice president of programming and content at WGN. “Baseball’s in our DNA, and we can’t wait to get this season rolling.” Also at WGN, morning producer Kevin Powell has shifted to afternoon sports anchor, succeeding Connor McKnight, who jumped to Cumulus Media news/talk WLS AM 890. Continue reading

ABC 7’s Linda Yu reducing anchor role

Linda Yu

Linda Yu

Linda Yu, who’s been a mainstay of Chicago television news for more than 36 years, is stepping down from the 7 p.m. Monday-through-Friday newscast produced by ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 and airing on Weigel Broadcasting WCIU-Channel 26.

Yu, 69, will continue to co-anchor ABC 7’s 4 p.m. weekday newscast with Alan Krashesky for the time being, but the move marks the first step toward her eventual retirement from the station, according to insiders. Continue reading

International Television Awards to salute Janet Davies, Bill Zwecker

Bill Zwecker

Bill Zwecker

Janet Davies and Bill Zwecker, two of Chicago’s best known entertainment reporters, will be honored for their work by Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival.

The two will be saluted April 20 at the 52nd Chicago International Television Awards, culminating a three-day event of special screenings and panel discussions celebrating excellence in television. Continue reading

Robservations: Chicago pubcasters launch news partnership

WTTW studio

WTTW studio

Robservations on the media beat:

Chicago’s two leading public broadcasters announced a news partnership Monday that could lead to joint reporting of stories and online collaborations. Via a newly installed robotic camera, reporters from Chicago Public Media WBEZ FM 91.5 will appear on “Chicago Tonight,” the nightly news program on Window to the World Communications WTTW-Channel 11. In turn, a new high speed fiber line will allow WTTW hosts and correspondents to appear live on WBEZ news and talk shows. Continue reading

Robservations: Miami’s Liz Nagy reporting for ABC 7

Liz Nagy

Liz Nagy

Robservations on the media beat:

There’s another new face coming to ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. Starting Monday as a per-diem reporter is Liz Nagy, just in from WSVN, the Fox affiliate in Miami. Before joining WSVN in 2011, Nagy worked for WEAR, the ABC affiliate in Pensacola, Florida, and WVIR, the NBC affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia. A Philadelphia native and graduate of Elon University in Elon, North Carolina, she began at WEIU, the PBS station in Charleston, Illinois. Nagy is engaged to John Hendren, Chicago-based correspondent for Al Jazeera English. Continue reading

It’s official: Larry Mowry joins ABC 7 weather team

Larry Mowry

Larry Mowry

ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 announced the addition of meteorologist Larry Mowry to its weather team Wednesday, confirming what readers of this blog knew two weeks ago.

Mowry, who has been chief meteorologist at CBS-owned KTVT in Dallas since 2008, officially starts here April 11. He will appear on ABC 7’s Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts, anchored by Stacey Baca and Ben Bradley, and fill in on other “Eyewitness News” broadcasts.

The deal negotiated by Mowry’s agent, attorney Joel Weisman, marks a homecoming for the former Chicagoan, who worked weekends at ABC 7 in 2004 and freelanced at Tribune Media CLTV in 2003. Continue reading