Robservations: Tribune endorsement ‘retreat to the sidelines’

Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune

Robservations on the media beat:

The Chicago Tribune, self-proclaimed for decades as “The World’s Greatest Newspaper,” on Friday endorsed Gary Johnson for president. A short time later, the Sun-Times wrote in its endorsement of Hillary Clinton: “A vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, a man who could not even pass a basic world geography test, is not a principled protest gesture. It is a retreat to the sidelines.” Continue reading

Sylvia Perez joins Fox 32 as weekend morning anchor

Sylvia Perez

Sylvia Perez

Sylvia Perez, a prominent news anchor and reporter for 24 years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, is returning to Chicago television news as weekend morning anchor for WFLD-Channel 32, the Fox-owned station announced Monday.

Starting October 3, Perez will join Fox 32 as anchor of the Saturday and Sunday editions of “Good Day Chicago” and will deliver special reports during the week for the 9 p.m. newscast. She succeeds Kristen Nicole, who shifted to weekday mornings last month.

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Robservations: ‘Cronkite’s Journey’ marks anchorman’s centennial

Chip Cronkite (Walter Cronkite III)

Chip Cronkite (Walter Cronkite III)

Robservations on the media beat:

On Friday I had the honor of attending a special performance of “And That’s The Way It Is: Cronkite’s Journey” at Lincoln Center in New York commemorating the centennial of Walter Cronkite’s birth. Cronkite's family and members of his staff were among those honoring the legendary anchorman. The three-act multimedia tribute was presented by Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, home of the Walter Cronkite Memorial. Long known as “The Most Trusted Man in America,” Cronkite was born in St. Joseph on November 4, 1916. Continue reading

Robservations: Sun-Times brings back columnist Phil Kadner

Phil Kadner

Phil Kadner

Robservations on the media beat:

Phil Kadner, the Chicago journalism legend and veteran columnist who accepted a buyout at the end of 2015 after 37 years at the Daily Southtown, is making a comeback via the Sun-Times. Starting September 29, his column will appear twice a week. “With this incredible political season upon us it is so wonderful to have Phil's analysis back with the Sun-Times,” said Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief. “He's a pro who can write honestly and eloquently on just about any subject. He is a welcome addition to an already strong bench of voices here.” Continue reading

Tribune pulls Pioneer Press reporter off Evanston beat

Bob Seidenberg

Bob Seidenberg

A veteran reporter for the Evanston Review is being shipped out to the west suburbs in retaliation for withholding his byline from a story, according to the Chicago News Guild.

Bob Seidenberg, an award-winning writer who has covered the north suburb for nearly 30 years, was reassigned to Franklin Park and other west suburbs about a week after he removed his name from a story that he said had been rewritten inaccurately by an editor. Continue reading

Robservations: Daily Herald closing more bureaus

Daily Herald

Daily Herald

Robservations on the media beat:

With the closing of its two remaining bureaus in Lisle and Elgin, the Daily Herald continues consolidation of staff at its Arlington Heights headquarters and Paddock Printing Center in Schaumburg. Both moves, to be completed by year’s end, follow the closing last December of the Daily Herald’s Lake County bureau in Libertyville. In addition to saving money, Doug Ray, publisher and CEO of Daily Herald Media Group, cited the ability of mobile journalists to report from where news happens. “This move reinforces our strategy to put more emphasis on ‘being there’ rather than ‘in-the-office newsgathering,’ ” he said. Continue reading

Patti and the mayor: Now you hear it, now you don’t

Patti Vasquez

Patti Vasquez

Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to wake up the mayor of Chicago with a prank call at 2 in the morning. But it did make for some unusual radio.

Patti Vasquez, the Chicago standup comic who hosts late nights on Tribune Media news/talk WGN AM 720, featured a bit in which she’d call local celebrities in the middle of the night. Mostly they were folks who had to get up early, like morning TV anchors and reporters. Usually she’d just get the person’s voice mail and leave a funny message. WGN bosses didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

In the early morning of September 2, Vasquez had three guests in her studio — Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski, Chicago Tribune political cartoonist Scott Stantis and Gregory Seal Livingston, founder of the Coalition For A New Chicago. One of them slipped Vasquez the home number of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. So she placed a call. It was about 1:55 a.m. Continue reading