WGN News set

Robservations on the media beat:

WGN logo

Now it’s WGN-Channel 9’s turn to show off fancy new digs. On its 4 p.m. newscast Wednesday the Tribune Media station will debut a new news set, featuring “the latest in studio technology, including two video walls, video panels, and LED lighting,” according to officials. “We are excited to have a set that fully supports all of our news programs and are thrilled with the ‘state-of-the-art’ result,” Paul Rennie, president and general manager of WGN, said in a statement. Also look for “Chicago’s Very Own” to unveil a new logo. Let’s just hope the new overlords from Sinclair Broadcast Group approve.

Byron Miranda

So long to meteorologist Byron Miranda, who’s signing off June 9 after three years at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. His weather duties on the 11 a.m. weekday newscast will be handled by others on staff, according to Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news. FTVLive reported Miranda is joining WPIX, the Tribune Media station in New York. This was Miranda’s second stint at NBC 5. From 1998 to 2002 he was morning meteorologist.

Richard Roeper

Before this week it may have seemed strange to see a Chicago Tribune event headlined by a prominent Sun-Times personality. But maybe not now. Richard Roeper, movie critic for the Sun-Times, has been tapped to interview Basketball Hall of Famer and author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar June 11 at Printers Row Lit Fest, the Tribune’s annual book festival. Roeper also is co-host of "Good Day Chicago" on Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32 and a regular contributor to Roe Conn’s afternoon show on news/talk WGN AM 720.

Erin Ivory

After eight years on “WGN Morning News,” traffic reporter Erin Ivory is taking on a new assignment as feature reporter for WGN’s 4 and 5 p.m. newscasts. “I really enjoy getting out to meet people and sharing their stories . . . their joys, struggles and personal triumphs,” she told Facebook friends. “For a while now, I have been itching to get back to my roots and WGN is giving me an opportunity to do just that.” Her husband, meteorologist Demetrius Ivory, already works on the 4 p.m. newscast. To accommodate the move, traffic reporter Sarah Jindra shifts from afternoons to mornings, and feature reporter Amy Rutledge goes airborne as Skycam 9's helicopter reporter.

Jeff Reisman

Jeff Reisman, general manager of Salem Media news/talk WIND AM 560 and Christian talk WYLL AM 1160, has been promoted to operational vice president for Salem’s radio division. In addition to the Chicago radio cluster, he’ll oversee the company’s Boston and Philadelphia stations. Allen Power, senior vice president of Salem Radio said Reisman has “proven himself as a problem-solving leader who has driven growth and innovation in Chicago.”

The extraordinary front page of Tuesday's Sun-Times:

Chicago Sun-Times (May 16, 2017)