Chris Boden

Robservations on the media beat:

Judd Sirott

Wednesday was a happy day for two veteran Chicago sportscasters. Chris Boden was named pregame and postgame host for all Chicago Blackhawks broadcasts on Tribune Broadcasting news/talk WGN AM 720. He succeeded Judd Sirott, who’s headed to Boston as the new play-by-play voice of the Bruins. Sirott, who served as radio host for the Blackhawks on WGN for the past 10 years, is the nephew of broadcast legend Bob Sirott. All three are Chicago natives. Boden, who was cut in August after 10 years at NBC Sports Chicago (formerly Comcast SportsNet Chicago), tweeted: “Yeah that mouth's open . . .” Continue reading →

Alan Krashesky

After 35 years at WLS-Channel 7, Alan Krashesky is living proof that nice guys finish first.

In the 18 months since Krashesky succeeded the legendary Ron Magers as 10 p.m. news anchor, the ABC-owned station has maintained its dominant first-place position in Chicago television's late-news battle. The same is true of the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts Krashesky also anchors. Continue reading →

WBBM Newsradio

Robservations on the media beat:

Chicago radio stations responded forcefully to Monday’s two biggest stories. Starting before 6 a.m. CBS Radio all-news WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9 went wall to wall with coverage of the Las Vegas concert shooting. For more than two hours, WBBM Newsradio dropped virtually all commercials and other programming elements to report exclusively on the deadly attack. Traffic updates were relegated to tweets. Later in the day, reports of rock legend Tom Petty’s passing prompted Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV FM 97.1 to play Petty’s music exclusively from about 2:45 to 6 p.m. (Although initial reports of his death turned out to be premature.) Said Rob Cressman, program director of The Drive: “It speaks to the power and intimacy that is the institution of radio.” Continue reading →

Kathy Hart (Photo: Fox 32)

The release of Kathy Hart after more than two decades at WTMX FM 101.9 and the breakup of Eric & Kathy as Chicago radio’s No. 1 morning team led the top 10 most-read stories here in September.

To read the full posts, click on the headlines: Continue reading →

Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)

The Chicago Sun-Times has agreed to donate its vast collection of movie press kits and related memorabilia to the archives of Roger Ebert at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

The material is believed to include decades of movie press kits — including priceless photos which cannot be sold because the rights belong to Hollywood studios. Continue reading →