Robservations: CBS 2 alums Sudberry, Baskerville team up on podcast

Howard Sudberry and Steve Baskerville

Robservations on the media beat:

Two well-known veterans of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 — former sports anchor Howard Sudberry and former meteorologist Steve Baskerville — are reuniting to launch their own weekly podcast. Starting in late February they'll co-host "Back 2 You" for the Radio Misfits Podcast Network. "It’s light, it’s fun, it’s about a lot of this and that," said executive producer Tony Lossano. "They’ll also talk about various work experiences that everyone can relate to, their contacts with legendary stars, and interviews with well-known people." Sudberry, who left CBS 2 in 2009, has been senior director of marketing and communications at Arlington International Racecourse since 2011. Baskerville retired from CBS 2 in 2017. Joining Sudberry and Baskerville on the podcast each week will be Alyssa Ali, an on-air reporter for Arlington Park.

Lourdes Duarte

Lourdes Duarte, news anchor and investigative reporter at Tribune Broadcasting WGN-Channel 9, has been named recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence at DePaul University. Duarte, a 1999 graduate of DePaul, will be honored along with Distinguished Journalist Award recipient Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Carol Marin and Don Moseley, co-directors of the center, will present the awards at a luncheon April 25.

Mike Lorber

Look for Mike Lorber to be back up in the air soon for NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. The longtime flying traffic reporter has been grounded since United States Traffic Network went out of business in December. Under a new agreement about to be finalized with Total Traffic and Weather Network, Lorber is expected to resume his reports from the Sky 5 helicopter for NBC 5's daily newscasts. "We are looking forward to his return," said Frank Whittaker, station manager and vice president of news at NBC 5.

ESPN Chicago 1000

ESPN Radio sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM unveiled a new title sponsor Thursday for its State Street studio. Under a comprehensive multiyear agreement with the station, the studio will be branded for First Midwest Bank. “Two great brands, leaders in their industries, joining forces to serve Chicago sports fans every day," Jim Pastor, vice president and general manager of ESPN 1000, said in a statement. Mazda had been the studio rightsholder since 2014.

The 1969 Cubs

Fifty years after one of the most remarkable seasons in Chicago Cubs history, Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins has written The 1969 Cubs: Long Remembered - Never Forgotten. Just published by Signature Strength and featuring a foreword by former teammate Randy Hundley, it features personal reflections and insights from Jenkins on the season and its aftermath. "Better late than never," he writes, "and better for this insider to share what he knows about the unforgettable group of guys who truly gave birth to the modern Chicago Cubs." Jenkins wrote it in collaboration with Chicago sports writer, historian and author George Castle, who now has 17 books to his credit.

Pat Colander

Pat Colander is being remembered as a fearless writer and editor with an infectious laugh and an endless stream of stories. The longtime journalist and author died of cancer Monday in Hobart, Indiana. She was 66. Colander, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, worked for the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Reader, the Northwest Indiana Times, Lake magazine and Shore magazine. In 2016 she won the Chicago Writer’s Association Book of the Year Award for Hugh Hefner's First Funeral and Other True Tales of Love and Death in Chicago, a collection of her articles. Services for Colander will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Mary of the Lake, 6060 Miller Avenue in Gary, Indiana.

Thursday’s comment of the day: Paul Lockwood: I was lucky enough to be included in a taped “Guess That Google Search” comedy bit. It was fun, Pat [Tomasulo] couldn’t have been nicer, and the final edited version was very funny. Glad he’s getting renewed; it’s a great alternative to late news in a Saturday night!