Rick Hall
Robservations on the media beat:
SHE 100.3
Rick Hall, manager of digital audio and on-air host at Chicago-based Moody Radio, has been hired as afternoon personality and music director at WSHE 100.3-FM, the Hubbard Radio adult contemporary station. He replaces Jay Styles, who was traded in November to Hubbard’s KQMV in Seattle. Jeff England, vice president and market manager of Hubbard Radio Chicago, called Hall “a multi-talented personality/programmer who’ll bring great value to our SHE listeners, advertisers and community.” Earlier in his career Hall worked on the air country WUSN 99.5-FM and former adult contemporary WCFS 105.9-FM, both under CBS Radio ownership. In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, SHE 100.3 tied for 15th in afternoons with a 2.6 percent share and cumulative weekly audience of 424,700.
Dave Hilton
Another Chicago radio veteran axed in the latest round of layoffs at iHeartMedia was Dave Hilton, longtime production director at adult contemporary WLIT 93.9-FM. Previously reported cuts this week included Bart Shore, traffic reporter for Total Traffic & Weather Network, and Jordan “JRDN” Foster, evening host at Top 40 WKSC 103.5-FM. Hilton hosted middays for 17 years at Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX 101.9-FM and predecessor WCLR before joining Clear Channel Broadcasting (now iHeartMedia) as production director in 2000. He also works as a commercial voice actor.
Wendy Snyder
Look for hometown favorite Wendy Snyder to turn up two days next week — Thursday and Friday — filling in for morning host Bob Sirott on WGN 720-AM. Except for a brief guest shot with weekend host Steve Dale last month, it will mark Snyder's first appearance on the Nexstar Media news/talk station since she and former partner Bill Leff were fired in November 2019. (Leff now hosts "Toon In With Me" weekday mornings on Weigel Broadcasting MeTV.) Snyder most recently hosted a weekend show and podcast with Ramblin' Ray Stevens for Cumulus Media news/talk WLS 890-AM.
Michael Corn
Michael Corn, president of news for Chicago-based cable news network NewsNation, consistently denied sexual assault allegations by a former employee of ABC News, where Corn previously worked as an executive producer. Now a New York State Supreme Court judge has dismissed the employee's lawsuit against Corn. Kirstyn Crawford, a former “Good Morning America” producer, alleged that Corn assaulted her when she reported to him in 2015. “We are very grateful the court recognized the total lack of merit to the allegations brought against Mr. Corn,” Meredith Cavallaro, the attorney who represented Corn, told Stephen Battaglio of the Los Angeles Times. (Here is the link.)
Thursday’s comment of the day: John Dempsey: There has never been a finer traffic reporter in Chicago than Bart Shore. He also has been at the center of so many breaking news stories with his reports from the news helicopter. He should be immensely proud of the great career he has had.