John Records Landecker
Robservations on the media beat:
Museum of Broadcast Communications
Legendary DJs John Records Landecker and Tommy Edwards will reminisce about the golden age of rock radio when they headline a fundraiser for Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications August 14. "Rock Radio Revisited" will be hosted by Wendy Snyder at Ron Onesti's Des Plaines Theater. (Here is the link for tickets.) Also appearing, according to the museum, will be Kris Erik Stevens, Bob Stroud, Connie Szerszen, Steve King, Gary Burbank, Cousin Brucie Morrow and Dyana Williams. “The heyday of rock radio in the '60s and '70s was centered around the booming personalities of DJs like Larry Lujack, John Records Landecker, Yvonne Daniels, Bob Sirott and Steve King," David Plier, chairperson of the museum board, said in a statement. "Every city had their favorite local radio station and the voices behind them. This will be an incredible celebration of the personalities and music that made that era of rock and roll so memorable.”
WGN Radio transmitter site
Nexstar Media Group, owner of news/talk WGN 720-AM, plans to sell about one-third of its 100-acre transmitter site for development of a three-building data center. WGN has occupied the former farmland off Rohlwing Road in unincorporated Cook County since 1939. Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson told residents Nexstar plans to relocate WGN's transmission tower to the north end of the property to accommodate development of 35 acres on the south end. In order for Nexstar to access infrastructure and village services, the company plans to petition for annexation of the property into Elk Grove, according to Johnson. In 2019 Audacy sold the transmitter site of all-news WBBM 780-AM in Itasca to a developer for $46 million and relocated to a new tower in Bloomingdale.
Terrell Brown and Cheryl Burton
Cheryl Burton and Terrell Brown will host “Our Chicago: Freedom Day,” a half-hour special marking Juneteenth, at 4:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7. “ABC 7 is proud to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday with special programming that will provide historical context, insight into the events of that day and community figures who worked diligently over the years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday,” John Idler, president and general manager of ABC 7, said in a statement. The special will be available on abc7chicago.com and ABC 7’s connected TV apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.
Mitch Carr
NewsNation, the Chicago-based cable news network owned by Nexstar Media, is expanding its morning news programming. Starting June 27, "Early Morning" will air at 5 a.m. — leading into "Morning in America," which airs from 6 to 9 a.m. The new early morning hour will be anchored by Mitch Carr, just in from NBC affiliate KPNX in Phoenix, where he was weekend anchor and reporter. “We are excited to have Mitch Carr kick off our mornings with a fast-paced and informative news hour,” Michael Corn, NewsNation president of news, said in a statement. “With [executive producer] James Holm leading the team, I’m confident ‘Early Morning’ will resonate with viewers, as NewsNation continues its expansion to become a 24/7 cable news network.”
Marquee Sports Network
Marquee Sports Network has launched “Cubs Cornerstones,” a monthly series of documentaries profiling big names in Cubs history. June's opener spotlights Shawon Dunston, to be followed by Carlos Zambrano in July, Lou Piniella in August and Pat Hughes in September. “'Cubs Cornerstones' is another avenue for us to share the storied history of Chicago Cubs baseball with our fans, highlighting fan favorites and memorable personalities,” Mike Santini, senior vice president of programming and production, said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to share these stories throughout the year.” Episodes will air multiple times each month.
Adam Rank
“The Sick Podcast With Adam Rank,” a weekly talk show on the Chicago Bears hosted by the longtime NFL Network analyst, has landed a radio home on west suburban WCKG 1530-AM. Starting June 24, it will air from 2 to 3 p.m. Fridays. “Adam’s passion for the Bears makes for such quality content,” sports director Jon Zaghloul said in a statement. “I’m proud to bring his show to where it belongs — WCKG Chicago. Listeners should look forward to Adam’s opinions, guests and commentary on all things Chicago Bears. This is a great move for our brand, and I’m excited to get things started.”
Thursday’s comment of the day: Gustaf Rand: I admire their energy after all these years [at The Score]. Like factory work. Coming in and looking at each other and hashing and rehashing the same seven or nine subjects. Over and over and over and nothing changes. Not really. I admire their energy.