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Published on Thursday, 02 August 2012 19:18
There is even more local media news items to be shared in tonight's News & Notes, including: WXRT-FM goes Lolla; Brotha' Fred becomes a columnist; Zakk Tyler becomes APD; Alexx Dupri moves back home; Walter Jacobson may be going; Jane Boal will also be going; Wendi Power is out of a job; Chris Shebel has found a new job; WXRD-FM plays Bingo; and Opie & Anthony & Jim Norton come back to town. All of the details can be read here...
* * Starting tomorrow (Friday), WXRT-FM is Chicago radio's Lollapalooza headquarters. Throughout the day, the station will be playing Lollapalooza artists, stopping the music periodically to air backstage interviews with Lolla artists, intimate & exclusive in-studio/backstage performances from some artists in town for the concert event, Lolla information, and much more. Additionally, every day this weekend from 4:00pm-7:00pm, 93XRT's Marty Lennartz will host a daily live radio show from the XRT Compound inside Grant Park. If that wasn't enough, the station's website has set up a special sub-website dedicated to all things Lollapalooza, with webcast links, festival highlights, a concertgoers guide, blogs, videos, photos, and even more. That can be found at this link
HERE.
* * WKSC-FM/103.5 Kiss FM's morning host Brotha' Fred has signed on as the newest monthly contributor to the Chicago Sun-Times' Daily Splash section. His very first column, entitled "Putting On Air(s)" appeared in today's newspaper. It can be read online
HERE.
* * WLUP-FM personality Zakk Tyler has picked up more responsibilities at the classic rock station. As of this week, Tyler has added the title of Assistant Program Director after his name. This is in addition to the title of Merlin Media Sports Director that Tyler was recently given, although Merlin Media's news stations have since been forced to shut down. Zakk Tyler
returned to the Loop in June of this year, after five years of working at music & sports radio stations in other markets. He can be heard throughout the day on WLUP-FM, but primarily in afternoons, as well as heard delivering sports updates on other Merlin Media-owned radio stations.
* * At the start of
last summer, Chicago radio veteran Alexx Dupri was hired as the new midday personality at Richmond, VA's WKJM-FM/WKJS-FM, known locally in Richmond as "99.3 and 105.7, Kiss FM." (Richmond's Kiss-FM is not a CHR station like Chicago's Kiss FM, but closer in format to Chicago's V103.) A couple of weeks ago, Dupri quietly left her Richmond job and moved back to Chicago to be closer to family. Dupri, a Chicago native and Columbia College Chicago graduate, has previously worked for WGCI-FM, WKSC-FM, and WPWX-FM. Could she be talking with a pair of Chicago Urban stations about a possible part-time return??? Could be...
* * WBBM-TV's legendary news anchor Walter Jacobson turned 75 years old this past weekend. Is the veteran newsman telling friends that it does not appear that CBS Television will be renewing his contract next month??? Just asking...
* * Jane Boal is also looking to leave the WGN-TV newsroom soon. She and her family are moving to the San Diego, CA area later this year. After hosting WGN-TV's lottery drawings for a short time, Boal was hired by the station as a reporter in August 1998. She was released as an employee in a cost-cutting move in May 2009, but since then has remained with the station in a freelance role. The Emmy Award-winning reporter may be best remembered not for her news skills, but for an accident that happened on live television in 1999, when Boal was struck by an out of control car while she was delivering an on-air report. She escaped with only leg injuries.
* * Former WGN-AM Director of Sales Wendi Power is searching for her next opportunity. After 15 years with WGN Radio, Power left the station toward the start of 2010 to accept a Vice President/General Manager role with Cox Media Group's cluster of radio stations in Tampa, FL. In a budget-slashing move, Cox Media dissolved the General Manager position this week, having the southern Florida Market Manager absorb those duties. Before her 15 years working sales for WGN Radio, Wendi Power also worked in sales positions with WUSN-FM, WJMK-FM, WJJD-AM, and WBBM-TV.
* * Former Chicago DJ & programmer Chris Shebel has found new work. Starting August 27th, Shebel will take over as Program Director at KKCW-FM/K103 in Portland, OR. He most recently had served as Operations Manager for the Clear Channel cluster in Raleigh, NC. Shebel may be best remembered locally as a former WLS-AM DJ and the programmer of WKIE-FM/WKIF-FM/WDEK-FM and WXXY-FM/WYXX-FM (1998-2003), when they were owned by Big City Radio.
* * Northwestern Indiana's WXRD-FM/X-Rock 103.9 is planning some fun for this year's Lake County (IN) Fair. On this coming Monday, August 6th, X-Rock 103.9 will be playing "Rock & Roll Bingo." The fun will be emceed by popular WXRD-FM personality Tom Lounges and held at the Radio One Communications Showcase Tent from 7:00pm-10:00pm. Any fair-goer with a paid admission to the fairgrounds can participate in the games for free. Instead of traditional bingo numbers, the bingo cards will feature rock artists names & songs. Plenty of prizes will be handed out. The Lake County Fair begins tomorrow, located at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point, IN.
* * SiriusXM Radio stars Opie & Anthony will be doing their radio show from a live remote within Chicagoland later next week. On Friday, August 10th, the entire "Opie & Anthony Show" crew -- including Gregg "Opie" Hughes, Anthony Cumia, and comedian Jim Norton -- will be broadcasting from a bar in Chicago's south suburbs. This will happen inside 115 Bourbon St., located at 3359 West 115th Street in Merrionette Park. A pre-show begins at 2:30pm with Sam Roberts, followed by the O&A remote from 3:00pm-5:00pm. The doors open at 2:00pm and the fun will go on well past 5:00pm. There are no tickets being sold and no reservations being taken. Seating will be allowed on a first come, first serve basis, until the bar reaches capacity. Must be at least 21 years old to enter. Opie & Anthony were previously heard on the air here in Chicago on early mornings on WCKG-FM from August 1, 2006 until CBS Radio removed all air talent from the station on October 29, 2007, just prior to the station being flipped to Adult Contemporary Fresh 105.9.
