- Details
-
Published on Saturday, 25 August 2012 12:47
This weekend's News & Notes features eleven stories from the Chicago media beat, including: WLS-AM picks a new show host; Total Traffic Chicago picks a new Director of Operations; Fred Winston comes back to WLS; WSCR-AM to carry a new syndicated segment at the top of the hours; WGN-AM brings back and expands the "Preps Plus Chicago" show; Margaret Larkin adds another producing job; Steve Scott talks about his career; Irma Blanco is out of a job; voting for the Ford C. Frick Awards is underway; WGN-TV/CLTV to have an in-depth look at puppy mills; and a pair of Oprah producers form New Chapter Entertainment. All of the details can be read right here...
* * WLS-AM has crowned a winner in their summer contest "
The Next 89 WLS Talk Star." The person who will now get a two-hour talk show on AM 890 is Stephanie Trussell. She will also win other prizes, including a limo ride to and from the studio, her own set of headphones to keep, and a four-day/three-night vacation to Riviera Maya. Trussell is a conservative who named her child after Ronald Reagan and feels she can do a proper two-hour conservative talk show from the perspective of an African-American woman. Video of Stephanie Trussell winning the contest, as announced by Chet Coppock, Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft, can be seen
HERE.
* * Earlier this week, Rick Sirovatka, Total Traffic Network's Director of Regional Operations Midwest, announced that Mike Michonski is now the new Director of Operations for Total Traffic Chicago. Said Sirovatka, "I have no doubt that Mike will embrace his new role and run with it." Mike Michonski has been with the Total Traffic as an anchor since March 2009. Since graduating Purdue University in 2003, he has held numerous positions within radio/broadcast companies.
* * In advance of his
fill-in show on WLS-FM on Sunday night, Chicago radio legend Fred Winston stopped by the WLS-FM studios last night and visited with another Chicago radio legend, John Records Landecker. (Shown below are Landecker, producer Tony Lossano, and Winston.) Although he was heard on the air briefly last night, Fred Winston can be heard solo tomorrow night from 9:00pm-Midnight on 94.7 FM.
* * The new CBS Sports Radio Network makes its soft launch on September 4th. (The full 24/7 syndicated network doesn't launch until January 2013.) Among the new features of the network will be the commentary segment called the "CBS Sports Minute." These will air weekdays near the top of each hour between 6:00am-7:00pm on well over 80 affiliates, including Chicago's WSCR-AM/670 The Score. Those delivering commentary on the "CBS Sports Minute" segments include Boomer Esiason, John Feinstein, Doug Gottlieb, and Tom Tolbert.
* * With the 2012 High School Football season underway, WGN-AM has brought back the weekly wrap-up show "Preps Plus Chicago." The show, now in its third season, is hosted by WGN Radio's Jordan Bernfield and Justin Weiner, and also features Chicago Tribune Preps Plus reporters calling in from around Chicagoland with live reports on some of the area's biggest games. Different for this year, the show has been expanded from 30 minutes to a full hour. It can be heard each Friday night from 10:00pm-11:00pm throughout the High School Football season.
* * At the end of last month, it was revealed
here that Margaret "RadioGirl" Larkin had been hired as the new producer for Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano's "Sunday Night Radio Special" on WGN-AM. Larkin now adds a second show at WGN-AM and she has also been named as the new producer for "WGN Weekend with Bill Moller." Bill Moller's previous producer, Edgar "Eddie" Ybarra, had to step down, as he has added duties to his role as the Illinois Center for Broadcasting's Director of Career Services and could no longer also work Saturdays at WGN Radio.
* * Speaking of Margaret Larkin, her latest RadioGirl podcast has her talking with longtime Chicago voice Steve Scott. For over 20 years, Steve Scott was a staple on Chicago radio, heard on WRXR-FM, WCKG-FM, Shadow Broadcasting, and 13 years for WLS-AM. He was also the public address announcer for the Chicago Bulls for many years. Since September 2006, Steve Scott has been the afternoon drive news anchor at New York's WCBS-AM. Scott talks to Larkin about his fond memories of working in Chicago and his enjoyment of working in New York. The podcast can be heard
HERE.
* * Irma Blanco, the former co-host with Mancow Muller when he was on WRCX-FM/Rock 103.5, is now out of a job. She was with Mancow for over five years, serving as his on-air voice of reason and verbal punching bag, first in San Francisco, and then followed his radio act to Chicago. In 1998, she returned back to her native California to work in radio there. Blanco most recently had been working at KBIG-FM in Los Angeles and was co-host to Sean Valentine and the syndicated morning show "Valentine in the Morning." That show was heard locally on WLIT-FM
until last month. As of this week, Clear Channel decided to not renew her contract at KBIG-FM and with the Valentine show, cutting her loose. Irma Blanco is now searching for her next radio opportunity.
* * The 2013 Ford C. Frick Awards, which honor baseball broadcasters for radio & television, have opened up their voting to the public. 222 broadcasters can be voted for, with the 40 broadcasters gaining the most votes by 6:00pm September 7th moving on to the second round. Broadcasters must have at least 10 years broadcasting major league baseball games full-time to be considered eligible. Current Chicago broadcasters eligible to be voted for are: Ed Farmer, Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, Pat Hughes, Darrin Jackson, Len Kasper, and Steve Stone. Former Chicago broadcasters, who are now working elsewhere, but eligible to be voted for include: Thom Brennaman, Josh Lewin, Andy Masur, Hector Molina, John Rooney, Dewayne Staats, Gary Thorne, and Dave Wills. Retired Chicago broadcasters eligible to be voted for include: Lou Boudreau, Lorn Brown, Don Drysdale, Pat Flanagan, Wayne Hagin, Ralph Kiner, Vince Lloyd, Frank Messer, Tom Paciorek, Ron Santo, Hal Totten, and Bert Wilson. Voting is now being done via the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Facebook page at this link
HERE.
* * On Monday, August 27th at 9:00pm, The "WGN News at Nine" will have another of their in-depth "Cover Story" segments, this one looking into the practice of puppy mills. The segment, entitled "Bred for Profit, Caged for Life," will examine the conditions these breeding mothers and puppies endure and how the general public plays into the practice. At 10:00pm, immediately following Monday night's newscast, sister-station CLTV will have a live discussion/call-in show on the topic of puppy mills with WGN-TV news anchor Steve Sanders hosting. This live show will also be streaming on
WGNTV.com.
* * Two Chicago television producers, both formerly with the "Oprah Winfrey Show," have teamed up to form a new production company called New Chapter Entertainment (NCE). Candi Carter, who was a senior producer with Harpo Productions for 15 years, and former Harpo producer Rick Segall, will serve as CEO and Executive Vice President of Development at NCE, respectively. The Chicago-based company will focus on two areas: unscripted television programs (reality shows, docu-shows) and branded entertainment (commercials and short-form videos for corporations/businesses). Jim Olen, a 20 year Chicago advertising veteran, will serve as Director of the branded entertainment arm of NCE.
