Posted by Hermans Head on January 29, 2010 at 13:18:29:
Robservations on the media beat:
��It didn��t have quite the impact of Conan O��Brien��s farewell, but with strains of Jim Morrison��s ��This Is the End, My Only Friend�� playing them out, Roseanne Tellez and Ed Curran signed off Friday from WBBM-Channel 2��s little-watched morning show.
The CBS-owned station stalwarts graciously plugged Monday��s debut of ��Monsters and Money in the Morning,�� the new gabfest starring Mike North, Dan Jiggetts, Terry Savage and Mike Hegedus, from 5 to 7 a.m. weekdays. Already gone before Friday��s low-key finale was Don Schwenneker, the weatherman-turned-anchorman, who tweeted earlier in the week that he��s ��thankful for his time on the CBS2 morning show and for working alongside one of the best anchors in the country. Now back to weather . . .�� He returns to weekend weather duties Sunday.
��Eric Ferguson, top-rated morning personality at Bonneville International hot adult-contemporary WTMX-FM (101.9), was back on the Mix Friday morning �� and mixing it up with partner Kathy Hart and newsman Mark Suppelsa �� after three days in the hospital for treatment of an irregular heart rhythm. All��s well now, he cheerfully reports: ��No worries �� they fixed it and I feel better!��
��Michael LaCrosse, program director of oldies WLS-FM (94.7), was promoted Friday to operations director of the Citadel Broadcasting station. In his new role, he��ll work closely with Drew Hayes, incoming operations director of news/talk sister station WLS-AM (890). LaCrosse, who previously was assistant program director/music director at Clear Channel Radio��s former smooth jazz WNUA, has headed programming at the ��True Oldies�� station since December 2006.
��No baloney: Mancow Muller, once a prime target of FCC indecency enforcement, credits tough economic times for inspiring shock jocks to clean up their acts. ��I think I��ve moved on,�� the WLS-AM midday host told Inside Radio. ��With an economy that��s tanked, I just think people throwing baloney on naked women is not that fun right now.��
��It��s hardly a surprise, but the all-Christmas music format tripled the ratings in December for Clear Channel Radio adult contemporary WLIT-FM (93.9). Arbitron figures released this week show ��The Holiday Lite�� jumping from a tie for 11th place with a 3.2 percent share to first place with a 10.1 share during the four-week period from Dec. 10 to Jan. 6.
��Did anyone else notice something oddly coincidental in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court ruling Wednesday on the $45.6 million in bonuses for Tribune Co. managers? The number of designated recipients is 720 �� which matches the frequency of Tribune radio flagship WGN-AM (720). How��s that for symmetry?
��Jim Tyree, the Mesirow CEO who rode to the rescue of the Chicago Sun-Times and saved it from liquidation, will kick off the 2010 ��Breakfast with the Experts�� series Wednesday at Saint Xavier University. He��ll talk business and take questions for an hour. Sponsored by the university and the Beverly Area Planning Association, the event starts at 8 a.m. in the Warde Academic Center, 3700 W. 103rd St. Tickets are available at BAPA.org or by calling (773) 233-3100.
����Newer, hotter gospel artists�� are in as Clear Channel Radio unveils a revamped format for WGRB-AM (1390). But it��ll still take a miracle to boost the ratings: The ��Music of Power and Praise�� station is languishing in 33rd place with an unholy 0.7 share.
��Lacy J. Banks, the veteran Sun-Times sportswriter who��s been chronicling his courageous battle with three life-threatening illnesses, is the subject of a Black History Month special on Comcast SportsNet��s ��SportsNite.�� The update on Banks�� condition and progress will air at 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 8.