So long, everyone

Media Notebook will not be returning in 2009.

I will continue to cover Chicago media at Chicago Radio Spotlight, however.

Thanks for reading it over these past few years. I've enjoyed doing it.

Taking some time off

Media Notebook is off for the holidays.

November 25, 2008

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer





John Williams gets the morning show at WGN
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "John Williams, a onetime WGN-AM 720 intern who has been game for just about anything the station ever asked of him, has landed its biggest on-air job. WGN has chosen Williams to succeed retiring morning man Spike O'Dell in what historically has been one of Chicago radio's most listened-to slots, dating back to Wally Phillips in the 1960s, through Bob Collins and O'Dell, who took over after Collins' death in 2000...O'Dell's last day will be Dec. 12, with Williams taking over on the 15th. A successor for Williams' 1-to-4 p.m. weekday and 9 a.m.-to-noon Saturday shifts will be named in a few weeks. "Spike, Bob and Wally left big shoes," Langmyer said in his memo. "I have no doubt that John will wear them well and with great pride and dedication. "


Amanpour to get own CNN show
(NY Times) Elizabeth Jensen writes: "In her 25 years at CNN, Christiane Amanpour has hopscotched the world, the very model of a foreign correspondent, turning up at seemingly every war, genocide, famine and natural disaster, slipping through previously closed borders and interviewing even the most recalcitrant of foreign leaders. But there is one thing she has never done: anchored her own daily news show That will change next year, when she starts a nightly program on CNN International, which is retooling its lineup. An edited version of Ms. Amanpour’s show is expected to be shown on the weekends on CNN’s United States channel."


Is Jay Leno going to take Jimmy Kimmel's Job?
(ABC) Jay Leno appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show this week and the discussion turned to the potentially awkward next step for Leno. It might just be taking the timeslot away from Jimmy Kimmel at ABC. Click on the link to watch the video.


NY Post interviews Jerry Springer
(NY Post) Adam Buckman writes: "He can't play baseball like Lou Gehrig (or do much of anything else, as he readily admits), but Jerry Springer says he feels like the luckiest man on the face of the earth. 'God's truth, I don't have any talent,' the host of TV's wildest daytime show (and "America's Got Talent" on NBC) said in a wide-ranging interview during a recent visit to The Post. 'I think I'm nice, and I'm smart, but I'm not talented. I'm a lawyer, I'm a businessman. That's where my skills are. They're not in show business or entertainment, and yet I've made a success and that's pure luck. I'm aware of it every day.'"


CLICK HERE



Hannity & Colmes is losing Colmes
(Huffington Post) Isn't about time they rid of the pretense of covering both sides altogether? Apparently Colmes agrees: "Fox News host Alan Colmes will leave his role as co-host of "Hannity & Colmes" at the end of the year, the network announced Monday. Colmes, who has co-hosted the program with Sean Hannity for 12 years, will remain with the network as a liberal commentator and will develop a weekend program, in addition to his radio show. "I approached Bill Shine (FNC's Senior Vice President of Programming) earlier this year about wanting to move on after 12 years to develop new and challenging ways to contribute to the growth of the network," Colmes said. "Although it's bittersweet to leave one of the longest marriages on cable news, I'm proud that both Sean (Hannity) and I remained unharmed after sitting side by side, night after night for so many years." Hannity added, "Not only has Alan been a remarkable co-host, he's been a great friend which is rare in this industry -- I'll genuinely miss sparring with such a skillful debate partner."


Supreme Court may hear Janet Jackson case
(Radio Ink) The FCC, with the Department of Justice, has applied for a writ of certiorari at the U.S. Supreme Court asking the court to look at a July 2008 Circuit Court decision that overturned the FCC's $550,000 fine against the CBS TV network. The fine was levied against 20 CBS stations after Janet Jackson's bare breast was momentarily revealed during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. The "wardrobe malfunction" -- so named in a press release from the other party to the incident, Justin Timberlake -- led the FCC to issue the forfeiture order in September of '04. The commission rejected CBS's appeal, and CBS then brought the case to the Third Circuit Court in Philadelphia, which threw out the fine, calling it "arbitrary and capricious." CBS said in a statement, "We hope the Supreme Court will recognize there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material, despite best efforts. Doing so would help to restore the policy of restrained indecency enforcement the FCC followed for decades."






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John Gehron leaves Harpo Radio
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "John Gehron, an esteemed radio veteran of more than 35 years who helped get Oprah Winfrey's "Oprah & Friends" XM Radio operation up and running a couple years ago, has told friends he's leaving as general manager of Harpo Radio. Lisa Halliday, chief spokeswoman for Harpo Inc., said Gehron's exit at the end of the week 'as part of Harpo Radio's restructuring. We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to him for helping us establish a new division of the company and for creating a foundation that we will build upon in the future. His dedication over the past few years is to be commended and we thank him for his work.'"


Brandmeier gets another TV show
(Chicago Sun Times) Lewis Lazarre writes: "Brandmeier will test the waters with a couple of (very) late-evening 30-minute "Almost Live" specials on NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5. One will air at 1:05 a.m. Dec. 5 and at 1:05 a.m. Dec. 12. It's no coincidence Brandmeier reached out to WMAQ when he decided to pursue this new television venture. Larry Wert, president and general manager of WMAQ, was the GM for several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s at classic rock WLUP-FM, where Brandmeier has been a fixture -- on and off -- for a very long while. So Wert, who has stayed friendly with the WLUP star, was more than happy to help with the TV specials, which were shot on a studio set without a live audience. As described to us, the shows' content will be a real hodgepodge, including audience call-in, famous and not-so-famous guests and some video clips, among other things. The shows were designed, apparently, to spotlight Brandmeier's comedic spontaneity. Wert said nothing is planned beyond the two specials, but if they pull in large audiences, Wert suggested Brandmeier could go further with the concept."


B-96 fires Eddie, Jobo & Erica
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "Hours after dismissing Eddie Volkman, Joe "Jobo" Bohannon and Erica Cobb after their WBBM-FM 96.3 Friday morning show and quickly scrubbing them from the station's Web site late last week, B-96 posted a farewell note of thanks to the trio. By all accounts, the parting was amicable -- and not just because Volkman and Bohannon continue to be paid under a seven-figure contract that runs into next summer. Volkman said he and Jobo got to keep their office keycards and can even attend CBS Radio's Chicago holiday party if they want. 'We weren't led away in handcuffs, like last time,' Volkman said, referring to the radio team of 20 years' earlier B-96 exit in 1994, which forced them into purgatory -- Philadelphia -- before returning to the station in 1996."
Read my previous interview with Eddie here


Chicago Radio Spotlight interview: Koz
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with WTMX afternoon man, Koz. He talks about his Chicago roots and influences, his show on WTMX, and his incurable illness (Cubs fan).

November 20, 2008

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer





The Corpulent News Network
(NY Observer) Felix Gillette writes about the huge amount of money CNN spent during this election season..."All you had to do was tune in to the network’s wildly successful and, at times, overly rich election coverage. For much of the 2008 election, going-as-over-the-top-as-you-possibly-can might as well have served as the organization’s mission statement. Along the way, CNN sponsored seven debates (by contrast, CBS, the Tiffany network, threw exactly none). In the run-up to the election, it piled up a roster of all-star political pundits, in a free-agent signing frenzy that would make George Steinbrenner blush. Throughout the campaign, it unleashed an array of new audio-visual technology, some of it culled from the world of military defense contractors."


I thought this was brilliant...



Stephen Colbert previews his Christmas special on GMA
(Huffington Post) Watch the clip at the link and tell me that you're not going to Tivo this show on Sunday. It looks hilarious.


CLICK HERE



The post-election news flash
(Gelf) Adam Conor-Simons writes: "Several election stories surfaced after the votes were counted, thanks to confidentiality agreements between reporters and campaigns. But does a journalist have an obligation to report newsworthy information promptly? It might seem strange that the weekly news magazine would put off publishing such salacious bits as the real amount spent on Sarah Palin's wardrobe or Bill Clinton's reaction to Hillary losing Iowa, but that was all part of the deal. In a special arrangement, a group of Newsweek reporters received privileged access from the campaigns under the condition that they not publish anything until after the election."


Economic downturn could get ugly for media companies
(Press-Gazette) The outgoing chairman of News Corp’s European business, Marty Pompadur, has warned that the economic downturn will have a "very, very ugly" effect on the media – and could force some companies to put themselves up for sale. Pompadur, who resigned from the News Corp board last week after more than 10 years as one of Rupert Murdoch’s closest lieutenants, told the European Media Leaders Summit in London that the impending recession would be "pretty deep and pretty long. "As I look at what's going on globally, in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, it's very, very ugly,” he said. "It's not good out there. They're talking about a recession - I hope they're not talking about something worse than that." As stock values tumble, Pompadur predicted that a small number of media companies would change hands. "If a company has a lot of debt they're in trouble,” he said.


CBS/Viacom stock downgraded
(Marketwatch) David Wilkerson writes: "Wunderlich Securities analyst Martin Pyykkonen downgraded shares of CBS and Viacom to neutral from buy on Monday, citing a rapidly weakening"' advertising market. A meltdown of global financial markets since September, fueled by the subprime mortgage crisis, has dealt a crushing blow to media companies, as consumer confidence has spiraled, leading to lower revenues and cuts in spending by major advertisers. CBS shares have fallen more than 60% since the beginning of September, while Viacom's value has been nearly cut in half. Pyykkonen pointed out that CBS has more exposure to the deteriorating ad market than most of its peers, with a wide array of television, radio and outdoor display units."





CLICK HERE





Don & Roma sign new contract to stay at WLS
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "Don and Roma Wade have agreed to continue doing weekday mornings for Citadel Broadcasting's WLS-AM 890 for the next four years. Financial terms of the renewal, negotiated by agent-attorney Eliot Ephraim of Ephraim & Associates, were not immediately available. Paperwork was still being finalized late Monday. 'They've been a huge part of the radio station and will continue to be for the foreseeable future,' WLS-AM President and General Manager Mike Fowler said. 'I love having them start off the mornings on WLS.' The Wades, who will mark their 30th wedding anniversary next year, have been on WLS-AM since December 1985. They shifted to mornings in the summer of 1989 after the station changed its formats, moving from music to talk. The couple's value has only surged of late, as Arbitron's recent switch from diaries to Portable People Meters to determine ratings in the Chicago market has shown them to be among the city's top draws."


Chicago Radio Spotlight interview: Jeff Schwartz
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with former WBBM, WLUP, WCKG, WSCR, and ESPN Radio veteran Jeff Schwartz about his 35 year radio career, including his involvement in Disco Demolition, and his role in creating The Score. Coming this weekend: WTMX afternoon man, Koz.

November 18, 2008

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer






Dan Rather's Lawsuit shows role of GOP in inquiry
(NY Times) Jacques Steinberg writes: "When Dan Rather filed suit against CBS 14 months ago — claiming, among other things, that his former employer had commissioned a politically biased investigation into his work on a “60 Minutes” segment about President Bush’s National Guard service — the network predicted the quick and favorable dismissal of the case, which it derided as “old news.” So far, Mr. Rather has spent more than $2 million of his own money on the suit. And according to documents filed recently in court, he may be getting something for his money. Using tools unavailable to him as a reporter — including the power of subpoena and the threat of punishment against witnesses who lie under oath — he has unearthed evidence that would seem to support his assertion that CBS intended its investigation, at least in part, to quell Republican criticism of the network."


What now for CNN after election?
(Marketwatch) Jon Friedman writes: " Now, the election is over and life has gone on. The central question is: Can CNN maintain its momentum at a time when the public's interest in politics is likely to wane? Yes, we should all care about the identity of the next Treasury Secretary or Secretary of State. And we should hang on every utterance of President-elect Barack Obama, of course. But it's inevitable. Despite the gravity of the Cabinet appointments or any other White House initiatives, nothing is likely to seem more exciting or newsy than the outcome of the presidential election."


Redstone: "I won't sell Viacom or CBS"
(Bloomberg) Sumner Redstone said he has no plans to sell more stock in Viacom Inc. or CBS Corp., and that talks to restructure debt at his National Amusements Inc. ``are proceeding in a smooth and constructive manner.'' Redstone's closely held company, based in Dedham, Massachusetts, owns controlling stakes in Viacom and CBS. Yesterday, the media companies closed below levels of Oct. 10, when a drop in their value forced National Amusements to sell $233 million of non-voting stock to satisfy lenders.


Time Warner playing fast and loose with figures
(Bloomberg) Jonathan Weil writes: "At $8.61 a share, Time Warner has a stock-market value of $30.9 billion. Yet according to the balance sheet Time Warner released last week, just one of its assets, goodwill, by itself was worth $42.5 billion as of Sept. 30. The company, which owns CNN, also showed $52.1 billion of other intangible assets, mostly cable-television franchise rights. The market knows those asset values can't be right. Time Warner executives just won't admit it. Meanwhile, Time Warner said its net income last quarter was $1.1 billion, down slightly from a year earlier. The stock, down 48 percent this year, now trades for about half the company's official book value, or assets minus liabilities."


CLICK HERE



Stephen Colbert roasted by incoming White House Chief of Staff
(Alternet) Rahm Emanuel said..."I'm scared of Stephen Colbert. I'm not alone. My colleagues in Congress, political operatives, the top minds in Washington, even some of the people in this room -- we're all scared of Stephen Colbert... We're scared of Stephen Colbert in the same way Sarah Palin is scared of a geography bee. We're scared of him the same way that John Edwards is scared of the National Enquirer. Mary Matalin is scared of Stephen, and she's seen Carville naked! ... Even Hillary Clinton is scared of Colbert, and this makes no sense to me -- she is a woman who braved sniper fire at the Battle of Bosnia's Airport. We're frightened of Colbert, but we know that deep down, underneath the Republican character you see on TV, there's still a good man, there's still hope for him. It's the same way we feel about Joe Lieberman."





Barack's a lock for Time's Person of the Year
(Portfolio) Jeff Bercovici writes: "Time hosted its annual discussion about who ought to be its person of the year this afternoon, and, as expected, it wasn't much of a contest. "I think we have but one choice," said NBC anchor and reliable panelist Brian Williams. That, of course, would be "the game-changer, the history-maker," Barack Obama. No one really bothered to disagree, although Elizabeth Edwards (who, for the record, was wearing her wedding ring) did qualify the choice. "It may be early to say it's the man and everything he stands for as opposed to him as a symbol," she said. "It's almost like I'd want a picture of him from behind with the people who were so inspired by him and energized by him."





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Twenty years of WVAZ
(Chicago Tribune) William Hageman writes: "Two decades ago, Barry Mayo reconfigured America's radio landscape when he introduced the adult urban contemporary format to the dial. He took WBMX-FM 102.7 and transformed it into WVAZ-V103. The rest, as they say, is history. On the recent occasion of the station's 20th anniversary, some of those responsible for the station's success—on-air personalities Herb Kent, Troi Tyler and Ramonski Luv, program director Derrick Brown and Scott "Smokin' " Silz, production and imaging director—gathered in a studio and talked about life at V103, then, now and down the road."


Chicago Radio Spotlight interview: Jeff Schwartz
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with former WBBM, WLUP, WCKG, WSCR, and ESPN Radio veteran Jeff Schwartz about his 35 year radio career, including his involvement in Disco Demolition, and his role in creating The Score.

November 13, 2008

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer





National Association of Broadcasters schmooze President-Elect
(Radio-online.com) NAB President/CEO David K. Rehr wrote to President-Elect Barack Obama on Monday, congratulating the newly-elected leader and highlighting the role played by America's local radio and television broadcasters. "There are more than 15,000 local radio and television stations in the United States, employing nearly 250,000 hard working Americans," wrote Rehr. "These stations serve their communities through public service, local news, entertaining programming and vital community information -- such as emergency warnings, traffic information and severe weather alerts." Rehr also referenced the pending transition to digital television, noting that NAB has undertaken "massive consumer education efforts" to ensure that no American is left behind in the switch to DTV.


NY Times Exec resigns to run NPR
(NY Times) Richard Perez Pena writes: "Vivian Schiller, who heads the online operations of The New York Times, will leave the paper to become the president and chief executive of National Public Radio, the network announced on Tuesday. Ms. Schiller, 47, will take over NPR on Jan. 5, heading a nonprofit corporation with a budget of more than $150 million and an endowment of more than $240 million. It provides news and entertainment programming to more than 800 public radio stations around the country and claims an audience of 26 million people."


Keith Olbermann signs new 4-year contract with MSNBC
(Huffington Post) MSNBC has voted for four more years of Keith Olbermann and the top-rated "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," it was announced today by Phil Griffin, President, MSNBC. The new four-year agreement calls for Olbermann to continue as host of "Countdown;" additionally, Olbermann will play a prominent role in MSNBC's coverage of all major news events. He will also continue to co-host NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show. "Keith Olbermann is at the core of MSNBC's current success," said Griffin. "'Countdown' is our signature program and I'm thrilled that we're going to be able to bring it to Keith's loyal viewers for another four year term."


Joe Scarborough put on tape-delay after dropping f-bomb
(Broadcasting & Cable) John Eggerton writes: "MSNBC has instituted a seven-second delay for morning show, Morning Joe, a spokeswoman for that show confirmed Tuesday evening. Spokeswoman Alana Russo confirmed the delay was instituted after a slip Monday morning when show host Joe Scarborough accidentally dropped an f-bomb, then apologized, seemingly unaware that it had slipped out. Russo had no further comment about the delay beyond acknowledging it was prompted by the f-bomb. Cable operators are not under the same FCC indecency enforcement regulations as broadcasters, and even broadcasters get more leeway when it is a live news program."




CLICK HERE




Ted Turner goes to town on Time Warner
(Portfolio) Jeff Bercovici writes: "It's safe to say Ted Turner holds a grudge. Interviewed this morning at the Time/Life Building by Time magazine's Josh Tyrangiel, the swashbuckling CNN founder took every opportunity to bash his former company over the head, blasting Gerald Levin and Dick Parsons, excoriating Time and CNN, and comparing the merger of Time Warner and AOL to the development of the atomic bomb in its tragic impact. (Parts of the interview, which was timed to promote Turner's autobiography, will appear in next week's issue of Time and on the magazine's website; it will be awfully interesting to see just which parts.) Afterward, talking to a group of Time Inc. employees, he said, "It gave me a chance to get a few things off my chest." No kidding. Turner, who has lost the vast majority of his fortune and given away most of the rest, said he intends to make fresh billions by investing in clean energy. And what will he do with it? "I might buy Time [Warner] back, because it might be two dollars a share by then. When I left it was eighteen."


Sirius/XM loses some serious cash: $4.8 billion
(Reuters) One thing you can be sure of--it's never Mel Karmazin's fault. Right, Mel? Franklin Paul writes: "Sirius XM Radio Inc posted a $4.8 billion write-down of goodwill related to its acquisition of satellite radio rival XM, and said the auto industry's "dramatic" woes have hurt subscriber growth. The company blamed the write-down, which added to its operational losses in the third quarter, on the significant decline in its share price from February 2007, when the merger was first announced. At that time, Sirius traded at about $3.79, compared with 27 cents at the close on Monday. Chief Executive Mel Karmazin defended the company, saying that while it provides a radio service that subscribers enjoy, it is powerless to fix the economic troubles that have beset the auto industry -- its biggest source of new subscribers. "We think the environment sucks," he said on a conference call with analysts. "It is not like we're doing something wrong. It is that, unfortunately, we do not have a whole lot of control over what cars are getting sold. We do our best."


Emmis won’t talk to analysts on a quarterly call
(Radio-info.com) Tom Taylor writes: "Here’s the message on the website: “Emmis is discontinuing its conference call on quarterly earnings.” That’s too bad. Jeff Smulyan is an ambassador for the industry and an executive the analysts and investors have learned from, over the years. That will no doubt continue in one-on-ones and at industry events (which I hope Jeff will continue to address). But it’s dismaying that he won’t make himself available for Q&A on the quarterly call. (Certainly the calls aren’t fun when the results are suffering along with the stock price.) Emmis has also gotten extra publicity for those calls because of its unusual fiscal year, which Jeff set up to even out radio’s usual big fourth-quarter results by adding in some of the New Year. Emmis will release its next quarterly results on January 9, but won’t talk to the analysts about them. We’ve already got Clear Channel avoiding a call, by releasing just the numbers with no chance for Q&A – but at least Clear Channel can say it’s no longer a publicly-traded company."





CLICK HERE





The Jerry Springer interview
(Chicagoist) Karl Klockers writes: "Jerry Springer’s infamous television sideshow may not have the cultural zeitgeist that it had a decade ago, but he and his crew still plugs away, day after day, getting close to twenty years later. If you haven’t seen the Springer show lately, it’s still the show that drove preachers and moralists nuts in the late 90’s, nudity and violence and all. It's also still the show that made a star out of a former newscaster and semi-disgraced politician out of Ohio. (Semi-disgraced, because many people don’t realize that after his sex n’ checks scandal, he was actually re-elected to office.) Jerry Springer has been more associated with Chicago than Ohio since the show spread across the globe, and might be one of the city's most famous residents (after that Oprah lady)."

Melissa Foreman giving up afternoons on WLIT
(Chicago Sun Times) Lewis Lazarre writes: "Adult contemporary WLIT-FM (93.9) is making adjustments in its daytime talent lineup, effective today (Monday). After a year of doing double duty as morning and afternoon host, Melissa Forman now will be given a breather and allowed to concentrate on her morning show from 5:30 to 9 a.m. Robin Rock then will host a show from 9 to 2 p.m. Rock will be followed from 2 to 7 by newcomer Kevin Gossett, a Phoenix-based programming director and on-air talent at KEZ-FM, which, like WLIT, is owned and operated by Clear Channel. Gossett will tape his Chicago-specific WLIT show in Phoenix, but a Clear Channel Chicago spokeswoman said Gossett intends to visit Chicago and familiarize himself with the market. Delilah continues in her 7 to midnight slot at WLIT, which is expected to shift to its popular holiday music format within the next 10 days."


Chicago Radio Spotlight interview: Mancow
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with the new midday host at WLS Radio; Mancow. We talked about his new show, his inability to get along with others, and much more. Coming this weekend: Former WBBM, WLUP, WCKG, WSCR, and ESPN Radio veteran Jeff Schwartz.

November 11, 2008

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer






Right wing media feeds post election anger
(LA Times) James Rainey writes: "Many on the losing end of last week's election want to hold on to their anger. And there are those in the media -- led by the likes of Limbaugh and Hannity -- only too ready to feed that animus, along with their own ratings. 'The Obama recession is in full swing, ladies and gentlemen,' Limbaugh told his radio audience of 15 million to 20 million on Thursday. 'Stocks are dying, which is a precursor of things to come. This is an Obama recession. Might turn into a depression.' Apparently the tanking of the real estate market, record losses in the auto industry, and massive failures in the banking and investment industry have very little to do with our problems. The economic system is collapsing, Rush wants us to know, because it anticipates the tax increases Obama has pledged on capital gains and for the highest income earners."


Media Giants to sell off radio stations
(Wall Street Journal) Sarah McBride writes: "Mounting debt and a sharp drop in advertising at many of the nation's radio broadcasters have led to a slashing of their valuations to fire-sale levels and intense competition with other media for ad dollars. 'It's grim,' says Farid Suleman, chief executive of Citadel Broadcasting Corp., owner of a radio network and more than 200 radio stations in many of the nation's largest markets. He describes current conditions as 'absolutely the worst I've seen.'"


Court allows nephew's suit against Sumner Redstone
(Associated Press) Massachusetts' high court has revived a claim by a nephew of Sumner Redstone that the entertainment mogul and his brother cheated the younger Redstone. But the Supreme Judicial Court on Friday backed a lower court's ruling that it was too late for a separate and potentially more lucrative claim of wrongdoing in a 1984 transaction. Michael Redstone claims the brothers cheated him out of shares of National Amusements Inc. in a 1972 transaction. He claims the mogul bought out his father, Edward, partially with shares that belonged to Michael and his sister. National Amusements is a holding company that owns and operates theaters and holds Sumner Redstone's interests in CBS and Viacom. Sumner Redstone is chairman of both companies.


Under Obama, web could be the way
(Washington Post) Shailagh Murray and Matthew Mosk write: "Armed with millions of e-mail addresses and a political operation that harnessed the Internet like no campaign before it, Barack Obama will enter the White House with the opportunity to create the first truly "wired" presidency. Obama aides and allies are preparing a major expansion of the White House communications operation, enabling them to reach out directly to the supporters they have collected over 21 months without having to go through the mainstream media."



CLICK HERE



Obama's FCC comes into focus
(Melphillipsnowandthen.com) Mel Phillips writes: "The new FCC transition team will be headed by former agency member Henry Rivera, a partner at communications law firm Wiley, Rein, the same firm Kevin Martin worked at. Martin, the current FCC Chairman can only leave voluntarily. His term doesn’t end until June 30, 2011 but he will be replaced as chairman by either Rivera or FCC member Michael Copps - both Democrats. In addition to Martin, the only other Republican at the agency is Robert McDowell. The third Republican, Deborah Taylor Tate is required to leave the agency no later than the first week of January. Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat will likely stay at the FCC…"


HBO acquires rights to Obama documentary
(Hollywood Reporter) Greg Goldstein writes: "HBO has closed a seven-figure deal for U.S. rights to an untitled Barack Obama documentary from producer Edward Norton. Norton's Class 5 Films approached the Obama campaign in early 2006 about a doc chronicling the new president elect's history in politics. Directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams were granted extensive access to film Obama before he launched his presidential run in 2007 and have continued their shoot through his historic victory this week. HBO, which has been pursuing rights for several months, plans to air the feature-length docu next year. The footage, culled from 2 1/2 years of filming, includes interviews with Obama, his senior campaign staff, family, friends and volunteers."


Palin lies low as interview requests pile up
(Associated Press) Gov. Sarah Palin hadn't been back home in Alaska for a full day and her staff had begun fielding requests Thursday for postelection interviews, including from Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King and others. Palin had been expected at her office in Anchorage but later notified her staff that she wouldn't show up after all. She remained at her home in Wasilla, located 40 miles to the north, but was expected in her office on Friday, spokesman Bill McAllister said. "The intensity of all the interest is amazing. Everyone wants to talk to her," he said.





CLICK HERE





Dobson inducted into Radio Hall of Fame, Protesters march
(Radio Ink) : A group called "Dump Dobson" marched for two hours Saturday night in front of the Renaissance Chicago Hotel to protest the Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family was named to the hall in the program category. The group, organized primarily by gay-rights organizations Truth Wins Out and Gay Liberation Network, began protesting FOTF's nomination back in July, calling Dobson an "anti-gay bigot" and "an ideologue who has built his radio empire on anti-gay hatred and discrimination." When Dobson's show was named among the inductees, the group vowed to protest the ceremony if the induction was not rescinded. "If you advocate the taking away of rights for a whole group of people, you may be a Christian, you may be any number of other things, but one thing you certainly are is you are a hater, and you are a bigot," Gay Liberation Network's Andy Thayer told ABC-7/Chicago Saturday night. "James Dobson is a bigot." Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Bruce DuMont told Radio Ink that there were about 250 demonstrators outside the hotel, and there was no disturbance inside or during the event. He said, "They were chanting, they carried signs, they were orderly, and they were exercising their right of free expression, which is wonderful."


Chicago Radio Spotlight interview: Mancow
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with the new midday host at WLS Radio; Mancow. We talked about his new show, his inability to get along with others, and much more.