Category: Chicago Media

News and analysis pertaining to the Chicago media scene – Chicago’s news/talk radio, Chicago television newscasts, Chicago print and and online journalism

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New WGN Radio logo unveiled in Chicago Tribune (updated with additional photos)

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WGN Radio - New Logo

A new WGN Radio logo, appearing in the Nov. 3 Chicago Tribune advertisement wrapping around the front and back of the paper.

Came across an interesting tweet by Kristin Decker earlier tonight, a workhorse of a producer at WGN-AM 720.

The two shows referenced by Decker are the Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano noon to 3 p.m. weekday show and the Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey 10 a.m. to noon Saturday show.  The advertisement, appearing in the Sunday Chicago Tribune, also showcases what appears to be a new WGN logo.

WGN Radio logo idea

Logo idea for WGN Radio, unveiled by Robert Feder on Aug. 22. Designed by Mike Waterkotte, Waterkotte Inc.

A new logo for WGN was first hinted on Aug. 22 when media journalist Robert Feder posted a mockup on his Facebook page. The “W ” appearing in the Tribune ad is very similar to the “W” shown in the Aug. 22 mockup which was supposed to represent the three phases of WGN — radio, online and new media. Public reaction to the mockup was highly critical, with many people under the assumption that the three separate and uniquely designed letters were representing one single logo for the radio station.

Also of note, the Steve Cochran Show Facebook page posted a blurb and photo showing a front-cover Sunday Tribune ad for the relaunched WGN. These Tribune ads are the first of what appears to be a promotional push for the relaunched station. Earlier this week, morning host Steve Cochran told Feder that a big promotional push would begin in the new year.

On Monday, WGN began using “Chicago’s Very Own” as their new tagline. As of now, the current WGN website continues to show the existing logo with the now extinct tagline, “The Voice of Chicago.” Along with a new lineup and re-branding, I hope will soon be a new website — I’d almost hate to see the new logo and tagline inserted onto the horrendous one they’ve been using for the last year.

[UPDATED] Additional Photos Below – click links…

The WGN advertisement wraps around the front and back of the Tribune paper. The front shows a head shot of Cochran, beneath with the words “Chicago’s Very Own returns to Chicago’s Very Own.” Further below is a new WGN Radio logo.

The inner spread includes the message:

    TODAY.
    Chicago’s Very Own 720 WGN starts a new chapter in our long history of radio innovation. With a smart new look and a lineup of talk talent that brings you Chicago like no one else can. News, weather, sports, traffic and talk that is centered around our city, our listeners, and our legacy of being Chicago’s fencepost for conversation. Each day kicks off with new morning man Steve Cochran at 5 AM. So tune in and listen to what we started.

Beneath the message is the new WGN logo again, with the words “social media since 1924.”

The rest of the inner spread shows head shots of personalities from the Monday-Friday lineup, as well as a color head shot of Kathy and Judy with mention of their Saturday morning show.

The back spread shows a combination of current and previous personalities, including Bob Collins, Spike O’Dell and Roy Leonard.

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The Score’s Dan McNeil on leave of absence

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Dan McNeil, WSCR Midday HostWith Dan McNeil absent from his WSCR-AM/670 The Score midday show all week without an explanation, listeners were left to wonder if this was a repeat of what happened in early 2012. Unfortunately, it seems to be.

The Chicago Tribune’s Ed Sherman reports that McNeil is once again dealing with depression related issues, forcing him to take a leave of absence from his midday “McNeil & Spiegel Show” on The Score. Sherman also notes that McNeil’s return to the air is anything but certain. The same issues kept McNeil off the air for six weeks in early 2012.

Filling in for McNeil this week, along side co-host Mat Spiegel, has been the Score’s evening host Laurence Holmes

I’m very saddened to hear about this. McNeil has been one of my favorite radio hosts for well over a decade — it was his “Mac, Jurko & Harry” afternoon show on WMVP-AM/ESPN 1000 in 2002-2003 that brought me back to sports talk radio after tiring of The Score. While McNeil’s dynamic straight-shooting persona makes him one of the most entertaining sports talker in Chicago, he also comes across as the fun and likeable person you’d like to sit next to at the corner tavern while watching the game.

Not too long ago (several months), McNeil wrote on the ChicagoSportsFan.com message board that he would like to go at it on air for another 10 years before throwing in the towel. Hopefully, his current situation is only a minor setback and not something that forces him to throw in the towel far too soon.

Get well soon Mac.

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WGN now (finally) podcasting Garry Meier’s full show

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I’m not sure when this started happening, but full-show podcasts of Garry Meier’s WGN-AM 720 afternoon show are now posted on the WGN Radio website and also via a dedicated Garry Meier RSS feed.

I swear, just a week or two ago, I was pursuing the Garry Meier section and asked myself why they aren’t podcasting his entire show, like they have done with other hosts (Jonathon Brandmeier, Mike McConnell, John Williams, Steve Cochran, etc.). Previously, they had only been podcasting select individual segments of Meier’s show, including the show opener (which I wish Meier would drop already, especially now that he does a second one  after the 6 p.m. news that is equally lame, if not worse).

Also available is a shorter podcast, highlighting the day’s “best bits.” That podcast is called the “Blabbin’ Cabin Podcast,” and is also available in the Garry Meier show section of the website and via the same RSS feed.

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‘Eyewitness News’ quietly resurfaces during ABC 7 weekend newscast

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ABC 7 Eyewitness News Graphics

New ABC 7 graphics with re-debut of “Eyewitness News” branding. Screenshot courtesy of ABC7Chicago.com.

Over the weekend, WLS-TV/ABC 7 quietly re-introduced the iconic “Eyewitness News” monicker. The new branding, “ABC 7 Eyewitness News” will be used for all local newscasts on the station. The re-brand effort includes a new graphics package and slight altercations to the theme music.

While I do like the clean design of the new graphics and the use of various blues, I don’t like how the lower scrolling headlines is placed. Not only is the text overly small, but by having it attached with the main graphics plate above, I couldn’t help but feel slightly overstimulated with text. It would look much nicer if the headlines scroll was its own separate graphic pinned to the bottom of the screen like it had been before (and is normal practice elsewhere).

The “Eyewitness News” re-brand effort was initially reported on Oct. 16 by Robert Feder. I followed up the following day with my own added thoughts (my initial hunch that ABC 7 would not change its theme music was wrong).

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WGN Radio adopts ‘Chicago’s Very Own’

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This morning, WGN-AM 720 hosts and news anchors began using the new tagline, “Chicago’s Very Own.”  The iconic tagline, which has long been used by its television counterpart, WGN-TV Ch. 9, replaces the “Voice of Chicago,” which had been used on and off since 2005.

The change in taglines had long been expected. An Aug. 22 Chicago Tribune story detailing upcoming changes at the station confirmed that the new tagline would soon be implemented. Prior to that, there were a few other hints that the new tagline was coming.

A July 11 report by Robert Feder announcing WGN’s hiring of Bob Sirrott and Marianne Murciano included a quote by station President and General Manager Jimmy de Castro in which he identifies the station as “Chicago’s Very Own 720.” On July 22, WGN news anchors began using the “Chicago’s Very Own” tagline at the end of news reports, as originally noted that day by “RadioGeek” on the Chicagoland Radio & Media message board. That, however, was likely only a test roll-out, since anchors went back to using the “Voice of Chicago” the following day.

Previous use of the “Voice of Chicago” tagline was minimal (which was a shame), voiced at the top of the hour during the station’s legal identification. With the new tagline in place, gone is the familiar sounding four-second sounder used during the legal ID (though morning host Steve Cochran still used it with the new tagline just before the 6 a.m. newscast).

With the new sequence, the host are now saying “We are live, we are local, Chicago’s Very Own, 720 WGN Chicago,” before going to the news. The news anchors close their newscast with the tagline as well (though Judy Pielach was still using the old one during today’s “Bill and Wendy” show).

I liked the “Voice of Chicago” tagline. I thought it was perfect for a station having the luxury to brag that they are indeed live and local 24/7. While there is nothing wrong with “Chicago’s Very Own,” which has worked well for WGN-TV, the “Voice of Chicago” does a better job at signifying radio. It was simple and unique.

If one of the long-term goals is to better tie the radio and television stations together, then the sharing of a taglines makes sense (as if sharing call letters wasn’t enough), assuming the station makes an effort to use it more then they had the previous one.

With the new tagline now implemented, I think its fair to ask how far we are away from the station launching a new logo, as initially teased by Robert Feder in Aug. In addition to a new logo, one could also hope that a new and vastly improved website may be on its way to replace the clunky and half-assed one they now have.

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Dahl speaks, Meier stays silent: Radio Hall of Fame spat turns into potential shame

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While previously recapping the awkward situation involving Steve Dahl, Garry Meier and the National Radio Hall of Fame, I thought there might be some important pieces missing to the story. Having thought about it some more, and after reading Dahl’s open response to Chaz Ebert, the picture narrated by Dahl just doesn’t add up.

Just to recap, earlier this summer it was announced Dahl and Meier would be inducted in this year’s National Radio Hall of Fame as a duo. Last night, Robert Feder blogged that Dahl had decided not to attend the event due to a general lack of interest and also because he hadn’t heard back from Meier after first attempting to contact him previously. Feder then noted that Meier had informed the National Radio Hall of Fame that he would be attending the event.

So let me get this straight. Meier plans to attend the event, yet refuses to call back the person who he is supposed to be inducted with? That doesn’t make any sense. Either there’s more to the story or Meier has gone delusional.

Since their surprise one-show reunion on Oak St. Beach in 2006, the two have participated in a few appearances together and haven spoken well of each other. I remember a 2009 off-air meet between the two inside the WGN-AM 720 studios (while Meier was in the middle of his show) became quite the stirrer on the Chicagoland Radio and Media message board. The overall impression was that the two, at the very least, were amicable.

Dahl has a way with words and for sometimes harshly digging into people. He did so again in his response to Chaz Ebert, where he more than once subtly knocked Meier and his wife when referencing their unwillingness at reconciling with him (again, weren’t Dahl and Meier getting along, well enough at least, after their 2006 get together?).

For someone like Meier who comes across as heavenly guarded towards his off air business, it’s hard to imagine him attending such an event that is supposed to recognize the two of them as a duo if he does indeed have remaining animosity towards Dahl.

Later this afternoon, Feder tweeted the question, “Which side of the Steve & Garry debate are you on?” If you take Dahl at his word, then Meier does come across as petty. While I certainly won’t suggest that Meier has never previously come off as  petty (i.e. his opening monologue on his WGN debut show in April, 2008), I find it hard to believe that he all of a sudden went from willingly associating with Dahl to not wanting anything to do with him.

I don’t think it’s right to yet take any side in the Dahl and Meier issue without hearing from Meier. Unfortunately, he passed on the opportunity during his show this afternoon on WGN (where better place to do it?). Maybe he addresses it on Monday after thinking about it over the weekend, or perhaps, closer to the induction date.  If Meier, however, does decide to stay quiet on the issue, it will make it a lot easier for those following the “debate” to side against him.

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Local media on Lemont Citgo refinery fire

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While I do like Mike Parker and appreciate his long-time standing as a Chicago journalist, last night was not one of his better nights on camera. The WBBM-TV/CBS 2 reporter was live in Lemont to report on the Citgo refinery fire for the station’s 10 p.m. newscast.

Asides from the blatant stammering and stuttering, Parker didn’t acknowledge some of the questions that an active viewer might be asking — are there any injuries or casualties, how close is the fire to being extinguished, are there any interruptions to traffic or road closures, are any nearby homes or businesses in danger?

Near the end of his report, Parker warned that anyone (assuming nearby residents?) with asthma or breathing problems should close their windows and… lock their doors.

Just an observation… I actually caught wind of the story via a blurb on the WGN-TV Ch. 9 News Facebook page just before 10 p.m. While the story on the WGN website was extremely vague with virtually no details asides from “there’s a fire,” the Lemont Patch story, for as short as it may have been, at least addressed some of the obvious questions a reader might be looking for.

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CBS 2 Chicago newscast rolls out new graphics

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CBS 2 News Graphic

CBS 2 News graphic — screenshot courtesy of NewscastStudio.com.

WBBM-TV/CBS 2 rolled-out new graphics during this morning’s newscast. Snapshots of the new graphics, which will be adapted by all CBS owned-and-operated stations, were leaked to NewscastStudio.com last month (showing demo screenshots for WCBS-TV, the CBS O&O in New York). KTVT-TV, the CBS O&O in Dallas, unveiled the same graphics package last week.

The new graphics are boxier and bolder. The added boxy and bold look will probably standout better for those viewing CBS 2 newscast videos on mobile devices.

The graphics used on CBS 2 so far this morning are nearly identical to the screenshots shown on NewscastStudio.com. One minor difference is the CBS 2 logo in the bottom-right corner — while the channel 2 graphic in the screenshots are gold, the channel 2 graphic that WBBM adapted is white, matching the color of the iconic eyeball.

Beneath the CBS 2 logo is a rotation of the station’s Twitter handle, Facebook handle and the URL to their website, CBSChicago.com. The “HD” stamp that was previously to the right of the logo is gone (thank goodness — bragging about broadcasting in HD in 2013, in my opinion, was the equivalent of a station still bragging about broadcasting in full color in 1997).

The theme music has also been modified, sounding slightly more amplified.

The new graphics are nice, clean, simple and modern. Most people at home probably won’t even notice the change, and that is ok. As long as they properly convey the information without being distracting, that is what is most important.

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A ‘Savage’ kick in the balls to Mark Levin

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Mark Levin and Michael Savage have long been on-air rivals. The two right wing talk show hosts used to compete in the same 5 to 8 p..m CT time slot — Levin’s show syndicated by Cumulus Media, Savage’s show syndicated by Talk Radio Network. After a bitter divorce with Talk Radio Network, Savage was hired by Cumulus in 2012 to broadcast a new show in the 8 to 11 p.m. slot, following Levin.

Even though the two rivals were now employed by the same syndicator, that hasn’t stopped the two of them from taking occasional swipes at each other. While both individuals are uniquely spirited, Levin has a better way with words, giving him the ability to be far more mean and nasty. And he certainly demonstrated that while going after Savage once again this past May.

“You little troll, you little nobody… I kicked your butt in the ratings, head to head, one end of the nation to the other. That’s why you’re late night. Got it? I’d like you to come back at six pm, against me, eastern of course, so I could do it again, snaggletooth.”

Soon after that diatribe, Savage’s name surfaced as a potential replacement for Sean Hannity’s show, syndicated by Premiere Radio, which airs on Cumulus-owned news/talk stations throughout the country. When such rumors became official last month, that had to be the most vicious low blow to Levin’s ego (I’m guessing today’s conference call with Cumulus COO John Dickey didn’t help). The move to afternoons is a huge promotion, one that Levin lost to a bitter rival who joined his syndicator just one year ago.

While I’m not particularly fond of either guy, I can appreciate Savage from an entertainment standpoint. I hesitate to find any redeeming qualities about Levin.

And I can’t help but appreciate the irony with how this worked out.

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As news and information gathering changes, ABC 7 to revive iconic ‘Eyewitness News’

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Channel 7 Eyewitness News

When WLS-TV/ABC 7 dropped the “Eyewitness News” monicker in 1996, the station was Chicago’s undisputed leader in local broadcast news.

Some 17 years later and still number one, ABC 7 will soon bring “Eyewitness News” back, reports Robert Feder, likely in time for November sweeps. John Idler, ABC 7’s president and general manager, tells Feder that revising the “Eyewitness News” name will be done in a contemporary sense — a “look forward to what ‘Eyewitness News’ means to viewers today.”

With all due respect to Idler, I read that as marketing fluff for “we’re changing the name of the newscast while everything else around it will pretty much stay the same.” Without a significant change to the newscast’s presentation or format, a name change with maybe a new studio set (highly unlikely) or graphics (more likely) is nothing more than a fresh coat of paint.

If I were a betting man, one intangible unlikely to change is the theme music. When “Eyewitness News” became “ABC 7 News” in 1996, the station decided to continue using the same music. Considering that ABC 7 has resisted changing it since, there’s hardly any reason to expect they’d do so now (which is perfectly fine by me).

Concerning everything else around the name change, I wouldn’t blame Idler for playing it safe. Even though ABC 7’s ratings dominance in local news has minimized in recent years, any attempt to dramatically alter the presentation or format would likely have an adverse affect. Previous attempts elsewhere have typically bombed.

In 2000, WBBM-TV/CBS 2’s effort to go retro with a more straight-and-narrow newscast featuring Carol Marin was dropped after eight months because of low viewership. CBS 2 went the opposite direction in 2010 with “Monsters and Money” in the morning, which was dropped after only seven months due to embarrassing low ratings.

I don’t mean to pick on CBS 2. Since their newscasts have typically been in or near last place for well over a decade, they’ve had reason to try something different. Lessening the burden on CBS 2 in recent years has been WFLD-TV/Fox 32. When walking past an empty Fox news truck at Monday’s Columbus Day parade, my wife said “Fox is also here. Where do you think they’re at?” My immediate response was “last place.”

In fairness to CBS 2, I am a big fan of the current newscast they’ve assembled, in both mornings and at night. There’s nothing edgy or innovative about it. They’ve done a great job at finding the right talent who also work well together on camera. Even if ratings growth is slow or sometimes stagnant, they are headed in the right direction as far as delivery goes.

Concerning the revival of “Eyewitness News,” Idler told Feder that a research study commissioned by the station showed that even though the name went away in 1996, it still resonates with the public. That to me sounds vague and doesn’t really mean anything to me. I get the sense they’re doing it more so for the sake of change. I hope whoever conducted that study wasn’t the same person or group that swayed WFLD into re-adapting the outdated “Fox 32” monicker.

While maintaining the status quo for local broadcast news may be the safe route, the way society collects and searches for news and information continues to change with the advancement of mobile technology and gadgets.

With the continued decline of print media and its failure to adapt a profitable online business model, local broadcast news should be in the driver’s seat. In the case of ABC 7, the name of the newscast isn’t going to matter in the long-run. What will make a long-term difference is that the quality of news stays superb, that it is easily available on mobile devices and that users can access it whenever they want.