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WLS’s tribute to Don Wade

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With last week’s passing of legendary Chicago talk show host Don Wade, I thought it was appropriate that Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft dedicated last Monday’s show to remembering the late host (Wolf and Proft succeeded Wade and his wife Roma late last year on the WLS-AM 890 morning show).

On Friday, Robert Feder noted that the station would air a special two-hour tribute to Wade, which aired earlier today from 1 to 3 p.m. Unfortunately, I was not around a radio at the time so I was unable to listen, but a Facebook post by Feder earlier tonight caught my attention.

The millions Don Wade made for WLS in his lifetime weren’t enough? They’re running commercials during his two-hour memorial tribute. #classless

While I’m not as offended by it as Feder is, if it’s just the same, I don’t like it any better than he did. At the same time, I would have been more shocked if commercials had in fact been omitted those two hours (WLS is owned by Cumulus Media… which says everything you need to know).

If anything, I’m more appalled at the scheduling the show for a Sunday afternoon. People are more likely to be in their cars when out and about running errands on a Sunday morning. Not that people aren’t listening to the radio on Sunday afternoons, but when you consider the Bears game was on from noon to 3 p.m. yesterday, how many people were likely going to hear it in the first place?

At the very least, the station should podcast the tribute on their website (after removing the commercials, of course), and then promote the hell out of it all over the air all this week.

Stay classy, Cumulus.

ADDENDUM – 9/19/13:
WLS posted the Don Wade tribute on their website, commercial free. WLS news anchor John Dempsey hosted the special broadcast, while several WLS personalities (present and alum) joined in to share their thoughts. To the credit of WLS, it was an awesome broadcast well worth the listen, giving me the opportunity, for the first time, to sample the personality of a younger Don Wade before his news/talk days. Dempsey did an outstanding job, in what I imagine was a difficult circumstance, after having worked with Don and Roma for five and a half years.

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Kathy and Judy back on WGN this Friday

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Kathy and Judy - WGN RadioFriday, May 22, 2009… I had the day off and was going to spend the day in Chicago just because I felt like doing so. I happened to turn on WGN-AM 720 just after the 9 a.m. news when I heard the venerable Kathy and Judy announce they were doing their last show.

Later that morning I took a walk over to the Tribune Tower, where on the ground level is the WGN Radio “Showcase Studio” — a studio fish bowl where people walking along Michigan Ave. can watch their favorite hosts while on the air. I got there before noon, as Kathy and Judy were signing off for the last time. The photo of the two of them crying, as shown in the link above, is what I saw in person. I wasn’t a Kathy and Judy fan, but I felt bad for them (if not that day, then eventually after).

On the way home that day, then afternoon drive host at WGN Steve Cochran talked about their dismissal. I don’t mean to twist his words, but from how I remember it, he implied that he hadn’t necessarily liked them (professionally, I’m guessing), and that the feeling might be mutual.

This Friday, Kathy and Judy will be back, guest hosting the 9 a.m. to noon time slot that was previously theirs. They will be following Cochran, now the morning drive host at the station. Please let there be a transition segment amongst them.

Not that I expect it to get ugly or awkward. They are all professionals. But the dialogue may nevertheless be interesting, especially since Cochran also would eventually be a victim of Kevin Metheny (the guy who also fired Kathy and Judy). They may care to reminisce about the ugly time at WGN and how it is now seemingly better.

Kathy and Judy will then be back each Saturday hosting a show from 10 a.m. to noon. If that doesn’t take place beginning this Saturday (Sept. 14), then it will the following week (Sept. 21).

 

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Attempting to iron out any brand confusion between Comcast SportsNet and NBC Sports

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Comcast SportsNet Logo

About a year ago, the Comcast SportsNet regional sports channels made some minor revisions to their logo, one of which was the addition of the NBC peacock. This change was made to reflect the new partnership between NBC Sports and the Comcast SportsNet stations, which happened following Comcast’s 2011 acquisition of NBC Universal.

Another ramification of the Comcast/NBC deal pertained to the Comcast owned sports network Versus, which fell into control of the NBC Sports division (now known as the NBC Sports Group). At the start of 2012, Versus was renamed to NBC Sports Network, which is now in the process of being phased out in favor of just the acronym “NBCSN.”

NBC Sports Network and NBCSN LogosSo we’re left with NBCSN and the cluster of regional Comcast SportsNet channels. My obsessive-compulsive mindset is thinking that a brand consolidation is needed.

The NBC Sports Network/NBCSN brand seems to be intact, so any obvious change would be to Comcast SportsNet. The most logical step would be to phase out the Comcast name and replace it with the NBC Sports monicker, along with the name of each respective city, state or region — NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC Sports Northwest, etc. Another option is to instead implement the NBCSN name to each regional network, along with the respective city, state or region — NBCSN Chicago, NBCSN Philadelphia, NBCSN Northwest etc.

Once the NBC peacock was added to the Comcast SportsNet logo, I naturally assumed such a change was in motion. Fueling the speculation further was the simultaneous implementation of an upgraded graphics package, which is identical to what NBC and NBCSN still use on their broadcasts (the lone exception are the score bugs, which have some minor differences, especially evident during NHL games). Another consideration was the continued phasing out of the Comcast name for its cable, television and Internet packages. Such services have been bundled under the Xfinity brand since 2010.

(On a side note, while the CSN networks use the NBC Sports graphics, why do they continue to use their own separate theme music, such as for NHL games? While I do actually like the CSN NHL music bed used during Blackhawk games, I can’t help but yearn for the official NHL on NBC theme music.)

By no means am I suggesting that Comcast as a corporate name is on the way out. I’m just thinking that they’ve adapted a strategy where less emphasis is placed on the corporate name and instead placed on individual brands within the company.

Comcast Logo with NBC PeacockAnother prominent occurrence at the end of last year was the change to the Comcast corporate logo, which also included the addition of the NBC peacock. I hated it then and I hate it now. That logo, in my opinion, defines brand confusion. The NBC peacock is supposed to be for the NBC brand of television networks — not for a cable, phone and Internet conglomerate. A second reason I hate the logo is because it’s plain and ugly. It comes across as a lazy attempt.

If such a configuration is used for Comcast’s corporate logo, then the addition of the NBC peacock to the Comcast SportsNet logo may have been just the same, with no intention of shifting to the NBC Sports brand name. I do suspect a name change will happen to the regional networks, eventually. It might be something as simple as using the acronym CSN in place of Comcast SportsNet. The CSN monicker has already been in use, unofficially, but merely as more of a nickname (i.e. CSN Chicago). For the sake of brand continuity, I’d rather see all the regional networks adapt the NBC Sports or the NBCSN name.

The Fox Sports property now includes the newly launched national Fox Sports 1 network in addition to their own cluster of regional sports channels — all of which use the Fox Sports monicker. Why wouldn’t NBC want to further capitalize on their brand by doing the same with their own regional sports channels?

The marketing guy in me has obviously put a lot of thought into this. The sports fan in me? I won’t care what the name of the station is come spring time as long as the Blackhawks are poised to win another Stanley Cup and that at least one of Chicago’s baseball teams plays decently.

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Misuse of the public airwaves: Pete McMurray spews dangerous psychic nonsense on WGN

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Yesterday, I had the displeasure of listening to Pete McMurray fill in on the WGN-AM 720 morning show (which will be occupied by Steve Cochran starting next week), in which a Chicago area psychic was allowed to spew nonsense on the air for the better part of the 8 a.m. hour.

For the record, I think McMurray is a fine host. That said, I am disappointed for his involvement and endorsement of this psychic reader and her so called “abilities” on the show.

The real “fun” began after listeners were invited to call in for an on air reading.

Just by knowing the birthday of an individual, this reader could predict that one man’s family turmoil, stemmed from his mother-in-law, will be resolved by next month, that a women going through a job transition now will out of the blue find herself in a radical jump to self employment just after the new year, and that an ex lover is going to resurface in the life of another female caller. While one of the female callers appeared to be skeptical, the man with the family issues was obviously very relieved after the psychic said the situation would soon be resolved.

Such nonsense becomes dangerous when involving sensitive financial advice or inspiring baseless information pertaining to a missing person or a deceased loved one (i.e. psychic Sylvia Browne on the Montel Williams Show telling Amanda Berry’s mother that her daughter was dead).

I’m far past the point of blaming the individual for falling for such nonsense. While they do deserve a share of the blame, I’m placing the brunt of it on the media. It was irresponsible for ABC to hire anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy to co-host “The View,” just as it is dangerous for George Noory have “expert” guests discussing and promoting alternative medicine on his “Coast to Coast AM” program. Montel Williams can never be forgiven for the weekly appearances he gave to Sylvia Browne on his then syndicated live talk show. I would have a lesser problem if the above circumstances were at least challenged. The fact such claims go unchallenged is a cardinal sin.

Yesterday’s segment with the psychic reader is far too dangerous to be written off as harmless or just for fun (not helping was Jennifer Weigel calling in and further endorsing this particular psychic). The disclaimer often used by psychics, “for entertainment only,” is how they skirt around potential legality issues.

Such psychics, such as Browne, often charge several hundreds of dollars per reading! Such psychics simply prey on the weak, instilling a false sense of hope and trust, while raking them for hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Certainly an expensive form of entertainment.

With WGN looking to restore trust and goodwill, it’s sad that this kind of junk was allowed on the air. The “new” WGN should be better than this. Prior to yesterday, I would have thought both Pete McMurray and Jennifer Weigel were too.

If anything, this is a stark reminder on just how the fight to debunk such nonsense while encouraging the use of critical thinking has a long ways to go.

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By the balls: Football’s flagrant hold on ESPN

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On Friday, the New York Times released a damning piece that revealed just how much of a grip the NFL has over ESPN, concerning the network’s participating in a documentary about players suffering from football related head injuries. The story has garnered a lot of attention within the sports media community, calling into question the journalistic integrity of ESPN as a result.

On a semi related note, you may recall an ESPN television show 10 years ago called “Playmakers,” which depicted a fiction pro football team overcoming day-to-day hurdles in a fiction pro football league. The NFL didn’t appreciate having such “hurdles” spotlighted — even if the show was fiction — and pressured ESPN into dropping the series.

On Saturday, the Times released another football related piece about ESPN, concerning the network’s influence in the creation of specific games, of which would also air on the ESPN networks. While not as damning as their now lack of involvement in investigating head injuries, this piece is still revealing, at least at the big picture level, as it concerns the relationship between media partnership.

The two type of above circumstances are not exclusive to ESPN or sports media. Concerning our news and political media, I’d argue that any agendas, whether it be the New York Times, NBC News or Fox News, are more often business/financially driven as opposed to being politically driven. Political talk radio should be the most obvious example (unfortunately, that is often missed by the hardcore fans of a Rush Limbaugh or a Glenn Beck).

Ball game or not, at the end of the day, news reporting is all business.

You can slam dunk that or bank on it. Whichever you prefer.

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‘That Other Pregame Show’ to debut on CBS Sports, err… that other cable sports network

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That Other PreGame Show

Compared to the efforts of the NBC Sports Network and the newly launched Fox Sports 1, it would appear that the CBS Sports Network isn’t even trying (put aside the aggressive luring of Jim Rome away from ESPN).

In an effort to curb such pessimism, CBS Sports Network announced yesterday they are launching a new expanded NFL pregame show to air each Sunday morning during the NFL season. The name of that show, according to Ed Sherman, will be “That Other Pregame Show.”

Are they serious?

I get the attempt at standing out and all, but “That Other Pregame Show” sounds more the name of an amateur podcast (no offense to the many fine amateur podcasters out there) or the name of a show on Fox Sports Net in the year 2000.

The new show could turn out to be great for all I know, but the seemingly half-assed naming attempt only reinforces the notion that CBS Sports Network is the weakest link within the cable sports channel arena.

Though day-to-day ratings between the three cable networks may not show a lights out difference, both NBC and Fox so far have more invested in their respective sports networks. With the seemingly long-term goal of one day becoming a legitimate competitor to ESPN, the games have just begun, so CBS isn’t out of it yet.

Nevertheless, I can’t help wonder if Jim Rome now regrets going to CBS. If he would have waited a while longer after his ESPN contract expired, perhaps he’d be at either NBC or Fox by now.

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Ed Shultz roundabout at MSNBC

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Ed Schultz

MSNBC announced yesterday that progressive talker Ed Schultz is moving back to weekdays, albeit, at the earlier time of 4 p.m. CT. Schultz was removed from the coveted 7 p.m. primetime slot earlier this year to make room for Chris Hayes, who has been a rising star in the progressive community.

Politico’s Dylan Byers explains how Hayes’ program “All In” has so far been unable to spark the ratings for primetime cable news. Moving Hayes to primetime was a very gutsy move, and one that might have been inspired by MSNBC President Phil Griffin’s heart rather than his head.

I wonder if moving Schultz to the 4 p.m. slot is the first step in what eventually results in a switch — moving Hayes to 4 p.m. while Schultz moves back to 7 p.m. That might be a clever way for Griffin to save face without completely embarrassing Hayes, someone who Griffin obviously thinks very highly of.

I am in the camp that prefers Schultz’s performance style over that of Hayes or Rachael Maddow. Hayes and Maddow are better at actively discussing important issues in a way that that might have more impact on an opposing mindset. In the short-term however, the added fire and showmanship of Schultz does a better job at keeping my attention.

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Fox Sports 1 debuts with auto racing, Fox Sports 2 nowhere to be found

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Fox Sports 1, the all new sports network by Fox, made its debut this morning by officially replacing Speed.

Fox Sports 1 has kicked off the festivities with the airing of auto race qualifying runs. The same thing most racing fans watched on the former Speed channel last Saturday morning.

Yes, Fox Sports 1 is a big picture project. Don’t judge the network for another five to 10 years once they can capture other big name sports. Yet with all the self-hype going into this new all sports network that is not ESPN, to have the first day flogged with auto racing seems highly ironic. It comes more across like a sorry plea to Speed channel viewers — “We’re sorry! We still love you and your NASCAR. We promise! Please don’t leave!”

Meanwhile, if Fox Sports 1 is the new golden prize of Fox Sports, then Fox Sports 2 is the bastard stepchild. By design, the press for Fox Sports 2 has been minimal, if non existent, and finding the bitch is nearly impossible. You sure won’t find it anywhere on the Fox Sports website.

Again, by design, Fox Sports 2 is more or less a spillover channel for Fox Sports 1. And they want all eyes on Fox Sports 1 today, and understandably so. Yet by doing it this way, they are already telling everyone that Fox Sports 2 doesn’t matter. Not the best way to introduce a new brand, in my opinion.

Would have been better off saving the Fox Sports 2 launch for when they had a useful reason for its existence. From the way it appears now, when they will eventually need Fox Sports 2, it won’t be much different then finding your local Comcast SportsNet Plus channel.

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Not quite gone, but soon to be forgotten: WGN Radio moves Mike McConnell to online only

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WGN-AM 720 midday host Mike McConnell has been removed from the station’s on air line-up… kind of. He will now be heard, exclusively via the station’s website on WGNRadio.com’s Livestream Ch. 2, an online-only secondary stream channel (usually reserved for re-airing of older shows).

From Mike McConnell’s Facebook page earlier this morning:

Hello friends,

We’re starting something new today. A PODCAST!
Some of the show will be prerecorded and some live.

The live portion will stream at 11:00am cdt and your calls are welcome.

The phone number is WGN’s old number 312-591-7200.

When you call you will go directly on hold and hear the stream.

There is no call screener and for now I’m experimenting with how to best put it together.

The show will then stream in it’s entirerty at 3:00pm cdt.

I typed this whole damn thing myself believe it or not. Just part of my commitment to the listening public.

Talk to you later.

Mike Mc

For all intent and purposes, this appears to be the station’s way of getting around his contractual obligations. McConnell’s three year anniversary at WGN was Friday, Aug. 9. Though terms of his contract were not made public, speculation was his multi-year deal ran anywhere between three to five years.

Listeners wishing to listen to him will have to seek out WGN Radio’s Livestream Ch. 2 feed at WGNRadio.com. The show will be made available in the afternoon as a podcast. It will be interesting to see what kind of effort the station will make to promote McConnell’s online shows.

The station is now free to program anyone they wish during his 10am-3pm slot, which as of this writing, is written as “WGN DAYTIME” on WGN’s website. Various fill-in hosts are scheduled to host during those times for the rest of this week.

Today’s McConnell broadcast was described on air by the host himself as an “ill conceived concept.” McConnell is left to answer any calls himself, many of which so far have been wrong numbers. At times, random dial tones and other phone sounds are heard in the middle of breaks and sometimes during live segments. Today’s show appears to be a “shoot from the hip” test day, more or less to get the bugs out.

It would appear for now that WGN is attempting to utilize the high priced McConnell via the cheapest means possible.

With McConnell now out of the way, it would seem logical that the station will soon announce their revamped program scheduled sooner rather than later.

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AOL CEO Tim Armstrong is an asshole

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AOL CEO Tim Armstrong was doing a swell job at demoralizing employees at the Patch, an AOL owned individual community digital news platform, on a Friday teleconference. Nothing portrays a superb boss like accepting blame for a failed venture to only then blame the people beneath for lack of leadership (and emphasizing leadership with a capital L) before announcing that most of the division will be gutted, meaning many people will lose his jobs. At least those who don’t voluntarily exit (he also encouraged that people voluntarily leave). but that his job is safe (he didn’t actually say his job was safe, but you get the idea).

No, that can’t possibly be bad enough…

Why not demoralize your employees further by publically firing an employee, loud and clear during the teleconference!?

Abel, put that camera down right now! Abel, you’re fired. Out!

Who is Armstrong attempting better emulate, Ebenezer Scrooge or Mr. Spacely?

Final note… if you’re someone with my resume looking for more information about me, and you fail to see the problem with how AOL CEO Tim Armstrong conducts his business, then do me (and yourself) a favor. Throw that resume into the trash. I wouldn’t want to work for you.