Also: WBEZ announces fill-ins after Simons’ departure; Fox closes its acquisition of Roku

Ravi Baichwal, a two-decade veteran anchor and reporter at ABC 7 (ABC-owned WLS-TV) is out as his contract was not renewed.

“After 20 years with ABC 7, Ravi Baichwal has moved on following the conclusion of his contract,” the station’s spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune. “We wish him well in his next chapter.”

A Toronto native, Baichwal arrived in Chicago in 2006 via CTV News in Canada, now owned by Bell Media. In 2023, he was promoted to lead anchor at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Baichwal also won several Emmy awards for his work. Perhaps his most notable moment came on December 23, 2007 when a car came crashing into the studio on State Street while he was on the air during the station’s 10 p.m. newscast – one of many incidents that’s occurred at or near the building over the years (including a recent shooting that killed one and injured another.)

Baichwal had been absent from the station’s newscasts in recent weeks. 

His departure came on the same week parent company Disney announced  company-wide layoffs, including at ABC’s owned stations, which continue to battle the FCC’s Brendan Carr over the group’s television licenses. It isn’t known if Baichwal’s release was related to those cuts. 

Mark Rivera has replaced Baichwal at 5 and 6 alongside Cheryl Burton and Judy Hsu, respectively.

Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ announced Friday it’s replacing Sasha Ann Simons’ role on their daily 9 a.m. show In The Loop in the interim with rotating hosts on a monthly basis. 

Starting Monday and lasting through November, the host is Chicago City Hall reporter Mariah Woelfel; December’s host is engagement reporter Araceil Gomez-Aldana (she reports from Chicago neighborhoods, engaging with residents on issues involving numerous issues that affect them); and in January 2027, Curious City editor Susan An becomes host, as she answers questions about how Chicago works on a wide number of issues, from its history  to transportation. 

“We’re excited that three trusted voices from WBEZ will continue to bring listeners the news, culture and conversations they have come to expect from ‘In the Loop,’” said executive producer Dan Tucker. “We’re also deeply grateful to Sasha-Ann for the curiosity, warmth and thoughtful interviews she’s brought to the program for the last six years.”

The move gives WBEZ time to find a permanent replacement. The Chicago Bulls and CHSN are similarity using interim fill-in commentators alongside Adam Amin this season on a rotating basis after Stacey King died in June at the age of 59. 

Simons announced her departure last month after arriving at WBEZ in 2020 from Washington, D.C., as she and her family now plans to head back east. In the recent October PPMs, WBEZ finished in a tenth-place tie with Nexstar’s WGN-AM as the two news/talk stations were also tied in the same position the previous month with each down a tenth of a point. 

Fox Corporation’s deal to acquire Roku, Inc. closed on Thursday, several months after the deal was announced – but with some concessions.

Analyzing the deal on anti-trust, the Justice Department agreed to approve the deal on these conditions:

– Remain open to rivals, agreeing to carry non-Fox content for the next three years

– Not modifying Roku’s search engines to favor Fox content or its other platforms over competitors 

– To allow streamers to modify their apps on the platform 

– To maintain existing safeguards prohibiting them from sharing sensitive information about rival content providers and consumers using Roku devices and related products for the next three years 

There were concerns regarding Fox having too much power control over connected TV devices, one several members of Congress were worried about. But in the end, the Justice Department was satisfied with Fox’s plans for Roku, given the number of content being provided by a large number of entities would not harm competition, given there is already other choices, including set-top boxes from Apple TV, Xumo, and Amazon Fire, and built-in connected TV portals from set manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, and Walmart’s Vizio. 

“The closing of this acquisition advances the long-term strategy of FOX. Beginning today, our top priority for the combined company is to continue to relentlessly serve audiences and partners, while reinforcing the openness and choice that is the essence of the Roku platform,” said Lachlan K. Murdoch, executive chair and chief executive officer of Fox Corporation. “Our shared entrepreneurial passion and clear conviction toward building the future together with our new Roku colleagues gives us great confidence in the opportunities ahead of us.”

Exiting Roku are Roku Media President Charlie Collier, who left Fox to take the role; and general counsel Chris Handman. Mike Bidgoli takes over as the new president of Tubi, replacing Anjili Sud, who’s exiting to take another role outside of the company. Paul Cheesbrough will now oversee the entire Fox digital empire as co-chair and CEO of Fox Digital Platforms.

With the acquisition, Roku joins the company under the Fox Digital Platforms umbrella, which includes Tubi, Fox One, and Red Seat Ventures, with Roku bringing Quibi, vMVPDs Frendly TV and Howdy, and FAST portals The Roku Channel and Tubi. Roku stated that 100 million customers access their connected TV platform worldwide. 

Fox owns 29 local TV stations nationwide, including WFLD-TV and WPWR-TV here.

The post The Media Notepad: Ravi Baichwal out at ABC 7 first appeared on T Dog Media.

Also: 93.9 The Lite, 101.9 The Mix tie for first; Power 105 disputes Hot 97’s claims in NYC’s “Hip-Hop War”

The Chicago White Sox’s successful 2026 season not only paid dividends for regional sports network CHSN, but it also did for its radio home. 

Good Karma Brands’ ESPN 1000 (WMVP-AM) surged in the ratings in the October book thanks to the White Sox’s resurgent season, which landed them in the postseason sweeping Houston in the Wild Card round and advancing to play the Cleveland Guardians in the Divisional Round, only to lost three straight after winning the first two. Still, the postseason appearance sent ESPN 1000 skyrocketing in the ratings from seventeenth overall with a 1.9 share to ninth with a 3.3 – a 74 percent increase, the best performance on the frequency since 1992, when the station was known as “Hot Talk” WMVP-AM. Moreover, ESPN 1000 beat rival The Score 104.3 (WSCR AM/FM) for the first time in recent memory, with the latter in sixteenth place. Keep in mind a better picture of the two stations and how they stack up with one another will come into focus once the quarterly male 25-54 numbers are released. 

ESPN 1000’s success is notable given Good Karma dropped Nielsen a few years ago, thus being de-listed from the survey. But ESPN 1000 has resurfaced on the list a few months ago for unknown reasons, so Good Karma assumingly is a Nielsen subscriber again (Cumulus’ three stations in Chicago remain unlisted due to a legal dispute.)

Also contributing to the surge is ESPN 1000 is home to Chicago Bears’ radio broadcasts. With a 6-2 record this season, the team has become a hot ticket thanks to the strong play of QB Caleb Williams and the addition of defensive player Jeffrey Simmons, obtained in a trade with Tennessee. It remains to be seen if ESPN 1000 can keep up the momentum – keep in mind after a similar surge by Crawford’s Power 92 (Hip-Hop WPWX-FM) last summer, the station plummeted back to the bottom of the ratings. But with a hot Bears team, ESPN 1000 should remain competitive. 

Elsewhere, 93.9 The Lite and 101.9 The Mix tied for first overall in October, as we head into the holiday season as Christmas music from WLIT will certainly skew the numbers and demos into their favor. Finishing third was Audacy’s all-news WBBM Newsradio and Triple A WXRT tied for third, while Hubbard’s Classic Rock The Drive (WDRV-FM) finished fifth. WBBM Newsradio’s slipped for the third straight book; the station was flat from October 2025, when Operation Midway Blitz was still taking place in the Chicago area as the drama surrounding the immigration raids skewed the numbers the month before.

101.9 The Mix took top honors in 25-54s for the tenth consecutive time and also finished first in adults 18-49; WLIT was second in both demos. Finishing third in 25-54s was Top 40 Kiss FM 103.5 FM (WKSC-FM) with rival B96 (WBBM-FM) tied for fourth in the demo with the aforementioned ESPN 1000. Kiss 103.5 FM also topped B96 in the adults 18-34 demo, finishing first and second respectively, with The Drive tying iHeartMedia Hip-Hop WGCI, with WLIT fifth and WTMX sixth. 

In New York City, Merulo Media’s Hip-Hop Hot 97 (WQHT-FM) made headlines last month after several radio personalities complained on-air about wow they were treated amid layoffs at the station, which included on-air talents, mixers, producers, and others. Several others noted a few freelancers weren’t paid for their services, according to Radio Insight. The news caught the attention of The Breakfast Club, the nationally syndicated radio show that originates from iHeartMedia’s Hip-Hop outlet Power 105 (WWPR-FM), and they weren’t impressed as Hot 97 morning personality Mero claimed his show was tops in the New York City market. But The Breakfast Club hosts countered they were tops in the market, in September finishing first in all three key radio demos (given the recent apathy over World Series TV ratings on social media, do their listeners really care about this?)

But according to demo numbers reported by Research Director Inc., the bragging didn’t extend to the whole day. iHeartMedia sister station WLTW finished first in all-day September and October 18-34 demo numbers, while another iHeartMedia sister station (Top 40 WHTZ-FM/Z100) took the 18-49 honors in both months, while returning to the top of the heap in 25-54s last month, knocking off WLTW, who held the top slot all-day in September. WWPR’s all day 25-54 and 18-34 numbers fell from fifth in September to eighth last month, while declining to sixth place in adults 18-49.

Hot 97 did not appear in the top ten in any key demo in October.

Overall, Power 105 and Hot 97 were down from September, finishing thirteenth and fourteenth, respectively while Audacy’s all-news WINS finished first with WLTW second. 

So while the two go back and forth on who won what, the bottom line is ratings for both Hip-Hop stations are down and despite each morning show’s popularity – especially The Breakfast Club, as both shows are failing to keep their listeners tuned in throughout the day. 

The post ESPN 1000 surges in October PPMs, thanks to Bears and White Sox first appeared on T Dog Media.

ABC not carrying as DWTS moves up one night

Back in December 2020, this space called for the NFL to stop carrying Chicago Bears games as the league scheduled the team’s poor play for years, with embarrassment after embarrassment after embarrassment. 

Flash forward to October 2026, and the team’s resurgence under QB Caleb Williams and improved play from the team has the NFL world talking – and now the Bears have become must-see TV as they have three straight appearances in primetime.  The Bears are currently 5-2 and are one and a half games behind the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

After a hard-nosed win against the New England Patriots on Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, the Bears will be in primetime again on Monday Night Football November 2, where they will play the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks on the road. While the game is airing on ESPN, it will not air on ABC, which generally carries most MNF games because Dancing With The Stars is being shifted from its usual Tuesday night time slot to Monday (where it aired for years until 2022, when an ill-fated move to Disney + took place) as election coverage takes over on November 3. ABC and ESPN are owned by The Walt Disney Co.

Thus, Weigel Broadcasting independent The U (WCIU) will air the game in the Chicago market at 7 p.m CT, and Fox-owned KCPQ will air the game in Seattle at 5 p.m PT. Unlike other leagues where national games can air exclusively on cable or streaming, those platforms must arrange for a local TV station to carry the game in each team’s home market.

WCIU has carried ESPN telecasts of Bears games before; WGN-TV did carry one contest in November 2010 where they played the Dallas Cowboys. 

ABC 7 (WLS-TV) is producing pregame show Monday Night Monsters for The U, airing at 6:30 p.m. This marks the first collaboration between the two stations since 2019 when ABC 7, which then held the rights to 25 Cubs games a year, was forced to move a late-season home game against the Cincinnati Reds to The U due to the season finale of Bachelor In Paradise. ABC 7 also produced a local 7 p.m. newscast for WCIU from 2015 to 2019, when it became a CW affiliate (since relocated to WGN-TV.)

With the Bears’ success the last two seasons, the ratings have followed. According to Nielsen, the Patriots-Bears game on TNF delivered a package of 19.86 million viewers for Amazon, up 25 percent from last year’s comparative game and was the second-highest rated game ever for the streamer, and the most-watched Week 7 game ever. The 19.86 tally is notable, since the Bears’ last Super Bowl victory was in 1986.

An omen?

Fox-owned WFLD pulled in a 21.8 local rating, easily winning the evening by far, peaking at 23.4 at 9:15 p.m. Fox 32 and other Fox-owned stations have the local rights for their home-market teams on TNF. 

This is the second consecutive primetime Bears game; the team will have a third primetime one on Nov. 8 when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football from Solider Field. The Bears’ next streaming game is on Christmas Day, when they play the archrival Green Bay Packers on Netflix with a noon start, also at Soldier Field. It’s unknown what local TV outlet will carry the game, but an announcement is expected soon.

The post The U to air Bears-Seahawks Monday Night Football game first appeared on T Dog Media.

Tenure rocked by controversies, poor play-by-play announcing

He gone.

After speculation surfaced here and elsewhere about Chicago White Sox play-by-play announcer John Schriffen’s job not being secure, the team made it official Monday as the team announced it was not picking up his option for a fourth year.

The post Chicago White Sox sack announcer John Schriffen after three seasons first appeared on T Dog Media.

Stations fear revenue losses as Disney offers several ways to watch game

Once again, ABC and its affiliates are clashing over network programming. But this time, its about how one of the biggest television and sports events of the year is being distributed. 

Disney – which is the parent company of broadcast network ABC – is taking a multiplatform approach to broadcasting Super Bowl LXI, the first time in twenty years the network is airing the game as it was shut out of the Super Bowl rotation among CBS, NBC, and Fox until 2021 when new media deals took affect, returning ABC to the rotation. 

But there was a catch – the game would also be simulcasted on ESPN, which Disney also owns. Disney agreed to shift Monday Night Football exclusively to ESPN in 2006 after 36 years at ABC, leaving them as the only Big Four broadcast network without the NFL. MNF returned to ABC in 2020, mostly as an ESPN simulcast, and led to ABC receiving at least ten games per year, and Super Bowl XLI from Inglewood, Calif. 

But ABC affiliates are hardly cheering. According to CNBC, several big affiliate groups are not happy with Disney airing the game not only on ESPN, but with numerous altcasts with the Mannings on ESPN 2, Pat McAfee on ESPNU, a stats-focused telecast on NFL Network, and a Sunday Funday theme featuring Star Wars on Disney Channel and Disney XD – not to mention streaming on Disney +. Those groups, according to reports include Sinclair, Nexstar, and Tegna. Hearst, which owns a small stake in ESPN, also has a large number of ABC affiliates.

The issue is a sore spot for ABC stations because they fear the additional telecasts would drain viewers away from their outlets, and perhaps earn lower ad rates, which account for as much as three percent of their yearly revenue. According to a station group CEO, ABC affiliates’ local ad revenue during the big game could decline as much as 35 percent from last year, compared to NBC stations who carried the game as the only other outlets simulcasting the Super Bowl were Peacock and Telemundo (in Spanish.)  Of the four major networks, ABC has the most affiliates (around 220) as the network only owns eight stations, located mostly in large markets like Chicago’s WLS-TV.

Another is stations pay the networks to carry their programming in the form of “reverse compensation” – a complete reversal from what was standard from the 1950s to the 1990s when the networks paid stations to carry programming. When sports rights and entertainment programming became expensive in the 2000s, the networks made the affiliates shoulder the cost. Recently, six Nexstar stations and WPLG Miami dumped their respective CBS and ABC affiliations, as it no longer made financial sense for them. 

This is the latest fight between the networks and affiliates as streaming has become prominent in viewers’ lives – not to mention political changes as the White House and the FCC have become vocal in what type of programming should be airing on broadcasters. Last year, Nexstar and Sinclair stations temporarily pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live from its ABC affiliates after the host made jokes about Charlie Kirk as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened affiliates’ licenses over “public interest obligations” stations need to meet. This came as Nexstar was in the process of buying Tegna, amid Carr looking to “empower stations against the broadcast networks”. ABC and Disney are currently battling Carr over station licenses amid alleged DEI allegations as they’re saying is a smokescreen as Kimmel continues to make jokes about President Donald Trump.

Disney defended its multiplatform approach. “The Super Bowl is the year’s most-watched telecast, and our broad distribution across ESPN, ABC, and Disney+ will give fans everywhere more ways than ever to enjoy the game,” said a Disney spokesperson to CNBC. “Making marquee live events available via streaming is a well-established industry practice. Fox and NBC have recently offered the Super Bowl on Tubi and Peacock, and we’ve similarly streamed ‘The Oscars’ on Hulu and ‘Dancing with the Stars’ on Disney+, for example. There’s nothing unprecedented about this approach as we are meeting the modern consumer where they are.”

Disney later issued another statement to CNBC as the situation is currently being discussed by the ABC Affiliate Governors Board: “Our ABC affiliates are important partners and we always take that into careful consideration when making these decisions. We’ve successfully navigated similar situations in collaboration with the governing board many times before, and this is no different.”

Regarding the simulcasts, ABC affiliates knew the Super Bowl would be concurrently airing on ESPN when the deal was announced in 2021, and they already have the Mannings on ESPN 2 on most weeks – not to mention past “Funday” events competing with past ABC telecasts, so it isn’t known why they’re showing concern now. CBS affiliates didn’t complain when Nickelodeon offered a kid-focused altcast of the game, which targeted a different audience, as did the Univision simulcast, which targeted Spanish-language viewers. 

As for these altcasts, it’s understandable to offer such an alternative to the main telecast. But altcasts with the Mannings (whose ratings have declined), Pat McAfee (who is overexposed enough as it is) and Star Wars are not needed, as Disney risks cannibalizing Super Bowl XLI with too many ways to watch – with hardly any of these “alternatives” appealing. 

The post ABC affiliates gripe about multiple Super Bowl simulcasts first appeared on T Dog Media.

Is Netflix in another rut? That seems to be the case as execs are fired, growth slowed

Back in April 2022, this space reported that the honeymoon for Netflix was over, as the bloom fell off the rose for the streaming giant.

After a failed attempt to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, in which Netflix was outwitted and outplayed by Skydance’s David Ellison, it looks like they are in another down cycle with the announcement of some executive shakeups over the weekend and mixed third quarter earnings reports.

On Saturday, Netflix fired Chief Content Officer Bela Bajria, Head Of Film Dan Lin, and his second-in-command Doug Belgrad. This is on top of a recent layoff, where about one thousand employees – basically six percent of its global workforce –  were let go from the company as subscriber growth has slowed, viewer engagement isn’t what it used to be, and its stock price has become stagnant.

Former Fox and Disney exec Peter Rice has taken over the CCO role from Bajria.

Netflix released its third quarter earnings Tuesday and while they met Wall Street expectations, after hours trading showed their stock was down six percent due to a lower fourth quarter revenue outlook – one of the most lucrative as it includes the all-important holiday season and is important for retailers.

The streamer reported its beat its third quarter estimates (.87 per share opposed to .82) and hit their revenue estimates on-target with $12.87 billion as it was up twelve percent from last year. Net income was $3.66 billion (.87 per share), up from the 2025’s third quarter results. Netflix is forecasting its revenues to rise eleven percent in the fourth quarter, to $13.44 billion. The streamer has some marquee NFL games coming up, with a Thanksgiving Eve matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams, and a major tilt on Christmas Day, as those same Packers will meet Caleb Williams and the hated arch-rival Chicago Bears, which no doubt will drive subscriptions.

Netflix had to reduce its projections for fourth quarter revenue, which it expects to earn $51.1 billion, up thirteen percent from last year, but that’s on the low end on the Wall Street expectations scale. Netflix also had to adjust its ad revenue projection for 2026, with revenues now at $2.7 billion, down from its original projection of $3 billion.

The streamer coasted for years as the toast of the town as it changed the media world, making streaming a part of our lives with groundbreaking series such as Orange Is The New Black, Marvel’s dramas, Squid Game, Love Is Blind, and Stranger Things, which became a phenomenon. But newer streaming competition from Paramount, Disney, HBO Max, Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, FAST platforms (such as Pluto TV, Tubi, Xumo, etc.) and Google’s YouTube, has eaten away its market share.

Recent streaming hits – think Heated Rivalry, The Pitt, Love Island, and former Netflix property Daredevil – recently returning as Daredevil: Born Again –  were not on Netflix.

“With intense competition and an explosion of content competing for consumer attention, strategic clarity and excellent execution are critical,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders Tuesday. “In Q3, we delivered well across all three priorities, but we see room to do even better with focused, continuous improvement.”

“We know there’s some investor concern about our view hours growth,” the letter went on to say. “[E]ngagement — which encompasses quantity, quality and variety of viewing — remains healthy and … we continue to deliver strong value to members.”

In the last few years, Netflix started doing what everyone else was doing – adding ad tiers, striking deals in France to carry linear broadcaster TF1 in that country, and sports such as WWE Raw, the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and the MLB and the NFL. The streamer was blasted for its slipshod production of boxing and the opening night game in March between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants and the Home Run Derby – given the perception that Netflix practically prints money.

Netflix also recently became an exclusive home for a few video broadcasts, such as top-rated radio show The Breakfast Club. 

Another matter is the way has Netflix has recently treated talent, with tensions rising between them and Hollywood’s creative community over budgets. Lin’s hiring two years ago was meant to streamline production and aggressively cost-cut but in the process, he alienated many top-tier actors and writers, including Ben Affleck.

Despite the turmoil, Netflix still has some must-see programming such as Wednesday (based on the character from The Addams Family), Hunting Wives, and KPop Demon Hunters, which has spawned tons of merchandise. But the streamer has not produced anything on the level of Stranger Things in terms of being a big cultural talking point.

While Netflix is still an successful streamer, they must come to grips that they are not the only game in town anymore. With Skydance now in control of Paramount + and HBO Max and Ellison’s plan to combine both services in a few years, the competition has never been tougher. Can Netflix meet the challenge? The media industry – and Wall Street – will be watching.

The post Netflix trends down as layoffs, exec firings take toll first appeared on T Dog Media.

Huge ratings jump for CHSN this year

Three years ago, this space unfavorably compared the Chicago White Sox to CBS Chicago, with both dead last in their respective measurement sticks after years of complete, total mismanagement.

Today, there has been ownership modifications in both. Justin Ishbia now owns a stake in the White Sox, in which he will take over from current owner Jerry Reinsdorf in a few years, while WBBM-TV and other CBS-owned stations are now under the umbrella of David Ellison’s Skydance Corportation, which recently bought Warner Bros. Discovery in an $111 billion takeover deal.

CBS Chicago is now paired with its parent network’s incompetence, with Ellison hiring Bari Weiss to run CBS News – which yielded a disastrous makeover of its news shows – especially 60 Minutes, who fired correspondents Scott Pelley and Cecila Vega among others – while ratings created, and the CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings dug deeper into last place as viewers continue to ignore both shows. You can’t imagine CBS Chicago seeing an uptick in the already low ratings they have, still buried deep in the viewer witness protection program.

But the White Sox has made tremendous strides in improving their on-field product – so much so, the team made an unlikely run to MLB’s postseason dance, where they clinched a Wild Card spot and shocked the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round and advanced to play the Cleveland Guardians in the Divisional Series. After taking a 2-0 lead however, the White Sox lost the next three games and Cleveland advanced to the ALCS against Tampa Bay Rays, ending a magical run – one remakable given the team endured three straight one-hundred plus losses, including the 2024 season where they finished 41-121 – the worst MLB record ever recorded.

And with the improved play comes improved viewership for White Sox games for CHSN  – a much needed shot in the start for the two-year-old regioal sports network.

According to Nielsen and as reported by Axios, total viewership for White Sox games surged 168 percent, with an average of 84,800 viewers across all platforms, especially with streaming where as they drew five times the audience they did last year. The percentage increase was the highest among 29 MLB teams.

With Weigel independent WCIU in the mix for ten games – six of them Crosstown Classics with the Cubs, CHSN’s numbers went even higher, with the August 17 game drawing 245,900 viewers, beating Marquee’s similar telecast. With the White Sox in a race for the AL Central crown with Cleveland, August and September games averaged 112,000 viewers.

Whether the White Sox can build on success for next year is unknown, given the uncertain future of a 2027 MLB season as a lockout – the first in 32 years, is likely on the horizon, which could wipe out a good portion of the schedule.

Also uncertain is the future of White Sox broadcaster John Schriffen, who may be on the way out, as reported here and elsewhere. Schriffen did not call the September 24 game against the Kansas City Royals where the White Sox clinched a playoff slot for the first time in five years, as Connor Knight did the honors instead. So where was Schriffen? Calling a UFC match in Brazil for Paramount +.

Schriffen calling a inane mixed material arts match in a league run by the idiotic Dana White and on a streamer owned by Ellison instead of a history-making event five years in the making he was hired to do seems so unconsciousable.

The post As White Sox improved on the field, so did their TV ratings first appeared on T Dog Media.

Also: Sasha-Ann Simons exits WBEZ; Disney letting you watch Super Bowl LXI in a variety of ways

Chicago Bears fans (me included) are mourning the loss of “Da Coach”, Mike Ditka, who led the team for eleven seasons and helped guide the team to its only Super Bowl title in the 1985 season, clinched at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on January 26, 1986. His gruff demeanor made him a hero among Chicago’s working-class and as iconic as the Sears Tower and the ‘L’.

Born in suburban Pittsburgh, Ditka passed away in his Chicago home Friday morning at the age of 86.

Ditka played for the Bears in the 1960s, winning a pre-Super Bowl title in 1963 and was on the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl-winning team in 1972. After being an assistant coach for Dallas, the Bears hired him as head coach in 1982, and the rest is history.

During this time, Ditka got his own Sunday morning weekly coaches’ show over CBS-owned WBBM-TV until January 1993, when he was fired by the Bears as the program dominated the ratings in its 11 a.m. time period throughout its run (another attempt by Fox-owned WFLD-TV in 1995 flopped with viewers.) He was also a terrific commercial pitchman; he appeared in dozens of ads for Campbell Soup, Peak Anti-Freeze, Dristan, Montgomery Ward’s Electric Ave., Pontiac, Coors Light (in a rather disjointed way), and more. 

Ditka also was immortalized in pop culture as a subject of the Chicago Superfans skits on Saturday Night Live, and appeared in numerous TV shows such as Cheers, Entourage, According To Jim, Coach, Becker, and 3rd Rock From The Sun, and movie Kicking & Screaming. After his coaching days ended (aside from his brief stint as head coach of the New Orleans Saints), Ditka appeared as an analyst for NBC Sports, ESPN, and CBS. Ditka also had regular radio shows on WSCR-AM and later, WMVP-AM. 

Despite his reputation as what some would say as being a jerk at times, Ditka had a generous heart, with Misercordia as his favorite charity. In 1988, Ditka showed concern about the equipment Chicago Public Schools’ varsity football teams were using, as they were old and outdated.

Ditka wasn’t just a head coach – he was an icon with had a tremendous outsized personality, one that continues to resonate with Chicagoans to this very day – the likes we’ll unfortunately never see again.

Rest in peace, coach.

After six years, In The Loop host Sasha-Ann Simons is out of the loop at Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM. 

“Leading ‘Reset’ and now ‘In the Loop’ has been one of the great privileges of my career. I am truly thankful for the Chicagoans who welcomed me into their lives and trusted me with their stories, questions and hopes for this city. I will always cherish the remarkable producers and engineers who brought their talent, heart and unwavering support to the work every day,” said Simons. “While it is difficult to say goodbye to a role I cherish so deeply, I leave with the utmost respect and affection for WBEZ’s talk shows team and wish for the continued success of Chicago Public Media.”

Simons arrived at WBEZ in December 2020, at a time when the city was reeling from the effects of the pandemic and George Floyd. She became the host of Reset, a two-hour show that which was cut from the lineup in September 2025 due to budget cuts related to the loss of federal funding as she was shifted to In The Loop, which will continue with a new host yet to be named.

Simons declined to say why she’s departing the station.

During Nielsen’s September PPM book, WBEZ finished finished in a tie for tenth place overall with Nexstar’s WGN-AM. WBBM Newsradio was the top-rated station overall, followed by WXRT and WTMX.

Judging by all the promotion, you know Super Bowl XLI from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. Feburary 14 is airing on ESPN and ABC, right? Well, if you didn’t know, then you don’t have a TV, browse the internet, or have a social media account. But Disney’s properties do have the big game, with about 235 different ways to watch. 

Don’t like hearing Joe Buck and Troy Aikman? You have the Manningcast, the tired altcast on ESPN 2 with Peyton and Eli Manning, which nobody watches anymore. If you’re a Pat McAfee fan, you watch his field pass on ESPNU because they really needed to give the overexposed hack his own channel during the game. Let’s hope he keeps his shirt on for Christ’s sake.

For you stats geeks, ESPN’s newly acquired NFL Network will turn the channel to a specialized data-driven graphics, which should come in handy if the team you’re rooting for is behind by 40 points in the third quarter. 

There will be two different Spanish-language feeds for the game, one on ESPN Deportes, and the other on Univision, which locally owns WGBO-TV (Ch. 66) and WXFT (Ch. 60.) 

As far as streaming options, both Disney + and Hulu will stream the ESPN/ABC and ESPN Deportes feeds, while all options would be available to ESPN Unlimited subscribers, which usually costs a month’s mortgage payment. 

An animated simulcast, which Disney has done before with Monsters, Inc., Big City Greens (for the NHL), and The Simpsons, isn’t known yet, but you can imagine Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy are waiting in the wings if it happens. Would be fun to see if Bob Belcher can run without fumbling the ball…or try to run, period. 

As for ABC, this would be the first time in twenty years the network aired the Super Bowl, last doing so in 2006 when they aired Super Bowl XL from Ford Field in Detroit. This would be ABC’s eighth Super Bowl – their first was Super Bowl XIX in January 1985. 

So yes, the Disney family is heading to the Super Bowl. But don’t expect Princess Jasmine or Elsa hang out with McAfee on the sidelines for Field Pass, for obvious reasons (he might take his shirt off again – or heaven forbid, something else.) 

The post The Media Notepad: Remembering Mike Ditka first appeared on T Dog Media.

Plus: Tony Romo out at CBS; Paramount and Warner now under the Skydance umbrella 

With the Chicago White Sox rebounding from a disastrous 41-121 season in 2024 and winning the Wild Card playoff round against the Houston Astros to advance to the Divisional Round, another “long running national nightmare” could come to an end as well.

According to Front Office Sports, White Sox play-by-play man John Schriffen may be on his way out after three years with the team. His contract is up after three years, and there is currently no discussions on a renewal, especially after Jason Benetti – the man Schriffen replaced – recently received a contract extension with the Detroit Tigers.

CHSN President Mike McCarthy has “put out feelers” for a new play-by-play man, according to FOS. CHSN and Schriffen have declined to comment, while the White Sox said the team is focused on the postseason, as they are playing the Cleveland Guardians for a best-of-five starting Saturday.

Since replacing Benetti in 2024, Schriffen has been polarizing for his commentary, soliciting criticism from fans, media people, and this space, who gave a less-than-flattering review of his work, calling him “a disgrace to baseball”. Schriiffen has also made notable errors on air and relied on stupid catchphrases such as “South Side Stand Up!” Schriffen also notably feuded with WSCR personalities, calling the station “radio losers” during a broadcast.

If Schriffen gets canned, he still has other gigs, including college football, basketball, UFL, and NBA G League on ESPN, and UFC matches for Paramount + (which seems fitting.) As the White Sox have upgraded their team to playoff contenders, they now need to upgrade their announcing team – and by that, I mean keep Steve Stone and get rid of the, um, “disgrace”. 

While John Schriffen’s fate up in the air, another sports broadcaster has seen his career end Friday at CBS Sports as Tony Romo was given his walking papers after he was caught driving under the influence earlier this summer in Wisconsin. Both parties agreed to mutually part ways.

“CBS Sports and Tony Romo have mutually agreed to part ways,” the network said in a statement. “We thank Tony for his contributions over the past nine years and wish him the best moving forward.”

Romo was pulled over for intoxication and was found to have a strong odor of alcohol on him. Romo failed a sobriety test, was put in handcuffs, and was later released. Romo pleaded no contest to the charges on Sept. 1 and lost his driving privileges for six months, among other penalties. After the July 23 arrest, Romo was placed on indefinite leave by CBS. 

CBS Sports replaced Romo on the network’s top NFL broadcasting team  with J.J. Watt, who’ll be seated next to Jim Nantz for the remainder of the season. 

Without any broadcast experience, Romo landed the top commentator job in 2017 aside Nantz, replacing Phil Simms. Romo was praised early on for his work, with his uncanny ability to predict plays before they happened. But in the last few years, criticism of Romo steadily increased, especially his performance during Super Bowl LVIII, where he nearly stepped on Nantz’s call of Patrick Mahomes’ winning touchdown pass for Kansas City.

Romo and CBS agreed to a financial settlement, as he was owed $72 million on a ten-year, $180 million contract – one of the largest ever rewarded to a NFL broadcaster. He had four years remaining on his deal.

With a settlement from twelve states’ attorney generals in hand, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are moving ahead with their $111 billion merger, and Friday, announced they would be united under the Skydance name, reverting to the original moniker when David Ellison founded the production company in 2006. The merger is expected to close on Tuesday, with Paramount and Warner Bros. retaining their names as brands.

“We chose [the Skydance name] for a few important reasons. First and foremost, as we bring Paramount and Warner Bros. together, we wanted to preserve what has made each of these studios iconic”, Ellison said on X. “Both have distinct identities, extraordinary legacies and brands that have resonated with audiences for generations. We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.

Skydance released a slickly-produced video on YouTube Friday, mostly featuring movie clips from both studios.

Skydance announced Friday it was keeping its Paramount + and HBO Max brands separate. There were reports that Ellison would shut down HBO Max if the merger went through. There’s also talk of both services being bundled together, which would make sense since both are owned by Skydance. 

The first of many executive shakeups were announced, with current CBS Studios head George Cheeks now overseeing Warner Bros. Television and Paramount Television Studios. HBO’s Casey Bloys is expected to run Paramount + in addition to HBO Max, and Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg overseeing both Paramount and Warner Bros. movie studios. Former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz will serve alongside Ellison as co-chief executive.

Two executives who will not be sticking around are Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca, who were Warner Bros.’ movie co-chairs and co-chief executive officers, while Cindy Holland has left her role as head of Paramount +.  

With the union of Paramount and Warner Bros. now official, now comes the hard part – dealing with $80 billion in debt and likely handing out more than 1,000 pink slips to employees. 

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Comes after California AG reverses course; WGA also settles

In an unexpected development, the twelve states attorney generals who were suing to stop the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, have come to a settlement, requiring concessions that don’t really amount to much.

California AG Rob Bonta’s momentum to take the case to trial evaporated quickly as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass abandoned the effort, and the merger was approved by every international territory, and the Justice Department months earlier. The feeling was the case would cost taxpayers a lot of money- especially if the twelve states were required to post a $1.8 billion bond to cover the $7 million “ticking fee” Paramount would have to pay per day to Warner if the deal wasn’t closed by the end of the month. Paramount also threatened to move out of the Los Angeles area to a more business-friendly climate (such as Texas, Georgia, or Tennessee) if the lawsuit continued to proceed. Also, Iowa’s and Montana’s support of the merger – which are red states with Republican AGs – also helped derail the blue states’ case as they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in to approve it, with the high court asking Bonta and the other states to respond by September 25. 

Neither Illinois or Indiana were part of the lawsuit trying to stop the Paramount-Warner merger.

Paramount can close the deal within the next two weeks, as the company will now own one of the biggest television and film libraries on Earth, with ownership of two studio lots, CBS and its owned stations including CBS Chicago, 25 percent of The CW, streamers Paramount + and HBO Max, and more than fifty cable channels. Paramount owner David Ellison used a hostile takeover to beat Netflix in their pursuit of Warner Bros. last February and succeeded, stunning everybody in the industry. 

There are those aforementioned concessions in the settlement:

– Paramount agrees to increase domestic (in the U.S.) production by $300 million annually, and agreed to keep the Paramount and Warner Bros. lots separate in Los Angeles – at least for now. 

– The studio agreed to release 30 films in theaters for the first two years and 32 in the following three years. Four films must be indie productions and Paramount has to establish a fund to buy  them. Paramount would face a financial penalty if they didn’t meet the quotas, including divesting production company Miramax. 

– Paramount and Warner Bros.’ networks are required to negotiate retransmission deals with cable, satellite, and virtual providers separately. For example, Paramount can negotiate for Nickelodeon, VH1, and BET, but not Cartoon Network, TBS, and TNT at the same time. Failure to do so would mean the company would be forced to divest several cable channels. This move prevents Paramount from having too much leverage in negotiations. 

– Paramount must also invest $9.5 million a year for workforce training and career development in film and TV production, film programs, and community arts organizations. 

– An independent board must be established for oversight of both CBS News and CNN to ensure editorial independence. 

– Maintain a free ad-supported streaming service, referring to Pluto TV.

Bonta will be watching. 

“Together, we’ll select a trustee to monitor’s Paramount’s compliance with these terms”, he said. “And if they ever fail to comply with the many critical terms we have in our settlement, we can go to court.”

Despite agreeing to settle, Bonta was still against the merger, but basically conceded defeat. So did the Writers’ Guild of America, who received a promise of no layoffs of any CBS News employees and will receive $17.5 million toward the guild’s health fund in their settlement. Both parties realized a long trial – set to begin in March 2027 – would be too costly, and moreover if a jury found in in favor of the states and the WGA, Paramount would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court – something Ellison said he would do. And with a 6-3 conservative majority, as the Court has historically ruled in favor of big business, the chances both the states and the WGA winning would have been slim. 

The settlement also gives the Trump administration a major victory; the President was in favor of the merger, given Ellison and his father Larry have strong ties to him, as he wants to remake CBS and CNN into another Fox News-type outlet. Now they have that chance, despite the “independent board” devised in the settlement – which is basically, a sham. 

This move is very disappointing as we’ve seen over the last few decades what media consolidation has done, with fewer choices of programming, and numerous job layoffs – which have become a regular occurrence in radio now with the latest example of WSSR-FM morning personality Eddie Volkman being dropped for a nationally syndicated show. A trial would have been worth it, fighting against these big corporate monoliths and these billionaires who have ruined this business with their inept decision making. Instead, Democrats Bonta, Newsom, Bass, and the state AGs ran away with their tails between their legs, being the true cowards they are. 

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