Bizarre attack brings attention to safety of news crews in the field 

A news crew from CBS-owned WBBM-TV were attacked near the Adler Planetarium on Monday by three men. 

The crew were were prepping for a live shot from the South Loop landmark before 4:30 p.m. when a white tow truck pulled up and three men were seen getting out of the truck and shouted racial slurs. One of the assailants ordered a dog to attack the crew, but declined, so the men vandalized the news van, shattering the front windshield when an orange traffic cone and damaged a news camera, causing over $100,000 in damage. The crew, which consisted of a cameraman (who is Black) and a reporter, were not harmed.

The three men sped off in their tow truck, but were later spotted in the Brighton Park neighborhood, aiming a gun at pedestrians. Police noticed, and found the tow truck driving erratically , and led the three on a brief chase before crashing their vehicle at 36th and California and were taken into custody. They were in court Thursday to be arraigned

The three men who were charged were: Jon Twist, 37; Rafael Salinas, 29; and William Hureta, 41. Twist was charged with a hate crime and criminal damage to property; all three have extensive criminal records, with Hureta serving six years in prison for aggravated battery with a firearm. They were ordered detained by a judge Thursday. 

Video later released show one of the men carrying an assault rifle; it was found outside the truck when the men were arrested. 

“There is no place for violence, intimidation, or hate. The safety of our journalists is non-negotiable, and we remain committed to ensuring they can do their jobs without fear or threat,” said CBS Chicago and WWJ-TV Detroit GM Jennifer Lyons, who runs both stations for the CBS News And Stations Group. She said she was “deeply disturbed about the attacks on our colleagues.”

The National Association of Black Journalists also weighed in, stating: “This attack underscores the very real risks journalists continue to face and reinforces the need for all of us to stand together in defense of a free and independent press,” said Chicago Chapter President Brandon Pope said.

The incident received considerable play in Chicago press circles, with CBS Chicago’s competitors reporting on the story.

This incident comes as journalists are increasingly being attacked around the globe, and especially in America. In January, ABC 7 reporter Leah Hope was attacked by a assailant in her car near the station on State Street.

Nearly a decade ago, several news crews in the San Francisco Bay Area were robbed of their equipment – even on-air. In August 2023, a Univision Chicago (WGBO) news truck was robbed in the early-morning hours at Division and Milwaukee and an ABC 7 crew was robbed on the West Side. In 2020, several news crews were attacked across the country during the George Floyd unrest. 

Last year, a CBS Chicago reporter was in her car when ICE threw a gas canister in it while covering the unrest outside the agency’s detention center in west Suburban Broadview.

In July 1990, an unidentified local TV Black camerman was on the receiving end of racial slurs while covering a tense Village Board meeting in southwest suburban Oak Lawn over whether or not to censure a trustee who made racially disparaging remarks about Black people on Chicago’s South Side. Oak Lawn, which at the time was 96 percent white, has since become more diverse. 

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Separation to be completed next year

Fifteen years after buying NBCUniversal, Comcast Corp. announced Monday it was separating its businesses, spinning off NBCUniversal into its own, publicly-traded company. This comes at a time when streaming is becoming a dominant force in how viewers watch television, and amid growing pressure from rivals such as Netflix and Amazon. The split, which does not require neither party to pay any taxes, is expected to take up to a year to complete.

The split means Comcast will no longer own NBC, its owned-stations including Chicago’s WMAQ and WSNS-TV, Peacock, Telemundo, The UK’s Sky, Universal’s theme parks, Universal’s film and television operations, NBC’s regional sports networks, NBCSN, and Bravo, but will retain a 19.9 percent minority stake. Current Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanaugh will become CEO of NBCUniversal and former Comcast CFO Michael Angelakis becomes the new CEO of Comcast, which will now solely focus on its broadband business. Comcast shareholders will own stock in both companies.

“As we look ahead, it has become clear that our technology and media businesses each have compelling opportunities in front of them that are distinct in nature and best pursued with dedicated focus, strategic flexibility, and tailored investment priorities,” said Comcast co-CEO and chair Brian Roberts, discussing plans with investors on a conference call Monday. “That is why today we announced an important next step in Comcast’s evolution. Our plan to create two separate companies, Comcast and NBCUniversal.”

Wall Street seemed to be receptive to the news; Comcast shares surged 17 percent in early Monday morning trading. Comcast’s stock had been struggling in the last year, dropping as much as 30 percent.

The split is reminiscent of the one Viacom and CBS did in 2005 to get more properties out of their properties; Viacom focused on its then-growing cable properties and the Paramount movie studio, while the newly named CBS Corporation had everything else, with then-CEO Sumner Redstone helming both companies. After his passing, daughter Shari Redstone reunited the two in 2019 and was sold to David Ellison’s Skydance in 2024.

Other media splits saw News Corp. separating its print from its film and television businesses into 21st Century Fox, which most of it was acquired by Disney in 2019. After Tribune Co. left Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company separated into Tribune Media and Tribune Publishing as the former was purchased by Nexstar and the latter was swallowed up by Alden Global Capital.

In January, Comcast spun-off its cable networks into a separate company known as Versant.

This is the latest move by a media company as the ecosystem continues to change at a rapid pace. Two weeks ago, Fox announced its acquisition of Roku for $22 billion, and Paramount is buying Warner Bros. for more than $100 billion.

Announced in December 2009, Comcast purchased NBCUniversal, and closed  a little over a year later after FCC approval. NBC was able to merge with Universal Studios in 2004 after General Electric agreed to give up control of the network to Comcast, which took a 51 percent stake and a full stake in 2013.

Monday’s announcement instantly increased speculation on the new Comcast possibly being swallowed up by another company, perhaps Charter as consolidation continues to ramp up in the media industry as companies are looking to build up scale. However, any deal from a telecommunications suitor could face stiff opposition, especially in blue states like Illinois as a merger between  cable companies would need approval from all fifty states’ public service commissions. Meanwhile, NBC being acquired by, say Paramount or Disney, would face numerous barriers, including an FCC rule barring the major broadcast networks being owned by each other – not to mention the large number of debt any acquisition would occur.

On the conference call, Roberts stated a sale of a newly-spunoff Comcast and NBCUniversal or the two buying additional properties isn’t in the cards – at least right now. “This is the right move to put each company in the strongest position to create value, fully monetize its assets, and aggressively pursue its own organic growth strategies,” he said.

NBCUniversal also owns a trove of sports rights, including the NFL and recently returned the NBA and Major League Baseball to its portfolio. Locally, WMAQ has snared some major talent in the past year, with Chuck Goudie, Paris Schutz, and Lou Canellis joining the news team, and unveiled a new $70 million, state-of-the-art newsroom at the NBC Tower.

The split could be subject to approval by regulators – which may include the FCC, because of 47 television stations licenses NBC holds through the network and Telemundo as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is on the warpath against DEI and “news distortion” as NBC has been targeted by President Trump over what he calls “fake news”. When Viacom and CBS split, it didn’t go under any FCC review. But with this current administration, anything can happen.

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ABC 7 takes fight with the agency to the public

The fight between The Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and the FCC escalated Monday, with the network urging to write and contact the FCC in support of The View and its eight owned-and-operated stations, including ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) here.

Two issues are in play: whether or not The View is a bona fide news program, and whether ABC is fit to hold licenses in eight markets, including Chicago – areas that are mostly blue when it comes to politics (see the tags section below this article to see what stations ABC owns.)

“The View has welcome your favorite guests for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show”, in an on-air PSA and in a statement they released on social media. This stems from an appearance by a Texas Senate candidate on the show earlier this year as daytime and late-night shows generally were exempt from providing equal-time. But FCC Chairman Brendan Carr modified those rules, which had been in effect since 2002. Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez pointed out the agency urged Texas ABC’s affiliates to put this in their public inspection files, but didn’t extend the same courtesy to ABC’s owned station in Houston, KTRK.

Meanwhile, the network has launched an online and on-air campaign, urging viewers in the eight markets affected to voice their support of their stations:

No one supports your community like Channel 7. But the FCC questions that commitment. https://t.co/VrxQwF1GZ7 pic.twitter.com/fG0ApdYfbc

— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 22, 2026

ABC 7 aired a promo for their cause on Monday and posted on YouTube:

In April, the FCC made the unusual decision to call for an early renewal of their television licenses, claiming the station group violated DEI rules, but this came a day after President Trump called for the firing of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who skewed him and First Lady Melania Trump, calling her “an expectant widow”. ABC stated this is about programming the President doesn’t like and said Carr’s actions threatens the First Amendment.

The FCC was quick to fire back at ABC Monday: “Disney wants the FCC to classify ‘The View’ as a ‘bona fide news program.’ And it has chosen to run a campaign of misinformation to make its case—misleading viewers about the law. That is a choice”, signaling the two may be in for a very long court fight. The WSNS-TV saga lasted over a decade in the 1980s and 1990s, with WSNS losing its license in 1990 and was fought on appeal.

This is not the first time a media conglomerate has appealed to viewers regarding a pending FCC action. Last year, Nexstar urged viewers to support industry deregulation before the company bought Tegna, which was approved by the FCC last year, but is now being held up by the courts.

Despite ABC’s pandering, it is unlikely ABC 7 or any of its sister stations will “go off the air”, as Disney will fight any action the FCC takes in court (one where the FCC is unlikely to win.) While this campaign will draw right-wing distractors such as Chicago Flips Red, Dan Proft, the corrupt Chicago cop who runs a “news” website, and those who thought Cheryl Burton should have been fired instead of Mark Giangreco, there will be a lot of support for ABC 7, given they have been the top-rated news station for 40 years, and largely avoided the boneheaded moves each of their competitors have made.

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Highest numbers seen in years – with an assist from Nielsen changes

This year’s Stanley Cup and NBA Finals were big winners this year – with a little help from Nielsen adjusting its methodology. 

This year, Nielsen made some adjustments in how it measures TV audiences – since 2020, the company started adding out-of-home viewing to its totals and in the last year, measuring it in all 210 television markets, answering a complaint networks have long had about ratings – failing to reach viewers in hotels, bars, restaurants, and other public places. This year, Nielsen started adding data from smart TVs and set-top boxes – known as “Big Data”, making ratings measurement more accurate (which means no more written diaries.)

As a result, we’ve seen ratings jumps for television shows – especially live events such as sports. This year, the new methodology has benefited leagues, with numbers not seen since the 1980s in some cases. And the biggest beneficiaries as of late are the NBA and NHL. 

The recent NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks was a ratings winner for ABC, despite the series lasting only five games as the Knicks won their first NBA title since 1973. The series drew 20.6 million viewers and a 9.8 household rating on average – making it  the most-watched Finals since 1998, when the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz in six games, Michael Jordan’s final game with the team he won six titles with. For ABC, it was the most-watched NBA Finals ever, topping the 2017 series between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavailers. Compared to last year’s underwhelming Oklahoma City Thunder-Indiana Pacers series, Knicks-Spurs – a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, was up 100 percent in total viewers. Credit more compelling storylines, including the Spurs’ budding superstar Victor Wembanyama and the Knicks’ 53-year title drought (and being from the top market in the country) as more reasons for the ratings increases.

Despite airing on Saturday night – historically the lowest homes-using-television night of the week, the Knicks’ game five come-from-behind win over the Spurs drew 24. 5 million viewers – the most-watched program on in Saturday prime-time since an NFL playoff game in January, peaking at 33 million viewers. Across all platforms, the NBA Playoffs saw huge ratings increases this year as the bulk of games shifted from cable to broadcast and streaming, thanks to the NBA’s new eleven-year deal with games airing on NBC, ESPN/ABC, Amazon, and Peacock. 

In all, the 2026 NBA Finals was the most-watched sporting championship (outside of the Super Bowl) since the 2016 World Series, when the Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland in seven games.

Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup Finals between two medium-sized markets in the (Las) Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes also benefited from Nielsen’s methodology changes, as the Finals drew 5.23 million viewers and a 2.5 household rating – making it into the top five as the most-watched Stanley Cup Finals since 1994 as the Carolina Hurricanes won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Golden Knights in six games. This also comes despite Scripps’ ABC affiliate KTNV in Las Vegas being blacked out on DirecTV as the satellite provider is in a retrains dispute with the stations owner. Ranking fifth, Golden-Knights-Hurricanes trails only the 2019, 2015, 2013, and 1997 Stanley Cup Final telecasts. The series easily cleared last year’s Edmonton Oilers-Florida Panthers Cup finals on TNT, up 106 percent thanks mainly to the games airing on ABC, and not having a Canadian team depressing the ratings. 

The game six clincher for the Hurricanes Sunday night drew 5.29 million, peaking at 7.2 million for the final quarter hour (9:45 p.m. CT.), also up from the game six clincher featuring Oilers-Panthers on TNT and the same two teams on ABC in 2024 (that series went seven.)

The NHL Playoffs on ESPN/ABC and TNT also scored increased numbers compared to last year, averaging 1.8 million viewers – up 68 percent, and despite featuring no New York Rangers or Chicago Blackhawks teams, as the latter hasn’t made the playoffs in nine years (excluding the 2020 “bubble” series.) 

Also benefiting from this year’s NBA and NHL’s Finals successes was ABC’s owned-and-operated stations in New York (WABC) and Raleigh-Durham (WTVD) as they saw huge ratings and revenue from their market’s respective teams making it into the championship (and of course, winning their titles.) This comes as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is targeting the eight-station group’s licenses for alleged “DEI violations”, including WLS-TV here in Chicago. 

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Curtain comes down on long-running institution after Rogers moved all of their games to cable… in 2026

[Editor’s Note: The wrong draft was posted here Wednesday morning and featured numerous spelling and grammatical errors. This article has since been corrected. T Dog Media apologizes for the errors.]

After 74 years of being a Saturday night television tradition north of the border, Hockey Night In Canada is exiting the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The decision was made in a joint announcement Tuesday by the CBC and Rogers, which has owned the national Canadian rights to the NHL since October 2014, when the cable conglomerate signed a twelve-year deal with the league in November 2013 to provide games for its channels, including Rogers SportsNet. In November 2025, Rogers signed a new NHL deal, giving them exclusive rights to air all national English-language games on their networks for another dozen years, spurning tech giants such as Netflix and Amazon, which have become more aggressive acquiring sports programming in the U.S. 

Hockey Night In Canada was North American Television’s longest-running sports show; the CBC losing it is on par with CBS losing the NFC in 1993 (to Fox), NBC losing the MLB in 1989 (which recently returned) and the NFL’s AFC games in 1998 (to CBS), and Disney moving Monday Night Football to ESPN from ABC in 2006 after 36 years (though it returned as an ESPN simulcast a few years ago.)

This also means games will no longer air on City TV, a network of over-the-air stations Rogers owns (with original founding flagship CITY-TV Toronto) meaning for the first time, there will be no NHL games on free broadcast television north of the border (unless if it’s telecast of a game from a cross-border ABC affiliate) – a bit of a throwback to the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, when teams here in the United States increasingly moved games off broadcast TV to cable as local stations became affiliates of UPN and The WB, leaving less time on their schedules for such fare. These days, teams are moving games back to broadcast, as the regional sports model has collapsed due to the decline of cable and satellite TV subscriptions (Rogers also owns the local rights to four Canadian NHL teams; TSN owns the rights to the other three.)

The move is effective immediately, meaning the final NHL game on CBC took place Sunday when the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup. CBC said they plan to replace HNIC this fall with an unspecified sports show featuring Canadian athletes. However, CBC does retain the HNIC brand name, and may use it for non-NHL games, such as the new Professional Women’s Hockey League. 

Hockey Night In Canada was seen in the U.S. in border cities such as Detroit and Buffalo, where the CBC stations’ signal easily crossed over and drew significant ratings in those markets. For example, the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup clinching victory in 1997 over the Philadelphia Flyers drew higher ratings on CBET Windsor in Detroit than the ESPN telecast did on cable. CBLT Toronto also drew high ratings in Buffalo whenever the Sabres played on HNIC. 

The CBC began broadcasting HNIC in 1952 and adapted to changes over the years, although late in some cases (even though some HNIC games were televised in color starting in 1966, the CBC didn’t adapt to a full-color schedule until 1974 – a full eight years after the U.S. broadcast networks’ entire prime-time schedules made the conversion.) In 1995, CBC added a second Saturday night game, making HNIC doubleheaders. Among the talent who appeared included play-by-play announcers Foster Hewitt, Bob Cole, and Jim Hughson, and commentator Don Cherry – where he and Ron MacLean hosted the popular Coach’s Corner segments during the first intermission.

The changing economics of television meant CBC couldn’t afford to produce and air games – especially as a public broadcaster. Almost similar to what CBS is currently doing with Byron Allen programming the network’s late-night schedule, CBC agreed to let Rogers sublicense HNIC on the network, with Rogers keeping all the ad revenue in exchange for on-air promotion of CBC shows (Schitt’s Creek comes to mind, of course.) Initially for four years, Rogers and CBC gradually extended it for the entirety of the deal. 

Canada isn’t immune to the current changes in the television ecosystem, as they are happening globally. Just like in the U.S., linear television broadcasting is in decline – especially over-the-air broadcasting as more and more viewers are ditching pay TV for streaming – something I’ve been saying in this space for the last eight or nine years. But what makes this so puzzling is the NHL and Rogers are doubling and tripling and quadrupling down on cable TV in the Year Of Our Lord 2026 – similar to what the Bulls, Blackhawks, and White Sox did two years ago when the Chicago Sports Network launched at a time with the regional sports network was in decline. What Rogers is doing is really backward, and doesn’t benefit fans at all as they are saddled with an expensive cable subscription to watch the country’s most popular sport.

And out of all of this ironically, is the NHL currently does not have a streaming deal for any of its games in Canada for next season. Its most recent deal with Amazon Prime expired this season after just two years, games that Rogers originally had rights to and gave up. Also unresolved is the rights to French-language Montreal Canadiens telecasts, which were shared between cable networks TVA Sports and RDS.

Here in the States, NHL rights are split between ESPN/ABC and TNT, with their deal expiring after the 2027-28 season, and the league is in discussions with both parties to extended their deals – especially with Paramount soon to take over TNT parent Warner Bros., which could lead to some NHL games landing on CBS – something the network hasn’t aired since 1980. 

The post Rogers, CBC part ways on “Hockey Night In Canada” telecasts, ending a 74-year run first appeared on T Dog Media.

Streaming power play would elevate Fox into the top five of most-streamed media distributors 

Fox Corporation made a major streaming play on Monday, acquiring Roku, Inc. for $22 billion, or $160 per share in a stock-and-cash transaction, expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.

“This is a defining moment for FOX, and a natural extension of the deliberate and focused strategy we have been executing for nearly a decade., said Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch. “In 2019, we reoriented the company around live news and sports. In 2020, we acquired Tubi and under our stewardship it has become one of the most successful businesses in streaming. Today, we take the next step: bringing together the most valuable live content portfolio in video consumption with the preeminent streaming platform through which America watches it. This combination will transform the scope of our company into high-growth verticals and yield a step change in our overall growth profile. And we are executing this acquisition from a position of financial strength – maintaining our investment grade balance sheet while providing our shareholders with an uninterrupted return of capital program in the form of share buybacks and dividends. Roku pioneered streaming TV and scaled it into a leading CTV platform. Together, we intend to lead its next chapter.”

Fox is paying $96 a share and 0.97 shares of FOX Class A common stock for each Roku Class A and Class B share outstanding stock. Fox shareholders will own 73 percent of the company while Roku shareholders take 27 percent, and already approved by the boards of both companies. Fox is also accusing any debt Roku has, and took out a $12 billion loan to cover the acquisition. Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood will join Fox’s Board of Directors and will have an ongoing role in the combined company.

The acquisition adds Roku to Fox’s portfolio, which includes Fox, FS1, FS2, Fox News, Fox Business, Big Ten Network, Fox’s owned-and-operated stations (including Chicago’s WFLD and WPWR), streaming service Fox One, and Tubi, a FAST (free advertising-supported television) portal that Fox plans to keep separate from Roku as it has a FAST portal of its own, The Roku Channel. Roku also has equipment you can plug in to your TV to watch those FAST channels and a wide variety of on-demand programming.

Fox is touting increased scale and reach, pointing out Roku’s availability in more than 100 million homes worldwide, including more than half of domestic broadband households.  Fox also points out the Roku acquisition gives them an ever bigger footprint in the video ecosystem and the continued growth of connected TV (TV sets hooked up through broadband), and the advertising and subscription revenue benefits that come with it. This comes as Fox is airing the FIFA World Cup, which began Thursday and has the World Series this October and of course, NFL Football starting in two months. 

According to Nielsen’s Gauge Meter for March 2026, Fox’s streaming properties accounted for 7.2 percent of TV viewing via distributor, while Roku Channel accounted for three percent (on a local note, Chicago’s Weigel Bradcasting had a 1.4 percent share.) Combined, Fox would have 10.2 percent, catapulting to third place behind Google’s YouTube and Disney: 

Fox was one of the few who didn’t really have a strong streaming component outside of Tubi. Paramount has Paramount + and Pluto; Disney has ESPN Unlimited, Hulu, and Disney +; and NBCUniversal/Comcast has Peacock and Xumo Play, which teamed up with cable rival Charter to launch a set-top box to compete with Roku. 

As soon as this transaction closes, you can expect to see more Fox content on your Roku device and on The Roku Channel, especially for Fox One. Both Fox and Roku say they will continue to operate the portal as a open, partner-friendly device, meaning yes, you can still use your Netflix, Amazon, and Disney + apps on your Roku device. Wall Street didn’t exactly like the news as Fox Corporation shares dropped fifteen percent in Monday trading. 

The post Fox buys Roku in blockbuster deal first appeared on T Dog Media.

The display will be on exhibit this summer

If you want to experience being on a late-night TV show set, well, here’s your chance.

The recently relocated and re-opened Museum Of Broadcast Communications is putting the Late Show With Stephen Colbert set on display beginning later this summer, with a date yet to be announced.

Donated by CBS, the entire set arrived to the MBC’s West Loop location from New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater last week. CBS pulled the plug on Late Show last July and aired its final episode May 21, drawing about nine million viewers – with 6.74 million of those watching it the night it aired. Colbert’s desk, chairs, stage columns, and other props will be on display. Guests can sit at Colbert’s desk, and explore other artifacts of the show, which ran for eleven seasons and more than 1,800 episodes. 

The display is being added to MBC’s “The Evolution Of Late Night Television”, which already features props from The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson and the sax Bill Clinton used when he made his guest appearance on The Aresnio Hall Show as a presidential candidate in 1992. 

Colbert suggested his set should be donated to MBC here in a city where the South Carolina native got his start, being a Northwestern and Second City alum. Colbert’s show visited the city in August 2024 during the Democratic National Convention, with live shows at the Auditorium Theater downtown (you can see the desk he sat at in the photo below.) Colbert also taped some skits while in town, including one in Wrigley Field. 

Colbert’s set is the latest coup for MBC, which moved into a “pop-up” space in the West Loop at 440 W. Randolph last October, and has been a hit with the public. Much of the memorabilia on display was previously at MBC’s previous locations at the Chicago Cultural Center and at a building at the south-west corner of State and Kinzie in River North. 

As for future hosts being added to MBC’s late night television exhibit, don’t look for Byron Allen’s name to be added to the list anytime soon, if ever. His Comics Unleashed, which replaced Stephen Colbert’s show May 22, continues to underperform his predecessor in terms of household ratings, total viewers, and key demos, and is far behind NBC’s Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. CBS said Unleashed was only “temporary” while they search for a “low-cost replacement” for the fall 2027 season.

The post “The Late Show” set heads to MBC here in Chicago first appeared on T Dog Media.

Concludes more than thirty years as an on-air anchor

After eighteen years as a sports and general news anchor at CBS-owned WBBM-TV, Ryan Baker is stepping down and exiting broadcasting to take a new role at a local non-profit. The news was first reported at Newsblues, and later confirmed by the station. His final day on the air ins June 25.

Baker is joining First Tee Greater Chicago, an organization who mentors youth through the game of golf. According to its website, First Tee “[Empowers] young people through the game of golf, teaching life skills and core values that inspire growth on and off the course. Integrating golf with a life skills curriculum allows us to create experiences that build character for thousands of Chicago-area youth each year. By placing a special focus on the Five Key Commitments, we instill valuable life lessons such as pursuing goals, growing through challenges, and building positive self-identity.”

First Tee has a total of 1,700 class hours, twelve program locations, and more than 2,700 people registered with the program with 85 coaches and junior coaches and over one hundred volunteers.

Baker reflected on his career and his next adventure:

“Having grown up in the south suburbs watching Channel 2 every night and idolizing the legendary Johnny Morris, it’s been an indescribable dream come true to sit in his sports anchor chair for the bulk of the last 18 years at WBBM-TV,” said Baker. “However, I’m ready for the next chapter and challenge in my life as I continue to serve the community as the CEO of First Tee Greater Chicago. I depart with nothing but sincere gratitude to my talented colleagues, and terrific station managers. But most of all, thank you to the Chicagoland viewers who’ve trusted and supported me for over two decades.” 

Born in Chicago Heights and raised in Phoenix (a small south suburb nestled between Harvey and South Holland), Baker graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and worked at WCIA-TV and the now-defunct WICD-TV in the market. He later went to San Diego’s KFMB-TV and then Orlando’s WKMG-TV where he was a sports anchor from 1995 to 2003, and also hosted several sports-related shows for the CBS affiliate.

Baker entered Chicago television in 2003 as sports anchor for NBC-owned WMAQ-TV, where he also co-hosted Sports Sunday and Chicago Bears-related programming, when they had the rights. Baker jumped to CBS Chicago in April 2008 in the same capacity, and also served as sports director at the station. In 2019, Baker was named news anchor of its morning newscast, a role he held until he returned to sports two years ago. He also moonlighted at the Big Ten Network from 2016 to 2018, where he was studio host.

“Ryan Baker’s impact on the Chicago sports landscape is truly immeasurable,” said Jennifer Lyons, regional president and general manager of CBS Chicago and CBS Detroit (WWJ-TV). “For decades he has been a trusted voice for fans and a respected presence in our newsroom, as well as a committed member of the Chicago community. We are grateful for his many contributions to CBS Chicago and wish him continued success.”   

Baker’s schedule marks the latest change in Chicago sports media. On Monday, Chicago native Sam Panayotovich joined WFLD’s sports team, joining Tina Nugyen and Cassie Carlson, who replaced Lou Canellis in the lead sports anchor role after he moved over to WMAQ in the same capacity. 

The post Ryan Baker exits CBS Chicago for new role at non-profit first appeared on T Dog Media.

Helped bring Chicago three NBA Championships and was a standout during Bulls telecasts as color commentator

Chicago sports fans and media are mourning the loss of Stacey King, who died suddenly Sunday at the age of 59. His death has sent Shockwaves throughout the city as King was a beloved analyst for the Chicago Bulls for Chicago Sports Network  and before that, NBC Sports Chicago and Comcast SportsNet Chicago. As a former player, he helped lead the Bulls to their first three NBA titles in the early 1990s. Selected sixth in the 1989 NBA draft by the Bulls, King played for the organization for five seasons, before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1994. 

Former players and broadcasters such as Jason Benetti, lavished praise for King’s good-hearted nature and being fun to be around. 

Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf said this in a statement Sunday evening: 

“Stacey loved being a Bull. You could feel it in everything he did — the way he played, the way he called games and the way he connected with our fans. He had a unique gift for bringing people together and making every game feel personal. He brought an energy and love for the game that came through in every broadcast, helping fans feel connected to our team.”

“Whether it was through a broadcast, a conversation or a photo with a fan, Stacey made people feel seen and valued. We were fortunate to know him not only as a player and broadcaster, but as a friend. Stacey genuinely cared about people, and he made our organization better. We will miss him dearly, and his impact, memory and legacy will remain a part of the Chicago Bulls forever.”

King joined the Bulls broadcast team in 2006 after a short stint as head coach of the CBA’s Rockford Lightning, becoming a studio analyst during pregame and postgame shows. Later in the year, he became the third man in the broadcast booth before taking over as analyst full-time in 2007. King made watching Bulls games fun – even in years when watching the team play wasn’t so fun – and there were a lot of those during King’s tenure. King was paired with Neil Funk beginning in 2008, and since 2020, Adam Amin. 

Among the catchphrases he used was “Gimme the hot sauce” (when became a tile for his podcast), and used his signature reserved for wins, “Drive home safely Chicago, beep beep!” King was also a fan of the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, where he went into Redd Foxx’s “Elizabeth, I’m coming to join you, honey!” routine when a Bulls player made an amazing play, and referred to Derrick Rose as “The Windy City Assassin”. 

‘‘Stacey King was one of the most beloved figures in Chicago sports,” said Chicago Sports Network president Michael McCarthy in a statement. ‘‘Stacey had a unique ability to connect generations of Bulls fans. Whether through his basketball insight, his humor or his unforgettable calls, he made every game more enjoyable and every broadcast better.’’

For me personally, when I watched Bulls games (when I had the time), King made them fun. He was a great guy on and off the court, as he was truly a unique voice in Chicago broadcasting – one of the best and beloved. There will be an empty void watching Bulls games next season, one that won’t be easy to fill. 

The post Bulls analyst, ex-player Stacey King dies at 59 first appeared on T Dog Media.

Also: Planned iHeart/SiriusXM merger shelved; Scripps and DirecTV engage in TV’s latest feud

The stadium saga continues: The Chicago Bears announced Friday they are moving forward with a move to Hammond, Ind., right across the state line from Chicago – or so they say.

Despite being at Soldier Field for more than fifty years and the stadium being renovated in the early 2000s, the team stated the stadium is outdated and wanted to move to northwestern suburb of Arlington Heights, where they bought the former Arlington Race Track with intentions on building a new stadium on the site in 2021. But they are no closer to putting shovels into the ground now than they were five years ago as construction has been held up by property tax issues, school funding issues in the northwestern suburbs, and an Illinois General Assembly reluctant to give the McCaskeys public money for anything, as the “Megaprojects” bill stalled, failing to get a deal sone before May 31, when the governing body recesses for the summer. By comparison, Indiana swiftly put together a package deal for the Bears and passed easily by state government in Indianapolis.

Northwest Indiana – which consists of Lake, Porter, Newton, and Jasper counties, is in the nation’s third-largest market and has been part of “Chicagoland” since the first printing press was made. All reside in the Central Time Zone due to their close proximity to Chicago.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson put out statements after the news were announced, saying a stadium bill “is still in play”, or something. Bears fans – especially those who live north of the Loop, were predictably outraged, and many criticized local and state leaders (something that would no doubt please President Trump as he’s ripped Pritzker and Johnson plenty since his return to the White House), and the team itself, which has really never had competent leadership in its history. On the other hand, some South Side, south suburban, and Northwest Indiana residents were thrilled with the news, and could help revitalize the area on both sides of the state line.

The Bears did not say where they would play in Indiana – meaning Hammond isn’t exactly a lock for landing the team. A site near Wolf Lake is being considered.

While this “announcement” has people talking, keep in mind the Bears haven’t signed any deal with Hammond officials and any new stadium being built is a ways off as the Bears have a lease at Soldier Field through 2033. The General Assembly could be called into a special session and a stadium bill still could be passed. So are the Bears moving to Indiana? Their feet seem to be pointing to that direction, but don’t count Illinois out, but as we all know in the wacky world of politics these days…anything can happen.

The latest retransmission battle to take place is between DirecTV and Scripps, which pulled their local broadcast stations from both the satellite and streaming platforms on May 31. In all, 54 stations are affected, including WTMJ Milwaukee, WTVF Nashville, KSHB/KMCI Kansas City, and WXMI Grand Rapids, Mich. Not affected are Scripps’ Ion stations, which are part of an entirely different deal (this means you can still watch WCPX-TV through DirecTV.)

Scripps said this in the following statement:

Scripps has been engaging in good-faith negotiations with DirecTV to establish an equitable agreement that serves both companies and, most importantly, consumers. Regrettably, DirecTV has elected to remove Scripps local stations from their lineup, employing the same heavy-handed tactics that have become synonymous with pay-TV operators who hurt their own subscribers by using them as bargaining chips in contractual disputes. By contrast, Scripps stations have gone dark only twice since we began broadcasting in the 1940s.  

Scripps remains committed to reaching a fair resolution that restores our local stations to DirecTV’s paying subscribers. At stake is our viewers’ fundamental access to trusted local journalism, critical weather alerts, emergency information and live sports programming that strengthens community bonds – all essential public interest content in which Scripps invests substantially every day. 

Scripps recently was in a dispute with Comcast, which saw those same 54 stations leave the platform for the entire month of April.

DirecTV countered with this: Scripps is demanding the highest rates DIRECTV has ever received from a station group, which would continue to dramatically raise costs for consumers and businesses already struggling with affordability. After DIRECTV declined those demands and sought a more reasonable agreement, Scripps chose to remove its stations from viewers in several major markets nationwide. (You can read the full statement here.)

With the blackout, sports fans whose fans are DirecTV subscribers whose ABC affiliate is owned by Scripps are being shut out of the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, including the market where the Golden Knights play as KTNV Las Vegas is unavailable on DirecTV, as well as KNXV Phoenix, WEWS Cleveland, WCPO Cincinnati, WFTS Tampa, WXYZ Detroit, WMAR Baltimore, and eleven others.

Six weeks ago, SiriusXM and iHeart Media were discussing a possible merger that would’ve created an audio giant to take on big tech. Now ot appears those talks have fizzled.

According to the New York Times, those talks have stalled as the two sides were not able to come to terms. The move was driven by the increasing demand for podcasts, as SiriusXM has Howard Stern and Alex Cooper’s Call Me Daddy (and curated music channel Unwell) while iHeart has The Breakfast Club, a live, top-rated nationally syndicated radio show targeted to Black audiences now streaming daily on Netflix. iHeart owns about 860 stations in the U.S., including seven here in Chicago, with one leased to Midway Broadcasting, owner of WVON-AM.

As you would’ve guessed, a SiriusXM-iHeart merger was widely criticized amid the current backlash stemming from the in-progress Paramount/Warner Bros. deal and a Nexstar-Tegna marriage, which is being held up by the courts despite the FCC hastily approving the deal.

Both have been down this road before: Clear Channel bought up several radio chains in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while Sirius and XM merged in 2008. At one time, Clear Channel stations openly mocked SiriusXM’s satellite pay-to-play model in numerous PSAs. Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia in 2014 to emphasize online distribution and streaming, more so than the terrestrial stations it owns.

The growing threat of Big Tech companies like Spotify, Amazon, and Google’s YouTube has changed the game completely.

But for now, it looks like any talks to combine forces have been put on ice.

The post The Media Notepad: Chicago Bears “announce” they’re moving to Hammond first appeared on T Dog Media.