That sound you hear in the distance isn't the wind; it's the snickering of scores of local media professionals reacting to the news. more ›

Tomorrow marks Q101's last day as the alternative rock station we once loved but grew to hate before Randy Michaels’ Merlin Media changes that spot on the dial into an all talk format. In an unusual move when it comes to format changes, the current roster of DJs are being allowed one last day to say their farewells. We know a number of the on-air crew and we're sad a bunch of decent folks are losing their jobs. At the same time we're not sorry to see Q101's wheezing take on alt-rock take a final bow. more ›

The biggest way to signal a major change at a radio station wasn't changing the staff, the management, or even blowing up the format: It's changing the call letters. more ›

Q101 DJs took to Twitter Tuesday after news that the station would switch to an all-news format in 45 days was reported by Robert Feder. more ›

The Tribune Co. exodus that started with the departure of CEO Randy Michaels and "Chief Innovation Officer" Lee Abrams continued yesterday with the departure of Kevin Metheny from WGN-AM. Also not letting the door hit him in the ass on the way out is former City Clerk and convicted felon Jim Laski, who came to epitomize Metheny's meddling management style as much as Howard Stern's nickname for Metheny - "Pig Virus." more ›

On the eve the publication of that damning New York Times profile into the corporate culture at Tribune Co. under Sam Zell, CEO Randy MIchaels, the man at the focus of the exposé, sent out an email to Tribune employees urging them to "ignore the noise" that would be generated from the piece that painted the actions of executives brought in after Zell's debt-heavy leveraged buyout as juvenile, at best. more ›

Today's New York Times has a pull-no-punches, just-the-facts expose on Sam Zell's disastrous ownership of Tribune Co. The article posits that, as gross of a miscalculation the heavy borrowing Zell used to broker the purchase was, the decision to bring in a group of aging frat house types led by current CEO Randy Michaels to steer the company into a new era of workplace blunt talk may have been even more damaging to the company, from the perspectives of both business and morale. Comparing what Zell, Michaels and their lieutenants have done since arriving to Nero fiddling while Rome burned is not out of line. more ›

The lamenting over the thousand-cuts-death of the Tribune Company coming from Vocalo's Robert Feder has been so continuous that it's almost become more static than noise (we still love ya, Robert!), but today's post about alleged shuffling at WGN Radio did what we thought couldn't be done - it surprised us, in ways both good and bad. For the past few weeks, the handwringing about the demolition of WGN's daytime lineup to bring in right-wing rabblerousers like Mike McConnell and Bill Cunningham has been non-stop. It seemed that the message from management to longtime hosts Steve Cochran and John Williams was clear - be ready to have your lockers cleared out at any time, gents. more ›

There's no love lost between Vocalo media critic Robert Feder and Tribune Co. CEO Randy Michaels so we're not surprised to see Feder takes on Michaels and the Tribune Company today over a poker party held in the old office of Col. Robert R. McCormick at the Tribune Tower. Feder snagged the photos from the Facebook page of exec John D. Phillips and reports the photos were dated June 17, 2009. more ›

• Tonight's episode of Law & Order apparently mirrors the ongoing trials and tribulations of Medill's Innocence Project.
• Amos Israel made his 64th arrest a memorable one; police tasered him as he tried to hide in and then leave the State Street Macy's.
• The Feder-Michaels feud continues.

Not surprisingly, the coverage of WGN's banned-word list has been reduced to a zing-fest between the two primary parties involved: Tribune Co. CEO Randy Michaels and Vocalo columnist Robert Feder. Feder was the first to show the world the list of 119 words and phrases Michaels banned WGN staff and reporters from using on the air (and, more egregiously, the informant-style enforcement system). While the list made the rounds and was discussed - and even ridiculed - no one was as rankled by it as Feder, who called Michaels' list, "petty and insulting micromanaging of subordinates." more ›

The local mediasphere is abuzz this morning after Robert Feder posted this long list of 119 words that staff and reporters at WGN 720 AM (owned by the Tribune Company) can't say on the air. Why? Because Tribune Co. CEO Randy Michaels said so. Some of the examples on the list make sense; they're either redundant ("Close proximity"), cliche ("The fact of the matter" or "Giving 110%"), or unprofessional, folksy sayings ("White stuff," "up there"). Some, though, don't make as much sense. Words like "officials," "authorities," and the "allegations/alleged/reportedly" combo make the list as does "vehicle." We do agree with Feder that this reeks of micro-managing but we don't share his outrage. more ›

Tribune Co, just weeks away from having to submit its reorganization plan, continues to reshape itself. Sam Zell announced today that he is resigning from CEO of the company, a position he held for just two years. Zell, who engineered the $8.2 billion buyout in 2007, will remain as chairman of the company, while Randy Michaels will take the reigns as new CEO. Michaels takes on the new position previously serving as COO of the company since May 2008, as well as executive vice president and CEO of Tribune's interactive and broadcast divisions before that. more ›

When we were kids taking summer road trips down to Florida, it was always somewhat comforting to be able to turn on the TV and see good ol' Tommy Skilling on the WGN Superstation giving the weather reports for the Chicago area. Nowadays on the Superstation, the noon and 9pm newscasts continue to air nationwide, but the Superstation schedule is almost completely different from the local showings. (Sports broadcasts are included in Superstation scheduling as well.) But is the Tribune Company about to kill the call letters? Or maybe get rid of even more than that? Rob Feder seems to think so. [S-T] more ›