Find an event
NBC 5 turns staffers into Auto Show cheerleaders
All but overshadowed by NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics' opening weekend was WMAQ-Channel 5's annual genuflection to the Chicago Auto Show. Though billed as a special (a "multiple Emmy Award winning" special, no less), it again was nothing more than a one-hour infomercial for the Chicago Automobile Trade Association. Half a dozen Channel 5 staffers gushed unabashedly over new car models -- and, in the case of Ginger Zee, gushed over a couple of human models known as "The Fiat Twins." Host Brant Miller landed some face time for his son, Joey, who fronted an unappealing segment on "finding fun" at the Auto Show. News anchor Allison Rosati turned up to raffle off a Chevy Equinox for charity. And, as always, there was the obligatory sound bite from Channel 5's big boss, Larry Wert. Recession? What recession?
- The March issue of Esquire features a must-read profile of Roger Ebert and how America's greatest movie critic was transformed by the health problems that took away his ability to speak. It poignantly attests to Roger's amazing courage, resiliency and indomitable spirit. "Today he is producing the best work of his life," writes Esquire's Chris Jones, who adds:
"It's almost impossible to sit beside Roger Ebert, lifting blue Post-it notes from his silk fingertips, and not feel as though he's become something more than he was. . . . "ËœThere is no need to pity me,' he writes on a scrap of paper one afternoon after someone parting looks at him a little sadly. "ËœLook how happy I am.' "
- Good news about Ebert's former television partner: Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper has made his movie reviews for Starz subscription movie channel available on Hulu.com. It's another piece of Roeper's expanding multimedia presence. Also this week, Roeper's upcoming book, Bet the House: How I Gambled Over a Grand a Day for 30 Days on Sports, Poker, and Games of Chance, scored‚ a favorable review in Publishers Weekly.
- From what I've read, reviews of Second City's "Rush Limbaugh! The Musical" haven't been too kind. But none has been as vitriolic as Betty Mohr's over-the-top condemnation of the tuneful spoof in her Southtown Star critique. Calling it a "screaming hate fest," she even found a way to invoke Adolf Hitler:
"It's a shame that Second City Theatricals spent so much time on this sound and fury signifying nothing. Every time someone attacks Limbaugh, they make him stronger, increase his audience and energize him and his listeners. Hitler once said, if you tell a lie big enough, everyone will believe it. No, they won't. Not anymore."
- It didn't take long for Richard Greene to resurface on Chicago's progressive talk stations after the demise of Air America Radio. Under a new syndication deal, his "Hollywood Clout" talk show returned Monday to its 8 p.m. weeknight time slot on Newsweb Radio's WCPT-AM (820), WCPY-FM (92.5), WCPT-FM (92.7) and WCPQ-FM (99.9).
- As executive producer of MeTV Sports, Fred Weintraub has logged more than 32,000 air miles in the last six months. That's because the former station manager of Weigel Broadcasting now lives in London but continues to head high school sports production for the Weigel outlets here. Live coverage of the Chicago Public Schools' boys basketball championship will air at 7 p.m. Friday on WCIU-Channel 26 and online at WCIU.com.
- Love him or hate him, Mancow Muller continues to inflame passions in the market. Posts here Wednesday and Thursday about his firing from Citadel Broadcasting news/talk WLS-AM (890) so far have generated a total of more than 270 comments from readers. That's far and away the most on any topic since this blog began Nov. 2.
02/15/2010
Share with your network
Comment
About Robert Feder
Robert Feder has been keeping tabs on the media for more than three decades, including 28 years as a reporter and television/radio columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. He's a lifelong Chicagoan and graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. At age 14, he founded the first and only Walter Cronkite Fan Club.
Send Robert Feder an e-mail
Browse through Feder's archives
I attempted to watch both WMAQ and WGN-TV's auto show covereage. As with most of the New Year Eve's local coverage, these whows seem the same, year after year. Its not the same, unless you go.
(Its just like remote radio broadcasts...usually they're the most boring radio shows, as the local audience is catereed to and we're "listening in". (Anyone from the Eric and Kathy show reading this?))
Maybe both TV stations will look at their broadcasts and either reconsider doing something more unique or not bother us; must have been big ratings grabbers!
NBC also knowingly deceived its viewers by putting PAID pundits on their newscasts, mostly former generals, coached by the Pentagon with talking points, to sell an unknowing public the Iraq war.
Many of the generals sat on the boards of defense companies and profited immensely from the war.
The NY Times exposed the story over a year ago but NBC has NEVER commented on it on the air.
NBC owned by GE (at the time) is one of the largest defense contractors in the country,
Propagandizing domestic audiences is a crime of the most severe order.
Journalists were hung at Nuremburg for inciting a war that led to the slaughter of millions. (See Julius Streicher)
Please see this excellent piece exposing NBCs Brian Williams role in this scandal:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/30/williams/
Rob,
Thanks for shining a light on Betty Mohr's partially insane and borderline anti-Semitic propaganda piece in the Southtown Star, in which she used her column to defend Rush Limbaugh rather than review the Second City musical. Love or hate Rush Limbaugh (and indeed, I find myself squarely in the latter category), to compare a comedy show to the words of Adoplh Hitler is just shallow and cowardly enough to negate whatever objective journalistic qualities Ms. Mohr once had.
All of this said, as the co-writer of "Rush Limbaugh, The Musical", let me assure you and your readers that there have been rave reviews in many major publications. Time Out, the Reader, Centerstage, Huffington Post, Chicago Examiner, and Copley News all gave the show out and out raves. (Perhaps there wasn't enough ballet for your old ST colleague Hedy Weiss? A shame she didn't find the show as funny as the sold out house seated around her...)
Sunday's matinee was sold out and rocking. This is clearly not a show for anyone who pretends that Fox "News" is fair and balanced, nor is it a show for anyone who wants to see a 100% true life story of Rush. We do what Rush does: we skewer half-truths into sometimes frightening but truly hilarious results.
I hope you and your readers will come see this show and get your tickets as we continue to pick up steam from great word of mouth and lots of love from the publications that people actually read these days.
-T.J.
"One of the sharpest political satires I've seen...it's primal scream therapy for liberals" - Centerstage
"A tried and true liberal joyride - and a very funny one at that" - Time Out
"Unexpected laughs in the man's hateful remarks...Recommended" - The Reader
"An all out lampoon...3 1/2 Stars - Dan Zeff, Copley News
4 Stars - Chicago Examiner
"A great antidote to the news and certainly a lot funnier." - Huffington Post
"The acting is superb...you'll find a lot of smart jokes to laugh at." -Chicago Theater Blog
I would gladly gush over Ginger Zee and the Fiat Twins. Oh Hell, throw Wert into the mix and let's make it a party.
Hopefully WLS-AM will eliminate the canned, satellite shows they currently broadcast and bring hosts that are live and local. Thats what most listeners prefer. If you want to listen or watch "canned shows" with "emcees" from afar, you should pay $300 a month to do so. The airwaves are for the people!
Good to see the NBC is giving work to the otherwise unemployable moron kids of their own talent. I consider it kind of a jobs program for idiots.
It is one thing to like or dislike a show or its talent. But to refer to their children as "moron kids" is beyond the pale, totally uncalled for, and nasty.
i wish ebert would write another screenplay....i love that "beyond the valley of the dolls"....that thing was terrific.
Wrong James: Miller's kid is a young adult and is open to criticism like any other on-air personality. I guess we are not allowed to critique Lauren Jiggets because she is Dan's daughter?
Could you enlighten me then about his child? How old is he? Has he worked professionaly before? What did he ever do to deserve being referred to as a "moron?"
Congrats to Dominic Mancuso, one of the good guys in Chicago TV, for landing this spot:
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2010/02/15/daily5.html
Seems every channel had a lame Car show program. I just assumed it was a quid pro quo for the zillions of ads throughout the year.
What can you expect when you produce "specials" with the News Department? It turns into a newscast with lots of live shots. How creative.
Good grief, James you are defending a person (Joey Miller) that you have never seen or heard? Gee James, now do know the meaning of moron? Look in the mirror. Who defends something or someone before they even know the subject matter? And James, before you get all excited and think you found a foil...wrong. This is my last reply to any ramblings from James Edwards.
If the kids are so smart and talented, how come the only job they can land is at the station where their parent has worked for years?
"Love him or hate him?" How could anyone hate me? To hate me is to hate Freedom of Speech. (Just love me, it's easier.)
Mancow
For another perspective on Roger Ebert, see Regarding Roger: Ebert Doubles Down Twitter-Trashing His Teabagging Fans. It's really a shame that in the last days of his life he's turned into such a slimeball.
Poor Terry, so sad. I know Joey Miller and I can tell you he is a very bright and talented guy with a great future ahead of him. He is graduating this year from Purdue University with a degree in meteorology. Where did you go to school Terry? What do you do for a living?
I love that line about Joey Miller "having a great future ahead of him." You're really Yogi Berra hiding behind the name "Jealous much Terry?," right? I can hear you also saying, "Nobody goes to that place anymore. It's too crowded." Or, "Some day when you're as old as me, you'll be my age."
I DVR'd the WGN coverage of the auto show, thank god! After skipping through the inane banter, commercials, interviews with attendees, discussions about food, how to buy a car and all the other garbage, I was able to complete my viewing in about 15 minutes. ITS A CAR SHOW! How about next time you actually show some cars.
I was hoping the Fiat twins would kiss...The Auto Show on NBC5 sucked me in..it was so bad, I loved it. I know that's sick, but it made me NOT want to go to the Auto Show..so thanks for that!
Are you sure Salad is not my real name? I do very well, thanks. And I didn't need my old man to get me a job. Half of the people you see in Chicago news have the same last name. That is a lot like inbreeding. And inbreeding produces morons.
Thanks so much for the link to the article on Ebert. It is absolutely great--
Sorry Terry I've never heard of you, unless your fathers first name is Ceasar, in that case I think we're quite familar. Grow up buddy.
As a long time listener to WLS mainly to Roe Conn I will no longer be listening. Mancow was an excellent show and between the firing of him and the way WLS has screwed around with Conns show adding and taking away his sidekicks it i have lost interest. I hope the station continues to tank.
IMNSHO, Ebert has been not worth watching or reading since Gene Siskel died.
Ebert has really become a cynical and downright mean spirited idividual since his health turned. It seems he's become more radical in his politics as he favors leftwing diatribes condeming America(even more so than before) like his four stars for "Redacted" which was panned by most critics and his unquestioning devotion to anything Michael Moore does. He's always had disdain for certain sections of society just Youtube his off camera rant about white protestants but if his happiness is implying that taxpayers who are sick of both parties are a bunch of rascists and intellectual midgets than that shows you how arrogant he's become. Reviewing movies ain't exactly God's work either Roger.
A. Memory...Please produce just one of the leftwing diatribes condemning America that Ebert has said.
Ebert gave Redacted 3.5 stars, not 4.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/REVIE...
Get your facts correct.
Could we possibly use this forum to discuss local media without both wings using it to piss on each other?
Well, local media sucks. Part of the problem seems to be NBC promoting a blatant crass infomercial as a "multiple Emmy Award winning special" along with moronic segments (How to find fun!?) hosted by youngsters who got their TV jobs through nepotism . That annoys me.
Local media and media in general has so much become about those wings that Annoyed is "annoyed" with. The Sun-Times is a prime example with it's left wing biasness. It is far from being about objective reporting with just the opinions and slants in the editorial pages. If you want true non-biased reporting, the Sun-Times is not the place to go for it. And Roger Ebert has done more than a few very biased editorials himself. He is not where I go any longer to find out about a movie.
"Biasness?" When Roger Ebert writes something that is not a movie review, it is called an opinion piece or op-ed. That is not reporting. He is not expected to be objective -- it is his opinion!
True. And his opinion kind of sucks. That's my opinion.
@Orpheus Sorry 3.5 instead of four. Wow you really nailed me. It still doesn't change my opinion about him. Siskel at least seemed to have fun with his gig.
Some people watch the TV specials to decide on attending the show. Since the admission has increased 10 percent to $11, the tv show is all some people will see.
How the Chicago auto dealers have managed to con the public into paying for what is essentially a huge COMMERCIAL for their products is amazing.
At the rate Chicago is losing trade show business, I think we can put Channel 5's infomercial into the category of a long PSA and let it go at that.
We've already determined local television stations can't put together an interesting live show to save their ratings so...why does any of this raise an eyebrow? The cars are interesting, the human models pleasant to look at and maybe the free publicity will keep at least one trade show from blowing us of for Vegas.
Ethics? Oh heck, let's see what the Poynter Institute has to say.
The shoulda sent Bob Wallace out to the auto show to eat food and wipe his mouth on his sleeve.
When I get the urge to go to the auto show, I just scoot over to the Oak Brook Mall parking lot. Every car I need to see is there, then my gal and I drop into The Clubhouse for some lobster bisque and reminisce.
Today we laughed about the ass-whoopin' we gave Orpheus last night.
When are programmers going to understand that people cannot stand to watch or listen to Mike North? He seems to be an example of "We keep putting him on because we keep putting him on."
Went to the auto show Tuesday night. You gotta take these shows for what they are... some good fun with a dash of escapism. It's winter, it's crappy outside, and it's fun to look at cool cars with some other nice visual treats and have a slice of pizza. When the local TV stations do their Auto Show features, I watch them the same way as if I were going to the show. It's not to be taken too seriously, just some fun. Give them a break. By the way, all of the Toyotas at McCormick Place were clean and spotless... nobody wanted touch them or get near them. ;-)
Over the years I've encountered Roger Ebert several times--at various movie screenings and while I was working at the now-defunct Tower Records in Lincoln Park--and he was ALWAYS genial and gracious. And funny! He has a sly (but not cruel)sense of humor that was always good for a chuckle, if not an outright belly-laugh. His love of movies is obvious, even in those moments when I'd see him shopping for videos and DVDs. He'd gaze at the cover art and smile, no doubt recalling scenes in those films that gave him great pleasure. He's one of the very few movie critics who can speak authoritatively and appreciatively about cinematic subjects as diverse as Francois Truffaut and The Bowery Boys. I don't always agree with his opinions, but that doesn't change the fact that his reviews and essays are thoughtful and beautifully written.