Stern finds Radio Hall of Fame rejection ‘laughable’

Stern finds Radio Hall of Fame rejection ‘laughable’

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Robservations on the media beat:

    Howard Stern

    Howard Stern

  • For the last word on the National Radio Hall of Fame, let us bow to the King of All Media, Howard Stern, who was snubbed for the fourth time last week by the Chicago-based broadcast shrine. Although he consistently urged his fans not to vote for him, Stern blasted the outcome anyway on his Sirius XM show Monday. Saying “everybody else sucks,” he called it “almost ludicrous” that he lost in the national/active category to retired NPR news anchor (and Chicago Public Media luminary) Carl Kasell. Inside Radio, which also noted that despite nearly 20 years in syndicated radio and a peak of more than 60 affiliates, Stern has never won a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters, quoted him as saying:
“Even if you hate what I do, you couldn’t discount what I’ve accomplished. It’s laughable. The idea of having a Radio Hall of Fame is ridiculous because there aren’t enough guys in radio that are good enough to even have one. The radio dial is just an abomination. There’s such a lack of talent, it’s sickening.”
  • With WBBM-Channel 2 about to overhaul the anchor lineups of its Monday-through-Friday newscasts, there’s a new man in charge of news at the CBS-owned stations. David Friend, vice president and news director of WCBS-TV in New York, was promoted Tuesday to the additional job of senior vice president of news for CBS Television Stations. Rather than regard his new role as an intrusion, insiders at Channel 2 here welcomed the appointment, noting that Friend once worked as senior vice president at CNBC under Bruno Cohen, who’s now president and general manager of Channel 2. Rob Johnson’s incoming 5 and 10 p.m. co-anchor, Kate Sullivan, most recently worked for Friend as morning news anchor at WCBS.
  • In her first move as chief executive officer of Johnson Publishing Co., Desiree Rogers has named a former Chicago radio reporter as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Rod Sierra, who worked at Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720) from 1990 to 1998, went on to become deputy press secretary to Mayor Richard M. Daley and work with Rogers at Peoples Energy. He most recently headed a public affairs consulting company. Rogers had been a consultant to Johnson Publishing, owner of Ebony and Jet magazines, since her departure as White House social secretary in the wake of that embarrassing gate-crashing incident.
  • With Jill Carlson on her way out, Lou Canellis appears to be the leading inside candidate to succeed Corey McPherrin as top sports anchor at WFLD-Channel 32. (Maybe the only inside candidate?) But at least two former weekend sports anchors from other stations also are believed to be pitching the job. Sources say Jeff Blanzy, formerly of ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, and Howard Sudberry, formerly of CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, were interviewed by the Fox-owned station. The 9 p.m. sports slot has been open since McPherrin began co-hosting “Good Day Chicago” with Anna Davlantes last week.
  • Can’t wait to see who’ll replace Dan Zampillo, who just bailed out after a little more than two years as assistant program director at Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720). He’s joining Sirius XM Satellite Radio in New York as executive producer of sports programming. The Chicago area native and University of Illinois graduate spent much of his career in sports radio, including a run at CBS Radio sports/talk WSCR-AM (670). WGN program director Kevin Metheny no doubt has Zampillo’s successor already lined up. Pity the fool.