‘Idol’ chatter brings Bill Zwecker back to Fox Chicago
It’s a good thing Bill Zwecker likes “American Idol.” As the new entertainment contributor to WFLD-Channel 32, he’ll be the designated point man for the prime-time franchise that all Fox-owned stations are required by law to flog endlessly on their newscasts.
The veteran celebrity columnist and show business reporter debuted Wednesday on Channel 32’s 9 p.m. newscast with a piece about Elvis Presley, pegged to what would have been his 75th birthday tomorrow. But if there were any doubt that “Idol” will be Zwecker’s bread and butter, his new bosses couldn’t have been more explicit. In a statement announcing the hiring, Mike Renda, vice president and general manager of Channel 32, said:
“We’re thrilled to have Bill as part of the Fox Chicago News team. He will be an asset as we head in to a new season of shows, such as ‘American Idol,’ providing viewers with an inside look at the latest news, information and behind the scenes action.”
Zwecker is expected to deliver entertainment reports three or four times a week on Channel 32’s 9 p.m. newscast, but he also will appear occasionally on its “Good Day Chicago” morning show.
It’s a return to Channel 32 for the Chicago native, who worked there from 2000 to 2003 — after a seven-year stint at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and before a six-year stint at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2. He’s been off the airwaves since last April when Channel 2 eliminated his position in a wave of stationwide cutbacks. Channel 32 has been without a show biz gabber since November, when David Viggiano’s contract was not renewed.
Zwecker, 61, a high-profile Sun-Times columnist since 1992, will become even more visible in the coming months. Next week he’ll launch a new website at billzwecker.com, incorporating columns, reviews, interviews and other material (including, eventually, a blog). His agent, Steve Mandell, also is busy lining up a radio gig and pitching a book deal for Zwecker.
“I feel very, very lucky,” Zwecker said of his new job at Channel 32 Wednesday. “It was a combination of circumstances that worked out really nicely.” As for immersing himself in “American Idol,” which kicks off its ninth season Tuesday, he insists he’s raring to go:
“I realize how important it is to the station and to the network. For the next three months that will be a very big part of my reporting responsibilities. I’ve been a fan of the show since I was at Fox during the first two seasons of ‘American Idol,’ and I’ve continued to follow it and maintain relationships with sources who work on the show. I’m excited about Ellen DeGeneres joining the scenario this season, which I think will make it very interesting. I’m just hopeful we have a good crop of talented people on this year.”
Elsewhere on the media beat:
- It’s been seven weeks since a crazy woman hurled a brick through the showcase studio window of Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN-AM (720). But believe it or not, they still haven’t gotten around to replacing the glass. In a metaphor for the troubled radio station and its parent company, the gaping hole remains boarded up, marring the Michigan Avenue facade of Tribune Tower. If any other local architectural icon were so shamefully neglected, you can bet there’d be a story and photo of it plastered on the front page of the Chicago Tribune.
- Libby Collins has been forced out after seven years as morning personality and program director at Waukegan-based news/talk WKRS-AM (1220). The move came two weeks after parent company NextMedia Group filed for bankruptcy protection. “It’s been a tremendous pleasure serving the audience in Lake County on WKRS — and before that throughout the northwest suburbs on WAIT,” Collins said, noting the Silver Dome Award for Station of the Year she won from the Illinois Broadcasters Association in 2008. “It was an honor to be able to receive statewide recognition for what we accomplished at a 1,000-watt radio station broadcasting in the shadow of Chicago.”
- Jen Patterson won’t be joining Mike North when he debuts his “Monsters and Money in the Morning” show Feb. 2 on Channel 2. She’s been hired by Comcast SportsNet to coordinate guest bookings, produce feature segments and make on-air appearances. Patterson, who holds the distinction of being the very first intern at Comcast SportsNet, most recently worked there as associate producer and weather/traffic/sports update anchor for North’s “Monsters in the Morning.” She previously was executive producer of North’s morning show at CBS sports/talk WSCR-AM (670).
- Charles Thomas, political reporter for ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, will moderate a debate tonight among Democratic candidates for Cook County Board president, including incumbent Todd Stroger and Dorothy Brown, Terrence O’Brien and Toni Preckwinkle. Starting at 7 p.m., it will air live on HD Channel 7.2 (Comcast Channel 217, Wide Open West 219 and RCN 618) and stream live on abc7chicago.com. Channel 7 will rebroadcast it at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The first of six debates on Channel 7 leading up to the Feb. 2 primary, it’s an excellent use of the station’s digital technology and multiple platforms.
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01 2010
blogs.vocalo.org
Good for Zwecker. He’s a good guy. I didn’t think he’d be off TV for long.
Why was Viggiano canned from Channel 32, Rob? Have you heard anything?
Jen Patterson’s prospects for long term employment are much better at Comcast SportsNet. The Mike North experiment at Channel 2 oozes “train wreck”.
Channel 2 has a gone south experiment before it has even begun.
Go South – Mike North – where you belong. They are your people.
what about me?
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/blogshakalaka
as for this post, it’s about time bill zwecker got some recognition. after all, i believe he won the pulitzer prize last year for outing the late conservative icon william f. buckley, jr. no one else, to my knowledge, has ever written that buckley was gay (though maybe i haven’t googled enough on the topic), but zwecker had it in a column last year. why bill buried this gem in a column that led with the latest, i believe, on lindsay lohan is a mystery. probably modesty on bill’s part. but i reckon the pulitzer committee did its investigative work and dug into bill’s story to find that jewel. yes, sure, bill cited no sources and there might be those who would question the truthfulness of the matter asserted in the scoop, but in the last analysis even if the scoop was a lie, who really cares about some dead gayrod reactionary? kudos to the sun-times and now to fox. at the very least, this should put to rest the notion that fox news chicago is part of the vast right wing conspiracy that is the fox network.
What’s this American Idol you speak of? Never heard of it.
Channel 2 has never left the experimental stages since the Bill & Walter days . . .
Wasn’t Viggiano Zwecker’s producer during his last turn at WFLD?
bruce’s surgical skills are surpassed only by his biting sarcasm, i feel like the dennis hopper character from “apocalypse now” describing the marlon brondo character ( col. kurtz )
winner of quote of the week….
“I feel very, very lucky,” Zwecker said of his new job…
Bill is one of the very good guys! High five to Bill!!
Bruce Wolf is indeed right on all counts (I never should have even bothered going to the Sun-Times archives to check his excellent memory):
–Zwecker *did* indeed lead his April 10, 2009 column about Lindsay Lohan’s ex-girlfriend Samantha Ronson moving on to someone new (a Lindsay look-alike, as it were);
–In the same column, Zwecker also wrote about Michelle Williams (Heath Ledger’s ex) setting up house with director Spike Jonze, and about Chicago daughter Bonnie Hunt, before Zwecker launched into the controversial William F. Buckley “outing” that Bruce mentioned above. Here it is, in its entirety, for conservative writers everywhere (Jonah Goldberg, Ramesh Ponnuru, Byron York, John Miller, John Derbyshire, Jim Geraghty, George Will, Ann Coulter, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Michelle Malkin, Victor Davis Hanson?) to ponder:
“FAMILY MATTERS: While many East Coast pals of the late Pat and William F. Buckley Jr. likely won’t be happy with their son Christopher Buckley’s upcoming Remembering Mum and Pup — a book the younger Buckley tells W magazine ”is not ‘Daddy Dearest’ or ‘Mommie Dearest’ ” — they likely will be relieved Buckley doesn’t dish as much dirt as he could have about his parents’ 57-year marriage, including his father’s long-closeted dalliances with members of his own sex. ”Even so, I can tell you Chris will certainly find he’ll be getting a lot less invitations from most of my friends,” a top New York social lioness told me.”
My own (this is Hal Newhouser talking again, not the Zwecker excerpt) thought: I wonder if Zwecker has ever considered “outing” any members of Chicago’s broadcasting community. I won’t name any names in this post, mostly because I’m sure Feder will delete my comment if I do! But, there are a few people Zwecker could “out” if he so chose……
Bill Zwecker is the luckiest guy in the history of Chicago media. His newspaper is column is items ripped off from the NY Post and other gossip sites then run a day late. For local flavor, he regurgitates the news about which celebrity is hanging out with Billy Dec or dining at Harry Caray’s. And for this he gets brought back year after year on local TV and radio stations. Amazing.
what about hal newhouser?
i cannot wait for zwecker to appear on the fox morning show with my friend, david novarro, one of the best actors in the business. (he does, after all, play against stereotype, that is, he plays the role of the latino with no machismo. who can forget the way he played lucy to tamron’s desi?)
it will be “fantastic,” as david would say, to hear david ask bill if william f. buckley was gay. and if so, what were bill’s sources? and why on earth bury such a story in the middle of a gossip column? this would have been big, big news. the great conservative icon, a devout catholic, being outed. i daresay it’s like bill tried to tuck it into his column’s closet. bill, you should not be so shy. come out.
Always running your Sun Times buddies as the big lead stories Bobby.
That picture sure makes him look like there’s a mile between his chin and forehead.
“Since Big John Howell on WIND is looking for a co-host, maybe he should
try out Libby. I was a big fan of hers in Indiana and she’s gotten even better
since I found her on-line about 3 months ago.”
I’m with you, Colonel! All the Chicago area talk shows are way too male oriented.
I don’t know how many folks realize Bill Zwecker is, by birth, an Austrian count. He is of Austrian nobility. (I’m Austrian. I know these things.) His Mom was, of course, the noted columnist Peg Zwecker. But his Dad was pure Austrian blue blood. My point: was there ever a nicer, more humble guy than Bill Zwecker? Never an inch of haughty attitude about the man. He goes out and (probably) swallows hard, then smiles and writes about Lady GaGa and 50 Cent and Justin Bieber…as if they mean something? He gives them the same enthusiastic coverage he gave Sinatra, Bennett and Torme. The guy could be making dinner reservations as “Count Zwecker.” He could make a huge deal of his background. But he doesn’t. He just goes about his job and does it as well as anyone could–considering the two-bit 2010 celebrities he’s expected to write about.
Libby Collins Got What she deserved and station that picks her up will do what she did to WKRS kill it .
I.M. Outlaw…You sound like a nasty boy in the business.
Anyway, the word is out that WKRS is going to a spanish language format.
For as much as I like Jen Patterson – she was “executive producer” at WSCR in only because North insisted she be – no other reason than that. However, I do wish Jen good luck at her new gig at CSN!!
OMG…Have you listened to WKRS lately? Guys talking like thay never made
it past 6th grade, improper grammer, lame jokes. They must have been in
dire straits to fire Libby and put this on the air.