CBS 2’s ‘Monsters’ fumble Sam Zell interview
Robservations on the media beat:
Sam Zell
- Scoring a live, in-studio interview with billionaire mogul Sam Zell seemed like quite a coup for WBBM-Channel 2’s “Monsters and Money in the Morning” last Friday. Unfortunately, the four hosts of the CBS-owned station’s fledgling morning show — Mike North, Dan Jiggetts, Terry Savage and Mike Hegedus — blew it. While Zell sat around the table with them for more than 40 minutes, none of the hosts asked a single question about his troubled stewardship of the bankrupt Tribune Co. or about how the Chicago Tribune has fared since he took over. Not one. Had Zell put the subject off limits? Absolutely not, insisted North, who took full blame for the lapse. “It was my fault,” he later told me. “I was supposed to ask about the Cubs and Tribune, and I didn’t. . . . I called an audible and screwed it up.”
- Speaking of media tycoons, Jim Tyree, the Mesirow CEO who rescued the Chicago Sun-Times and its parent company, remains optimistic despite the bad business model newspapers have been saddled with. “We’re not out of the woods,” he told a group at Saint Xavier University last week. “It’ll take a little time, but we’re confident that the Sun-Times Media Group will be successful.”
- What about Mark? Reader comments to the postmortem here on Tuesday night’s primary coverage prompted a spirited rebuttal over the weekend from Mark Suppelsa, principal news anchor at Tribune Co.-owned WGN-Channel 9. In case you missed it, here’s part of what Suppelsa wrote:
“In reading Mr. Feder’s blog and the responses from his ardent blog followers, I feel many missed an opportunity to get what the above “strut2k” and others say they missed election night: The Big 9. In this day when you have to ask for a raise or ask people with a TV clicker in their hands to sample your product . . . I’m forced to ask, ‘What about me?’ If you had TIVO’d us you’d have watched more than 5½ hours of coverage solely on the election with a pace and tone that wasn’t scripted, nor rushed and more often than not, we heard insightful and on-the-mark with results, speeches and analysis. And during our prime hour of coverage from 9p to 10p, I believe the TV viewers responded in kind with better than a 6 rating as we competed against this season’s unusually popular prime time programming. And I’m told there several hundred thousand hits on our election page at wgntv.com including our record for time spent watching our coverage streaming online. So . . . next time Feder readers, what about me?”
- Dick Lobo, who served as president and general manager of NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 from 1985 to 1988, may be headed for a job in the Obama Administration in Washington, D.C. His appointment to head the International Broadcasting Bureau (overseeing Voice of America and Radio/TV Marti) awaits U.S. Senate confirmation. Lobo, 73, most recently has been running WEDU-TV, the public television station in Tampa, Fla.
- Two Chicago natives who became notable figures in the media industry died last week: Frank N. Magid, the television research consultant whose name was synonymous with the homogenization of local newscasts across the country, died of cancer Friday in Santa Barbara, Calif., at 78. Cecil Heftel, the former congressman from Hawaii whose Heftel Broadcasting owned WLUP-FM (97.9) in its formative years from 1979 to 1986, died of natural causes Thursday in San Diego at 85.
- Herb Kent, whose 65 years in Chicago radio landed him in the Guinness Book of Records, will be honored tonight at the annual membership meeting of Chicago chapter of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. I can only hope “The Cool Gent” gets treated better than last year’s AFTRA honoree.
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02 2010
blogs.vocalo.org
We all know North is an idiot, he graduated from Senn two years after everyone else his age! & his lies are transparent.
But I’m old enough to remember when Tom Snyder had on Spiro Agnew after he resigned as VP & Snyder also had on Robert Moses after Robert Caro’s massive all inclusive biography of Moses was published. The only TV interviews either did.
In both cases, Snyder never asked a single question of either man about those things & then insisted there wasn’t a deal to avoid those subjects.
I’m sure North & Zell came to the same understanding!
And we can’t even blame North on a Chicago Public School education . . . or can we??? LOL!! Maybe that’s where is learned how to lie . . . Those homeroom periods are long & boring! LOL!!
When someone like Sam Zell is on the set – he should be allowed free rein
to talk about whatever he deems important to help the economy. He seemed to
be waiting for the right questions. Mike North should be removed and someone
with a brain should be inserted. Mike Flannery would have asked killer
questions – and would not hold back on opinions !
What about me??? Really? Don’t fret Mark. We haven’t forgotten about YOU. I remember 2 years ago when, in this historical economy, you took Barry Keefe’s news anchor job at WTMX as your 2nd job. Then YOU proceeded to stink unbelievably at it. Even more memorable was that YOU gave an interview with WGCI’s Tony Sco weeks before Keefe even knew he was going to lose the job he had held for 30 years. In it (can still be seen & heard on YouTube) YOU are laughing and giddy…clearly pleased with YOURSELF for having landed this position. Another memory is the time YOU indicated that Willow Creek Church Pastor Bill Hybels was making the same infamous Kanye West remark about former Pres. Bush & black people. But, more memorable was when the Illinois Family Institute called YOU out on this blatant misrepresentation of Pastor Hybels’ remarks. I believe YOU said YOU just wanted to get a reaction out of your readers by linking the two together. YOU never responded, nor apologized, for the blatant misrepresentation. Then in 2002, at the 1-year anniversary of Sept. 11…during your anchor shift YOU said the country needed to observe a few minutes of respectful silence…and YOU continued to talk the whole time. But, recently I’ll not soon forget the sexually-suggestive b&w photo where you are posed with a come-hither look. So, with these memories, Channel 9 is NOT the news station I tuned to view last week.
ohhh where or where is Bruce Wolfs witty comments? Hes so funny! its the only reason I come here! I wish he had his own web site since he appears to have so much time on his hands. He needs a radio gig!Johhny B why did you fire Bruce??????!!!
1. What about Mark? Methinks he doth protest too much. Shave the stubble, quit posing for artful “sexy” (eye roll) pictures and work harder. Rob Feder’s readers and commenters are more importanly informed viewers and listeners. And you know what else Mark? Tom Skilling’s not as accurate as you guys say either. Or maybe you were just grouchy covering up the ever “eloquent” Allison Payne.
2. There is much and will be more criticism of Moron in the Morning Mike North’s failure to “grill” Sam Zell. I will never defend that uncouthy, slimy lout, but where was Terry Savage? She’s so real tough. Right, she’s like another morning phony Don Wade who criticizes people like Pat Quinn and Rod Blagojevich, then curls up in a corner and wets himself when they appear in the studio.
Where was Terry Savage? She had no problem talking about that bottle of champagne that Dennis Farina sent over during a previous show. Maybe Zell should have brought some champagne.
What about me?
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/blogshakalaka
“Louis Armstrong, meet Drew Brees”
As for this post, the beauty of Mike North is that, like King David, he can admit when he’s blown it. I’m not going to start wearing a 14-carat Hot Dog of Mike around my neck because of it, but it is refreshing to see someone admit a mistake. And if he’d gotten to the point with Zell, another refreshing personality, he would have gotten someone else to admit a much, much greater media gaffe.
Plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery, so I thank Mark Suppelsa for borrowing my catch phrase even as he borrows his anchor style from Ron Magers. Oh, that’s too harsh. Mark was just tipping his cap to me, and there’s nothing wrong with being like Ron Magers. The problem is EVERYONE is like Ron Magers or tries to be. Suppelsa’s former boss, Sam Zell, is not only a business failure, he’s a creative failure as well. His minions have done nothing that they promised. They promised to end the Walter Cronkite era. But Magers and Suppelsa are Cronkite’s descendants. The only one who’s doing anything different is Borat Cohen at CBS2, and though Jay Levine’s Huey Long act is laughable and Mike North is stumbling out of the gate, at least they’re trying. Frank Magid is dead? Hardly.
This day in Chicago media history (2006): Bruce Wolf keys a car in a bit outside the Auto Show. He’s fired by Fox but later is exonerated in an arbitration procedure. So much for taking risks. You get exonerated after your dead. Long live the Walter Cronkite era.
I think Mike North mistook Sam Zell for Pam Zekman. It’s a common mistake.
CORRECTION
The last line of my prior comment should have read “after you’re dead.”
It’s difficult to admit a mistake.
Rob I think this is the part of the interview you were looking for. No need to spend 40 minutes on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDy7vn7-LX4
Not asking Sam Zell about the Tribune is like not asking John Hogan why he is depriving the citizens of Chicagoland the entertainment provided by the semi-lovely Melissa Forman. Its like not asking Scott Lee Cohen if he has Eliot Spitzer’s phone number. Its like not asking Peyton Manning what its like to get paid back for beating our Bears. Its wrong, I tell ya, it makes my stomach turn. Mike North-what a wiener. Previous career pun intended.
So THAT’s who keyed my car! Thanks for coming clean Bruce.
I still needs some money for touch up paint.
Monsters is fumbling period. Can’t watch more than 2 minutes of that mess.
What about me?
Sorry Bruce(Wolf)…needed to borrow the phrase for this one passage. I won’t do it again. Please don’t sue…you being a lawyer and all.
But in reading Mr. Feder’s blog and the responses from his ardent blog followers, I feel many missed an opportunity to get what the above “strut2k” and others say they missed election night. The Big 9. In this day when you have to ask for a raise or ask people with a tv clicker in their hands to sample your product…I’m forced to ask, “What about me? If you had TIVO’d us you’d have watched more than 5 1/2 hours of coverage solely on the election with a pace and tone that wasn’t scripted, nor rushed and more often than not, we heard, insightful and on-the-mark with results, speeches and analysis. And during our prime hour of coverage from 9p to 10p, I believe the tv viewers responded in kind with better than a 6 rating as we competed against this season’s unusually popular prime time programming. And I’m told there several hundred thousand hits on our election page at wgntv.com including our record for time spent watching our coverage streaming online. So…next time Feder readers, what about me?
It’s “Herb Kent, the cool GENT”
Yes, thanks, Doug. I corrected the typo. I also should point out that Mark Suppelsa’s original post included attribution to Bruce Wolf for the “what about me” line. I chose to delete that because Bruce already gets too much attention here.
Hi Mark.
I figured i’d say that instead of my usual Hi Bruce as I would welcome Mark’s comments on this blog. Lets be glad that everyone has a voice here, compared to Letters to the Editor in the papers, we never get printed there.
Lets invite all the media “stars” to participate on this blog. Would love to get the views of all of them.
Ok, Hi Bruce (I know you’ll get a complex if we dont acknowledge you.)
Ten years ago today we lost Bob Collins. Chiacgo radio, and WGN, will never be the same. Take a moment and listen to some of his greatest hits on wgngold.com. I especially like his last brodcast “Things I have learned as I aged”, the Todd Manley tributes, Dave Kaplan’s theme sports, his reading of a Lewis Grizzard column on Mother’s Day. We miss you dearly, Uncle Bobby.
I didn’t see the interview, but what the hell else is there to talk to this guy about? What did they kill the 40 minutes discussing? Unbelievably LAME.
Steve and Johnnie did a great tribute to Uncle Bobby early this morning. You forget how radio was; especially of WGN. We’ve lost radio as we’ve known it.
Mark:
I was disappointed in WGN’s coverage. Jack Ryan, a media analyst? Common. Cliff Kelly was pretty transparent in his support of certain candidates also. Micah made numerous mistakes. Her rookie election night status was evident. I enjoyed you at WMAQ, and thought your best pairing was with Robin at WFLD. Besides Skilling, I am not so impressed with your new WGN comrades. Too bad you didn’t stick around WFLD. You and Anna Davalantes probably would have been the best anchor pairing in the city for many years.
Thanks Rob for the “What About Me?” Bruce Wolf clarification. That’s why I posted the entire blog. “Me” meaning, we, the WGN-TV Newsroom on election night.
Caught the Sunday version of North, et.al., and got whiplash going from a Blackhawks ‘discussion’ to Tim Geitner. Awful. And Mike North’s die job is bad in HD.
Too much Bruce is never enough.
If Steve and Johnnie did a tribute, it would be the only thing in the past several years worth listening to on their show. By the way, WGN Radio missed the boat by not having Tom Petersen and Spike O’Dell on for a segment this am. Those two gentlemen were the consumate pros, reporting this as it happened, knowing their friend and co-worker had died, and still being professional. Greg Jarrett was trite and cool on the subject this morning. Another missed opportunity.
What did we expect from North? He couldn’t get a 1.0 share on a sports celebrity show on the ultimate sports channel in Chicago, then they move him to the CBS Morning Slot in Chicago. Wonder why Chicago traditional media is in the toilet, because it’s the same old faces in the same old places.
Who’s connecting all these dots? When is the last time you heard a media announcement in Chicago and said WOW, I would actually want to tune in?
Robert, you have an amazing forum to call out the mess that is Chicago media. Keep hammering away for the good of all of us. Not only do sports fans deserve a LOT better but so does the non-sports audience. HELP!!!!!
I may be alone in this opinion, but I’m going to take the other side of the argument about Sam Zell’s interview. A question about the Tribune would have been a waste of two minutes. All Zell would/could have said is the same thing he has been saying in every interview for the last few months: that things are looking better and they hope to be out of bankruptcy soon. It would have been little more than an opportunity for him to say the same happy spin lines that have already been said. However, when anybody asks Sam Zell general questions about business, finance & real estate, he tends to give fantastic answers and is a good interview. “Monsters,” being a mostly business show now, let Zell talk business for a very long period of time. (Those interview clips are up on the WBBM-TV website, if anybody missed them.)
It was good of Mike North to jump on the grenade like he did for his co-workers and take the fall for missing the Trib question, but I don’t think a heartfelt apology was really needed. Mike North isn’t Mike Parker. He’s not on the show to be an in-depth interviewer. He’s there to be the “everyman” opinion. Hegedus & Savage are there for more in-depth analysis.
Sometimes I feel that this is the Bruce Wolf Blog. “What about me?” Who cares! If we wanted to know about you, we would look at your blog. I think you are a bigger narcissist than Robin Quivers. Keep on reporting, Robert!
What about Mrs. Busybody?
I care about you, Mrs. Busybody. Matter of fact, I bet I could make others care about you, too, because I’m that talented and can get a good story out of anyone. You know what they say: 99 out of 100 people are interesting, and the 100th is interesting because he’s the only one who’s not.
But Mrs. Busybody, I really don’t talk about me much. I address what is written in this post. It is you who are concerned about me. What is the matter with you?
Meanwhile, I don’t believe I need to apologize to Mark Suppelsa for accusing him of plagiarism, but I will anyway. As it turns out, it’s all Mr. Feder’s fault. It usually is. It’s really all about him, isn’t it? It certainly is to Mark Suppelsa. Here’s a guy who drew a 6 rating, a fantastic number, on election night, and yet all he’s concerned about is that he earn plaudits here. Reminds me of how they compute the box office for movies. In Hollywood the cash you generate from Europe somehow doesn’t count. And apparently the hundreds of thousands of viewers and browsers Mark Suppelsa gets doesn’t amount to a hill of beans compared with one good word from the former president of the Walter Cronkite fan club. And if that doesn’t tell you about the herd mentality of Chicago newsbeings, nothing will, Mrs. Busybody.
When is Mike North gonna jump on the grenade ?
What about Bruce Wolf in a sexually-suggestive b&w photo with a come-hither look?
Nothing feels right unless Rob and Bruce bless it. Heck, I could go to temple and be the first one stand up as the arc is being opened and sing better than Hary and Alex combined but if Rob and Bruce don’t recognize my ability to “daven” better than the 300 others in the room, it’s just not the same. I feel for you Mark Suppelsa – I know exactly what you are going through.
karen casey wrote:
“When is Mike North gonna jump on the grenade ?”
Thanks, I spit coffee all over my MacBook Pro.
My question is, what did they talk about for 40 minutes. Commericial real estate. I’d run out of questions at minute five if Tribune and Cubs were off.
I am not a Mike North fan but the bitterness that Karen Casey spews each day is interesting. Karen, do you have a thing for North? When I read your clever statement about jumping a grenade, it made me wish jcraig swallowed rather than spit.
hey, mikey, wanta real newspaper job at the houston post? call me. serious.
James Sleever nailed it – great assessment. As for Supplesa, I would rather watch the “unusually popular prime-time programs” than you any day. Who are you to talk down to anybody? Local news is a joke, and you and your six-figure paycheck is one of the reasons why it is. I only watched 10 minutes of election coverage; maybe less. My decision to make – not yours. What about you? No, who cares about you.
“LEAVE IT TO SLEEVER” – great post
Look either North is a poor liar about an arrange ment he did make with Zell, or he is a complete idiot, for not talking about the obvious problems he is having running WGN and the Tribune.
A real journalist knows how to cover these issues without embarassing the guest. Charlie Rose did that kind of interview a few weeks ago when he had NBC programing exec Jeff Zucker on to talk about NBC’s poor ratings and the Leno-Conan O’Brien fiasco.
It appears this new WBBM show has no real journalists on it. North is a boob, but I’d expect better from his more experienced co-hosts.
Then again, what has Mike North “learned “, after doing interviews for nearly 20 years, beyond being a loud mouthed boob?
What about Suppelsa? I wish I had Tivo’d “The Big 9″. I’m a political junkie who was away Tuesday evening, so I chose 2 stations. If I was home channel surfing, I would have sampled 9, 32, and 5.
Regarding Channel 7, Rob’s comments about inactive media veterans who could have provided institutional memory and political insight resonated strongly. The Channel 7 anchors were little more than traffic controllers switching from reporter to reporter. Andy Shaw was missed, and they saved a few bucks going without guest analysts. (Worse, nobody Suppelsa’s age was getting experience on the beat, or showing her/his stuff). Channel 2 wasted Mike Flannery, Mike Parker, Jay Levine, etc. while they wasted my time. My bad choice; it won’t happen again.
It sounds like Channel 9 made an effort Primary night, and I wish I chose them. We can quibble if Jack Ryan is a good choice if Dick Kay or Bob Crawford are available, but Mr Ryan might be a young, budding pundit. It was worth a try I’m sure. If I’m home Election Night in November, I’ll stop & look at Channel 9. And if I must Tivo again, Mr Suppelsa’s retail salesmanship will probably pay off with me.
What I recall about the day Bob Collins died? I remember Larry Schreiner acting strangely and nobody taking him aside to settle him down. I don’t say this in a mean or nasty way. You cut people huge slack when close friends or relatives suddenly die. But in the early going that day, I remember Schreiner becoming combative and rude with anyone who’d even suggest Collins was dead. At points he came across as unhinged. Not in control. If Tom Peterson was news director at the time–he should have had Schreiner sit down in the employee lounge or go home to get himself together. I think this happened after Dave Ellsworth was in charge. At least by several years.
“The Big 9?”
I never heard that coming out of Carl Greyson or Cliff Mercer’s lips.
A point of clarification. On the day Bob Collins died, it was Spike and I who had the grim responsibility of bringing it to the listeners that afternoon. Tom Petersen joined Spike for the morning show the next day in Uncle Bobby’s absence.
Looks like Bruce got his keyboard fixed. The caps now work.
No link to post under the Ron Magers story, so I’ll post here. Hopefully WLS-AM will get rid of the “canned, satellite” shows and bring back hosts to talk about the issues from a local perspective.
@Jim Mueller
Jim…you only noticed Schreiner “strange” and “unhinged” during the Uncle Bobby coverage? No other time?
You must not have listened much.
Larry’s strange unhingement on a daily basis was the reason I listened to the station for so many years. His “live’ reports from fires when I knew he was in his living room and calling his Salvation Army Canteen friends for updates, his rants at cops who who thought he was a whackadoodle and wouldn’t talk to him, and his goofiness when he discussed his psychiatric problems on the air all contributed to great radio for me. Now THAT was “edgy.”
I miss the old fella. Hope he’s still alive.
Metheny! If you don’t hire anyone else, bring Larry Schreiner back!
Good to hear from you Dave Stewart. Miss ya, you were one of the best.
Bruce Wolf has a blog.
His last 10 posts have garnered a total of 11 comments.
Now you know why he’s here.
Unmoored from genuine talent, like Dahl or Brandmeier (of the 80’s), he appears schizophrenic and sad.
His posts read like cries for help.
I miss Dave Stewart too. Your bosses are not smart.
Mr. Stewart–no offense, but read what I wrote. I didn’t say Tom Peterson was reporting that day. I said if he was in charge he should have pulled Schreiner off and calmed him down. I didn’t say anything about who was handling the show or reporting the story–only Schreiner’s comments that day.
Hi i am a play critic in chicago.i enjoy channel 2 in general but that morning show is brutal, mike north need i say anymore.i heard some names last week. ray hanania i enjoy listening to him the old page 10 i think.then i heard the gentleman scott alan after ray. funny guy and creative.any program directors out there should give this guy a shot on weekends. have to review a play. thank you
Mr. Mueller … I was clarifying the recollection of MarkGN, post #24
Rob, I bet u r lov’in this new gig of yours, so interactive and immediate. Glad Jake is getting the word out about this blog every Saturday morning. Keep up the good work!
Is there ANY chance Brian Doyle Murray could be persuaded to play Sam Zell in “The Sam Zell” story?
Brian Doyle Murray? Brilliant choice, Jerome. I think he could do the voice and there wouldn’t be much time needed in the makeup chair.
i wish we could hear chet coppick more.i sure miss uncle bobby. also shout out to a couple of small suburban stations wjjg-1530-am and 1280 am. i heard chet on wjjg the other day. thank you
In regard to the Zell interview:
That’s like chatting 40 minutes with Hitler and not asking about all those re-settlement camps in the East.
Awww Feder….why don’t you put my posts up? Censoring the truth? Bummer.