Chicago Public Media

Last updated

Chicago Public Media
AbbreviationCPM
Type non-profit
36-3687394
CEO
Melissa Bell [1]
Subsidiaries WBEZ
WBEW
WRTE
Chicago Sun-Times
This American Life
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Website www.wbez.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Formerly called
The WBEZ Alliance

Chicago Public Media (CPM) is a not-for-profit radio and print media company. CPM operates as the primary National Public Radio member organization for Chicago. It owns three non-commercial educational FM broadcast stations and one FM translator. In addition to local news and information productions, it produces the programs Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! for NPR stations, and This American Life which is distributed by PRX to other radio stations. On January 30, 2022, Chicago Public Media acquired the Chicago Sun-Times daily newspaper. [2]

Contents

Radio stations

The organization was started to take over the operation of 91.5 WBEZ from the Chicago Board of Education in 1990. Until April 2010, the company's legal name was The WBEZ Alliance, Inc. and it used the name Chicago Public Radio (CPR) for its primary radio station and corporate identity. [4] On June 22, 2012, it was announced that CPM had purchased troubled WRTE from the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Chicago Public Radio/Chicago Public Media also previously managed Loyola University of Chicago's WLUW (88.7 FM), heard on the North Side of Chicago and adjacent suburbs, for several years in the early 21st century, until 2007. [5]

In 2024, Chicago Public Media declared Melissa Bell as the new CEO for WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times. [6] Melissa is a digital journalist and co-founder of Vox. [6]

On January 30, 2022, Chicago Public Media formally took over the financially-troubled Chicago Sun-Times daily newspaper, which thereby became not-for-profit. A nonbinding agreement for the deal had been announced in September 2021, and the board of Chicago Public Media had signalled its approval on January 18, 2022. The final arrangement was backed with $61 million from several philanthropic organizations. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Productions

Related Research Articles

WTTW is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT. The two stations share studios in the Renée Crown Public Media Center, located at 5400 North Saint Louis Avenue in the city's North Park neighborhood; its transmitter facility is atop the Willis Tower on South Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. WTTW also owns and operates The Chicago Production Center, a video production and editing facility that is operated alongside the two stations.

<i>This American Life</i> Short stories radio program and podcast

This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage. The first episode aired on November 17, 1995, under the show's original title, Your Radio Playhouse. The series was distributed by Public Radio International until June 2014, when the program became self-distributed with Public Radio Exchange delivering new episodes to public radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBEZ</span> Public radio station in Chicago

WBEZ – branded WBEZ 91.5 – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the tri-state region of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is owned by Chicago Public Media and is financed by listener contributions, corporate underwriting and some government funding. WBEZ is affiliated with both National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). It also broadcasts content from American Public Media and the BBC World Service. It produces several nationally syndicated shows for public radio stations, including documentary program This American Life, and co-produces news and politics quiz program, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! with NPR.

WCPT is a commercial progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois. Owned by Heartland Signal LLC, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. The station's studios and daytime transmitter are located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side, while its nighttime transmitter is located in Joliet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTMX</span> Radio station in Skokie, Illinois, United States

WTMX is a hot AC radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Licensed to Skokie, it is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. WTMX has its studios located at One Prudential Plaza and its transmitter co-located atop Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLIT-FM</span> Soft adult contemporary radio station in Chicago

WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.

Sound Opinions is an independent radio talk show and podcast based in Chicago. It focuses on the discussion of music genres, history, artists and albums. It airs weekly on over 150 public radio stations nationwide and is syndicated though the Public Radio Exchange. It is also available for download and streaming worldwide as a podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Mexican Art</span> Art museum in Chicago, Illinois, US

The National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) is a museum featuring Mexican and Chicano art and culture. It is located in Harrison Park in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The museum was founded in 1982 by Carlos Tortolero and opened on March 27, 1987. It is the only Latino museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The museum describes itself as the largest Latino cultural institution in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media in Chicago</span> Overview of mass media in Chicago

The Chicago metropolitan area commands the third-largest media market in the United States after New York City and Los Angeles and the largest inland market. All of the major U.S. television networks have subsidiaries in Chicago. WGN-TV, which is owned by the Tribune Media Company, is carried as "WGN America" on cable and satellite nationwide. Sun-Times Media Group is also headquartered in Chicago, which, along with Tribune Publishing, are some the largest owners of daily newspapers in the country.

CIKX-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting in Grand Falls, New Brunswick at 93.5 MHz and 5,300 watts. CIKX was originally a repeater of CJCJ in Woodstock until the 2000s, when the station opened its studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDCB</span> Jazz music public radio station in Glen Ellyn–Chicago, Illinois

WDCB (90.9 MHz is a non-commercial public FM radio station licensed to Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It largely airs jazz programming and is owned by the College of DuPage. Most shows are locally-hosted but some select programs come from National Public Radio and the Public Radio Exchange. WDCB is listener-supported and seeks donations on the air and on its website. Funding also comes from grants and corporate sponsorships. The studios are on Fawell Boulevard on the DuPage campus.

WRTE is an American radio station broadcasting a public radio / jazz format. It is licensed to Chicago, Illinois, United States, and serves the city of Chicago. The station is owned by Chicago Public Media. WRTE broadcasts in the HD Radio format.

Wayne P. Messmer is a professional speaker, singer, broadcaster, author and actor. He is a professional member of SAG/AFTRA and the National Speakers Association. He was the long-time public address announcer for the Chicago Cubs. He sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" before many Cubs games, as well as prior to all Chicago Wolves American Hockey League games. Messmer is part owner of the Chicago Wolves. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.

Bruce Wolf is a veteran Chicago broadcaster and sports anchor who has been on both TV and radio for more than 20 years. He formerly hosted a politics-themed talk show weekday mornings on WLS (AM) radio in Chicago. He also fills in as a sportscaster on WMAQ-TV in Chicago and works part-time as a divorce attorney.

WBEW is a non-commercial educational (NCE), Class B1 public radio station at Chesterton in Northwest Indiana. Since June 2007, the station has been branded Vocalo, initially airing listener submitted content and later airing an urban format. It is owned by Chicago Public Media and is a sister station to WBEZ in Chicago. WBEW broadcasts in the HD Radio format.

WEPS is a radio station licensed to serve Elgin, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by the Elgin Area School District U46 and licensed to Board of Education School District U-46. Founded in 1950, WEPS is the oldest non-commercial educational radio station in the state of Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCHI-FM</span> Mainstream rock radio station in Chicago

WCHI-FM (95.5 MHz) is a mainstream rock formatted radio station located in Chicago, Illinois, owned and operated by iHeartMedia. WCHI-FM has studios located at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago, and it broadcasts from a 5.3 kW transmitter based atop John Hancock Center.

WBEK is a public radio station licensed to Kankakee, Illinois, and owned by Chicago Public Media.

Torey Malatia is an American journalist, radio producer, and public media manager. In 2016 he was named president, CEO, and general manager of Rhode Island Public Radio. Until resigning on July 26, 2013, he served as chief executive officer and president of the board of directors of Chicago Public Media and general manager of radio station WBEZ. He is also a member of the board of the Public Radio Exchange, a program distributor, and the Station Resource Group, a public radio program development and fundraising group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Bell (journalist)</span> American journalist and technologist

Melissa Bell is an American journalist and technologist. She helped launch the Indian business newspaper Mint, and held several positions at The Washington Post, starting in 2010. She and Ezra Klein left the newspaper to co-found the news and opinion website Vox with Matthew Yglesias in 2014. Bell was named vice president of growth and analytics for Vox Media in 2015, and was the company's publisher from 2016 until 2024. She is the current CEO of Chicago Public Media.

References

  1. "Chicago Public Media names Melissa Bell as new CEO". WBEZ.
  2. "Melissa Bell named CEO of Chicago Public Media, will oversee Sun-Times, WBEZ". Chicago Sun-Times. June 27, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  3. Feder, Robert. "Public radio rivals team up to boost WDCB, Vocalo", Chicago Tribune . May 4, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  4. "Get to know us at WBEZ Chicago" . WBEZ . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  5. Isaacs, Deanna (July 7, 2007). "Picking Up Its Marbles". Chicago Reader . Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Chicago Public Media names digital news pioneer as new CEO to lead WBEZ and Sun-Times". Chicago Tribune. June 27, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  7. Tracy, Marc (September 30, 2021). "Chicago's brawny tabloid, The Sun-Times, may join a nonprofit group" . The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  8. Robertson, Katie (January 19, 2022). "Chicago Public Media is set to acquire The Chicago Sun-Times" . The New York Times . Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  9. Roeder, David (January 18, 2022). "Board of WBEZ parent company approves acquisition of Sun-Times" . Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  10. Channick, Robert (January 31, 2022). "Chicago Sun-Times becomes nonprofit newspaper with $61 million in backing as WBEZ merger closes" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  11. Marotti, Ally (January 31, 2022). "WBEZ parent raised $61 million for Sun-Times deal" . Crain's Chicago Business . Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  12. "This American Life is a weekly public radio program and podcast". This American Life . October 19, 2017. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  13. McDonnell, Jerome (October 4, 2019). ""The Thing That Gives Me Hope Is You": Jerome Thanks Worldview's Listeners" . WBEZ . Retrieved January 19, 2022.