BREAKING NEWS [UPDATED]: Scott Libin Named WCCO-TV News Director

As we projected, WCCO-TV announced Scott Libin as its new news director to staff this afternoon. Libin, former news director at KSTP-TV, comes back to the Twin Cities from his job as managing editor for on-ine content at the Poynter Institute, the journalistic think tank in St. Petersburg, Florida. Libin replaces Jeff Kiernan, who left … Read more

Prominent Local Attorney Wins "Golden Wingnut" Award!

Not being much of a fan of show biz and media award shows – I mean, what explains WCCO’s “Good Question” guy beating out Pat Kessler for “Best Political Reporting” or whatever it was called at this year’s local Emmys? – I usually just ignore the latest Winner du Jour. Except … when the news … Read more

John Hines Out at KTLK

John Hines’ 17 year-run with Clear Channel and what Clear Channel was before it was Clear Channel ended this morning — a Monday, go figure — when he was told he was being removed from his morning job at KTLK (100.3-FM). Hines was a standard at Clear Channel’s country music K102 until this past March … Read more

In Defense of Tom Barnard

RYBAK: Okay, I’ve spent the last three days watching the media have a field day trashing Tom Barnard (mainly) and his KQRS morning show (secondarily) and I’m just not getting it. As we’re all well aware, (since it’s been front page news in the Strib and all over TV), the show ran afoul of Minnesota … Read more

This Saturday's Big Local Media Forum

The good folks at the Twin Cities Media Alliance — best known for their work producing Twin Cities Daily Planet — (click here for schedule and registration info) are staging a day-long event this Saturday at the Central Library in downtown Minneapolis. Major next generation publishers and journalists will be in attendance. While some of … Read more

Is Ben Tracy leaving WCCO? Good Question!

Short answer: yes. This is one of the least surprising announcements in local TV circles, as Tracy’s departure was widely anticipated in the wake of his close friend Jeff Kiernan’s departure as ‘CCO news director. It was just a question of whether he’d follow Kiernan, or jump up to network news. Here’s General Manager Susan … Read more

Strib's Hage to join Klobuchar

In what can safely be called a HUGE blow to the Star Tribune’s already shaken editorial staff, Dave Hage announced today that he is leaving the paper to join Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s staff as communications director. Office scuttlebutt holds that newsroom editor D.J. Tice will be tapped to replace Hage. That makes sense: Doug Tice … Read more

Fun With Radio Ratings

In response to thunderous demand for radio ratings statistics — a task I find strangely titillating — the Slaughter offers these snapshots of what Twin Cities listeners say they were tuned to over the past summer. The disclaimer I will always issue is that as they are currently handled, by volunteers filling in written diaries, … Read more