Plus: World Cup Watching & A New Blues-Jazz Channel
“A surprise performance on the Chicago River by Wayne Newton was part of an advertising campaign for Las Vegas that kicked off in Chicago on Friday,” Steven Dahlman reports at his Marina City Online.
“Backed by eight showgirls and seven show guys, Newton sang his signature tune ‘Danke Schoen’ on board the tour boat Bright Star, owned by Shoreline Sightseeing.”
You’ll want to click through to see the photo.
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“Wayne Newton visited WGN-TV in the morning and performed ‘Danke Schoen’ on a boat on the Chicago River,” the Tribune reports.
“Later, Newton and a group of backup singers performed at the marquee outside Wrigley Field, and Newton threw out the first pitch at the Cubs game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“The Vegas carolers also performed at Union Station, Pioneer Court and Buckingham Fountain to promote tourism to the casino capitol.”
Okay. But Dahlman reports that “Friday’s stunt was organized by WGN-TV, which is owned by Tribune Company, and broadcast live its morning news program.” (Emphasis mine.)
Please, tell me more! Seems problematic.
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“The morning crowds were also privy to Newton appearing live on WBBM, followed by multiple appearances on WGN,” a Las Vegas press release states.
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See also:
* Ace Wayne Newton Takes Mound At Wrigley Field.
So the whole package.
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World Cup Watching
“The World Cup has taken its place among the very largest sporting events for American television audiences,” the Wall Street Journal reports – alongside a photo of Chicago fans watching in Grant Park.
“Sunday night’s face-off between the U.S. and Portugal drew 18.2 million people on ESPN, the network said, more than the total audience for all but one of the World Series games on Fox last year and more watched than any of the NBA Finals games on ABC this year, according to Nielsen.”
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“When we get back to the hotel and we hear about Grant Park in Chicago having 10,000 fans out to watch the game and friends and family are sending pictures and videos of what’s going on, it can’t help but push you on because we want to make every person watching back home proud of us and proud to watch our team,” midfielder Michael Bradley told AP.
Pretty sure it was 20,000; Bradley’s terrible Cup continues.
Jazz & Blues Channel
“From Miles Davis’s trumpet to Buddy Guy’s guitar, the signature sounds of jazz and blues are now coming to Chicago cable viewers through CAN TV,” the station has announced.
“A new partnership between CAN TV, Chicago’s public access television network, and WDCB Public Radio (90.9fm) launched on Thursday, June 12th, at noon with a live co-production from downtown Chicago at PianoForte. Blues pianist Barrelhouse Chuck showcased his blues an boogie-woogie piano style. The event could be heard live on CAN TV42 and WDCB, and seen live on CAN TV27.
“The kick-off continued during Chicago Blues Fest weekend and beyond with CAN TV42 featuring WDCB programming 24 hours a day as part of its interactive bulletin board service. Local viewers call this service for on-demand access to job openings, digital literacy classes, health screenings, volunteer opportunities, and cultural events from hundreds of local nonprofit organizations.
“‘This partnership combines the timeless qualities of jazz with timely information from nonprofits throughout the city,’ said CAN TV executive director Barbara Popovic. ‘We are excited to expand the audience for public media on multiple platforms.’
“‘Jazz and blues music is a big part of Chicago’s history and identity,” says WDCB station manager Dan Bindert. ‘And the audience is very diverse, so we’re thrilled to be teaming up with CAN TV, which reaches such a wide cross-section of Chicago residents.'”
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Comments welcome.
Posted on June 24, 2014