Rick O’Dell, who’s been the signature voice of smooth jazz radio in Chicago for more than 25 years, just launched a free 24/7 streaming digital station devoted to the mellow music format he helped pioneer. 

Premiering online and on mobile devices Monday, SmoothJazzChicago.net fills a void for the estimated 500,000 smooth jazz fans who were disenfranchised last April when Venture Technologies dropped the genre after three years from the former WLFM-LP (87.7). Smooth jazz previously aired for 22 years on Clear Channel’s WNUA-FM (95.5).

Robservations on the media beat:

• If there’s any silver lining in the upcoming departure of John Williams from WGN-AM (720), it may that the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk station will finally add a woman to its full-time lineup. Since the departures of midday hosts Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey in 2009 and overnight co-host Johnnie Putman in 2011, WGN has been without a female presence in a leading role. Now that WGN bosses have begun the search for a new Monday-through-Friday personality, insiders say, they’re focusing almost exclusively on women. Friday’s midday fill-in for Williams, author Carol Roth, is said to be under consideration. Others mentioned include The U’s Melissa Forman and Tribune columnist Jen Weigel. But with seven weeks to go before Williams signs off, the field remains open.

Robservations on the media beat:

• There’s no doubt Howard Stern will be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame Saturday. But whether the King of All Media will accept the honor is another question. Stern, who was passed over four times in previous balloting, was chosen this year by the Chicago-based shrine’s steering committee. “We would hope that Howard would show up,” said chairman Bruce DuMont. “He certainly deserves to be in the Radio Hall of Fame. We’ll be delighted to welcome him and honor him. I hope that he rises to the occasion. We think we did the right thing, and I hope he does the right thing, too.” Stern, who has ridiculed the Radio Hall of Fame in the past, acknowledged the honor on his SiriusXM Radio show when he read a note of congratulations from Chaz Ebert, wife of movie critic Roger Ebert. But Stern and his agent have never responded in any way officially. DuMont said Stern’s presenter will be Bears defensive tackle and longtime fan Amobi Okoye. Other 2012 inductees include Gary Burbank, Ron Chapman, Art Laboe, Luther Masingill, Jack L. Cooper (posthumously), and NPR’s Fresh Air, hosted by Terry Gross. Geraldo Rivera will host the nationally broadcast event from the Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 North State Street.

Robservations on the media beat:

• Ever wonder what journalists talk about when they’re watching other journalists covering a presidential election night? On Tuesday night, we’ll find out: Four Chicago Tribune luminaries — Rick Kogan, Phil Rosenthal, Jenniffer Weigel and Kristen McQueary — will host Election Watch 2012: Lively Coverage of the Live Coverage from the Tribune Newsroom, streaming online from 7 to 11pm. In addition to discussing the night’s events together, they’ll split off to moderate panels on such topics as local television news (with former anchors Joel Daly, Linda MacLennan and Joan Esposito), radio (with Clifford Kelley, Bill Leff and Robert Channick), and politics as theater (with Chris Jones, Michael Phillips and Nina Metz). Eric Zorn will weigh in after 10pm. “We’re not trying to pull people away from the networks,” said Jim Wiser, executive producer of video programming for chicagotribune.com. “We want to be in their laps — on their laptop or on their tablet. So they’ll be looking down at us while they’re watching the big cats fight it out.” On Wednesday, Kogan, Rosenthal, Weigel and McQueary will return for an election recap, streaming online from 10 to 11am. They’ll be joined by documentary producer Ken Burns.