Crain’s recasts editor as local business columnist

Joe Cahill

Robservations on the media beat:

• Joe Cahill stepped down Monday after more than six years as editor of Crain’s Chicago Business to become a weekly columnist for the publication, starting in January. Until a replacement is hired, Jim Kirk, chief of editorial operations at Crain’s and a former business editor at the Chicago Tribune, will serve as interim editor. Kirk said Crain’s had long been seeking a columnist “with a strong voice who really understands Chicago business,” and called Cahill a natural for the job. “Watching his approach to editorial writing and seeing his ability to look at stories from different angles instead of just head-on, it became clear he was really built for this type of column,” Kirk told me. Cahill, 52, who was a corporate lawyer before becoming a journalist, will be free to take on outside work in addition to writing his column and other stories for Crain’s. He was named editor in 2005 after serving as news editor and managing editor. “I’ll always treasure my experience leading the best team of journalists in Chicago,” Cahill said in a statement. “But after so many years in management, I’m ready to get back on the front lines of reporting. This new column is a unique opportunity to focus all my energy and attention on my favorite subject — Chicago business.”

• Classical music never sounded sweeter at WFMT-FM (98.7), which just ended its most successful November pledge drive ever. On the eve of its 60th anniversary, the Window to the World Communications station raised a record $901,600 from 5,226 listeners (of which 23 percent were new members). As a result, the usual February pledge drive won’t be necessary. “WFMT’s listeners always support our pledge drives with tremendous loyalty, but this drive was beyond anything we’ve ever experienced,” said general manager Steve Robinson. “Everyone on staff is amazed and grateful for this outpouring of support from our audience.”

• The strange story of Kevin Roy just got stranger. Roy, you may recall, is the former ABC 7 weekend news anchor whose contract was not renewed last year after he repeatedly failed to show up for his assigned newscasts. Now living in Palm Springs, California, Roy told Facebook friends Saturday that he’s constantly being watched: “Surveillance camera discovered inside my car today; my SOS emergency phone button was disabled and wouldn’t allow me to call for roadside assistance; my iPhone was stolen 3 days ago, I was beaten up and pushed into glass that broke, called 911 and the Palm Springs Police did not show up, my Macbook was stolen in early July, and every single phone call and every time I’m on the Internet I’ve been monitored, harassed, and someone or many people are behind it. Anyone able to fill me in? I hope no one ever has to go through this kind of scheming and orchestrated effort to control one's life.”

• The legendary Roy Leonard, whose Turkeys of the Year were an annual treat during his 31-year run as a WGN-AM (720) host, will revive the Thanksgiving tradition when he joins Nick Digilio to bestow the awards at 3pm Thursday on the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk station. Elsewhere on the Sugar Roy beat, Tribune theater critic Chris Jones will emcee A Saturday Morning Salute to Roy Leonard December 3 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Special guests will include WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling. Tickets for the event are available online for $20. (Here is the link.)

• In a stunning upset Saturday, ChicagoNow won the sixth annual Trivia Bowl sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. The eight freelance writers from the Tribune-owned blog network beat 18 other teams — including last year’s repeat winners from the Chicago Tribune — with a top score of 119 out of a possible 138 points. I was honored to emcee the scholarship fundraising event with CBS 2 reporter Susanna Song.

• Two former Chicago radio producers, Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan, have co-written The Living Wills, a novel about “a split-second decision made 30 years ago and the ripple effects it caused.” Harnessing the power of collaborative creativity, the two improvised the book’s three interweaving story lines. Set for release December 1 by Eckhartz Press, it’s available online at eckhartzpress.com. Kaempfer, whose previous novel, $everance, was a brilliant satire about the radio business, also writes an impressive series of blogs, including the Chicago Radio Spotlight.

• A personal note: I’ll be off the grid for a few days. See you back here November 30. Happy Thanksgiving to all!