ABC7 sees ratings surge due to MJ; WSNS ousts GM; ESPN Deportes coming to Chicago radio?

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: Ch. 7 surges on Michael Jackson tribute : Memorial was topped only by Reagan, Diana services in total U.S. viewers : July 9, 2009 : LEWIS LAZARE | Chicago Sun-Times Media & Marketing columnist : Some critics said Michael Jackson's memorial was too much of a circus. Others saw Tuesday's tribute at Los Angeles' Staples Center as a wonderful, dignified affair. For ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, the Jackson event provided another opportunity for the local market leader to trounce the competition. : According to the Nielsen overnights, WLS scored a whopping 7.2 rating between noon and 3 p.m. on Tuesday, about double what the station usually draws, according to General Manager Emily Barr. NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 could do no better than a 2.0 rating, while CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 was far behind with a 1.1. Charlie Gibson helmed ABC's coverage of the Jackson tribute. : In all, 31.1 million U.S. TV viewers watched the tribute, fewer than viewed Ronald Reagan's burial and the funeral of Princess Diana. : : WSNS ousts GM : Eduardo Fernandez is out as vice president and general manager at WSNS-Channel 44, Telemundo's Spanish language station in Chicago. Fernandez's departure appears linked to Ron Gordon's ascension to the presidency of the Telemundo Station Group just a couple of months ago. "His [Fernandez's] contract was up for renewal, and we mutually agreed it would not be renewed," said Telemundo spokesman Alfredo Richard. Fernandez reported to Gordon, who operates out of Telemundo offices in Miami and New York. Fernandez's successor has not been named yet. Prior to joining Telemundo in April, Gordon was president of Arlington, Va.-based ZGS Communications, which produces music and sports shows for Spanish-language TV stations. : By all accounts, Fernandez was a well-liked member of the Chicago broadcast community. He arrived at WSNS as general manager in 2003 from Grand Rapids, Mich., where he was vice president and general manager of Fox-owned WXMI-Channel 17. While at WSNS, Fernandez had to deal with a $2 million budget cut as recently as two years ago. WSNS was the perennial second-place Hispanic outlet in the Chicago market behind Univision's dominant WGBO-Channel 66. : : Sports in Spanish : Could Chicago be getting a Spanish-language sports radio station? Sources say ESPN Deportes, an ESPN unit operating Spanish-language, sports-formatted radio stations, is getting serious about looking for a Chicago outlet. One possible station of interest could be conservative talk radio outlet WIND-AM (560). James Pastor, ESPN Radio's regional general manager based in Chicago, said he is aware of no firm plans at the moment to set up ESPN Deportes in the Windy City. But ESPN Radio does have Deportes stations in Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami, markets with significant Hispanic populations. : And Spanish-language radio outlets suddenly are a hot commodity in Chicago, where radio execs are betting there is money to be made from the city's growing Hispanic population. In May, Clear Channel Radio/Chicago turned the former smooth jazz WNUA-FM (95.5) into a hot Spanish adult contemporary music station.

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