Changing channels: Chicago TV stations face management churn, digital competition

While change has roiled executive suites atop newspaper outlets around town, management of Chicago's TV industry has been relatively stable for years, as dependable as a sports lead-in to the 10 o'clock news. But no more. Three new business managers have arrived at the city's local TV stations since June.

WLS-TV/Channel 7 in June hired John Idler as general manager after Emily Barr, who led Chicago's market-leading station for 15 years, took the helm of Washington Post Co.'s TV unit. Meanwhile, WBBM-TV/Channel 2 poached Marty Wilke in September from WGN-TV/Channel 9, leaving WGN with an acting general manager, Steve Farber. The management churn is likely to stoke competition in a market long dominated by ABC-owned WLS. But this will be no old-fashioned ratings war. Local TV stations—indeed, the entire broadcast television industry—are coping with new threats as the Internet, YouTube, smartphones, DVR devices, iPads, video games and even cable TV reruns draw viewers' eyeballs away from local broadcast TV.