The future of Chicago media: What to expect in 2026
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Chicago Public Media is the parent company of WBEZ-FM. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
It's time to look into our crystal ball and predict some juicy storylines for Chicago media in 2026.
Here's what we are paying attention to:
Public Media on its own now
This week, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting voted to terminate itself since the federal government defunded the organization that provided resources to nonprofit public media stations.
- WBEZ Radio raised over $3 million from individual donors in an emergency campaign after Congress pulled the plug on funding in September.
Yes, but: The Sun-Times reported that ousted CEO Matt Moog made over $900,000 in 2024, even though the nonprofit media leader had stepped down in 2023 and only stayed on to wait for a successor.
- It is a startling amount when juxtaposed against staff layoffs and cutbacks that happened that year.
The bottom line: Moog is long gone, but it's not a great look for the station's board of directors, which approved the payouts, since their fundraising narrative centers on helping the organization stay afloat.
What to watch for: Will WBEZ and WTTW be able to fundraise to keep their budgets intact, or will 2026 be another year of layoffs and cutbacks?
Islands in the stream
Chicago television stations are investing in local programming. Sort of.
Don't change that channel: Since the beginning of the digital revolution, local television stations have struggled to find programming to attract people to HD channels and sites. They mostly just repeated newscasts on their secondary channels.
Yes, but: Recently, the stations started to produce unique local streaming programs ranging from sit-down interview shows to panel discussions about the local news.
- WGN-TV just announced a new political show; NBC-5 has launched a slew of video podcasts; and FOX 32 has filled its stream with unique, live programming, while using leftover traditional channel space to showcase it.
- For instance, former "Chicago Tonight" host Paris Schutz is not only the political reporter for the newscasts, but he hosts his own show called "The Chicago Report," which airs on the Fox 32 stream and then reruns at 10pm Monday through Thursday.
What to watch for: Will more new local programs pop up on the broadcast channels? Let's hope so.
Long live the alt-weekly (monthly)
The Chicago Reader made a huge announcement right before the holidays: It will no longer produce a weekly paper, instead switching to a monthly.
State of play: This decision was made as a new editor-in-chief takes over the legendary alternative press, which has fallen on hard times.
- This isn't the first time the Reader has tinkered with its publication in recent decades.
Yes, but: The Reader is making a strong pivot to its website and to newsletters, catching up with other publications.
What to watch for: Will a monthly Reader capture the same spirit the alt-weekly has possessed for decades? We're guessing it won't miss a beat.