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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Of Notoriety: Newspaper columnist turned TV commentator Gary Deeb dead at age 79
Before the advent and proliferation of the internet as a widespread information and communication change factor for the media landscape (around 1998 by my recollection), newspapers, television and radio continued as the trio that reigned supreme. Having graduated from Valparaiso University in 1992, I'm grateful I had a taste of 'the golden years' for media known as the decade of the 1990s. For Chicago and spanning to borders far beyond, there was media personality Gary Deeb as the caustic gatekeeper of all things TV, radio and media reporting about what and who to watch and when and where to listen. Deeb died at age 79 on May 17. His obituary was quietly published in his original hometown newspaper, The Buffalo News, the same newspaper that gave him his start as a radio and TV columnist in 1970 (the year I was born). His first editors took a chance on him, considering he hadn't had any college or journalism experience. Less than 10 lines long, the first line of his published obituary reads that Deeb 'passed away peacefully.' It's an interesting phrase of words: a familiar string and accurately assigned to most as symbolic of a quiet and gentle transition. In contrast, the career and temperament of Gary Deeb was very much the opposite. In 1973, Deeb moved to Chicago and was hired by the Chicago Tribune as the new radio and TV critic. By age 30 in 1973, his column was syndicated, and like his immense popularity and power in the media industry, his syndication numbers grew and expanded, extending for a wider reach than Chicago. He was young, brash, crass, to the point and often sarcastic and mean-spirited. When his column was added as a new feature in April 1982 to The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Washington, the newspaper touted: 'TV Columnist Added! Television reviewer Gary Deeb has been described as arrogant, snippy, opinionated, demanding and a host of other adjectives, some printable. He has his defenders, too. He is the best and brightest TV critic in print today. He is the Ralph Nader of reviewers.' Time magazine dubbed him 'Terror of the Tube' and further categorized him in 1975 as 'the sour, crude ravager of the medium' after Deeb described that year's prime time season TV lineup as 'devoid of innovation, creativity or diversification, freighted with drivel, sanitized doggerel and phony rotten garbage.' He was indifferent about ABC's series 'Kung Fu,' saying it 'exploits the mass audience's craving for blood and guts,' yet loved NBC's 'Real People,' an hour-long salute to everyday personalities hosted by Sarah Purcell, Skip Stephenson, Byron Allen and young Peter Billingsley, and very much despised NBC's 'Little House on the Prairie,' describing the latter as 'cloying sweetness and padded dialog.' He loved 'the tiny slice of life's underside' that was the ABC sitcom 'Taxi' but had few kind words for brother and sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond and their ABC variety show. Some of Deeb's most cutting criticisms were saved for Chicago's local on-air news personalities from news anchors to the weather broadcasters of TV and radio. Most famously, he said our Hoosier claim-to-fame TV news and NBC 'Today' show icon Jane Pauley 'has the IQ of a cantaloupe.' Even his own future Sun-Times gossip columnist colleague Irv 'Kup' Kupcinet wasn't safe from Deeb's poison pen. Deeb described Kup and his broadcast counterpart Jack Brickhouse as 'simpletons' and found their constant banter and chitchat annoying and distracting from the commentary they were supposed to provide when announcing Chicago Bears games. Sportswriter George Castle, who I worked with for 20 years at The Times of Northwest Indiana, worked with Deeb as a nighttime copyboy at the Chicago Tribune when he was just beginning his journalism career. Castle always said Deeb's column was entertaining to all, as long as it wasn't them he was describing in his adjective-heavy prose. In today's era of journalism, no columnist could write with such a harsh slant about people and subjects. I know firsthand that Kup did not find Deeb amusing or entertaining. Though I never met or knew Deeb, I did know Kup and would visit him with my parents at his Lakeshore Drive apartment during his final years before his death at age 91 in 2003. 'Deeb was a twerp' was Kup's description of his newsroom desk neighbor. (Though Kup mostly wrote from home and left his newsroom needs to longtime assistant Stella Foster.) Deeb and Kup became co-workers in 1980 when The Sun-Times courted Deeb away from the Tribune by offering him his own secretary and an assistant by the name of Robert Feder, the latter who would assume Deeb's column duties from writing about media news while writer Phil Rosenthal took over as the Sun-Times TV columnist. Deeb eventually left newspapers in 1983 for a coveted TV broadcaster position with Chicago ABC 7 as the TV and radio media commentator. He left his TV position in 1996 and returned home to Buffalo retiring at age 50, and then later moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. He was married and divorced twice. The last time Deeb's name made news headlines was in 2003, when the Chicago Reader's columnist Michael Miner was tipped off that Deeb had netted several thousand dollars by selling his personal archive of letters and correspondence from Chicago media notable names and national media personalities like John Chancellor and Morley Safer, among others. When asked to comment, Deeb had no comment. He is survived by his sister Elaine Lamb and stepdaughter Kyla Lee. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Hopefully we won't have to keep fighting:' St. Johns residents celebrate defeat of Guana land swap
St. Johns County residents and environmental groups alike celebrated victory Saturday after The Upland LLC withdrew plans earlier this week for a highly controversial Guana River Wildlife Management Area land swap deal earlier this week. 'So many folks rallied, and you know, just from the everyday volunteers, up to all the way almost the White House with Susie Wiles,' Save Guana Now president Nicole Crosby said on Saturday. 'So we're just really, I'm just thrilled and happy.' Members of the community celebrated the win Saturday by enjoying the natural resources that many worried they were so close to losing. Although it was never clear what the plans for the 600 acres within Guana included, many suspected the land preserved for wildlife and public enjoyment might be developed. For Ragda Deeb, resources like Guana make living in St. Johns County special. 'My eldest [son] is now 25 and he was in diapers when we would go down the yellow trail, and so it's just such a huge part of my world and my life,' Deeb said. 'So it means a lot to my heart, honestly.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] However, now the fight to protect the area continues, with concerned St. Johns County residents pushing ahead for improved legal protections for conservation areas like Guana. The push comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed into law protections for state parks. 'I feel like developments are becoming more active and more common, and the reserve lands really, really need to be protected,' Deeb said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Now, Crosby said, the hope is that those protections come sooner rather than later. Crosby said Saturday that the community in and around St. Johns County has now shown how powerful the voice of protest will be the next time a developer does come knocking 'Every environmental group is stronger than it was before, and we are too,' Crosby said. 'We've got thousands of more members and we're just building on each other. I mean, hopefully we won't have to keep fighting like this.' Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Workato Completes IRAP Assessment to Support Enterprise Orchestration and Automation for Australian Government and Regulated Industries
IRAP assessment strengthens digital transformation and cloud service capabilities for public sector and regulated industry customers. SYDNEY, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Workato®, the leading enterprise orchestration platform, has successfully completed an independent Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessment. This assessment evaluated Workato's security posture against the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM) controls at the PROTECTED level. The completion of the IRAP assessment adds to Workato's broader global security achievements over the past three months, including the PCI DSS 4.01 Level 1 service provider as well as the ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 certifications. This underscores Workato's strong commitment to safeguarding sensitive customer information and maintaining operational excellence for government and regulated industry customers. The IRAP assessment was performed by an endorsed IRAP Assessor, providing an independent evaluation of Workato's security controls. The assessment strengthens Workato's ability to support Australian Government agencies and regulated enterprises in meeting stringent security expectations. "Many government agencies face challenges with siloed data and fragmented processes, which increase operational burdens and inefficiencies. These agencies are looking for cloud-based enterprise orchestration solutions that connect applications and processes end-to-end while being simple to implement and secure," said John Deeb, General Manager, ANZ at Workato. "Workato has always prioritised providing government agencies and organisations with a secure, efficient platform to orchestrate their technology stacks. Completing the IRAP assessment, together with our extensive security features, gives our customers greater confidence in consolidating workflows and applications into one platform while maintaining complete data sovereignty within Australia," Deeb said. The IRAP assessment enables Workato to expand its presence in the Australian public sector and regulated industries, offering seamless system, data, and technology integration with the assurance that its platform has been independently assessed against Australian Government security requirements. "We are proud to demonstrate our commitment to security and governance through the successful completion of the IRAP assessment. This milestone reinforces our focus on supporting Australian Government agencies and regulated enterprises with secure and resilient orchestration solutions," said Hans Gustavson, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Workato. Workato's security program focuses on continuous improvement, ongoing risk management, and adherence to best practice cybersecurity standards, allowing customers to confidently transform their operations and focus on their missions. Read more about Workato's world-class and industry-leading security at as well as more on Workato's IRAP assessment here. About Workato Workato transforms technology complexity into business opportunity. As the leader in enterprise orchestration, Workato helps businesses globally streamline operations by connecting data, processes, applications, and experiences. Its AI-powered platform enables teams to navigate complex workflows in real-time, driving efficiency and agility. Trusted by over 12,000 global customers, Workato empowers organisations of every size to unlock new value and lead in today's fast-changing world. Learn how Workato helps businesses of all sizes achieve more at View original content: SOURCE Workato Sign in to access your portfolio
Zawya
22-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Investment in Saudi Ras Al-Khair zone put at $47bln
Saudi Arabia's Ras Al-Khair industrial city has attracted investment in mining and related sectors worth nearly 176 billion Saudi riyals ($47 billion), its CEO has said. Mohammed Al-Deeb told the Saudi daily Aleqitsadia on Monday that the zone's authority and three key ministries have joined hands to boost investment in the city, which is located in the Eastern flank of the Kingdom. He said the Royal Authority for Ras Al-Khair is working in coordination with the Ministries of Investment, Energy and Industry to attract more capital. 'At the end of 2024, total investments in Ras Al-Khair stood at nearly SAR176 91 perent of the investments belong to the private sector,' he said. Deeb revealed that investment in Ras Al-Khair is highly profitable, with return reaching nearly 12 times.
