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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Tom Sandoval surprises during 'America's Got Talent' audition
Two years after "Scandoval," former "Vanderpump Rules" star Tom Sandoval is taking on "America's Got Talent." The ex-Bravolebrity — who became a "Pump Rules" pariah after an explosive cheating scandal — is slated to audition for "AGT" with his band the Most Extras on the upcoming June 24 episode. "My name is Tom Sandoval, I was the most hated man in America," Sandoval quips in an "AGT" teaser posted on the show's official Instagram account. "This is the chance to show who I am as a musician." In a separate clip, Sandoval and his band perform the '80s hit song "Take on Me" by A-ha on the NBC reality TV variety series. During the audition, judges Mel B, Simon Cowell and Sofía Vergara and Mel B looked uneasy about Sandoval's "AGT" attempt. When does 'America's Got Talent' 2025 start? What to know about the premiere, judges Later, though, Cowell smiles as Sandoval dramatically dances on stage and surprises the audience with his vocal ability. Last month, the landmark 20th season of "America's Got Talent" kicked off, offering amateur and often unknown acts the chance to win a $1 million prize and performance in Las Vegas. Mel B returned as a judge alongside comedian Howie Mandel, Cowell and Vergara. The "Scary Spice" Girl replaces former judge and supermodel Heidi Klum, who joined the group in 2013 and judged on Seasons 8-13. Actor Terry Crews reprised his host main hosting role on the show. Tom Sandoval is one of the biggest reality TV villains in history Sandoval's role in the aptly coined "Scandoval" cemented him as one of the most infamous reality TV stars in history. In early March 2023, tabloid reports began circulating that Sandoval cheated on his longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix with their co-star Raquel Leviss, who is now known by her legal name Rachel Leviss. The controversy catapulted Madix, now split from Sandoval, into superstardom with stints as Roxie Hart on "Chicago" on Broadway and as a finalist on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." Last year, reality hit Sandoval and his former castmates when Bravo announced that "Pump Rules" would return with a brand-new cast following the hit show's 11th season and Madix's individual success as host of "Love Island USA." Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Edward Segarra
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
Is SNL new tonight on June 21, 2025? Here's the answer.
It was a great Season 50 of Saturday Night Live so far, with some hilarious cold opens, funny moments on Weekend Update and so many guest stars. There was also the big SNL 50 celebration this year. And if you're here, you might be getting ready to watch SNL on Saturday, June 21, 2025 and wondering: is it all new tonight? If not, is it a rerun? Who's hosting? THE 15 BEST SKETCHES IN SNL HISTORY: Our rankings of the best of Saturday Night Live The answer ... No. It's a rerun after the season finale about a month ago. NBC's site says we're getting the episode in which Jon Hamm was the host and Lizzo was the musical guests, although TV Guide says it might be the Quinta Burnson and Benson Boone ep. It'll be a while until we get a new episode, sadly, but at least we can rewatch the past season's funny episodes. There you have it. Enjoy! When is SNL Season 51 coming? We don't have an official date for that, but it'll be sometime this fall, as usual. Who is leaving SNL? And who is joining the cast? We haven't heard names that our out. We do know that Mikey Day is staying, and we haven't heard any new comedians or actors who will be joining yet.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tom Sandoval's America's Got Talent Audition Leaves Judges in Shock
Originally appeared on E! Online is pumping up the volume on America's Got Talent. The Vanderpump Rules alum shocked fans by making his unexpected debut on the NBC reality competition series. In a preview of the show's June 24 episode, the Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras frontman teased why he's taking his talents to the AGT stage two years after Scandoval—his cheating scandal involving exes and —became a media sensation. "My name is Tom Sandoval, I was the most hated man in America," Tom said in a clip posted to Instagram June 20. "This is the chance to show who I am as a musician." The Bravo star then sang a cover of A-ha's classic '80s hit "Take on Me" dressed in black pants and a glittering, bedazzled green jacket. As he opened the song, judge looked very skeptical at his vocal abilities. However, Tom impressively belted out the lyrics much to her (and the audience's) surprise. Meanwhile, notoriously harsh judge looked not too happy at the beginning after first laying eyed on The Traitors alum, but later flashed a giant smile as he enjoyed the performance. As for the crowd's reaction, audience members smiled and cheered, especially when Tom hit a particularly hard high note mid-chorus. More from E! Online OnlyFans' Annie Knight Reveals Diagnosis After Hospitalization for Having Sex With 583 Men What Happened to Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Chandi Dayle? Americas Sweethearts Bahamas Scandal Explained Matthew McConaughey's 3 Kids Are His Spitting Images in Rare Family Photo Meanwhile, notoriously harsh judge looked not too happy at the beginning after first laying eyed on The Traitors alum, but later flashed a giant smile as he enjoyed the performance. As for the crowd's reaction, audience members smiled and cheered, especially when Tom hit a particularly hard high note mid-chorus. However, fans will have to wait and see if Tom wins over Simon, Sofía, Howie Mandel and Mel B. Of course, this isn't Tom and Howie's first time coming face to face. The comedian famously hosted an explosive interview with the former SUR-ver after his 2023 cheating scandal. Looking back on his deception of Ariana, Tom admitted on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast that he "handled s--t wrong" and "f--ked up" with how he ended things with his partner of almost 10 years, but wished that some of their mutual friends had reached out to hear his side of the story. "Nothing is excusable for what I did," he said, adding of their former costars "I definitely deserve the hate, but for these close friends to not even shoot me a text and go right to social media and start posting things?" As for how things ended with Ariana, he recalled, "My plan was to breakup with her in therapy. I had made it pretty clear in therapy that I wanted to take the steps to break up, but Ariana really started fighting for it and I felt so, so bad about it." See if Tom makes it through to the next round of competition when America's Got Talent airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on NBC. In the meantime, keep reading for surprising secrets about America's Got Talent. Do America's Got Talent Contestants Audition for the First Time in Front of the Judges?How Long Do Contestants Have to Audition for America's Got Talent?Is There Anything America's Got Talent Contestants Can't Bring to the Open Call Auditions?Does America's Got Talent Cover Contestants' Expenses to Audition in Front of the Judges?Do America's Got Talent Contestants Get Their Hair and Makeup Done?Do America's Got Talent Contestants Rehearse Their Acts Before the Show?Do the Winners of America's Got Talent Get Their Money Right Away?(E!, Bravo and NBC are all part of the NBCUniversal family) Check out Peacock to binge your favorite NBCU TV shows and movies, live sports and more!
