Rick Kogan

Rick Kogan hosts "The Sunday Papers" on WGN Radio every Sunday morning, but he's also a well-known author (12 books) and reporter (Chicago Tribune).








To avoid confusion, since both of us are Rick K, I'm going to use our last names instead of first names.


Kaempfer: I first met you twenty years ago or so when you and Dennis DeYoung guest-hosted a show for Steve & Garry at the old AM Loop. I ran the board for that show. I remember you were both understandably nervous because 4 1/2 hours is a lot of air time to fill. But before the first hour was up, it was obvious that you were a natural. Do you remember that day?

Kogan: I remember that day very well and can’t believe you thought me anything other than in over my head. Dennis kept me afloat and could not have been a better co-host. I do remember taking call after call after call from his fans and relatives. We did it as a lark, never imagining it might lead to anything else in radio.

Kaempfer: I was a fan of the "Media Creatures" show you hosted a few years later on AM 1000 with Richard Roeper and Kathy Voltmer, and then later brought to television on Bob Sirott's Fox Thing in the Morning. It was the first show about the media that I can remember. How did that show come about, and what are some of your fondest memories of it?

Kogan: Media Creatures was the creation of Mitch Rosen (program director of AM 1000 at the time). I knew Richard only to say hello before Mitch put us in a studio and let us have at the microphones. It was an instant click, with me skewing, I think, a bit older than I was and Richard a bit younger than he was. Kathy (photo) was a delight to work with and I do think the show, 10-2 weekdays, was a valuable addition to the airwaves. Thanks to a great producer, Michelle Carney, we snagged a lot of good and high-profile guests.

Sadly, the station changed format and we were gone after six months. Bob (photo) was a huge fan of the show and had us come in the Fox studios and do a couple of live segments. I had done a considerable amount of TV work as an on-air entertainment reporter for WBBM-Ch. 2 in the late 1980s but didn’t like the in-studio format for “MC” and so, somewhat cavalierly, I suggested doing weekly remotes from the Billy Goat. Thanks to the astonishing talents of producer Jim Wiser, we were able to pull it off. Richard didn’t much like my smoking, on air or off, but we both loved doing those segments and the special that won an Emmy. We quit when Bob left the show. He was an essential element.

Kaempfer:You're currently hosting the show "Sunday Papers" on WGN Radio. It must not be easy getting up that early on a Sunday morning--especially for a night owl like yourself. (Full disclosure: I have shared a late-night cocktail or two with Rick in the past). I know you do a lot of the prep work for your show during the week before you arrive, but how hard is it to get up and going at that hour?

Kogan: When former WGN program director Mary June Rose asked me to host a Sunday morning show I had to be convinced that someone other than those who had just closed the 5 a.m. bars would be listening. Having done that many times myself, I did have to alter a bit my Saturday night activities, trying to get to bed by 10 p.m. It’s probably added a few years to my life and, frankly, it’s not difficult getting up because I look forward to meeting new people (guests).

Kaempfer: How would you describe your show to the uninitiated?

Kogan: That’s a tough one. An eclectic cultural mix; a gathering of writers, artists, actors, poets, musicians and other creative types, built on the foundation of a deep affection for Chicago and its history.

Kaempfer: I can tell you one group of people that are huge supporters and ardent defenders of your show: Authors. I have several author friends that have appeared on your show, and we've all come to the same conclusion: Sunday Papers is the most author-friendly radio show in Chicago. You even read the books! Sad to say, but that's almost unheard of in this day and age. Has your own experience as an author (doing the publicity tours) affected the way you treat the authors on your show?

Kogan: That’s very nice to hear. I learned a valuable lesson many years ago, after Studs Terkel (photo), as a favor to my father, Herman, his great friend, interviewed me about my 1979 book “Dr. Night Life’s Chicago,” a guide to local taverns and saloons, with an introduction by Mike Royko. It was a magnificent show. I was humbled that Studs read from the books and selected all manner of appropriate music. I was stunned afterward and asked, “What’s the secret? Why was that so damn good?” “Read the book,” Studs said. “Read the book.” And so, that’s what I do. I read the books. My own experiences as a traveling author don’t really play into it. I don’t expect others to have read what I write, sadly.

Kaempfer: I'm currently researching Chicago history for my next novel, and it seems like every book about Chicago has a Foreword written by you. I know you've written 12 books, but have you kept count of how many Forewords you've written? And are you working on another book yourself?

Kogan: I have not. I never have taken any money for such chores and will only do so for books and authors I admire. I am currently writing, and am humbled to be doing so, an introduction for the University of Chicago Press’ republication of Royko’s first collection, “Up Against it,” first published in 1967 with an introduction by Bill Mauldin. Charles Osgood and I (photo) have a brand new collection of our Sidewalks columns coming out soon, cleverly titled “Sidewalks II” and I continue to slog away on a novel.

Kaempfer: I thought the obituary you wrote for former WCKG host and Tribune writer Terry Armour was beautifully written. In the last ten or fifteen years in addition to Terry, we've lost some of Chicago's media treasures, many of whom were also your friends. Mike Royko, Tim Weigel, Gene Siskel, Kup, Studs Terkel, Bob Collins, the list goes on and on. Do you think there is a new generation of writers and broadcasters that can have the same kind of impact they had, or are they part of Chicago's last great media generation?

Kogan: I do think we have seen, and may even be part of, the last great media generation in this city. Those you mention, and I wrote the obituaries for all of them except Collins (I did an in studio piece about him the morning after his death), and you could certainly add Ann Landers to that list, were devoted to varying degrees to the business and I have watched too many talented young people walk away from the what has become a relatively homogenized radio world, a gasping newspaper industry, a fractured TV market. Those you mention were people of great character, and thinking about them now I am not sure any could find jobs (no college, not attractive enough…etc) now in the fields in which they became giants.

Kaempfer: You were there for the sad demise of the Daily News in the late 70s. Do you think Chicago is destined to be one-newspaper town, or is there a chance we can save both of them?

Kogan: That was not a good time, the folding of the Daily News, and I fear that I might live to see a no-newspaper town. I am confident that journalism, reporting, narrative storytelling and all the other elements that are stuffed into the daily miracle that is a newspaper will remain but as for picking up a paper on the corner for a few quarters, I have my doubts.

Bob Sirott

I previously interviewed Bob Sirott when he first got the Noon show at WGN Radio. (You can read that interview here.) I spoke to him again this summer just after he left Channel 5. Portions of that interview appeared in Shore Magazine. The full interview is below.

Rick: Sorry to hear the news about you leaving Channel 5. What happened there?

Bob: I chose to leave the station when I noticed the small print in the new deal said I'd be required to eat tarantulas during the 10 PM News.

Rick: What was your favorite part of that Channel 5 job?

Bob: The favorite part of the job was the requirement that I sit very close to charming, beautiful women like Allison Rosati. (Don't let my wife know--she thinks I'm a lawyer)

Rick: You've been doing this TV and radio thing for a long time now. Of all the people you've met, who have you been most impressed by?

Bob: It's a three way tie: I was impressed the most by Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, and Paul McCartney. Hard to top a president or a Beatle. The way they handle interviewers is fascinating. President Obama (I interviewed him when he was a Senator--just before becoming a presidential candidate) was exactly the same off the air as he was on. Carter disarmed you with that great, big smile that preceded every answer no matter what the question. McCartney has the ability to turn on the charm as though every interview is his first. You know it's a studied technique, but he's so good at it that you would swear it's 100% genuine.

Rick: You're an institution in this town, which means you probably get recognized wherever you go. What's the most unusual place you've ever been recognized?

Bob: At a funeral for a relative. That wasn't so bad, really. It was the fact that the person wanted an autograph as I was walking out of the chapel.

Rick: Tell us something about you that your listeners/viewers would be surprised to hear.

Bob: During the 70's, I rarely listened to the lyrics to any song I played. I knew the first line and the last, but that was about it. Ask me about a record I introduced on the radio ten thousand times and I probably couldn't recite more than two lines.

Rick: You've done just about every job in the media. Is there one job that you'd still like to do?

Bob: I'd love to do Cubs games on the radio. My nephew Judd is living my fantasy.

Les Grobstein

Les Grobstein has been an integral part of the Chicago sports radio landscape for thirty years. He currently hosts late nights at the Score, 670AM. He also hosts a weekend show at WKRS-AM.






Rick: First of all, congrats on being back at the Score. How does it feel to return to that frequency and that time slot?

Les: You can go home again. This is the second time I’ve done that. I was with WLS almost the entire decade of the 80s and they dropped the music and went all-talk, then 2 years ago they did the Memorial Day Rewind and brought me back again. I did a show with Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards and another one with Fred Winston (photo), and then we did it again in ’08. I told Robert Feder "you can go home again," but that was nothing compared to this. This is really being back. Even though we're not on Belmont anymore, the studios are in a different location, this really feels like home.

Rick: How have you been received by former/current colleagues?

Les: I’ve been received well. It's been great seeing so many people that are still here from before. But to tell you the truth, I'm still on a bit of an island because of the time I'm on the air. I’m not ever there during the daytime, unless we have a meeting or something.

Rick: I almost don't know where to start with you because you've done so much and been involved in so many interesting radio moments. But there is one thing I don't think I've ever heard you speak about: your first job in the business, with Sports Phone. That wasn't technically radio, it was a phone recording, but it was done as if it was a radio broadcast. For people that are too young to remember that, would you mind talking about what that was, and give us a few of the names of people that worked there?

Les: Dick Gonski, the former Bulls color commentator, was our GM. I had the daytime shift. Ron Gleason was the nighttime guy. Tom Greene, who later did sports huddle on WMAQ, was also there. Pat Benkowski was there. Ted Robinson, who went on to be a big time play by play guy, was there. We also had George Ofman, David Schuster, Fred Huebner, geez, I know I'm leaving some people out, but the list goes on and on.

I was on the daytime shift by myself and didn’t have to alternate like some of the other guys. I got to do quickie quizzes every day, which I’ve always been good at it. We even had a quickie quiz hall of fame. The others at nights and weekends were basically a scoreboard. During the daytime there wasn't as much going on, the Cubs were the only ones playing day games, everyone else played at night, so I was given much more leeway.

Some days I would go to the game and do the updates from the game, but what really helped me was I was allowed to do creative stuff. It really was more like a show. When Rick Talley left for the LA Times, they went looking for someone to replace him at WLS, and Bud Miller said that hearing what I was doing on Sportsphone helped me. I also knew two people at WLS--Bob Sirott and Tommy Edwards, who was already doing the Bulls public address. So, they asked me to come into the station. I met everyone else there, including the program director John Gehron, and they all liked what they heard, but Bud told me, yeah, we’ll get back to you. We’re looking at 50 other people.

I didn’t think I had a chance. In the interim, I was called in by Reed Pence at the Loop and a couple of other people over there, and they were interested in having a sportscaster too...and we were in the same building as they were (the Hancock)...so that seemed like it could really happen. That chance died when they put together their deal for Disco Demolition. Part of the deal was Mike Veeck would come in and do what was basically nothing more than a promotional announcement for the White Sox. He did that for about a week and a half before the actual event. Obviously after it blew up in their faces, they dumped the idea. Mike Veeck was out.

Now we're in early fall, and I'm traveling to cover the 1979 World Series; the Baltimore Orioles against the "We are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates. I got a call from Bud Miller saying "we want to put you on the air tomorrow with Lujack and Sirott, and we’ll see how it goes for a few weeks." I did those first few reports from the World Series. When I got back from the World Series, the very next morning my son was born. At his wedding a few years ago they played “We are Family," as a sort of remembrance of what was happening when he was born.



As for WLS, I did my first in-studio thing with Bob Sirott (photo), and they called me into a meeting right after that, and offered me a 5-year-contract. I stayed there for the next ten years.





Rick: You’ve done play by play (WNBA, UIC, Northwestern, The Sting, etc.), talk shows (WLUP-FM 97.9, WMVP-AM 1000, WSCR-AM 670 and WCSN-AM 820), and sports reporter, live on site. What is your favorite and why?

Les: I like play by play and doing shows. Those would be Favorite A and 1A. I’m still doing the Chicago Sky play by play. I love hosting talk shows too.

I did my first remote since I'm back at the Score at this year's All-Star Game and that was fantastic. I love doing those. I’ve done shows from Super Bowls and World Series too, but one of my favorite shows was at the Wyndam Hotel, right across the street from Delta Center in Utah the night of the last Bulls Championship. MJ hit the game winning bucket over Bryan Russell of the Jazz. That all night show was a blast thanks mostly to the listeners and callers. All that week North and Jiggets were doing their show from there too. When the Bulls won the game and the championship, it was amazing.

I love doing those shows, but I love the play by play too. I think I've folded seven or eight teams. The Chicago hustle owed me about 13 grand when they went out of biz. (Photo: Les with Chicago Hustle President John Garrity). I did the first ever broadcast from the UIC Pavilion and the Rosemont Horizon. The Horizon game was an indoor soccer game, and it was the same night as the famous "Who Shot JR" Dallas episode, a show I'm proud to say, I've never seen.

Rick: You're one of the many sportscasters in town who have done the sports radio shuffle, going from one sports station to the other and back again.

Les: Greg Solk was the first guy who put me on overnights on WMVP. I'll always appreciate him for that. At the time they were mainly going syndicated. Larry Wert was the GM there then, and I really like him--we get along great--but when he signed the Fabulous Sports Babe, I told him: "You just signed our death certificate." They put her up head to head with North & Jiggets, and those guys kicked our butts.

Rick: I know you’re best known for getting that Lee Elia tape, and I’ll get to that in a second, but you were also one of the select few live witnesses to one of the most compelling moments in Chicago radio history. Tell me about the day that Larry Lujack burst into the Steve & Garry studio and challenged him to a fight. You were right there in the studio when it happened.

Les: I thought I was going to have to break up a fist fight. It was Thanksgiving eve, the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, and the office was almost totally empty. Steve was ripping Larry on the air, which he did nearly every day. Garry had a broken foot. Larry (photo) was hanging out at the station, which is something he did on occasion, long after his show was over.

Well, Larry walked into the studio and wished Steve & Garry a happy Thanksgiving. It was very tense. They went back and forth, and back and forth, and one of Steve’s kids was there, and he started crying. After that, Larry left. After Larry was gone, Steve said "If he ever comes back in here, I’ll break both of his legs."

Well, things continued in the days to come. I flew to Miami for the Dolphins-Bears game (1985), because Steve & Garry were doing the show from Miami Beach. I got a lot of Bears players live on the air with Steve and Garry. We had Fridge, Fencik, etc. So anyway, I'm doing a sportscast from there, and at the end of the sportscast, Larry came on from Chicago to say “Hey Les, did you hear about my new feature? It's called 'Whose afraid of the big fat pig? The truth about to Steve Dahl.' Needless to say, this got back to Steve.

So, we're back in the studio in Chicago, and I'm doing my sportscast, talking about the Bears, when all of a sudden the door opens and Larry comes in and my mic is still open and I say “Lar, why couldn't you do this when Jim Johnson was in here?” Of course, he came in while I was there on purpose because I was on both of their shows. Jim was a Steve & Garry partisan, but I wasn't allowed to choose sides.

Steve says “Larry get out.” But Larry says, "I heard what you said the other day, so I just wanted to see if you’re going to break both my legs before I throw your head through the wall." It wasn’t a bit. It wasn’t fake. Then Larry says he is going to promote his new feature, so Steve and Garry leave the studio, and Steve says "Let’s leave Mr. Insane alone in his insane world." Garry, who has a broken leg remember, hobbles out of the studio. Lujack sits down at the console and says "So, I guess I’m finishing the show. He said 'Les, we were talking about football, right?' I did the sign off and got the f*** out of there.

About ten minutes later three Chicago coppers got off the elevators and most of the employees were gone. I greeted the cops and they said they got a report that a riot had broken out at WLS, and I told them there was nothing to worry about.

The next morning I was in studio with Larry for what was supposed to be the "Whose afraid of the big fat pig" thing, but he didn't do it. He said that he and Steve had a nice chat and had resolved their differences. Of course, within two days Steve was ripping him again and the war stayed on for the rest of their time there.

Rick: You were also in the middle of that Bears Super Bowl controversy regarding the alleged Jim McMahon comment about women in New Orleans. How did that go down?

Les: That was just a few months later. I was covering the Bears in the Super Bowl. We were doing the show down there in New Orleans, and Catherine Johns called to say, "Les, what’s the story about Jim McMahon calling the women of New Orleans sluts? It supposedly happened on Fred's show." I said it didn’t happen. He wasn’t on our show. First of all, McMahon would never have gotten up that early to do the show.

Then Fred says to me, we're getting calls from all over the place. Toward the end of Fred’s show, and leading into the midday show, I was leaving Tony’s House of Spaghetti (where we doing the show), and was heading over to the Hilton. We were carrying Ditka’s news conference live on the air at the time, the first station to ever do that. Today anyone could carry it, but not then.

Anyway, I get there for the news conference and Mark Giangreco (photo) comes up to me and asks about the McMahon thing. Again, I denied it ever happened. So he says I gotta interview you. They roll, turn on the lights, and I said that it wasn’t true, he wasn’t there, blah blah blah. I said 'Mark, this is a bunch of bullshit.' They bleeped it out.

Suddenly there were three of four writers floating around, and Jim Rose of Channel 7 says I gotta get you next. By the time he turns the lights out there were 40 writers around me asking questions. Then Johnny Morris says that Jeannie needs to get you next. Channel 9, ESPN, CNN, a Boston station, a Providence station, you name it. By the time the last one ended there were 150 writers around. Ditka was being interviewed by maybe 3 people.

Buddy DeLoberto was the guy that had "broken” the story and started up the whole firestorm. The Bears got calls from a redneck threatening to bomb the hotel, and DeLoberto had told women to show up and give McMahon a hard time by throwing toilet paper at him. There were 150 women outside the hotel, armed with toilet paper.

So, I was brought into a room with Paul Tagliabue (who was Rozelle’s right hand man). The McCaskeys were there, a Bears PR person, and a few others, and they start grilling me, so I said what I had already told the press: “DID NOT HAPPEN.” Then they got Buddy's station on the phone, and they admitted that their guy had made a mistake. Tagliabue says "Do you know what kind of liability you’re facing?” The station calms him down by telling him that they’re suspending Buddy.

After it was over, the NFL folks thanked me, and Ed McCaskey thanked me, but the one person that looked unhappy was Mike McCaskey. I'm convinced he was disappointed that McMahon was off the hook because he hated McMahon and wanted him suspended. He knew they could win that Super Bowl without him.

I got to my room and there were like 20 messages. I did a bunch of interviews and this thing just didn’t want to go away. McMahon in his book said he was going to the ballroom to deny it, after being tipped off by his agent Steve Zucker, "and I see Les Grobstein looking like an unmade bed surrounded by reporters."

I didn’t get to talk to him about it until the next year and he thanked me for what I did. He said “As far as I’m concerned, you’re alright.”

Rick: OK, finally, I want to hear about that famous Lee Elia moment.

Les: That tape was on every continent of the planet in three days. Only Antartica we’re not sure about, but they probably heard it there too.

(YouTube clip of Les' Lee Elia tape. Warning: This one is unbleeped.)

Tommy Edwards on AM and Steve & Garry on FM were the first two shows to actually play it on the air. But the Cubs announcers heard it first. I played it for them in the press box. Vince Lloyd, said “Geezus Lou, he's going to get his ass fired.” Lou said, "You may be right, Good Kid." And Harry couldn't believe it was really Lee at first. I said: "I have a feeling the Lee Elia pre-game show is going to be canceled." They didn't fire Lee right away, but he was gone before the season was over.

Speaking of the Cubs, I'm pulling into the Wrigley Field lot right now.

Rick: Have fun. Thanks for your time, Les.

Les: Any time, Rick. Talk to you soon.

Mark Giangreco

Mark Giangreco appears every week on the Waddle & Silvy show on ESPN Radio AM 1000. He's also the ABC 7 Chicago sports director and primary sports anchor for the number-one-rated 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, and is one of the most recognizable faces in Chicago television. I interviewed him this summer for Shore Magazine, and an edited version of that interview appeared in the magazine. The unedited version is below.



Rick: What's more fun? TV or Radio?

Mark: Radio! I love the freedom to rant and rave and be an idiot without the time constraints and more rigid P-C rules of TV.

Rick: What is the biggest story you've covered?

Mark: I’d say chasing the ‘85 Bears as they terrorized New Orleans before Super Bowl XX…(with going live in a jam-packed closet of a locker room out in L.A. as the Bulls celebrated their 1st NBA Title a close second)

Rick: Of all the people you've met covering sports, who has impressed you the most?

Mark: Muhammad Ali (of course) and former Blackhawk, actor, golf pro and ski instructor Eric Nesterenko. He could be ”The most interesting man in world.”

Rick: How has technology changed your job since you started in this business?

Mark: When I broke in, we were making the transition from film to video tape (Man, I’m old!) Now, it’s all about the internet. If you have a phone you know everything. That’s why local news has to bring something else to the table like real human beings with intellect, presence and personality.

Rick: What is the biggest misconception about television sportscasters?

Mark: We don’t just roll in and read a teleprompter. We actually work long days…and while many anchor teams try to CREATE a sense of family...very few actually have real off-air relationships with one another. I’m lucky to have genuine, 25 year friendships with my colleagues and I think it shows.

Rick: What do you consider the most embarrassing moment of your TV career?

Mark: I don’t know if embarrassed is the word but I’ve been suspended for everything from making fun of downtown Detroit, to calling Don King a murderer, and inferring that the NBA playoffs are fixed.

Rick: Every TV person has a good answer to this one--What is the most unusual place you've been recognized?

Mark: I was in Rome , sitting at a sidewalk trattoria when as bus load of tourists pulled up and a bunch of elderly women poured out screaming “Oh my God, everybody over here looks like Mark Giangreco!”

Rick: Tell us something about you that your viewers would be surprised to learn.

Mark: I went to art school as a kid and worked a lot with pen and ink, charcoal and watercolors. I’ve designed sports logos and had a few cartoons published.

Rick: What is your favorite and least favorite part of the job?

Mark: My favorite part of the job is putting the shows together. My least favorite part is being blown off by some moody diva 2 hours after he agreed to do an interview.

Another Chicago Radio Spotlight Update

Brand new interviews return next week, but first I wanted to catch up with a few more of my previous interview subjects that have undergone changes in their careers since we last spoke.


JOHN RECORDS LANDECKER

I interviewed my old boss and pal John Landecker several times for Chicago Radio Spotlight (and he has even interviewed me). Since we last spoke, however, he has begun broadcasting the afternoon show on WIMS Radio in Michigan City, Indiana (he also does a weekend show on WLS). I called him up the other day and asked him to tell me more about going back to his roots and doing small-town radio...

John: I love it. I love it. Are you kidding? It reminds me of my early days in Ann Arbor at a station in the country under the transmitter, but it’s also totally unlike anything I’ve done before. It’s a talk show, first and foremost. To use a term Paula Griffin (my co-host) coined, it’s “go with the flow” radio. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell, and taking that attitude, it can go anywhere. Any topic, any off-hand comment can lead to a new direction, going on line, Googling things as we talk, finding movie clips. I don’t worry about content. If I want to blast something locally in the news—like the local school superintendent, I do. Or the shooting downtown at Randolph and Michigan—that's what I do.

We don’t take a lot of calls because there’s only one phone in the studio, and it rings while you’re on the air (laughs), but when we do take a call it's kind of reminiscent of Boogie Check in a way because I have no idea who is calling and what they're calling about. That has been so much fun. We get great calls, but it’s mainly us. My co-host is Paula Griffin and she is a native of the area and has worked here in radio for quite awhile. I still do some of the stuff I've always done, like the little quicky parody songs, and what not, but this is local radio so, literally, anything goes. And the commute! The commute is rough. (John lives in Michigan City). There was a truck on the road the other day and it made my commute 12 minutes! You probably can't pick up the signal in parts of Chicago, but you can listen on the internet. Just go to www.wimsradio.com


STEVE DALE

I interviewed Steve Dale just before my summer sabbatical, and he had just been let go by WGN Radio. He didn't remain on the sidelines for long, and is now back on the air at WLS. I got in touch with him the other day and asked him about his turbulent summer, which included switching stations, having the Mayor declare "Steve Dale Day" in Chicago, and a terrible personal loss...

Steve: I was able to come out of the closet at WLS, and admit that for years I've been listening to Roe Conn. His knowledge base on every topic on the planet is incredible. I spoke with Roe on air about Michael Vick, and he spouted off how dogs evolved - geez, who knows the latest theory on that. He does! Students don't need to go to Columbia to learn to be a talk show host, just listen to him. And Don and Roma are sort of, kind of, today's version of Bob and Betty Sanders. I'm not talking about content, as much as the interplay between them. I met them briefly - if they only knew how thrilled I was. The thing about Don and Roma is that magically they are able to speak to listeners one by one, as if they are only talking to you. It's truly a rare talent. And I also have the pleasure of being a guest with Pat Cassidy, an absolute pro. I'm kind of afraid but hoping to go head to head with Mancow on topics where we don't agree, such as breed bans. I've yet to meet him.

I'm on WLS Saturday afternoons at 2 (for now), but when Notre Dame sports hit, I'll be on at 6 a.m. Saturdays. Well, at least I'll be doing morning drive on a 50,000 watt giant. I'm honored to be at WLS. We've built a ginormous amount of content on our pet pages www.wlsam.com, with more to come. We even have videos on the site, and link to a Blog - and much, much more. An we do an hour of On Demand radio, available each week, anytime with some of the most noted pet personalities in America, http://wlsam.com/sectional.asp?id=33547. I'm treated well, and most important, I hope I'm able to help individual pet owners, and talk about relevant issues. My challenge is finding a way to communicate to my old littermates at WGN, that I've moved up the dial. We even had billboards around town. That was cool.

Unfortunately, my dad passed away just 2 days after the 'Steve Dale Day' was scheduled. I was staying with him in hospice. I had to phone the Alderman, and explain I could not attend. My dad sparked my interest in animals. Interestingly, when he was around 20, his goals were either to work in radio, or become a zoologist. Well, ever since I was 20 (or even younger, actually), I've worked in radio in one way or another. I never became a zoologist, but I do work with animals. That's why from here on out, as long as I'm on the air, I'll thank my dad at the end of every show.


ANDREA DARLAS

I interviewed Andrea two years ago when she was doing news on the WGN Morning show with Spike O'Dell. She's still doing the morning news on WGN, but has since worked with two other morning hosts; John Williams and Greg Jarrett. I caught up with her again this week and asked her what that experience has been like...

Andrea: It's true! I have had the good fortune of working with 3 different "major market" personalities in the past year. I think each of our hosts brings with him/brought with him to the table something unique, and hopefully enjoyable for our listeners.

Spike was "the guy next door," someone everyone could relate to! He was-- and is-- one of the nicest, most down to earth, humble people you would ever want to meet. Spike had a unique way of blending current events with fun and humor into his show, and it showed... he was "KING" of morning radio during his reign! We keep in touch several times a week via email, facebook, etc, and he STILL makes me smile every time we talk!

John Williams brought a whole different persona to the morning show. As a morning show host, John was much more serious and much more into current events and the news of the day. But, John also has a very DRY sense of humor and -- like Spike-- John doesn't mind "throwing himself under the bus" every now and again to get a few laughs!

Greg Jarrett is kind of a combination of John and Spike. Greg is a total "News Guy"...he's been around the world literally "in the trenches" covering all kinds of interesting stories and is able to bring those stories to the show and incorporate them into his interviews. But, he's not "all news".... he has a great sense of humor, too!

I think the biggest similarity they all share is that they, like all of us, are very proud to be affiliated with WGN because the radio station has always been such a staple in the Chicago area!


JERRY AGAR

I first met and interviewed Jerry shortly after he arrived in town, and was doing the midday show at WLS. He was moved out of that time slot to make way for Mancow and Pat Cassidy, and then a few months ago, made the move down the dial to WGN Radio. I caught up with him the other day and asked how the transition has gone...

Jerry: All is well. I am doing up to three shows on the weekend, depending on the Cubs schedule. I also do fill-in for various weekday shows. I was on for Cochran a few times and I will be doing the over-night soon.

I was the guy who did the first several weeks in mid-morning after they let Kathy and Judy go, so I took the hits and the hate for the radio station. No problem - as an opinionated host, I am used to that.



DOBIE MAXWELL

One of the contributors to Jerry Agar's show is Dobie Maxwell. He's a part of the segment known as "Jerry's Kidders." I first interviewed Dobie last year when he was doing that segment on WLS. Dobie had a big summer. He made his national television debut as a comedian (on Craig Ferguson's show). I recently caught up with him and asked him how that went, and what it's like to do "Jerry's Kidders" on a different radio station...

Dobie: Getting on national television was like my whole life flashing in front of my eyes. I thought about all the horrific gigs I had to endure to get there and starting out in Milwaukee and my mentors over the years and it was like going down a waterslide of my entire past. It was also like an out of body experience in that I felt like I was watching it from afar rather than living it in person. I'd heard that from others who did their first shot and wasn't sure what it meant. Now I know exactly what they meant and they were 100% accurate.

It was also important to add legitimacy to an entire lifetime of struggle. The very first thing anyone asks when they hear someone is a comedian is "Ever been on TV?" Now I can say yes and not have to fudge something like Good Morning Albuquerque. Craig Ferguson's show is very credibile and it was a terrific experience and one I won't soon forget.

Jerry's Kidders is a little different only because we have to watch out for kids on Saturday mornings when that wasn't much of an issue on WLS, mainly because of the day and time we're on. WLS was Mondays at 11:30. Most kids are in school or at least not listening to WLS in the summer. WGN is on Saturday and there are a lot more kids. We don't try to do an off color show but once in a while when something approaches 'the line', we now have to push that line back a little, or at least we choose to. We're not trying to push any envelopes other than one with a paycheck in it. Other than that, it's been great fun. We all love to have the studios on Michigan Avenue because people can watch us perorm, and that's what we're used to so we don't mind at all.


MARK ZANDER

I interviewed Mark two years ago when he was in California programming a few stations out there. He has since returned to his hometown of Chicago, and I had the chance to catch up with him recently to ask him what he is doing these days...

Mark: I left my position as High Desert Broadcasting Rock Programmer (KLKX and KKZQ) in June of 2008. I came back to Chicago, and re-branded my production company (formerly named Zanderadio Productions) as 4C Studios. In addition to producing The Rockin' 80's (we just celebrated 5 years as a national show!), this past March we launched another national show, The Rockin' 70's. We continue to produce other national content for various clients, and soon will launch a new and unique podcast aimed at a very specific and passionate audience. I have recently done some fill-in work at WERV for Next Media, and have gone back to teaching at Illinois Center For Broadcasting, where I previously taught for ten years.


JACK SILVER

I interviewed former WLUP Program Director Jack Silver earlier this year, just after he was let go by his radio station in Los Angeles. He got a new gig this summer, so I checked back in to find out more...

Jack: I'm back with CBS Radio Los Angeles as Director of Integrated Marketing and Promotions for Classic Hits K Earth 101 and Smooth AC 94.7 The Wave. It's a chance to use my sales skills while integrating clients into live events, broadcasts and other non traditional revenue ops. I like it a lot and both stations are huge in Southern California.


DAVE BENSON

I interviewed former WLUP and WXRT veteran Dave Benson two years ago for Chicago Radio Spotlight when he was the program director of KFOG in San Francisco. He was let go in the spring, and re-emerged in Seattle over the summer. I asked him to tell me about the journey, which I have been following on Facebook. He handled the situation in a way only Benson would handle it...

Dave: Well, things at KFOG came to an end in mid-April. Cumulus told me I'd done a great job (KFOG was # 1 in demo in April) but that I "just wasn't their kind of guy," so they didn't offer me another contract. That was fine with me. Over the 3 years of Cumulus' ownership the company's priorities and capabilities had become clear. Cumulus is a broadcast property consolidation company. Quality, localized programming isn't something they excel at or seem to aspire to. And the reality of their precarious financial position just made them more and more desperate, which lead to even more screw tightening and fear-based decision making. I had a great run at KFOG and hated to leave those good folks behind but I also looked forward to a break. I hung out a bit, walked the dog, rode the bike and just enjoyed living in my home during daylight hours.

I decided to take the kind of trip that you can only do when you've got enough time, so I got ready to go and then got a call from the good folks at Entercom. They were interested in having me join them in Seattle and they were willing to be patient while I took my trip. We made a deal and I took off for about 6 weeks, going to New York, London, Paris, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan. I landed in Seattle on a Friday in late July and went to work the next Monday. I feel very fortunate to be able to go back to work with a company that aspires to quality broadcasting. And the move to Seattle feels great. I'm among friends and talented radio folks once again and I look forward to the work and life in this area."

Dane Placko

Dane Placko makes frequent radio appearances discussing the stories he's covering on Fox-32, not to mention the stories that concern the love of his life: The Chicago Cubs (Sorry Mrs. Placko!). Dane has been with Fox 32 for seventeen years now, serving as a general assignment reporter for most of that time. He also cohosts Fox Chicago Sunday with Jack Conaty. I interviewed Dane for Shore Magazine over the summer, and an edited version of that interview appeared in the magazine. This is the unedited version.


Rick: What is the biggest story you've covered?

Dane: I've been lucky enough to cover a lot of big stories... from presidential campaigns to mob trials to natural disasters. Probably the biggest story I covered from start to finish was Jeffrey Dahmer. I was working in Milwaukee at a station just a few blocks from his apartment. I remember getting the early morning call at home from our overnight producer. She heard chatter on the police radio about heads in a refrigerator. I told her it was probably just some bored cops screwing around. Half an hour later she calls back and says "No, they really found heads in a refrigerator."

A couple days later I got a tip that the Milwaukee police were called to Dahmer's apartment months earlier after some witnesses saw him chasing a naked boy into the street. They believed Dahmer's story that the boy was an adult and allowed him to take the drugged boy back into his apartment. That child, and several more people, was subsequently killed by Dahmer. The story of the police error was a huge exclusive that roiled the community and led to several police reforms.

Rick: What was the most embarrassing on-air blooper?

Dane: I remember anchoring a noon newscast in Des Moines many years ago. I had to read a story about help for people with dyslexia, and I completely botched the read. Couldn't get a word out straight. It felt like time stopped. I'm sure they're still playing that clip on the WHO TV Christmas party blooper reel.

Rick: Of all the people you've met covering the news, who has impressed you the most?

Dane: I remember the first time I met Barack Obama. It was in 1999 at a southside news conference on payday loan legislation. He was a state senator representing Hyde Park. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak it was clear this was no ordinary machine hack. I remember going back to the newsroom and telling a colleague "I just met the most remarkable politician...."

Rick: How has technology changed your job since you started in this business?

Dane: We were still using manual typewriters and carbon forms when I started. The wire service copy was delivered on a massive machine that looked like an iron-clad corner mailbox. I remember around 1985 our newsroom got one of the early cellphones, the ones that looked like a car battery with a shoulder strap. I took it to the Iowa State Fair to do some live reports and it was a bigger curiosity than the Butter Cow.

Now we're delivering live reports on contraptions that look like Dick Tracy's wristwatch. The digital revolution's greatest impact on the news business is that we're now ALWAYS on deadline. Instead of having hours to craft a story for the late newscast, we have to get multiple versions online throughout the day. The news cycle continues to spin faster and faster, and I'm not sure tthat's always a good thing.

A funny story about old technology in the new media world. I used to sit next to legendary anchor Walter Jacobson in our newsroom. As brilliant as Walter was at findng scoops and breaking stories, he had absolutely no use for technology and computers. He was still using an electric typewriter just a couple years ago. So I would be on the phone talking to someone about a story, and they would inevitably ask about the clickety clack sound in the background. People thought I was kidding when I told them it was just Walter hammering out a script on his IBM Selectric.

Rick: What is the biggest misconception about television news people?

Dane: People often think if you work in TV news you have a team of producers and researchers at your beck and call. I often get asked "Who writes the stuff you read?"or "Who goes out and talks to those people in your stories?" They seem a little surprised when they learn that television reporters are responsible for, well, reporting. And writing.

Rick: What is your favorite part of the job?

Dane: I really really enjoy getting a good tip and working to develop it into a story. Since I do a lot of the political corruption investigations and tax waste stories at Fox, I'm only as good as my sources and tips. Sometimes the phone will ring and out of the blue someone will give you the lead on a great story. There's a sense of euphoria you get as a reporter when you're the only one holding a hot piece of information. Then you dig and develop, sometimes for weeks, before the story makes air.

Rick: If you weren't in television, what would you be doing?

Dane: I'd probably still be flipping burgers at Steak 'N Shake. That was my first "real" job at 16. The way the media business is going... I probably WILL be flipping burgers at Steak 'N Shake.

Chicago Radio Spotlight Update

Hello, all. Hope you had a nice summer. Mine was a lot of fun.

I have a bunch of new interviews scheduled in the coming weeks, but before I get to them, I wanted to update some of my previous interviews. More than a dozen of my previous interview subjects have changed jobs or had something significant happen to them over the summer.

I caught up with a few of them this week...


CHARLIE MEYERSON

I previously interviewed Charlie two years ago when he was the editor of Daywatch, but this summer he was named WGN News Director. I got in touch with him the other day to ask the question I've been wondering about...

Rick: What are your plans for the WGN News department?

Charlie: Radio news in the 21st Century faces many of the same issues confronting newspapers and other established media. For instance: In an age when the latest headlines are (or can be) at anyone's fingertips on demand via smartphone or netbook, why does anyone need a half-hourly newscast? How can we make each of those broadcasts unique, "must-hear" events?

The challenges are particularly acute right now for low-fi AM radio in a hi-fi/hi-def landscape. But the good news is that in the world ahead -- when all radio will be available via the Web and WiFi and WiMax -- an audio stream will be an audio stream will be an audio stream. The playing field will have been leveled, and the best and most compelling programming will win.

I would love to get others' thoughts on these matters, and one of the first things I did after taking the job was to establish a page to do that: WGNRadio.com/RadioNext

I'm not sure how to solve the puzzles on the table, but I hope the quest will prove fun and rewarding -- for us and our audience.


DAN MCNEIL

I've spoken to Dan many times over the years, and got an update from him after he left his job at ESPN. This summer he returned to the Score, and now hosts the mid-morning show with Matt Spiegel. I asked him how it was going...

DAN: I'm pleased with the direction the new show has taken. It feels comfortable and I wouldn't have anticipated that in such short order. You never know how these things will go. It's not a predictable thing. Spiegel is all I thought he'd be and I had high expectations from the lad. He pushes when it's the right time and can 'drive' it from time to time. I've never had that from a partner and it's refreshing. We also laugh a lot. With each other and with the audience. The Score needed an infusion of joy.


EDDIE VOLKMAN

I interviewed Eddie (right) about a year ago when he was still doing the morning show with JoBo at B-96. I caught up with him again this week to find out what he and JoBo are up to and what they have planned.

Eddie: Our 8-month contract payout just ended in late July, and negotiating with any other broadcast outlets BEFORE that would have violated the contract, and we're not stupid! Ha Ha!

So Jobo and I just chilled and enjoyed the paid vacation. I travelled a lot, including Hawaii, Europe, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Nashville & more.

Jobo mostly spent time at his Freeport, Illinois houses, designing, remodeling, and relaxing.

We've recently been in some meetings with a few Chicago radio groups and feel pretty good about popping back up on Chicago morning radio again soon, of course as "Eddie & Jobo."

We both did very well financially with our last contract, so we're willing to wait for just the right situation and deal to come along. I'm headed up to Vancouver for a week or so, then down to Oklahoma to visit my daughters. But thanks to digital media, I'm always close-by... I'll keep you posted!



MELISSA FORMAN

I've interviewed Melissa several times over the last few years, including this interview from two years ago. Just a few weeks ago she was let go by the Lite, which was a pretty surprising move. I got in touch with her the other day, and as you might expect, she isn't at liberty to talk about some things (contractually), so I asked if she had anything to say to her fans (who she wasn't allowed to say farewell to.) She replied...

Melissa: Thanks, Rick! I appreciate all the great support and emails from everyone! It means the world. A new website will be live soon at www.melissaforman.com. You can email me there at anytime. I'm really excited about moving forward and will definitely talk to you soon!


For the next few weeks I'll be posting a bonus interview--the unedited versions of my interviews with some Chicago television stars that also moonlight in radio. Last Wednesday I posted the Mark Suppelsa interview. This coming Wednesday it will be Dane Placko.

Next weekend I catch up with a few more previous interview subjects, all of whom have undergone big changes since we last spoke.

Mark Suppelsa

Mark Suppelsa is the morning news anchor for the Eric & Kathy show at WTMX, but he's also the co-anchor at WGN-TV News at 5:30 and 9. I interviewed Mark for Shore Magazine over the summer, and an edited version of that interview appeared in the magazine. The unedited interview is below.



Rick: You've been a reporter now for two decades. In those years, what do you consider to be the biggest story you've covered?

Mark: The biggest story I covered would certainly have to be the week of 9/11. And oddly enough, I wasn’t in New York , Washington or PA. I wasn’t even out in the field. Yet the circumstances played out so I essentially helped anchor all of the coverage for the week for NBC5. The main anchors Warner Saunders and Allison Rosati both happened to be out of the country on vacation and couldn’t, for obvious reasons, get flights back. So for 4 straight days beginning with the morning of 9/11, I had a news earpiece attached for about 13 hours a day as our coverage weaved between network and our local coverage. I felt at the time that I couldn’t detach for one minute because I might miss something. It is still an understatement to say, it was a most extraordinary time for us in that newsroom.

Rick: How about the other end of the spectrum? What was the most embarrassing on-air blooper of your career?

Mark: My most embarrassing moment dates back to my first full year employed on air in television. 1984 in Green Bay , Wisconsin at WFRV-TV. It was the day after Thanksgiving and I was the new kid anchor, writing and producing the 5 minute local news cut-in on the half hour during Good Morning America. Unaware of the time, the director came running into my edit suite to tell me we were on the air in less than two minutes. I tossed him the tape I’d been editing and grabbed my suit coat. I ran the hundred yard dash from the newsroom to the news studio and sat down as the floor director counted down from 10. That’s 10 seconds before I was on the air.

Suddenly, I realized I’d forgotten something important. My news scripts! So I did what any panicked, green, cub anchor would do: I ducked underneath the news desk and begged them to play a commercial. What you saw on the tv screen was an empty, swiveling, anchor chair.

But wait! It got worse. During that 60 second commercial break, I ran back to the newsroom to get the scripts and ran back to the studio not realizing a person can’t anchor the news very well while out of breath and practically hyperventilating. So for the next several minutes on air, I could barely get the words out, trying to explain why I was out of breath. When it was over, I thought, perhaps because it’s the day after Thanksgiving most people might be sleeping in and hopefully missed my most embarrassing moments.

Wrong. My general manager was on the phone within minutes.

Rick: When you do this for a long time, you meet an amazing array of people from all walks of life. Of all the people you've met covering the news, who has impressed you the most?

Mark: It is difficult to name –the- most impressive person that I’ve covered. While covering President Clinton’s 1996 re-election bid, I watched him as he took a whistle-stop train from town to town on his way to the Democratic Convention in Chicago . It was then that I witnessed his legendary ability to speak sans notes for hours on end to different crowds with different messages without every hearing a slip up or stumble.

But I found Minneapolis businessman and best selling author Harvey Mackay to be an extraordinary person. No one had more energy and ideas, and no one continued to learn new tools for life more than this man. He was learning Japanese in his 60’s back in the late 1980’s because he thought that Japan would be the next frontier for his business interests. He was right.

Rick: What is your favorite and least favorite part of the job?

Mark: The favorite part of the job is uncovering new information for a story you’re working. The chase is the challenge. The least favorite is the concept developed by consultants of selecting news story topics that supposedly attract a particular audience demographic. I’ve always felt, a good story, told well, will attract anyone.

Rick: Has technology changed your job since you started in this business?

Mark: Technology has been both a curse and boon to our business. Technology is killing the newspaper business as we’ve known it. Now, it’s making television more challenging as we try to harness an audience that is increasingly getting more and more news off the web. However, I’m always using Facebook and now Twitter to update that audience with news items and recruit them to our newscasts. So embracing technology instead of fearing it can produce results.

Rick: I know this happens all the time and it seems like TV people all have good answers to this question--What is the most unusual place you've been recognized?

Mark: Probably the most unusual place I was recognized was while canoeing on a lake in Montana . And I was recognized by a Minnesota viewer who remembered my days at KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities! It had been years since I’d been there having moved in 1993 to my hometown of Chicago. Those Minnesota viewers never forget.

Rick: Tell us something about you that your listeners/viewers would be surprised to learn.

Mark: That I drove a Chevy Cavalier for nearly 10 years until last year. Ok, it –was- a convertible. But I did get a fair amount of razzing from my tv colleagues who’d cruise by in their luxury vehicles.

Rick: If you weren't in television or radio, what would you be doing?

Mark: I half seriously say I’d be a forest ranger in the mountains of Montana. I just don’t think it’d pay the upcoming college bills for my kids.

Summer Vacation

I'm going to be taking a short sabbatical from Chicago Radio Spotlight this summer. I have all three boys home with me all day every day, and I discovered the last couple of summers that their presence doesn't happily coexist with attempts at conducting professional interviews.


(Photo:Rick & Bridget Kaempfer)

Chicago Radio Spotlight will return at the end of August. If there's anyone out there that you'd really like me to interview, drop me a line. I have a list of upcoming interview subjects, but I'm always open to your suggestions. If you have contact information for the interviewee...all the better. My e-mail address is amishrick@yahoo.com.

In the meantime, I will still be covering the media (among other things) in my daily blog (Rick Kaempfer), and I will still be writing my weekly humor column for NWI Parent (Father Knows Nothing). My Cubs history website (Just One Bad Century) will also be up and running all summer.

Also, I've written a few articles for SHORE Magazine that will be coming out in the next few weeks. I interviewed a bevy of Chicago television personalities including Mark Suppelsa, Mark Giangreco, Dane Placko, Kristyn Hartman, and Bob Sirott. When those articles are out, I'll post the link here.

Have a great summer, and thanks for your support these past few years.

All the best,
Rick

Greg Easterling

Greg Easterling is the overnight host at WDRV, The Drive.







Rick: You've been doing overnights at the Drive now for five years. Every overnight guy has his or her own ritual for staying awake and alert during that time. Otherwise, a "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" or a "Welcome to the Machine" at 3AM could be enough to finish you off. What are some of your tricks of the trade?

Greg: I usually get an evening nap, an hour or two if possible before I head downtown to The Drive. That and a cup or two of coffee while I'm on the air. Y'know, when I first started doing overnights here, I thought I might come downtown and catch a set at Buddy Guy's or Jazz Showcase before my shift but now that's something I rarely do. Without a little rest in advance, there's a point between 3 or 4am when the average person starts to get real sleepy. Obviously I can't let that happen or it's over to the kitchen to splash some cold water on my face! And let's not forget the drive home afterward! Most of the time, I try to get on my way quickly before AM traffic builds. There's nothing worse than driving when you're tired in slow rush hour traffic.

Rick: I've done that shift myself, and the people that call in overnights are just a little bit different than the callers during the day. Do you have any good stories about strange calls you've gotten from listeners?

Greg: I haven't had any calls that were too bizarre over the last five years. No threats and no stalkers! And since the advent of the internet, many of my "calls" are emails. I occasionally hear from third shifters and truck drivers passing through who really depend on us and our music to keep them going. And I've had listeners who set their alarm clocks to wake up in the middle of the night and listen to a particular vinyl album side I'm featuring at 3am. Can you imagine that? Of course, you get your share of stoners or mentally challenged individuals, some more demanding than others. But some of the best messages I get are emails from former Chicagoans who listen online like Peggy from FL or Barb from WI, who's one of the biggest Chicago(the band) fans ever. And there's Paul from Liverpool, UK who keeps me updated on the latest Beatle and Eric Clapton related events over there.

Rick: I've listened to you at several different radio stations now (particularly WXRT, Q-101, and the Bear), and it's always been very obvious to me that you really know the music. I know you've also written about music for years (for publications like "The Illinois Entertainer"). Is the music what drew you into this business in the first place, and do you still have that passion for it today?

Greg: Yes, it's really been all about the music for me and I'm still listening to new releases while rediscovering things I missed years ago or jazz, blues or country that came out before I was born in the mid-50's. Working at The Drive is a continual reminder of the classic rock that got me into music in the 60s. I thought about going into journalism at New Trier and then my first college radio experience was doing newscasts while covering a regular student government beat at the U of I. But once I started playing music on the radio in a progressive rock format, my journalistic aspirations started to decline bigtime! (Photo: former Poco frontman Richie Furay, Greg Easterling & Bob Stern). As you mentioned, I've written about music over the years so I channeled that interest in a different direction; I still blog on many of the vinyl album sides I feature overnight at wdrv.com.

Rick: The Drive is obviously a juggernaut in the PPM ratings system. What do you think it is about the station's approach that has made it so successful?

Greg: I hate to sound like a broken record, but first and foremost The Drive's success is based on the music. We're pulling songs from the classic rock years, one of the most fertile periods ever musically. We play The Beatles more than anyone else in town; I just read online where they've sold more albums since 2000 than anyone except Eminem and this is almost 40 years since they broke up! We're pleasing the boomers who grew up with this music...and in many cases, their kids who also recognize and enjoy it. We've also evolved musicially which any great station must do or die. We didn't play "newer" artists like U2 and The Pretenders when we started and now we do because their music sounds good alongside The Beatles and The Stones.

Of course, there were other stations like WCKG and CD 94.7 who once held the classic rock "franchise" in Chicago and somehow bungled it away. So to paraphrase Eric Clapton, it's in the way that we use it!

There's the Drive's thoughtful, non hyped on-air approach that compliments the music. Early on, listeners begged us NOT to have a "funny", personality-oriented show in the morning so Steve Downes has always concentrated on the music in his distinctive, witty manner.

Also, we actually pay attention to our listeners and their comments. That's why we have The Drive Advisory Board which is comprised of listeners. We want to know what they have to say.

Rick: I know I always mention this when I run into another fellow WPGU-alum, but I can't help myself. I'm going to do it again. At the Drive you're actually the meat of a PGU-sandwich. Phil Manicki, who is on before you, and Kathy Voltmer who is on after you, also worked at WPGU in Urbana-Champaign. Why do you think so many of us that came out of that program have managed to make it in Chicago radio?

Greg: I'm proud of our PGU roots too Rick, and the successes our fellow alumni have enjoyed in Chicago and elsewhere. Maybe it was something in the water at Weston Hall! We were the best college radio station of our era....a 24 hour commercial station that played a progressive mix of music staffed almost entirely by unpaid student volunteers. While some of us had high school radio experience at places like New Trier or Lyons Township, many didn't and were mentored by slightly older, more experienced students. While I had some good classes at the College of Communications at U of I, my most valuable experience was hands on at WPGU, especially as Program Director for a year back in the mid 70s.

Students actually showed up for their shifts on time at PGU, a chronic problem for student stations and even an issue at some stations staffed by "adults". Not only did PGUer's "show up", they also performed well on-air.

Rick: I know you were born in Decatur, but you spent most of your formative years in Chicago during the late 60s and early 70s. That was a very exciting time for radio in Chicago. Who were some of the people you listened to in those days, and who had the biggest influence on your approach to doing a show?

Greg: I stated listening to the radio steadily in the mid 60s after my family moved to Northbrook from Central Illinois. I have an older brother named Steve who began listening listening to WLS and WCFL and began buying records so that got me going. I heard personalities like Biondi, Lujack, Joel Sebastian, Ron Britain (photo) and many others. Britain did a show on Sunday nights on WCFL called Subterranean Circus; that's the first place I heard artists like Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart's early, best recordings.

Then I crossed over to FM in search of more progressive fare that was on late at night and these individuals were even more influential; Saul on Triad Radio on WXFM, early XRT announcers like John Platt and Seth Mason( a number of years before they were on 24 hours a day) and dj's whose names I barely remember on WVVX, located over the Highland Park Theatre. Several of the VVX folks were nice enough to let me sit in the studio and watch them work even though I was just some punk high school kid who dropped by to say hi. I was impressed with the relatively low key manner in which these FM announcers talked about the music and the interesting, new sounds they were playing.

Rick: After you left Champaign in the late 70s you really paid your dues working in some small markets like Carbondale, Taylorville, and Casper, Wyoming. Do you have any good small market radio stories to share?

Greg: One of my best small market radio stories happened down at WTAO-Murphysboro just outside Carbondale. (Photo: WTAO staff) This was my first job after graduating from the U of I; I'm pretty sure I was replacing a guy who got fired when he turned the transmitter off and went home after the next jock failed to show up in a timely fashion! I did overnights for most of my time at TAO. When I started there, Merle(not his real name), the morning announcer at TAO also did the evening show because he was the owner's buddy and made more than the rest of us. Two shifts a day, and voice tracking wasn't an option!

So on one of my nights off, the next announcer didn't show up on time and we had a midnight album that we tracked. Merle started the album and then left the station to go home and get some sleep for his morning show that began in a few hours! The next announcer never showed and the album just tracked on the final groove on Side 1 on air until a concerned listener called the Murphysboro Police. One of the policemen comes over to the station, comes in through a window after getting no response(obviously), flips the record over to Side 2 and then calls one of the managers whose number he found someplace. Smart guy...and they should have given him a job doing weekends except he would had to look the other way at any number of questionable activities going on there!

Rick: You also do a roots music public radio program called American Backroads at WDCB at COD. Talk a little bit about that show for people who may never have heard it before.

Greg: My long running WDCB show is probably the reason I'm still doing radio at all. After my time at The Bear came to an end in the late 90s, I got the first of a series of non-radio jobs. I still had the urge to do radio even though I'd almost given up on finding a Chicago program director who liked my music oriented approach. I shared my vision of doing an hour long American roots music program with Mary Pat Larue over at College of DuPage and she gave me the green light.

I play all kinds of styles there...electric blues, alternative country, acoustic music and roots rock. Over ten years later, I'm still doing it; it's prerecorded and runs Friday nights at 10 on 90.9FM(WDCB.org). We celebrated our tenth anniversary with a concert at Fitzgeralds last summer starring local bluesmen Dave Specter and Eric Noden plus local guitar great and reknowned teacher Louie Zagoras.

Rick: You're stay at WXRT was during an interesting era, when they were also starting to get the Score off the ground. I was over there a couple of times, and I couldn't believe that they squeezed all of you into that little building. It had the weirdest schizophrenic vibe. All these laid back rock dudes and dudettes, suddenly sharing space with these hyper bombastic sports guys. What was that experience like?

Greg: I recall that XRT and the Score got along well. I'm a big Sox, Bears and Bulls fan, other XRT people were sports fans too and original Score hosts like Dan McNeil (photo) were music fans so there was common ground and respect. The facilities on Belmont were cramped as you recall; The Score was crowded into the east side of the building where WSBC, the brokered foreign language station once resided. I used to do production among other things at XRT and I changed my work hours from 9-5 to something like noon- 8p so The Score could use my studio for off-air purposes earlier in the day. Back in '92, The Score had to sign off at sunset so McNeil and Terry Boers would come over to my studio after their show and we'd work on their promo for the next day's show. They liked "Heavy Fuel", a Dire Straits song that XRT was playing at the time and started calling themselves the "Heavy Fuel crew" so we used that song as the music bed for their promos sometimes.

One of my favorite memories in light of recent events was coming back from lunch one day and seeing the late Norm Van Lier standing in front of the station, waiting for a cab. He looked a lot different from the days when I used to watch him play for the Bulls, now minus the big Afro, beard and fierce expression! He couldn't have been nicer as I introduced myself and wished him the best. That was the only time we met; I found out much later that he was a huge music fan, especially of the Rolling Stones. I regret we didn't have a chance to sit down and talk music for awhile.

Rick: Your career has really been interesting and varied with stops all over the dial, and in television, and sales, and seemingly every other part of the media business and beyond. What has been the most rewarding job for you?

Greg: College radio at WPGU in Champaign was the most fun time, perhaps creating some unrealistic expectations that radio would always be that easy and satisfying. But my most rewarding experience has been at The Drive, working with and for some of the best in the business. At most stations when the studio "hotline" rings, you're in trouble but in my experience here at The Drive, it's usually Greg Solk or Patty Martin calling to say they liked something I did. I think you know how unusual and refreshing that is! And I remember taking my family backstage to meet Steve Winwood after a Taste of Chicago concert that the Drive sponsored early on. He took a real interest in my kids, Jeff and Taylor and recommended some music for Jeff, our resident trumpet player to check out. That was a nice moment.