Bernie Tafoya

Bernie Tafoya has been the ace reporter at WBBM-News Radio 780 for the past 22 years, and part of the Chicago radio landscape for more than 30 years.






Rick: I always thought you had one of the most interesting jobs in the business, because you aren’t tied to a radio studio.

Bernie: I think so too, I love it. I can do my reports from anywhere. I love being on the street.

Rick: And with the technological advances recently you don’t have to come in at all.

Bernie: That’s true. The only time I really come into the station is to turn in my expense reports. (laughs) I have a small digital recorder about 7 inches by 4 inches that has a mic input, a phone jack, and a USB port. I can record phone interviews or on the street interviews with this thing. I can upload the audio into the computer, edit it, and send it wirelessly into the newsroom. The quality is fantastic, and it really does give you incredible flexibility to cover all sorts of different things.

Rick: I think that all-news radio serves an important role. My fear is that it’s an expensive format to keep on the air, and that the bosses will think that they can cut back on reporting. Without people like you on the street, however, the format becomes nothing more than an audio version of reading the newswire. Do you think the people that run radio understand that?

Bernie: I think they do understand that, especially at BBM. To be honest, when you add in the people we have full time and part time now, I’d say we’re not quite where we were at one time, but we’re pretty close. When a big story breaks, we don’t have use smoke and mirrors to cover it. We can throw all sorts of people onto the story to cover every angle, and experienced reporters, too. I like to joke that even though I’ve been at BBM for 22 years, I’m still only like the middle guy on the totem pole. John Cody has been here 40 years.

Rick: Describe a typical work day for you at WBBM News Radio 780.

Bernie: I get up around 4 am and check my e-mail. My editor and I coordinate via e-mail early—he usually sends me some suggestions, and I’ve usually sent him some suggestions the night before, and he responds to those.

The great thing about radio news is that the reporters don’t just cover one story a day like the TV people do—sometimes we do 2, 3, or 4 stories in a day, and many different versions of those too.

This morning I interviewed a money magazine editor and used it as a feature story, in addition covering the swine flu story. Yesterday I was with Mayor Daley and the Mayor of Bogota Columbia, which was just named our sister city, but I was also at the school in Rogers Park talking to the people there about the swine flu when that story broke.

I started this shift in August of 2000, and it used to be a cops and robbers beat, but very early on my news director decided to use me in a different way. She knew I had sources in all sorts of other areas, like in education or the church, and she let me cultivate those sources and use them. Plus, the main spokespeople of the various different agencies all knew me. I was very happy to be given that role, because the old cops and robbers stuff wouldn’t have interested me nearly as much.

Rick: But you probably have seen quite a bit of the cops and robbers stuff. I’m guessing you’ve seen some things that most of us will never see. Are there any stories that have even shocked the hard-bitten reporter in you?

Bernie: I don’t know about shock, but I have seen a few things that stick with you. The Amtrack crash, the Brown’s Chicken murder. Believe it or not, though, I still have faith in people. People ask me if I’m ever afraid going into so-called bad neighborhoods, and I’m really not. Most people in most neighborhoods are good people. So-called bad neighborhoods are not to be feared. There are only a few bad eggs.

Rick: Does it help that you grew up in a tough neighborhood yourself?

Bernie: Yes, I suppose it does. I grew up in the CHA projects, but there wasn’t really gunfire at that time, it was more with bats and chains, not that that is much better. To be truthful you do get some street smarts growing up in neighborhoods like that. I’m glad my kids never had to grow up with that—they grew up in the Beverly neighborhood.

Rick: So you’ve never had one of those moments...

Bernie: Well I wouldn’t say that. I’ll give you an example. On 9/11 when the Towers were hit, I was sitting in Dominick’s parking lot in the South Loop and I was listening to BBM. As soon as I heard what was happening, I went rolling to the Sears Tower, and started interviewing people there. I spent most of the day down there, and in the Loop, but then I went to Old St. Pats to talk to people who were looking for a way to find comfort during that difficult time. After I finished reporting, I joined them myself and prayed.

Rick: You’ve also covered some of Chicago’s most historical events. Do you have any favorites?

Bernie: Most recently, I’d have to say the Barack Obama 2008 Presidential election. Reporters have been given a lot of grief about being too pro-Obama, but I wasn’t reporting that story from a pro or anti point of view. It was history. I love history and I was so taken at being in Denver at the convention to witness all that (Photo). I didn’t revel in it as anything more than being an observer to history.

On election day, I was there when he voted for himself for President. That was a big moment too.

Rick: You’ve covered all of Chicago’s mayors since...

Bernie: Michael Bilandic. I use that loosely, though, because I was only a desk assistant at WIND when Bilandic was mayor, and I was really only sent over with a tape recorder a few times. But I’ve legitimately been at City Hall since Jane Byrne (photo) was Mayor. In fact, Mayor Byrne indirectly got me a job with WCLR, because she was so interesting and bound to say absolutely anything that they decided they needed a news staff to cover her so they wouldn’t miss the audio.

Rick: Do you have a favorite Mayor?

Bernie: All of the mayors were unique. Jane was always good for a story. Harold was so eloquent and had a great sense of humor. He was also the one who started the practice of coming into the press room to chit chat with reporters. Mayor Daley does that too sometimes as an off-record kind of thing.

One time I brought my son to work to see what Dad does. He was something like 5-years-old at the time, and Mayor Washington said a few very nice things to him—I have the audio somewhere of that. Mayor Daley can be entertaining too. He has a funny way of saying things.

Rick: You grew up in Chicago listening to Chicago radio. Who were some of the people you listened to that shaped the kind of reporter you became?


Bernie: To be honest I didn’t really listen to news radio, I listened to talk radio and music. I loved Dave Baum (photo) at WIND. And in a weird twist of fate, that ended up being the first place I worked in Chicago. I eventually became his producer, and that was quite a thrill for me.



Rick: You’ve received just about every award in the book: Best Reporter awards from the Associated Press and United Press International, Peter Lisagor Awards from the Chicago Headline Club, and an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Boyden Award from the Chicago Journalists Association. I’m probably missing a few. Is there any one thing you’ve done professionally that you’re most proud of?

Bernie: I like the awards we won as a group, because we’re a team, but as far as the individual awards, I’m probably proudest of the four best reporter awards from AP, and the three second place finishes. Those are for a collection of your work instead of just one story. They mean you can do a variety of different things, and do them well. Those probably mean the most.

Rick: You have the same disease I have, and I’m not talking about swine flu—although it also doesn’t have a cure. You’re a Cubs fan. Have you ever wandered into the sports reporting arena?

Bernie: Not per se. At WCLR, one of my duties was not only to cover City Hall by day, I also had to cover Depaul basketball (in the Mark Aguirre days) and Michael Jordan in his first few seasons with the Bulls at night. That was pretty cool.

I never actually covered the Cubs themselves, but I was sent to cover the story in a news-related way in 2003 during the playoffs, getting fan reactions, and that sort of thing. I went to both Atlanta and Florida for those playoff series. Also, I went to the Rose Bowl to cover Northwestern. We carried them at the time, so I was sent out to Pasadena. Those are fun stories to cover.

Rick: One final question. I’ve listened to your reports for years, and I’ve never heard even the slightest trace of political bias. As someone who has worked in newsrooms for decades, do you think the media is biased or not?

Bernie: I think we all have views, but for all the reporters I know in this town, I don’t see it when it comes time to work. We may josh with each other because we’re notorious kidders, but when it comes time to put it on the page or on the air, we’re very serious about being as fair as we can be. We all have our own perspective, based on our backgrounds and our beliefs, and sure, that may shape us to a certain extent. Someone from Kenilworth, for instance, might have a different view than someone like me who grew up in the projects, but I know that everyone I’ve ever seen doing this job, tries their darndest to be fair, and most importantly, get the story right.

Rick: And you love this job don’t you?

Bernie: I do, but you know what is more important? I always considered being a dad my #1 job. My youngest is in college now, and all three of my kids have turned out to be good people. That’s my proudest accomplishment.

John Gehron

John Gehron is a legendary radio executive probably best known for his time programming the Big 89 (WLS) during the 70s and 80s.







Rick: Let’s talk about your most recent job, running Harpo Radio for Oprah. That was your first foray into satellite radio and the world of Oprah. What was that experience like?

John: It was an amazing experience. Remarkable woman, remarkable organization. It was so great working with so many quality people, producing such high quality work. Working in that kind of environment really required you to bring your A-Game every day. Plus, it was nice after years of having to cut cut cut, which has been the reality in most of my previous positions at other broadcast outlets lately, to finally have someone say to you—do it the right way.

Rick: I think your name has been mentioned more times than just about anyone else’s in my previous interviews, from all walks of radio life. Programmers, jocks, producers, and newscasters all sing your praises. I don’t need to tell radio people how rare that is. Other radio executives would love to know how you pulled that off. Is there something about your management style?

John: I’ve never believed that I have all the answers, so I’ve always been very inclusive—consciously trying to include as many people as possible in the idea process. I’ve never felt like my way was the only way. It didn’t matter where the ideas came from, it only mattered that the ideas were good—and the more people that were involved, the more the ideas changed and improved, and the more people who felt like they were legitimately part of the process.

A good example of that is the format. I never believed the format was more important than the people executing it. It just provided goal posts, point A and point B, and it recognized that there were many many ways of getting from point A to point B. Each individual does it slightly differently, and that’s to be encouraged. That’s what makes it interesting to the listeners, and the personalities themselves. It encourages individuality. That’s something that has existed, I hope, at all of the radio stations I’ve worked.

It’s like asking a bunch of painters to paint a waterfront, and then giving them the paint. They know what they need to paint, but each of them will paint it slightly differently.

Rick: During the consolidation era of radio, you have had a unique vantage point to view the effects of it. You were a top executive with the two largest radio companies in the world; Clear Channel & CBS. How do you feel about that era now?

John: I’ve always been a fan of the basic idea of consolidation. The ad agencies we were dealing with at the time were all consolidating, in fact, nearly all businesses in America were consolidating. It’s the natural cycle of business. When radio consolidated too, it put us all on the same platform, allowed us to do business with the same size organizations.

Rick: So you really see it as a net plus?

John: Well, no, not exactly. Many parts of it have been a plus, but there have obviously been some mistakes made. One of the biggest mistakes was using consolidation to cut money rather to improve the product.

Rick: How could it have been used to improve the product?

John: It should have been used to allow best practices to spread. For instance, instead of going head-to-head against everyone, as we all did in the pre-consolidation era, we could have created formats that complimented each other.

Rick: Niche formats?

John: Exactly. Formats that couldn’t be justified as a stand-alone, but could have complimented the other formats within the company or within the market. That could have led to much more diverse programming. Another way of spreading best practices, frankly, is by using your best people in more capacities. Not to overwork them, but to offer them additional challenges if they wanted them. The idea of cutting, cutting, cutting, wasn’t the main appeal to consolidation, and it’s unfortunate that it became so predominant.

Rick: Many people got to know your name during the glory days of the Big-89, WLS. You were at the helm of that powerhouse lineup during much of the 70s and 80s. (Photo: WLS lineup 1975) The Loop replicated that success in the 80s and early 90s. Big time talent in every time slot. Have today’s economic difficulties made it impossible to do that again?

John: Well, yes and no. Clearly companies can’t afford to pay as much as they once did, and in the bigger markets AFTRA requires minimum payment and so on, but broadcasters haven’t utilized opportunities well. For instance, in the early days of FM, many stations were just simulcasting the programming from their AM stations. The FCC stepped in and said you could no longer simulcast, so many of these stations simply handed over the FMs to the youngsters in their organizations, and said: Here you go! Do what you want with it.

There were some mistakes made, but there were also some wonderful things that developed during this era; progressive radio, for instance. Now broadcasters are stymied by group ownership, which is often centralized, and won’t allow that sort of experimentation. In the current economic climate, it’s actually the perfect time to try something like that again. The economic realities may not allow you to have big stars anymore, but there isn’t any reason why you can’t take some chances with younger unproven talent and let them develop.

Rick: Do you feel like radio has done a pretty bad job of that over the last decade or two?

John: Without question.

Rick: Those WLS years were a turbulent time, despite the great success. I was just a listener in the early to mid-80s, but the Steve & Garry years in particular must have been a challenge for you. They were calling you “Scumby” on the air, reading your memos, writing songs about you. How do you look back on that time now?

John: I think we both were learning something from each other at the time. They were really pushing the limits, pushing the envelope. Really, they invented reality radio as we know it today. Meanwhile, I was working for a very conservative company that didn’t quite understand what they were doing, so we had a split in the building. (Photo: John at his WLS desk) There was one group that still believed in the old way of doing things, and one group that embraced this new way of thinking. It came to a head in the end when I wasn’t allowed to rehire them.

Rick: Just speaking as a listener in those days, I think part of the appeal of that show at that time was hearing someone rip their boss like that. It’s unfortunate that it was you, especially now that I know how highly everyone else thinks of you, but honestly, all of us wished that we could talk to our bosses the way those guys talked to you. There was something immensely cathartic about it. I remember one time tuning in and Steve was reading a memo that started with this sentence: “DO NOT READ THIS MEMO ON THE AIR.” That was jaw-dropping.

John: Oh no question, from a listener point of view it was clearly great radio. There’s no doubt that some of that was for show, but very much of it was real. That was what their show was about. Reality. They were really hard on us, but they were also really hard on themselves when they didn’t feel they were living up to their own ideals.

Rick: Do you still have a good relationship with those guys?

John: I would say so. I think I have a good relationship with both of them. I see Garry pretty often, and I really should get in touch with Steve. We both have a lot more time on our hands these days.

Rick: You’ve worked with virtually all of the major air talent in Chicago over the past 30 years. Tell us a few things that may surprise us about what these guys (and gals) are really like to deal with off the air.

John: I always found the big stars had an intensity about them, and part of my job was getting out of their way. The good ones knew what they wanted to do, and the great ones had a vision, and I had to give them the freedom to realize it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for talent—for their creativity. I know how hard it is to do what they do, to walk in and create something like that, because I can’t do it.

Rick: Do you think most program directors think that way?

John: The good ones do. Some programmers enjoy the idea of hearing their format executed exactly the way they envision it or draw it up. I never felt that way. If I could have executed it perfectly, I would have done it myself.

Rick: Is there anyone you’ve never worked with that you’d really like to work with?

John: Oh, there are lots of people. I’ve never worked with Eric and Kathy. I think they do an absolutely wonderful job. Bob Collins was a friend, but I never got to work with him either. Steve Cochran, same thing—personal friend, but I’ve never worked with him. I’ve also never had the privilege of working with Mancow.

Rick: I know you’re doing radio consulting work now. What sort of consulting are you doing?

John: (laughs) I’m a man of projects. If people in the business call me and need some advice or help on certain projects, I’m happy to help. I’m working on some ownership opportunities, helping others talk through problems, you name it.

I just got together with about 18 people in the business; consultants, executives, brokers, people like that, to talk about the future of radio, and after two days of talking , I came away very optimistic, very energized about the future of radio and the things that radio can still do.

Rick: Like what?

John: Radio has to embrace digital opportunities. It’s always been a push medium in the past, but we can get feedback opportunities that we never had before through the digital medium. Also, we need to look into the different distribution systems, and see how they are being used by today’s consumers, to find different ways of providing our product to people in ways that they can use them best. Not just streaming, but maybe cutting things up into pieces that can be distributed in different ways, like via the iPhone, or other delivery devices.

Also, radio has to recognize that the times have changed. 30 years ago, the record store and the radio were the only places that delivered music—now there are so many more. We have to move beyond music and realize that our delivery of it isn’t special anymore. Part of what is special, part of what radio can still provide as far as content goes, is personality! We need to seek out peer leaders that speak to particular groups and invite them into the process, to find ways of reaching different groups we’re not reaching now. Not just geographically, but demographically. That’s why I love what Kiss-FM is doing by putting Silly Jilly on the air at night.

We need to make a lot more moves like that. Stop thinking about what we were, and start thinking about what we can be.

Buzz Kilman

Buzz Kilman is a legendary Chicago radio newsman, best known for his long stints working alongside Jonathon Brandmeier and Steve Dahl.





Rick: Radio news has changed quite a bit in the years since you started doing it. What are your thoughts about the changes?

Buzz: To be totally honest, it hasn’t changed that much for me. I’ve really only worked with two guys for the past 30 years, Dahl & Brandmeier, and both of those guys have a specific way they want it done.

I can’t talk to what happened to other news departments, because I’ve always really been a one-man operation. The news itself hasn’t changed. Prioritize the stories, put them together in the format you use for that particular show, and then just do it.

What has changed is the way you gather the news. That’s been a revolution. The technological advancements over the years are just unbelievable, but the final product, that thing I do on the air, that hasn’t changed at all. I just do the news.

It’s really in my blood. I’ve been doing it my whole life, starting at the age of 16 when I became a printer’s devil, back in the days before photo offset printing. After high school I was a copy boy for the Miami News for a Pulitzer Prize winner, and then in college I was an editor for the Campus Conservative at the University of Miami...

Rick: Really? The Campus Conservative?

Buzz: Yeah, I lost the gig when Kennedy was shot. The football team didn’t want to play (to honor him), and I came out in favor of the football players, and that was it. It really was the Campus Conservative. Hey, it was only Kennedy! After that, I was also the editor of the Daily Planet (an underground newspaper in Miami), so I really have spent my whole life doing the news. I’m a news geek.

Rick: The first time Chicago heard you on the air was when you came aboard as the newsman on the Steve & Garry show in 1980, which at the time was already HUGE in Chicago. What was that experience like coming aboard that show at that time.

Buzz: The exposure was phenomenal. I came from a respectable station in Florida (WSHE), but believe me--we didn’t have a Steve and Garry. They were probably the highest profile morning show in the country at the time—this was less than a year after Disco Demolition. But I fit in immediately. When I got here, and started working with them, I couldn’t believe how comfortable it was.

And I couldn’t believe they were doing what they were doing! I wasn’t shocked...I came from a wacky radio background...but still to see it put together and become so hugely successful was incredible. That was the wonderful part of that gig. Steve had a vision, pursued it, and did it! And his vision included an insistence that everyone on the show had to have fun—that was part of the format, so heck, how bad can that be? You have to have fun! OK, I’ll do it.

Rick: You’ve worked with Steve now at 4 different radio stations, if my math is correct, The Loop, AM 1000, WCKG, Jack-FM... How were those experiences at the various different radio stations with Steve different? Has he changed much over the years?

Buzz: Steve (photo) invented the modern morning talk show format, turning real life into a comedic soap opera. That’s a hell of a contribution. Over time, he’s become like a radio father figure; an elder statesmen for the medium.

Rick: Everyone knows you worked with Steve & Garry and Brandmeier, but there were a few years between those two shows. What are your memories of working with RJ Harris and Pat Still (and later Mark McEwen)--before the Loop got it right with this rookie from Phoenix named Brandmeier?

Buzz: And let’s not forget Matt Bisbee (photo) for several weeks. He was the guy on the air right after they fired Steve & Garry. It was like they blindfolded him, put him up against the wall, and handed out guns to everyone. Matt took one for the team. Anyone who knows Matt knows what a great guy he is, and that’s probably why they chose him. They figured he was the guy that would incur the least amount of wrath.

That whole place was free-falling after Steve left, but it was a lot of fun to be there, believe it or not, because you could do absolutely anything. I actually got close to Harris, and we would plot against Still, and we came up with hideous things for him to do on the air, like work in stables hauling manure—things like that (Laughs).

Rick: Did you know immediately that Brandmeier would click?

Buzz: Yes. I recognized Johnny was going to be golden the first 30 seconds I heard him. I was walking by Tim Sabean’s or Greg Solk’s office, I can’t remember which, and they were listening to this tape of his show from Phoenix. I’m huge fan of boxing, and this guy on the tape was framing some surprisingly erudite question to Muhammed Ali, and I was impressed at the way he put the question together—and the fact that he had Ali on his show, so I stopped to listen in the hallway. But when the answer came from “Ali,” it sounded like it came from a 12-year-old white kid. That’s what it was—a 12-year-old white kid. This kid knew everything about Ali and was answering the questions totally seriously as if he really was Ali. That Bob & Ray school of comedy is my favorite—and Johnny was like Bob & Ray on crack—especially in those days when he had free reign on the phones. Brandmeier changed the face of the radio.

Rick: Obviously the success you enjoyed during the Brandmeier years is hard to top. You mentioned how huge Steve & Garry were when you started, but I think Brandmeier was even bigger when you worked with him.

Buzz: Probably true, yes.

Rick: You also really burned the candle on both ends in those days. I was doing overnights for awhile during those years, and I remember seeing you come in after a night of bar gigs with your band, and I’d think...how does he do it?

Buzz: I don’t know. I was single. You don’t answer to anybody when you’re not married. I was just doing stuff that I liked to do. I loved the radio, and I loved the music thing, and I didn’t see why I shouldn’t do both. Music was sort of new to me. Being in Chicago, with all these great places that had live music, it was like being a kid in a candy store. I was just learning how to play, and that’s what you do when you’re learning. You go all out. It’s true, a lot of nights I’d get home at 1 am, and then I’d get up 4:30, but the hangover wouldn’t hit until 9. That last hour of the show was deadly in those days.

Rick: I must confess-- I was scared of you in those days. I was warned that if something went wrong with the newswires or with the AP audio news feed overnight, that my life would be over as I knew it. I brought in alarm clocks so I wouldn’t forget.

Buzz: I’ve heard that before from others who were equally frightened. I did that on purpose, I suppose, because I was arriving in fragile condition and I didn’t want a setback at quarter to six in the morning.

Rick: So I was right to be scared?

Buzz: Nah. I never actually did anything to anybody. Occasionally I would throw a temper tantrum—just like everyone else in radio, but I was harmless. (Laughs) Although, I do remember one time I chased Greg Solk down the hall after he said something to me... I don’t remember what he said, and I don’t know what I would have done if I caught him, but I did chase him. At the time he was only 19 years old or so.

Rick: When Brandmeier first came back to town a few years ago there were sporadic reports that you were negotiating to return to his show. Were those reports true, and what kind of a relationship do you have with Johnny now?

Buzz: There was some talk, and some negotiating, but the timing was wrong, the contracts were not in synch, so it just didn’t happen. We still have a great relationship.

Rick: You probably get asked about your time with Dahl & Brandmeier a lot, but I also wanted to ask you about two other eras in your career before I let you go. After Johnny left WCKG in the early 00s, you and Wendy Snyder were paired up for awhile in the midday slot. Maybe it was my imagination, but as a listener, you really sounded happy doing that show. Was I hearing that right?

Buzz: In a word, yes. I loved it. I really like doing my own bits on the radio.

One of my talents is my ability to recognize what the DJ is doing and to help it along, because I understand the comedy of it. I understand how to enhance a bit. That’s part of my gig. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be listening, and I’ll help you do it.

But I also liked doing that Saturday night show on the Loop (Another Saturday Night Special), because I got to do some really unusual stuff, and it was so much fun. At CKG, I was doing this great timeslot--the midday show. We got one spring book and I think we were #3 in the demo, which is huge, but then suddenly 9/11 hit, and they brought in a new program director (Tim Sabean), and it was only a matter of time before changes were made. They had Stern in the morning, and Dahl in the afternoon, and that’s when they brought in Kevin, and moved me (and Wendy) to Steve’s show.

Rick: I also personally loved the Drive-In Movie review show you did with Tony Fitzpatrick. The two of you were so sick and twisted, and you really seemed to track with each other in terms of movie tastes. Do you still watch those movies?

Buzz: That’s a life long addiction, those movies. You bet. Now that I’m home and unemployed I’m watching them even more.

Rick: Do you and Tony still stay in touch?

Buzz: Tony (photo) is my 7-year-old daughter’s godfather.

Rick: Have you considered bringing back the show?

Buzz: Sure, I’ve thought about it. If there was someone that wanted it, we’d certainly consider doing it again. (Laughs) My agent is Steve Mandel, by the way, and I am available.

Rick: I saw you on Channel 9 recently, doing a segment on their morning show. Might TV be your next gig, or are you still looking in radio?

Buzz: No, to be honest, I don’t like TV. I love radio. I know the timing couldn’t be worse, so it’s a matter of hanging in there while people make their adjustments, but hopefully, it’s just a matter of time before someone says, “You know who would be perfect for this? Buzz Kilman!”

Rich Koz

Rich Koz currently hosts "Stooge-a-palooza" and "Svengoolie" on WCIU-TV, but he also worked in Chicago radio for many years.







Rick: I know some people are going to see who I'm interviewing here and wonder: "Isn't he a TV guy?" Not many people realize you have deep radio roots. Among other gigs, you were the sidekick/second banana/general all around goofball on Jerry G. Bishop's morning show at WMAQ in the early 70s. Talk about how that job evolved and the sorts of things you used to do on the air.

Rich: The job with Jerry actually came about when he was leaving WFLD after they cancelled his Svengoolie show (photo)- he was in talks with NBC for both radio and TV, and he thought enough of me to try and get me involved as part of his team for the radio side. He did some fill in at WMAQ, with me filling the afore-mentioned sidekick/producer/goofball role- and, when they brought him in full time- first, in afternoon drive, then in morning drive- I went along for the ride.

It was a great gig, other than having to get up so early for the morning show- we’d ride in, going over the papers, and he’d read something about Dean Martin, and say-“let’s do a bit on this- you be Dean!” I’d write stuff and be about 85% of the characters and “celebrities” that called in- I’d write song parodies for him, invent new bits, and we’d do sponsored commercials as bits- for example, I played the president of a lumber/home improvement chain, playing him as a sort of dopey guy, in a running series of live read commercials, and they went over really well.

Plus, on Monday mornings, when the show started an hour earlier than usual, for a while, Jerry (photo) had me do that first hour by myself! Jerry was the best--very generous, and, as I’ve always said, the guy who’s responsible for me getting into the broadcasting business…so blame him!

Rick: You were also one of the writers of a legendary radio serial called "Chicken Man," starring the legendary Dick Orkin. Some of the younger readers may not understand the impact that series had, but it was appointment radio--it still airs in some markets today. What was it like working on that show?

Rich: When Dick was doing a huge package of different features for the Bicentennial (yes, THAT long ago)- he brought me in to write one of the features- and, I did well enough that he had me write or co-write several others, as well as doing various voices on them. This evolved into me also writing and doing commercials, and other features- so, when he was going to do “Chickenman Returns for the Last Time Again”- the series where the Winged Warrior opened a crime fighting school, with one student- and he asked me to write some of the episodes, I was in heaven!

In junior high, I used to listen to the original series, and think “I’d like to do that some day.” I never realized that I actually would! Working with him was a real “learn as you earn” situation- I learned a lot by just hanging around him, as far as writing, voice work, double-tracking characters, etc.- being able to take his lead on coming up with adventures for Chicken Man was a real honor.

Near the end of the series, we needed some more plots, and I made a list of ideas for him- remember, the original series had gone on for quite a long time- and I remember him going through the list, and saying- “no, we did this- we did this – we did this one, too!” There were a lot of the episodes I had never heard, I guess. Funny that I managed to think of stuff he had already thought of!

Rick: Dick is probably the biggest star in radio advertising history. His commercials are still the best. You worked with him on those commercials for years. What is it about him and his approach that makes him so great?

Rich: Dick (photo) has such a great sense of humor, and can do that low-key yet hilarious stuff so perfectly. He always knew how to keep the funny stuff spread through the whole spot, and still get the sponsor’s message out. I love the fact that he could also come at the situation from a totally unexpected direction- and, he’d start some ads like you were eavesdropping on a conversation already in progress. Plus, he had a way of continuing on after the final punchline that was just frosting on the cake. He was a very kind gentleman, had no huge ego in spite of his great talent, and boy, did he know his stuff.

Rick: In the mid-80s after Son of Svengoolie was canceled you worked on WGN as a fill-in host for awhile and on the Satelite Music Network, and later became the morning man at WCKG. Looking back at that four or five year period when you were more a radio guy than a TV guy, did you enjoy the experience, or were you longing to return to television?

Rich: I really loved doing radio- being able to come up with stuff that’s based on things going on right then, being able to use all the “theatre of the mind” stuff, and having the almost instant feedback that you don’t get on TV- plus, not having to wear as much (uh- I mean- any) make-up! I had a great time, playing off listeners’ calls, being able to ad lib (that’s what we used to call improv, kids) I never felt that doing radio was just a placeholder until I could get a TV gig- I was very happy doing it.

There were times and stations where I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to fit in, what exactly they WANTED me to be, and I think I sometimes made mistakes by trying to be what I thought they wanted. The WCKG gig was a great time- I got to do shtick and basically be myself and do whatever I thought of, while playing “classic rock, baby!”

Rick: You're probably best known for your character Svengoolie, which originally aired on Channel 32 as "Son of Svengoolie" and now airs as just plain old Svengoolie on WCIU. Can you talk about the evolution of that character, and how you grew from young ghoul to man ghoul?

Rich: Originally, in the mid seventies, someone at a local TV station had approached Jerry G. about maybe doing a summer gig reviving his Svengoolie character. At that time, Jerry felt he didn’t really want to do so, part of the reason being that he was thinking that- someday- he might actually want to run for a political office- and didn’t want his opponent holding up pictures of him as Sven saying “THIS is my worthy opponent?!” But- he already felt confident enough in me that he suggested that I could be the Sven character- as “Son of Svengoolie”- and he would produce and write it with me.

We had some false starts on it, and it didn’t really go anywhere- until Jerry was about to leave for the west coast, and asked what I planned on doing. I said I might try to pitch a TV show to local stations- and he said that, if I wanted to try and do the Son of Sven bit, he’d give me permission. It’s a long story, but, it finally ended up at WFLD- with me doing the Son of Svengoolie- in my original audition, I looked exactly like Jerry’s character, but, since they felt that looked too dated, I devised the look that finally premiered.

My character was pretty much based on how Jerry played the character, layered on my own personality, with the accent being, as Jerry puts it “Bela Lugosi crossed with Lawrence Welk!” I did the character there for 6 and a half years- and, even after that, was requested to do the character for appearances, radio and TV guest gigs- right up until I came to WCIU.

When I was taking the job here, Jerry was in town, and we talked about it- I mentioned that, even by the end of my WFLD run, there were people who said “SON OF Svengoolie? Who’s Svengoolie?”-and that I thought I might shorten the name or something. Jerry said –“I tell you what- you’re all grown up now- just be Svengoolie!” It was nice of him to hand over usage of the name to me.



Rick: My sons and I never miss "Stooge-A-Palooza" which is another show you host on WCIU. There's something about boys and the Stooges. I've seen you read the e-mails and letters from women, but let's be honest here. It's a guy thing, isn't it?

Rich: You know- it really isn’t! I first learned that when we started the Stooges show, and did a “man (and woman) on the street” segment- and I was amazed to find, in asking about that very question- that, by our experience- a whopping 80-85% of the women we talked to were indeed Stooges fans! Now, in the course of the show, I constantly hear from women who love those guys.

One lady, a former Honey Bear, wrote that she is a big fan in spite of the fact that she is a “girly girl!” I seem to think that, for a long time, it wasn’t considered “lady-like” to enjoy the Stooges, but now, with women liberated, they can “nyuk-nyuk-nyuk” openly without fear of reprisal.


Rick: I know you've won many awards for your television work, which really is great stuff. I wonder though, now when you look back at your long and varied career, what is it that you are most proud of--first in radio, and then in television?

Rich: As far as radio, I think I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many of the people that I grew up idolizing- and had them treat me as an equal-and proved to myself that I could do it. With TV, I’m proud to have had a career that has been acknowledged by my peers as having “made significant contributions to Chicago television”- as the TV Academy’s Silver Circle put it- and- just the fact that the stuff I’ve done really means something to the people who have watched it. When I hear that phrase “I used to watch you as a kid- and now I watch you WITH my kids”- I think that says it all.

Rick: Is there any way you could ever be coaxed into coming back to radio?

Rich: I’m having a great time at WCIU and all our other stations, and love being there- but- I’ve always thought- and hoped- that I’d get to do more radio, somewhere down the line. It’d be a little tough to fit it into my schedule now, but- maybe someday…

Jack Silver

Updated 9/5/09


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.


The original interview follows...




Jack Silver is a 30-year radio veteran, most recently as program director of KLSX radio in Los Angeles. In the early 90s, he was the program director of AM 1000, The Loop in Chicago.






Rick: You’ve been out in LA a long time now, but you grew up here in Chicago. I don’t think I’ve ever asked you this before...but who did you listen to as a kid?

Jack: Easy one. I was a big WLS and WCFL fan. I’m 51, so we’re talking about the 60s and early 70s. I loved Kris Erik Stevens (photo), Larry Lujack, Joel Sebastian, really all of the guys at both of those stations. I would hang out and watch them doing their thing. In those days they’d actually let you do that. My buddies and I would watch from the windows at 360 N. Michigan for awhile (WLS), and then we would go over to Marina City (WCFL). I was always more into the jocks than I was into the music. All the big top 40 guys.

My brother and his friends would listen to WXRT and WVVX, which I think was out of Highland Park, but I never really liked that. They were into the music, and they would give me a hard time about listening to those “bubble gum tunes.” But it wasn’t about the music for me. It was those guys on the air. I’ve been real fortunate over time to get to know a lot of them. Kris Stevens, for instance, lives near me out here in LA, and we’ve become friends.

Rick: You were in the news recently when CBS blew up the talk station you were programming in LA, KLSX, and turned it into a top-40 station. Were you surprised by that? I looked at the numbers and I have to tell you, I couldn’t believe they blew it up. The numbers were very respectable.

Jack: I’m glad you said that, because if you really looked at it, and you knew what you were looking at—which you obviously do, that’s a fair assessment. You would think why in the world did they do that? We really did figure out the people meter, unlike some of the other talk stations that didn’t make it. It was more of a financial decision to pull the plug—it wasn’t the ratings. Was it a shock? No, not really. I knew about all of the deliberations happening behind the scenes, even though I didn’t agree with the decision. I wish them the best.

Rick: I read somewhere, and I wish I could remember where I read it because I was unable to find it in my preparation for this interview, but you were quoted somewhere as saying that hiring Johnny B for your station in LA was the biggest mistake you made out there. Was that an accurate quote or is my mind just playing games with me?

Jack: Thanks for asking about that. Let me clarify. The final days of KLSX were very emotional. I was on the air here one of those final days, and people were making fun of me, questioning what I had done in my career--which is fine, it was part of the job. In defending myself, what I actually said was that over the years I have had some great successes, and some non-successes. I named Brandmeier as one of the non-successes, but not because I don’t think Johnny is great.

The situation he was in here was just completely backwards. He was on the air live in Chicago (from LA), but in LA he wasn't live--he was on tape delay after Howard’s show. It made absolutely no sense, and I’m sure Johnny (photo) would agree with that.

It wasn’t a mistake to hire Johnny, and give him the chance to do it, but it wasn’t fair for him on the LA side of the equation. He was completely unable to connect to LA because he wasn’t talking to the LA listeners personally—-the listeners calling in were from Wisconsin and Chicago but not really here. It didn’t translate—but it wasn’t his fault. If he had to do it all over, I’m sure he wouldn’t agree to that backwards way of doing it again. And when I said it was a mistake, I was only referring to that. I’d hire him again in a second, under the right circumstances. Doing mornings on the Loop in Chicago, now that’s where he should be.

Rick: Your LA station isn’t the only FM talk station that was blown up. WCKG was dismantled here in Chicago too. Is this the final nail in the FM Talk coffin, or do you think it’s possible it will make a comeback?

Jack: I believe talk radio on FM does work. Whether it’s in the mode of our station, which really was patterned after the old Loop-- morning shows all day long, or like an AM station on FM—which is working in some markets, like sports or whatever. The truth of the matter is, we just didn’t execute the Free-FM plan very well, and that is probably what temporarily has killed FM talk.

We had to put 37 morning shows on at once. We also flipped several stations at the same time, and to be totally honest, the people we had in place in some of these markets, just weren’t able to execute the plan. Whether it was David Lee Roth (photo), or Rover, or the guys running those stations, too many of them didn’t pan out. That was the problem. It absolutely can succeed with the right people and the right situation. It’s not dead.

You know this, Rick. Radio is a very cyclical business. In a couple of years it will be back. In a lot of ways, talk is the perfect format for this new era. Our station was #2 in streaming in our whole company. It makes sense to stream when you have big time talent giving you something you can’t get on an iPod. No one’s gonna stream B-96, because there’s no reason to. I love the station, but you know what I’m saying. The music is already out there.

Rick: For a few years now you’ve had your own consulting company which specializes in advising morning shows. Are you planning on doing that full-time now?

Jack: I started the company like 12 or 13 years ago. Yes, it’s true, I’m trying to revive that, and now that I’ve had this experience with talk radio, I’d like to expand beyond morning shows, and work with shows of all kinds. If anyone’s interested, I am available. You can reach me at jackesilver@aol.com and I can forward information about the kinds of services I provide. If you look at the list of people I’ve worked with over the years, you can see that I have some idea of what I’m doing.

Rick: Are you also looking for a regular full-time gig?

Jack: Yes. I’m talking to a bunch of different people right now. I must admit I feel most at home in a radio station, but I’m meeting with television people too. Luckily I’ve got some time, so I’m not in a mad rush. I am actively looking, but I’m getting married soon, and my youngest son is still in high school out here, so I’m not really interested in moving out of the market.

Rick: People in Chicago obviously remember you from your time at AM 1000. You were the program director of the station during its personality talk era, and you were on the air all the time with Kevin Matthews, Steve & Garry, et al. I know that’s a role you’re comfortable with because you’ve done it your whole career—including most recently with the Adam Carolla show. What do you think are the pros and cons of being such a public program director?

Jack: No cons. Zero cons. One of the things I learned is that the listeners have a boss too, so if you become a boss that can be made fun of, the listeners seem to absolutely love that. I probably met more of the listeners than any other program director, because they knew me. (In LA, they called me Jack-S, or jackass). This whole radio thing is about the listeners, and when you put yourself out there, they go out of their way to meet you. The guys that sit in the offices and don’t get out there are usually the guys who never been on the air, and don’t really understand what a personality is thinking or what they’re dealing with, that moment of panic that can set in when you’re not 100% what you’re going to say next. If you haven’t had that, haven’t experienced that, what good are you?

Jimmy DeCastro (photo), Larry Wert, and all those guys at the Loop in Chicago, they totally got that. There was no con in it. If you’ve ever spent any time in public with Danny Bonaduce, he’s a perfect example of the right mindset. I hired Danny in Chicago and LA, and now he’s in Philly, but going to an airport with Danny is an experience. It takes him a half hour just to get to his car because people stop him every few seconds. When you ask him about it, he always says: “These people pay my salary. I will take all day talking to them if necessary.” He means it too. Some of those other guys who don’t want to be bothered might be missing the big picture there.

Rick: You’ve already touched on this briefly, but I wanted to go back to something. I know you were a big part of CBS programming during the immediate post-Howard Stern era. Looking back on that time now, do you think the company should have done that differently?

Jack: You’re right, I was part of the brain trust, so I have blood on my hands from that fiasco as well. Here’s the way I look at it. There were really only three ways to go.

1) Pick one show to replace Howard Stern.
2) What we did do—go with regionalized shows
3) Local shows in every market.

That third choice. That’s what we should have done. That’s what I was fighting for behind the scenes. I suggested Dahl in Chicago. Adam in LA, Opie & Anthony in NY, etc. There were local options in every market. But they didn’t want to do it. They wanted the big splash.

Rick: You were the producer of the Rick Dees show in LA before you came back home to work at the Loop. I remember you used to tell the producers here in Chicago a few stories about your days with that show, just to make them feel better about the daily humiliations they had to endure. Is there any way I can convince you to share one of those publicly?

Jack: The one I always tell was the one that made me change my career trajectory. Rick Dees (photo) and I were in Florida at Disney World doing a live broadcast. The sun was rising in the sky and barreling onto Rick’s back and at one point, he looked at me and asked if I would mind standing behind him to block the sun. That was an eye-opening moment for me. I didn’t want to be a 31-year-old sun shield.

I actually went home after that broadcast and called Jimmy (DeCastro) and Larry (Wert). They had told me that if I ever wanted to join them in Chicago to let them know—and that was the moment I decided I wanted to pursue it. This isn’t a slam on Rick. Rick is actually a great guy. They all have their quirks—it’s what makes them the guys in the spotlight and us the guys in the background—but I decided that wasn’t the way I wanted to go anymore.

Rob Hart

UPDATED January 2012

ROB HART

Rick: When I last spoke with you, you were a member of the WGN Radio news staff. Now you're the morning co-anchor at FM News 101.1. How has that transition gone for you?

Rob: One day I'm going to write a book about the early days of Merlin Media. Because I've got plenty of good stories. I left WGN at the end of June. I spent the first two weeks at my new job working out of conference rooms. I arrived at the Merchandise Mart on a Friday morning....eight hours after the Q101 DJ's, past and present, signed off with a wild party. The studio was awash in empty liquor bottles, beer cans, beer bottles, and bottles of champagne. I wasn't at WGN anymore. It was a sign that my new gig was going to be....different.

It's been a hell of a lot of fun. The station's early growing pains have been well documented. But what can I say? News/talk radio stations are complex entities that take a long time to gel. Thankfully, we had the right manager to keep us positive. The first couple of days of the format were so bad, they are best heard through a pinhole in a paper plate. Even so, Andy Friedman (our supervisor, for lack of a better word) told the troops they were doing good work, and that things would only get better.

You know what? Things did get better. An ill-conceived and poorly executed attempt at "lifestyle news" was jettisoned in late September. Our technical capabilities and procedures came together in a matter of weeks...and now we have ourselves a darn fine radio station. We are first on breaking news more often than not. We had dozens of guests during our three hours of commercial-free coverage of the Blagojevich sentencing hearing. I'm looking forward to flexing our muscles during the first big snowfall.

We don't have much of an audience - yet. But we all know news/talk formats take a long time to build. We have managers who know this. Andy Friedman was around for the first days of the talk format at KFI in Los Angeles. Our executive producer, Diana Bodkins, helped launch the talk format at WLS in 1989. In both cases, it took years to catch on with the audience. It will take time. Thankfully, everyone involved in Merlin has plenty of patience.

I love this job. I love the fact that you have the opportunity to do great things every day. I love the idea that we are building something that could be around for a very long time. I'm well aware of the fact that some people in the industry are rooting for us to fall on our asses. That would be a very bad thing for radio in this town. If Merlin is successful, it will demonstrate to the world at large that local radio is a worthwhile investment. If not...we're back to where we were: tired music formats, syndicated talk shows, and a radio environment that punishes risk. Who wants that?

The original interview follows...





Rob Hart is a reporter and anchor at WGN Radio







Rick: I'm a big fan of the quality reporting coming out of the WGN newsroom--one of only two actual newsrooms still functioning in Chicago radio as far as I can tell. (In order to qualify, you need at least five full-timers). How would you describe your role in that newsroom?

Rob: Four days out of the week, I am the morning reporter. You can hear me on the street during the John Williams Show. I'm the guy at O'Hare on the day before Thanksgiving. During the Cubs playoff run last October, I was live on Clark street during morning drive watching the beer truck drivers roll kegs into the bars. I covered the Holy Name Cathedral fire. Back in December, I was one of the reporters staking out Rod Blagojevich's house the day after his arrest. My reports usually air during Andrea Darlas' newscasts, but I am also a contributor to the show. John will talk to me for a couple of minutes if I am at a breaking news story.

I'm also the news anchor on Dean Richards' Sunday Morning show, which is a lot of fun. We get along very well. (Photo: Rob with Dean Richards and Scott Childers)

After that, I update the WGN web site, shoot videos for the YouTube page, do the news podcast, and a bunch of other stuff.

Rick: You've covered quite a few big stories in your time at WGN, including most recently the Family Secrets trial. What are a few of the favorite stories you've covered for WGN, either out in the field or from the anchor chair?

Rob: The Family Secrets trial was like something out of a movie. Five feared members of the Chicago Outfit were on trial for a bunch of crimes - from extortion to murder. The feds said they were bad guys who did very bad things. I saw five old men wearing cheap suits. (Photo: Star witness Nick Calabrese)

Most federal trials are pretty dry. You could spend the entire day in a courtroom and get nothing more than attorneys detailing tax returns. Not this trial. On the first day, the federal prosecutor showed the pictures of the dozen or so men killed by the Outfit over the past 20 years. One week was devoted to secret tapes of mob enforcers shaking down an adult bookstore owner.

Every morning you had to wait in line outside the courtroom while US Marshalls looked for bombs.

Last October I got to cover playoff runs by the White Sox and Cubs. You can't argue with a week of free baseball games.

It goes without saying that the Rod Blagojevich saga has been hours of fun. I was on that story from beginning to end. I was standing next to Rod when he said he had nothing but sunshine on his shoulders, and the station paid my way down to Springfield for the vote to remove Blago from office.

Rick: Recently you've also had a chance to spread your wings a little and co-host a talk show or two. How did you like that experience, and would you be interested in doing more of that?

Rob: My career as a talk show host is still in its larval stage. I like doing it. But my expectations are rather low. I consider my show a success if the bosses ask me to fill in again.

Here's what I have learned so far - the preparation is much harder than the actual show. I spend so much time worrying about finding show material, that the actual program is a snap.

I would love to do it again. I would not mind making the jump from news anchor to host. But that's still a long ways off. I'm still working on the fundamentals.

Rick: You've worked with just about everyone at WGN. Tell us a behind-the-scenes story or two that helps to illustrate the atmosphere in the WGN hallways.

Rob: People ask me about the mood here since the bankruptcy. It hasn't changed much. We're still a bunch of cynical, funny, sarcastic bastards. Like every other newsroom in America. (Photo: Rob with Spike O'Dell and Dave Stewart)

I have a couple of behind the scenes stories. But they are so good, and so funny, they can never be told in public. Ever. I've got to work here, you know....

Let's just put it this way: there are a lot of creative people working at WGN, and if they weren't working here, they would probably be in jail.

Rick: You got your start in Milwaukee at another legendary station, WTMJ. Tell the story about the morning a bear climbed a tree...

Rob: April of 2005. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. For a couple of days, there had been reports of a bear lumbering down the street. But police couldn't find the bear. A couple of days later, the bear was spotted napping under a tractor trailer at a warehouse loading dock. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department had to shut down US 45, a major expressway, as a precaution.

This happened during the morning show, so I did live play by play of the Sheriff's Deputies chasing the bear into a tree, shooting the bear with a tranquilzer dart, and then the bear falling out of the tree and clothes-lining itself on a branch on the way down. You could hear the crowd gasping in the background.

Of course, a bunch of other stuff happened in Milwaukee during that time. Three aldermen and a state senator went to federal prison, Green Bay Packer Mark Chmura was accused of teenage sex assault (he walked), and there was a near-riot at the Harley Davidson 100th Anniversary Concert. Bikers don't like Elton John, apparently.

Rick: When I met you I was surprised at how young you are. For all the talk of young people not breaking into the big bad Chicago market, here we have a 28-year-old man working at Chicago's biggest station. First of all, what's that like for a native Chicagoan like yourself to be working at WGN at such a young age?

Rob: I started at WTMJ when I was a sophomore at Marquette University in Milwaukee. It was my goal to get to Chicago by the time I was 30. I said that when I was 21, and it seemed reasonable that it would take nine years to get to Chicago.

I wanted to work in a larger market than Milwaukee (#31) before making the jump to Chicago. I interviewed at stations in Tampa, Cleveland, and Dallas. I could not get a job to save my life. In July of 2005, I cold called WLS, WBBM, and WGN. WLS and WBBM were full up, but there were several part time openings available at WGN. Six weeks later, News Director Wes Bleed offered me a job. In the end, it was easier to get hired in Chicago than it was in several smaller markets.

I was 25 when I started at WGN. I thought that was pretty cool. But then I did the math and figured out that all of the other full time reporters and anchors were hired at 25. There have been plenty of twenty-somethings in this news department. I'm glad I accomplished a personal goal, getting hired in Chicago five years ahead of schedule, but I wouldn't say I'm breaking any barriers here.

Rick: What advice do you have for your fellow 20-somethings trying to break into this market?

Rob: Good Timing. That's the name of the game. I could not get hired in Cleveland, Ohio. That does not mean I wasn't cut out to work in northeast Ohio. There were no radio news openings available when I was looking in late 2004 and 2005. I had the good fortune to call Wes just as (news anchor) Tom Petersen announced his retirement. Tom retired, Andrea Darlas went to the early morning shift, and the next thing you know I was a full time reporter/anchor at WGN.

My best advice is "be in the right place at the right time." But it's up to you to find that right place and that right time.

Rick: You're also, dare I say it, a White Sox fan. There can't be too many of you at WGN. Do you have a secret handshake or wink to let each other know you aren't drinking the blue koolaid? Are you secretly sabotaging the broadcasts? You can tell me. I won't reveal your methods.

Rob: There are three of us. I won't name names. We're like early Catholics. We meet in storage closets, and sub-basements. In lieu of secret handshakes we make the sign of Carlos Quentin (I won't say what it is, but it involves breaking your wrist).

It's pretty cool, actually. For all of the screaming and yelling, Sox fans and Cubs fans are a lot alike. With one very notable exception, it's not like the White Sox have a distinguished, Yankees-like history. There have been a bunch of fun seasons on both sides of town, with ton of crap in between.

Here's the one thing I don't like: If the Cubs win on Opening Day, the fans at WGN will start planning the World Series parade. Wait until May at least.