Williams' former timeslot, 1-4 p.m. was left vacant for several months, with the station's other radio hosts filling in on a rotating basis including weekend host Nick Digilio, and Bob Sirott, who formerly hosted "The Noon Show" on the same station, in addition to a weekend program that is pre-recorded with his wife, Marianne Murciano (Sirott was also a prominent news anchor at NBC owned-and-operated station WMAQ-TV, channel 5, and later at Fox-owned WFLD, channel 32). I used to listen to Bod in the 70s..But I also used to listen to my mother. WWII Veteran - Radio and Television Personality (CHICAGO) Howard Miller, 81, a Chicago radio personality from the 1940s through the 1970s, was extraordinarily popular as a pre-rock 'n' roll disc jockey and later as a controversial conservative radio commentator and TV talk-show host. End of an era sadly. Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, a radio trade publication, called WGN a national treasure among radio stations for embracing its heritage, something most other legacy radio stations have long since abandoned. WDAP was originally located at the Wrigley Building. WGN was best known for the Chicago Cubs, great hosts like Wally Phillips, Bob Collins, Paul Harvey and many more.. Jenkins and Donnelly are at their transmitter in the Wrigley Building in 1922. Stupid decisions. Morning drive host and longtime Chicago on-air personality Bob Sirott at the WGN-AM 720 studio on May 17, 2022. Steve Cochrans firing was the last straw. And weve done it to ourselves. WGN Marketplace. Here's what they wrote: "We have lived a dream. Under Nexstar, several changes were made to the station's lineup, management, and branding. Franklyn MacCormack (birth name was Franklin H. McCormick) was born March 8, 1906, in Waterloo, Iowa and became an outstanding American radio personality from the 1930s into the 1970s . While residing in TX 09/2015 DeCastro fired Bob and Marianne. His time slot announced was 10:00 A.M to 12:00 P.M, which moved then mid morning hosts Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder to the afternoon drive from 3:00-7:00p.m. Garry Meier would be moved to WGN.FM, with Steve Cochran's morning show getting expended by 1 hour, and Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano still having their 12:00-3:00p.m. Despite his firing, Cochran is still under contract through 2020. Recently Robin Robinson ended a great run at Fox 32 . One of her first personnel moves in December 2019 was naming veteran Chicago radio and TV personality Bob Sirott as morning drive host on WGN Radio. He told Robert Feder "I've done everything I can to respect and build on the legacy of this amazing place, and I believe I accomplished everything I set out to do." He said he plans to focus on The Content Factory, his Evanston-based national syndication and new media company, and to expand into the area of sports representation. Harvey's news and commentary shows were carried nationally by ABC Radio, although he was based in Chicago and the programs aired locally on WGN. Above: A few of the WGN Radio Newsroom reporters (I to r) Steve Bertrand, Dave Stewart, Rod Sierra and Wes Bleed. I listened recently to Sirott and found the program so boring!!!! I will give Sirott a chance but Not with His wife. And nobody else could come close to having as much of that stuff as we had.. Robservations: Bertrand, Landecker round out new WGN Radio lineup, My childhood dream became the honor of a lifetime, Robservations: Sun-Times moving to Old Post Office; ABC 7 opens weekend anchor slot; Medill tracks local news decline, Robservations: StreetWise raises cover price; Sventoonie takes a break; Friends of Chicago Reporter mark 50. I stopped listening to the morning show when Cochran came on. You would have never seen Collins or ODell in this venue Wallace M Rogerson conducted the Keep Fit to Music programme. Anna Davlantes loses her show from 1 to 4 p.m. and moves to a new role as investigative correspondent with special reporting, covering news stories in-depth. WGN Films. This new identity was implemented in all station promos, and used by all on-air talent. Overnight hosts Steve King and Johnnie Putman left WGN on December 9 after a week-long series of live "Farewell Celebration" shows. So I offered them a little Tribune real estate here as a return favor. Thats across the board.. I can remember being 10 years old and thinking how boring. I thought of my Dad often as I tuned in every morning. 9, while former on-air personalities including Lyle Dean, Spike ODell, Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong will make guest appearances on the radio station during the day. Insiders suggested another poor showing in the latest Nielsen Audio survey hastened the move. All night and all weekend long, they re-play hours and hours of recent programming, no new content, and none of the familiar, friendly voices we enjoyed. Robert Feder, a lifelong Chicagoan, covered the media beat in his hometown from 1980 until his retirement in 2022. I absolutely loved Biff left and Wendy Snyder..both so very smart, informative and clever.funny so I dont get at all Anna devlontes(boring because tries to hard and missing the clever funny and synicale flare) getting in with less of these qualities!!? With the 2020 season, WMVP 1000 AM became the White Sox flagship radio outlet. Fabian, who hired morning drive successors Collins and ODell, said the key to success at WGN was not necessarily a big voice. For many years, it was a national broadcaster for Major League Baseball, the National Football League and Notre Dame football. Same too bill and Wendy, trump haters, Agree. Reports surfaced Cochran had personality conflicts with WGN boss Sean Compton, who was appointed the stations GM shortly after Nexstar took over the legendary AM station as part of the companys $4.1 billion takeover of Tribune Media, WGNs former owner. The reason I bring this up is that on Wednesday news talk station WGN-AM 720 fired its midmorning team of Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder, and I want to give them a chance to address their audience one last time. Weekend hosts Jerry Agar and the "News Junkie" Sean Wasson left the station, in a shift towards more general and less controversial talk programming. WGN Radio Nov 1997 - Nov 2022 25 years 1 month. Now, Steve Cochrane? : July 9", "Standard Broadcast Station Call Letters for All Outlets Starting Nov. 1, FCC Rule", "For the Record: Existing FM Stations. At their best, these connections come to feel personal, almost like a friendship. General manager Mary Sandberg Boyle at the WGN-AM 720 Radio studio in downtown Chicago on May 17, 2022. On October 5, 2016, Jimmy DeCastro announced he was planning to leave WGN Radio at the end of the month. Above: WGN Radio General Manage Wayne Vriesman and Assistant Ellen Blomberg. ) WGN is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, with studios on the 18th floor of 303 East Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. Above: From the WGN Radio Mailroom, it's Gary Barton! Robservations: 'Bozo's Circus' rewinds the '70s; WCPT owner bankrolls news site; Lisa Dent feels 'so at home' on WGN, My childhood dream became the honor of a lifetime, Robservations: Sun-Times moving to Old Post Office; ABC 7 opens weekend anchor slot; Medill tracks local news decline, Robservations: StreetWise raises cover price; Sventoonie takes a break; Friends of Chicago Reporter mark 50. Listeners would feel respected. OH my I left Chicago in 2012, but still listened to WGN Stream. Compartilhar isto. Most, Karen Conti, Dan Hampton and most anyone he spoke with. Lets not yell and scream about it. [26] The next year another Chicago station, WFMT, moved to the vacated 98.7 assignment.[27]. The deal ends the team's 90-year association with WGN.[61]. 2. Still crying about Wendy & Bill! When Chicago radio enthusiasts Thorne Donnelley and Elliott Jenkins fired up a newfangled transmitter from the Wrigley Building on May 19, 1922, they launched one of the first experimental stations in the U.S., piercing the airwaves with a mlange of talk, weather reports and concerts as the precursor to WGN Radio. His last day at WGN Radio was October 31. The way WGN fired both Nick and Steve was a travesty. Movies. . Allen, Bernie - Retired from radio, living in Chicago. . For the local Chicago television station, see, The "World's Greatest Newspaper" slogan was first used in a February 1909 feature commemorating the 100th anniversary of. I look forward to see what Bob brings to the table, WITHOUT his wife. Youd hate it even more now, the entire schedule is repetitive! Also starting September 28, longtime WGN Radio news anchor Steve Bertrand will host Chicagos Afternoon News from 4 to 7 p.m. Its being billed as a daily newsmagazine show. Morning producer Mary Boyle was appointed General Manager of the station after former Station Manager Todd Manley was terminated on the first day of Nextar's takeover. Happy Bob is back and working solo. On July 25, 2017, it was reported that WGN would leave Tribune Tower in 2018 and relocate to a new studio and office across the Chicago River. Supremely disappointed! The station gained some early listeners, including Chicago Tribune publisher Col. Robert McCormick, who wrote to his mother, you cannot help being thrilled at the little box that picks sounds from the air, according to a WGN history published by the station in 1961. Dent will join Steve Bertrand in the 2-6pm slot starting Monday, January 3, 2022. [64], On February 14, 2018, WGN was named the new flagship station of the Chicago White Sox, who were left without a station after Cumulus Media voided their contract to air on WLS as part of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Radio Hall of Famer John Records Landecker, who's been a frequent fill-in host, just signed on as a full-timer. . The short-lived tenure of Metheny, a well-traveled program director dubbed Pig Virus by shock jock Howard Stern, led to the exodus of key on-air personalities amid growing resentment from longtime listeners. No Cubs, no Bill and Wendy, no Steve Cochran and a radio station that sounds like its out of the 50s. However the ship's skipper (and namesake) agreed to relinquish it in order to free it for adoption by the newspaper. WGN Radio is commemorating its anniversary with a TV documentary airing at 7 p.m. Thursday on sister station WGN-Ch. WGN Radio missed out on calling the Cubs 2016 World Series victory after 90 years of futility. On April 30, 2008, the station entered into a three-year deal to broadcast Chicago Blackhawks hockey games through the 20102011 season. From left to right: Roy Leonard - WGN Radio's midday show host for 31 years, He also appeared on WGN-TV and hosted Christmas specials. The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign holds the WGN Radio Station Studio Orchestra Music Library and Records, 19251956,[41] which consists of scripts, programs, production notes, correspondence, music library rental records, sheet music manuscripts, and music scores with annotations that document the WGN Studio Symphonic Orchestra from 1925 to 1956. [68] On September 1, 2020, WGN Radio dropped ABC News Radio in favor of being an "audio news hub" for the co-owned NewsNation TV channel. #37 of 61. So I had doubts about Pete trying this morning gig at the Drive. WGN joined with WOR New York City, WXYZ Detroit and WLW Cincinnati to form the network, a rival to NBC and CBS. In the spring of 1986, as Phillips was ceding the morning show to Collins after nearly 20 years, he still had a 15.7 audience share, nearly double the nearest competitor. Phillips, Collins and Leonard have all moved on to that radio booth in the sky, and the Cubs pulled up stakes for CBS Radio and their new home at the Score nearly a decade ago. I would miss tuning in. Wife and husband radio personalities Johnnie Putnam and Steve King left WGN Radio after 26 years of hosting their overnight show. Orion Samuelson had been the station's farm reporter since 1960, he retired in 2020. Anchor and reporter for WGN Radio, where I host "The Opening Bell" business hour from 5-6am weekdays and then anchor . After the four Meier auditions, Jerry Springer was given a four-day stint as "guest host", followed by Rita Cosby a few weeks later. On Thursday, WGN-AM 720 celebrates its 100th anniversary, still going strong as the Voice of Chicago after a century of broadcasting that spans the dawn of radio to the digital age, using a format that has essentially remained unchanged. They brought in a guy who just did not like the station, and said so out loud, said Fabian. Radio's a tough business, and I understand why station bosses have to fire on-air personalities from time to time as they strive for higher ratings and greater ad revenue. Im done. Glad Steve C is gone. The station is profitable, she said, but declined to disclose revenue. It included live music, political debates, comedy routines, and some of radio's first sporting event broadcasts, including the 1924 Indianapolis 500, and a live broadcast of the 1925 Scopes Trial from Dayton, Tennessee. Like you said the ratings were great. Chicago, IL . : Bailey, Bill - Program Director and afternoon personality at WLHT-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is not at all a GOOD thing. He sounded lost and confused. Compton worked for Clear Channel Radio under Randy . During nighttime skywave hours, with a good radio, it is audible over most of the Eastern and Central United States and Central Canada. Loved Wally, Bob, Spike and Steve. The only personalities to make the format transition were Don Wade and Roma. Miss their show. Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 02:08, Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, "Double Call Letters Are Being Eliminated", "Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers", "Perspective | In Chicago, schools closed during a 1937 polio epidemic and kids learned from home over the radio", "Actions of the Federal Communications Commission: Decisions. [45][46][47] On December 8, 2008, Tribune filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a debt load of around $13 billion making it the largest media bankruptcy in American corporate history that it accrued from the Zell buyout and related privatization costs as well as a sharp downturn in revenue from newspaper advertising. Necrology of Old Radio Personalities; OTR Actors and Their Roles This page was last edited on 21 January 2023, at 02:02 (UTC). Adam Carolla (; born May 27, 1964) is an American comedian, radio personality, television host, actor, podcaster, and director. In 1961, the WGN radio and television stations moved to a studio facility on West Bradley Place in the North Center neighborhood, a move undertaken for civil defense concerns in order to provide the station a safe base to broadcast in case of a hostile attack targeting downtown Chicago. 32 news at 9 p.m. A Chicago native, Sirott launched his media career in the 1970s as a rock jock at WBBM-FM 96.3 and WLS-AM 890. On June 15, 2009, the station announced that Greg Jarrett would become its new morning-drive host starting on June 22, with John Williams being shifted to Kathy and Judy's former late morning timeslot. WGN Radio host Judy Markey poses with her plaque as WGN Radio honors 10 inaugural walk of fame inductees to celebrate the station's 90th year on June 27, 2014. Sirott is ok. Love Pete. No personality is larger than what the brand is. Theres a valid reason he was kept in a room by himselfno one else could fit with him AND his ego. Im so disappointed with WGN. I am a WGN junkie so I hope things work out. Chicago media message boards exploded with traffic and posts, many excited over a possible permanent Meier presence on the station. WGN 720-AM, the Nexstar Media Group news/talk station, chose the Friday night of a three-day holiday weekend to drop the bombshell that it's overhauling its weekday afternoon and evening lineup. The reason I got into this business was listening to Cubs broadcasts growing up, said Sirott, 72. Im more happy than ever to pay the small Sirius XM monthly fee. Prior to the sale's closure, WGN-TV was one of two commercial television stations in the Chicago market, not counting network-owned stations, to have never been involved in an ownership transaction (along with WCIU-TV, which has been owned by Weigel Broadcasting since its February 1964 sign-on). Therefore WGN, Inc. turned in WGNB's license for cancellation, and the station was deleted on May 28, 1953. 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