And boy, it took a tumble.. Wgn has been part of my life since I was a child. 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Think about it Wgn only Sirotts wife kept it alive when he was on. Slogans during its ratings pinnacle included WGN Radio is Chicago, a bold assertion issued in TV spots by a cartoon bird, reflecting both the stations market dominance and cultural significance. Since then, WGN Radio has been an integral part of the conversation and culture in Chicago, broadcasting news, sports, entertainment and major events across the Midwest with 50,000 watts of power. : Brink, Scotty -Former midday personality at WRLL-AM Chicago. Totally agree with you about missing Nick. On April 5, 1948, WGN-TV Channel 9 signed on the air. You can find a comprehensive archive of his material here. Lisa Dent, who's been a popular Chicago radio personality for two decades, will sign on as Monday-through-Friday afternoon host at WGN 720-AM in the new year. The disc jockey became important in Chicago radio during the 1930s, well before the term "disc jockey" was coined in the 1940s. posted on November 18, 2021 at 8:25 am by Robert Feder. WGN is a clear channel, Class A station, broadcasting at the maximum power of 50,000 watts, and using a non-directional antenna. Could Rogers Park dispensary move next to a CTA terminal? WGN radio personality Wally Phillips hosts Mayor Harold Washington on Phillips' telephone call-in show fielding a wide range of questions from listeners in November 1983. He brings a fresh perspective with humor. Read; Edit; View history . While he aspired to be the Cubs radio play-by-play man, Sirott turned down an offer from Fabian to take the job during the height of his TV hosting commitments. You would have never seen Collins or ODell in this venue RADIO / BROADCAST HISTORY LIBRARY: Thousands of magazines . : Station Deletions", "Col. Robert McCormick Dies; WGN-AM-TV Among Holdings", "McCormick Will Names Five To Head 'Tribune,' Stations", "Patrolman Leonard F. Baldy, Chicago Police Department, Illinois", "Eight Chicago Police Stars Retired During Ceremony at Chicago Police Headquarters", "Patrolman Irving Francis Hayden, Chicago Police Department, Illinois", "WGN Television: 2501 West Bradley Place, Chicago, Illinois, 60618", "WGN Radio Station Studio Orchestra Music Library and Records, 1925-1956 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music", "At Flagging Tribune, Tales of a Bankrupt Culture", "Tribune Co. to emerge from bankruptcy Monday", "Tribune Company Seeks Bankruptcy Protection", "Tribune Publishing targets Aug. 4 for spinoff", "WGN Radio to Partner with WGN-TV to Deliver Top Local Weather Reporting to Listeners", "WGN Radio Announces New Morning Line-up", "Some Answers To Some Questions | SteveAndJohnnie's "Both Sides Now" Blog", "Quitting time: Two jobs are one too many for WGN's Williams", "Report: Mike McConnell, WGN Settle Contract, Host Leaving", "WGN Radio to return to its roots in station shakeup", "WGN Radio brings back veteran host John Williams", "WGN Radio leaving Tribune Tower next year", "Robservations: WGN Radio is on the move 18 stories up", "Thanks for the Memories! 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. Too many replacements with less than par talent. 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. I will give Sirott a chance but Not with His wife. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If they're afraid of profane rants or boss bashing from terminated hosts not unheard of! Yes there is no replacement for Bob Colins (whom I now believe you would wish to fire). The station also streams its programming on its website and supplies podcasts as well. WGN had a long association with the MLB Chicago Cubs from 1925 to 2014, the last 56 years of that period as the exclusive flagship station. WGN radio personality Wally Phillips hosts Mayor Harold Washington on Phillips' telephone call-in show fielding a wide range of questions from listeners in November 1983. Monday through Friday, it carries Rich Valds, America at Night from Westwood One during late night hours. McCormick acquired the station in 1924, changing the call letters to WGN, which stood for the Worlds Greatest Newspaper, the slogan that adorned the Tribunes front page. Liked Sirott, but been there, done that. Compton worked for Clear Channel Radio under Randy Michaels and made the transition with him to Tribune when Sam Zell bought the company in 2007. Menu. I have a disease (Parkinsons) which often ikeeps me up at night. Part of a successful radio talent is not only wit and intelligence, but also an appealing voice. Not a Sirott fan, so Ill be looking for a new morning station. Cochran becomes the highest-rated host to be canned in Chicago radio in years; in 2007, Howard McGee was released from WGCI despite finishing first in adults 18-34 in morning drive and was replaced by Steve Harveys syndicated morning show (McGee has since returned to Chicago radio in a weekend/fill-in role at WVAZ-FM, WGCIs sister station.). Most, Karen Conti, Dan Hampton and most anyone he spoke with. One major issue was Cochran not coming to work on time and starting late for his show. OMG hope its Bob & Marianne At the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, you will find a palate-dazzling smorgasbord of cuisines and cocktails in which to indulge. WGN Radio is commemorating its anniversary with a TV documentary airing at 7 p.m. Thursday on sister station WGN-Ch. The decision not to renew Conns contract did not come as a surprise, but the timing of it did. Digilio, an inductee in the WGN Radio Walk of Fame who recently marked his 35th year at the station, moved up to full-time host in 2013. 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. Compartilhar isto. [65], Tribune Media was acquired by Nexstar Media Group for $4.1 billion in September 2019, marking the first time since 1924 that WGN radio would not be owned by any iteration of the Tribune Company. Bill and Wendy talk about the history of the WGN Radio with Roe Conn, Patti Vasquez, Steve Bertrand, Justin Kaufmann, and Roger Triemstra. This is and has been a good /great organization other than the takeover by Sam Zell (What a horror). But Triemstra wasn't just a weatherman. Jenkins and Donnelly are at their transmitter in the Wrigley Building in 1922. [66] The sale made WGN the only radio property owned by Nexstar, which primarily owns television stations;[66] in an interview with Crain's Chicago Business in December 2018, shortly after the deal was announced, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook stated that he "doesnt have an allergic reaction to radio" and that there were no immediate plans to sell WGN radio, adding that he did not expect Nexstar to acquire additional radio stations.[67]. With the format switch to talk, WLS had joined several other stations in Chicago doing the same format, including WGN-AM (720), WLUP-AM (1000), WVON-AM (1450) and WJJD-AM (1160), home of former WLS program director Clark Weber. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2021 T Dog Media, Inc.. All rights reserved. Sirott said he is happy to fill the coveted morning drive seat at WGN Radio, despite not being an early riser at heart. Fabian, who tried to hire Sirott at least six times over the years to work at WGN Radio, said the versatile Chicago air personality is the rightful heir to the morning chair. It was a return to the station for Sirott, who co-hosted middays with his wife, Marianne Murciano, from 2013 to 2015, and previously hosted The Noon Show from 2007 to 2010 while co-anchoring the WFLD-Ch. 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. Necrology of Old Radio Personalities; OTR Actors and Their Roles This page was last edited on 21 January 2023, at 02:02 (UTC). WGN is a radio station that I used to listen to for entertainment, news and current events. Cant stand that snotty, conceited Sirott. WGN Radio has changed up their Saturday night and early Sunday morning line up, while ending the Best of Jim Brohannon Show, and bringing the husband and wife team of Steve King and Johnnie Putman from 9 pm to 2 am, and expanded and moved The Sinatra Hours from 2 to 5 am, and a few more shows. Chicago, IL . Personalities needed to be looked at and tamed. In 1946, the Tribune Company applied to the FCC for a construction permit to build a television station. I stopped listening to the morning show when Cochran came on. During the "Golden Age of Radio," Mutual was the home of The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Superman and The Shadow. Here's what they wrote: "We have lived a dream. Cochran has also been employed at the former WPNT and WLUP-AM. I would say theyre turning wgn into a geriatric radio station but even my 91 year old mother thinks the new line up is boring even before they fired Steve Cochran. Not much different than the next. You can find Bill and Wendy on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Democracy dies in darkness and GN has gone over to the dark side. They are a mixture of WGN-TV and WGN Radio personalities. Glad Steve C is gone. (The trust was dissolved in January 1975, with a majority of the trust's former beneficiaries, including descendants of the McCormick and Patterson families, owning stock in the restructured Tribune Company entity which assumed oversight of all properties previously overseen by the trust afterward. [59] On May 21, WGN Radio announced that their schedule would change again effective May 27, 2014, which includes the return of John Williams to the airwaves of WGN Radio that he will pretty much do the show live from Minneapolis, while still doing his afternoon show on WCCO 830. Please Dont bring Sirott back! Text is available under the Creative Commons . As analyst Rich Greenfield would say, Good Luck Radio. Listeners would feel respected. What I don't understand, though, is why they so seldom give ousted personalities the chance to say goodbye and thanks to their listeners. Coinciding with the hire of Jarrett, WGN dropped its "News/Talk 720" brand and began identifying itself simply as "Chicago's WGN Radio 720." #37 of 61. 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. Because CBS, NBC and ABC had their own network stations in Chicago, WGN-TV became an independent television station, responsible for most of its own programming or airing old movies and syndicated TV shows. [9] In 1926, WGN broadcast Sam & Henry, a daily serial with comic elements created and performed by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. Boyle said the decision was out of our hands and predated her tenure at the top, but she bears no ill will toward the team or WSCR-AM 670, the successor play-by-play station. Wife and husband radio personalities Johnnie Putnam and Steve King left WGN Radio after 26 years of hosting their overnight show. Dan Fabian, 78, who rose through the programming ranks over three decades at WGN Radio, helped guide the station during its heyday before retiring as general manager in 1997. On December 2, 2011, WGN announced that Jonathon Brandmeier was named the new morning drive time host, effective December 9. Whatever happens to newspapers and magazines Im sorry to say it, but I think radio is next on the list. [17], In May 1940, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the establishment, effective January 1, 1941, of an FM radio band operating on 40 channels spanning 4250MHz. Weekend hosts Jerry Agar and the "News Junkie" Sean Wasson left the station, in a shift towards more general and less controversial talk programming. But with few people owning FM radio receivers in that era, management did not think WGNB would become profitable. We dont want to move on from the Cubs, its a huge part of our heritage, Boyle said. Now I can listen to the station again Former morning host Greg Jarrett was released from the station. Age discrimination MUST be eliminated and a person recognized for their TALENT up beat , and positive so refreshing at this stressful time. On November 20, 2014, Chicago media blogger Robert Feder reported that WGN management planned to end operation of both WGWG-LP and internet station WGN.FM on December 31, 2014. Crazy..I will tune out and listen to bill and Wendy when they move. : July 9", "Standard Broadcast Station Call Letters for All Outlets Starting Nov. 1, FCC Rule", "For the Record: Existing FM Stations. thrown. The pandemic accelerated the decline, with radio revenue plummeting nearly 24% to $9.7 billion in 2020, according to media research firm BIA Advisory Services. Bill and Wendy talk about the history of the WGN Radio with Roe Conn, Patti Vasquez, Steve Bertrand, Justin Kaufmann, and Roger Triemstra. Above: From the WGN Radio Mailroom, it's Gary Barton! Were not relevant anymore. The original WGN began operating on the evening of March 29, 1924, after the newspaper took over programming of the former WJAZ. Now, Steve Cochrane? Couldnt stand the way he interrupted his guests. Don't worry, this story isn't over. TV Schedule. She has been in Chicago radio since 2002 when she began a fourteen year run co-hosting . Column: No one is in custody is an unfortunately overused phrase that should be banished, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Sirott hosted The Noon Show from 2007-10 and was previously at WLS-AM with Murciano in 2017 before they were let go as the station shifted away from general interest talk. [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. [44], On April 1, 2007, Chicago-based real estate investor Sam Zell announced plans to purchase the Tribune Company in an $8.2-billion leveraged buyout that gave Tribune employees stock and effective ownership of the company. Do not Sell/Share my Personal Information Johnnie Putnam and Steve King left radio! Television station they move after 26 years of hosting their overnight show management... From terminated hosts not unheard of Brink, Scotty -Former midday personality at WRLL-AM Chicago a mixture of WGN-TV WGN. 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Morning host Greg Jarrett was released from the Cubs, its a huge part of our heritage Boyle. Say, good Luck radio radio, despite not being an early riser at former wgn radio personalities,,! Wgn is a radio station that I used to listen to the morning show when Cochran came on or.
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