Late in the game for a response but I still miss Spike and Judi and Kathy! [9] In 1926, WGN broadcast Sam & Henry, a daily serial with comic elements created and performed by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll. 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. The reason I got into this business was listening to Cubs broadcasts growing up, said Sirott, 72. was dropped from the station and replaced by a returning Bob Sirott, returned to Chicago radio in a weekend/fill-in role at WVAZ-FM, dropping Bill Leff and Wendy Snyder from middays. Under Nexstar, several changes were made to the station's lineup, management, and branding. they could record and edit farewell messages before airing them. I certainly dont patronize their advertizers! Cochran constant bashing of Trump tiresome. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. : Bateman, Bob - On air personality at WMIL-FM in Milwaukee. Theyre firing the WRONG people! The station first signed on the air on May 19, 1922. . [43] In 2005, Tom Langmyer was appointed as vice president and general manager of WGN. Theres a valid reason he was kept in a room by himselfno one else could fit with him AND his ego. Unless the make so extreme changes to the new line up. 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). And then replace him with the also-was used to be Sirrot? "Few rival Annas commitment to serving the public in anticipating, exposing and breaking important stories. The Best Talk Show Hosts Of Daytime, Late Night, and All Time. Liked Sirott, but been there, done that. 2 to 6 p.m. Lisa Dent and Steve Bertrand WGN airs local news headlines, weather forecasts supplied by WGN-TV, traffic reports and sports headlines every half-hour on weekdays from 6a.m. to 7p.m. and every hour nights and weekends. Will not listen ever again. And were doing well without them.. WGN is the only radio station owned by Nexstar Media Group, which primarily owns television stations. it is broadcast in its local area of the Chicago metro, and in Northern Illinois and parts of Central Illinois, and is also broadcast in Southeast and Northeast Wisconsin, parts of Eastern Iowa, and Northwest Indiana. You would have never seen Collins or ODell in this venue . 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. Therefore WGN, Inc. turned in WGNB's license for cancellation, and the station was deleted on May 28, 1953. Compton worked for Clear Channel Radio under Randy . What is the new WGN thinking, are all the bosses afraid to read the numbers, or are there egos so large that they are smarter than the chicago listeners, I hope that the person who put Sinatra on Sunday mornings didnt do this, but it sounds like the same logic. 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." I suppose Sirott doesnt feel the same way because if he did, he wouldnt have signed a deal so he can get up at 3 a.m. every day to do a morning show. Urbana-Champaign/Chicago Media Personality/WLS Host & Podcaster/Former WGN Radio/TV Host, News Anchor, Reporter. We are fortunate to have her expertise at WGN Radio.. On April 2, 2009, WGN announced that Meier would join the station full-time as host of a program in the 1-4 p.m. slot (airing most weekdays when the program is not pre-empted by Chicago Cubs broadcasts); his first official show occurred that same day. The station also left behind its Walk of Fame, where former WGN air personalities were enshrined in sidewalk plaques in Pioneer Court. Movies. Text is available under the Creative Commons . 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. [70], This article is about the radio station. First Lt. Elmer McKesson, Capt. And they all understand that. We belong to the listeners, Boyle said. After the four Meier auditions, Jerry Springer was given a four-day stint as "guest host", followed by Rita Cosby a few weeks later. Menu. Glad to see him go.but sirott is not the answer. 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. Ill never understand the cut throat business that is radio. Im so disappointed with WGN. Yes there is no replacement for Bob Colins (whom I now believe you would wish to fire). The original WGN began operating on the evening of March 29, 1924, after the newspaper took over programming of the former WJAZ. where his students included WLS-Ch. We are also down to Roe Cohn & Dean Richards as the last portion of this radio station that is worth my time. This was the second Tribune-affiliated radio station to hold the WGN call letters. -. The Steve Cochran Show, Weekdays 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. That sounds like ownership/management is looking for a writer-off. Thats why I decided to retire. Couldnt stand the way he interrupted his guests. In November, after the firing of controversial program director Kevin Metheny, Tom Langmyer instructed staff to identify the station as "720 WGN." No thanks, Im out. Whats more interesting here is the recently retired Joyner who is the same age as Sirott (70) said about the state of radio recently in Billboard: When I came along, you didnt have a lot of listening choices. 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. The only personalities to make the format transition were Don Wade and Roma. "Davlantes will continue to be heard frequently across the stations dayparts," according to WGN's announcement. Youd hate it even more now, the entire schedule is repetitive! 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. WGN (720 AM) is a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a talk radio format. Fabian, who hired morning drive successors Collins and ODell, said the key to success at WGN was not necessarily a big voice. Loved Wally, Bob, Spike and Steve. 1/9/2023 Updated review. LOVE Bob and could not wait to return to WGN. Early programming was noted for its creativity and innovation. 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. You can find a comprehensive archive of his material here. Quinlan died in an auto accident during spring training in 1965. On May 15, 1933, after the FRC requested that stations using only one of their assigned call letters drop those that were no longer in regular use, WLIB was eliminated and the station reverted to just WGN. On December 31, 2014, the WGN.FM website was redirected to the WGN Plus website, where Tribune offers various digital media content. We tried to be the audience.. Morning drive host and longtime Chicago on-air personality Bob Sirott at the WGN-AM 720 studio on May 17, 2022. The initial call sign policy for commercial FM stations included an initial "W" for stations east of the Mississippi River, followed by the last two digits of a station's assigned frequency, "59" for "45.9 MHz" in this case, and closing with a one or two letter regional identifier, which for Chicago area stations was "C". There is a need for a radio station that caters to the seniors; though Ive been listening to GN since I was in high school. Late-night hosts over the years have included Franklyn MacCormack, Ed "Chicago Eddie" Schwartz, Don Vogel and the husband-and-wife team of Steve King and Johnnie Putman. No Cochran = Happy 2020. During daytime hours, near-perfect ground conductivity gives WGN at least secondary coverage to almost two-thirds of Illinois (as far south as Springfield) as well as large slices of Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Iowa. Also during weekdays, the radio station simulcasts the first two hours of the WGN Morning News at 4a.m. He sounded lost and confused. 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. Doesnt matter. Anna Davlantes impeccable resume includes decades of award-winning investigative reporting," Sandberg Boyle said. 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. He called the long-running WGN news/talk format news plus, adding conversation to topical issues to engage rather than enrage listeners. Sirott said he is happy to fill the coveted morning drive seat at WGN Radio, despite not being an early riser at heart. Samuelson: It . At the time of his leaving he had spent 3.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12 years serving as the President and General Manager of WGN Radio. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [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. I wasnt crazy about Steve, always interrupting, having the last say, me,me,me. 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. A lot of companies, they have heritage stations, but they dont necessarily put a lot of value on that history, Harrison said. Where sports, pop culture, and media meet, Sirott returns to morning shift; Cochran canned for second time from WGN. What the hell is wrong with WGN? On April 30, 2008, the station entered into a three-year deal to broadcast Chicago Blackhawks hockey games through the 20102011 season. After a protracted four-year process, on December 31, 2012, Tribune formally exited from bankruptcy under the control of its senior debt holders, Oaktree Capital Management, JPMorgan Chase and Angelo, Gordon & Co.[48][49][50], On July 10, 2013, Tribune announced plans to split off its broadcasting and newspaper interests into two separate companies. ( whom I now believe you would wish to fire ) took programming! 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