Musings, observations, and written works from the publisher of Eckhartz Press, the media critic for the Illinois Entertainer, co-host of Minutia Men, Minutia Men Celebrity Interview and Free Kicks, and the author of "The Loop Files", "Back in the D.D.R", "EveryCubEver", "The Living Wills", "$everance," "Father Knows Nothing," "The Radio Producer's Handbook," "Records Truly Is My Middle Name", and "Gruen Weiss Vor".
I'll be on WGN Radio tonight between 8:30-9pm with John Landecker discussing my new novel "Back in the D.D.R." John was kind enough to blurb the book for me, so he's one of only a half dozen people who have actually read it. Looking forward to the chat.
Here's what he said about the book:
“In BACK IN THE DDR author Rick Kaempfer takes us on what on the surface is a family trip from Chicago back to his German homeland. Its what’s between the lines that gives the reader an uneasy feeling that there is a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Guess what. There is. The Berlin wall. Communist East Germany. I can say no more. A great page turning read.”
A curation of news items
about the media from this past week, with a particular emphasis on Chicago…
RADIO/PODCASTS
*Radio Hall of Fame Inductions
=This week (November 1) the latest Hall of Fame class
was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. As usual it was a
star-studded event. Ryan Seacrest flew in for the ceremony to induct his pal
Ellen K from KOST in Los Angeles. But for Chicago radio fans, there were a few
highlights as well. Congratulations to Lon Helton. The former WMAQ man will
forever have a plaque on the wall in the Radio Hall of Fame. Former Chicago
radio executive Marv Dyson (WGCI) was also recognized. His son Victor and
former colleague Elroy Smith accepted the award on his behalf.
The Bears Will Have a New Radio Home
=This week the Bears announced they are ending their
stay at NewsRadio WBBM and moving their games down the dial to ESPN 1000 for
2023 season. After 22 years it’s a bit of a shock, but it isn’t the first time
the Bears have changed radio homes. Their games have previously aired on WGN,
WMAQ, WIND, and WJJD.
=ESPN 1000’s Director of Content Danny Zederman
said: “ESPN Chicago is thrilled to be adding the
Chicago Bears to our play-by-play roster alongside the Chicago White Sox. Our
on-air talent is incredibly passionate about our hometown team, and that
passion will show within and beyond the in-game broadcasts, integrated
throughout our programming year-round.”
=Chicago
Sun-Times sports media columnist Jeff Agrestreports that the local
Bears TV deal may also be moving to a new station, and he speculates that
WGN-TV and the Marquee Network are two possible landing spots.
*Ron
Gleason Retiring from NewsRadio WBBM
=The brand manager and news director announced it to
his staff this week. He had been doing that job for 17 years. In the staff
memo, he wrote: “I’ll be retiring from
full-time management at the end of January, stepping down as WBBM’s Brand Manager/News
Director. People have told me there’s something called free time out there, and
I’d like to learn more about it….Frankly,
I’m a workaholic, which is a great attribute when you’re on call 24 hours a
day. But I’m older now, my kids are grown, and Linda and I are looking forward
to spending more than just a few days a year at a home in the desert that’s
been sorely neglected. This decision comes after months of planning, with
much-appreciated support and understanding from [VP/Programming] Greg
[Solk], [SVP/Market Manager] Rachel [Williamson], and all levels of
the company.”
=
Ron Gleason can be heard every weekend hosting the Bears pre- and
post-game broadcasts. The timing (the end of the Bears contract and the Bears
season and Gleason’s departure) is probably not entirely coincidental.
=Gleason
retires after a stellar career that includes helping to launch The Score in
1991 and working as the play-by-play man for DePaul University basketball.
=By
the way, Audacy is actively looking for his replacement. If you go to the
Audacy career portal, here’s what it says about this position: “We are looking for an innovative strategic thinker with a
passion for news and a multi-platform orientation to reimagine how we connect
with and engage audiences for even greater success. The Brand Manager oversees
editorial strategy and the WBBM newsroom, including broadcast and digital
operations, with an eye towards audience and revenue growth and engagement on
all platforms.”
*Chicago Radio Ratings
=The October PPM numbers
came out this week, and the top five stations in Chicago are as follows…WDRV
(The Drive), WLIT (Lite FM), WVAZ, WBBM (NewsRadio) and WOJO.
=Rounding out the top
ten…WXRT, WBEZ (NPR), WLS-FM, WTMX (The Mix) and WGN.
=This is the last month
of PPMs before the Lite goes all-Christmas music, which skews the ratings in
their favor every year.
*Lite-FM Goes
All-Christmas
=It began on Tuesday
November 1st, the earliest they’ve ever done it. They do it for a
very good reason, by the way. The numbers are huge and people love it.
=If you’re wondering what
the research says about the most popular Christmas songs to play on the radio,
you might be surprised by the results. According to P1 Media Group, “Rockin’
Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee is #1, slightly ahead of
“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms.
*Chicago
Radio Archives and Memories
=The
November issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and includes my interview with
radio archivist Don Beno from the Facebook page Chicago Radio Archives
and Memories. If you’re a Chicago radio fan, you really owe it to yourself to
check out his page. Here’s a small excerpt from my interview: His page posts great old airchecks
(on-air DJ tapes), photos, music surveys, and more from radio’s golden era of
the 60s/70s/80s/90s. Anyone who has spent time on that page immediately
recognizes the size and scope of Don’s collection. It’s way beyond anything you
can imagine. “I have two thousand airchecks on tape,” he admits, “another 500
on CD, hours and hours of videotape, and four zip drives of old interviews.”
=Next
month’s interview subject for Illinois Entertainer: Bulls radio play-by-play
man Chuck Swirsky.
*Troy
Hanson re-signs with Cumulus
=The
program director of Q-101 is also the VP for programming rock formats and the
VP of operations for Cumulus Chicago. Troy Hanson has signed a new three-year
deal to stay with Cumulus in all three roles. RAMP247 has more information.
=I don’t
mean that metaphorically. How many people have you met in the radio business
who said they want to do the job as long as they live? Well, this guy literally did that.
=She was
the founder of the Media Staffing Network, which helped media people find new
jobs. Last Friday she passed away after a long bout with cancer. She wrote a blog about her struggle with the disease, which inspired many people.
*RIP Ken
Alexander
=The long-time Chicago radio veteran passed away this week at the age of 93.
Alexander worked in radio for more than 60 years. He is probably most
remembered for his time at WAIT (over twenty years), and WNIB (for 16 years).
He could most recently be heard on WDCB. Chuck Shayden and Steve Darnall
are doing a 4-hour tribute to Ken on Saturday November 5, beginning at 1pm.
MEDIA MILESTONES & BIRTHDAYS
*The
great sportscaster Jim Shorts celebrated his birthday on Halloween. (I've interviewed both Kevin--in English, and Jim in German, if you'd like to hear it.) Here’s a photo of Kevin Matthews with his star sportscaster, back in the
old Loop days.
*Former
Chicago television anchor Jane Pauley was also born on Halloween. She
obviously went on to bigger and better things, but she did a stint here locally
at WMAQ-TV, Channel 5.
*One
last Halloween birthday. Program director Bill Gamble (Q-101, CD-94.7,
et al) was also born on October 31. I interviewed him for Chicago Radio Spotlight back in 2009. He currently works for Midwest Family of Companies in
South Bend, Indiana.
*Former
radio producer/host Tom Sochowski (WJMK, WCKG, ESPN, The Fish)
celebrated his birthday on November 1st. That’s Tom on the left with
John Landecker and me.
*Former
WGN & WLS newscaster Judy Pielach also has a November 1st
birthday.
*Producer Tom Hush (the Steve Cochran show/WLS
Radio) celebrates a birthday today (November 4th).
TV/STREAMING
*MeTV’s Holiday Plans
=Coming off a very successful
Halloween month of October, MeTV announced this week some of their plans for
the upcoming holiday season. Here’s a notable portion of the announcement: On Sunday, November 20, enjoy a heaping helping of
back-to-back Thanksgiving-themed episodes of classic TV favorites, including
what is widely considered one of the best Thanksgiving TV episodes ever, WKRP
in Cincinnati’s “Turkey’s Away.”
=Their Christmas plans include a
celebration of Charles Schultz’s 100th birthday (November
26), and a classic holiday marathon of sitcoms on November 27th
including The Beverly Hillbillies,
Gilligan’s Island, Green Acres, Mama’s Family, The Andy Griffith Show, Full
House and M*A*S*H.
=Lots
of unsettling details in this story about the former CEO of CBS Les Moonves. He
and CBS agreed to pay millions ($9.75 million settlement, another $14.5 million
to shareholders) in the sexual misconduct case brought by the New York Attorney
General. The details are disturbing. The LA
Police called up Moonves to let him know a confidential complaint was
filed against him, and an underling with knowledge of the situation sold
millions in stock before the news came out. The article also says that Moonves
only has to pay about $2.5 million of that settlement. He made $12.5 million the
year he was forced out, down from his normal salary of $47 million.
*Chris Cuomo Wants a Better Timeslot
=He
just recently joined NewsNation, but according to the New York Post (I know, I
know), Cuomo is already not happy with his timeslot as the ratings struggle.
=Shep Smith’s
newscast was canceled by CNBC. His show was an attempt to do a non-partisan
newscast, but the ratings weren’t good. In a memo to his staff, CNBC’s
president wrote this: “‘The News’ set out on a bold mission of providing non-partisan,
fact-based reporting on the most important stories of the day in the U.S. and
around the world. The quality journalism Shep and his team delivered each
weeknight was exemplary and not lost on us or our 7 p.m. audience.”
=Shanghai-based
Byte-Dance owns TikTok, and the FCC claims that the Chinese company is damaging
American national security by sharing private information of Americans.
*Elon Musk’s Bumpy First Week
=First
he claimed he had no idea who the new CEO was. (It was him).Then he retweeted a bogus conspiracy theory
about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, which he later had to delete
when he found out that same outlet he retweeted had once reported Hillary Clinton
was dead and replaced by a body double and that Bill Gates was
responsible for polio. Now he is faced with a mass exodus of advertisers who
fear the website has become or will become the hellscape he promised it would
never be. And this morning he laid off a large percentage of the staff…via e-mail. Not a great first week.
*Truth Social’s Influence Grows
=According to the New York Times the social media
outlet is becoming more influential, even as it struggles mightily financially.
=The
famous Latino actor has drawn a line in the sand via the Los Angeles Times. He wrote this open letter to Hollywood to point out the inequities that still
exist for Latinos in the TV and movie industries.
*
Judge blocks Simon & Schuster merger with Penguin/Random House
=As a Simon & Schuster author (The Radio
Producer’s Handbook), I have this to say to the judge: Correct decision. Now do
Amazon.
If you have any media stories (Chicago or
national) that you think I might like to share in future columns, feel free to
drop me a line at rick@eckhartzpress.com or amishrick@yahoo.com
to Another Time and Place with "Back in the D.D.R."
Calling All Time Travelers! Want to Experience Another Time and Place? Back in the D.D.R. was Written Just for YOU!
By K.P. Lynne
Just in time for the holidays, veteran author and media personality, Rick Kaempfer has published an intriguing new novel, called Back in the D.D.R., jam-packed to the very edges of the pages, with suspenseful twists and turns, in far-off places, as the story takes flight, and catapults the reader on the journey of a lifetime.
Rick Kaempfer is a prolific and accomplished best-selling author, whose unique outlook on life, paired with extraordinary life experiences, has given him a knack for writing whimsical literary creations, eloquently combining intrigue, suspense, smiles, laughter, fears, tears and every emotion in between. His highly polished, yet refreshingly conversational, writing style snatches the reader out of their seat and draws the reader directly into the pages of his works.
“My new novel Back in the D.D.R. takes place in 1976 in seven different countries. One of them is Austria, with stops in Mondsee, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Grieskirchen, and Vienna.”, said Rick Kaempfer.
Back in the D.D.R. is a rare gem reflecting upon a strange time in our existence...you MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!
“Back in the D.D.R is a double fish out of water tale. The year is 1976. 12-year-old Rudi has had a really difficult time fitting into his family’s adopted home of America, but just when he feels like he is becoming Americanized, his family moves back to West Germany.”, said Kaempfer. “Rudi tries to navigate American Army bases, German and Austrian relatives he has never met, Cold War political tension and violence he doesn’t fully understand. His unusual journey culminates in a visit to the other side of the Iron Curtain, where Rudi is forced to confront the real reasons his family has taken him on such a bumpy ride.”
The critics are raving over this breathtaking trip...
“In Back in the D.D.R. author Rick Kaempfer takes us on what on the surface is a family trip from Chicago back to his German homeland. Its what’s between the lines that gives the reader an uneasy feeling that there is a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Guess what. There is. The Berlin wall. Communist East Germany. I can say no more. A great page turning read.” - John Landecker, WGN Radio
“Rick Kaempfer weaves a fascinating tale that jerks you back and forth between funny and scary. Having been to all of the places Rick describes, I felt like a 13-year-old reliving it. I even found myself mumbling a lot of the dialogue in German. A great read.” ~Jim Baumann, Executive Editor of the Daily Herald and author of Grammar Moses.
Every week I send my Minutia Men Co-Host Dave Stern a list from our audio archives for this week's Studio Walls feature. These are the possibilities for this week. Which one will he choose?
*October 30 is Myke Cole's (author) birthday. We had him on MMCI twice. Here and here.
*November 2, 2001—Monsters
Inc was released. Johnny Kaempfer reviewed it for the John Landecker show (AUDIO)
*November 2, 2006—The
Arab/Israeli Comedy Hour debuts. We had the show's co-creator Aaron Freeman on our show and he told us all about it.
*November 2, 1980—The
Kings song "Beat Goes On-Switchin To Glide" is released. We talked to the man behind that song, Kings member Mr. Zero.
*November 3—Michael
Dukakis birthday. The saddest man in America on the day Dukakis lost the 1988 election was Second City's Dave Sinker. We talked to him about that.
On this day in 2017, John Landecker was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Here’s my report from the event…
Great night last night for John Records Landecker. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame by his good buddy Bob Sirott. John used his speech to argue for recognition for the man who created the Lone Ranger.
He also thanked everyone who helped him along the way, including yours truly. Very nice speech. We had a great time. The dinner was held at the Museum of Broadcasting, which currently has a great SNL exhibit. (Hence the SNL-type photos below)
It’s called Back in the D.D.R, and it’s Rick’s sixth book (and second novel) for Eckhartz Press. What’s it about? It’s a coming-of-age spy thriller set in West Germany during the Cold War. Back in the D.D.R is available for pre-order now! It ships on December 1st.
Back in the D.D.R is a double fish out of water tale. The year is 1976. 12-year-old Rudi has had a difficult time fitting in his family’s adopted home of America, but just when he feels like he is becoming Americanized, his family moves back to West Germany. Rudi tries to navigate American Army bases, German and Austrian relatives he has never met, and Cold War political tension and violence he doesn’t fully understand. His unusual journey culminates in a visit to the other side of the Iron Curtain, where Rudi is forced to confront the real reasons his family has taken him on such a bumpy ride.
What the critics are saying…
“Rick Kaempfer weaves a fascinating tale that jerks you back and forth between funny and scary. Having been to all of the places Rick describes, I felt like a 13-year-old reliving it. I even found myself mumbling a lot of the dialogue in German. A great read.” ~Jim Baumann, Executive Editor of the Daily Herald and author of “Grammar Moses.”
“In BACK IN THE DDR author Rick Kaempfer takes us on what on the surface is a family trip from Chicago back to his German homeland. Its what’s between the lines that gives the reader an uneasy feeling that there is a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Guess what. There is. The Berlin wall. Communist East Germany. I can say no more. A great page turning read.” ~John Landecker, WGN Radio
Back in the D.D.Ris Rick Kaempfer’s 8th book (6th for Eckhartz), and his third novel. This one is personal, as it is loosely based on his own unusual childhood. The book is dedicated to Rick’s fellow Army brats. Kaempfer has previously written about his favorite baseball team (EveryCubEver), his former broadcasting career (The Radio Producer’s Handbook, Records Truly is My Middle Name, and $everance), and his humorous struggles with parenting (Father Knows Nothing). Kaempfer also teamed up with improvisation guru Brendan Sullivan to co-write a novel called The Living Wills using improvisational techniques. Rick is the co-publisher of Eckhartz Press (with David Stern), the media critic for the Illinois Entertainer, and the co-host of three podcasts, Minutia Men, Minutia Men Celebrity Interview, and Free Kicks (all with the Radio Misfits Podcast Network). Before turning to writing and publishing, Rick was the executive producer of two National Radio Hall of Fame shows based in Chicago, the Steve & Garry show (WLUP AM 1000) and the John Records Landecker show (WJMK). He is the father of three sons, and lives in suburban Chicago with his wife Bridget. (photo below--Derek Roth/cover illustrator, and Rick Kaempfer/author)
The November issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and features my interview with Don Beno from Chicago Radio Archives and Memories. A fun discussion with a master radio archivist.
*Author Jason Coles released his sneaker book on this day in 2016. That inspired Eckhartz Press author Ryan Trembath to write his book Signature Shoes. Coles even provided a blurb for it...
“From the very first to the very latest, they’re all here, every single signature sneaker that you need to know about. In Signature Shoes, Ryan Trembath explores the symbiotic relationship between signature sneakers and the athletes who wore them, and reveals in delicious detail how they changed popular culture. A treat for sports nuts, sneakerheads and fashionistas alike.”
--Jason Coles, Author of "Golden Kicks: The Shoes That Changed Sport."
I hadn't heard this version of the song before. It was decided not to put it on the album because it didn't sound like the rest of the songs, but whoo boy, this is pretty damn good. Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson and Bun E. Carlos, plus Tony Levin join John Lennon on "I'm Losing You" (from 1980).
Don't look now, but guess what college football team is in first place in the Big Ten West, and is ranked #14 in the nation? (Yes, that's the banned Chief logo. Living on the edge this week)
The Pope warns priests about porn, Halloween dad jokes, Mark Cuban discusses the difficulties of money, frivolous lawsuits, mountains of leftover cheese, and a listener brush with a famous scientist are among the minutiae offered up this week by Rick and Dave. [Ep290]
Two Eckhartz Press books were released on this day.
*In 2013, Chuck Quinzio's Life Behind the Camera came out to great acclaim and interest within the Chicago media community. It's still being used to teach television at the City College of Los Angeles.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
