INFP

I haven't taken the personality test in a few years. Just took it again to see if I'm still an INFP. Yup.

A brief explanation...INFP personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, INFPs have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine. Comprising just 4% of the population, the risk of feeling misunderstood is unfortunately high for the INFP personality type – but when they find like-minded people to spend their time with, the harmony they feel will be a fountain of joy and inspiration.

At their best, these qualities enable INFPs to communicate deeply with others, easily speaking in metaphors and parables, and understanding and creating symbols to share their ideas. The strength of this intuitive communication style lends itself well to creative works, and it comes as no surprise that many famous INFPs are poets, writers and actors. Understanding themselves and their place in the world is important to INFPs, and they explore these ideas by projecting themselves into their work.

Unlike their Extraverted cousins though, INFPs will focus their attention on just a few people, a single worthy cause – spread too thinly, they’ll run out of energy, and even become dejected and overwhelmed by all the bad in the world that they can’t fix. This is a sad sight for INFPs’ friends, who will come to depend on their rosy outlook.

If they are not careful, INFPs can lose themselves in their quest for good and neglect the day-to-day upkeep that life demands. INFPs often drift into deep thought, enjoying contemplating the hypothetical and the philosophical more than any other personality type. Left unchecked, INFPs may start to lose touch, withdrawing into "hermit mode", and it can take a great deal of energy from their friends or partner to bring them back to the real world.

Reporting this news to you from my basement. :)

A new use for Donald Trump

What is this Donald Trump device below? The Guardian has the story.

Guess who is 57?

Michael La Crosse

Congrats goes out to former WLS program director Michael La Crosse. He's working in LA now, and he and his wife just had their second baby. From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

Our most sincere best wishes out to KOST/Los Angeles PD Michael La Crosse and his lovely wife, Janis, on the recent arrival of their second son -- Harrison Stephen La Crosse made his earthly debut on Monday, July 13, weighing in at an impressive 10lbs 8oz. "His three-year-old big brother Lincoln (right) was 10lbs 2oz," La Crosse informs RAMP. "Apparently Janis and I just make big babies." Describing some details of the blessed event, La Crosse praised his wife, saying, "She did it all with no epidural. She's amazing. I don't know how she (or any woman) does it. I cry when I get paper cuts. A lot." Looking at his two boys with an eye toward a lucrative future, La Crosse said, "I look at their size in a positive way -- maybe 20 years from now they’ll be the top D pairing for my Chicago Blackhawks."

Favorite Swear Words By Region

Gawker has them mapped out.

Chicago ranks pretty highly with most of them, especially the A-word and the F-word, but we're much better at avoiding the C, D and MF words.

Who knew?

Shaggin' and a Drinkin'

Some great stuff with Rod Stewart. Love the Fleetwood Mac story...

Drums on a Fat Guy

Good to know that if I decide to really let myself go, I could still be useful to society...

Colin Cowherd Leaving ESPN

It was all about the money. ESPN is cutting wherever they can.

This news does not surprise or disappoint me in the slightest. I have a natural distaste for blowhards who rarely seem to know what they are talking about. But that's just me.

Radio Insight has the details.

The Sox & Bulls will be on WLS

Robert Feder broke this story. Details are here.

WLS-AM has become a player in the sports-radio world. They stole the White Sox from the Score, and now they've stolen the Bulls from ESPN Radio.

I suspect it won't be long before they hire a big name sportscaster to be the main studio host for both Bulls & Sox broadcasts.

Another PD Opening in Chicago

See below about WLS-FM. The same is true of WSHE-FM (100.3 FM) now too. Marty Bender resigned yesterday. From today's RAMP Newsletter...

Citing serious several family concerns, Marty Bender announced he is stepping down from his PD post at Hubbard Radio's WSHE/Chicago. He has agreed to remain in place until a replacement is found, and will then be retained in an advisory role. In an emotional staff memo, Bendermentioned the recent death of his brother and some pressing health concerns facing his parents. "A day does not go by when I don't wake up and wonder if I'm in the right place, for the right reasons," he wrote. "At this time, the right decision for me is to step aside from my day-to-day programming duties at SHE and attend to all of the above, along with the corresponding legal issues that seem to never let up." He added, "This is a very tough decision for me, because of my attachment and belief in SHE and all that this station is quickly becoming." In closing, Bender said, "This transition could have only happened with the blessing and corporate care that is the entire Hubbard family."

The Most Valuable Sports Franchises in the World

Forbes has the list.

The Bulls (#14) and Cubs (#17) are both in the top 20.

Oduya's a Goner Now Too

The Tribune has the official confirmation from Johnny Oduya's agent.

He's a good player and was a big part of the Cup championship, but he is also 33 years old. He follows Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad, Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, and Kimmo Timonen out the door.

This won't be the same team next year. Let's hope they've retooled in a way that keeps them competitive. I'm not enough of a hockey expert to know whether or not that's true, but after three Stanley Cups, I'm willing to give Stan Bowman the benefit of the doubt.

LATE UPDATE: Oduya has officially signed with Dallas.

Jan Jeffries out at WLS-FM

Robert Feder has the scoop this morning. Jeffries is not being fired, he's being transferred to Washington DC.

I hope this frees the incredibly talented jocks on the air (Landecker, Murphy, Brown, Biondi, etc.) to actually talk on the radio. Every time I hear one of their 20 second bits, I clamor for more. But maybe that's just me.

Marconi Awards Finalists Announced

You can see the full list here. There are a few Chicago finalists this year...

WTMX (The Mix) for "Legendary Station"
Eric & Kathy (The Mix) for "Major Market Personality of the Year"
WJMK (K-hits 104.3) for "Classic Hits Station of the Year"
WDRV (The Drive) for "Rock Station of the Year"

Congrats to all of the finalists. The Marconi is a very prestigious award. Just being nominated is a big deal.

Look who is back!

I saw this comic strip yesterday on Facebook (where he posted it), but this morning I was excited to see that he was actually bringing it back for real, although not on a daily basis. Basically whenever and wherever he feels like it.

Good enough for me.

Iranian Deal

I watched and listened to both sides praising and ripping the Iran nuclear deal, but what I really wanted was something we used to have in this country--objective journalists saying which side is right (or partially right) and which side is wrong (or partially wrong). I eliminated all choices that called the president names (Appeaser, Neville Chamberlain, America-hater, etc), and all the choices from the liberal publications that reflexively praise him.

This is the best I found. It's the fairly non-partisan (or even right-leaning) Economist trying to unravel the pros and cons.

Their assessment: Mostly good

David Ignatius is an expert on the subject and is a sober realist. He's also not a partisan. His opinion is that is a "a well crafted deal" but it also poses a good question "Will Iran behave?" You can read his assessment here. To me, his conclusion sums up the situation pretty well...

In the wake of the agreement, Netanyahu called Tuesday “one of the darkest days in world history.” Republican politicians made similar strident attacks, but the critics appeared to be outliers. The pact has the support of most major nations. Even Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offered measured comments. Obama seems to have won this round. Netanyahu and his GOP allies are indignant about the deal, but they are taking on the world.

Pluto!

First color pictures of Pluto (and it's moon Charon) were released yesterday by NASA. This is incredible...

25 Different Covers

Sports Illustrated has released 25 different covers featuring the Women's National Team, one for each member of the team and the coach, and one team photo. Details are here. Carli Lloyd's cover is below.

CBS Bloodbath

CBS Radio, my old employer, fired 200 employees yesterday nationwide. I've been trying to find a list of the people fired, but all I can find is that they were mostly off-air people. Larz at Chicagoland Radio & Media got a few of the names from Chicago, including the production director and morning producer at US-99, but there are reportedly ten more.

The moves were ordered by a bean counter in New York.

As a listener, you won't feel these moves immediately. But just know this, the quality of radio, which you have noticed has been going steadily downhill for years, will go down even more. The shareholders will be happy for a day or two, and the bean counter in New York will be patted on the back by his corporate bosses, but 200 people are out of work now and looking for a job in a medium that doesn't value behind-the-scenes contributions at all anymore.

What does a production director do? He or she records the radio commercials. Pencil in twelve minutes of painful listening every hour now. What does a radio producer do? I think there was a whole book written on the subject. I hope the handful of people still doing the job in this country appreciate it. Many of the others who were fired came from promotions and sales. What does a promotion department do? They reach out to the listeners...the people that used to matter most to radio bosses. What does sales do? Brings in the money that keeps the stations afloat. I'm clearly not a financial genius, but that would seem to be an important part of the business.

What is one thing that wasn't cut? The bean counter's salary in New York.

I just did a television interview the other day and they asked me if I missed radio. I don't remember exactly how I answered it, but the gist of my answer was that I didn't miss it at all. On days like today, nobody has to wonder why.

Now That's What I'm Talking About

The most overused line in the movies...

My Kind of Town

Chicago Timelapse Project, Windy City Nights II from Max Wilson on Vimeo.

Women's World Cup Also A Financial Winner

We know it was a winner on the field (at least for the US) and in the ratings (in the US), but today Adweek reports it was also a HUGE winner for the network that broadcast the games.

Ad revenues were up 400% over the previous Women's World Cup.

ESPN's Tightens Its Belt

From Tom Taylor's column this morning...

“Tough negotiations” ahead for Colin Cowherd and other ESPN talent. And remember the recent reversal of the decision to relocate ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike morning show from Bristol, Connecticut to Manhattan, located just above the set of ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America?” Saving money was “a major factor” in that decision, says the Wall Street Journal. While the Journal doesn’t mention her, the planned addition of Molly Qerim to “Mike & Mike” is also on ice. Whatever belt-cinching happened around Disney-controlled ESPN, it happened fast. ESPN contributes about 25% of Disney’s operating profit, says Nomura Securities. But it’s now paying triple the amount it used to for NBA rights, going from $485 million a year to $1.47 billion – and that’s just one of the cost-side pressures. While Nielsen says ESPN has lost 3.2 million subscribers since early 2014, due to cheaper choices made by cable customers or outright cord-cutting. ESPN wrings $6.61 per subscriber every month out of cable companies, the most expensive thing on the viewing grid. That just can’t keep going up forever. ESPN superstar Bill Simmons left in May and Keith Olbermann’s departure was announced last week. The Journal says “other ESPN talent likely facing tough negotiations down the road include Monday Night Football anchor Mike Tirico…and radio host Colin Cowherd.”

Cousins

We had a fun weekend at my house. My brother and cousin were in town and their boys played alongside my son in a 3 v 3 soccer tournament. All four cousins played for the same team their dads played for when we were kids. The boys won their bracket and made it to the semi-finals.

Trump One on One

The Washington Post got a one-on-one with Trump while flying in his private jet after a speech.

You have to read this. You'd swear it was an article in the Onion. The way he watches the coverage of himself on Fox while he conducts the interview is like something out of a Saturday Night Live sketch.

I almost spit out my coffee when he talked about how big his heart is. As with everything else in his life, it's "too big". He's got the "biggest" crowds, the "longest" standing ovations, the "greatest" message.

Ever get the feeling with this guy that at least one thing of his is extremely small? I mean really really tiny? (And I'm not talking about his mind)

UPDATE: Here's another piece from the Post. It features quotes from his speech--the 23 different people or institutions he ripped.