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".
Radio Hall of Fame Legend John Records Landecker, Radio Legend Mitch Michaels, Bob Feldman's #1 Nothing Bundt Cakes and Jonathan Toews Jersey Drawing Highlight FREE December 17 Sports Cards and More Show @ The Orland Park Civic Center
Mark your calendars NOW for the FREE Sports Cards and More Show Holiday Shopping Extravaganza @ The Orland Park Civic Center (14750 Ravinia Ave. Orland Park, IL) from 9 a.m - 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 17, 2017. You'll score awesome deals on sports and other memorabilia, Bob Feldman of the #1 ranked Nothing Bundt Cakes, will be on hand selling sweet gifts, and we are honored to announce Radio Hall of Fame Legend, John Records Landecker and Mitch Michaels will be with us from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. selling and signing the best-selling books "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" By John Records Landecker and "Doin' The Cruise" By Mitch Michaels. Both books make perfect stocking stuffers for every music lover on your gift giving list! We have something for everyone! Admission will be FREE as our holiday gift to you, and everyone gets a chance to win door prizes including $50 Card Show Gift Certificates and a Bundlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes @ 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and an autographed Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks Jersey @ 12:30 p.m.! (Winners MUST Be Present) Come See What We Offer....It's Not Just Sports Cards....It's A Whole Lot More!
You know that crazy video of Kennedy questioning Trump’s judiciary nominees who can’t answer ANY of Kennedy’s questions? Kennedy voted to confirm 👏🏼EVERY 👏🏼SINGLE 👏🏼ONE 👏🏼OF 👏🏼THEM. I don’t blame stupid, I blame the people voting to put stupid in our Judiciary Branch.
EP77 – Rick and Dave discuss who would have been a better roommate in college–POTUS or VP, plus Florida stories, Millennials, This week in 1908, and Rick’s brush with former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
FCC Votes 3-2 To Dismantle Net Neutrality Rules. By a 3-2 party line vote, the FCC today passed the Restoring Internet Freedom order which repeals the net neutrality rules enacted under previous FCC chair Tom Wheeler in 2015. Passage of the new rules, which end utility-style regulation of the internet in favor of a “light touch” approach, was widely expected. Chairman Ajit Pai and his fellow majority Republican commissioners had already pledged to vote in favor of the order. The vote was delayed by a 15-minute evacuation of the FCC meeting room by an unspecified “security incident” that occurred during Pai’s prepared remarks.
Look for the telecoms to lay low for a while before making major moves, but those moves are assuredly coming. I guarantee it. It's preposterous to argue otherwise (which is their current argument). If so, why was this necessary?
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is proud to announce that Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues and Nina Simone are the five artists selected for induction in the Performer category, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be recognized with the Award for Early Influence.
This year's nominees also included Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, The J. Geils Band, Judas Priest, LL Cool J, MC5, The Meters, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and The Zombies. According to Variety, Bon Jovi received more than 1 million fan votes. The rest of the top five fan vote winners were the Moody Blues (950,000), Dire Straits (616,000), The Cars (553,000) and Judas Priest (539,000). Artists can be nominated 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording.
The 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at the Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Ticket on-sale dates will be announced in January. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2018 Induction ceremony will again have its television premiere on HBO, and a radio broadcast on SiriusXM. Broadcast details will be announced in early 2018.
This is a mega-mega-merger. Disney is buying all of 21st Century Fox (and the 20th Century Fox library). Basically everything that is labeled Fox...except for Fox News.
Also, James Murdoch (Rupert's youngest son) is leaving his dad's company to join the new Disney company--possibly as the head of television--and Robert Iger is staying on as CEO for a few more years (he was scheduled to retire next year).
I'm still processing this one. It's out of left field.
Scary story in today's Washington Post. It's about how Trump's insecurity regarding Russian interference is causing the administration to essentially ignore the threat.
The story is well sourced and contains lots of detail.
Despite everyone's best efforts, and an unprecedented barrage of negative criticism, the FCC is still determined to destroy the internet today by dispensing with Net Neutrality.
This, despite some of the news below...
#BREAKING: My office has now identified 2 million fake comments on #netneutrality that were submitted to the @FCC using the stolen identities of Americans across the country.
FCC's own chief technology officer warned about net neutrality repeal https://t.co/uzH8rZVj4X This administration's assault on facts and expert opinion is on display once again. Never mind what the experts say, both internal and across the industry? #SaveNetNeutrality
The @FCC refuses to work with the 19 State Attorneys General who have complained about fraud in the #NetNeutrality record resulting in 2 million stolen identities.
We need to get to the bottom of this mess. We have no business voting until we do.https://t.co/fTkFLDXfST
I believe a free and open internet is part of the foundation of a modern democracy. It is plain wrong that the @FCC wants to end Title II Net Neutrality protection. It is yet another attack on those attempting to bring about the beloved community. #netneutrality
Net Neutrality News!!! Congress Has officially introduced a Bill that is literally just for Saving Net Neutrality. See this link.https://t.co/I7nEdrYD49 Reasons for spreading this: 1. Contact your Reps and tell them to support it 2. SPREAD THIS AROUND! December 14th is it Hurry
I met an old high school buddy yesterday for a beer at Peggy Kinane's in Arlington Heights, and who did I run into? My former Loop program director Bill Klaproth! Good to see him again. It's been years.
Eckhartz Press author Bob Herguth was on WGN-TV this week discussing his book "Genuflections". Good stuff. Congrats Bob, and thanks to the good folks at WGN-TV.
A push by Cumulus Media to solidify WLS AM 890 as a conservative talk station is forcing out the husband-and-and-wife team of Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano as midday co-hosts. Their show has been airing for the last year from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
Starting January 1, WLS will add a Washington-based syndicated talk show hosted by Chris Plante from 9 to 11 a.m. and return Rush Limbaugh to a live broadcast from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the station announced Wednesday. Limbaugh has been airing on delay from noon to 3 p.m.
I guess that officially ends the Rick and Dave on WLS-Radio experiment too. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.
Looks like Republicans know who to blame for their loss in Alabama. This could be the end of Steve Bannon's reign...
After Alabama disaster GOP must do right thing and DUMP Steve Bannon. His act is tired, inane and morally vacuous. If we are to Make America Great Again for all Americans, Bannon must go! And go NOW!!
Lesson for the GOP: if there is a bridge too far in Alabama, there is a bridge too far in every other state where Steve Bannon wants to run a fringy candidate
Before we get the results, I'd just like to thank Steve Bannon for showing us how to lose the reddest state in the union and Governor Ivey for the opportunity to make this national embarrassment a reality
The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election. I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!
We received the sad news of the passing of Pat DiNizio, lead singer/songwriter of one of our favorite bands, New Jersey's own The Smithereens, who gave us such hooky hits as "A Girl Like You," "Blood and Roses," "Behind the Wall of Sleep," "House We Used To Live In" and "Only A Memory," to name a few.
According to Deadline.com, DiNizio had been recovering from injuries sustained during a fall. Tragically, he passed away just days after indicating via Facebook that he was looking forward to returning to the road.
A Facebook post from Smithereens bandmate Dennis Diken read, "Today we mourn the loss of our friend, brother and bandmate Pat DiNizio. Pat had the magic touch. He channeled the essence of joy and heartbreak into hook-laden three-minute pop songs infused with a lifelong passion for rock & roll. Our journey with Pat was long, storied and a hell of a lot of fun. We grew up together. Little did we know that we wouldn't grow old together. Goodbye Pat. Seems like yesterday." DiNizio was 62 years old.
Go ahead and click it. Your browsing history will only say Allure Magazine. It's a women's fashion magazine. "What? I happen to really love fashion, honey. Pardon me for trying to share your interests."
Robert Feder has the details of Ron Coomer's deal to stay in the Cubs broadcast booth...
Chicago Cubs color analyst Ron Coomer signed a three-year contract extension Tuesday with Entercom sports/talk WSCR AM 670 to continue alongside play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes. “Ron is one of the most talented analysts in baseball and we are honored to have him on our team at The Score,” Jimmy deCastro, senior vice president and market manager of Entercom Chicago, said in a statement. “Ron brings the passion and success he had as former MLB All-Star to the airwaves of Cubs baseball and hits a home run with Cubs fans.” Coomer, who spent nine years in the Major Leagues (including one season with the Cubs), joined the Cubs Radio Network in 2014.
I'm talking about the FCC open meeting tomorrow. They have unleashed a whirlwind by vowing to get rid of Net Neutrality without any hearings or any mandate. The vote still appears to be a lost cause (there are three Republican FCC Commissioners already saying they will vote yes--and that's all they need), but the meeting is going to be flooded with protestors and the nation has woken up to what is happening.
The Democrats in the U.S. Senate are finally on the case. From Inside Radio this morning...
In their no holds barred letter, the senators call Pai’s plan “reckless” and “radical.” “Your proposed action will amount to the largest abdication of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) statutory responsibilities in history,” the letter says. But that’s just the opening paragraph. The Senators accuse Pai of throwing the FCC’s main responsibility to protect consumers and the public interest overboard – along with consumers themselves. “In short, you are walking away from your statutory duties and effectively eliminating FCC oversight over high-speed internet access,” the senators say.
The biggest complaint about Pai’s rollback plan is that it will allow internet service providers, or ISPs as they're called, to block, slow down or manipulate a consumer’s access to the internet – as long as it discloses those practices. But within what the senators call “mounds of legalese” contained in the Commission’s Restoring Internet Freedom order is also a provision that prevents state and local governments from adopting their own open internet protections. “It is not enough for the FCC to turn its back on consumers,” the Senators write. “You willfully plan to tie the states’ hands to prevent them from protecting their own residents.”
Pai has said he favors the “light-touch” regulation from earlier eras but the senators say that ignores the pervasive role the internet plays nowadays, when American homes and business rely on the web for everyday activities. “Your plan ignores the central and critical role that access to a free and open internet plays in Americans’ lives and the role that the nation’s expert communications agency should play with respect to the networks underlying that access,” the letter says. Even the Bush-era FCC had more teeth in its open internet policies, it adds. “The future of the internet hangs in the balance,” the senator conclude, calling on Pai to “abandon this radical and reckless plan to turn the FCC’s back on consumers and the future of the free and open internet.”
Meanwhile the FCC is preparing crowd overflow rooms at its 12th Street SW headquarters to accommodate what it calls “significant public interest” in the issue. As their name implies FCC Open Meetings are just that, open to the public. Once the Commission Meeting Room fills up, members of the public and press will be shuttled into overflow rooms, to watch a live video feed of the meeting – as long as space is available and attendees clear security. There will likely be plenty of protesters so the Commission is imposing a maximum size of 11 inches by 17 inches for signs attendees can bring into the rooms. There’s also a stipulation that the holder keeps the sign in front of his or her body to not obstruct anyone else’s views.
Why are they doing this--something that literally nobody wants them to do? There's only one possible reason. Keep an eye on where they work after their time in the FCC is up. (Chairman Pai already worked for the telecom giants BEFORE he got this job). It's pure and simple corruption, and it stinks to high heaven. Three people are destroying your internet, and there's nothing we can do about it, because the people we can complain to are the very people that are doing it.
The two news Cubs (Brandon Morrow & Drew Smyly) sound like names that could be featured in an Olde English poem..."Tis but a quandry on the Morrow," said the Smyly miller's wife.
I lost a dear friend over the weekend, Joe Welk. I wrote about him on the Green White Soccer Club website and facebook page. Joe and I coached/managed together for the past eight years.
Green White lost one of our most valuable members over the weekend--Joe Welk. He was just a few days shy of his 49th birthday. Joe was more than just a member of the club. All four of Joe's kids played for Green White, and he was a tireless volunteer, willing to help out whenever and wherever he could. At the time of his passing he was the director of girls travel and the manager of two teams (the U18 girls, and the U15 boys). Over the years he has served us in so many ways, as a rec league coach, a boys and girls travel coach, the youth board treasurer, and the boys league director.
But Joe was so much more than that. He was a constant calming presence, always there to greet players and parents with a smile and a kind comment. He was beloved by his players, his fellow board members, and his fellow coaches, managers, and parents. Losing Joe is a big loss to our club, but it's obviously an even a bigger loss to his wonderful family. Green White sends our love and support to the Welk Family; Melissa, Michelle, Kimberly, Ashley & Chris. We intend to honor Joe next season, and we'll be announcing how we plan on doing that at our Christmas party.
In the meantime, we've been flooded with people asking about funeral arrangements, and asking what can be done to help the Welk family. The arrangements are as follows...
Visitation Thursday December 14, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Rd., (at Northwest Highway) Mt. Prospect, IL 60056.
Funeral Friday, December 15, 9:30 a.m. from the Funeral Home to St. Emily Church, 1400 E. Central Rd., Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 Funeral Mass 10:00 a.m.
A Wisconsin Radio host who revealed himself. Tom Taylor's NOW column has the news...
WHBY’s Josh Dukelow did something pretty astonishing, says the Appleton Post-Crescent. On Friday’s late-morning “Fresh Take” show, he told listeners he’d behaved badly in the past, that he regretted it, and that he hopes more men will come forward during this national conversation about behavior. Sounds as if Woodward Communications was surprised. It’s the owner of WHBY Kimberly/1150 and its translators at 106.3 and 103.5 in Appleton and Oshkosh. GM Kelly Radandt says while the company knew Dukelow would be talking about “the topic of sexual harassment, we were unaware of the admission, or specific information he planned to disclosed.” Put yourself in Woodward’s shoes, when Josh took off his headphones at 11am – how do you proceed, after such a confession? Radandt says “We immediately began gathering information and have had several conversations with Josh.” Woodward says it never logged any allegations of sexual harassment by Dukelow, who joined the staff only recently, after running for mayor of Appleton in Spring 2016. And what is Woodward’s response, so far? Josh still has his “Fresh Take” job. He was off-air yesterday, but should return today. In a followup statement, Dukelow says that in 2015 (before WHBY), he’d touched a female friend’s body in several places, put his arms around her and kissed her, without permission. He says “This example highlights the fact that terms like ‘sexual assault’ and ‘sexual harassment’ are not narrow and specific. They cover a wide swath of behaviors.”
MeTV FM (87.7 FM)/Chicago has joined a growing list of affiliates who are giving listeners 10 hours of "The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time." Listeners will hear commentary from the hit-making stars themselves as legendary broadcaster, Wink Martindale, supplies the stories and fun facts in this annual countdown.
"The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time will be making spirits bright for a second straight year on MeTV FM," said Chicago Program Director Rick O'Dell. "The mix of holiday standards and surprises, celebrity greetings and Wink Martindale's instantly familiar voice and inviting personality are an ideal fit with the timeless and memorable music our listeners have come to count on whenever they tune into 87.7 FM."
When Sarah Sanders tweeted that it was ridiculous to give credit to Obama for the economy, Obama's former speechwriter retorted with a thing I like to call..."Facts"
2016: 196,000 jobs per month 2017: 170,000 jobs per month
Unemployment rate when Obama left office: 4.5%@QuinnipiacPoll, 11/15: Who gets credit for the economy? Obama: 50% Trump: 37%
Yesterday was the Manchester Derby--Manchester United vs. Manchester City. It's a grudge match, no doubt. Although I don't think it's quite ever ended this way before...
Morris was a post-season superstar for several teams including the Tigers. Trammel was his teammate and won 4-gold gloves and a World Series MVP award. I have no problem with either of them getting into the Hall.
Honestly, I've never felt better about my life-long decision not to be a hugger/kisser. There will be no stories about me like this. I'm a handshaker. I even used to shake hands with my grandmother.
Cold fish? Perhaps. In trouble for excessive hugging/kissing? Never.
Tomorrow is “Break the Internet” protest day. Some groups opposed to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s planned Thursday vote to totally reverse the Net Neutrality policy he inherited from Tom Wheeler aim to bring the issue front-and-center to all users. Here’s what the organizers say – “This Tuesday, December 12, ‘Break the Internet’ on your site, on Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube or in whatever wild creative way you can, to get your audience to contact Congress.” It says “That’s how we win.” It claims that sites including Etsy, Pinterest and Reddit are “already working to drive calls and messages to stop the FCC.” That’s reminiscent, says John Eggerton of Broadcasting & Cable, of the “SOPA/PIPA online slowdown protest” of January 2012. That worked, though it appears more sites were on board for that (protesting the Stop Online Privacy and Protect IP acts) than for “Break the Internet.” See the organizers’ page here. There’s still protest inside the FCC itself, from the two Democratic Commissioners. Jessica Rosenworcel slams the Commission’s refusal to provide documents to the New York State A-G about the alleged identity theft around public comments about Net Neutrality. Rosenworcel says the agency’s letter to A-G Eric Schneiderman “shows the FCC’s sheer contempt for public input.” But this is likely to be another 3-2 vote – unlike the 2015 Net Neutrality decision, a vote to dismantle it.
We have to mobilize, people. These bastards are really going to hand over full control of the internet to three or four companies to do as they wish.
A few photos from yesterday's Mitch Michaels appearance at the Elmhurst History Museum (at their Disco Demolition exhibit)...Very cool place. I believe the exhibit is there through the end of the year. You should go visit if you get the chance.
