Media Notebook--9-6-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

A curation of news items about the media from this past week, with a particular emphasis on Chicago.

RADIO/PODCASTS

*Chicago Radio Ratings

=The ratings for August are out, and the following are the top ten stations in Chicago for the month (6+, M-Su, 6am-Mid)

WDRV (6.5)

WVAZ (6.1)

WBBM-AM (5.7)

WLIT (5.3)

WXRT (4.8)

WUSN (4.7)

WLS-FM (4.2)

WOJO (4.2)

WRME (3.5)

WBMX (2.6)

WTMX (2.6)

=The biggest jumps this month belong to Spanish language WOJO (+1.2) and WUSN (US-99), which recovered from their bad July numbers (+0.7).  WKQX (Q-101) also had a big month, finishing just outside the top ten with a 2.5 (+0.6), and WBBM-AM returned to their perch near the top of the ratings with a gain of 0.5. This is the highest they’ve ranked in over a year.

=Meanwhile, this is the lowest that WLIT has been for more than a year (although still respectable). They dropped 0.6 this month. Luckily, Christmas music is just around the corner.

=Also, it should be noted that if you add the Score’s over-the-air ratings with their streaming numbers, they would slip into tenth place overall (2.4 + 0.9).

=In the talk radio battle, it’s WGN (2.4), WBEZ (2.3), WLS-AM (1.5)

 

*Joe Brand to the Penguins

=WGN Radio lost their Blackhawks pre- and post-game radio host this week. Great opportunity for Joe Brand…

The Penguins have named Joe Brand the radio play-by-play voice of the Penguins Radio Network.

Brand will handle play-by-play duties for all Penguins games, primarily joined in the booth by long-time color analyst and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Phil Bourque.

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 3, 2024

 

*Chicago Media Departures

=I’ve reported on all of these over the previous six months or so, but Axios’ Justin Kaufmann did a nice job of chronicling all the recent Chicago media departures in one story. You can check that out here.

 

*Craig Schwalb

=Congrats to WBBM Program Director Craig Schwalb for being named as one of the top program directors in the country.

 

*Isaac Hayes vs. Donald Trump

=The song “Hold On I’m Coming” was written by the late Isaac Hayes. His family wants Donald Trump to stop using that song at his rallies. This week the courts sided with the Hayes estate.

 

*J.J. Jeffrey

=Chuck Knapp posted this scoop about former WLS jock J.J. Jeffrey this week…

 

*Rest in Peace

=Steve Zana

Northwest Indiana radio legend. He was 63. I interviewed him in 2008 for Shore Magazine.

=Fatman Scoop

Rapper. Collapsed on stage. He was 53.

=Rich Homie Quan

Rapper. He was 34.

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

*September 2--Bill Cochran birthday

=Cochran isn’t just one of the great voice-over guys in radio (WXRT, WNUA, ME-TV), he has a band that recreates classic albums on stage. I got a chance to talk to him about that back in 2017. 

 

*September 2—Jim DeRogatis birthday

=Jim is the co-host of Sound Opinions with Greg Kot, which is now a podcast, after a long run on WXRT and WBEZ. The show originally got it’s start on Eddie Schwartz’s overnight show on AM 1000 (with Bill Wyman in place of Kot).  

 

*September 2—JoBo Colborn birthday

=Jobo was on B-96 for 26 years. An incredible run.

 

*September 4-- John Howell birthday

=Formerly of WUSN, WJMK, WIND, and WLS. I interviewed John for Chicago Radio Spotlight back in 2007 when he was co-hosting a morning show with Cisco Cotto at WIND.

 

*September 4--Chris Base birthday

=The former WVON talker now hosts an internet show called BaseLine Saturdays.

 

*September 4-- Patrick Kampert birthday

=I like to joke with Patrick that people constantly mistake me for him because of the similarities of our names. He is the far more distinguished of the two of us, a former Chicago Tribune editor and reporter.

 

* September 4, 2014--Roy Leonard death anniversary

=Hard to believe Roy has been gone for ten years. I was lucky enough to have a lengthy chat with Roy back in 2010  and we covered his entire career. After I posted the interview he e-mailed me and said: “Did you actually post every word of our conversation? Nobody wants to hear that much about me.”

 

* September 5-- Johnnie Putman birthday

=The better half of WGN’s long-time overnight team Steve & Johnnie (that’s Steve description) talked to me for Illinois Entertainer back in 2016 

. 
*September 6-- Nick Friedell birthday

=The former ESPN Chicago reporter is a go-to NBA expert.

 

*September 7—Jonathan Hood birthday

=I interviewed the ESPN Radio morning co-host (with David Kaplan) in 2010. 

 

*September 7—Steve Scott birthday

=The former WLS Newsman was a victim of the format change at WCBS in New York. I chatted with him in 2008 shortly after he left us for the big Apple.

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

* WGN-TV Morning Show anniversary

=On September 6, 1994, the WGN-TV morning show as we know it today debuted (with Robin Baumgarten, Larry Potash, and Paul Konrad). I don’t think they could have possibly foreseen the ratings juggernaut it would become. I’ve written about the show a few times, including for Shore Magazine eleven years ago. Here’s a short excerpt from that article…

            Is there anything they’ve ever refused to do?

            “I won’t dress like a woman,” Potash admits, drawing the line.

            “I won’t dance,” Konrad adds.

            “Um,” Robin says, thinking about it. “Wow, well, let’s see. I’m trying to think if I’ve ever said no to anything before. Maybe that’s part of my problem.”

 

 

*Dave Wannstedt

=NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV) has announced former Chicago Bears head coach/renowned NFL analyst Dave Wannstedt will be joining the station’s signature sports program, Sports Sunday, as its lead Bears/NFL analyst beginning Sunday, September 8.

 

 

*Nick Olczyk

=Son of the great Eddie Olczyk continues his own NHL broadcasting climb. This year he’s moving from Seattle to Salt Lake City, to be part of the new club in Utah.

Ready to deliver every moment of the action. 🎙️

We're so excited to officially announce our inaugural #UtahHC Broadcast Team! pic.twitter.com/dsqTPJoePH

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) September 4, 2024

 *Cable News Corner

=Brian Stelter has returned to CNN as the editor of Reliable Sources. He is once again the chief media analyst at the cable news outlet, two years after having been fired by the network. 

=The succession battle in the Murdoch family is playing out in secret behind the scenes and the other major news outlets are asking a court to make it public. My money is still on Kendall...er, I mean Lachlan. His brother James endorsed Kamala Harris.

 

*Brian Lamb retires from C-SPAN

=After a mere 47 years on the job. His last day was Friday.

"Fair winds and following seas to Brian. We'll miss you."

Tribute to C-SPAN Founder Brian Lamb on his last day in the office. He will continue to host Booknotes+ podcast: https://t.co/PcTIEWU3UZ pic.twitter.com/7CwLGDGkfJ

— CSPAN (@cspan) August 30, 2024

 

*Rest in Peace

=James Darren

Star of Gidget and TJ Hooker. Former teen idol. He was 88.

 

 

STAGE & SCREEN

 

 

*Angelina Jolie’s Comeback

=Her new movie was just released at the Venice Film Festival and she is getting some Oscar buzz.

 

*Making Fun of Nepo-Babies

=Jack Robbins, son of Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, has done a series of videos making fun of Nepo-babies (like himself). The New York Times has the story.

 

 

DIGITAL/PRINT

 

*New York Times Publisher Writes Op-Ed in Washington Post

=A.J. Sulzberger's piece is called "How the Quiet War Against Free Press Could Come to America." You can read it here.

*Mary Mitchell Retires from Sun Times

=After 34 years. Her last column was in Friday’s paper.

 

*What Journalism Isn’t

=Great substack piece by former Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times editor Mark Jacobs. Among his observations (provided in list form)… Journalism isn’t helping unnamed sources take anonymous potshots at their enemies.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

 

*Russians Funding Right-Wing Media Operation in America

NEW: CNN has independently confirmed the Russia funded US media company that paid American right-wing social media stars is Tenet Media, based in Tennessee.

Some very big names tied up in all of this.

Reporting w/ @ZcohenCNN @evanperez @snlyngaas https://t.co/7CRWrnhp8o

— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) September 4, 2024

=It’s a very disturbing story. Russia has successfully infiltrated right wing media.

Among the commentators listed on Tenet Media’s website are right-wing personalities Benny Johnson and Tim Pool. Both have millions of subscribers on YouTube and other social media platforms. Pool interviewed Trump on his podcast in May.

=Tim Pool, by the way, is a Chicagoan. The Sun-Times has the scoop. I'm sure he wasn't suspicious that he was being paid $100,000 per episode. For a YouTube podcast.

 

*Iran Working Against Republicans

=Meanwhile, according to this piece, Iran is doing the opposite. They are spreading misinformation to hurt Donald Trump and the Republicans.

As always, if you have any media story you’d like to share or think that I might be interested in sharing, drop me a line at rick@eckhartzpress.com or amishrick@yahoo.com. If you're in Chicago media and wondering why I didn't mention your birthday, it's probably because I don't know it. Drop me a line and let me know and I'll put you on my calendar.

 

20 Years: Freelance Highlights

 

This year marks my 20th year as a professional writer. Over the course of 2024, I'll be sharing a few of those offerings you may have missed along the way.

Before starting up Eckhartz Press I did my fair share of Freelance writing to help make ends meet. Here are three examples. This first one (Middle Aged Road Trip) was a column I wrote for Shore Magazine called "A Fine Mess". The second one (Our Music was Better) was for an online column called "Half Empty" that I co-wrote with David Stern. The last one is from a magazine called NWI Parent. I wrote the last page essay called "Family Room"

All of them came out in September, so it seems only fitting to re-post them today.

***

(From 2013)

When my buddies suggested that we go on a European vacation together (just the guys) to celebrate our 50^th birthdays, I figured my wife would quickly put the kibosh on the idea.

 

“You should go,” she said. “That way I don’t have to throw you a party.”

 

Really? Clearance from the tower? In an unbelievably unlikely turn of events, my friends Bill and Stu also got clearance from their respective towers. Before our wives had a chance to change their minds, we made our plans.

 

Granted, the planning was minimal at best. We picked an eventual destination (Bill chose Croatia), got the cheapest flight possible to anywhere in Europe (Stu got us standby tickets to Munich), and that was it. The plan was to just wing it. This was going to be a true adventure, just like our younger days. 

 

We landed in Munich with no real idea of how to get to Croatia. We considered taking a train down to Italy, then crossing the Adriatic by ferry. That sounded like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the ferries didn’t run the day we needed them, so that plan was discarded. We looked into taking a train directly to Croatia, but it turned out that Munich was further away than we thought. It would have taken us two full days to get there.

 

So, we pursued an even more daring adventure. We walked up to the counter at the Lufthansa desk and asked if we could buy airline tickets to Croatia.

 

“Und ven vould you like to depart,” the unsmiling lady asked us.

 

We looked at each other. “How about tomorrow?” I said.

 

“Tomorrow?” she responded. “This is wery short notice. Your fares vill be quite high.”

“How high?”

Let’s just say that she wasn’t exaggerating. We gulped and bought the tickets anyway. So much for saving money by flying standby.

 

Now we needed to get a hotel room. Stu looked up hotel rooms on his iPad.

“Whoa,” Bill said when Stu showed him the display. “And we thought the plane tickets to Croatia were high.”

 

We finally found a less outrageously priced hotel (because it was nowhere near Munich’s old town), and dropped off our stuff. We wanted to take a nap more than anything, but Stu (an airline pilot) insisted that the only way to beat the jet lag was to “power through.” So we did.

 

It took us almost two hours to make it to downtown Munich. It just happened to be the day of the Germany-Austria soccer match, and the old town area was flooded with Austrians singing and chanting as they spilled out of the many fine beer gardens. Needless to say, we sampled a giant mug of the nectar ourselves, only to discover that having a beer when you’re jetlagged, is somewhat similar to being punched in the face.

 

We were asleep by 8pm.

 

The next morning at the airport we decided to be slightly less adventurous, and searched for hotels in Dubrovnik in advance.

 

“Uh oh,” Stu said, as he looked through the choices. “Dubrovnik is even more expensive than Munich. And it looks like there isn’t a hotel room available anywhere.  There’s one two-bedroom apartment listed, but this price can’t possibly be right.”

 

It was dirt cheap--about as much for five nights as our crappy Munich hotel cost for one.

 

“I don’t know,” Bill said, radar beeping. “That sounds a little scary to me.”

 

“C’mon guys,” Stu said. “We’re wingin’ it, right? It’s an adventure.”

 

I suspect his optimism was somewhat influenced by the fact that we had already paid for a non-refundable airline ticket, would be landing in Dubrovnik by night time, and literally had nowhere else to stay.

 

We were picked up at the airport by a giant man named Nikolei. He had a shaved head, biceps the size of fire hydrants, and spoke with a deep Slavic accent. When Bill asked how far away from the old town of Dubrovnik we were, we got an idea of what kind of week was in store for us.

 

“Not far,” Nikolei said. “45 minute walk.”

 

In other words, we weren’t anywhere near it. In fact, we were at the very highest point of the city, and the old town was at the very lowest point. Walking down was no big deal, but walking up was potentially life-threatening for this out-of-shape 50-year-old. Also, the apartment had nothing in it, really. No television, no internet, no nothing. There was no reason to stay there at all.

 

So we didn’t. We left every morning, and didn’t return until bedtime. We explored the area, hit the beach, walked around the old town, took excursions to nearby islands and countries, ate incredible food for every meal, and spent more quality time together than we had in twenty years. We laughed, we argued, we taunted, we teased, we relived old memories, and we cured the world’s problems.

In short, it was exactly what we were looking for—an adventure. And we created something that will really come in handy for our next trip.

 

New memories.

 

Of course, by the time we can do this again, there’s no guarantee that we’ll remember them.

***

(From 2007)

Our Music Was So Much Better

By Rick Kaempfer & Dave Stern




You know you’re getting old when you say this phrase: “Our music was so much better than music today.”

It’s a rite of passage, as inevitable as ear hair and hot flashes.

We knew our parents were hopelessly out of touch with the youth of America when they mocked the music of our generation--rock and roll.

Have you listened to rap music lately? Consider us to be just as hopelessly out of touch with the youth of America as our parents were. We guess that we can understand the attraction of the thumping beat, and we’re down with those street lyrics, but whassup wit’ the subizzurban kizzids rapping ‘bout ganstas, pimps and hos?

You can mock three-chord rock and roll, but at least it was authentically our music. The lyrics spoke to our generation. They dealt with issues that affected us. No gangstas, no pimps, no hos.

Our lyrics delved so much deeper than that, into our wants and needs. What did we want to do? Queen summed it nicely in 1978’s “Bicycle Race.”

“I want to ride my bicycle. I want ride my bike. I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride it where I like.”

That’s lyrical depth right there. The kids today have people like 50 Cent (singular), but they’ll never experience the kind of lyrical beauty provided by people like The Beatles. They didn’t just preach to us, they asked important questions. Remember this gem from 1968’s “The White Album”?

“Why don’t we do it in the road? Why don’t we do it in the road? Why don’t we do it in the road? Why don’t we do it in the road? No one will be watching us. Why don’t we do it in the road?”

Why indeed? Makes you think doesn’t it? We weren’t pretending like we knew what it was like to put a cap in some pimp, but we did know how to beg our women for a little love. It was part of who we were, and what we dreamed. We wanted to ride bikes. We wanted our women to consider places other than the back seat of the car. But most importantly, we wanted to have fun.

This was something we could still do as recently as 1986. The words of Wang Chung said this more beautifully than we ever could.

“Everybody have fun tonight. Everybody Wang Chung tonight. Everybody have fun tonight. Everybody Wang Chung tonight. Everybody Wang Chung tonight.”

Amen, fellas. Those were the days. When music was music. When lyrics actually meant something. When people could Wang Chung their little hearts out.

The kids of today will never be able to experience that kind of depth. They’ll never know the thrill of really committing to something (like boogie oogie oogie-ing, until they can boogie no more.) They’ll never learn about the gritty underbelly of Asian-American race relations (like the funky Chinaman from funky Chinatown that was chopping them up and chopping them down.) They’ll never know about diseases they may contract (like Cat Scratch Fever).

And that’s just sad.

So what can we say or do to rectify the situation? We may not have the answer, but the wordsmith Sting from the 1980s supergroup “The Police” certainly does:

“De Doo Doo Doo, De Da Da Da, is all I want to say to you.”

And he doesn’t just say that for himself. He says that for our entire generation.

***

(From 2009)

I can still see the look on my oldest son’s face when he heard he was going to have to do community service in order to be confirmed by our church.  He didn’t say the words, but his facial expression screamed: “I can’t do that.”

 

It’s not that Tommy is anti-community. It’s that he’s painfully quiet, and most community service projects involve having to speak and interact with strangers. Tommy doesn’t even speak and interact with his family.  I pinch him twice a week just to make sure he’s still breathing.

 

So, when we looked at the possibilities on the long list of community service projects they gave us, one of them jumped out at us: volunteering at the library.

“What do you think about that one?” I asked.

 

He grunted and shook his head. “Nah.”

 

Just as I was searching the list for something even more appropriate for him, like “taking a vow of silence,” he pointed to something that I never thought he’d consider.

“What about this one?” he asked.

 

I thought I must be seeing things. “You’re accidentally pointing to ‘volunteering at the soup kitchen.’”

 

“I know,” he said.

 

“Do you know what that is?” I asked.

 

“Sure. They serve free food to people that can’t afford it. Right?”

 

“Yeah,” I said. “But you wouldn’t go there to eat the food. You’d go there to serve it.”

 

“I know,” he replied, rolling his eyes at me. “I’d like to try it.”

 

So, he did.

 

We found out that they needed help on Tuesday nights, and right then and there Tommy committed himself to doing it the rest of the school year. I drove him to the Catholic Charities soup kitchen every Tuesday, and every week he came out of there with a big smile on his face. I should note: this is a boy that also never smiles.

 

“Are you actually enjoying this?” I asked him.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “They put me in charge of the beverages.”

On the way to and from the soup kitchen the two of us began to have long conversations about being thankful for all of our blessings. He was now able to put a face on the word “poverty,” and began to realize that poor people really aren’t any different than we are.

 

“It feels good to help,” he said. “People really seem to appreciate it.”

 

When he broke his leg and couldn’t help for a few weeks, he really missed it. The moment that cast came off, he was back in there, helping out on Tuesday nights. This, despite the fact that there were only a few more weeks until his confirmation and the religious education program told him he had already completed the requirement.

 

“I want to keep on doing it,” he said.

And he did, and he continued to come out with a smile on his face.

 

“I’m making some good friends,” he told me. “I’m getting to know some of the regulars.”

 

Confirmation came and went in May, but Tuesday night has continued to be soup kitchen night at our house.

And to tell you the truth, I’m so proud of my boy that I could burst.

*** 

A few Cubbie extras this week in photo-form.

*September 1, 1986

=This issue of Playboy came out, costing Marla Collins her job as Cubs batgirl.

*September 2, 1920

=Presidential candidate Warren G. Harding meets the Cubs...

*September 4, 1948

=Norman Rockwell inadvertently sums up the next 20 years of Cubs misery...

Studio Walls--9-4-24

 

A weekly update/preview of my latest podcasts, and a look back at some of my previous audio work from this week in history over the past 40+ years.

Here are a few from the archives...

September 1--Lily Tomlin birthday

=I shared my brush with Lily story in this episode of Minutia Men. Not one of my proudest moments.  

September 1—Coyote Peterson birthday  

=We interviewed the danger hunter earlier this year. 

September 1, 1965—First issue of Tiger Beat released

=We talked to one-time cover boy Tony Defranco.

 

September 3, 2019—Rick meets soccer announcer Arlo White at Wrigley

=I stalked him to get this photo. He had to snap it for me because I'm such a technical moron. I've told that story in a previous episode of Minutia Men.

September 3, 1980—Pekin high school officially drops the nickname Chinks. =Sportscaster Howard Sudberry was a graduate of that school and confirmed that story. 

 

September 5, 1882—Tottenham Hotspurs founded

=Have we mentioned that Free Kicks is back for another season?

September 5, 1962—Ken Hubbs sets fielding record for consecutive put outs without an error 

=We have the audio.

September 5, 2023—Debut of “While You Were Out” by Meg Kissinger. 

=Really enjoyed our interview with Meg. 

September 6, 1994—WGN Morning News TV show debuts

=On this 30th anniversary of the show, check out our interview with the show's star,  Larry Potash. 

September 7—Stewart McVicar birthday

=Who is Stew? He's the man behind the Club 400 podcast. Rick was a guest on the show in 2019.

Publishing Portal--September 3, 2024

The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.

Printers Row Lit Fest

=If you're going to the Printers Row Lit Fest this weekend, you'll have two chances to meet Eckhartz Press authors. On Saturday Ken Smoller will be there with his book Last Comiskey, and on Sunday Vicki Atkinson will be there signing and selling her book Surviving Sue. Both will be in the Chicago Writers Association tent. Hope to see you there!

Award Winner!

=This week in 2016 (September 2), we released a book by M.L Collins called  Out the Door! It was our little book that could. Unknown author, writing about Door County, and doing it with wit and charm. The cover was a grabber, it built a cult following, and sold well. Then, at the end of the year, it was named the Book of the Year by the Chicago Writers Association. 

 Rantings of a Bitter Childless Woman

=Jeanne Bellezzo grew up in the Chicago area, but she lives in California now. This week in 2016, she came to town to do a launch party for her book at Lone Star Cafe on the Northwest Side of Chicago. It was a great night. We even met one of our future editors, Mary Leonard.

Behind the Glass

=Randy Merkin's book is about the many sports legends he has met and booked as guests during his long and successful career as a sports radio producer. Three of the stars featured in his book have birthdays this week. Terry Bradshaw (September 2), Tom Watson (September 4) and Al McGuire (September 7). Each of them rate their own chapter in Behind the Glass. Also, celebrating a birthday this week (September 7) is Randy's former ESPN Radio colleague Jonathan Hood, who came out to the launch party for the book.

Last Comiskey

=If you don't get a chance to make it down to Printers Row Lit Fest this weekend, there are several other places to meet Last Comiskey author Ken Smoller (shown here with Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern)

Thursday, Sept 5

 Crestwood Library 4pm

 

Thursday, Sept 5

 Riverside Library Talk - 7pm

 

Saturday, Sept 7 

Evergreen Park Library 10:30 am

(Here's an article about his upcoming appearance there)

 

Monday, Sept 9

ELA Area Public Library

Wednesday, September  11
Lake Villa library talk

1001 Train Rides in Chicago

=This week in 2018, Richard Reeder appeared on Rick Kogan's WGN Radio show to talk about his book 1001 Train Rides in Chicago. 

 

EveryCubEver

=This week in 2021 (September 2), John Landecker had Rick Kaempfer on his WGN Radio show to talk about the Cubs. At the time people were saying that year's Cubs team was the worst ever. Rick gave John many more examples of teams that were worse. Far worse. You can listen to it here.

 

Doin' the Cruise

=This week in 2018 (September 3), Mitch Michaels wrote about the experience of the year he just completed. The year of his writing and promoting Doin' The Cruise.

     One year ago today my book was released: Doin The Cruise: Memories From a Lifetime in Radio & Rock n Roll. I wrote the book for me, for my kids and grand kids so they knew at least some of what I had done with my life, but I also wrote it for all those of you who have been listening throughout years. We’ve spent a great deal of time together and I thought a chronology of the Chicago radio landscape, from my point of view, over the past forty-five plus years might be of some interest.  I wanted to say thanks to my publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern from Eckhartz Press who did such a great job and a special thanks to Ken Churilla (my co-author) who spent two years listening, recording and writing down my stories. Ken was required to learn a brand new language for this project. He had to learn “Mitch Speaks” and he learned it very well. Forgive me if this sounds like I’m reliving A Day in The Life, because that’s exactly what I’m doing! This day, one year ago was so special. It started with an interview on The Noon News at WGN-TV with Steve Sanders who turned out to be a fan. Big fun! Great guy!! Followed by a book release party later that afternoon, at Lloyd’s of Chicago, attended by old friends and co-workers alike. It was an amazing day! It’s been a whirlwind of a year and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  

 

Signature Shoes

=Can you identify the man who gave his name to this signature shoe? It's none other than former tennis star Jimmy Connors. Ryan Trembath writes about Jimmy and this shoe in his Eckhartz Press book about the celebrities who spawned the signature shoe world. Jimmy's birthday is this week (September 2)

 

WGN-TV Morning News

=This week (September 6) marks the 30th anniversary of the WGN-TV Morning News. Most of the faces have remained the same since the beginning of that time, including Larry Potash, Robin Baumgarten, Paul Konrad, Pat Tomasulo, and Dean Richards. The show has also been very gracious to Eckhartz Press over the years, featuring a number of our authors. Here are a few on set. Bobby Skafish, Chuck Swirsky, Rich King, Joel Daly, John Landecker, and Rick Kaempfer.

 

 

 

 

 Protecting Children

=This week in 2018, Judge Michael Bender sat down for this Q&A to talk about his book Protecting Children: Bettering the World One Child at a Time. His book was actually a top 10 Amazon hit.

 

 

The Unplanned Life and Cameo

=These two books have a few things in common, and one of them is the support of radio personality Johnnie Putman (September 5 birthday). She gave a wonderful endorsement to Roger's book...

• “This book’s cover photo was taken on a night we’ll never forget. Trust us, we never had a night like that on the radio before or since and, along with our WGN radio listeners, were praying that Roger would survive. Spoiler alert: He did! In this book Roger shares the details of that night and other adventures, including his time with Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington, and first woman mayor, Jane Byrne. “The Unplanned Life” of this man we’re so proud to call a friend was obviously part of a bigger plan. Thankfully, he listened to the universe and went along for the ride. Buckle up, it’s a good one!”

  Steve King & Johnnie Putman, award-winning Chicago broadcasters and authors

 =And then she made an in-person appearance at a Beth Jacobellis signing...

Read a book day

=September 6 is Read a Book Day and we thought we'd take the opportunity to mention a few of the novels we have released over the years. They don't get as much attention as the non-fiction books, but let's face it, who doesn't like to dig in to a little fiction every now and then? Seems like Read a Book Day is the perfect opportunity. Try The Living Wills, Down at the Golden Coin, Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy, Safe Inside, An Off-White Christmas, Righteous Might, City U, Wicker Park Wishes, Talking Bout My Generation, Belle, Back in the DDR, and Severance, to name a few.

Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars

=Bill Paige's book is one of the few you'll find with a Freddie Mercury interview. Freddie would have been celebrating a birthday this week (September 5).

Cubsessions

=We just lost Bob Newhart in July, but the famous comedian/Cubs fan did contribute to our book Cubsessions back in 2019 (written by Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate). Want to know how Bob felt in 2016 after the Cubs won the World Series? He had been a Cubs fan so long, he greeted the 1945 Cubs at the train station when they won the pennant. Bob's Cubs joy is found in the pages of Cubsessions. It would have been his birthday this week (September 5)

 

We Have Company

=This week in 2019 (September 7), Bobby Skafish made an appearance at our favorite record store, Blue Village Vinyl in Westmont. A few of his old pals were there to help him celebrate. That's former Loop colleagues Wendy Snyder and Jimmy Mac McInerney.

Windy City Live

 =This week in 2021, the show Windy City Live aired for the last time as a regular weekday show on Channel 7 in Chicago. Our authors always enjoyed their times on the show. Here are a few examples...

 

 

And finally...

This week in 2014 (September 5) we almost lost four of our authors in a monsoon at Wrigley Field. James Finn Garner (contributor to Write City Review), Donald Evans (An Off-White Christmas), Randy Richardson (Cubsessions, Lost in the Ivy, Cheeseland) and Rick Kaempfer narrowly escaped with their lives. The Cubs weren't as lucky.

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