Beginning of the Christmas Season

What a good idea from Eckhartz Press for this cyber monday...

As God is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly

Happy Thanksgiving!



I'll be back to the blog on Monday.

Happy Birthday Pete Best

The unluckiest man in the world, Pete Best, is celebrating his 74th birthday. Pete was the drummer of the Beatles...until just before they hit it big, when he was replaced by Ringo. There aren't too many recordings of the Beatles with Pete on the drums, but here's one...

Billy Goat Bartender Retiring

I go to the Billy Goat a half dozen times a year to meet with my friends in the media, and bartender Jeff Magill has been a constant presence. He has been there since 1981.

But that's about to change. Chicago Magazine has the story of Jeff's retirement.

Chicago Radio Ratings

The latest monthly numbers are out, and Tom Taylor's NOW column gives us the highlights...

Last month’s actual tie at the top turns into a virtual tie, with urban AC “V103” (iHeart’s WVAZ) leading by a tenth of a share (5.7-5.8-6.0). Next is CBS Radio’s all-news/Cubs baseball WBBM-AM (5.7-5.8-5.9) and then Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” 5.4-5.3-5.4. There’s a quite a gap between Mix WTMX and the fourth place stations, but look at the growth of alternative WKQX. Merlin-owned/Cumulus-managed alternative WKQX is up to that tie for fourth place, 3.2-3.5-3.7. That’s its best PPM number ever. It’s tied with Univision’s regional Mexican WOJO (3.2-3.7-3.7). Tribune talker WGN is #6, 3.6-3.3-3.6. While we’re on talk-based formats, most of the time WBBM simulcasts with WCFS/105.9, but the FM carries on with the news while 780 breaks for play-by-play. Once the baseball season’s over they’ll be comboed again by Nielsen, but this month we can glimpse WCFS by itself (2.3-2.3-2.2). Cumulus talk WLS holds (1.2-1.9-1.8). A spike for Disney-owned/ESPN-run all-sports WMVP (1.6-2.1-2.5), putting it above CBS Radio’s all-sports “Score” WSCR with a third straight 2.2. The country war is between CBS-owned WUSN (a third straight 2.8 share) and iHeart’s new “Big” WEBG (2.4-2.0-2.0). In seventh place overall is iHeart CHR “Kiss” WKSC (4.0-3.6-3.5) – the Windy City’s leading cume station at just over 2.1 million.

NBC Fixes "Equal Time" Issue

When Donald Trump hosted SNL, it opened Pandora's Box for NBC. According to election laws, the network was technically required to provide equal time for all the candidates. A few of them filed formal complaints.

The New York Times has the story.

NBC has granted the campaigns of Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, Mike Huckabee, James Gilmore and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina their specific equal-airtime requests.

This does not mean that a coming “S.N.L.” episode will be hosted by any of the candidates. Nor will there even be a cameo.

What it does entail will be the use of commercial and promotional airtime in prime time this weekend, including during “Saturday Night Live,” when a re-run will be broadcast.

Sounds reasonable.

Pat Colander Book Signing

Roger Ebert once called the Old Town Ale House "the best bar in the world that I know about". The Ale House is also the setting for one of the true tales in Pat Colander's Hugh Hefner's Last Funeral and Other True Tales of Love and Death in Chicago. In this classic bar some 30 years ago, a regular customer talked openly about a certain type of poison that would mysteriously turn up in Tylenol bottles shortly thereafter. Naturally, this was the perfect setting for Pat Colander to stage a book signing for the book that tells that tale, "Hugh Hefner's First Funeral and Other True Tales of Love & Death in Chicago". Heck, she was even featured in one of the paintings on the wall.

The owner of the bar was there, the incredibly witty Bruce Elliot. He should charge people to come listen to the regulars offering their commentary during Bears games...especially during losses. At one point, my 13-year-old son looked at me and said "Are they allowed to say that?" I believe they are, although I'm also pretty sure what they were suggesting Jay Cutler should do isn't technically physically possible.

The walls of the Old Town Ale House were filled with paintings (painted by Bruce) of celebrities and politicians, and the book signing drew a few literary illumanti as well, including the talented playwright John Lisbon Wood. Pat Colander was right at home in this setting, and she clearly reveled in the conversations with those who came out for the event. Thanks to everyone who came out for a great afternoon of conversation.

Harbaugh to Hell

We have a lot of Michigan State people in my family, and they are pretty vocal in their hatred of the University of Michigan. Their hate-affair with Jim Harbaugh goes all the way back to his playing days at Michigan.

But as much as MSU hates Michigan, people from Ohio State hate U of M even more. A group called the "Dead Schembechlers" has written this song. It's a parody of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell".

Some good hate for a happy Monday morning...

Bringing the Family Together for the Holidays

This is incredibly well done. I was impressed...

The Next GOP Debate

According to this piece in Deadline, the next GOP debate may not feature Rand Paul. He's on the bubble. Chris Christie is back up at the grown up table.

Without Paul, it should be a two-hour stampede for war.

RIP Bernie Allen

From Robert Feder's column. Sad news about one of big names in early rock radio...

Memorial services will be held December 6 for longtime Chicago radio personality Bernie Allen, who hosted middays during the golden era of Top 40 WLS AM 890 in the 1960s. He died November 16 of pulmonary fibrosis at 86. Allen, whose real name was Bernard Hallenberg, worked as a child actor in Hollywood on the “Our Gang” comedy series in the 1930s and in radio as a regular on “Screen Guild Theater” and the “Jack Armstrong” series. Back home in Chicago, he joined WBEZ FM 91.5 and later worked for WIND AM 560 and the former WJJD before joining WLS in 1963. With subsequent stops at the former WCLR, WLAK and WCFL, he retired from WJJD in 1990. “Golf and bowling are my sports,” Allen once said, “but record hops can be just as much fun.”

I tried to contact Bernie a few times over the past few years to do an interview, but alas, never made the connection.

Around the Publishing World (November 22)

We stay on top of happenings/trends in the publishing world to help out busy writers who are spending their time doing what they should be doing: writing.


1. Eight things I've learned from Judd Apatow
Don't scoff, fellow writers. There's some wisdom here. You will relate.

2. You can't pay your rent with the unique platform your website provides
This writer points out to the good people of Huffington Post and their ilk, that yes more people will read us when we post something on your site, but on the other hand, our landlord doesn't generally accept that as a rent payment.

3. Just another brick in the paywall
As losses mounts, newspapers are forced to seriously consider paywalls for their online content. This is sort of the flipside of the previous article. Writers are being asked to write for free, partially because readers are generally demanding they get their information for free.

4. Evidently Apple and Facebook aren’t perfect
Making money publishing the news not going well for the titans either.

5. The Five Basic Elements of an Author Website
There's some excellent advice for authors who are putting together a website to promote their work. If you aren't one of those authors, why aren't you? Every author needs one these days.

6. Audiobooks and self publishing
Keeping up with market trends, audiobooks.com debuts self publishing portal. For a great summary of their business model click on the link.

Free Excerpt From "Father Knows Nothing": Don't Eat the Snow

This is one of my favorite conversations from the pages of Father Knows Nothing.

It features an 8-year-old Johnny discussing the subject of eating snow with an even younger Sean (4 years old) as they get their boots and snowsuits on. I was listening in around the corner and recorded it for posterity. So happy I did! I always think about it when Chicago braces for a big snow storm (like the one that's coming tonight).

By the way, we've noticed a big uptick in Father Knows Nothing sales the past week. Thanks so much for your support (even though I'm not sure exactly what is causing it)





Sean: Why did Dad say we shouldn’t eat snow?

Johnny: He just means the yucky snow.

Sean: What’s the yucky snow?

Johnny: Anything that isn’t white.

Sean: All snow is white.

Johnny: Nuh uh. Sometimes it’s gray or black. That means it’s dirty. If you eat it, it’s like you’re eating mud.

Sean: What if it’s blue?

Johnny: It’s never blue.

Sean: What if it is?

Johnny: It won’t be. It could be yellow, though. Don’t eat that. It’s animal pee. And brown is animal—

Sean: What if it’s green?

Johnny: That’s just the grass underneath it.

Sean: What if it’s orange?

Johnny: It won’t be orange.

Sean: But if it’s a snowman’s nose, it could be orange. Snowmans have orange noses.

Johnny: They do not.

Sean: (forcefully) YES THEY DO. They have carrots.

Johnny: Fine.

Sean: What if it’s red?

Johnny: That’s blood.

Sean: No, it’s not. It’s diarrhea.

Johnny: (forcefully) NO, it’s NOT. Diarrhea is brown.

Sean: I had red diarrhea one time.

Johnny: No you didn’t.

Sean: (forcefully) YES I DID.

Johnny: Not outside in the snow.

(LONG SILENCE)

Sean: Maybe an animal has red diarrhea.

Johnny: What kind of animal?

Sean: A red fire Pokemon.

Johnny: Those aren’t real.

Sean: What about a cardinal?

Johnny: All birds have white poop.

(LONG SILENCE)

Sean: But I thought you said that white snow…

Johnny: Uh oh.

Colbert Smackdown

Glad to see he still does these a few times a week...

Jared

The Subway pitchman was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday. Pretty harsh, but after hearing the audio tape of him talking about the methods he uses to entrap young boys and girls, I totally understand where the judge is coming from. From what I understand, child molesters are considered the lowest form of life in prisons by their fellow prisoners. Could be a very long 15 years, but after what he did (apparently many many many times), it sounds pretty fair to me.

I'm not going to stoop to doing a foot-long or six-inch or BMT (Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest) joke here. That would be distasteful, and I promised I wouldn't do any more Jared jokes.

New Studios Story

Thanks to Tom Taylor's NOW column for posting my Martin Short/new studios story today (last item).

You can read it here, if you're interested.

Germans Who Say Nice Things

I loved this bit so much when I first saw it. Still funny today...

What Makes Me Laugh

OK, here's the thing about laughter. You can't train yourself to laugh or not laugh. Sometimes it just happens, and it happens in a way that is highly embarrassing. Tonight I was flipping through the channels with my wife, and I stopped on a film. There was a joke in the movie that made me laugh so hard I almost lost consciousness. I looked at Bridget while I was choking, and I could see her losing respect for me. Why was she losing respect? Because of the joke, and because of the movie it was in. Here is the joke...

Character 1: I don't want to be indelicate, but does your friend have Aspergers?

Character 2: Probably. He doesn't wipe too well.

The movie was Dumb & Dumber To.

I'm deeply ashamed.

Mr. Blue Sky

My favorite ELO song...

Pat Colander Book Signing

Roger Ebert once called the Old Town Ale House "the best bar in the world that I know about". The Ale House is also the setting for one of the true tales in Pat Colander's Hugh Hefner's Last Funeral and Other True Tales of Love and Death in Chicago. In this classic bar some 30 years ago, a regular customer talked openly about a certain type of poison that would mysteriously turn up in Tylenol bottles shortly thereafter.

Naturally, this is the perfect setting for Pat Colander to stage a release party for the book that tells that tale.

Here are the details of the party...

Date: Sunday, November 22nd
Time: Noon to 3pm (Don't worry, the Bears will be on TV if you want to watch)
Address: 219 W. North Avenue in Chicago

The details of the story are in the book. And of course, the book will be there for sale, and Pat will be there to sign it.

Come for the book and stay for the atmosphere, or come for the amosphere and stay for the book. Both are well worth your while.

Plus, it's an Ale House. That means your humble Eckhartz Press co-founders Rick and Dave will be there too. I will buy a drink for the first ten people who buy Pat's book and sing the first verse of "Bear Down Chicago Bears" for me.

Commas Save Lives

Thanks to "BD" for this one...

Cumulus Stock

It's gotten to the point that Cumulus stock is very likely to be de-listed. From today's Tom Taylor's column...

How much lower can Cumulus stock go? “CMLS” touched 20 cents early in yesterday’s trading, a new all-time low. The eventual close of 22 cents (down about 2%) wasn’t quite as bloody, but this isn’t going to show the NASDAQ exchange that Cumulus merits continued listing, once its 180-day grace period expires.

Biondi Moves To Weekends

Dick Biondi's fans have long been frustrated that Dick is on the air at such a late hour. Well, beginning this weekend, that is going to change. From Chicagoland Radio & Media...

While the move to weekend mornings appears to be a demotion, and it certainly is in terms of dramatically less on-air hours, this is a move that Biondi welcomes. The change will allow him to have more normal hours which are better for a man of his age.

Said Biondi to his fans tonight: "I'm going to miss you, but I've got to take this opportunity to have some fun in a morning. Thank you all..."

Starting this weekend, Biondi's new hours will be Saturdays from 6:00am-10:00am and Sundays from 7:00am-10:00am. Unlike some weekend shifts on WLS-FM which are voice-tracked, Biondi will be doing his shows live from the WLS-FM studios.

I'm happy for Dick. He has slowed down a little, but at the age of 83, he's still a dynamo. Honestly, I wish I had his energy level and I'm 30 years younger.

Congrats to Jake Arrieta

Jake Arrieta wins NL Cy Young Award 1st Cubs pitcher to win the Cy Young since Greg Maddux in 1992 pic.twitter.com/RkDB4wIPRf

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 18, 2015

Excellent Advice

I'm showing this to my kids. Thanks to "GD" for this...

Where did the guns used in Paris attacks come from?

Eckhartz Press author Brent Petersen ("Truffle Hunt") has done extensive research about the Balkan War ("Truffle Hunt" takes place in the years just after the war). Here's what he wrote on the Truffle Hunt blog today...

Guns are illegal and very difficult to obtain in France as well as most of Europe. You need to pass rigorous background checks and obtain licenses to get a gun for hunting. And automatic weapons like the ones used last Friday to massacre dozens of people in Paris are prohibited outright. So, where did they come from?

It turns out they’re probably remnants of the Balkan War of the 1990’s. Before there was an independent Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, etc, there was Yugoslavia. General Tito, the WWII guerrilla fighter turned political leader, created the state of Yugoslavia after defeating the Nazis, pulling together disparate ethnic groups and placing them under a single flag.

After Tito’s death, Yugoslavia began to fracture and war erupted in the early 1990’s. After the war, the former Yugoslavia became 7 independent countries (counting the semi-autonomous Kosovo). The weapons from the war in the Balkans started to show up in other countries at war. The weapon of choice was the AK-47 (Kalashnikov) and copies and knock-off manufactured by the Yugoslavia arms manufacturer Zastava Arms. Millions of these automatic weapons (like the M70) were manufactured and are now common in war zones like Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Libya

If you'd like to read the rest of his piece, click here.

Reading Signals from Women

This is courtesy of "BD". Made me laugh...

Moving Into New Studios

Robert Feder has the details about the move of Cumulus radio stations from 190 N. State (WLS AM/FM) and the Merchandise Mart (The Loop/WKQX) to the NBC Tower. It sounds like it's a two-step process for the stations at the Mart, first to 190 N. State, and then to the NBC Tower. As someone who has been part of one of these radio station moves to brand new studios, and the usage of temporary studios, all I can say is God Bless. It's gonna be icky for a while.

There's a funny story in "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" about our move into new studios. Here's the Reader's Digest version. After suffering through studios that were so terrible for several months that we had to reduce our interviews to zero, I booked Martin Short to christen our new studios (on the phone) during our first show there. Unfortunately, the phones didn't work. We could hear him, but we couldn't get his audio through the control board. At that time we had one incredibly overworked engineer working on five different stations trying to meet impossible deadlines--and when we tried to reach him for help he was nowhere to be found. So...we had Martin Short call John's cellphone, and John interviewed him on the air by holding the phone up to the microphone. It was hilarious and ingenious, and Martin Short kept saying things like..."You're owned by CBS right? Imagine what the stations that aren't owned by multi-billion corporations have to do. Smoke signals?" Martin Short has done hundreds (if not thousands) of interviews, but I bet he still remembers that one.

By the way, it took another two weeks to get the phones fixed. And we did a show that featured listener calls every day. That was a lot of fun completely changing our show just because the equipment didn't work. Enjoy the move, Cumulus.

Where did Sammy Sosa celebrate his birthday?

Sammy is just like you and me. He held his birthday party in the most typical place you could imagine.

Dubai...

I posted 25 photos on Facebook in the album "Sammy Sosa Birthday Bash Dubai" https://t.co/54CB3jo3Oz

— Sammy Sosa (@TheRealMr609) November 16, 2015

Equal Time

When NBC allowed Donald Trump to host SNL, they opened themselves up to this. Other candidates are now demanding equal time--which is still a rule. That means each of them is technically entitled to the twelve minutes of air time that Donald used on SNL. No word on whether or not they want to also dance in a fake Drake video.

Charlie Sheen

Zero people in the world were surprised by Charlie Sheen's announcement this morning on the Today show. He is HIV Positive.

Variety has the details.

To me, the only interesting part of the story is that people were shaking him down for millions of dollars to keep the information secret. Why would someone like Charlie worry about people knowing?

FCC Reform

I'm hesitant to support this FCC Reform because it was passed by the House of Representatives, who famously likes to use opposite language to describe their bills (The Pure Water act? Mmmm hmmm.)

Inside Radio has some of the details. What they report sounds reasonable enough, but I'd still like to see the full bill, because there is always something buried in the there.

The Cubs Network

The Cubs confirmed yesterday that they will be starting up their own network in 2020.

I have just one question for them: What if cable television doesn't matter any more in 2020? At the rate that everyone is unplugging, they better have a plan in place for this new reality.

Happy Anniversary

To my lovely bride. We were married 24 years ago today.

Super Caleb!

My little nephew Caleb is just 2 years old and he's been diagnosed with cancer. The little guy is in the midst of his fifth stage of chemotherapy, and it's been so hard on him. But he's a tough little fighter, and he still smiles when he gets his strength--and he returns to the same little boy he used to be.

My cousin Derek and his wife Stacy are going through a very tough time--and so is the rest of the family. Of course, everyone offers to help in whatever way they can, but there's very little that can be done, and the whole situation just makes everyone feel so helpless. They are doing a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds to pay for Caleb's bills, and they'd appreciate your help.

This is my contribution to the cause. I dreamt this story the other night, a little children's Super Hero tale. I call it Super Caleb.

SUPER CALEB

Our hero Super Caleb, awakens in a haze,
Trapped on planet Mayo-naise,
Where the bad Sea monster stays,
And makes people sad all day

Super Caleb knows that he just has to get away,
Remove the tubes and tape,
So he can reach his super cape,
And make his brave escape

He is Super Caleb,
You should see our hero fly,
He turns the Mayo people’s, sad faces into smiles,
He is Super Caleb,
And he’ll show you in a while.

The bad sea monster doesn’t know, that Caleb has some friends,
Who can give him strength again,
And he better look out when,
Super Caleb flies again.

As Super Caleb sleeps, his friend in the white coat,
Sails through the sea monster’s moat,
In a very quiet boat,
And he’s bringing Caleb hope.

He is Super Caleb!
And he makes sad people smile,
The sea monster can’t keep the people sad when Caleb flies,
He is Super Caleb!
And he’ll be here in a while.

Super Caleb opens up his eyes after a rest,
Looks down upon his chest,
Tubes are gone and he is dressed,
He knows how to do the rest.

He is Super Caleb!
And it’s time to watch him fly,
When they see him all sad people, cannot help but smile,
He is Super Caleb!
And he’s gonna win this time.

Weird, but True

Dylan and Lennon in a Cab

I think this is actually authentic...very odd.

RIP Andy White

Who was Andy White, you ask?

He was the studio drummer that George Martin forced the Beatles to use instead of Ringo on "Love Me Do".

Andy was 85 years old.

This Happened in Canada

It happened last year, but I missed it. Actually quite heartwarming. This was a Canadian crowd in Toronto, mind you...

Naked Wrigley

#WrigleyField #HoleInTheWall pic.twitter.com/HzsE9vyfLb

— Wrigley Field (@WrigleyBlog) November 13, 2015

I don't have daughters, but I still know this is true...

Thanks to "EG" for this one...

McCartney Explains the Stories Behind Eight #1 Hits

I've heard most of these stories before, but they're still interesting. The only new one to me is the story of what happened when "Hey Jude" came out in London. Also, didn't realize there was a mystery about some of the lyrics. Apparently it's not all about Julian.

You can read the stories here.

Kevin Robinson

Sorry to read this news in Tom Taylor's NOW column about my old PD Kevin Robinson...

Charlie Quinn replaces Kevin Robinson as PD at Hubbard’s variety hits “106.5 the Arch” WARH in St. Louis. They’re both major-market pros of vast experience. Kevin tells NOW that “Historically, there are times that a great team needs a different voice, a different perspective, to grow. It was an honor to be the leader at 106-5 The Arch.” Hubbard market manager John Kijowski says “I’m appreciative of Kevin’s fine work over the past seven years and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

I worked with Kevin for nearly a decade and found him to be a fair and honest guy. Here's hoping he bounces back quickly.

What if Trump or Carson Actually Win?

According to this piece in the Washington Post, that's the question that is starting to panic the Republican donor base and the insiders in Washington. I love this anonymous quote...

“We’re potentially careening down this road of nominating somebody who frankly isn’t fit to be president in terms of the basic ability and temperament to do the job,” this strategist said. “It’s not just that it could be somebody Hillary could destroy electorally, but what if Hillary hits a banana peel and this person becomes president?”

That's a fascinating quote, isn't it? That's a Republican saying, in so many words, that he fears a Republican presidency more than a Hillary presidency.

Of course, when it gets out to Trump and Carson supporters, they'll just take it as proof that they need to stick with their guy.

Germany Mourns the Hassel

David Hasselhoff has decided to change his name. For real. He dropped the Hassel and is now officially and legally known as David Hoff.



I have no idea why he did this, but I wonder if he is planning on fathering a son and naming him Jack.

David actually was extremly popular in Germany with the old name. Wonder how his German fans will react to this news. His American fans don't seem to care.

Hoff is from the Chicago area originally, by the way. He's a graduate of Lyons Township High School.

Amy Landecker

Yesterday the Tribune reported that Amy is dating West Wing's Bradley Whitford.

Then today, I saw this tweet...

Amy Landecker joins the cast of Doctor Strange https://t.co/D2lN912y0h pic.twitter.com/2nSX734jCo

— The AV Club (@TheAVClub) November 12, 2015

So happy for her. She's on fire. Amy's good people.

Pat Colander Book Signing

Looking forward to this book signing for Pat Colander's book "Hugh Hefner's First Funeral and other True Tales of Love and Death in Chicago." It will be held at the place Roger Ebert famously dubbed "The best bar in the world that I know about", the Olde Town Ale House. The Ale House also happens to play an important part of one of Pat's True Tales of Love and Death, the notorious Tylenol murders. Come on out and join us!

Sunday afternoon November 22nd, 219 W. North Avenue, at Noon. The Bears game will be on the TV, if you are still paying attention to them.

The Who's Best Post-Keith Moon Concert Ever

Rolling Stone has just declared the Who show on 11/12/1999 at Chicago's House of Blues as their best ever concert in the post-Keith Moon era.

I was there, and I agree. I'd rank it as one of the best shows I've ever seen. (I still can't believe Bridget agreed to let me pay $300 to see the show. I've never paid that much before or since)

Check out the article. It has the bootleg audio of the entire show. If you don't want to listen, you can still check out the full set list.

Should There Be More Consolidation in Radio?

That's a question that Radio Ink poses to Jeff Marcus, the Chairman of the board at Cumulus. You can read his response here if you like, but let me just answer the question for him and save a little time.

The answer is no. I will also accept the answer, "Duh. No." Or..."What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"

If the individual money grab begins again, radio employees and listeners, you can put that stake right into the heart of the dying beast.

What on Earth is Going on at College Campuses?

I've been watching this mess at University of Missouri closely. I'm not going to delve into the racial aspect of this. To me, that's a pretty obvious open and shut case. The idiots who make racial (and deadly) threats cannot be defended...ever. That's not free speech, that's screaming fire in a crowded movie theater. That's illegal. They should be arrested and charged.

To me the distressing response is the immediate demand that other people (who didn't make any threats at all) be fired. That's a first reaction now. The University president? OK, I suppose he didn't act fast enough or take it seriously enough. But fired? The professors who stood their ground with protesting students--keeping away reporters? OK, they obviously missed the whole concept of the free press. But fired?

And the professor who told his class to stand up to bullies--Forced to resign? That's just wrong. Read this account of his saga in the Washington Post. Luckily that story has a happy ending.

I know one thing. I wouldn't want to be a college professor in this climate.

Colbert Gets Post Super Bowl Slot

This is a huge deal for Stephen Colbert. Normally the networks show a new primetime show that they are trying to hype, but this year that post Super Bowl slot goes to Colbert.

I'll have to check it out after the big Bears Super Bowl victory. (Rimshot)

I've been watching Colbert semi-regularly lately and he's finding his groove. The band is great, his second segment (at the desk) is always top notch, and he's probably the best interviewer on Late Night. The monologue is still pretty weak, but let's not forget that Letterman never did a good monologue in 30 years of Late Night.

The Official Start of X-mas Season

For me, Christmas season does NOT begin with Black Friday. It begins the first day that WLIT goes all Christmas music.

That's today, folks. At 4:35pm.

Happy holidays.

New PD at WSHE

Robert Feder has the details about the new program director hired by WSHE (100.3 FM) in Chicago.

I have two questions about this hire.

#1: Why wouldn't WSHE, a station that explicitly targets women, hire a woman?

#2: He goes by Cat Thomas, although his real name is Bill Drake. That's kind of a fascinating aside as far as I'm concerned. One of the most famous program directors in radio history was named Bill Drake. Any relation?

Why is November 11 Veterans Day?

The date of this holiday goes back to the end of World War I. In 1918 the hostilities ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

President Wilson declared it Armistice Day the following year, and it later became Veterans Day after subsequent wars.

I found this video on YouTube with the following description..."This is the oldest known radio aircheck or linecheck of an American president. The recording was made by Washington DC electronics engineer Frank L. Capps, using a homemade electrical recording system, two years before the first electrically recorded commercial disk was released by Victor. The original disk is believed lost, but a copy is in the FDR presidential library. The newsreel footage comes from archive.org. Both are in the public domain. Listen carefully and you will hear the former president knock the microphone. Mr. Wilson made this address over an ad hoc radio network and was heard by thousands of early radio listeners."

Beware the Hatchet

From Tom Taylor's NOW column, this ominous note for radio folks...

One NOW reader says “I’ve been told by several people in my [top-25] market that the programmers at iHeart are going through multiple ‘deep dives’ on all talent. There’s an emphasis on the big-name talent making the big bucks, to see if they’re following through on corporate mandates and the programming ‘suggestions’ they’ve been given.” The truth is, every company is examining year-end cost savings, not just iHeart.

Have I mentioned lately that I don't miss the business?

Cubs Moving to the Score

It's official. The Cubs are going to air on the Score next year.

Lets see if they manage to scale back some of their Cubs-bashing. The majority of the hosts on that radio station are not fans. Should be interesting.

Green White

Meeting with the book interior designer to discuss the final touches on the Green White history book, which will be out in early December. There's a mockup of the cover below. What is the book about?

In 1956 a few German-speaking immigrants founded a soccer club on the north side of Chicago. They called it S.C. Grün Weiss. This humble group of eighteen young men had no way of knowing that the club would eventually serve thousands of members, field hundreds of teams, win scores of division, city and state titles, send numerous players into the professional ranks, and enshrine more than a dozen members into the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame. This book tells the tale of that proud 60-year journey, and features more than 170 classic photographs of the Green White family throughout the years.

The authors (Todd Schneider and I) are donating the proceeds from Grün Weiss Vor! 60 Years of Green White Soccer to the club, a not-for-profit organization currently serving the soccer community in the Mt. Prospect area.

WGN Novella Parody

I understand they also do news at WGN-TV, but this is a very funny parody of the Spanish-language soap operas. Congrats to the gang over there...

RIP Allen Toussaint

One of the all-time greats has passed away. The city of New Orleans was deep in his heart, and it came out so beautifully in his music...

Weirdest Song Ever

How weird is this song? Let me just describe it for you. It features John Malkovich reading Plato over a musical soundtrack created by Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon.

I'd compare it to fingernails on a chalkboard. Or being stabbed in the ear.

Oh, and it's over seven minutes long.

Listen to it here.

Trump on SNL

Here's the monologue. Not very funny, let's face it. The whole show fell flat. Although, I'm guessing Larry David really enjoyed the chance to call Trump a racist to his face.

Stuttering John

Remember former Howard Stern show member Stuttering John Melendez? After he left Howard, he worked with Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. Now he's back into radio. From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

The Stephanie Miller Show adds former Jay Leno “Tonight Show” announcer and longtime Howard Stern cast member John Melendez as executive producer and co-host of Miller’s Westwood-syndicated daily show. That comes as current exec producer Chris Lavoie leaves the show for new horizons. Also joining Miller’s crew as a co-host is impressionist and funny-guy Jim Ward.

The Stephanie Miller show airs locally in Chicago on WCPT.

Alex Quigley

The former WGN/Q-101 man has a new radio home. From this morning's RAMP newsletter...

Chicago radio pro Alex Quigley took to Facebook to announce he's the new PD/midday talent at Matrix Broadcasting's suburban Chicago Classic Hits outlet WFXF (103.9 the Fox). His first day in the building is today. Quigley was most OM of Tribune Talk WGN/Chicago until December of 2014. He previously did two tours of duty across the street at the former Emmis Alternative WKQX (Q101), with a PD stint at the former KRFR/Bakersfield sandwiched in between. "It'll be great to get back on-air five days a week, and it'll be fun growing The Fox's footprint throughout Chicagoland," Quigley said. "We've already got two great talents -- Brian Sherman and Pat Capone -- in morning and afternoon drive, so I'll have to keep my A-game going from 10am-3pm."