Thursday, April 30, 2020

Fun Fact

Only four ex-Cub pitchers have defeated all 30 current MLB clubs, and only one of them was a Cub when he beat the 30th team (John Lackey). The other three are Terry Mulholland, Dan Haren, and Jamie Moyer. (Only 19 pitchers in MLB history have ever done it)

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Illinois

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Free Kicks

This week's episode of Free Kicks has all the latest news about the potential re-opening of the European soccer leagues (and there is some, by the way).

Listen to it here.
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News Radio From Home

I really thought this was an interesting look at how a Newsradio station like WBBM-AM in Chicago handles the current situation. They remain an essential source of news for Chicago, but they also have to protect their employees from the virus. It's a demanding format requiring lots of people in the best of circumstances.

Here's how they do it.

Thanks to Robert Feder for that report.
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Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Robbie Rist

This week's Minutia Men Celebrity Interview is with Cousin Oliver from the Brady Bunch, Robbie Rist.

Listen to it here.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2020

America's Lost Soul

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Lossano and Friends

Tony Lossano has been posting previous episodes of his podcast Lossano and Friends. This first episode he posted includes me as a guest (promoting my new at the time book "Father Knows Nothing"). I remember it well. It was the first (and possibly last) time I got to broadcast with the immortal Dick Biondi. That was a thrill. I've known Dick since I started at WJMK in 1993, but this was the only time I was actually on the air with him.





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David Ross story

Pretty funny story about Cubs manager David Ross during his broadcasting days...

ESPN’s Jon “Boog” Sciambi recently hopped on “The Compound,” a podcast hosted by Cubs Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Dakota Mekkes and Zack Short. Sciambi recalled a time where Ross got up to use the restroom during a commercial break of a Red Sox-Phillies entering the 10th inning.

The 10th already started by the time Ross returned to the booth, giving Cubs legend Rick Sutcliffe — the third member of broadcast team — a chance to mess with him.

“[Ross] puts the headset on kinda quiet, like he’s sneaking back into the booth. And Sutt, to his credit — and Sutt’s not the brightest light on the Christmas tree — sees it.

“Rossy puts his headset back on, and Sutt goes ‘That’s a great point, Boog. What do you think about that, Rossy?’

“[Ross’] eyes bulge out. He looks at me and I look at him, like ‘Well…’ It’s like one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand, he realizes we’re ****ing with him, and he just blurts out ‘You guys are like camels; you never go to the bathroom.’”

Yes, this happened live on the air during a national broadcast of an MLB game. Three Red Sox-Phillies games went to extras from 2017-18; which of the three this story occurred during is uncertain.
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Tulips

The great Barry Butler photographs one of the most beautiful times of the year in downtown Chicago. I may have to make a trip down there to check it out...

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How is this story not getting more attention?

Am I wrong? This seems like pretty big news.

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Monday, April 27, 2020

A True Bulls Fan

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Freddie in Quarantine

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The Gov

SNL cut this for time on the air, but posted it online. I thought it was pretty strong...

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Winds of Change

Try to wrap your head around this one. From Deadline...

Did the CIA write Scorpions’ hit song Wind of Change? This is the wild story of Spotify’s latest original podcast documentary series.

The audio platform has teamed up with New Yorker investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe, Pod Save America producer Crooked Media and Missing Richard Simmons producer Pineapple Street Studios for Wind of Change.

The eight-part series, which debuts May 11, follows Keefe as he explores a rumor he heard from a source within the CIA: The CIA was behind the 1990 international hit. He will look at spies doing the unthinkable, a secret history of propaganda hidden in pop music, and a maze of government secrets as he attempts to untangle one of the great mysteries of the Cold War.

I played this song a million times when i was on the Loop. We pushed it hard. Don't think we were part of the conspiracy, but I must admit, this song never spoke to me. And I'm German. And I was blown away by the Berlin Wall coming down. And I love the Scorps. This song just isn't that good.

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Minutia Men



Click here to listen.
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What's Up With That?

This bit hasn't been pulled out of the closet for a while, but it was done very well on SNL this weekend. My son Tommy's all-time favorite SNL bit...

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Sunday, April 26, 2020

Walking on Sunshine

This song is 35 years old today and it still puts you in a good mood. Much harder to write a truly happy song than a sad one...

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Saturday, April 25, 2020

The Liar Tweets Tonight

One of the best ones I've seen so far...

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Minutia Men--The Who, The Bulls, and the Dry October

Fun show. We talked to the keyboard player from the Who, Loren Gold. Great stuff. Also, we share a song I wrote during the 1990s Bulls era, and a hilarious clip of Steve Stone telling a Harry Caray story.

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Rick Monday Day





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Friday, April 24, 2020

Fun with Trump video

These Tiktok videos are killing me...



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Jim Peterik

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Roger's Book

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Legally Liable?

I posed a legal question on twitter the other day asking if the president might be legally liable if someone died taking a treatment like this (the malaria drug he was pushing, or yesterday's suggestion--injected disinfectant). The reaction I got from Trumpers was essentially "Shut up dumbass" or "You can't really be that stupid can you?" and "Are you even smart enough to put on a hat?"

I guess I am that stupid, because I don't understand why he wouldn't be liable. This would kill you if you did what he suggested. He's not some schmo on a street corner. He's the president of the United States at an official coronavirus briefing.



And here's what happened to the malaria drug...



Why wouldn't he be liable for this? He flat out said "I think you should take it. What do you have to lose?"
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Thursday, April 23, 2020

Guilty

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Rupert's Salary

For years I thought I knew Rupert Murdoch. I must have read fifty books about him during the research for my novel "$everance". But I recently saw the HBO series "Succession" and I realize I missed something important during my research. I missed the absolutely obscene wealth he keeps for himself. It was beyond my imagination. I read over and over again that he was constantly teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and figured he must have taken SOME precautions just in case. That's the part I got wrong. I thought he was just purely evil for evil's sake like Snidely Whiplash. Nope. Snidely does the dirty work himself. Rupert doesn't get his finely manicured hands dirty. He makes everyone else do the dirty work, and he keeps all the profit for himself.

Anyway, since I saw that series I take all stories like this with a grain of salt. From this morning's New York Times...

Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation, the owner of Fox News and the Fox television network, announced pay cuts to its executive ranks that will affect 700 employees as it worked to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch, the elder son of Rupert, made the announcement in a memo sent to the company’s 7,700 workers on Wednesday.

“While we don’t know exactly when we will return to normal and full operations across the company, we have decided to take several new actions to ensure that we remain strong and are well-positioned when this crisis recedes,” Lachlan Murdoch said.

He and the family patriarch will forgo their entire salaries through September, though most of their compensation comes from stock awards and bonuses. Rupert Murdoch makes $5 million in salary but his compensation tops $29 million with incentives and stock. Lachlan Murdoch makes $3 million in salary, with an additional $20 million coming from stocks and bonuses.

That million or so that he's giving up will be going right back into his pocket the second he can get away with it. It's probably already there now. Suffering is for others.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Love this

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Happy Earth Day

It's the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and Rare Earth is my go-to Earth Day band...

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Are your papers in order?

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Hugh!

Former Top Chef contestant Hugh Acheson owns restaurants in Georgia, and here's his response to his crazy governor...

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Noooooo!

Shits getting real, folks.

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Get Well Soon, Silvy

Sad to hear this news, reported by Robert Feder...

Marc Silverman, widely admired afternoon co-host on Good Karma Brands ESPN sports/talk WMVP 1000-AM, disclosed on his show Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. He said he would be starting chemotherapy treatment next week. An outpouring of well-wishes followed. “All of us at ESPN Chicago and Good Karma Brands know that Silvy is a fighter and he’s strong,” said Mike Thomas, market manager for ESPN Chicago. “We’re here for him 100 percent whatever he needs during this time.” Silverman, 48, grew up in Skokie and graduated from Niles North High School and Southern Illinois University. He worked as a sports intern and reporter at news/talk WGN 720-AM before joining ESPN 1000 on its launch in 1998. Since 2007 he’s been teamed with Tom Waddle from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Dere Da Bulls

After the success of The Last Dance on ESPN, I was inspired to reach back into my archives and pull out this song that John Landecker and I wrote during the Bulls last championship run. It was one of our most popular songs and got press in the Sun-Times and Tribune, and was played at Michael Jordan's restaurant. This is Landecker & The Legends with "Dere Da Bulls" (Video by Tommy Kaempfer).

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Logic



OK, let's go through this logic from start to finish.

The Democrats and the media have done this to screw Trump. In so doing, they enlisted the help of 185 countries around the world to play along with this whole pandemic bit. Then, they got the entire medical and scientific community to agree with them (because, of course, science hates Trump too). Then, they intentionally ran their own businesses into the ground (I'll show you, Trump!), and wrecked the economy. And now they want the economy to get worse, even though they are suffering from that as much as everyone else, because that's how much they hate Trump and are out to get him.

44,000 people dead, but the real victim here is Trump.

You people are fucking crazy, and I'm embarrassed to be from the same country as you.

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Monday, April 20, 2020

Maybe I'm Amazed (remastered)

Freshly remastered. For my money, one of the greatest songs ever written...

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RIP Tom Lester

Lost another one. The actor who played Eb in Green Acres, the last surviving member from the cast, passed away today at the age of 81. Here's a scene of Eb in action (right after the opening credits)

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Norwegian Wood for 420

Never heard this version before. It's incredible...

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Dog Volleyball

Love this...

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The Last Dance

I absolutely loved The Last Dance on ESPN last night. Made son #3 watch it--he was the only one who wasn't born yet when this all happened. He loved it too. (Here's a good review of the show from Michael Wilbon)

On the other hand, it did make me upset. Why did they blow that dynasty up again? When Michael said: "We deserve a chance to defend this until it's taken away from us on the court", I couldn't have agreed more. Thanks a lot Jerry Krause.

Also, the special is obviously churning up bad memories for former Bears players, who had their own GM issues with honesty (different Jerry). Two of the best running backs in Chicago since Walter Payton...

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4/20

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Top Ten Movies

For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, over the last ten days I was asked to provide my ten favorite films, via their promotional posters and without comment. Here are the ten, in no particular order...

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Sunday, April 19, 2020

Uh oh

Shit's getting real now...

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Plans A & B

Great David Frum piece in the Atlantic today. Here's the money shot...

Both Trump’s Plan A and Plan B intend to turn American against American, in an ugly spirit of rancor and resentment. In pandemic as in prosperity, the Trump way is to punish opponents, reward friends; accuse victims, protect culprits; demand credit, refuse accountability; protect preferred classes and groups of Americans—and sacrifice the rest.
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Saturday, April 18, 2020

More Sad News

RIP...



Here are The Soft Boys...

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Minutia Men--Passengers, Poker & Peterik


This week we have two celebrity guests on Minutia Men...poker pro Tristan Wade and rock and roll star Jim Peterik, who has sent us his latest song.

Listen to it here.
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Friday, April 17, 2020

Unhinged

He will burn down this country on his way out...

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HIlarious

You want to hear another name for dad jokes? Jokes. We are all funny. Especially this guy...

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My apologies

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I'm a Tody-Tyrant

Alright, I'm going to stop this now, but one last one. This is called, and I'm not kidding about this, Kaempfer's Tody Tyrant. Kaempfer's tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus kaempferi) is a rare species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil. It was known only from two specimens until the 1990s, when it was finally observed in life. It is protected under Brazilian law and it is on the United States' Endangered Species List. Kaempfer's tody-tyrant is 10 centimeters long and olive green in color. The bird lives in forested habitat, often near rivers. Pairs often forage together. They build nests several meters up in trees, constructing them with mosses, grasses, and dead leaves. The call is a series of "kwit" notes.
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I'm a Woodpecker

What is this bird called? I kid you not, it's called Kaempfer's Woodpecker. Kaempfer's woodpecker (Celeus obrieni) is a species of woodpecker from Brazil. The type specimen, a female, was collected in the Brazilian state of Piauí in 1926. No other individuals were collected or seen and the bird was feared extinct, until a male was captured by Advaldo Dias do Prado during mist netting in 2006 in the state of Tocantins.
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I'm a Circulation Enhancer

The day you find out you share your name with a product.you'd rather not be associated with...

Kaempferia Parviflora is Thai Black Ginger‎. BLACK GINGER is a rare and powerful type of ginger that is taken as a N.O. supplement specifically for improving circulation throughout the whole body, especially in relation to the areas that matter most to men..It is named after 17th century naturalist Engelbert kaempfer
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I'm a Flavonoid

The day you learn you share a name with a flavonoid:

Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a melting point of 276–278 °C (529–532 °F). It is slightly soluble in water and highly soluble in hot ethanol, ethers, and DMSO. Kaempferol is named for 17th-century German naturalist Engelbert Kaempfer.
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Free Kicks--Diversions in Soccer Entertainment



If you're a soccer fan, and looking for something to binge, lots of suggestions in this podcast.

Listen to it here.
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Thursday, April 16, 2020

RIP Brian Dennehy

More sad news. They're dropping like flies now. Esteemed actor Brian Dennehy has passed away at the age of 81. I'm sure he's not thrilled that most of his obits lead with his role in "Tommy Boy".

For me, I will always remember him for this role...

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Roger Badesch

I feel for Roger Badesch. He is so excited to get his first copy of his book, but we're obviously in a holding pattern right now because the world has shut down and we've been deemed non-essential. When we get the go-ahead to go to press, this is a book you have to read. Roger has lived a very interesting life...
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Chicago Radio Ratings

Thanks to Robert Feder for posting these. If you'd like to see the daypart breakdowns, click here.

1. WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM all news, 7.7 (5.8)
2. WVAZ 102.7-FM urban adult contemporary, 5.3 (4.9)
3. WTMX 101.9-FM hot adult contemporary, 5.2 (5.4)
4. WDRV 97.1-FM classic rock, 5.1 (5.3)
5. WGN 720-AM news talk, 4.5 (3.9)
6. (tie) WBEZ 91.5-FM public radio news talk, 4.3 (3.6); WLIT 93.9-FM adult contemporary, 4.3 (4.8); WLS 94.7-FM classic hits, 4.3 (4.2)
9. WXRT 93.1-FM adult album alternative, 3.8 (3.3)
10. WKSC 103.5-FM Top 40, 3.3 (3.7)
11. WOJO 105.1-FM Mexican regional, 3.1 (3.3); WSHE 100.3-FM adult contemporary, 3.1 (3.3)
13. WBBM 96.3-FM Top 40, 2.8 (2.6)
14. WUSN 99.5-FM country, 2.7 (2.8)
15. WSCR 670-AM sports talk, 2.5 (2.7)
16. (tie) WBMX 104.3-FM classic hip hop, 2.4 (2.5); WKQX 101.1-FM alternative rock, 2.4 (2.3); WLEY 107.9-FM Mexican regional, 2.4 (2.6); WRME 87.7-FM soft rock oldies, 2.4 (2.4)
20. WGCI 107.5-FM urban contemporary, 2.3 (2.1)
21. WLS 890-AM news talk, 2.1 (2.3)
22. WPPN 106.7-FM Spanish adult contemporary, 1.8 (1.9)
23. WPWX 92.3-FM urban contemporary, 1.4 (1.4)
24. (tie) WCKL 97.9-FM contemporary Christian, 1.3 (1.5); WVIV 93.5-FM Spanish contemporary, 1.3 (1.9)
26. (tie) WEBG 95.5-FM country, 1.2 (1.4); WMVP 1000-AM sports talk, 1.2 (1.2)
28. WFMT 98.7-FM classical 1.1 (1.0)
29. WMBI 90.1-FM Christian ministry, 1.0 (0.8)
30. WZSR 105.5-FM hot adult contemporary 0.7 (0.6
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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The Spirit of Chicago

Thanks to the Ides of March, Jim Peterik, Dennis De Young (formerly of Styx), Cathy Richardson of Jefferson Starship, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and many others for this great song and video...

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Another Endorsement

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RIP Jim Bolger

It's been a rough week for ex-Cubs. Jim Bolger passed away last Thursday at the age of 88. Here's his listing from EveryCubEver...

~Jim Bolger 1932--2020 (Cubs 1955-1959)
Bolger backed up all three outfield positions for the Cubs in the late 50s. His best season was 1957, when he got the most extensive playing time of his career. He hit .275 in 273 at-bats and knocked in 33 runs. He also played for the Reds, Indians, and A’s in his big league career. His nickname was Dutch.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The old girl still looks great

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Pretty Big Endorsement

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Dave Hillman



The 90+-year-old Cubs are...

Wayne Terwilliger 6/27/25
Bobby Shantz 9/26/25
Bobby Morgan 6/29/26
Ed Mickelson 9/9/26
Jim Willis 3/20/27
Dave Hillman 9/14/27
Duke Simpson 9/15/27
Bob Kelly 10/4/27
Tommy Brown 12/6/27
Vito Vallentivetti 9/16/28
Gale Wade 1/20/29
Ed Wincienak 4/16/29
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When the Coughing Stops

If you really want to know what's it like in the emergency rooms, this op-ed in the Washington Post sums it up beautifully. Written by a doctor who also suffered through the E-bola outbreak. It's heartbreaking, but beautifully written.
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RIP Jim Frey

Jim Frey was 88 years old. RIP.

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Monday, April 13, 2020

Easter Bunny

There's a reason for the expression "going at it like rabbits"

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Don't Mess with 60 Minutes

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The Lisagor Awards

I was nominated for several Lisagor Awards back in my days with the Northwest Indiana Times, and at that time, they didn't really honor radio for their news reporting. They do now, but apparently only one station in town got the memo. Here's the entire list of Lisagor nominees fro radio in Chicago. See if you can spot a trend...

BROADCAST: RADIO

Best In-depth News Story or Series

Dan Mihalopoulos, Tony Arnold, Dave McKinney and Alex Keefe, WBEZ Chicago
Patrick Smith and Robert Wildeboer, WBEZ
Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Linda Lutton, Dan Mihalopoulos, James Edwards and Alex Keefe,
WBEZ

Best Investigative Reporting

Patrick Smith, Chip Mitchell, Shannon Heffernan and Robert Wildeboer, WBEZ

Best Reporter

Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ
Michael Puente, WBEZ
Maria Ines Zamudio, WBEZ

Best Feature Reporting

Linda Paul, Ken Davis and Cate Cahan, WBEZ/Chicago Public Media
Michael Puente and Annie Russell, WBEZ
Jessica Pupovac, Jesse Dukes and Shawn Allee, WBEZ

Best Public Affairs Programming

Michael Puente, Lakeshore Public Radio
Staff, WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central
Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Dan Mihalopoulos, Kristen Schorsch, Justin Bull and Alex Keefe, WBEZ

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Taneshia Rice, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson,
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central

Best Health or Science Reporting

Ken Davis, Linda Paul and Cate Cahan, WBEZ/Chicago Public Media
Monica Eng, Jessica Pupovac, Michael Lansu and Jesse Dukes, WBEZ
Bianca Martin, Meha Ahmad, Stephanie Kim, Nereida Moreno, Jenn White and Daniel Tucker,
WBEZ

Best Sports Story

Kate McGee, Manuel Martinez and Kate Grossman, WBEZ
Michael Puente and Annie Russell, WBEZ
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When you lose Fox & Friends

I know it's just the weekend host, and I know this virus has affected her personally (which seems to be the requirement for Republican empathy to kick in), but it's a step in the right direction...

One particular Fox & Friends host has had enough of Donald Trump’s criticism on media’s coverage of coronavirus — and she wasn’t afraid to express it. Fox & Friends weekend co-host Jedediah Bila took to Twitter to dig into Trump after he criticized Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, who discussed a New York Times article about Trump not acting sooner on the coronavirus.

“Just watched Mike Wallace wannabe, Chris Wallace, on @FoxNews,” tweeted Trump. “I am now convinced that he is even worse than Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Press(please!), or the people over at Deface the Nation. What the hell is happening to @FoxNews. It’s a whole new ballgame over there!

Bila, who was recovering from COVID-19 last week, did not mince words with her response to the former host of Celebrity Apprentice. “Enough with the 3rd grade name-calling. Chris is doing his job. The news should not be any president’s friend, ally, or buddy. If it bothered you when Obama complained about Fox News, but you’re silent on this complete nonsense, then just stop. Seriously. Enough.”

Note that the segment Trump freaked out about was a perfectly normal and very measured interview with an expert from John Hopkins, who didn't blame Trump personally for anything. He just pointed out that if action had been taken sooner, we'd be in a better place in this country. He also said it may take a little longer than the administration thinks before we can safely return to work. Not exactly radical opinions.
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Minutia Men--Curly, Clue & Krauts Too

I think you'll really enjoy this week's episode. Comedian Tim Clue is quite energetic and entertaining...

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Sunday, April 12, 2020

RIP Glenn Beckert


Very sad news. One of my childhood heroes passed away today. His old teammate Fergie Jenkins just posted the news of his passing on Twitter.

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Friday, April 10, 2020

Great Version

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AARP

I've been making fun of AARP since Landecker was old enough to join (1997) and I wrote a song about it called "Baby Boomers".

I can't believe it's come to this, but I pulled the trigger today after nearly 7 years of fighting it since I became eligible myself. I sent in for my AARP card. What the heck, it comes with a free trunk organizer. Hard to pass up a deal like that.
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The sort of thing my e-mail box is flooded with these days

Keep 'em coming...

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Randy Newman

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Last Supper 2020

Thanks to "SS" for sending this to me...

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A Father Much Better Than I

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Siblings Day






Today is "Siblings Day". It's been a long time since I've been in the same room as my two siblings Cindy Kaempfer and Peter Kaempfer, but here's a shot from last summer.
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The Cuomo Brothers

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RIP Mort Drucker

One of my favorite MAD Magazine illustrators has died. He was 91.

Newsweek has his obit.

I still have a box of my old Mad Magazines. Mort famously illustrated the Star Wars spoof, among many others.
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Thursday, April 09, 2020

This is our country

During a pandemic sweeping across the country, the US Government has decided that none of their health experts will be allowed to appear on one of the all-news networks (CNN) unless they agree to cover every second of Trump's rambling, and often dishonest press briefings. I'm not kidding...

Vice President Mike Pence's office has declined to allow the nation's top health officials to appear on CNN in recent days and discuss the coronavirus pandemic killing thousands of Americans, in an attempt to pressure the network into carrying the White House's lengthy daily briefings in full.

Pence's office, which is responsible for booking the officials on networks during the pandemic, said it will only allow experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci to appear on CNN if the network televises the portion of the White House briefings that includes the vice president and other coronavirus task force members.

This is our country under Trump. Its depressing beyond belief.
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Sunset in Mt. Prospect

There's a snow advisory for tonight (ugh) but last night was beautiful in Mt. Prospect. I snapped a few photos to show you...

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What He Said

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Wednesday, April 08, 2020

Amy & Bradley

A special extendo-dance remix interview with Amy Landecker and her husband Bradley Whitford. Some great stories here. Thanks again to Amy & Brad for doing it.

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Landecker Succeeded by Making Connections

Radio World has a new article about the latest inductee into the NAB Hall of Fame, my old pal John Records Landecker. Here's an excerpt...

“John Records Landecker has had a profound impact on radio and has inspired generations of new talent,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs Steve Newberry. “His induction into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame symbolizes the personal connection between DJs and their audiences and how innovative personalities can influence radio programming.”

Most stories about Landecker start out explaining that Records was not just a clever addition to his name to play off his radio work. The origins of that can be traced back to his mother’s maiden name.

In fact, his autobiography is titled “Records Really is My Middle Name.” In addition, he has released six albums based on his bits and satirical songs accumulated through his career.

Landecker, 73, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., just outside Detroit, and his earliest memories of radio are of several hometown AM radio stations that were fairly typical of that time.

“I didn’t really tune in for the music or even recall that part of it. But the announcers did everything. They hosted talk shows, read sports and weather, they did call-in buy and sell shows and remotes. I found it fascinating. So I began tape recording myself around the house,” Landecker said.

His father had a Dictaphone that Landecker was allowed to play with, and when he first heard his voice come out of it he was convinced that radio would be his career choice.

“I just knew it even at a very young age. Maybe it was part ego, but I wanted to be the guy on the radio talking to people through this magic box,” Landecker said.

You can read the whole article here.
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RIP John Prine

Lost another one last night, the great singer/songwriter from Chicago John Prine. He died of CoronaVirus. Couldn't decide which Prine song to feature here today, but I settled on this one...



Bruce Springsteen chimes in...

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Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Irony is dead

Do I really need to explain my headline?

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I don't want to see the outtakes

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Hard to Argue with This

From today's Atlantic, written by David Frum...

That the pandemic occurred is not Trump’s fault. The utter unpreparedness of the United States for a pandemic is Trump’s fault. The loss of stockpiled respirators to breakage because the federal government let maintenance contracts lapse in 2018 is Trump’s fault. The failure to store sufficient protective medical gear in the national arsenal is Trump’s fault. That states are bidding against other states for equipment, paying many multiples of the precrisis price for ventilators, is Trump’s fault. Air travelers summoned home and forced to stand for hours in dense airport crowds alongside infected people? That was Trump’s fault too. Ten weeks of insisting that the coronavirus is a harmless flu that would miraculously go away on its own? Trump’s fault again. The refusal of red-state governors to act promptly, the failure to close Florida and Gulf Coast beaches until late March? That fault is more widely shared, but again, responsibility rests with Trump: He could have stopped it, and he did not.

The lying about the coronavirus by hosts on Fox News and conservative talk radio is Trump’s fault: They did it to protect him. The false hope of instant cures and nonexistent vaccines is Trump’s fault, because he told those lies to cover up his failure to act in time. The severity of the economic crisis is Trump’s fault; things would have been less bad if he had acted faster instead of sending out his chief economic adviser and his son Eric to assure Americans that the first stock-market dips were buying opportunities. The firing of a Navy captain for speaking truthfully about the virus’s threat to his crew? Trump’s fault. The fact that so many key government jobs were either empty or filled by mediocrities? Trump’s fault. The insertion of Trump’s arrogant and incompetent son-in-law as commander in chief of the national medical supply chain? Trump’s fault.

For three years, Trump has blathered and bluffed and bullied his way through an office for which he is utterly inadequate. But sooner or later, every president must face a supreme test, a test that cannot be evaded by blather and bluff and bullying. That test has overwhelmed Trump.

The full piece is here. It's excellent. It's true. It's not Fake News.
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This is cool

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One World

Every crisis needs a celebrity concert to combat it. This weekend is the first CoronaVirus special. Via NPR News...

Global Citizen and the World Health Organization announced One World: Together At Home, a Live Aid-style event designed to celebrate healthcare workers around the globe and to support the U.N. Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund.. The concert will be broadcast live on TV and on social media Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

Curated by Lady Gaga, the festival promises performances from Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish and Lizzo, as well as appearances from non-musicians like David Beckham. In addition to boasting one of the flashiest lineups of the hundreds of live streamed concerts that have been organized over the past several weeks, the Global Citizen event also will be one of the most widely available. In a press release, Global Citizen writes that the stream will be broadcast on all the major American television networks as well as virtually every social media platform.
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Monday, April 06, 2020

RIP Al Kaline

He died today at the age of 85. One of the all-time greats. For some reason, I only have one Al Kaline baseball card in my collection. This one from 1972...

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RIP Pussy Galore

Honor Blackman, better known to us as Pussy Galore, passed away today at the age of 94. RIP.

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You Got a Friend in Me

If you want positivity these days, follow former basketball star Rex Chapman on Twitter. He finds heartwarming gems like this every day...

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The numbers are artificially low

When you hear the numbers of CoronaVirus patients in Illinois, remember this. They are only beginning testing now. Only beginning. Don't believe me? Look at this...

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Make Your Own Mask

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Minutia Men--A Corona Show with Shoeless Joe

Rick and Dave discuss Malaysian CoronaVirus don’ts, play a few CoronaVirus ditties, ask inappropriate French CoronaVirus questions, Rick tells about his brush with the recently departed Adam Schlessinger, and they interview the man who once played Shoeless Joe Jackson–actor DB Sweeney. [Ep174]

Listen to it here.
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Friday, April 03, 2020

Fox News Kills

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RIP Bill Withers

Lost another one. Loved Bill Withers. He passed away this week (March 30) at the age of 81.

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Radio Bloodbath

Last week it was iHeart Radio that laid off a percentage of their workforce. This week it's Entercomm. I'm personally skeptical of the reasoning here. I'm still hearing commercials on the radio. This sounds like an excuse to do something every radio company wants to do (cut jobs and save money) but doesn't do because of public outcry. This is done under the cover of CoronoVirus. From Robert Feder's column today...

At least eight on-air personalities and one program director were among dozens of staffers cut at Entercom Chicago radio stations Thursday. They included Elk Grove Village native Diana Steele, midday host at classic hip-hop WBMX 104.3-FM; Mike Kasper, afternoon host at country WUSN 99.5-FM; and Eric Tyler, afternoon host at Top 40 WBBM 96.3-FM. Sports/talk WSCR 670-AM took the biggest hit, losing midday co-host Connor McKnight, evening and weekend host Julie DiCaro, reporter David Schuster, producer and podcast host Rick Camp and freelance weekend host Maggie Hendricks. Also laid off was Kenny Jay, program director of US99. Many more positions in sales, promotions, digital and other areas also were eliminated or furloughed, sources said. Employees making more than $50,000 were given pay cuts of 10 to 20 percent. Entercom CEO David Field, who had his own salary reduced 30 percent, cited the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on advertising revenues. “We must take hard but necessary actions to ensure that we endure the crisis and emerge as a strong, healthy and competitive company,” Field said. “I am deeply saddened that we need to make these painful moves at this time, but they are necessary under the circumstances.”
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Free HBO Streaming

HBO is offering free streaming of many shows, nearly 500 hours of programming.

I get HBO, but I still might stream this to get Succession. I've been meaning to watch that, and for some reason, it's not on HBO On Demand.
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