Eckhartz Everyday

 *On this day in 2021, Roger Badesch released the audio book of his Eckhartz Press memoir The Unplanned Life.

*On this day in 2017, Eckhartz Press author Bill Paige appeared on WBEL to promote his book Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars.

Happy Birthday

This day in Rock history: @DrBrianMay, guitarist for @QueenWillRock, was born in England in 1947. Apart from the band, he was appointed a CBE by the Queen in 2005 for "services to the music industry and for charity work" and earned a PhD degree in astrophysics in 2007. pic.twitter.com/kdJYQozSJb

— Bill Jacobs (@radiobilljacobs) July 19, 2022

Talking 'Bout My Generation

 The reason we do this...the moment the author gets his first copy of the book. Will Wagner's book "Talkin 'Bout My Generation" (a great novel about the journey Pete Townshend's guitar took after he tossed it into the crowd at Woodstock) is available for pre-order beginning today. https://eckhartzpress.com/shop/talking-bout-my-generation/

Studio Walls

       Every week I send my Minutia Men Co-Host Dave Stern a list from our audio archives for this week's Studio Walls feature. These are the possibilities for this week. Which one will he choose?

*July 17 is Fast Times at Ridgemont High star Robert Romanus' birthday. He appeared on our show a few years ago to talk about the film. (Listen to entire interview here)

*July 18, 1910 is the anniversary of the classic poem about the Cubs, Baseball's Sad Lexicon. We have the audio of a famous actor reading that poem. (AUDIO)

*July 19 is Wayne Messmer's birthday. We have audio of Wayne singing a song written by Rick when he was the producer of John Landecker's show. (AUDIO)

*July 20, 2002 is the debut of the cartoon Jimmy Neutron. We interviewed the voice of Jimmy, Debbie Derryberry, a few years ago. (Listen to the entire interview here)

*July 21 is playwright/author/broadcaster/comedian Spike Manton's birthday. Spike was nice enough to join us as a guest on the program a few years ago. (Listen to the entire interview here)

*July 22 is composer Alan Mencken's birthday. We interviewed his songwriting collaborator Glen Slater a few years ago, and Glen told us all about the genius of Alan. (Full interview here)

*July 23, 1965, the Moody Blues released their debut album. We had Moody Blues member Alan Hewitt on the show last year. (Listen to the interview here)

Eckhartz Everyday

 *Today is Ilie Nastase's birthday. The former tennis star is featured in the Eckhartz Press book Signature Shoes. 

*On this day in 2021, Eckhartz Press author Paul M. Banks sat down for a Q&A session. You can read that here.

*Today is also Wayne Messmer's birthday. Wayne was kind enough to appear at a book signing for us a few years ago for Cubsessions.

Baseball's Sad Lexicon

The poem “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon” written by Franklin Adams was published in the New York Evening Mail. on July 18, 1910. It’s probably the most famous poem ever written about the Cubs, and it was so memorable it probably got Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance elected into the Hall of Fame.

The poem went as follows…

These are the saddest of possible words: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, “Tinker and Evers and Chance.” Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double— Words that are weighty with nothing but trouble: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.”

Adams was, of course, a Giants fan. And Giants fans had seen just about enough of Tinker, Evers and Chance. After all, the Cubs had won four of the previous five pennants–and each time the Giants were their biggest rival.

1910 also marked the end of the Tinker to Evers to Chance era of dominance. They played their final game together early in the 1912 season.

Adams got the last laugh. He may have immortalized the Cubs double play combination, but in the next fourteen years the Giants were in the World Series seven times.

Eckhartz Everyday

 July 18 is a big day in Cubsessions history.

*In 2018, Cubsessions had it's own night at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. In 2019, Cubsessions was part of a huge celebration at Club 400 in Lake in the Hills. Carlos Zambrano and Willson Contreras were there.

Minutia Men--The Old Man in the Cubicle

 Our latest podcast is out and available. Listen to it here.

Younger workers complaining about older workers, a mustard shortage in France, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Alabama judge mocking Asians, ridiculous memorization, and a listener story about Mutual of Omaha’s Jim Fowler. [Ep276]

Chili Dog on the South Side

 We had a great time yesterday out at Blue Island Beer Company. John Owens and David Fletcher were there, so was the Sox in the Basement podcast. The fellas sold and signed books, and did a fun 30 minute podcast...

Media Notebook--7/15/22

 

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

 

 

Radio/Podcasts

 

*Well -wishes for Lin Brehmer

The WXRT midday man surprised his legion of fans with his announcement this week that he is taking a leave of absence to undergo chemotherapy for his prostate cancer, which has unfortunately spread. Here’s a little bit of his written announcement…

      What can you do? Only this. Afford me the kindness you have always shown me. I will miss spending time with you every day, but hopefully, this too will pass and one day down the road, I will announce brightly on the airwaves of 93XRT, “It’s Friday. It’s Great to be Alive.”

     You’d be hard pressed to find someone in Chicago media who is more respected than Brehmer. Many of Lin’s fellow broadcasters and friends responded with words of encouragement and affection. Add my name to the list. 

    Lin did me the honor of sitting down for an interview a few years ago (2018) for Illinois Entertainer. You can read that interview here. 

*Robert Feder Exit Interview, Part 2 & 3

Last week I posted a link to Eric Zorn’s exit interview with former Daily Herald media critic/writer Robert Feder. (Neil Steinberg also posted an article about it.). Well, the article has apparently sparked controversy because Eric Zorn allowed Feder the right to look it over before he posted it. Eric defends himself here. 

Axios Chicago’s Justin Kaufman and Monica Eng also posted a piece about why Feder’s absence leaves such a big hole in our town’s coverage.

*Bob Stroud Exit Interview

I had the good fortune to speak with Bob Stroud this week about his great career. Bob stepped away from daily radio WDRV duties at the end of June. He will be featured in my next Illinois Entertainer media column on August 1^st. I’ve also posted the interview as a podcast, my 100^th episode of Minutia Men Celebrity Interview.  Listeners of the podcast will hear the bonus (embarrassing) story of the day I accidentally got trapped in Bob’s bathroom

*Disco Demolition Anniversary

July 12^th marked the 43^rd anniversary of Disco Demolition. As a former Steve & Garry producer (late 80s/early 90s), I’ve heard virtually everything there is to hear about this momentous radio promotion. I even interviewed Steve Dahl about it on the 40^th anniversary. You can read that piece here. (Photo courtesy of Joe Callahan Jr.)

 

*Satellite Radio/Terrestrial Radio feud

It appears that the radio advertising board got a little ticked off when they saw this ad from XM/Sirius.

According to Radio Ink, the RAB responded with this angry e-mail:

“Negative advertising, selling products or services by putting the competition down, is a marketing strategy that demonstrates a lack of strength in the product or service as a standalone. In the case of SiriusXM, when taking a look at their most recent earnings report, it’s no wonder their strategy was to go after the undisputed leader in the audio space, AM/FM broadcast radio.”

Then NAB CEO Curtis Leyget also chimed in…

“As the most-listened-to audio platform, broadcast radio is no stranger to our competitors’ envy of the popularity and connection we enjoy with Americans. That’s why SiriusXM’s new marketing campaign taking direct aim at local radio should come as no surprise.”

These two related industries have always had a strange relationship. I was working in radio when the main satellite radio stations debuted and was absolutely shocked that terrestrial radio allowed satellite radio to advertise. At that time, terrestrial radio wasn’t worried, and didn’t consider it competition. I argued then, and argue now, that they should have known better.

 

*Tackling Mis-information Just Got a Little Harder 

Inside Radio reports an appellate court in DC has struck down the bipartisan FCC attempt to stop propaganda from Russia or China from appearing on our airwaves. Broadcasters had fought back that it required too much investigation on their part (even though a database of registered foreign agents was provided to cross-check any outside source of material). The judge agreed with the broadcasters.

“Because the FCC has no authority to impose that verification requirement, we vacate that facet of its order,” wrote D.C. Circuit Judge Justin Walker. “We hold that the FCC cannot require radio broadcasters to check federal sources to verify sponsors’ identities.”

*Julian Tries Out Politics

From the RAMP newsletter…

Last week legendary longtime Chicago DJ/businessman Julian "Jumpin" Perez announced his departure from radio and promised to keep us posted on what he described as his "next chapter" -- yesterday, Perez made good on that promise and announced his entrance into the exciting world of Chicago politics and his candidacy for Alderman of Chicago's 26th ward.

 

*Media birthdays

Several of the media figures I’ve interviewed over the years are celebrating birthdays this week. Click on their names to read the original interviews. The year I interviewed them is in parenthesis.

·                     July 12—Former WTMX program director Barry James (2009)

·                     July 14—Former WDRV overnight  host Greg Easterling (2009) 

·                     July 15—Q-101 jock Lauren O'Neil (2016)

·                     July 15—Radio Hall of Famer Jonathon Brandmeier (1993) 

 

Television/Streaming/Social Media

 

*Emmy Nominations

My two favorite shows, Ted Lasso & Succession, lead the pack with 20 and 25 nominations respectively. The full list of Emmy nominees can be found here. 

*Elon Musk Backs Out Of Twitter Purchase

And is immediately sued by Twitter. There are some stories that make you say, ‘I never saw that coming’, and then there are stories like this one. Everyone saw it coming. Musk was apparently so unconcerned he posted a series of mocking memes on Twitter. More details about the lawsuit are here via the Washington Post: 

 

*Media Trust Reaches No Low

Publishers Daily has this rather unwelcome news for people working in the media:

                Trust in media is lower in the United States than any other place in the world, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2022, a global study released in June.  Finland has the highest level of trust at 69%, while the U.S. has fallen three percentage points to 26%, the study notes. In addition, people are less interested in news in general. In the U.S., 47% say they are interested, which is down from 67% in 2015. Of a selected group of countries, only the UK fares worse, with interest dropping from 70% in 2015 to 43%. 

 

*New Documentary About the Song American Pie

The RAMP Newsletter reports…

The Day The Music Died: The Story Of Don McLean's American Pie will have a special Academy-qualifying run in New York City and Los Angeles and will screen in Showcase Cinemas and associated theaters globally on July 17 before it premieres on Paramount+ on July 19.

Of course, any Chicago radio fan who was around in 1972 already knows the story told in the song American Pie. Former WCFL disc jockey Bob Dearborn became famous for his analysis, which can now be found online here.  Impress your friends and relatives.

 

*William Barr Subpoenaed InDominion/Fox News Lawsuit

The January 6^th hearings are having an impact on the lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems filed against Fox News. Former Attorney General William Barr testified to J-6 committee that he believed that there was no basis for believing the voting machines had been tampered with. Obviously, that’s been Dominion’s point all along. Having a former AG testify could bolster an already strong case.

 

*YouTube-TV Now Has 5 Million Subscribers

The chord-cutting continues. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it took YouTube only five years to reach that mark and puts them ahead of Hulu (4.1 million) and Sling (2.25 million). 

*If you have any media news to share, e-mail rick@eckhartzpress.com. Rick Kaempfer is the media critic/writer for Illinois Entertainer and has written three books about the media, The Radio Producer’s Handbook (co-written with John Swanson), $everance (a satirical novel about broadcasting), and Records Truly Is My Middle Name (co-written with John Records Landecker). Rick also worked in radio for 20+ years at the Loop (WLUP AM/FM) and WJMK (Oldies 104.3)

Eckhartz Everyday

 *On this day in 2013, John Landecker appeared at the Beverly Arts Center to talk about his book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. I was brought up on stage to talk about it as well. Today is also the birthday of Jonathon Brandmeier, who contributed a few great stories to the book.

*On this in 2014, Eckhartz Press unveiled this promotional video for Joel Daly's book The Daly News...

 

*On this day in 2018, Richard Reeder staged a launch party for his new book, 1001 Train Rides in Chicago. We were there...

Cub Tweet of the Week

July 14, 1881. The first place Cubs are en route from Worcester to Buffalo to play the second place Bisons. Larry Corcoran has won the last two games (on his way to 30-win season). In the news: Billy the Kid is shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett in New Mexico. #EveryCubEver pic.twitter.com/ArLGiyKtwG

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) July 14, 2022

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview--Bob Stroud

 Minutia Men Celebrity Interview returns after a short summer hiatus. Our first interview back is our 100th official episode. It's an exit interview with Bob Stroud. Listen to it here.

The recently semi-retired rock and roll radio great Bob Stroud swaps memorable rock and roll stories with Rick and Dave.  [Ep100]

Bastille Day

 No Cubs were born in France, but this player is probably the most appropriate to feature on Bastille Day. Not only because of his last name, but also because of the day he pitched…

~Ossie France 1858 (Colts 1890)
If you want to travel back in time to watch France pitch in the big leagues, set the wayback machine to July 14, 1890, and go to Brooklyn. He pitched two innings for the Cubs (then known as the Colts) and gave up three runs in a 10-3 loss. It was his only appearance in the big leagues. That's right, Ossie France's only big league game was on Bastille Day.

Eckhartz Everyday

 *On this day in 2018, Eckhartz Press released Richard Reeder's book 1001 Train Rides in Chicago. Richard sat down for a Q&A that day, and you can read it here.

National Champs

4 years ago today, a very proud moment for Green White Soccer Club. Our girls team won the National Championship. (Sadly, a little too late to be included in the book Grun Weiss Vor.)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!! U18 girls! GRÜN WEISS!!! https://t.co/QtxFRuZZTI pic.twitter.com/YyNewCbL94

— GREEN WHITE S.C. (@gwsoccer) July 15, 2018

Eckhartz Everyday

 *Roger McGuinn is celebrating a birthday today. He is featured in Bobby Skafish's Eckhartz Press book We Have Company.  (Photo: Bobby on far left, Roger in the middle)

*On this day in 1977 the New York City blackout occurred right in the middle of a Cubs/Mets game, and on this day in 1995, the Cubs played a game on the hottest day in Wrigley Field history. Both games are mentioned and highlighted in the Eckhartz Press book EveryCubEver.

Studio Walls

      Every week I send my Minutia Men Co-Host Dave Stern a list from our audio archives for this week's Studio Walls feature. These are the possibilities for this week. Which one will he choose?

*Legendary Chicago sportswriter Fred Mitchell's birthday is July 10th. He appeared on our podcast a few years ago (Listen to the entire interview here)

*Disco Demolition happened on July 12, 1979. Former Loop disc jockey Mitch Michaels was there, and he told us all about it. (Full interview is here)

*Cheech Marin's birthday is July 13. We talked to his old partner Tommy Chong, and he told us some great stories about their early days together as Cheech and Chong. (Listen to entire interview here)

*July 15 is Dr. Ian Smith's birthday. We had the famous television doctor on our podcast at the beginning of the epidemic. (Full interview is here)

*July 16 is Shoeless Joe Jackson's birthday. We had the actor who played the part of Shoeless Joe in the movie Eight Men Out, DB Sweeney, on the show a few years ago and he told us all about what it was like to play that part. (Listen to entire interview here)

Eckhartz Everyday

 *The most famous radio stunt in Chicago history happened on this day in 1979--Disco Demolition. Eckhartz Press author Mitch Michaels was there and tells the whole story in his book Doin' the Cruise.

*On this day in 2001, Eckhartz Press author Joel Daly (The Daly News) appeared on WGN Radio with Steve & Johnnie. You can listen to that interview here.

*On this day in 2020, Roger Badesch appeared on the Fred & Hannah show to discuss his Eckhartz Press book The Uplanned Life.

Eckhartz Everyday

*July 11, 1996. My third year with John Landecker. (We later co-wrote Eckhartz Press book Records Truly is My Middle Name) . I remember those dark and early mornings well...