20 Years: Father Knows Nothing Free Excerpt--Johnny

 

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.

The birth of all three of my children was reported live on the John Landecker show on WJMK because I was the executive producer of the show. It's a memory I cherish so much, I transcribed the phone calls I made into the show to announce each birth, and those transcripts serve as the introduction to my book Father Knows Nothing.

This week's free excerpt is my call into the show on March 12, 1998, the day my second son Johnny was born.

The cast of characters included John Landecker, sidekick Catherine Johns, and newsman Richard Cantu. The following is a transcript of that important phone call.


John: Oldies 104.3, John Records Landecker, it’s 8:27, and joining us on the phone from the maternity ward is the producer of the program, Rick the German Boy Kaempfer. Good morning, Rick.

Rick: Good morning.

John: Rick, tell us what’s going on.

Rick: Well as long as we’re plugging our kids (John had just plugged his daughter’s play), I’ve got a new one to plug.

John: Aaaawwwwright!

Rick: Last night around eleven thirty Bridget’s water broke and we didn’t even have time to make it to the hospital downtown, so we went to the one out here.

Catherine: Oh, is that right?

Rick: And we have a new baby boy!

(Cheering and clapping in the studio)

Richard: Whoo Hooo! Congratulations. Two knucklehead boys!

Rick: And it’s a big one too.

Catherine: How big?

Rick: 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

Catherine: That is pretty big. How’s Bridget doing?

Rick: She’s doing real well. I’m at home now. I came home to check on Tommy...

John: Wait a doggone minute! You went home to check on your other child before you called the show? Where are your priorities?

Rick: Sorry, forgive me. I’m hopelessly out of whack.

John: OK, 8 pounds. How long was it?

Rick: 21 inches...if you know what I’m saying.

Catherine: We know what you’re saying.

John: No, how long was the baby?

Rick: Oh, the baby?

Richard: Once more into the gutter.

John: So what time was this kid born?

Rick: Two o’clock in the morning. They kicked me out of the hospital at 4:00, because Bridget has to share a room, and I came home and got a little sleep, and Tommy just woke me up, so I’m calling you right away.

John: So you’ve called all your family I hope.

Rick: Bridget called them.

John: But she had the baby.

Rick: Yeah, she had the baby in about two hours. It wasn’t that bad, although that’s easy for me to say. She was fine, what a trooper.

Catherine: And she wanted to chat, right?

Rick: Exactly.

Catherine: Now I want to know something. Does this child have a name?

Rick: Oh yes he does. His name is John Richard Kaempfer.

John: Wow.

Richard: You honor us, Sir.

John: Was he named after anyone?

Rick: Well, my favorite Beatle is John.

John: John Lennon.

Rick: And of course, my favorite DJ....

John: Really?

Rick: Yup. John Brandmeier.

(Everyone laughs)

John: OK, you got me.

(Call waiting clicks)

Rick: And actually John is also a name in Bridget’s family. Her grandfather was named John. And so is her brother.

(Call waiting clicks again)

John: I see you got baby waiting there.

Rick: Yeah, I think I may be popular today.

John: Well, we’ll let you go. Congratulations on the big news! So you’ll be back to work tomorrow, right?

Rick: Uh...well...

Catherine: John!

John: Just kidding, just kidding.

Rick: See you later.

John: There he goes. Proud papa.

(Click)

John: Oh wait! Darnit! I forgot to ask him if he taped it.

Richard: Are you kidding? Of course he did.

John: Because if there was ever a disc jockey who knows how to exploit a child, it’s....

2 year old Tommy Kaempfer singing the jingle: John Records Landecker, Oldies 104.3.

Studio Walls--March 13, 2024

 

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.

The current episode of Free Kicks examines the German club Bayern Munich. It's called "German Soccer Upheaval" The current episode of Minutia Men includes a tribute to Dave's favorite film of all-time, Fargo.

 *Free Kicks

=Three reminders from the calendar this week about why you should check out my soccer podcast, Free Kicks with Adam & Rick. My favorite Premier League club was founded this week (Liverpool football Club, 1892), and so was my co-host Adam Howarth's (Chelsea Football Club, 1905). In addition. this week is the anniversary of the first English FA Cup title ever, March 16, 1872,  Wanderers FC vs. Royal Engineers AFC, 1-0.

*March 11, 2022—Free Kicks

=Another Free Kicks highlight. Adam goes to Burnley, Man City, Man U, and Everton and reports. 

*March 11—Nancy Faust birthday 

=Dr. David Fletcher appears on Minutia Men Celebrity Interview to talk about the White Sox, and lavishes praise on their groundbreaking organist Nancy Faust.

*March 12, 2001—Mort Downey Jr. dies

=Scott May was the musical director for Mort Downey's TV show and told us what it was like working with "The Mouth". 

*March 12—Ron Jeremy birthday

=Comedian Fissa Dosani told us the story of doing stand up comedy at an orgy (not kidding). That story comes with added bonus of a description of what Ron Jeremy (an orgy attendee) smells like. 

*March 12--Rich Koz birthday

=One of our first Minutia Men Celebrity interviews was an entertaining chat with the great Svengoolie, Rich Koz.

*March 12—Kevin Matthews birthday

=The radio legend (WLUP) came on the show a few years ago and was his typically hilarious self.  

*March 13, 1781—Uranus discovered 

=We talked to the world's most famous astronomer Phil Plait, and he didn't share our adolescent love of Uranus. 

March 14--Steve Harper birthday

=During the summer of George Floyd protests, we talked to the acclaimed African-American television writer Steve Harper (God Friended Me) 

Publishing Portal--March 12, 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.

Happy Birthday!

=Eckhartz Press author Dobie Maxwell is celebrating a birthday this week (March 14). Dobie released his memoir Monkey in the Middle on his birthday in 2016, and it remains one of our top selling books. He made the Chicago media rounds when it came out, including an interview on WGN radio, hosted one of the all time great book launch parties at Zanies comedy club on Wells in Chicago, and then did another media tour in Milwaukee, which is where the book takes place. 

 *The Loop Files

=Thanks to everyone who came out to Griffith, Indiana for our podcast/book signing last weekend. Thanks to Tom Lounges for having Rick on his NPR show to promote the event. Here are a few photos from a memorable afternoon. Note the plethora of former Loopers, including Mitch Michaels, John Landecker, Roman Sawczak, and Dan McNeil.

=This is a special Loop-related week for author Rick Kaempfer. This week in 1987 he was hired to work there. It was a life changing moment for him. 

=Also, happy birthday to one of the biggest stars in Loop history, Kevin Matthews (March 12).

*Safe Inside

=Lee Kingsmill appeared on WGN Radio this past weekend (Steve & Johnnie's show) to discuss his book Safe Inside, which is in many ways a tribute to old Hollywood. It was only natural to ask Lee for his Oscar Picks.

*Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=This week in 2013, John Landecker started doing his media tour for his memoir Records Truly Is My Middle Name. It began with this incredible review of the book by Chicago media writer Robert Feder. Then John appeared on the television show Windy City Live. He was surprised live on the air with a phone call from his old friend, Larry Lujack.

*Scott Simon

 =The NPR host is celebrating a birthday this week (March 16). He appears in two Eckhartz Press books. His late 1970s report on the John Landecker show was a significant turning point in Records Truly Is My Middle Name, and Simon was also interviewed by Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate about his love of the Cubs for their 2019 book Cubsessions. 

*Embrace Retirement

=This week in 2018 we signed these two guys to a publishing deal, Bruce Bohrer and Russ Fahrner. (Photo with EP Co-publisher David Stern). A few months later they delivered the manuscript of their book Embrace Retirement. 

*Chili Dog MVP

=One of the main characters of Chili Dog MVP is former White Sox organist Nancy Faust. Her birthday is this week (March 11). The co-author of Chili Dog MVP, David Fletcher, talked about Nancy's importance in this podcast interview. Two other 1972 White Sox mentioned in the book are also celebrating birthdays this week, pitcher Tom Bradley (March 16) and outfielder Rick Reichardt (March 16).  This photo of Nancy with Eckhartz Press publishers Rick and Dave was taken at a Chili Dog MVP book signing.

=On March 15, 2022, Rick Kogan reviewed Chili Dog MVP in the Chicago Tribune. 

 

 *We Have Company

 =Two of Bobby Skafish's interview subjects from We Have Company: Four Decades of Rock and Roll Encounters are celebrating birthdays this week: Adam Clayton of U2 (March 13) and Nancy Wilson of Heart (March 16). Each rate their own chapter in Bobby's book.

=This week in 2017, Skafish appeared on WGN Radio with Dave Hoekstra.

*The Balding Handbook

 =David Stern's self help book for balding men is currently sold out, but not before it made its mark. This week in 2014, Dave appeared on Steve Cochran's show to talk about the book.

 =This week is also the anniversary of the Ken doll (March 11, 1961). This photo from the Anger & Rage chapter (The subtitle of the book is: The five stages of grieving for your hair loss), might give you an idea of one of Dave's suggestions.

*Always a Pleasure

=Eckhartz Press author Chuck Swirsky has known the great Stephen Curry since he was a young boy. Chuck was the Toronto Raptors announcer when Steph's dad Del Curry was a Raptor. That heartwarming story is in the pages of Always a Pleasure. Curry's birthday is this week (March 14)

*The Daly News

=This week in 2014, Joel Daly appeared on Windy City Live to talk about his book The Daly News. It was a homecoming of sorts for Joel, because the show was filmed at Channel 7 in Chicago, where Joel had starred as an anchorman for nearly 40 years. After the interview we visited the news studio and chatted with his old friends and colleagues.

*Nose Over Toes

=This week in 2019, Janet Sutherland began her publicity tour for her book Nose Over Toes. One of the stops on that tour was a visit to WGN Radio.

*Cheeseland

 =This week in 2013, Randy Richardson made an appearance at The Book Stall in Winnetka to read, sign, and sell his Eckhartz Press book Cheeseland.

 

*Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind

=Famous Chicago playwright Vicki Quade (Late Night Catechism) wrote a book for Eckhartz Press a few years ago about her entertaining encounters with everyday Chicagoans. She broke the book up into chapters based on topic. Considering that this week is the anniversary of O'Hare being named (March 13), it's a good week to pick up Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind and read the travel chapter.

*Father Knows Nothing

=This week in 2015, the two Rick K's (Kogan and Kaempfer) chatted on the radio about Father Knows Nothing. 

*Mob Adjacent

=One of the great things about the Gentile brother's book about growing up near the mob, Mob Adjacent, is the intersection of the crime world and Hollywood. For instance, this week's birthday girl Liza Minelli, makes an appearance in the pages of the book.

*Your Dime My Dance Floor

=When Eckhartz Press author Chet Coppock died unexpectedly in a car accident in 2018, his friends gathered to hold a tribute for him in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Among the people there that day was fellow broadcaster (and former Chicago Bear) Dan Jiggetts. Jiggetts celebrated a birthday this week. (Photo L-R: Dan Jiggetts, Cheryl Raye Stout, Jim O'Donnell, Rick Kaempfer)

 

Media Notebook--3-8-24

MEDIA NOTEBOOK

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

RADIO/PODCASTS

 

*Podcast Ratings

=The numbers for February just came out, and the top 10 rated podcasts were…

The Daily

NPR News Now

Up First (NPR)

Dateline NBC

Morbid

Smartless

The Ben Shapiro Show

This Past Weekend with Theo Von

Stuff You Should Know

Pardon My Take

=The top 20 are listed here.

 

 

*F-Bomb dropped on ESPN Radio

=Bears reporter Courtney Cronin was having technical problems when she let it fly. Jeff Agrest has more on the story.

 

 

*Scott Childers Exits

=In addition to the career detailed below, Scott is also the author of the great book about WLS history…

 

 

*The AM for Every Vehicle Act Gets 218^th Co-Sponsor

=I must admit I’m surprised by this development. Could it really pass? Radio Ink analyzes thesituation.

 

*Uncle Lar Flashback

=Love this picture of Larry Lujack from the 60s. Posted as part of the 100^th anniversary celebration at WLS.

 

 

*Give a Vet a Pet

=Sherman & Tingle capped off their seventh annual “Give a Vet a Pet” campaign to raise funds for the American Veterans Service Dog Academy (AVSDA) to help provide service dogs to local veterans who are suffering from PTSD. Listeners of the show helped raise $107,272.

 

 

*The Women Who Make Q-101

=Every weekday at noon during Women’s History Month, Q101’s Lauren O’Neil is showcasing the most influential female artists in Alternative Rock by playing several songs from each featured artist, exclusive interviews, and stories about the artists.

 

 

*Broadcasting Can Be Cold Business for Legendary Voices

=Andy Masur’s latest piecein Barrett Sports Media is about the treatment given to long-time sports announcers. Among the examples he discusses is Hawk Harrelson’s departure from the Sox. 

 

 

*Norm Winer Update

=Norm left WXRT eight years ago. What is he up to now?

 

 

*The Loop Files

=Thanks to Tom Lounges from the NWI Times and Lakeshore Public Media for having me on the show this week to promote my upcoming podcast/book signing Saturday at Bridge's Scoreboard Restaurant in Griffith Indiana at 3pm with fellow radio-guy authors John Records Landecker and Mitch Michaels. Dan McNeil will also be on hand, helping with the podcast. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

 

 

MEDIA BIRTHDAYS/MILESTONES

 

 

*March 3—Ian Punnett birthday

=Ian Punnett grew up in Chicagoland and had a long and prosperous radio career. Only a brief portion of that was here in Chicago, in the early 90s when WGN decided it needed to go younger. It didn’t work out for Ian in his hometown (although he later appeared on WLS as well), but he had lots of success in Minneapolis. I got a chance to interview him in 2007 for Chicago Radio Spotlight. Punnett passed away in 2023.

 

 

*March 4—Jesse Rogers birthday

=Rogers was part of that original crew at the Score as a producer and has gone on to become a respected reporter for ESPN.

 

*March 4—Laura Witek birthday

=Laura was a radio news anchor in Chicago, first at WMAQ, and later at AM 1000 and WCKG. Not an easy task, by the way, retaining news credibility while also trying to navigate the crazy worlds of Kevin Matthews and Steve and Garry. She’s living out west these days, but fondly remembers her time here in this Chicago Radio Spotlight interview from 2007.

 

 

*March 4—Tim Weigel birthday

=Weigel would have been 79 years old this week. I was lucky enough to work with Tim in his Channel 2 days, providing him clips for his Weigel Wieners segment. 

 

*March 5—Ken Sumka birthday

=Ken worked at WXRT for years and also spent time as a traffic reporter on WBBM-News radio. He moved to Wisconsin a few years ago. I interviewed Ken for Chicago Radio Spotlight in 2008.

 

 

*March 5—Scott Dirks birthday

=Scott was a mainstay at the Loop during both of the radio station’s hey-days (late 70s/late 80s), and later worked at WLS-FM, among others. One of my favorite old Chicago Radio Spotlight interviews. This one was in 2007.

 

 

*March 5—Phil Duncan birthday

=Phil Duncan was the morning man at WCLR back in the day and a long-time production director at US-99. He also worked at WLS-AM. Phil now lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

 

 

*March 5, 1982—John Belushi death anniversary

=This was a sad day in Chicago history, when we lost one of our own, John Belushi. Not only was he a native of the area (Wheaton) and a Second City star before his famous days at SNL, he also spent a lot of time in Chicago during the filming of the classic film The Blues Brothers. This is a photo from that time of John and Dan Aykroyd with John Records Landecker (Photo: John Gehron) in the WLS Big 89 studios, and another with Steve Dahl (Photo: Paul Natkin)

*March 6—Sean Compton birthday

=Sean is the president of Nexstar Networks, which includes the CW Network, NewsNation, Antenna-TV, Rewind-TV, and of course WGN Radio (among others).

 

 

*March 7, 2011—Harry Teinowitz arrested for DUI

=While this moment essentially ended Harry’s radio career in Chicago, it’s also the moment that saved his life. That’s what he told me when I interviewed him for my podcast last year. It also inspired a play that he co-wrote with his long-time friend and on-air partner Spike Manton. The play When Harry Met Rehab was nominated for a Jeff award.

 

 

*March 8—Lester Holt birthday.

=Lester is the anchor of the NBC Nightly News, but we’ll always remember him in Chicago for his time at Channel 2, and more importantly, his starring role in the video we all had to watch during jury duty. This photo with his former colleague Rich King appears in Rich’s latest book Ike and Me

 

 

 *March 8, 2020—Clark Weber death anniversary

=Weber was the biggest star in Chicago during his days at WLS Radio, when the rock format was first adopted at the station in the early 60s. He remained the air in Chicago for the next 50 years. I got a chance to interview Clark a few times, but this one from 2007 was my favorite. Some incredible stories, including a great one about the Beatles.

 

 

*March 8—Drew Walker birthday

=Drew has done virtually every shift on the air at US-99, recently celebrating his 20^th year at the station. At one point I think he was on for seven hours a day. He’s now the 9-Noon jock there. I interviewed him in 2007 for Chicago Radio Spotlight.

 

 

March 8—Franklyn MacCormack birthday.

=MacCormack passed more than 50 years ago (1971), but was a legendary personality on WGN in the 60s.

*March 9—Ed Silha birthday

=Known as “Computer Ed” on the Steve Dahl show for years, Silha is currently a podcasting mogul, the owner of the Radio Misfits Podcast Network. (Full disclosure—that network airs all three of my podcasts)

 

 

*March 9—Bob Ferguson birthday

=Bob is a 30+ year veteran of the Chicago radio world. Most of that time has been served in the engineering department at WGN Radio.

 

 

TV/STREAMING

 

*Larry Snyder

=40 years!

A Standing “O” for @ABC7Chicago Sports Producer @Snyderlarrysnyd celebrating 40 years at ABC7 🏆🙌 pic.twitter.com/GsWf4BsGjP

— Ryan Chiaverini (@RyanChiaverini) March 6, 2024

*Flyover Chicago

=Ana Belaval and Marcus Leshock take you on the new ride/experience at Navy Pier. A simulated flight over Chicago.

 

*Chicago Petcare Company Gets Funding from Shark Tank

=Mark Cuban is the one who took a chance. 

 

 

*Rust Armorer Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter

=Hannah Gutierez-Reed was only 24-years old when she was on set. A New Mexico jury found her guilty.

 

*TV Ghosts

=The networks that have lost over half of their audience over the last decade. Some big names like MTV and Disney.

 

*Rest in Peace

=Chris Mortenson

Long-time ESPN reporter was 72.

 

DIGITAL/PRINT

 

 

*What Happened When the Chicago Sun Times Freed the News

=The Nieman Lab takes a look at the Sun-Times decision to drop their paywall, and the impact it has had.

 

*Four Illinois Counties Have No Local Newspaper at All

=That’s the finding of The State of Local News Project at Northwestern University. The four counties are Alexander, Edwards, Hamilton and Pulaski. 

 

*Why the Leak Investigation Inside the New York Times Newsroom is so Disturbing

=Former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan opines.

 

*A Q&A with Media Writer Max Tani

=Tani writes for Semafor. This piece was published by Slate.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA/TECH

 

 

*Former Google AI Engineer Charged with Stealing Trade Secrets for China Firm

=The Washington Post has more on this story.

 

 

*European Union Fines Apple $2 billion

=This is all about Apple using the App store to keep out/push out/box out rivals. 

 

*Elon Musk Sued $128 Million

=This lawsuit was brought by former Twitter employees who were fired without cause.

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.