WGN Says Goodbye To Greg Jarrett, Listeners Rejoice At Departure

UPDATE…Steve and Johnnie rumored to leave WGN airwaves.

There is no way to state how glad I am to hear that WGN’s morning drive-time windbag Greg Jarrett is leaving the famed studios on the Magnificent Mile.  Greg Jarrett is off the WGN airwaves immediately.

I do not want to sound overly rude or look like I am kicking a man when he is down.  I sincerely hope Jarrett lands another radio job, but at a station I do not listen to.

There is no way to state how utterly unprepared Jarrett was to step into the WGN chair that Wally Phillips once broadcast from.  I am old enough to recall the magic connection that Phillips had with the listeners, and I am old-fashioned enough to think that style of broadcasting is still being sought by listeners.

Jarrett never even tried.

When Jarrett arrived at WGN he felt a need to state how many people he knew, and all that he had done in radio.  There was always a need to convey to his listeners that he was important.

Really?

A professional broadcaster need not tell listeners such a thing, the day-to-day on-air work will just allow that fact to be established.

After two years WGN listeners were still waiting.

If this all sounds tough about a person in radio, perhaps that is because I have high standards for the folks who are invited into our home.  When we turn on the radio we invite the radio host or broadcaster to be our guest.  In time, it is hoped the announcer is so welcomed they no longer need to knock.

That is how I truly feel about radio.

I recall the words penned by media columnist Robert Feder that sums up all one needs to know how Jarrett blustered his way into the Windy City.

It’s been more than a year now since Jarrett got off the bus from San Francisco and stepped right into the WGN morning job — arguably the most venerated and important radio position in Chicago — without one day’s prior experience in the market. From the moment he signed on here, he’s shown a penchant for parading his ignorance of local personalities and places. Nevertheless, his bosses repeatedly have defended their decision to hire him, even as they recently announced plans to cut his show back by 30 minutes. At least that’s a step in the right direction.

With Jonathon Brandmeier having been announced today as the new morning man at WGN radio I trust another line such as I penned in August 2010 will not be needed on CP.

Isn’t there another soccer match anywhere in the world that we can pay Greg Jarrett to attend, and have him off the WGN airwaves?  The best weeks recently for morning radio in Chicago were the ones Jarrett spent in South Africa.