WGN Radio Ownership Perhaps To Change To Sinclair Broadcast Group–A Stain On Professionalism

I have been listening to WGN radio for over 40 years.  It has been the benchmark which I gauge other stations–other then NPR–which has its special brand of professionalism.  I am so concerned about the future status of this institution on the radio dial due to the up-coming actions of the Trump Administration.

From the years in my bedroom in Hancock, Wisconsin where the words from Eddie Schwartz would lull me to sleep and Wally Phillips would make me laugh as I got ready for school.  From “the girlfriends’ during mid-day in my adult years, to Steve and Johnnie at night–there was never a year when WGN was not a home or car companion.

Media manipulation is a real phenomenon.  It is bad for the industry.  It is bad for democracy.  I get the fact that too many in our nation have no idea what those last three sentences mean.   That too is part of the problem we face, and why our nation is now in such a troubling place.

It was ‘Chicago ‘ Ed Schwartz who made me aware that a radio announcer could be a friend to those who listened.  Equally important Eddie was wildly successful even though he did not have what might be considered a classic sounding radio voice.  Both of those lessons were ones I took with me to my job at WDOR radio in Sturgeon Bay when I sat in the broadcast booth.

Now radio is being used as a political tool aimed for not being that invited company which my mom turned to as she ironed clothes, or I wanted on long car trips, but instead as a way to manipulate news, spin politics, and rack up wins for partisans.

WGN always stood apart from other talk stations due to how each broadcaster cast his or her own show.  Being a companion on the dial as opposed to being bombastic and crude made WGN personalities always welcome.    What may be in the offing is hard to accept.

Jeff Hoover, a longtime producer and on-air contributor for WGN-Channel 9’s top-rated morning news show, was the first employee to speak out Monday about the impending takeover of the Tribune Media station by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

In response to a video montage that went viral last weekend showing anchors at Sinclair stations delivering identical messages parroting President Donald Trump’s anti-media talking points, Hoovertweeted: “Re: Sinclair – There is NO WAY any of our on-air anchors and reporters will read their scripted messages on our show. Chicago’s Very Own, not owned.”

Referring to the video of Sinclair’s media-bashing campaign, a third source said it “validated everyone’s fears about the company. It’s a very bad joke — a real embarrassment and the furthest thing from credible journalism.”

Back last spring when the $3.9 billion deal with Sinclair was first announced, the irreverent cast of “WGN Morning News” mined it for laughs. Anchorman Larry Potash called Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley live on the air and left a voice mail message asking: “What can we expect? Is the holiday party going to be a bit better this year?” The next day, weatherman Paul Konrad concluded a bit about the new owners with the deadpan: “I’m sure that it’s going to be better here for us in the future.”

No one’s joking about it anymore.

With “Chicago’s Very Own” producing more than 70 hours of local news each week, the prospect of Sinclair calling the shots has people who care about ethics and integrity in the newsroom feeling anxious and worried.

Letter From Home “Radio Of The Mind” 12/9/16

Radio has always been very special to me.  From the days as a boy, while not understanding the world, there were still the strong authoritative radio voices that announced the news and made stern warnings about severe weather approaching.  I have always been drawn to the tone and delivery style of radio broadcasters as they need to have a range of inflections and emotion that is not required in any other medium.  At age 54 I still have the same warm thoughts about those signals that bounce about and come out of my radio as I did when they came forth from the unit situated on the buffet at my childhood home.

Tonight as I sat in a theater on the campus of UW-Madison to experience a live radio production of  A Wonderful Life I was swept back to the days when I was a boy.  It was an awesome joy to sit with James and  hear the live sound effects and music hearkening back to classic radio shows.  While not old enough to recall first-hand the way radio once created shows like Gunsmoke or The Bickersons I was reminded (again) of the intimacy of radio and how the medium allows our imagination to work.

This beloved American holiday classic came to captivating life as a live 1940’s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brought a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. This production was also aided with the assistance of WPR which aired a live simulcast broadcast Saturday December 3rd, and you can listen to the whole show.

For me the production was actually more emotional set in the nostalgic element as a radio show than the movie, which I have seen, like most people, countless times.  It was hard to tell at times if they were acting as radio personalities doing a show, or as actors and actresses doing a radio show.    That is the geeky stuff I think about.

Photo by Beau Meyer

As the show unfolded my mind crisscrossed the various parts of my life that intersected with radio.

I still recall  an awesome snowstorm that hit Chicago, but one that missed central Wisconsin.  As a boy I wanted the snow in my backyard, but instead turned to Eddie Schwartz on WGN as he broadcast hour after hour about how Chicago was crippled by the snow and wind.  I recall being in my bedroom and feeling like I was there in the midst of a wild storm.  As he talked with snowplow operators, police, and folks trying to get off the expressways I understood the power and intimacy of radio.  I suspect that there are few young people today who can comprehend what I am talking about.

My mind also traveled back to my years at WDOR in Sturgeon Bay when the station aired a Christmas parade in early December from Kewaunee County.  General Manager Eddy Allen Sr. always loved to talk about WGN radio –where he had once worked–and I was only too happy to hear his stories about that famed station.  Ed was the only person I ever heard on radio who could broadcast a parade.  Think about that for a moment.     

There he sat outside of a store who was a sponsor of the broadcast on what I recall was a cold night with lazy snowflakes fluttering about and with the use of descriptive words he allowed for the theater of the mind–the real role of radio–to come alive.  He knew the power of radio and used the foundations of it to entertain and inform listeners.   He described the floats and atmospherics and allowed anyone who was tuned in to live the moment.

In the era of social media and computer graphics with nothing needed to be left for imagination all that I have written may not mean a great deal.  There is no going back.  But for those who still recall the magic of radio–the radio of the mind–oh, what found memories we shall always have.

 

‘Chicago ‘ Ed Schwartz To Be Honored On WGN Radio Walk Of Fame

I can think of no better way to start this post except with stating the obvious.

It was ‘Chicago ‘ Ed Schwartz who made me aware that a radio announcer could be a friend to those who listened.  Equally important Eddie was wildly successful even though he did not have what might be considered a classic sounding radio voice.  Both of those lessons were ones I took with me to my job at WDOR radio in Sturgeon Bay when I sat in the broadcast booth.

Today it was announced that WGN Radio will include Eddie “Chicago Ed” Schwartz  on its 2015 Walk of Fame class.   Friday, May 29th, ten broadcasting legends will be honored with a ceremony and live broadcast from 1-2pm at the Tribune Tower at 435 N Michigan.  Steve King and Johnnie Putman will also be included in the list of famed broadcasters.

Eddie “Chicago Ed” Schwartz was at the helm of the late-night WGN Radio airwaves from 1982 through 1992 on a show that was all Chicago. Both crusader and advocate, Eddie started the Good Neighbor Food Drive, one of the largest one-day food drives in the country, and fearlessly called politicians in the middle of the night in search of answers to listeners’ problems.

Ed Schwartz’s voice was softer than that of most who find themselves on radio, but his authority and professionalism when behind a microphone was never in doubt.  But the connection he made with his listeners both in Chicago, and as far as the airwaves would allow him to be heard, showcased his civility and big-heart for the causes that he loved.  When he promoted his food drive for hungry folks in Chicago there was no doubt that his concern was deeply ingrained within him.  He wore his heart on his sleeve, and it reverberated inside the radio.

It might seem strange that as a boy in Hancock, Wisconsin I would be tuning into talk radio from Chicago, and bypassing the stations that were closer to me with much stronger signals.  But the world as presented by local stations were too small, and lets face it there is nothing more exciting than Chicago politics.  More importantly over the past years I recognize how lucky I was to have grown up with civil and professional radio broadcasters such as Eddie Schwartz, Steve King, and Clark Weber.  As a teenager I never knew radio to be ill-tempered, lewd, or boorish.

I still recall  an awesome snowstorm that hit Chicago, but one that missed central Wisconsin.  As a boy I wanted the snow in my backyard, but instead turned to Eddie Schwartz  as he broadcast hour after hour about how Chicago was crippled by the snow and wind.  I recall being in my bedroom and feeling like I was there in the midst of a wild storm.  As he talked with snowplow operators, police, and folks trying to get off the expressways I understood the power and intimacy of radio.  I suspect that there are few young people today who can comprehend what I am talking about.

I am so moved by this tremendous honor for one of the nicest men to have ever graced the airwaves.

The ‘Soundtrack’ For “Walking Up The Ramp”

If there was a soundtrack to my book, Walking Up The Ramp, it might include some of the following sights and sounds.

Radio was a central part of our home when I was a boy, and some of the legendary voices were almost, it seemed, a part of the family.  While working at WDOR it was a real thrill to announce that Paul Harvey was next on the air and “brought to you by the First National Bank of Sturgeon Bay”.  As a kid I never thought it would be my voice as the lead-in for the guy with ‘the voice’.

While growing up I listened to Arnie Strope in the summer months when I was out of school, and followed how he interacted so smoothly with his listeners on the air.   He would become a part of the Wisconsin’s Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1992.

But it was ‘Chicago ‘ Ed Schwartz that made me aware that a radio announcer could be a friend to those who listened.  Equally important Eddie was wildly successful even though he did not have what might be considered a classic sounding radio voice.

As a boy growing up in Hancock there was always spirited music to be heard at home, and Mom made sure that when a piano was part of a recording or song being played the volume was increased.  When I started opening the radio station on Sunday mornings I only played music on the up-tempo side that stirred people and made them tap their feet as they drank coffee and got ready for church.  And I was mindful that gospel music had to have a good piano (or as Mom said pie-anna) player.

My very first political rally, and my first chance to report on something more important than county board proceedings was on Labor Day 1984 when Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro came to Merrill, Wisconsin.  I found the right tie and shirt combo in my closet, drove half-way across the state in my old Chevet, and stood on the press risers with some of the reporters I had only seen on TV, or read about through their bylines in the newspapers.  It was a most special day, and remains a fond memory.

The list could continue with countless other sounds.  For a complete backward glance and a smile or two read the book.

Hear 2006 Chicago Eddie Schwartz Interview

I first heard this interview on a Sunday morning back in 2006 as I drove home to visit the folks.  WGN’s Dean Richards spent time talking with Eddie Schwartz, the much loved radio personality.  There is much to smile about as we again listen to this conversation.

Listen to the interview here.

‘Chicago’ Eddie Schwartz Dies, Soft-Spoken Civil Voice Of Radio

UPDATE

Hear 2006 Eddie Schwartz Interview With Dean Richards

This is not the first time that Eddie Schwartz makes an appearance on my blog.  And because  I like and respect him so much this sad news today will not be the last post about him.  Somewhere down the road he will be written about again here, as no one should ever have the last words about them be sad ones.

When WGN’s morning man John Williams broke the news at 8:00 A.M. today that the much loved ‘Chicago’ Eddie Schwartz, 62, had died my first thought was ‘thank God for guys like Eddie Schwartz.’  His passing was not unexpected as he had been in failing health for years.  Though news like this is still unsettling and sad my mind raced back in time to the years when Eddie Schwartz made an impact on me when I would listen to his voice on WIND and WGN radio from Chicago.

His voice was softer than that of most who find themselves on radio, but his authority and professionalism when behind a microphone was never in doubt.  But the connection he made with his listeners both in Chicago, and as far as the airwaves would allow him to be heard, showcased his civility and big-heart for the causes that he loved.  When he promoted his food drive for hungry folks in Chicago there was no doubt that his concern was deeply ingrained within him.  He wore his heart on his sleeve, and it reverberated inside the radio.

It might seem strange that as a boy in Hancock, Wisconsin I would be tuning into talk radio from Chicago, and bypassing the stations that were closer to me, and had much stronger signals.  But the world as presented by local stations were too small, and lets face it there is nothing more exciting than Chicago politics.  More importantly over the past years I recognize how lucky I was to have grown up with civil and professional radio broadcasters such as Eddie Schwartz, Steve King, and Clark Weber.  As a teenager I never knew radio to be ill-tempered, lewd, or boorish.

I still recall  an awesome snowstorm that hit Chicago, but missed central Wisconsin.  As a boy I wanted the snow in my backyard, but instead turned to WIND while Eddie Schwartz  broadcast hour after hour about how Chicago was crippled by the snow and wind.  I recall being in my bedroom and feeling like I was there in the midst of a wild storm.  As he talked with snowplow operators, police, and folks trying to get off the expressways I understood the power and intimacy of radio.  I suspect that there are few young people today that can comprehend what I am talking about. 

Radio broadcasting has changed much over the past decades, and many listeners have moved to caustic right-wing talk shows, or automated stations.  Some folks have tuned out radio completely and instead pick up the headphones and their music. 

It is for that reason that when I heard of the death of Schwartz I thought ‘thank God for guys like Eddie Schwartz.’    I am glad that he was there in my teenage years, and beyound as a radio friend. 

On behalf of many radio listeners over the years we say, Godspeed Eddie Schwartz.

We love ya.

Update On “Chicago Eddie Schwartz”

Read about the death of Eddie Scwartz here.  Click link to read.

ALSO…Hear 2006 interview with Eddie Schwartz conducted by Dean Richards.

One of the amazing personalities and big hearts in the world of Chicago radio is that of Eddie Schwartz.  I fondly recall him on WIND, and then on WGN during my teenage years and beyond.  I know I am not the only one in Wisconsin who once spent many hours listening to his program.  If you are like me you can still hum the tune to his show opening.  And you will never forget the hours he spent promoting issues for firefighters, or raising money for food drives in Chicago.  His health issues has sidelined him from the world, and he now is in a nursing home.  But as it was reported this morning on WGN News there is a way to make contact with him, and send warm wishes.

Send your cards to:

Eddie Schwartz
In Care Of Dean Richards
WGN Television
2501 West Bradley Place
Chicago, Illinois

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