I joke about it pretty much any time the subject comes up. WGN in Chicago is the station for old people. People who listen to WGN listen to nothing but WGN. People who don’t listen to it regularly don’t know it exists.
Back around 1990, I spent two years in Chicago – at the time WLUP was the “hip” talk station on FM. Steve Dahl and Garry Meier were on WLUP-FM like 6 hours a day… there wasn’t a day that didn’t go by when they would make fun of WGN and all the senile old people who called in and listened – and the clueless hosts like Eddie Schwartz. (Eddie died in 2009). Mostly Steve and Garry would kill six hours talking about something Steve’s wife had said the prior day, something they watched on TV, how stupid Steve’s son was, something going on with sports, etc…
Jonathon Brandmeier (Johnny B) was the other big guy on WLUP He was the really hip guy. He had his own band… he’s a little like mancow – he would weave music in with “bits”, and about 80% of it I had no idea what he was talking about 🙂
So Gary Meier has been at WGN-AM for about a year. Steve Dahl had been working for CBS at “Free FM” and CBS is paying off his contract in return for him staying off the air (He’s doing the “podcast thing”) right now.
Starting next week, Johnny B is going to be the morning guy at WGN… Mike McConnell’s hours get cut back to only 3 hours a day.
WGN is still the station for old people – the difference is now the people who are old. Payback is a bitch.
WGN is still an oddity – it’s the #2 rated station (per Arbitron) in the #3 market. Tribune (which used to own the Chicago Cubs and still prints the Chicago Tribune) has no other radio stations. WGN is a heritage station before Congress made laws that prohibited a newspaper from owning a radio station in the same town.
Good luck guys – be sure to keep the drool cups close to the console just in case.
I KNEW there was a reason why I like that station. Son.
Eh? Speak up.
If I rummage in your closet, would I found a leisure suit?
There are hints that when Steve Dahl’s non-compete is up (I think he had a 5 year contract), he may well show up back with Garry Meier on WGN.
Tribune is still stuck in bankruptcy with the only people making money being the lawyers who keep arguing over how to cup up the corpse.
Well, as a lifelong Cubs fan I have been listening to WGN since I was about 10 years old (and I am still a couple of decades away from being a Senior Citizen). I guess I must skew the demographic and give WGN those great ratings? 😉
This is funny. When i was 16, and had my first car (circa 1966), all there was to listen to as far as radio was AM.
Sometime at night, here in Omaha, I could tune in WGN on the car AM radio and hear ‘rock n roll’ music.
It was sometime good reception, sometimes fade in and out.
It was radio from afar.
I forgot all about that until I read this blog.
Thanks.
Oh yeah.
Used to get a program called Bleaker (sic) Street, that was pretty good.
And Wolfman Jack could be heard now and then as well.
Am radio memories.
To show how old I am getting, I thought the hiring of the ‘hip’ rock DJ Brandmeier meant they were going for a younger demo!
They are! He’s only 55.
I’ve heard that 60 is the new 40. Is that true or is it wishful thinking on my part?
no, it’s 80 is the new 65.
No Social security until you’re 80!
Steve & Johnnie are leaving WGN.
They are the overnight couple on WGN for close to forever. Johnnie is a she in case you were confused. This is their last week.
Times, they are a changin…. I guess they were not interested in cleaning up the studio after the WLUP crew.
Here is a 20 minute long video of the Johnny B / Garry Meier reunion on the air at WGN.
http://www.wgnradio.com/videogallery/66479226/Entertainment/Jonathon-Brandmeier
WGN is fairly unique in that they still maintain a radio studio with glass windows that face out onto Tribune Plaza on Michigan Avenue. A few years ago, some kook tried to drive his SUV through the window, but to their credit they didn’t abandon the ground level studio.
It’s entertaining on a number of levels, not the least of which is the large number of people in the studio and everyone’s body language. Garry Meier is trying very hard to be the “Establishment” button down guy until Branmeyer works Chlamydia into the conversation. No wonder Steve and Johnnie are retiring 🙂