I've been listening quite a bit, unfortunately. B&B are a terrible listen, Farmer & DJ are worse, and I can't bring myself to listen to Carm & Jurco. Never listened to Brandmeier before, and I really do not like the sound bytes that he plays. If he was just interviewing people, chatting with Buzz and the like, I would have a favorable opinion of the show. That being said:

1. Fire every single update woman. They make Kerry Sayers sound top-notch. The stuttering, stammering, mispronunciations, and nonsensical babble coming from these anchors is amazing. From announcing the termination of "Mike D. Antony" to the "first Cubs' debut," I feel brain cells die at each update. How hard to find a professional newsreader at minimum?

2. The three-person booths need to go. With MJH, it really could have been tightened to just Mac and Jurco. Eventually ESPN went back to a two-man booth in afternoons. I think part of it was to save money, but I imagine it also has a cleaner sound. Three in the radio booth is too much in my opinion.

3. Harry as your driver? Actually, he sounds okay in the roll. But too often he drifts to non-sports topics (PTFB), and they have some bad segments (the almanac takes too long, for instance).

4. Spike brings nothing to that show. Jarret Payton brings even less. Would a Harry-Wayne Randazzo pairing work? Or if committed to a three-man both, maybe convince Dave Baum to join? Dave driving, someone in the two chair (Wayne?) and Harry in the third chair.

5. The night show is fine.

6. Go to a live overnight show.

7. Riles? Come on - he should not be behind the mic at all (even on weekends).

8. Why not try Spada and Harris on a full four-hour show on weekends? For all the crap we give Spada (deservedly), his show isn't a bad listen.

9. They need some reporters.

10. The McKnight-Hollandsworth baseball show is an "okay" listen. No, not really. But Bruce Levine is a horrific listen that McKnight-Hollandsworth is "okay" by default.

you put more thought in this post than WGN staff did getting this station on the air.

i bet you CHF has liked the game on facebook.

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do they? They got Hog for the Bears, and they have frequent reporter-guests, IMO.

As far as the rest, I think their night show is clearly better than LoHo, but they still are worst in all other time slots. I don't even know if Jarrett is actually bad or he just has no room to do anything with the Harry and Spike yuk-fest. Grif-Quigs-Finfer isn't as offensive but also lacks personality and probably could ditch...eh, Finfer probably.

Kap has horrendous opinions but that's an actual professional talk show with Haugh. It'd be nice if this city could be receptive to an outsider voice because while getting Mac would streamline their lineup a lot, I'd be more interested in new blood.

Hog isn't a reporter, he just refreshes his twitter page and gets his information from everyone else. Has he done any mock drafts for next year yet?

I agree with much of what you said, Reared.

Mark Carman and Connor McKnight could replace Jarrett, Harry, Spike. There is no earthly reason Harry Teinowitz should have anything to do with a daytime show, or any show for that matter, but having him on in drive time is inexcusable.

I have never been a fan of three-man booths and would probably listen more if they ditched Finfer, but if Mac goes to The Game Finfer will probably be part of his show in some capacity.

Kaplan does have horrendous opinions about almost everything. It's really shocking how bad he is. But you're right, it does sound like a professional show. There are segments, guests (pretty good guests, actually, and you can tell there is show prep.)

I think the weekend show of Jason Gotch and Jason McKie is probably better than anything they have on M-F.

Jerry Riles is bad.

I agree that Gotch and Mckie is the best thing they have. Just kill Finfers show. God that is awful. Never allow Tim Doyle on the Air either.

I don't know what else you could want from a 'radio reporter'. Might as well just have on other media guys as guests.

Perhaps my impression of Harry is better because the other two add nothing.

The Game is like late 80s-early 90s alternative radio. veteran but inexperienced and new.

It's a nice break from the same.

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@audioidkid

Spike should but JP is lost but has a good radio voice and not a bad delivery he just has no personality. It would be better for him if he wasn't just Wally's son. I know him personally but on that show it is just strange. When he talks it is just as if Harry dominates him. Trying to recreate MJH is awful. Harry isn't Mac, spike isn't Jurco and Payton isn't Harry. Bad chemistry. Not chemistry actually dynamics is what I mean.

unless i want to listen to commercials, this is what's on my evening commute for the most part. i really don't mind it, it's listenable. i think payton is fine, but harry is only the driver because neither spike nor jarrett could do it.

spike is probably the weakest link to me. he brings nothing but he has this sort of "ho hum" attitude that would be fine if he were a long time veteran, known guy just sailing off into the sunset doing an afternoon drive show...but i don't think he has the pedigree to pull that off at all.

the girls sound cute but boy are they vapid.

Their promos sound like they are saying "87.7 The Gay".

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My Maserati does 186.

Sounds like my kind of station! They should sign Sparky so I can listen!

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Agree with you on B&B and the boring and bickering Sox announcers (I'm a Sox fan), fully agree on Carm & Jurco. Not a Johnny B fan either.



Diversity hires? Between whoever writes the copy and their inability to comprehend or understand the glaring errors it is bad all across the board for the third largest market.



It can work when one voice drives the conversation, a second gives experienced insight, and the third gives a respected counterbalance.


I'm too conditioned to PTFB for Harry to get the benefit. Like the man, don't like the voice, loathe the segments.



Spike is another retread with poor mileage.



Haven't really listened at night, the costs to go live should be held back until they get their daytime programming solid.



Riles put two strikes on himself in my first listen. Spada is better than the crap he receives. A reporter or two couldn't hurt but not until they get their daytime shit together.

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DRINK BƎTTƎR. @theRIPH

This seems like the most logical place for Danny May to land now. He could really transform the station. Can they afford him?? I would try to negotiate a contract that has clauses that escalate the salary with ratings increases. That would be a win-win situation. I think Mac could make it work too and then he would be back on afternoons.. Nobody currently on the noon-3pm shift is of any substance and it would be a great fit.

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Go Cubs!!!!

You guys can let me know when Mac starts. Until then I won't sweat the details.

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Elections have consequences.

I listened to a decent amount of the 5 o'clock hour yesterday. Harry was surprisingly not awful. They had a segment where people would call in to say where they're stuck in traffic and what they were wondering. Yeah, it's elementary, but it was refreshing to hear just sports talk that isn't the Smart People Station. One guy had a good question....which MLB team has the best starting pitcher and hitter combo? Kershaw/Puig, Sale/Abreu, Scherzer/Miggy?

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-- source

I was listening to that too and it is ironic when you think of the Sale/Abreu combination as one of the best, yet see how the team has struggled. Miguel is the best hitter (IMO) but because Scherzer doesn't usually go more than 6 or 7 innings, I have to go with the Kershaw/Puig combo. Maybe in a couple years it will be Arrietta/ Bryant? or Hendricks/Bryant?

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Go Cubs!!!!

1. 95.5

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Agreed on the 3 person booth thing. It's a bad, bad sound and it's becoming clear that it just doesn't work. I have no idea why sports talk shows keep trying it. But sadly, that and all the changes listed won't save the station.

They need a big splash like bringing Goff back to Chicago, but then again, why the hell would he want to board a sinking ship like The Game?

The Game is not sinking. They are lurking in the waters waiting for the first good bite. How does a start up sink on a signal almost nobody gets.

Yeah I don't think they are sinking. I had a good conversation with one of the sales guys over there. Sports radio is one of the last aspects of radio that will die. Simply because of breaking news and people in cars who can't be on twitter. We are talking the Free Agency stuff, trade deadlines etc... You can't podcast that stuff. Talk radio you can. Live sports and sports news are huge reasons why not everyone just watches on demand.

McNeil & North would be a pretty good shot in the arm for The Game.

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"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

It would. I could even see them when the time is right trying a Fred and Murph midday for a while. They should do that now and let finfer produce/third chair to be a bit more modern. I loathe murph likely Ben does too but it could work bringing people over if Murphy was kept in check.

well, as long as everyone's dreaming (and I already created a joke thread for this with pretty much the same stuff)

5-8: Murph and Fred
9-12: Mac and Friends
1-3: North and Jiggs
4-7: Kap and Connor

They'd put enough of a dent in the Score that the Score would have to change their focus. Never bet against a populist radio station.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Ugh, why North and Jiggetts? do we really think that low of ourselves as a 'population' where that's somehow speaking to us?

The GAME could probably do themselves alright by giving North like...2 hours a week to talk Bears with Jiggs.

Murph and Fred suck too, and worse when there's soon to be no baseball.

I didn't say I was programming it for myself. I wouldn't listen really. But they'd put a dent in both stations in town running that lineup out.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

a short-term dent, I guess. But to say those guys are all past their prime is putting it mildly, heck Mac is the least-diminished out of that group and he apparently wants to work less and less.

Based on their existing people, free-agents, and potentially easy gets.

5-8: Johnny B - I'm assuming that's working for what it is? I never listened.
8-11: Kap and Haugh - Fine, even if Kaplan is an abominable person, they run an actual show
11-2: J. Hood and Jarrett Payton - Hood seems like he has barely a Full-Time job at WMVP, and he can definitely drive a 3-hour football-intensive show. Plus all the stations seem reticent to have 2 black guys on at the same time...maybe because North invented the ebony&ivory format
2-6: Mac and Finfer, maybe stick Harry there too if they have to pay him regardless and Mac doesn't hate him anymore
6-10: 'Night Game' with McDoink and the other guy. A fine, not-Lawrence, nightly program.

The ones left out here include:
'Quigs' - no opinion, really. He can always be the fill-in for when Kap and Haugh are out, which Finfer is doing now
Howard Griffith - if he's good you can bump him down to 'football expert' who appears on multiple shows or whatever. If he's better than Jarrett Payton he can replace Payton and fill the daily jock quota in that timeslot.
Spike - punt, useless

What I don't get is how all these radio executives still fail to understand the basic trait of a successful talk show host: personality. This is a requirement. All of the best ones had it. Sure, it can become annoying eventually (see North, Bernstein, Mac and his absences). But those guys all had dominant several year runs as the alpha dogs of Chicago sports radio. Not one guy currently at any of three stations can even come close to those three.

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Back off, Warchild. Seriously.