from the Chicago Defender, 2-28-13:

Apparently there may be room for one more sports talker in the City of Chicago. Rumblings behind the scenes at AM 720 WGN indicate that perhaps a move to being a full-time sports talker may be in the works. Here's what has happened at WGN in the last year or so:

December 2, 2011, Jonathon Brandmeier was named the new morning man at WGN Radio. Starting Friday, December 9, Brandmeier was heard weekedays from 5:30 - 9:00 a.m. With Brandmeier's addition to the WGN Radio weekday lineup, the morning drive timeslot shiftedto 5:30-9 a.m., followed by Mike McConnell from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., John Williams from 12-3 p.m., and Garry Meier from 3-7 p.m. News anchor Steve Bertrand moved to mornings with Brandmeier and Jim Gudas shifted to middays/afternoons. Former morning show host Greg Jarrett was released from the station. For overnights, Steve King and Johnnie Putman left the station on Friday, December 9 after a week-long series of live "Farewell Celebration" shows. Bill Leff took over overnight duties on WGN Radio from midnight to 5:30 a.m. on Monday, December 12. 2011. John Williams has announced that he will leave the station when his contract expires December 31, 2012, so that he can concentrate exclusively on WCCO (AM) in Minneapolis instead of splitting time between stations. John's last show aired December 21, 2012. On December 17, 2012, WGN Radio executives announced that its long-running program "Extension 720", and its host of the past 39 years, Dr. Milton J. Rosenberg, would cease to exist with the station after the last program aired on December 20, 2012.

Now come rumors that WGN is in contract discussions with Fred Huebner, late of AM 1000 ESPN and formerly of AM 670 WSCR The Score. Michael Murphy, his former morning co-host, has already walked through the doors of 435 North Michigan Avenue. What really got tongues wagging was a sighting of both Mike North and Dan Jiggetts visiting together with VP of Communications Jim Davidson Thursday morning. Daniel Zampillo is now back in the WGN fold after leaving in 2010 for Sirius XM Radio in New York after Kevin Metheny's ill fated tour of duty at the venerable AM talker. This would appear to be a direct move to compete with both WSCR and ESPN, the latter of which is in the midst of a giant shakeup that would send it back to more national presence over local hosts. No quote was available from GM Tim Jamison, but it wouldn't take much to imagine the lineup that WGN would field, especially if either Johnathan Hood or Carmen DeFalco are released from their contracts at ESPN. Left assumed is that David Kaplan would be brought back to host Sports Central as a 7-10 PM show again, although WGN has already quietly put Tommy Williams under contract in January for the next year.

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

ESPN will quickly become the #3 sports talk station in the city.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Maybe this will refresh your memory, folks...

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=77089

"Peoria Matt asks what I'd do to fix WGN. I'd hire a guy with a proven
record of posting big numbers in the adult male demo in afternoon
drive, wrapped around Cubs and as a table setter to Blackhawks. Know
anybody?"

Let me don(spiracy) my Beardown hat.

Murph/Fred AM.......North/Jiggs Midday.....Mac/Jurko/? or a 2 man booth DriveTime...Hood and or? PM....

http://score670.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=76661

WGN is only great if it keeps the Cubs games. Transcends many age demos this way.

Should be a Garry and Larry show on some station I will not listen to.

_________________
"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.’”

Listening to Garry Meier pretend he knows anything about sports is painful.

_________________
I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

Garry Meier's delivery is always kind of jarring and off, like that of someone for whom English is not a first language. He sets up pauses and punchlines that really don't correlate with his content. I'm confident saying that he's not very funny, as I am fairly sure his wit does not go over my head.

_________________
I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Huebner got fired from ESPN 1000? Not according to his twitter. He's promoting a guest for a March 2nd Show on his twitter time line. This Chicago Defender article is from Feb 28th, according to COF, where it's written that he's fired. I think City of Fools is playing a hoax. I think he wrote this article. He provided no link.

https://twitter.com/fred_huebner

IMO Garry Meier is the greatest sidekick in the history of Chicago radio. That's what he does best. He doesn't have the ability to drive a show. His skill was throwing in little asides as Dahl told stories or read something out of the newspaper. He really has never worked as the lead guy. I guess he's doing alright hosting on WGN, but those listeners aren't the toughest crowd to win over.

_________________
I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

He is dyslexic, but that doesn't explain his stilted timing when not reading copy.

_________________

I'm sure Dipshit Kaplan and Harry would be an afternoon pairing.

I think the only time I flip on GN is if I'm in the car when a Hawks game on...and that won't change any time soon.

_________________

I for one am shocked that there are problems at a radio station where Mike McConnell is on for seemingly six hours a day.

_________________

Seriously, nobody thinks this article is a hoax? In that article it has Tommy Williams being singed at WGN for next year. It has Murph, North and Jiggs walking into WGN studios. It has speculation that Carmen and Hood are going there. It has Fred being fired on Feb 28th with him doing an ESPN 1000 show on March 2 according to his twitter. Fred's twitter heading says he's still at ESPN 1000. It was written on Feb 28th and nobody found it until today?

Alright. Maybe it is true. It's pretty big news. I can't find the link. Maybe somebody else can find it.

There isn't enough talent in this town for three sports talk stations. Even if ESPN goes national, I don't think there's enough talent here for two. I'm not interested in rehashing the days of North/Jiggetts and Murph/Fred.

Elliott Harris and me on WGN. It might be, it could be, ......

...It's dead.

_________________

3 threads about WGN possibly going to a sports format.

Good thing there is nobody around to take care of the 2 extra threads....

_________________

Guys, I posted the original thread last month. Link to that.

Your post wasn't what COF posted. He had an article about a bunch of radio has-beens being considered at WGN 720. That's the story. I still think the article is a hoax

Once again, why is it writted that Fred is fired when he's not? Can somebody tweet Fred to see if he's fired.

So is Murph coming to save Chicago sports radio or what?

_________________

If most of the personalities you mentioned ever get FT jobs, then I might be more inclined to agree there's room for two. Right now, there's only three weekday shows worth listening to - B&B, Mac & Spiegs, and Silvy & Waddle. That's the equivalent to one really good station.

I don't think Murph's in sports talk radio anymore. He didn't last long at ESPN Radio 1000 AM.

very interesting...

but, I have my aluminum foil alien deflector detector helmet on...(it's a blue strainer with a handle) and I tend to agree with Beardown that this article is an extremely well written piece of fiction.

_________________
@audioidkid

Thanks. Somebody smelled it as well. I think the first paragraph of the article is legit. Then I think COF wrote the 2nd paragraph. The biggest red flag was reading that WGN 720 has signed Tommy Williams to a contract that won't start until next year. First of all, that just doesn't sound like something a radio station would do. Especially since WGN is going to be sold. Who would have the authority to sign him? Secondly, we all know WGN 720 doesn't hire black people.

so they could still hire goff, right? he's from evanston, and like.... well.... the joke is that goes both ways, no more no less =D

_________________

The article also says Dan Zampillo left SirusXM to go back to WGN 720 where he left 2 years ago. Not according to his twitter. Header still says SiriusXM

https://twitter.com/danzampillo

I'll give him credit for writing it well. And just randomly firing Fred Huebner and having Zampillo join WGN. But these things can be checked.

This is obviously a COF hoax...but I gotta believe that if WGN Radio goes all sports, with 3 all sports radio stations in Chicago there will be room somewhere for the Monsters reuniting in the afternoon drive slot.

_________________
CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

The premise is excellent and quite intriguing. But, it's too perfect a scenario to ever happen in Chicago. We already know the Chicago radio program directors are relatively incompetent when it comes to maintaining radio bliss. They all make their mark by either stumbling into something that they can't control and is bigger than them (Loop heyday, early Score days) or they fuck it up entirely by breaking up lineups and forcing change that isn't needed or warranted.

i.e. it's always about the food...fuck the shiny menu and fake stressed wallpaper. cash only. 4 items on the menu.

_________________
@audioidkid

I only ever see yellow or white strainers, or of course stainless steel. Where the hell does a cat buy a blue one at anyway?

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George