Last year was not a pleasant one professionally. I don't regret my decision to take a shot at morning drive on the FM side. I regret the outcome. For many years, I've been telling the young bucks "just when you think you've seen it all in radio, stick around one more day." My experience at Hubbard Radio, which owns and operates 30 stations in the country (three in Chicago) redefined "seeing it all." One of these days I'll get around to sharing some sordid details.

Many here and on social media have been wondering, some lamenting, why I don't want to return to radio. It requires two interested parties to begin a negotiation. Neither the Score nor ESPN wants me back. I get it with the Score. Twice I said no to them since I did my last show after the Blackhawks got tripped by the Kings in the Western Conference finals in June of '14. In late August, they hired Patrick Mannelly.

That fall, I heard from Greg Solk, then the VP of programming at Hubbard. Solk hired me at the Loop in Jan. of '88. I respected his radio acumen enormously and, while I never desired doing mornings, a project with Greg's fingerprints on it AND on a station I usually enjoyed piqued my interest.

Greg and I were closing in on a deal when Mannelly resigned from the Score's midday show. The Score called again. Then-VP of CBS Chicago Rod Zimmerman took some money off the table (from the August offer) and said "this is not a negotiation." When we got together in-person the next day, I politely suggested to Rod "it became a negotiation when YOU called me." He wouldn't budge. The Score's offer was still six figures higher than what I was going to get from the Drive, but I really wanted to try the FM thing so I said no to the Score again and gave the Drive a shot.

Turned out to be the wrong move, but again, I don't regret trying it. I reconnected with some amazing talents and friends there and discovered some wonderful people. My PD, Curtiss Johnson, and I became fast friends and I was devastated when the company whacked him in January of '16. Kathy Voltmer is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met and being around her pleasant nature at 4:45 a.m. contributed largely to my fondness for the gig.

Last summer, Hubbard caved to the audience's less-than-favorable response to fewer songs and more chatter in the morning. Solk was fired and I lost whatever power I had. John Gallagher, then the market manager, generously offered me a buyout because they weren't going to deliver what they'd promised. BTW, Gallagher also got vaporized last summer. Soon after, Pete McMurray, Kathy and producer Scott Miller were shown the door. Radio...it's red hot.

I spent the fall golfing, fishing and trying to massage the decision makers at both sports yakkers. No dice. I was holding out some hope that following Terry Boers' retirement, a lineup shuffle might take place and there would be a spot for me. Or that ESPN would gimme a shot in its struggling midday slot. Neither is happening.

In the last couple weeks, I've been working an angle with a station in town that would be a really nice fit for me. Hope to have more on that for you soon. And yes, I've had a cursory conversation with the mysterious "third sports station" that may be born. I'll let you know when I can. Meantime, I'm meeting with publishers about my Patrick book and I've scheduled knee replacement surgery next month. Tired of getting cortisone shots every three months (that last about 6 weeks usually) and I don't want to go back on pain meds so I'm getting it done while I have some time to rehab it before golf and musky seasons open.

To good dolphin, I didn't answer Terry about my future on 1/5 because that event wasn't the right time. It was incredibly difficult to keep a stiff upper lip, but the day was billed "A Toast To Terry" and was in conjunction with the station's 25th anniversary. It would have been selfish to make it about me.

To spmack, who called me an asshole for not coming here to post: You need to understand I've been under "no comment" restrictions regarding what happened at the Drive until we got to the first of the year. I wanted to get paid for doing nothing for seven months! Further, it made no sense to make any public statements about conversations I was entertaining with a couple stations.

More soon. Hope those of you I know are doing well. I am grateful for those of you who still are in my corner.

Move.

_________________

Thanks Mac. You always have a place here...

Best of luck Mac. Sports radio misses you.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

Glad to have you back Mac. Look forward to more posts...your insight into what really is going on behind the scenes is a nice elixir to Beardown's crazy speculation.

_________________
“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

Would being at the score even be enjoyable anymore? A good portion of the day is high brow social justice "sports" radio. It would have been entertaining for you to have been around during the Jules era....just for a few days.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

Good luck buddy.

Hows Jurko doing with.....everything? And have you spoken with Tiny at all?

_________________

Nice update, Mac. Informative and candid.

Much appreciated. Hope to hear you again soon.

Good luck.

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

Zippy, you and the fellas would be amazed at how spot-on accurate Beardown is with MANY of his conspiracy theories. Urlacher's missing neck, you're on to something buddy. Frank, it's still good to see you on Facebook. Yes, I still talk to Harry... he's pretty low. Sober, but low. Jurko is doing just fine, barring the scarcity of bonus checks.

Might be a decent guest on the board podcast- if they have the space.

_________________
Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

Mac, any idea who is heading this rumored third sports talker? Asking for a friend who needs to know where to send his demo, his wife just left him, and he got passed over for another promotion at his current gig....

There's gotta be a way to get Mac on the podcast.

Nice

_________________

Sometimes Beardown reminds me of the crop duster pilot Randy Quaid played in the first "Independence Day" movie... In the end, he was right.

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

Beardown will be insufferable now.

Thanks, Mac.

_________________
You know me like that.

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

It's not just Beardown, Dr. Ken. MANY of you have terrific insight to the dynamics of sports radio. Most acutely accurate usually is an opinion expressed on ego/insecurity.

I guess that's what happens when a group spends an unhealthy amount of time pondering something ridiculous.

_________________
You know me like that.

Fire up the ol' "Beardown is Bernstein" conspiracy to end all conspiracies.

_________________

Mac, you should listen to the CFMB podcast. It will get your juices flowing. And then, you should be a guest host on it. Your voice needs to be heard.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

So Spiegel really is that passive-aggressive?

Mac what are your thoughts on the final show with Terry? How was it to hang out with the guys again? And how was Bernstein with everyone?

_________________
Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

Mac - if we ran something specific like this past you would you consider replying as best as you can/would?

I'll try one for the heck of it... Every day it sounds more and more like Speigs does not like Parkins. It's only been two weeks with a new partner. Is this a real thing? Thanks.

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

well - good luck. hope a 3rd sports talker along the lines of the original SCORE gets up and running.

_________________
Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Waiting For Ruffcorn, the event on 1/5 was top notch. Everybody was in a good mood. There was a lot of genuine affection in the room. I got there at noon to spend time with Terry's family and anybody else who might be early. Cut out around 3:30 as the very nice 'XRT performance studio became overcrowded. Bernstein was fine, at least with me. I didn't observe his interactions with others, nor was I interested. DB and I had a good laugh when Jiggs was on with Terry. I gave the old, gravelly Jiggs "hmmmmmmmm" and Dan had to duck around the corner so nobody saw him cracking up. It was a good day, but I'd be lying if I didn't confess some sadness as well. I saw some old friends, albeit work friends, who are physically broken... even more than I.

Thank you for the update, Mac.

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

I have no insight regarding the dynamic between Spiegs and Parkins, who I affectionately call "Knish" based on our shared fondess for John Turturro's character in "Rounders." No contact with anybody, other than sending Jay a condolences note about the passing of his sister. I also regularly text with Terry. Got close to him again this past summer. We both needed that.

Mac, blink once if the new station is SB Nation.

Blink twice if it is NBC or FOX Sports.

I'll hang up and listen for my answer.

_________________
CSFMB: Home of the small minded

It was nice to hear your segment during the Boers special. It was bittersweet because the gradual asshattering that happened there was near imperceptible until you get a shock treatment back to what it once was.
Sports radio blows now.
I told you before I was mad at you for leaving sports talk but now I'm just pissed at what the score has become since you bailed. Terry was the last vestige of the old guard and now... well...
Anyway again that was selfish of me.

welcome back. Glad you found the new place now that bigfan went section 8 and we had to relocate.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I wouldn't agree it blows, it's just evolved. The two biggest things to injure sports radio since 1/2/92: technology killed the star callers. First faxes, then e-mails, then texting, Twitter and Facebook followed. No.2, there seems to be a philosophy at many shops the product's purpose is to educate rather than entertain. There is a real absence of a fraternity house feel we ALL enjoyed in the early days of the Score and even more so on MJH.