North has turned into a self promoting, over the top, ignorant BLOW HARD on the air. I do not know him personally, so my "hate" for him comes directly from his on air personality. There was a time I enjoyed what he brought to the table...but with his success...he has changed.

He might be the greatest guy off the air...but a majority of us only know his on air personality...and by my read, not many are happy with that.

Any reason Danny Mac is throwing around the "North Love" (my take on it) these days? Makes me wonder what discussions might be taking place in the "backrooms".

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

What? No. I thought the argument was about why North is on the air at all. My point is that controversy is his niche, and that's usually successful. i haven't been living here long, but i know that north's been on the air for quite some time, and unfortunately when people on a national level look for radio personalities, they use Mike North. Whether you or I or people here know what he's about, he still seems to generate interest among enough people to keep him on the air.



Look if the score gets rid of North you're absolutely right. But, Rover WAS a success in Cleveland. But, North is a "shock jock" just like Rover pretended to be (ask "Weird Al" Yankovic). And as far as I know, North still has a show.



5-9AM is one of the most difficult time slots to champion, possibly the most. Being removed from that spot doesn't necessarily make you a "failure"--what I mean by successful is where this guy came from, to get to where he is now...is a success. If he loses it all, okay--yeah, the guy has got to be able to leave on his own terms.

I don't know why Mike Murphy dominated 5-9 or how that happened...on a side note...

Mike Murphy has a loyal following. Not everyone likes him, but those that do, will listen to him religiously.

it must be the clapping...who can resist...you gotta [clap clap] see jack...

or VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

OK, sure, I agree--how could I disagree, really?--that North is a success story, especially given his origins. I just don't think his show is successful any longer. He is clearly living off his glory years with Jiggetts and is no longer the broadcaster he once was. And that's part of the reason why people on the board dislike him so much--they remember what he used to be, what he could still be, and thus bitterly resent what he has become. While he has been living off his distant past, the recent past is about to catch up with him. His contract will soon expire and his salary--and perhaps his ego, too--will be cut down to size. Of the Score's current stable of "prime time" hosts--North, Mully & Hanley, Murph, and B&B--North seems to have demonstrated that he is least able to draw a significant listening audience.

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1. It's human nature that a forum such as this board will attract more complaints than compliments. It's the way it is and nothing to be surprised at. People are always more likely to write, call, e-mail, or whatever, about a person, product, or service with which they've had a bad experience than to say, "Hey, good job."

2. If, as some suggest, the criticism of North takes on a rather personal tone, gee, I wonder why. His show is so over-the-top all about him and incorporates so much of his personality, his private life, his--well, see Mr. Belvidere's post above; I need not repeat it all--what do you expect? The guy virtually paints a target on his behind and begs to be shot at. Am I wasting my time and playing into his hands by taking the shots at him? Yeah, maybe, but I'm an adult and can judge for myself how much time goofing around on an Internet message board is excessive and prevents me from fulfilling my other responsibilities in life. Sorry, I'm not perfect; can't work on that cure for cancer 24/7.

3. I love sports, especially Chicago sports and I like sports radio, especially Chicago sports radio. On the couple mornings a week I have to do a fair amount of driving for my job, I choose Chicago sports as the topic I like to hear discussed on the radio. Therefore, I have basically one choice. As big an ass as North is, it's pretty much the show to listen to in the morning if there's any developing news about Chicago sports or there's someone you may want to hear interviewed about a topic of current interest.

4. You may apply the word 'jealous' to me if you like. Doesn't bother me. I'm sure there's a part of all of us that gets jealous when we perceive someone to be grossly overcompensated for doing a crappy job and seemingly having to put forth little effort to do better, particularly when someone's business is communications on a major-market, prime-time radio show and someone is stupid, ignorant, not well-spoken, not well-prepared, has the comedic sensibilities of the Rat Pack, circa 1962, and at times to some, is downright offensive.

5. OK, he's charitable. Fine. I once heard him defending his right to call mentally-challenged people "retards" because he gives to some mental-health thing or serves on some board or something. Hope he doesn't decide to donate to the NAACP, because then who knows what word we'll be hearing next on the air.

6. Finally, calling his show "undeniably Chicago" and having other media people think he's the "quintessential Chicago sports fan" or the "voice of the fan" just absolutely frosts my ass. I was born in Chicago, lived here all my life, and am a sports fan, and I'm mortified to think that outsiders think I'm like him or that Mike North speaks for me. Perhaps I overcompensate by excessively ripping him . . . NAAAAHHHHH!!!

Dat's exactly right!

Oh for Christ Sake, how hard is it to understand? McNeil is behind North because he isnt jealous of him any longer. McNeil was petty and jelaous of North when North got the money and limited fame, thats what McNeil wanted, he got it at espn, now its all good. McNeil is just like north, as long as he gets his, thats all that matters. Its life.

OK Now I am mad

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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.’”

Go crazy!!! As a certain play by play man likes to say.

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"It's not exactly a rocket surgery." D.J.

Right on the money PappyCrappy. It "Frosts my ass" too.


Good point Swisher! It puzzles me on why Mac wouldn't think Norths a tool. He should be as mad as anyone since Mike essentially represents all of Sportsradio in Chicago when he shows up on Costas or that Blackhawk farce or the comedy session on Imus' show.

I hated your name at first but you couldn't be more right about SWISH.

Yeah, it was embarrassing to watch the "Costas Now" program. They made it seem like all of Chicago sports broadcasters are like Mike and that his fans are all meatball types. It is true in some cases, but to paint the whole city and it's listeners with a broad brush really irked me. It seemed obvious that when Costas mentioned that he heard a program while driving in Chicago in which the host asked: "what news lady would you rather do?", that he was talking about North. I don't hate Mike like many others do, but I certainly don't go out of my way to listen to his show like I did when he and Jiggs were a team. When I interned at The Score in the mid 90's, Mike was pretty much the same off the air as he was on it. I didn't help on his show, but I was around enough to observe what a fun, goofy regular guy that Mike is (please spare me the listerine comments). He's just a guy trying to make a living like the rest of us. He just happened to get lucky and find the right situation and role with it. Yeah his ego probably did get a little overinflated, but I'm not gonna hold that against someone for trying to get the most he can from his employer.

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-"God is great. Beer is good. And People are crazy!"

No hate, just don't want him as THE MIKE NORTH SHOW

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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.’”

Any one read the artcile that was in/the trib this am. North was tooting his own horn and sounded like an ass even in the article.
it's also interesting to see what the people say in response to him on the comment section.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs ... 1101.story

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I do not listen. Show is terrible and not worth my time.

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They've done studies you know, 60% of the time it works every time!

Mac:
I originally intended to substitute the word “loathe” in describing my dislike towards Mike North but it is perhaps equally as strong a word as “hate” only just a bit more high brow. Nonetheless, my dislike for Mike North isn’t personal as I’ve met the man and found him to be a likeable sort. My dislike is directed at the product that he produces.

If the Bears were to go from 13-3 to 9-7 to 4-12 and then follow that up with 2-10, all the while professing to have an organization and team that is still amongst the best in the league and pointing to the record as more a product of external factors as opposed to their own shortcomings. I can tell you with certainty there would be a significant percentage of fans that would stop watching the product. There would be a percentage that would start watching another team, and a percentage that would continue to watch the team but express their disproval with the product.

Perhaps the most common refrain to those who criticize North here on this message board is to “stop listening.” Well, I’ve tried to tune in to the other show (another team) but I can’t connect with them. I’ve also gone many mornings not turning on the radio. But like a football fan that wants to enjoy a decent team, I too as a long time consumer of sports radio feel it isn’t unreasonable to be able to have a decent listen in the morning. Particularly in a top 5 radio market. When I came to the realization that I actually pined for the days of Tom Shaer, I also realized just how bad the MNMS had become.

If there’s an irony in your appearing to defend North, its that on its own his show in comparison to yours makes your show seem to be that much more superior. So it makes me wonder if his show is really that bad (it is) or if your show is that much better? To an extent I could understand if you were stepping in as a friend sticking up for another friend, but where is the line drawn as to where friendship ends and professionalism begins?

In reading your take on how others perceive North, I thought you sold yourself short in some aspects and pointed too critically at management in other aspects. There is little if any question, even by his harshest critics, that Mike North’s story is a remarkable American success story in that he changed the paradigm of talk radio, particularly sports talk radio. I also think that in his success you were able to frame some of your own success, with the knowledge that where North could tread new radio ground it in turn reinforced your own belief that you could too. The halcyon days of the “Heavy Fuel Crew” perhaps best reflected this, and I would also submit that “The Monsters of the Midday” were in turn buoyed by your successes.

As a side note, to dismiss the presence and contributions of Dan Jiggetts glaringly overlooks a critical component to all of your early successes. The component of lending both a contrasting and complimentary presence to your programming was a catalyst, without which you (collectively) would have been unable to distinguish yourselves individually. Whatever weaknesses or shortcomings on his part that you may readily cite were overshadowed by his perceived strengths, as reflected by the listeners tuning in, that in turn helped make the “Monsters” a success.

WSCR’s management acquiescing to North’s wishes of shaking things up by breaking up you and Terry Boers, in your words to keep things even, will probably stand as perhaps the worst management decision to affect Chicago radio—or more specifically Chicago sports talk radio—of all time. Taking a wildly popular and identifiable product and separating it into its individual components only showed that the sum was greater than the parts, and that eventually those parts would not only erode but, as in your case, one day compete against them. Like McDonalds giving up on selling Big Macs to promote their French Fries or Popeye’s going solely into biscuits and gravy, WSCR had a readily recognizable product that its competitors fruitlessly competed against. It wasn’t just a bad decision but a dumb one as well, because having agreed to such a significant and short-sighted move they in turn left themselves with little leverage in saying “No” to any other of North’s “great” ideas. So maybe now the string of failures has run its course.

I think the vast majority of North’s critics here on these message boards reflect thousands of listeners who once tuned in to WSCR and would eagerly return if North were to leave. I don’t think their animus towards North is personal but a result of having had to suffer so long with such an inferior product. Any jealousy is due to those that defend him or reward him and the inability to understand why, which is not much different than booing at a lackluster effort or product.

Or the disbelief that unlike a Mike Murphy, instead of sticking to one’s basic shtick and building a core audience, North has tried to be everything he isn’t while forgetting the one thing he originally was; not an ex-jock, or sports writer, or sports loving radio professional, but the hot dog guy with an opinion on sports, looking to have some discussion. His one day off this week happened to be the same day I had to drive to work, it was so refreshing that I hope come July there will more of the same.

wordy motherfucker

Mac, based on some of our responses and the events of Friday (Greenstein column; North's Friday show), have we answered your question as to why the "hate"? Or are you still wondering? I'm not being sarcastic nor rhetorical. Are those of us who crave local sports talk in the mornings and long for a better product still being unreasonable? North is just brutal. My own totally unscientific "poll" shows that those who aren't really connected to sports don't even know who the f*** the guy is; those who are at some level into the sports scene seem to be at least 3-1 against him. Other polls, like the Tribune today after Teddy's column, aren't far from that. Why can't we get rid of him? I thought in a market like this, consumers rule.

In a way Mac, you answered your own question.

Because Mike North is not truly "in" our lives, we only know his radio persona, and his radio persona is that of a self-aggrandizing, macho, know-it-all bully who is hypocritical and uninformed. His arrogance and ignorance seem to know no bounds and he thrives on pushing buttons and intentionally crossing lines that he know may get him into trouble.

In short, it is fairly obvious that he is trying to project an image to his listeners, and the overwhelming majority of us who are on this site see right through the transparency of his whole act. We aren't falling for this bit that he plays on the air and I personally am offended that he is trying so hard to have me believe that he is something that he clearly is not.

MJH presents itself as the "Afternoon Saloon." A place where anybody can pull up a stool and talk sports with 3 regular guys. The MNMS presents itself as the clique in high school that was a bully and his cronies and all their older brothers. They acted and felt entitled and important and picked on whomever they like with impunity and without challenge.

I, personally, have zero tolerance for people like that. There is a reason that no one like Mike North is "in" my life and that is because I find people like Mike North to be petty and despicable. I don't actually "hate" Mike North in the sense that you are wondering about, but his contributions to charity and community work mean nothing to me and are completely separate from the issue which confronts his listeners every day, and that is the stagnant radio show that has nothing but ratings defeats and self-inflicted controversy to show for it.

I can understand that you know a side of Mike North that none of us know and that he probably is a nice and charitable and all those things. I don't doubt that for a minute and perhaps if I had the opportunity to sit down face to face with Pappy I would come away feeling the same way. That is not who North pretends to be on his show every day and I should think you would understand that being in this business as long as you have.

$0.02

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Addendum:

Another thing is that, when you ignore people like Mike North, it only makes them louder, more abrasive and more annoying.

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Great read Soup and well said. I totally agree with you.
I wonder if Mac will respond? I doubt it though.

personally, I blame Rob Browns hair plugs on the demise of Chicago radio

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Iam THE authority of Chicago sports, thank you.