I looked it up once & IIRC Mikey's current 5 year contract was signed in July 2003 ergo it doesn't expire until
2008 Here's some of the feedback from the Feder column (10/30/03) following the announcement that Mikey had reupped for $1,500,000.00/year... deja vu all over again?
Steven Herman: I read your column on Mike North. I never knew some in the business make so much. I am proud of Mr. North. He uses his own money as prizes on his show. Unbelievable. Unlike some radio stars, he appreciates his fans.
Vic Barks: A $7.5 million deal for big mouth Mike North? What are those guys at the Score smoking? During his time slot, my dial is tuned to WMVP-AM (1000). Listening to Mr. North is like listening to fingernails across a chalkboard.
Paul Montgomery: It's now obvious who is responsible for the decline in the Score's talent pool over the past couple of years. All those who lost their jobs in the station's "cost-cutting" efforts and have been replaced by no-name, no-talent host-wannabes can take comfort in knowing that the monies they formerly were paid are now marked to fill Mike North's pockets.
Patrick K. Porter: When I read about Mike North's new contract, I didn't know whether to laugh at the suits who gave this yutz so much money or to shed tears of joy that in America it remains possible for anyone with oatmeal for brains to make a ton of dough.
Don Pawl: I'll never understand how a meatball like Mike North could be awarded a hefty contract for screaming over the airwaves. After two minutes, my ears curl up, my stomach starts to churn and off I go to another station. Poor Doug Buffone. He's stuck sitting next to that palooka for four hours.
Roger Van Cleave: Mike North is a blight and an insult to listeners of sports radio. His inappropriate sense of humor and lack of insight is nothing short of shameful. It seems, though, that I am in the minority in this opinion.
Lionel Day: I would like to know how WSCR can pay Mike North $1.5 million a year. Do radio stations that are 24th in the market generate that kind of revenue?
Bill Fortune: Unless I am incorrect, this is the first time that a contract of this size has been offered and signed by a radio station that's not even in the top 20 in this market--or perhaps by any station lower than No. 20 in any market! If ever we were waiting for Enron-style management to be adopted in the radio industry, it looks like the wait is over.
J.D. Marks: Mike North has officially set back the "stay in school" campaign by 10 years.
Larry Carta: I hope the Score included a "diminished skills clause" in Mike North's new contract.
May Mole: Mike North a millionaire? Wow. Now I know there's proof that a higher being is punishing the talented.