Dialing: North's new direction


•More changes are afoot on Mike North's WSCR-AM (670) morning show, as bosses of the CBS Radio sports/talk station (and White Sox flagship) try to steer the program in the direction of all-sports.

One obvious sign of things to come is the diminished role of co-host Anne Maxfield, who has been relegated to reading news headlines. Her previous free-wheeling banter with North has been curtailed sharply.

At the same time, a number of Score producers and part-time hosts are being auditioned for a possible role on North's show. They include Matt Abbatacola, who's on this week, and Jesse Rogers and Laurence Holmes, who will follow. Fred Huebner continues as a contributor.

There are no plans to replace Steve Buchman, who resigned earlier this month as producer.

Can't imagine where the score management got the idea to talk sports on a
SPORTS TALK STATION. What geniuses!!! Think they read message boards?

Just like Annie got the job because of her husband, not her talents as a weekend traffic lady, it sounds like she'll still be around in this diminished roll with the 'well-deserved' raise as Mike put it....If this was anyone else, she would have been fired.

Seems to me they're trying to create a MJH-style morning show. They want a three-man booth. If we think about it for a minute, the ignorant one on MJH is usually sitting in the third chair. With MNMS all three chairs have the ignorant...So you replace Anne with Matt - show might sound better for a while, but how long do you think Drinky will last?

I don't think North's ego will let Drinky do what he needs to. I think, about a month in, Drinky will wake up to the fact that the show sucks and his presence will not change this fact. I think Drinky will find the "undeniably Chicago" tool to be stifling, and he'll feel like he's waking up next to the horse's head each weekday.

What are the odds Drinky throws a strap over the shower rod or bolts SCR within a year?

Drinky is looking for a full-time show, and, he'd be getting an opportunity on a morning show on a big frequency.

I don't think those full-time show openings occur everyday, and with the focus turning back to sports (who would have thought that ?), I'm sure that show is treating things as a new beginning of sorts.

I dont' know, as much as I've bitched about the show the last 2 years, I really do think it sounds way better than it has at any point. I think Mike really does like Drinky and his input, could be wrong though I suppose. But, if it does come to the point Drinky bolts when his contract comes up (do producers/sometimes hosts have contracts?) MVP will scoop him up in a second.

Anyone think a Drinky and JHood show would be any good?

Drinky and JHood may have a good show, but what time would it be on ?

His best chance at an opportunity is with Mike North - who, I agree, seems to get along with him on air, and the show sounds really good.

Well, it's pretty evident from the Salisbury thread that Sean is buckling under the pressure...which I don't blame him; as much as I think the guy blows, there's no way he has any free time to just sit back and relax (though he's probably still in abrasive, shouting-mode when he relaxes)...so if Salisbury eventually goes I'm assuming then Rosey's out too...

Haha I don't know why I'm going into great depth since Drinky is on the Score, just playing Fantasy Sports Radio I guess...

I'm in agreeance with you that I'd like to see Abatacolla get a regular shift since he offers good insight, and is pretty funny, but I think that he's getting a golden opportunity to hopefully be a co-host on North's show

I don't trust ESPN Radio to stay local if Salisbury burns out....if he stays, the guy has a 3 year deal, so I just don't know that stations direction outside of MJH.

Revisionist history.

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No shit roses. It was more like "gun in the mouth forced arguments".

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"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken

At the end of the show today, North rattled off the whole list of people that like Drinky - Mitch, North, Paul Agasse and most importantly, Bebe! I think he has a great shot at this gig.

Annie wasn't mentioned?

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She was roses....They must not want to either piss off her husband further than he probably already is, or they want to spare Anne's feelings, making her think she's still an integral part of the show.

You guys are nuts if you think Drinky's gonna bolt. Bolt where? This is the shot everybody in radio wants. Morning drive in Chicago. You suck up Pappy's stepping over him for this golden opportunity. They better strip Pappy of the solo title of the show. Mitch should do that to cut Pappy's ego down more and make him realize Drinky is an equal. If Fred stays they should call it "The Drinky, Pappy & Spineless show"

Is Annie married to Darth Vader or something? WTF?

File this under seeing a problem and changing it. Albeit late, wrong, and stupid. Mattitude is like Dane Cook with talent.

Who will get to read scores on the 4's? Yikes!

Cue the Dean Martin, get some people under 50 on the station(Bernstein doesn't count 'cause he's got a hundred years of wisdom packed in his head), and stop making feel like I'm listening to my dad's friends at 50,000 watts.

Bring back one of the former versions of Last Call. Holmes and Abbattacola. And yes, for the record, I'm an ageist.

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NO COMPRENDO -- Didn't we just hear that Annie got a new contract? Is she still getting $110,000? Now they diminish her role instead of firing her? This has Drew "Rover" Hayes written all over it!

Somebody should investigate this. Somethings wrong here. You don't give 100 grand of CBS's money out and then diminish her role to nothing a couple weeks later. I know all about the buddy system in corporations but this is to an extreme.

I always wondered with the CBS Family, can a person be re-purposed? Annie would be fine on say WBBM 780AM reading the news on over nights.

No she would night. That mousey voice would drive people crazy.

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"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken

That is authentic frontier gibberish. Either that or extremely Olde English.

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This is the most amazing part. If Drinky is reading the scores and doing updates, that means Fred is there for his personality and strong opinions, right? What does he ever contribute outside of licking Pappy's nutsack?

Some pretty stank breath if that's his job

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Everyone is missing the point. With north, fred, annie and buck the show tended to sound real real old and tired. There were a lot of us that E-mailed north a week into the new morning show and suggested they do exactly what they are now trying to do. Drinky brings in a much needed younger voice to the show. The annie thing was a disaster from day one. Did someone actually think she would draw female listeners? So just turn your back on the audience that built your station, great strategy.

It had been mentioned a while back that North's contract was actually with CBS Radio and not WSCR, meaning that he could move over to WCKG or some other FM station. Maybe Annie has the same sort of contract and we can look forward to her being over on WCKG?

No Nas, Hood just couldn't relate to Telander.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

He was a good listen paired with almost anyone, except Rick. Unfortunately for Hood, he was not able to control his anger at Telander Being brought in with top billing. To bad, he would have been great on the Sox pre and post.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Agreed, I hope that Hood Has learned from his mistake and he will work his way back into the mix. Makes you wonder why someone would throw away that many years of hard work, doesn't it?

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer