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Cochran goes off on WGN: ‘Worst kind of management’
Although no one should have been surprised by last Friday’s firing of Steve Cochran from WGN-AM (720), his departure after 10 years at the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk station still came as a blow to longtime listeners.
For most of his time on the air there, Cochran, 49, had been regarded as the future of the station. By all accounts, the seasoned radio veteran was being groomed as the successor to WGN’s 40-year line of top-rated morning hosts — from Wally Phillips to Bob Collins to Spike O’Dell. But as the Sam Zell era at Tribune Co. unfolded, Cochran suddenly found himself on the outs with new management (and most notably with WGN program director Kevin “Pig Virus” Metheny).
Cochran’s fate was all but sealed when he was signed to just a four-month contract extension earlier this year and demoted from afternoon drive to a two-hour midday shift. For many listeners already disgusted by changes in the station’s lineup and attitude, his ouster may have been the last straw.
Here, in his first extensive interview since he left WGN, Cochran lets loose on what really happened to him — and what he thinks is happening to the once-great radio station:
Q. Let me get this straight: WGN just fired its most talented, youngest and most versatile full-time host. I don’t get it.
A. I don’t know that I get it either. One answer may be politics, but I believe it was largely because I spoke out about what I was witnessing. I didn’t like what they were doing to the radio station and let them know that with regularity. They want people who will never ask questions and just do as they are told.
It’s also likely to be a decision from the man behind the curtain. [Tribune Co. CEO] Randy Michaels is making programming decisions and has wanted to bring in his guys for as long as he has been in charge. That’s why the new guy from WLW [in Cincinnati] was hired and why they wanted Bill Cunningham, too.
The “young-ing up” of the demos is the funniest argument I’ve heard. I was the youngest guy in the prime-time lineup. John Williams is just a year older than me at 50. The rest of the staff is 55-plus — and sounds older than that.
Q. How long have you known this was coming?
A. That is a bit unclear, but I certainly feel I was on top of the hit list for standing up for what I felt was right. This was not about change. Change is appropriate and needed in the evolution of any company. I certainly represented change when I was hired 10 years ago. The difference here is that there seemed to be no consideration for building on what worked. Instead, it was about tearing things down and the almost daily drill of insulting and threatening memos, and a sense of a total lack of respect for anyone who was here before the Zell invasion.
When I turned down the morning show, I’m certain it was not if but when they would pull the plug. The reason it took a year and a half is because the show consistently made money.
Meanwhile, the statements made from the inside about WGN were ridiculous. One main argument from management was that once the Arbitron ratings methodology had changed to digital metering from paper diaries to record listenership, the “real” WGN ratings were known. In other words, the success for decades prior was an accident. If you believed that, then you would also have to say that any successes by the radio-heavy Tribune upper management were also fraudulent since everyone was scored the same way. In other words, the bosses owed their careers to the alleged flawed technology they were citing as the reason they had to change WGN. It’s enough to make your head hurt.
Q. You never got to say goodbye to listeners on the air. What would you have told them?
A. The 10 years I spent at WGN were the most rewarding of my career despite the lunacy of the Sam Zell era. The audience for that station has been the most loyal and supportive I have ever seen. You don’t fully get that until you work there. Bottom line is I can never thank the listeners enough for the run I had at WGN. It’s their radio station and I’m honored to have had a chance to be a part of the history of what was one of the greatest radio stations ever. From Wally to Bob Collins through Spike and Kathy & Judy, it was always a lineup of legends that I was proud to be a part of until very recently.
It’s too bad the new Tribune management never got that. In my opinion, the reason Randy Michaels & Co. have failed, are failing, and will fail here is because they have no respect for the audience. They simply don’t seem to care what the listeners think. Imagine that attitude in any other business. It’s so counter-intuitive because people logically think that any business run for profit would focus on pleasing their customers. The current Tribune Company appears to be run by a club of Randy and friends who only talk to each other and really seem to think they are the smartest guys in the room.
Q. What’s been the reaction of people to the news?
A. It’s been amazing. Thousands of emails, Facebook outrage, and more. The people are no longer confused. They are pissed off. It’s not about me. It’s the sum total of a series of decisions so bizarre and so wrong that it’s hard to remember which bad idea was worst. And no, the Sunday night show with the guy with the French accent is not meant to be a joke. Kevin Metheny apparently thinks that’s fascinating.
Q. What’s your theory on what’s really going on at WGN? To outsiders, none of this makes any sense.
A. It won’t make anyone feel better, but it makes even less sense on the inside. There are daily discussions in the hallways about what the management could be up to next. The fact is Kevin Metheny is making some of the decisions and also putting Randy Michaels’ programming decisions in play. The idiocy of it all is the notion that you can bring in unknown guys from Cincinnati and the Chicago audience is going to suddenly fall in love with them. I actually feel bad for the new guy because he has no idea what he’s in for. At a time when there have never been more entertainment choices, starting over with an all-new lineup is beyond a long shot. It’s a bad joke.
Q. What do you think of the current daytime lineup on the station?
A. These are professional opinions only and not meant to be personal in any way.
Greg Jarrett is not ready to host his own show, and therefore not ready to host mornings on WGN. He doesn’t listen, which makes him a bad interviewer. He doesn’t seem to prepare, so he consistently sounds like an outsider even after a year here.
John Williams is doing a great show — especially under these circumstances. If they lose him, the last link to what WGN has always meant to Chicago will be gone.
Jim Laski is an inexplicable hire. At a time when crooked politicians are front and center as The Problem, Laski is hired as the answer? He has zero experience as a talk show host and proves it everyday. And none of this goes to his hiring being primarily to replace “Sports Central,” where David Kaplan was the perfect fit between Cubs and Blackhawks games and had done a great show for years. You can’t make it up.
Garry Meier is in a tough spot. He’s got a big crowd from the old days that are finding him, but the regular audience needs to give him a chance. He’s still funny, and the rap on him that he’s a co-host only is B.S. He works hard and I like his show.
Q. I heard something about management changing the lock on your office door without telling you several days before you were fired. That didn’t really happen, did it?
A. Last Wednesday [June 23], after the show, I had numerous people stop me on the way back to my office to say that the lock on my office door was changed while I was on the air. Since I wasn’t told I needed a new key and was expecting to be popped at any point, I thought this was their subtle way of saying goodbye. I was later told they were re-keying the lock so my new producer could have a key, but that seems a bit pricey for a bankrupt company. I was then given the new key but not fired until two days later. Another WGN “you can’t make it up” moment.
Q. I got the sense that there was bad blood between you and your bosses ever since you turned down the morning job. What really happened then?
A. [General manager] Tom Langmyer offered me mornings after Spike left, and I assumed we would easily come to a deal. It was never close. The offer was for the exact same dollars that I made doing the afternoon show even though the morning show was billing two to three times as much. So to get up at 3 a.m. and make the company even more money meant this deal was beyond bad. It was very disappointing, but the absolute right decision for me.
John Williams was offered the show after I turned it down — then had it taken away a few months later when Randy Michaels insisted Greg Jarrett be hired from San Francisco despite apparently never having been to Chicago before or never having hosted a show on his own. The sad thing is John was never given a fair chance.
Q. Don’t hold back: What do you really think of Tom Langmyer and Kevin Metheny?
A. Langmyer mostly got what WGN was, and I think he meant well when he came in. He made some positive moves, but then watered them down with some really bad ideas. The worst for me was giving me the afternoon show but adding traffic every 10 minutes, which made it nearly impossible to do a show with any flow at all. Somewhere along the way, he lost control of the place, and I believe he hasn’t made any programming decisions since Metheny was hired.
I think Kevin has been a disaster. He has made a Joe DiMaggio hit streak of bad decisions with no end in sight. His leadership style varies between absent and intimidation. Since the intimidation never worked with me, he was just absent. He almost never held a staff meeting because he never wanted to be challenged. His disdain for the audience was clear when he was on with me last summer and with Garry last week. Any caller who asked a tough question was cut off by sarcasm or bitterness. I believe he has no interest in programming WGN day-to-day, and he seems to be burned out beyond belief.
Q. What’s next?
A. This Internet thing might eventually catch on so I’m launching stevecochranshow.comwithin days. The website will have podcasts and live shows including the best guests from my former show. It also will allow me to do many things that I couldn’t do within the confines of WGN, and I’m excited about that. There will definitely be more stand-up dates in my future. I also am closing in on a book deal and have some offers to do radio that I’ll decide on soon. If you keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter, I expect I’ll be living there daily as well with updates on whatever I am doing.
Q. Think you’ll ever be invited to one of Randy’s drinking/smoking/gambling parties at Tribune Tower?
A. So far nothing in the mail. What amazes me is that those pictures and text here on your blog didn’t become a criminal matter. The gambling is one thing, but in the city of the great Chicago Fire to have the landmark Tribune Tower’s smoke detectors tampered with is beyond words. Have I said this yet? You can’t make it up! But that was a proud moment for the company, wasn’t it? And by the way, that wasn’t some company morale-building event. It was the small group of yes-men who Randy keeps closest to him.
Bottom line is just because they own the place doesn’t mean everything is OK. It’s stunning that the primary creditors in the bankruptcy would want these people to continue to run this company and expect they would be successful on any level.
The bad signs were there from the beginning. In the first “dog-and-pony show” meeting, Sam Zell announced to the radio staff that if this new Tribune Company didn’t work, it wouldn’t affect his lifestyle but it sure would affect ours. Then as they kept cutting $25,000 to $50,000-a-year employees, they approved huge bonuses for themselves. Very classy.
They claim success because they are able to show better money numbers. What is never stated is that personnel have been cut beyond reasonable totals and the quality of the product suffers more everyday. So they pay less money to less people with less experience and damn the consequences. Gee . . . good plan.
What I have witnessed is the worst possible kind of management that trips over itself to cover their asses and manage up, so that Randy Michaels will keep them around and overpay them for jobs they don’t deserve. Chicago deserves better than that. The question is: Is it too late to save Tribune Company?
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Wow, great column Robert and Steve. What a mess they've created at that station. You have to wonder what Michaels and Metheny think after they read this scathing indictment! They are lucky the Cubs are doing so well! : )
Wow...a stunning interview. Thanks, Mr. Feder, for insight into a horrible situation. Thanks, Mr. Cochran, for the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear or tell. I think everyone could tell there was ill-will coming from the Tower of Truth, but I had no idea of the depth to which this company has sunk. What a truly sad state of affairs.
Awesome. Saying what we all would like to hear: the truth, unflinching and unvarnished. The funny thing is, there are no surprises here and still those numbskulls STILL think they are the smartest guys in the room.
I keep reading from commenters and "talent" (Steve Cochran?) disdain for people from Cincinnati. If you don't think WGN should hire radio people from that city, then you don't think they should have hired Wally Phillips, because that's where he was from.
I agree that most of these personnel decisions are inexplicably bad (the most recent one excepted), but, please, don't imagine that all your favorites were Chicago natives. They weren't. Many of them were from around the country. They learned to fit in. And one of the guys who is from Chicago, Laski, will probably never be accepted on WGN. Maybe the current crop will grow on us. I doubt it, but who knows.
I think a lot of these newly freed former employees are going to play a waiting game to see if the current management lasts. If it doesn't, then they will hope to get their jobs back when a new team comes in. If it does, then maybe someone else will reprogram another station where they can catch on.
Bottom line is that Mr. Cochran and management didn't get along because they all thought they were the smartest (and funniest) guys in the room. None of them were (and are) and so they weren't passing it along to listeners.
The idiots running WGN now rival the idiots at WLS and CBS and Clear Channel - pick four!
It's interesting to hear a balls-out take on the situation, even if it's just what was surmised anyway, but couldn't one be bothered to bring up Roy Leonard's assessment of Cochran? He's long struck me as the least of the WGN daytime evils, but the man stomped around his audio environs like something out of Scandanavian folklore, generally to no positive effect.
As a Cincinnati native who has experienced the decline of WLW in the 80's and 90's - and that station was almost an exact parallel to WGN in terms of style, stature and tradition - I hate to break it to you Mr. Feder, and Chicago...it's going to get a lot worse. Eventually if you have any sense of class at all, you won't be able to turn on WGN...it will devolve to just a cut above Jerry Springer, also unfortunately a Cincinnati export. To have seen Randy Michaels at the peak of his career with WKRQ/Q101 and WEBN, it is so puzzeling that a guy that could sense and understand a market and its taste so well and then deliver truly outstanding program when he was beginning his career is missing it so badly after so many years of experience. Cincinnatians are not the hicks that one would surmise based on Mr. Michaels's influx to Chicago. (The pictures of that party sickened me.) Please accept the apology from our city.
Thank you, Rob Feder, for keeping us (formerly) loyal WGN listeners apprised of everything that is happening. And thank you, Steve Cochran, for having the balls to tell it like it evidently is. I'm done with WGN but I'm not done with you guys. I look forward every day to your blog and the info it contains. You, Mr Feder, are obviously trusted and admired by the former WGN on-air stars who are willing to get their information and opinions out to their fans. Thanks so much.
I can't wait to listen in to Steve's show on the internet. Who really needs WGN at this point. These management gerus have single-handedly made a former AM powerhouse a non-player. I wish him the best.
Great interview. I am glad Steve got everything off his chest. I liked Steve's show in fact it was the ONLY thing on WGN I listened to consistantly. Good Luck to him.
Thank you, Robert and Steve, for giving us loyal listeners some closure. I find myself very restless during the day now without those who have been members of my extended family for the past 10 years. I was newly married and settling into a new life routine when I became a regular listener. I would wake up with Spike, laugh with my girlfriends and Steve, and then have dinner with John and/or Kap on nights when my husband worked late. Through the years my friends were still there - though rearranged a bit. Now I feel like everyone has moved away at the same time leaving me behind (don't mean to sound like Blago...) I wish you the best, Steve, and look forward to your next venture. Thanks for being a class act.
I can sympathize with Cochran on crap management but the one thing that comes off silly is when fired jocks put down the results of PPM. Yea, Steve, it really is more accurate and yea, the success of ANYONE and ANYTHING using paper diaries was a complete crapshoot using paper diaries. Sorry to bust your delusional bubble but science is science, facts are facts and less and less people are even bothering to listen to radio. Recording the amount of people actually listening IS more accurate than hoping people fill out paper diaries accurately. Just look at Dahl, he thought millions of people were listening to his daily lecture on what he had for breakfast but it turned out that NO ONE WAS.
Why don't the bankers get rid of Randy and put their own experts in charge of Tribune? I believe it's coming.
Best accurate quotes:
--"The current Tribune Company appears to be run by a club of Randy and friends who only talk to each other and really seem to think they are the smartest guys in the room."
If you're not one of Randy's friends then you "Don't get it".
--"They want people who will never ask questions and just do as they are told.'
Soooooo true. These are the morons who came in on day 1 with Zell saying you must question everything and your bosses. Total BS. If you do they fire you saying you "don't get it". That breeds a whole company of "yes men". I guess Randy ignores the wisdom of the band YES which says, "Don't surround yourself with yourself." On the TV side they picked the single weakest player and put her in charge of everything. Yes women, too.
I would get fired today if for example I dared to question the new upcoming company-wide Tribune promotion: 57 year old Lee Abrams is basing their new company wide promotion on............Tom Petty.
We question whether this is the smartest choice considering the Tribune TV affilates are based on younger demos in the CW Network and FOX. I'm not saying young demos don't know Tom Petty. But you choose this stuff very carefully and if you're gonna pick an artist most suitable to the 18-24 year old demo? or 18-34? Would it be Tom Petty? It's a fair question everyone is murmuring about this but no one dares ask it. Another terrible misfire from the king of innovation Lee Abrams. But Lee is only there because of Randy Michaels and 60 year old Randy approves of Tom Petty. So let's see, let's pick an artist that would best reflect the viewers of "American Teen Awards", "Gossip Girl", "Glee: and "The Cleveland Show".......I know, Tom Petty.
Bankers, are you listening?
WGN-AM ratings in the past year or so haven't really suffered and, from what I hear, billing is healthy. I continue to be amazed at all the "wrecking the station" conversations. Are there changes? Absolutely. But nothing (other than Laski who might be weak as a broadcaster but certainly has the Chicago insider credentials a station like WGN needs) has happened that is all that dramatic. Stations flip personalities - it happens. I don't feel its stations that need to "young up" but rather a need for advertisers and radio measuring companies to come to the realization that they're using 40 year old age categories in an era where "old people in their 50's and 60's" are as or more active (including spending) than their younger counterparts. Re-structure measurement demographic groups to match consumer spending reality and you'll find these "old AM stations" to be a lot more mainstream than you think. As for Steve Cochran - his issues/claims/complaints sound very familiar. A lot of on-air folks rage against "management". He seems like a nice guy and does a good job but he's glossing over a whole lot of stuff, I'm sure. And, what everyone forgets is that, on average, the vast majority of people don't listen to "your station". Everybody reaches 2 to 5% if you believe the numbers. Steve has his fans but they're still dialing in to 720 in most instances.
Dang. Way to go Stevie. As thousands of others, I have moved on from WGN. I listen to John Howell in the morning now, and Garry gets me in the afternoons. Evenings are with the Score. As near as a few years ago, the dial never left 720. You are right Steve - the disdain that WGN management has for it's listeners is mind-blowing. Best of luck!
During my 17 years in Chicago radio I was a first hand witness to many great things and a number of stupid moves made by company management. However, I have never seen such a constant barrage of short sighted ignorant strategies like the ones are being pulled by Randy Michaels and Kevin Metheny. It almost appears as if they want to burn WGN to the core like a Viking Funeral. But not before first looting the ship of any and all money for themselves. To Steve Cochran, Kathy & Judy and others displaced by WGN, you're better off being away from this mess of a radio station. To folks like Garry Meier and John Williams, keep up the good fight and I hope you can weather the destructive storms created by idiot managers.
WGN was once a class act radio station to listen to......
and then the Rats Came ........ and pooped all over the place and now the station broadcast 50,000 watts of poop..............
enjoy......................
This interview is, without question, the most telling and damaging account of what can happen when ignorant, self-important people set their sights on "improving" any institution, let alone a special institution like WGN. I applaud Steve Cochran for having the guts to put everything out there and hope Chicago can finally make some progress towards pushing these thugs out of a place that means so much to many of us.
Even though I as not not much of a Steve Cochran fan--I found him (very wrongly)opinionated, arrogant, extremely self-righteous, and rude to callers (whom he would cut off most of the time, especially if they disagreed with his point-of-view), I agree with almost 100% of the observations he has voiced here. I'm glad he spoke out. I've been a long-time listener to WGN radio, but since the new regime has taken over, I listen less and less and less.
1. Cubs Reference
2. Garry Meier stinks.
3. Scott Becker is a class act.
Everyone: go to your doctor, especially if you are near 40, and get your heart checked out, or you may end up like Steve Cochran.
How does he really feel?
Hi Robert:
Most people who read you know of the link below but now they might want to capture as much as they can, in case it goes away. Wonderful memories of a leader in the business. WGN truly was Chicago.
http://wgngold.com/timeline/1920s1930s.htm
No, Steve, I don't think there is any hope for Tribune as long as Randzo and his clown train keep tooting around in circles, smokin' and spittin' and grinding their fat cigars in our faces.
I'm curious to know which bankruptcy judge is handling this case and who the primary creditors are. Perhaps directing our courteous, yet concerned, mail to those individuals and companies would be more useful than ranting to RFeder. I'm not sure any of the antics so far reported rise to the level of criminal behavior but for a court to allow the very public pillaging of a company already in bankruptcy proceedings seems counterproductive and smacks of, as Mr. Kass would put it, the Chicago Way.
How about it, RFeder? A blog listing the creditors and legal beagles involved in the Tribune case?
Steve is THE nicest guy in radio (and a quality broadcaster as well) and even if he still is feeling raw from the dismissal, to hear him going off on management like that tells you something.
Say what you want about this just sounding like sour grapes from a guy who just got canned, but what Steve says is true. Upper management at WGN have no idea what they are doing. This IS the end of the Tribune company, not because of Cochran getting the bums rush out the door, but that it's the last straw. It's the final step before the company goes over the cliff.
Where has the fire department been? How much did Zell pay them to not file charges for tampering with the alarm sytem? How much has the health department been given to ignore smoking in the Tower? And the illegal gambling? It's enough they insult the audience, but to flaunt the laws of the city and the state?
I am glad that Steve is confirming what everyone has believed has been happening behind the scenes. I will be looking forward to catching Steve where ever he ends up next.
Steve
Your ratings were AWFUL, get over yourself. You are self centered with little talent. You are bitter and whether or not you agree with management this is a sleezy way to go away.
This is a frighteningly good interview, Rob. And depressing ... what Sam Zell is doing to the Tribune and WGN reminds me so much of the Conrad Black gang, which raped and pillaged the Sun-Times so thoroughly it's lucky to still be alive. Hat's off to Cochran for telling us listeners what's really going on at what used to be one of my favorite stations ... and, sadly, is rapidly becoming an unfavorite. As someone immersed in Chicago media for more than four decades--I grew up on the Sun-Times, WGN et al--the Zell-Black era is the most foul in my memory. Thanks for doing what you do best, Rob: keeping us informed.
I think Steve Bertrand & Garry Meier are a good match. Both have a good sense of humor, but what the hell does it matter what we think. So I've been tuning out. That is the ONLY way they will get the message.
Rob, first of all, this column alone proves that the Sun Times were idiots to get you to leave. This is A1 stuff! I also admire the candor that Steve gave in the column. My guess is that John Williams is next to go and that will put the nail in the coffin of what was known as WGN. If the new owners of the Chicago Cubs have any sense, they'd bail out of there too and move the broadcasts to ANY other station. They'd do us all a favor by giving NO ONE a reason to listen to the former powerhouse.
Interesting blog today but not really surprising. I was not a Steve Cochran fan and I hope he does not come to regret doing his laundry in public as he needs another job. These types of situations go on in all businesses large and small but are not in the news because no one cares except the people who lose their jobs. I agree that we should not be insulting people from Cincinnati or any other city because they are not from Chicago. Open up those eyes Chicago, there are bright people all over the world. Eventually, Randy and his sidekick will implode and the world will move on.
Robert-
I follow your blogs and have appreciated the explanation of the Mysterious Evaporation of WGN. This is a great column, where Steve explains without being vicious, some of what is going on. As a listener, I am appalled at the changes and the lack of warning with each of the changes. I work all day, so I miss Sports Central most of all. We all wish Steve and all the others the best but cannot believe they are no longer accessible to us.
I like his comments about Greg Jarret- his show is so awful, he spends so much time telling us what's coming up in 7 minutes, and he doesn't listen and always sounds unprepared.
These last couple of weeks with Bob Sirott filling in has been wonderful. So laid back, yet informative.
I wonder if these guys (Pig Virus, or Mytch Michaels) have done some market research that we ALL are not aware of that they are basing these decisions on. Just using McDonalds as an example, there is an article out today they are changing some of their breakfast menu. I'm sure they researched that idea. Ok, I should say I'm sure, but I think its a fair assumption they did. Just asking rhetorically. In regards to the new Cincinnati air staff. Larry Lujack came to Chicago via Boston and Seattle, and he is beloved here. Steve Dahl from Detroit, Ravi Baichwal (sp) on Channel 7 came from Canada. Those are 3 examples, there could probably be a list of them. So its not unusual for stations to go outside of the market. The big question is, was there some sort of research to back up these changes?
Are you seriously thinking someone else in radio will hire you after trashing WGN? Isn't it a business? Mike MaConnell left Cincinnati for WGN and said incredible things about his former employer. Why do you go out like this?
Rob....OK we get it. You don't like what's going on at WGN. Your continued harangues now border on unprofessional. Get over it.
Thank God for guys like Steve Cochran, who aren't afraid to be honest and tell it like it is. I love how Steve gives his opinion without bile or vindictiveness. It would be so easy for him to use this interview to sling mud and get personal. Instead we get a very pragmatic and fearless behind-the-scenes perspective. Great article.
Take your dismissal like a man Steve. I was fired seven times in my broadcast career.
You had a nice run, 10 years at ANY radio station is eternity. Oh, and, you think the "internet thing might eventually catch on"? Shows how out of touch you are sir. I'm sure Mr. Feder appreciates any muck you can throw at Zell/R Michaels. Truth is, radio is another dying media and you are just part of the road kill. WGN has always been the bastion of cronyism. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Signed,
Been There, Done That
don't you just love venture capitalists like sam zell, use a limited amount of your own assets, acquire a venerable old company, rape, pillage, and plunder, the pension plan among other things... remember that female reporter, i think from the LA times, who was bereated and humiliated because she dared to question the great sam zell awhile back, add that to what we learned today that zell said his purchase was no risk to him but a big risk to his new employees if they don't fulfill his long term plans for his new trinket. zell like people are the ones running corporate america today, and the middle class is in danger of losing all the gains that were made in the last 75 years. wise up america!
Poignant comments on Steve’s former on-air mates. The greatest guy at WGN is, unfortunately, their worst broadcaster - Ron Santo. I love him as a Cubs' ambassador, but he's an awful broadcaster.
Keep rearranging those deck chairs, 'GN...
Steve, you would have had the morning job if you would have been able to be on time to work. This was the primary consideration that you would not agree to. Mr. Feder touched on it but it was a bigger reason for your lost opportunity.
Fire this management team now! They deserve pink slips not bonuses. They are supposed to be radio experts. They are paying bonuses to their poker buddies and running out on pension obligations to good people who worked hard for a once great company. They are discarding the people that made millions for the station in order to line their own pockets. Good for Steve for standing up to them. Does anyone in tribune management care about what is happening? Does anyone think Metheney is doing a good job? Howard Stern and Steve C have both been straight shooters they seem to have this guy figured out its time someone in that building wakes up. In fact I would guess they are already up because it should be hard to sleep when you have ruined something that so many people cared about. Even though I like Gary Meyer's show in moderation I will no longer listen to WGN radio, watch Tom Skilling or read their newspapers until there is a change of management.
I am the same age as Steve, and grew up with WGN. Never thinking I'd ever be a listener to the station, let alone a "supporter", but that's what happened. Over time however, beginning with Spike's retirement, the changes at WGN have seemed like a slow lingering death. That's now turned into a free fall. Steve totally nailed it regarding the disdain and contempt that management has for listeners. The frustrating part is that it doesn't seem to matter.
As long as you're a cronie of Randy Michaels, you seem to be golden. As for me, I'll still listen to Pat & Ron, but mostly drift over to NPR, dabble with the Mix, the Drive, etc. It's too bad, but not the end of the world. In the end, Spike was right: it's just another radio station. Nothing speical. That's the saddest part of all.
Is Rob ever going to comment on Lewis Lazare's insistence in the Sun-Times that Bob Sirott -- relevant to this post, since Sirott's filling in for WGN's Greg Jarrett -- is headed to WFLD-Ch. 32? Feder and Sirott are old pals. Does that make it harder for Feder to "break" stories about his friend about deals that aren't public yet? Seems like it'd be easier for Lazare or Rosenthal to write about Sirott if he's not their buddy and they don't have to worry about keeping Sirott happy.
And are "Jim Wiser Tardy's" comments really right? It sounds like Cochran's issue with not taking the WGN morning job related to $$$ (and her stepcousin, "respect"), not being on-time. But has punctuality ever been an issue for Steve Cochran? Has he ever pulled a "Kevin Roy"? (or, in a nod to those here who comment using Cub and ex-Cub names, a "Kevin Blankenship"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Blankenship)
I can only hope your interview is a tipping point. And the nerds in charge are left with their own rotted souls and kicked to the curb quickly. I hope they are left to decay with some other company that would hire them to dismantle their radio station. Everyone has a gift and Randy M.'s gift is his own self-deception and self-love of his meaningless one trick pony legacy.
I have just deleted my WGN app from my iPhone. It's official.
WGN was once the most successful radio station in the country. Why doesn't some station here that's low in the ratings (like WIND) hire the 'GN castoffs and try to duplicate what once was?
Really too bad about WGN. I liked some of the former hosts better than others -- typical listener -- but now find myself tuning in just briefly to hear news updates or weather. Sometimes listen to Garry in the p.m. Comments on Jarret completely correct -- he's so generic, not Chicago at all, and doesn't listen. Terrible interviewer. Lasky unfortunately is Chicago type, but also does not listen to listeners -- unless they agree with him. He is so unprofessional. Oh, well -- 780 and WBEZ are the two stations I listen to now. I just have a nagging sadness about how quickly management has accomplished the destruction of WGN radio. Too bad.
Man, that station missed a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY when they didn't hire Brandmeier. I have a feeling whatever ratings Garry Meier is enjoying now will completely evaporate like the fans in the Wrigley Field seats as the Cub season winds to a close at the end of the month. Roe and Roeper have a much better show than a solo Garry, but I think Brandmeier would have buried WLS. Then again, after reading Robert Feder and Steve Cochran's expose, there is NO WAY he was going to work for these WGN idiots!
Maybe you missed it, @Scott Becker, but I broke the story of Bob Sirott going to WFLD-Channel 32 on May 7 — before Lazare or Rosenthal wrote about it. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/9Fit7C
I wish Steve Cochran good luck, but frankly, I tired of his sarcasm long ago. His genuine affection for kids made for an odd juxtapostion with the smart a** cracks he showered on everyone else. With the possible exception of Laski, Steve was the most expendible talent on the roster.
Steve's take on Greg Jarrett is on the money. What's left? Garry Meier is great. If they could snag Bob Sirott for mornings they would have both ends of drive time locked up for me.
I don't want to jinx 'em, but hope the suits leave Milt Rosenberg and Steve & Johnny right where they are, until death do us part.
Steve, as usual, you pull no punches and make 100% sense of a complicated situation. You nailed it when you said the station management has no respect for or appreciation of the audience. Listen to Pig Vomit/Virus speak to the listeners on the Kathy and Judy siutation as reported in this blog last week. Respect and appreciation were the hallmarks of your all too brief tenure at the former WGN. Why former? The station bears no resemblance to what it was and what it stood for in Chicago, the Midwest, and broadcasting. Cannot wait for the Steve Cochran show online!
fasinating reading today, thank you Steve for telling everyone the truth and thank you Mr. Feder for reporting it!!! I wish only the best for Steve and will follow him with his new website.
Listening to Bob Sirott in the morning reminds me of what's missing with Greg Jarrett. Greg's a nice enough guy with no chemistry whatsoever. Don't you want a friend talking to you in the morning? Giving you info, insight and stories? Bob connects really well. Gregg doesn't. He's a news guy. He's got no warm and fuzzies. Aren't station managers supposed to know whether a personality connects with the audience.
Howard Stern was right. Pig Virus is a disaster. The remarkable thing is that people keep hiring him. Soon the storied WGN will be just a memory. Thanks, PV.
@ Brad Nailer #: Instead of leaving Steve and Johnny right where they are, take them off now now now. No talent, smug, incompetents who repeat things on the air that are many times wrong wrong wrong!
Attention, Scott Becker and Jim Wiser Tardy. Want to know more about the issues Steve has with a. being on time and b. attitude in the workplace? Look to his history up north. Why and how did he leave KDWB?
It's rumored that Cardinal Francis George will replace Ken Klaus on WGN's Lutheran Hour. Is this true?
I love how the Lutheran Hour is 30 minutes long!
#57, You're the greatest!
Johnny B. and Stevie C = much saltier when off the air (after getting canned).
Steve Cochran I believe appeals to people who's favorite color is beige or actually enjoy low sodium chicken soup.
I love humor but there is seriously no edge with his.
Boycott WGN's sponsors. E-mail them and let them know.
Like I have stated here before WGN was for Oldies with Wally & Bob, Roy, back to Big Al, and Bill Berg..They appealed to the people who never wanted progress. I never liked Spike it was like listening to Hee Haw, and K & J They should play tapes of their shows to people arrested to get confessions from them. John Williams..I still ask myself what was and is the appeal? Garry luckiest guy on earth... and his show is horrible. I never thought I would hear him on the station that he a Steve trashed daily! Sports Central..David Kaplan very average & dull.. Steve & Johnni...why? I have listened to Greg Jarrett, like mentioined here before he is terrible. I am not a Cubs fan but every once in a while llisten to their games ( If for nothing else than to hear poor Ron Santo moan about the team poor guy has to look at that every day!) WGN, WLS and the Score are the reasons I bought XM/Sirus in my car. As someone who used to work in the industry, even though I didn't like them, it is sad to see WGN like this. I worked at the old WMAQ when it was Country we had two bosses who where the same as these guys..so I can relate..very sad very sad indeed.
The only thing the Sun-Times consistently (since 1994) outdid the Tribune at was disfunction at the senior management level....reading this tremendous interview, if one did not know better, you would think they were talking about the day to day business and decision making process at the Chicago Sun-Times. It's appears as though the Sun-Time's has lost their lead on the only category they beat the Trib at, disfunctional senior management.
Yes men get promoted. Great talent, with experience, knowledge, and contacts, gets pushed to the side, the people that know the least and have the least experience are handed the most responsibility, and shame on you if you question a really stupid idea, one that may cost more revenue than you stand to make.
It's a sad thing to watch.
Tribune has gone to hell in a handbasket ever since Zell and Company took over the shop. Michaels is a disaster and a waste of space and Metheny..enough said there. Jarrett needs to be shown the door, along with Garry Meier (a Pig Vomit Kiss-ass), along with that conman Laski and those other two fools, Steve and Johnnie. The Frenchman and Agar need to also be shown the door as well as Santo. This station is slowly sinking like the Titatnic and eventually, it will hit rock bottom, but will Zell care? Please! Tribune is just a horrid organization...worse than the WWE!
Thank you Robert Feder for confirming most of the info Larz has been leaking on his CRM message board for months! Of course I'm kidding! Who is this guy or girl Larz, and why does he/she try to rain on your parade, (when you get an exclusive interview with Steve Cochran), by suggesting that you are only here to confirm what he/she's been telling us for months! I hope he/she reads this because I'd be wasting my time trying to post it on his/her site that is known for it's heavy handed censorship! Thanks for all you do Robert Feder and thank you for remaining humble while you do it!
@BigB1954 #63 - Amen! You told it like it is...
"Boycott WGN's sponsors. E-mail them and let them know."
.
You can't "boycott" someone that you don't patronize in the first place. Are you sure you don't mean "pester their advertisers with petulant bitching and moaning that they don't give a damn about"?
@THE WHOLE TRUTH #67 THANKS JUST CALL EM AS I SEEM EM...HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY
@boycotter
Boycott the sponsors? Really? How many body altering 800# products do you currently use? None for me - so what's the point? If I had the money I would join a gym, not drink weight loss water; I wouldn't be in debt, and wouldn't need debt consulting or need to buy gold; and I don't have sexual issues - so I don't need any help from the Boston Method. If you can find a legitimate sponsor, I would be happy to email them and tell them I will not buy their products.
I love you Steve Cochran! You have the nads to tell the truth. I work for the Mother Ship too. And I am worried. The Management is high on something.
They are stripping away all that is GN. "We need to change the way WGN is percieved." B.S. They have failed WGN. Will they be around to see if all of their changes amount to any success? No. I weep over what has taken place.
If it were not from WGN, this blog would not exist. This is not a knock against RF; he is a very accomplished writer. As a few astute posters have pointed out, this is a business that is based on research and not the whims of executives. The management at WGN has to be responsible to a board of directors and shareholders. In order to maximize profits a company has to evolve or fade away. And for these reasons, the brass at WGN is making changes. I am sure I will hear the cries that they are abandoning their core audience of Adults age 65+ and that this group has money and they are a large segmentation of the population. All this may be true but advertisers are not interested in building brand loyalty with people that have been using Tide and Crest since the Truman administration. Advertisers want to engage the younger demos, plain and simple. Finally, I would hope the posters that think they are reaching the folks at WGN via this blog and wonder why WGN does not react to their demands to keep things the same, there are two reasons: The posters represent less than 0.00001% of WGNs total audience and people only post when they are upset (generally); thus, WGN is not going to react to a handful of disgruntled listeners. Oh one more thing, I did not read more than the 1st question of this article because it so slanted, this is the 1st question: Let me get this straight: WGN just fired its most talented, youngest and most versatile full-time host. I don’t get it.
As we all know, that is how most well balanced reports begin.
I am new to this blog; my sister told me about it. I am glad that us older folks have a place to vent. I am sure this young man Steve had a huge audience and the Pig person decided to get rid of him because he wants to see WGN fail! I was reading past blogs and those 2 girls Kathy and Judy are the best! I don't see why one of the other stations in town don't hire them? My grandson showed me some clips on "the you tube" of Kathy and Judy and they are so funny; maybe TV for them? Thanks for allowing me to join in on the WGN bashing blog! Thank you, Lydia S.
the cubs are miserable to listen to anymore. Ron's groaning is very difficult to take. pat hughes is one of the best announcers i can remember. the cubs, the saturday morning farm show, Lou manfridini, and the john williams show. those are the reasons i listen. okay john's show is ending, i speculate. the cubs stink. so I listen for 4 hours on saturday morning because the rest is irrelevant to me. wgn radio management is a complete failure, along with that weekly morning host and the criminal host. I'm jumping off this ship, you losers.
I have said this many many times I am sick of the management of WGN...Now I listen to WGN only from 5-1 as much as I can. the rest of the day is pure bull****yelling and screaming bad jokes things that don't make WGN good...I am also thinging of dropping my subscription to the Tribune as it is run by the same people who wrecked GN.
I am not in radio but I have a radio. Actually 17-26, counting cars, showers, the shed, etc.(not bragging).... and they are very rarely tuned to 720.
Lori #73 makes some sense, but 65+? Where did she pull that stat out of? I'm 27x2, retired, ready to spend (now I'm bragging) and ready to listen to any station, including commercials, that entertains me without insulting me with horrible hosts and the stupid spots these ad agencies come up with. I would love for that station to be WGN.
BTW #74...love your name.
Speaking of tasteless. What genius at WGN thought this was appropriate for their website?http://www.wgnradio.com/news/top/sns-viral-flag-bikinis,0,4456701.photogallery
@Lori-This blog exists because of Chicago media, not just one radio station. As far as research, yes I'm sure that Zell & Co., have done their fair share, but research can be faulty both in its methodology and its application. You can make a decision that totally works for Cincinnati but that won't fly in Chicago, especially at a station that people have a passion for. Pig Virus doesn't have to satisfy shareholders, anyway, because the Tribune Co. is now a privately held one, by Sam Zell. Evolution is not at issue. Radio stations are in a constant state of flux. Promote what works, tweak what doesn't. That is not a fair description of what Metheney does. Make fun of their older demo. I'm in my mid-30s, in the important 25-54 demo, and I am DONE with WGN. Lastly, Feder is a blogger, essentially a columnist who is supposed to share his opinion. Please don't confuse him with a reporter. That you get news here is an additional benefit.
Lydia, #74....Hello.
Welcome to the Whack Pack.
I really do think what's happening here is radio-criminal...but I do wonder if maybe Steve was asking for double or triple the to salary do the WGN morning show in an economic time when a lot of Marketing Architects spots area being heard EVEN ON WGN! If you're in radio you know what I'm talking about...
Steve, you say Jarrett doesn't...listen. But this was your worst fault. Not listening. You were too busy working out the next wisecrack. Stop telling peole you're...FUNNY. If you really are FUNNY...they'll get it and respond. You don't need to remind us every 45 seconds that you're a stand-up comic of some sort and are ...FUNNY. If you are FUNNY...we will laugh. Otherwise...no. It's like the old tummler staring at his audience, snarling, "What are you...an oil painting?! These are the jokes. So laugh already!!!"
#78:
Thanks for the link.
#16 was the most tasteless to me.
I hate it so much it's now my wallpaper!
"Speaking of tasteless. What genius at WGN thought this was appropriate for their website?http://www.wgnradio.com/news/top/sns-viral-flag-bikinis,0,4456701.photogallery"
That was awesome! Thanks #78. Good luck Steve. Really enjoyed your show & look forward to being entertained by you on this internetty thing.
i sooo agree with steve...when pig virus was on garrys show you could see him lieing thru the radio....i wish someone would take everybody wgn got rid of and start a new radio show somewhere...after having wgn on all day, i barely listen to it anymore......thanks for the great interview
To the Cincinnati native who said Randy Michaels destroyed WLW in the 80s....uhhhh, sir? He actually saved it. Turned it into the number one station across all dayparts in the city..a distinction it still holds today, years after Randy left it.
Steve Cochran just sounds like a guy who is angry he got fired. Totally justified, it's happened to all of us, but if you knew it was coming, and didn't like the direction management was taking the station, why did you sign the four month contract extension?
My WGN listening for most of my life has been overnight, starting with Eddie, then to Steve and Johnnie, and now that I'm an old married man who has his OWN show to prep for, I can only listen to my man Nick D once in a while, but love it to death.
The only thing I hate about the new WGN is that they did away with the 36 hours of Christmas. I made a point to tune into that every year. Everything else sounds like a much-needed refreshing. The old ways of doing it don't work anymore. I miss them too, but....it's a new day.
Everything changes....
Sorry to see you gone Steve. You have been a staple to WGN & Chicago. We've lived your stories; shared ours with you; enjoyed many laughs & tears together. Move forward to better pastures. I will catch your blog as often as I can. WGN just hasn't been the same w/o Spike, Kathy & Judy and now w/o you, my mom & I hope John will stick it out. I agree Gary has a following, but he too has had it rough. Take care Steve and hoping you and your son only the very best to come :)
These cocky, clueless nouveau riche 'managers' have no idea what damage they are doing to the integrity of the Chicago Tribune, the richness of good radio, and the solid creative Chicago tradition of WGN.
Brilliant talk show hosts have been let go (did they use words that were too 'big'?) for airhead, repetitive, careless, boring humorless talkingheads (Garry Meier being the exception). They are turning this once vibrant Chicago landmark-of-a-station into whitebread, vanilla ice cream: just one little blob(not blip) on the radar of stupidity.
Trying to 'dumb-down' 720AM might work; but dumming down listeners never will. We have lost great entertainers, reflective, challenging interviewers, fascinating guests, and lots and lots of laughs because of your decisions.
In the end, Daniels and Metheny, you will lose more.
Amazing how many people made comments here. I am not or was never a fan of WGN. Having to have worked against them in their 'Heyday" I respected them but disliked the programming. It still gets me how Garry can work there after he and Steve Dahl made a career of trashing that place...but he went back to WLS after leaving there so I guess there is a pattern with him. I never found Wally, Bob, Spike, K& J and the rest apppealing but they had a following, and that is what is sad this once great giant is now ruined. I worked at WMAQ in the 70's and we had two crazed manager types also. In fact one day the whole staff was fired and then rehired within 5 minutes! Buy me a beer and I will tell you the real story it is a doozy!
Bring back: Sirrott and Cochran.
Get rid of: Laski, Rondevous, Jarrett, Lutheran Hour(?).
Throw some other great Chicago entertainers/talk show hosts in there, mix it up, and you'll have the best and most unique radio station in the country.
Is it only obvious to me? This dolts are are just low IQ mobster-wannabes. Get a company, milk it for all it's worth while you drive it into the ground, and then move onto the next gig, blaming everyone else for the crash. Go watch the scene from "Goodfellas" where they put the tiki restaurant into the ground, or the Sopranos where Tony runs the sporting goods store out of business. It's the same thing folks...
Re: The comment (astute beyond measure) that "Greg Jarrett is not ready to host his own show, and therefore not ready to host mornings on WGN."; the man is gone more often than he's here, so much so that there's a promotape that reads "Bob Sirott, substituting for Greg Jarrett"!
Seriously?
NEVER, in all my years of listening to radio, have I heard a permanent promo tape made for the person chosen to fill in for the designated host; why not fire Jarrett and give the slot to Sirott...since they've technically done that anyway?
What Sam Zell and cohorts have done to the Tribune etc. should be criminal. There are some on air personally I like better than others. Quite honestly I'd gotten a bit bored with Steve C, but my decision to stop listening to WGN came to a head with his firing.
The tone and downright disresepct shown to listeners is what I can longer stomach to hear. I don't turn on the radio in the morning or commuting back and forth to the office, or on the weekends to be screamed at or listen while callers are berated. That started with Agar. Nasty, hung up on people, raised his voice, argumentative. And Metheny backed him. (Methany is the most condescending, obnoxious, snide audience hater I've ever listened to. He really does seem to hate the audience because we're not falling in line with whatever the heck he's trying to do). Agar's "edgey" He's an ass, more like it. They want to appeal to young, hipper audience? Well just so they know, that'll never get them. The audience they want to appeal to already have places to go. Laski is an embarrassment. What next? They're going to arrange Blago to have a show from prison?? By the way, I'm not convinced the "French guy" is even French. Another screamer, too. While I think that Greg Jarret is a very interesting man, he is not a good interviewer and he does seem unprepared. At first thought it was because he was being "us"-our voice, uninformed about the particular subject but no, that's not it. I don't think anyone is being insulting to Cinncinnati or saying someone coming from another city wouldn't be good or accepted. It just seems like this management co. wnats to rpelace *everyone* with people form Cinncinnati.
I feel sorry for the employees who will eventually be losing their jobs, and wish them luck with a much better station. We need a radio staion in Chicago much like the one in "Northern Exposure". Definitely NOT Clear Channel related.
Nice to hear what really happened from someone with nothing to lose. It must have been difficult seeing all this insanity in the front row. Chicago radio stations have experienced shake-ups over the years where they've cleaned house and typically they've done okay in the end. More often than not, though, things work out because the outsider ends up leaving or getting the old heave-ho after a short time.
Steve's right about the "Cincinnati" thing, but listeners have to understand that what he means is not particularly about Cinci or San Francisco or any other city. It's more than the host/jock/commentator has to know something about our fair city or we as listeners are not 'fooled'. I gave Greg Jarret a month (and that was too much) to settle in and try to become a Chicagoan, but it just wasn't happening, so I went to Don & Roma. I think the biggest issue for me was his shoving soccer down our throats. Maybe that would fly on WOPA but not the home of the Cubs.
I totally agree with everything he said in his assessment of the 'new line-up'. I used to be able to turn on 'gn in the morning and leave it on for the entire day. Now the buttons on my car radio are getting worn out from all the flipping. I can't imagine they are doing any sort of research to determine what their changes have done to their perception - probably pocketing the research budget for those parties.
Maybe they thought hiring Laski was akin to 'ls using Blago for a time this past year. I'll bet his numbers were high the first time he was on, but plunged after everyone realized it was just a ploy to tell us his side of the story.
The only thing I'll listen to on the G now is Garry, John, and the Cubs. Unfortunately, the Cubs are sucking the air out of everything, so that's not even a given at this point. Best of luck to everyone who got screwed in this deal esp. Steve, Kathy & Judy, Kap and the entire sports dept (who is that awful new guy anyway?). Spike must have seen the writing on the wall and got out while the getting was good. Who'd have know he would turn out to be the smartest of the bunch?
I googled your theme song and had tears. We are sick about this. So true about Laski and Jarrett. In more years than I care to admit I have never turned WGN off before. They are just plain stupid. Miss you already. Loved your interviews with the Wine Diva and all the rest.
It amazes me how many people think Garry Meier is funny and entertaining. I must be missing something. He was good with Steve Dahl; I will even tell you he was good with Roe. He probably works hard (because he was out of job for a while thanks to his agent/wife; probably glad he got a job) but he's not funny. He says something and all of a sudden his sidekick Elton Jim laughs. I listen and think what's so funny but there is Elton Jim laughing. Yup, I must be missing something.
I am in my mid 30's and have listened to WGN for years.. This is all BS! It kills me to see what they are doing to the people who made this station what it is today. Ok, maybe a year or two ago..
Spike, Kathy and Judy, Kaplan, and now Steve. C'mon.. I recall John Williams talking to his mom about "finally making it" regarding to his stint on the morning show, and then WGN pulls the rug from under him too. Good grief!
I think someone needs to start a new station, hire all the guys back and show WGN what a good radio station is.. And JW will have to come too!
We'll miss ya Steve.
It took me two days to calm down before I could share my feelings via this blog. I am so upset at what they are doing this great (once) station. When I read that Steve was let go I cried because WGN and its people are like family. I miss K and J so bad. At least we still have Nick D. and those overnight crazies Steve and Johnny!! Mary W.
Steve, sorry about everything! We've enjoyed your show at the Hemmens that last couple years. Radio has been a huge part of my life since 1984 when I followed the Cubs and found all the rest WGN had to offer. But I have to rush to turn off WGN in the morning because Greg Jarrett is so un-listenable. Greg is just weird and chooses weird & gross stories to mention--very immature and unnatural. It's been a breath of fresh air hearing Bob Sirrott actually converse with real people and talk about real Chicago things. Generic stuff is so colorless. (But I think Garry has been really funny.)Best wishes to you!!
To ClassXJack (#86)
Regarding your contention that Cincinnati's WLW is, has been, or "still is" No. 1 as a result of Randy Michaels (or "The Big One" as Michaels prefers everything he touches to be called):
You can always achieve "numbers." The easiest way to do so is to appeal to the lowest common denominator such as daily doses of Bill Cunningham and various sports sensationalist personalities that have been on WLW, like Andy Furman. That's not WGN/Chicago. WGN listeners are far more sophisticated than the listeners Michaels attracted to WLW after trashing its (similar) legacy status and turning over its listener base. Just as Michaels loves Gary Burbank’s characters – thus, the upcoming TV show that I just can’t see flying here - you have a sense that callers are being goaded and appealed to as “rednecks.” WGN’s callers (typically) are more educated and refined and able to present themselves without name calling and sensationalism. Fortunately, Cincinnati’s people are wonderful and generally they are on to Michael’s tactics…and as a result, they gravitate to those personalities (like McConnell) or WKRC where Michael’s impact is less, though present.
What is really ashame is that WGN has always appealed to a truly quality (but - generally speaking) cross-section of all income types and demographics from most of Chicago. As a result, it has always been (a) a great advertising buy from a disposable income stand point and (b) an ability to reach "decision makers" and "opinion formers" by means of the talk radio format. WGN listeners are the "common Chicago man or woman" but you get a sense of civic pride, not crudeness. They are the people who truly care about Chicago and take great exception when someone or something comes along that diminishes their city and spirit – something that clearly is happening at WGN. They take it personally when that person or company is from the outside and doesn't even make an attempt to understand Chicago and its people.
I feel that just as Michaels turned WLW into radio's version of the National Enquirer, he is doing the same at WGN. Soon WGN's current listeners will be gone and a new group of yellers and screamers (the Springer cast-off's) will be the norm. It will sound like a hillbilly take off of "Sunday, Sunday!" constantly...and it probably will be referred to as "The Big One."
The "WGN Chicago" sound deserved to be updated, but not supplanted and trashed.
I've been a friend of Steve's for years and he's always been an upfront guy. I continue to be impressed with his integrity and good nature. You have my best and continued wishes, my friend. Although we here in NY still miss you.
Steve and Johnnie and Garry Meier should be out. Garry Meier is not funny at all. I listen to the station once in a while to listen to the weather or traffic. He comes on and I still don't get him. Everyone laughs at what he says but I don't get it. It's not funny but everyone is laughing. Steve and Johnnie are smug, think they know it all and rude sometimes to some of their callers. Again, I only sometimes listen to get the news or traffic but hear these two will come on and ugh, I always immediately turn off their show.
I haven't read any of the other comments, so maybe I am being a bit repetitious here, but:
Complaining about bringing unknowns in from Cincinnati? Wally Phillips was an unknown from Cincinnati.
"Cocky," as he's affectionately known by no one (except Spike O'Dell), talks about how rewarding it was to work at WGN but then he gives it away later in the interview by saying how all those traffic reports clogged up the show. There really is no show in afternoon drive.
He also complains about how he should have gotten more money for doing morning drive because the mornings bill more. But you can put just about anyone in morning drive and get the same revenue. Where was Cocky's leverage? He didn't have any.
It is funny to read those questions in italics about WGN's youngest and most talented performer? Reminds me of William F. Buckley's quip about the claim that Lillian Hellman was America's best female playwright: "That's like being the tallest building in Wichita, Kansas."
IT ALWAYS WAS A CHICAGO STATION. IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD TO HEAR ABOUT CHICAGO YOU TURN ON WGN. THAT'S WHERE WE LIVE. IF NOT, MOVE ON DOWN THE DIAL BUT APPARENTLY FOR ALOT OF YRS. THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO LIKED WHAT THEY HEARD. WITH ALL THE CHOICES TODAY, IF I WANT TO HEAR FROM ANOTHER PART OF THE COUNTRY, I CAN FIND IT ON SATALLITE OR INTERNET. I CAN ALWAYS TURN ON CNN FOR NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS. IT WASN'T BROKE SO WHY FIX IT.
While I appreciate the comments of both Steve and Feder, as a long-time listener >57 yrs of WGN I know by listening that the call sign stands for What Gives Now? Though I usually disagree with him, John Williams is the only voice left there worth listening to. Well, Garry Meier for some grins
Zell (& company) can go to hell which will keep them closely tethered to the WGN since that's where the entire station is headed.
I agree wholeheartedly with Steve on Greg Jarrett. He is just horrible! Terrible interviewer, knows everything, and not funny at all. Then they take Kaplan off for Jim Laski? Every show is the same.
I feel bad for Steve and Johnnie, they are truly a rose among thorns.
# 107: you mean Steve and Johnnie are truly a thorn among 1 or 2 roses.
It's been fascinating watching WGN devolve the last couple years. Hard to believe anyone could come in and mess up their formula and blow away the listener base but darned if there isn't someone in radio always ready to come in and do just that.
I wasn't a huge fan of Cochran (didn't like his politics or formulaic comedy) and I think Steve and Johnnie's show is like listening to paint dry. Still, stepping back from my own tastes, it all worked and I can't for the life of me fathom why some carpet bagger PD would come in and tear it all down to the foundation only to build it up to take on less successful stations.
Steve Cochran is apparantly given no respect whatsoever by WGN management, gets shown the door, yet they retain those lame phonies Steve and Johnnie? They should be doing their "folksy", fake, boring show from some market like Pensacola. Please...put anyone, anything, on overnights instead- it'll be an improvement. It really is obvious how poorly they fill their time slot when they're absent- they won't be missed. Cochran, on the other hand, will be.
Gotta disagree. Cochran's stay was waaaay longer than it should have been. He was extremely difficult to listen to. I couldn't change the station fast enough when I heard his voice. Maybe now Letterman can have back the stuff Cochran's been stealing from him for years.
Sorry he's out of work, but happy he's not polluting the airwaves anymore.
Spike hoped they would change the call letters, but WSM (World's Stupidest Management) is already taken.
Just went over to WGN's site to hear the French guy--the concept just sounded so ridiculous.
However, I actually didn't think he was that bad, though I rarely listen to call-in shows and probably won't start now.
What a story. This sounds like what is going on @ the folks running our country. Lets see how much distruction we can cause. Don't give the listeners what they want. I cannot listen to the garbage they have been running on WGN. Have you ever listened to the idiots on WLW? We retired to Wisconsin so we can tune in to most of the stations @ night. If you travel across the country there is not another station like WGN or what it use to be like. I have to listen to TMJ in the morning because Jarret is a big bore and self absorbing boob. I can go on and on, however, i think you get the point
Count me as another one who really appreciates Steve's interview with Rob Feder! Also count me in as a WGN morning drive listener as long as Bob Sirott is filling in! And I guess I'm not the only one who has noticed that the sales department can't seem to find a legitimate sponsor to buy time on the sinking ship. I've been shocked to notice the level of scams in most of the spots I hear on WGN these days. I sure do pity the sales reps.
Listening to Bob Sirott in the morning the past two weeks takes me back to Uncle Bobby and Spike. I have an idea Greg Jarett can stay in South Africa and watch soccer and leave a true Chicagoan and Midwesterner continue to do the morning show. What a refreshing difference listening to Sirott instead of an individual who has no concept of Chicago and the Midwest. But it makes too much sense. As someone else commented the people running WGN now are no different than the people running the country. They don"t care
WGN used to stand for "World's Greatest Newspaper" when owned by the Tribune now it means "World"s Greatest Nothing"
I am stunned that Steve is gone from WGN. He was the best day-time show they had. What a mess they are making of that station. I have been a listener for over 40 years and am ready to find another station. Their weekend line-up is a disaster, except for Mr. Fix-it, Dean Richards and Brian Noonan. Where did they ever unearth that Simon?? Please let us know if Steve will be on a local station, because I will definitely listen to him.
Whoa, whoa, wait a minute there ^^^. Brian Noonan ISN'T a disaster? Please. That guy is a lousy comedian who just thinks he's funny. Terribly unlistenable radio host, needs to be gone from the airwaves asap.
Finally too much addios WGN. Robert, can you list alternatives for WGN with similar format?
I really miss the girls. Spike, Steve. Other than Williams whom I consider the weakest. I do not like anyone on WGN anymore. Their only saving grace is the sports coverage.
Help me find a substitute!!
only two more days of listening to the joy of bob sirott then im afraid its back to motor mouth greg jarret! how depressing but better yet, i' ll just turn the radio off at 5 am now again!
We're on vacation in Michigan and really miss listening to WGN. Have to turn it off when Jarrett and Laski are on. We seem to be migrating to WBBM, but we really miss WGN. What audience are they looking for? They have turned away so many loyal listeners. And do I ever miss Radio REaders!
The changes at WGN have been good for Sony. We switched out all our radios that had "knob" dials for ones we can pre-set stations. It used to be that we stayed with WGN all day and the dial never moved. Now it's WCPT, WBBM, NPR, WGN (Roe & Roeper) and WGN (John Williams).
Loved hearing from Steve...and anxious to hear what he will be doing in the future. If he's on the internet...we'll be there. Hope he'll get in touch with Spike and Kathy and Judy and begin their own program! Maybe they can add Steve Bertrand to their show.
WGN no longer seems to work on any of the radios in our house or in the cars...the only thing they're good for is the Cubs and they're doing so poorly that it doesn't matter. Oh and "Lou"...we'll continue to listen to Lou, but he'll probably leave on his own because he sure doesn't need WGN!!!! Good luck, Steve, and keep us posted on your future endeavors.
Well, it sounds that Bozo is alive and well living in the executive offices of the once great, now faultering, WGN. Folks, the Titanic is sinking and the rats rule the ship! Obviously Sam Zell is only interested in how much money he can cram into his bag before the bottom drops out. So much for 60 years of listening enjoyment. Listeners be damned! Maybe he will be invited to the next "Poker Night."
I am officially done with WGN. I will miss mr fix it but on principle I am just done. So many bad choices, but firing Cochran was the last straw. What a low class organization. I think I will cancel my tribune subscription next.
Steve, will look forward to your online show, or maybe some interviews on NPR because that is where I have gone. No more WGN. Still do not get the knock on the aging, because I started listening to WGN when I moved here and was 30. Wally was on the air, with the weirdest phone interviews and gags, so much so that there was an FCC ruling that on air folks had to identify who they were, not go incognito. I still think Steve was the funniest, and I did GET IT. He could make me LOL.
I had 8 job changes in 11 years due to management re-organizations, and the best bosses and best jobs AFTER I was 60, so you may have a lot of good luck to look forward to.
Thanks for this Robert and Steve, thanks. This is SAD, SAD stuff! If only WGN were in better hands, I would still be listening 9+ hours a day instead of only 3/4 (if even that). I want my WGN! That Pig Virus is some serious stuff!
Steve, thank you so much for telling the truth. It's a relief to hear someone from WGN say what I suspected was happening. Wherever you end up, count me in as one of your loyal listeners.
I am so glad to read Steve's comments! I have been feeling so disappointed in the scheduling of WGN for months! I have been a loyal listener of the 50 something age bracket for many years during the morning hours and afternoon hours to and from work. Greg Jarrett is so boring in the morning, the former politician who served jail time is extremely annoying and I turn him off eveery time. That also so goes for a formerly frequent stand-in who preached ultraconservative ideas that bothered me so much that, as a person who had never called in to make a complaint, did so two times durin his "show." I love Gary Myers, but miss Steve. I loved John Williams as Spike's replacement and find the replacement method of management to be rude to both the employees and the listeners. Not even give us a heads up to the change?! It's not acceptable to turn on the radio station you trust and hear a brand new voice with a brand new personality that is offensive and abrasive. I've been tuning in to other talk shows lately and will most likely do it even more often since WGN seems to have no concern or interest in the likes or dislikes of its listeners.
I never listened to WGN, except for games, sports, the Saturday morning fishing show (it was great to wake up to when I had to work Saturdays), and occasionally Milt, but I think that the WGN on air talent was composed of genuinely nice people.
I am also curious about how much of the "talent" on Chicago talk radio are in their twenties or thirties, or geared to people in that age group. It isn't just that WGN appears to be losing it old aged listeners, it's a matter of talk radio losing listeners in general.
To put it in perspective, according to Wikipedia, Wally Phillips was 54 years old in 1979, at the time of Disco Demolition. Steve Dahl was 24, and Bob Collins was 37.
John 57 years old
To Ray Sherman-Peacock, #38 -- seriously, you didn't get the sarcasm about "this internet thing might eventually catch on?" Really? Kind of explains why you've been fired so many times :)
I lost my respect for Steve Cochran when I heard him completely trash Kathy and Judy professionally and personally on the air. I love John Williams and Gary Meier always gets me laughing.
Hard to believe someone can tear apart a radio co. like WGN in such a short period of time. So sad that now Steve Cochran is gone too. There is still Milt, and Steve & Johnnie, but even S & J are so totally predictable now, their show now is just Steves music, Tuesdays cars, Wednesdays Webs. they use to have a dervisied show with interesting people they visited with, now its like a robot.repeat, repeat, repeat. Maybe the Tribune made them change their format??? And of course Kathy and Judy's firing, I no longer listen to anyone but Milt and I guess I don't expect that to last much longer either. SAD, SAD, SAD, SAD.
Steve is dead right about Metheny. when I heard him on Garry's show I was so irratated by his implications that as a listener I didn't know what I liked and if I liked the old WGN then there was something wrong with me. Come on! Really?
Why be the flagship station for the CUBs and the Blackhawks without any sports talk?
It isn't about someone being from Cincinnati or San Francisco - it's the fact that they have never lived in Chicago -Greg is insulting to his guests and is condesending to the listeners.
I will miss WGN and especially Garry Meier and John Williams - but I can't stand listening to the station -I can't support a station that clearly thinks I am an idiot.
Not only do I miss Steve Cochran, I miss WGN! I was a loyal listener for over 40 years, but now would rather tune in another station or just turn the radio off. It saddens me that I no longer have WGN in my life, but what they are now broadcasting in no way interests me. Good luck Steve, and I hope John Williams lands on his feet when the inevitable axe falls on him as well. I pray that someday the WGN I know and love returns to the airwaves in Chicago. Until that day my apologies to the advertisers, who I will no longer hear or frequent.
Just as another poster said, I miss WGN too. I was stunned to hear of Steve Cochran's firing. Another bad decision in a long line of bad ones over the last year at WGN, which, for me, started with the firing of Kathy & Judy. I've watched the station go from using enjoyable, interesting, funny, intelligent voices to bringing in angry, stubborn, and downright ignorant voices. Of course, John Williams is the lone exception. How much longer does he have? Seems like management will either soon ax him because he doesn't fit their listener-alienating style or he'll quit because he's tired of the BS.
Just don't mess with Milt, for your own good. That's all I can say at this point.
You've got to be kidding. Just TRIED to listen the the new guy. He knows NOTHING about Chicago and all he wants to do is argue. I keep trying to believe in WGN but the station is NUTS. At least John and Garry will be back this afternoon but my mornings on WGN are over. It is impossible to fathom we've traded Steve Cochran and Kathy and Judy for this garbage!
So... WGN finally dumped the annoying, egotistical, Steve Cochran. I'm happy with the new personalities, and am once again listening to WGN all day. Keep whining, Steve!
I hate hate hate what they are doing at GN. I am no longer listening. The only person I catch once in a while is John Williams. If they let him go....It is good bye for me. Makes me sad. I am a long time listener. And I hate it that they cut Milt out and put that criminal in. Not my kind of radion. Good luck Steve. I loved listening to you. N
The train wreck at WGN continues to amaze me. What ever amount Sam Zell paid for "Goodwill" or the "WGN Brand" was way too much after the tutelage of Michaels and Metheny. WGN listeners can be loyal and will even try to help the "new guy" but, with the exception of Garry Meier who grows on you over time, the other personalities have me looking elsewhere on the car radio. I certainly hope Steve can get the online thing going. I really miss the intelligence, broad scope of interest, contacts, humor and humanity Steve brought to his show.
I have had a feeling that WGN was on the decline when they started making all of the line up changes. Then they started saying "News 720", I knew it was over. It was never just about the news with WGN. It was more about a relationship. I cried the day Uncle Bobby died, I was sad when I found out K&J and Spike were leaving, and I was upset when Steve left. Right now I feel that the only people on the station during the day that you can relate to are John and Garry, then on the weekend it is Nick Digilio and Brian Noonan. Other than those four I don't care about what is going on at the station anymore.
Steve and Robert----Excellent interview! Appropriate questions and intelligent and candid responses. It's a shame what this radio station is doing to itself. I like John and Garry also, but unfortunately, they can't be on the air all day long. Steve, I'll be looking for you (elsewhere) in the future. The best to you, and Robert too. Thanks.
we started new jobs at the same time steve. It was fun while it lasted. Good luck in the new endeavors. Hope to hear you back on the radio soon. You and John back to back was great!Thanks for helping me get through my days.