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Time’s running out on Radio Hall of Fame balloting
Bruce DuMont
With Howard Stern, Carl Kasell, Steve Dahl, Terri Hemmert and "The WLS National Barn Dance" among this year's eclectic group of nominees, voting ends at midnight Sunday for the National Radio Hall of Fame. Balloting, which began June 14, is free and open to anyone who registers online at radiohof.org.
As of early this week, almost 80,000 votes have been cast, which is "comparable to previous years," according to Bruce DuMont, founder and president of Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications, which administers the Radio Hall of Fame.
"I'm not going to say which it is, but one of the categories is very, very close," DuMont said. "It's very possible that it could go either way. So people who want to vote should vote -- and they should vote for all the categories."
The Radio Hall of Fame steering committee is scheduled to meet Aug. 4 to ratify the results and select additional inductees, "including worthy posthumous and non on-air individuals." Winners will be announced later that day and will be inducted Nov. 6 during a live national radio broadcast from Chicago.
For now the biggest question may be what will happen if Stern wins. It's the fourth time his name has appeared on the ballot -- and the fourth time he has urged his fans not to vote for him. DuMont said if Stern does win, he'll be inducted whether he shows up or not.
Since its inception, the Radio Hall of Fame has inducted more than 165 broadcasters and programs.
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There is only one vote eligible per email address, but I would imagine Steve Dahl fans have voted several times using different email addresses they have registered for just for this occasion. Stern could care less about induction, and Dahl obviously needs the honor to secure a real gig once the CBS "paid to go away $$$" disappears. I'm not even sure Steve should be nominated if Garry Meier's name isn't on the ballot too. Neither one of these guys deserve the recognition without the other in my opinion.
Steve Dahl, for many things, including but not limited to making it possible for Boers and Bernstein to exist, but mainly for his imitation of WGN radio announcer Floyd Brown taking direction from Milt Rosenberg: "Yassuhhh, Massah Rosenberg! Yassuhhhh!!"
Please vote for Kathy and Judy as write in canidates. I miss them dearly. I assume that Steve and Johnnie have been in the shrine for years.
Robert:
In the interest of parallelism and pentameter, wouldn't your vocalo tagline be better as "Serving up scoops and dishing OUT dirt since 1980" ?
thanks for letting us know, Mr. Feder -- I'm surprised the National Barn Dance is not already in the HOF, so I cast my vote. AND I'm surprised that WLS does not play up the important role that that show/their station played in bringing culture to the hog butchering masses and beyond (yeah, I know a lot of you don't think of country music as culture - I see your point - but Hank Williams and Patsy Cline were a welcome diversion from the destitution of those times). I wish WLS would play old clips from that show every now and then (even when no one is listening - 4am on a Sunday maybe, but SOME time, I would tune in just to hear history)
Dahl obviously needs the honor to secure a real gig...why is this obvious? Being in the Radio Hall of Fame is akin to being in the Bowling Hall of Fame; no one cares about it except for those that are in the profession. The typical radio listener has very little emotional attachment as to whether or not so and so is in the Hall of Fame. Sure, Dahl fans will vote for Steve but they will still be his fans tomorrow and those that do not like still Steve will still not be his fans come tomorrow.
Howard Stern is right now asking people to PLEASE, PLEASE not vote for him. He says it's an embarrassment. (I will follow his request and not vote for him) Instead he asks people to call DuMont leave recordings of those Mel Gibson tapes.
Why none of the Ponce family in the Hall of Fame? They haven't been on radio, but they are very talented, hard working, and can get a gig at the Rosemont Theatre at Christmas singing Manhattan Transfer's Greatest Holiday Hits.
Stern's lemmings will definitely vote him in, whether he wants it or not. Garry Meier proves who the talent was in that pair.
Dahl will be on WGN soon enough, in the time slot either before or after the Rod Blago show.
As proudly of being one of Stern's lemmings I'm not voting for him. In fact I'm not voting for anybody.
Pig Virus should win an award for biggest programming failure for letting go of all that well-seasoned talent from WGN.
Radio Hall aside...can someone help me out here? I am watching the sports on WGN/9 at 5:45 am today and it becomes apparent to me they're running a'crowd sound' bed underneath an edited together string of current sports stories. Can this be true? Did I hear right? Can someone inside that place straighten me out on this - if need be? I spent a life in audio studios...and it sure sounded like a canned bed to me. If true, this would further that news department's second-tier status.
No, I don't think Steve & Johnnie are in the RHOF. And why should they be?
Having never really taken the time to bother growing up, I say Coho lips rule! I vote for Steve.
I was hoping that this would turn into a slam aginst WGN and Pig Virus. Wiat until Stern hears about Pig Virus...
#12, I am not an audio person by any means but I have noticed the crowd noise being canned for years. Watch a higlight of a WNBA game and the the crowd noise is as if the Rolling Stones just took the stage at Soldier Field.
I voted for Steve Dahl - cannot deny his contribution to Chicago radio, with or without Garry. What happened between them was personaland not our business. WLS, I agree would be nice to hear old clips other than on holidays when all the hosts are off - good reminders of how good they were and why they were so respected - today's WLS? Thumbs down.
Hemmert should be in the local.
#4, I realize tht "dishing out" something is a common phrase, but "Dishing dirt" is the common way the expression is said.
Get a clue Ritzy4U # 17 ! Without Garry Meier, Dahl would have no radio career. He was doing terrible character voices before Garry joined him and after Garry left, his show has been mediocre at best all these years because he refuses to work with anyone who really challenges him. Garry proved he could survive the Steve and Garry split and have a second career in this market, but of course Roe Conn was the lead voice in that equation. Garry's current solo show on the micro managed over programmed WGN is atrocious. Garry should be in the Hall of Lame for walking away from 10 million WLS dollars for no good reason!
#19 - did you happen to see Meier's TV show recently? Can't blame WGN micromanaging or Roe Conn for that steaming pile of uncomfortable.
All it lacked was Garry saying, "time is the tryrant."
How about nominating Nancy Pender for the Radio Hall of Fame -- per Feder's column on July 11, 2008, Nancy was filling in for Mary Dixon on Lin Brehmer's show on WXRT.
Speaking of which, how about Nancy getting pushed out at WFLD-TV today. Clearly, they had to do *something* to make salary $$$ room for Sirott, Loo, Flannery, et al.
Loo is on WGN, so WFLD did not have to make salary room for her. Steve Dahl rules!! It's a slow day when Nancy Pender is the target of someone's rant.
Mike @#21, I apologize, I thought you were railing against Nancy but as I re-read your post I realize your point was that she was let go from WFLD today. Nice scoop, I did not hear the news.
So they let go of Pender as well? WOW! Who's going to do the weekend broadcasts then, assuming now they will still even exist on that station? Hell, they're better off putting Office episodes from 9-10 PM on Saturday and Sunday then.
@Rita, huh! Not on this planet.
@ChiTownGal, So True!!!
Jim @22 and @23, I meant Lum, not Loo. Talk about musical chairs!
Jeez, don't get attached to any radio personality or newsperson around here. I really liked Nancy along with many others let go recently. Nice to see Rick D'Maio on Channel 2. I saw Loo on 9 and she is the best! Dahl gets my vote. He entertained me for many years with and without Garry.
"Winners will be announced later that day and will be inducted Nov. 6 during a live national radio broadcast from Chicago."
i'm wondering who will be airing this steaming pile of boredom?
How can Dahl not win this? He has more comedy talent than all the current and past Chicago radio celebs put together. Obviously, Garry M has forced all his family down in southtown to post about his 'talent' on this blog....too funny. Garry is as boring today on 'GN as he was everywhere else. If Steve's fans are 'lemmings' what are Garry's fans,..DEAF?
Name a show that Garry started up from scratch and built into a ratings success by himself???...........still waiting.