Plus Pages

▼

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Chicago Radio: Mike McConnell OFF AIR At WGN, But Not OUT

Mike McConnell
Mike McConnell is gone from the WGN 720 AM airwaves, although he is not yet gone from the station. Still working under a long term contract that was given to him in 2010, McConnell will now be working online-only for WGN Radio's website, doing live shows and podcasts, according to Chicagoland Radio & Media.

McConnell has not been heard on the air for WGN-AM since late last month. He has been "on vacation" since that time, replaced by a series of fill-ins. McConnell himself announced today on his Facebook page that he is moving online for the station. He will continue to do his radio show from 10:00am-2:00pm, but that show will only be heard on the WGN-AM website's secondary stream, WGN-2.

For the time being, WGN-AM will continue to use various personalities on the air, filling the now vacant 10:00am-3:00pm shifts.  A newly revamped on-air schedule for WGN-AM is expected to be announced in the near future, giving permanent roles to some of these fill-ins.

McConnell was hired to come to WGN-AM from Cincinnati in the summer of 2010, beginning on the air on August 9th of that year. He was brought here by the then-CEO of Tribune Company Randy Michaels. Michaels was the disgraced former CEO of Clear Channel Radio and had previously worked with McConnell in Ohio. Michaels, and some of his former Clear Channel Radio cronies, including Sean Compton and Kevin Metheny, thought that bringing the controversial McConnell to Chicago would help shake up WGN-AM. He was supposed to come along with another controversial political talk show host Bill Cunningham, but Cunningham changed his mind at the last moment and stayed behind in Cincinnati.

McConnell's in-your-face, politically conservative show was programming that was opposite of what the rest of the programming on the station offered. As it turned out, it was opposite of what listeners wanted to hear.

Read More Now
Posted

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 19, 2013 at 11:42 AM

    What a disappointment. I listen every day and somehow never heard the true story until now. I have sent a series of messages to the station without a reply.

    Mike had the only serious show remaining on the station. While I like Bob Sirot well enough, Mike was the only truly interesting host in the lineup. Silly and funny is fine, but not all day long. I thought Mike was maintaining a good mix of topics and guests. I will move to the internet for the midday.I hope they don't bring Cochran back as a regular. His show is stale. Same lame guests, same one liners. I'm sure he is a nice man with a nice family, but he entertains himself, not the audience so much.

    Brian Savage

    Palatine, Illinois

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2013 at 1:35 PM

    I agree withBrian about Mike.His program is so interesting to hear and I really miss him on air. I hope another station will pick him up. Whats wrong with being different than the rest, that gives the station a variety. I don't care for Cochran to don't listen to WGN anymore, I can get Mike on my Ipod.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2013 at 11:44 AM

    Mike was better then much of your crew. John B. is not good. You lost alot of listeners by letting Mike go.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 11:38 AM

    I loved mike mcconnell and I like cochran also very different styles which to me is good perspective. Also mike was to me not political just pure common sense. How refreshing

    ReplyDelete