Chicago Radio: 40 Stations To Air Mayor's Town Hall

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel will do a live, 30-minute interview next week that will be broadcast by more than 40 radio stations in the Chicago area.

The Sun-Times reports the radio town hall meeting featuring Emanuel and several members of his cabinet will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. It will be moderated by Bill Kurtis, the award-winning documentary producer and former longtime anchor of WBBM-TV Channel 2.

For Emanuel, the simulcast by dozens of radio stations is an opportunity to blanket the airwaves with a discussion of the police hiring surge and other programs tied to his 2017 budget.

The town hall will take place two days before a final City Council vote on the mayor’s budget, which embarks on an ambitious, two-year plan to hire 970 police officers and includes a $100 million fund to bridge the funding gap outside Chicago’s thriving downtown area.

Adam Collins, Emanuel’s communications director, said the rare radio simulcast has been in the works for months.

Doug Levy, chairman of the Illinois Broadcasters Association, called the commercial-free interview a rare partnership among radio stations with an array of different formats and audiences.

“Chicago is a world-class city with some of the best radio stations in the country. I am proud that we are leading the dialogue about how to solve some of our biggest problems and take full advantage of some of our greatest strengths.”