Media: July 2020
When John Williams arrived at WGN in 1997, he was thrilled because he grew up listening to the station.
āI grew up listening to Wally (Phillips) and Roy (Leonard) and Kathy (OāMalley) and Judy (Markey) and Bob (Collins). I thought Roy was one of the most capable interviewers I ever heard. Wally was one of the most seamless broadcasters I ever heard. Bob Collins had the most natural energy. ā
At the time, the station was dedicated to the proposition of serving the entire city of Chicago. That often meant leaving politics at the door and listening to what the other side had to say.
āWas Wally Phillips a Republican? I was his intern and I have no idea. Bob Collins was conservative, but he welcomed you. What was Spike (OāDell)? He was conservative, but he was positively jolly and friendly. You need to stay relevant without alienating half your audience. I think right now from Bob Sirott on, weāre all reading from that playbook. Thatās not taking it easy. Thatās really hard to do.ā
It’s a conscious change of pace from where WGN has been at times since Williams joined the station.
āThe idea used to be to find a topic, get a lever, and work it, work it, work it. Thatās not the way weāre doing it anymore. Weāre trying very hard to keep it local. You could talk about the national issues all day, and they do come up on the show, but I think the reason weāre resonating now, is that weāre more concerned about the street closings in Chicago than what is resonating in Washington. Iām not looking for enemies or bad guys. Iām just trying to get you through the day and to do it competently and with compassion.
People ask, āWhat happened to WGN, itās not what it used to beā, but I think more now than ever it is. We donāt have table bangers. Weāre not screaming and yelling at people. Weāre listening. We know we cast a wide net, and thereās a lot of people out there. Weāre not saying one side is right or the other side is right. I say, here is how I feel. You may agree or disagree, and thatās OK. The biggest compliment to me is the people who donāt agree and still listen. In the past, I tried to convert everyone and tried to beat them into submission. I think now more than ever, Chicago needs a calming and competent voice. And Iām working toward that every day.ā
One of the trademark segments Williams runs every week is his Friday feature called āThe Bright Side.ā He forces himself to concentrate on the positive, to accentuate good news.
āThe harder the times are, the more we need this segment. People say you canāt do it now because the news is so terrible, and I say, you MUST do it now BECAUSE the news is so terrible. We open extra phone lines and they are always jammed. People call up to share their good news. They arenāt making it up. People still want to see the bright side of life. Itās often fun and lighthearted, but sometimes it’s serious too. They are relieved the tumor was benign, or their son came home safely. Iāll admit there have been times when I didnāt love the bright side segment, because I recognize itās not exactly cutting edge radio, and yet, I always do it, and I always feel better after I do. Itās not complicated. I call it the group hug that works every single time. Sometimes people will call up from places I know they canāt listen from. One time we got a call from a guy who was out ice fishing on a frozen lake in northern Minnesota. He wasnāt within earshot, and he didnāt have the radio on, but he knew we were going to be doing the segment. He called just to say that sharing this ice fishing day with his son was a wonderful experience. It was such a giving back moment. He just wanted to share his good news. Thatās the essence of the segment.ā
Over the years, Williams has done lots of different timeslots at the station, but after the recent lineup shuffle earlier this year, heās now handling the midday slot from 9amā1pm.
āIn some ways, you can say I do three shows now. The 9-10 am hour is the last hour of morning drive, and that hour has more service elements and comic relief. The 10 am -Noon slot is more of a traditional talk show. And then the Wintrust Business Lunch at noon has a different producer, and the subject is business. So, itās really like doing three different shows. It helps me to think of it that way. Four hours of talk radio is daunting. When I break it down like that, itās much easier for me to handle it.ā
And he feels like he is contributing to a truly worthwhile cause these days.
āI think that what weāre doing now is more meaningful than anything weāve done before. We were here on 9-11. We were here when Bob Collins died. We were here during the financial collapse of 2008. And now I feel weāre here with our listeners again at a very critical juncture of their lives. It feels more challenging but also more rewarding than anything weāve ever done.ā
-Rick Kaempfer
