Columns
Rock of Pages: Creem Magazine 2022: David Bowie Special Edition
Rock of Pages Creem #001 David Bowie Special Edition by Jeff Elbel Rolling Stone be hanged; Creem brashly billed itself long ago as “America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine.” The magazine was originally published from 1969 to 1989, featuring character-driven content brimming with opinion and attitude. Notable writers included Lester Bangs, Cameron Crowe, punk […]
October 2022: Media • Svengoolie Spooktacular
Did Rich Koz think he’d be doing the character of Svengoolie this long? “Not at all. That wasn’t even in my mind when I got the show at WFLD in 1979,” he says. “I just thought, ‘wow, this is really cool, I got a job, and I’m on TV.’ I never thought, ‘yeah, I’ll still […]
Hello My Name Is Peter Hook
Arguably, Mancunian musician Peter Hook’s primary survival skill is his totally unique bass-playing style, a melodic, stage-scraping thrum that — ever since he launched with the legendary but short-lived outfit Joy Division, then perfected it in his ensuing combo New Order; it’s a sound that’s often been imitated but never once been equaled. […]
Media: September 2022 • Garry Meier • Hall of Famer
Garry Meier’s podcast is now in its seventh season, and it’s fair to say it has found an audience. According to the podcast, monitoring/rating service, Listen Notes, the Garry Meier show is in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide. So what does he talk about on the show? “I’m going to quote a listener who […]
ProFile: WC Social Club • West Chicago
Entrepreneur, concert promoter, and club owner, Chris Triebes, has been booking national music acts and promoting his own concerts in our city for over two decades now. Triebes started promoting shows when he was just 18 years old before owning and running his own venue in Joliet called Mojoes, which was the predecessor to what […]
Media: July 2022 • “Rich and Ike”
For 48 years, Rich King was a constant presence on Chicago radio and television, first as a reporter/writer/editor at WGN Radio and WBBM Radio, then later with WBBM-TV (Channel 2) and WGN-TV (Channel 9). He hosted one of the first sports radio shows in Chicago and covered all of the biggest sports stories. […]
Media • June 2022 • “Janda’s Journey To The Drive”
Janda Lane’s journey to becoming the afternoon co-host at the Drive (WDRV-Chicago) has taken her from North Carolina (her home state) to Charleston, South Carolina, to Seattle, and through Los Angeles since the radio bug bit her in high school. And Janda polished her rock and roll credentials along the way. For instance, her experience […]
Media: April 2022 • Dana Kozlov • Home at Channel 2
She’s the new weekend anchor at WBBM-TV, Channel 2 in Chicago, but Dana Kozlov has been in the news business for a long time.“This month is my 30th anniversary as a paid reporter.” After paying her dues hustling for stories for Channel 2, and before that, WGN Channel 9, she’s excited about the chance to […]
Gear Review • Apogee Digital: Symphony Desktop Interface
The most basic function of Apogee Digital’s Symphony Desktop is its capability as a two-channel audio interface. Apogee has a range of portable interfaces available, but Symphony Desktop represents the company’s first offering of its top-quality converters in a desktop format that travels easily. Boasting a pair of Apogee’s flagship Symphony microphone preamps and analog […]
Feature: Elle King – The Lost Lockdown Interview
IE: Where are you now? ELLE KING: I am sheltering in place with my sister and her three children, and I live at the bottom of the Hollywood Hills. So I am a true Hollywood hillbilly — I have an inflatable hot tub, I have an above-ground pool, and we’re just motoring through. And in […]
Media: March 2022 • “Mark Caro’s Caropop”
Mark Caro was a well-known writer at the Chicago Tribune in 2015 when he decided to take a giant career leap. “I was still really enjoying what I was doing,” he explains, “but It was important for me to leave when I was still happy as opposed to leaving when I was disgruntled and […]
Media: February 2022 • “Call it a Comeback”
For many years Nick Digilio held down the overnight fort at WGN Radio (720 AM). In that slot, he developed an enthusiastic following. He thinks the daypart itself was part of the reason for that. “A lot of people who listened were at work,” Nick says, “and if you’re working overnights, you’re probably doing […]
IE Rewind: Remembering Lin Brehmer: Media – September 2018
WXRT morning man Lin Brehmer is more than just a friendly voice on 93.1 FM every day, he is your “best friend in the whole world,” a moniker he has used now for several years. “But I usually say it in a pathetic ‘why don’t I have any friends at all’ whine,” he points out. […]
Media: January 2022 • Signal Stays Strong at MeTV FM
For the last few years, fans of MeTV FM (87.7FM) in Chicago have been bracing for their favorite station to be shut down by the FCC. Program director Rick O’Dell has good news for them if they haven’t heard it yet. “We reached a critical point last July where the FCC had imposed a […]
Media: December 2021 • Never Forget
At the end of every year, we like to take a moment to acknowledge the media giants in Illinois we lost during the year. This year the list includes television and radio icons, familiar faces and voices, and people behind the scenes. One of the most consequential names you might not know is former […]
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