it's official.
mike mcconnell will be leaving 700 WLW for a gig at WGN. rumors are that Willie Cunningham could be next...

all of the Randy Michaels and Kevin Metheny crybaby haters will be along here any minute now....

59......58......57.......56......

Good for McConnell and I hope Willie goes to. Both are good talent that deserve it.

Enjoyed McConnell when I lived in Kzoo and WBCK was carrying "The Weekend".

As quirky as Randy Michaels and Kevin Metheny can be, they have good track records in the business.

...55...54...53...52...

Scott Sloan will be "filling in" for McConnell's shift after he leaves. Who thinks Sloan will get those hours 9AM to 12PM or will he go back to nights and will they hire someone for mid days?

Probably not. Sloan's schtick plays better after dark.

If Willie goes along with McConnell, then he'll get the early shift.

McConnell showed up for work on Monday, and was shown the door. no chance to say goodbye to his listeners

sometimes i liked his show, other times i found it to be kinda boring. when it was syndicated, it literally turned into a daytime version of the all night trucker show. the callers made it that way, and at times, it was almost funny. its like he would have a serious subject all ready to go, and then get nothing but hillbilly truckers calling in and any chance of serious dialog was gone i remember Sean Compton blaming Sirius/XM for that.

but thats in the past. McConnell starts August 9 on WGN.

I don't hate Randy Michaels or Kevin Metheny. I just happen to think that they are best suited for CHR radio or "shock talk" formats. I just don't happen to think that a guy who came up with a concept like Hell 94.7 (how long did that last - two weeks?) should be in charge of a class act (or formerly class act) like WGN. Michaels did a great job with the Power Pig in its day, but there's a reason he didn't last at Clear Channel or ABC (not that lasting at CC is really anything to brag about).

Let me guess - this McConnell guy is a political talker....someone who riles people up. Gee, there's none of that on the AM dial. So who will he be replacing? Please don't tell me it's Steve and Johnnie. They're about all that station has left.

Calvert, and I mean this with all respect.
I worked with Randy, and I know what he is capable of. You don't unless you worked with him. I did day in and day out for five years. You haven't the first clue as to what you are talking about. You only know what you have heard about him and Clear Channel. I count it as five incredible years of learning, enjoying the beast radio had to offer and unbelieveable success. Again, unless you worked for Clear Channel you don't really know. Even leaving was great as my seperation package kept me comfortable until I found a new gig and then paid dividends for months afterword. As for McConnell, again, you don't know anything about him, I listened as often as I could and will miss him as he is quite good. So you can offer nothing of substance....better to say nothing.

McConnell is straight-laced and is about as far away from being a "shock talker" as one could imagine. He IS opinionated, though, and tells it like it is. Still, I'm not convinced he'll make much of an impact. I just don't know if his demeanor is a good fit for the Chicago market.

Willie's antics -- if he joins the party -- could be a game changer for WGN. He is one of my favorite conservative gabbers. He can be a little crass at times, but I enjoy his irreverent style. The guy is hilarious from time to time. Caller: "Willie -- You are a Great American." Willie: "I AM a Great American!"

My favorite Willie moment was when he was interviewing the morning guy at sister station 55KRC about his interview with John McCain. Willie was interrogating his counterpart about how he conducted the interview: "Did you ask John Sidney McCain the thirdTHAT question?!!! Well, why not? OK, then, how about this question...."

I also like the fact that he's a little more independent-minded than the Sean Hannity's of the world. Willie has a bit of a populist streak in him.

Remember when Randy Michaels joined Tribune? Those close to the situation said he was going to focus on the TV side of things and keep his hands off WGN Radio. I think anyone with an IQ above room temperature knew that wasn't going to last.

McConnell's hire and Willie's rumored hire suggests to me the corporate big wigs want to steer WGN away from being a boring, chit-chat type station and into something more stimulating. I always found "old school" WGN to be very boring.

I wish someone could give WJR a similar shot in the arm. Dammit -- I think Willie should come to Detroit! (He's praised the residents of Michigan plenty of times on his program.)

Willie is nationally syndicated Sunday nights ....and he has been MIA two days now from his normal noon roost. He is also one of the best entertainers on the air right now.

That boring "Chit Chat" netted more dollars per point than any other station in the nation. Going from wool pinstripe to polyester leisure suit isn't going to be rewarded at the bank. BTW, some of the powerhouse players in the sales department are bailing to other gigs. That's not going to help.

IMO What makes Randy a genius is his "Make them need you" philosophy. His strategy generally relies on owning more than one station in a market. It also is built on a bolder image and hotter talk than what WGN has been known for.

ZZ I look at his track record, and I see epic failures in most every market. The original Jacor markets did well, but again, he was there to exploit the ownership rule changes. That is his genius. His programming, not so much.

Again, you didn't work with him, you look at things that he had a hand in but not total control, so your opinion is based on faulty intel. I did work with him, I do know how good a programmer he is and how much he understands about radio programming. I do also understand that every programmer has failures but that goes with the territory. I also understand he is a big dog so he going to be a target. What I don't undertsand is people who don't really know acting like they do.

ZZand -- I listen to Willie's syndicated program regularly, as a matter of fact. It's about the only show that compels me to tune in WJR. I agree; he is very entertaining.

Sage does make a great point. Isn't WGN year in and year out one of the highest billing stations in the country? They are almost always the top biller in Chicago. Why disrupt that? Is Randy so egomaniacal that he thinks he can sink WLS?!!!!

I cannot help but wonder what others changes might be in the wings for WGN. If I'm not mistaken, Steve Dahl and Mancow are still looking for new on-air homes. I think Mancow showing up at WGN might be more likely than Dahl ever showing up there.

Ancient history I know, but McConnell and Willie are not the first folks to be lured from the "Big One" to the mothership of Mother Tribune.

Can you name the two I have in mind?

Hints?

They are both dead, and the both wore "wigs"....

Is Milt Rosenberg one? Oops...he's still alive. Never mind!