Chet On Chicago Sports Radio...

[Lip Man 1]

Is being given the lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame this September. Talks about the Chicago sports-talk radio scene. Brings up many of the same points I've seen posters comment on here at WSI:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/20181...ast-range.html

Here is my interview with him where he discusses a lot, the sports-talk radio genre:

http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/r...ory=11&id=3585

Lip

[Brian26]

I could not agree with him more on his rundown of local radio and tv. He's correct. How a guy like Laurence Holmes is on television in a market like Chicago in unbelievable. 20 years ago, Holmes would be lucky to have a job in Evansville, Indiana.

[Lip Man 1]

Originally Posted by Brian26

I could not agree with him more on his rundown of local radio and tv. He's correct. How a guy like Laurence Holmes is on television in a market like Chicago in unbelievable. 20 years ago, Holmes would be lucky to have a job in Evansville, Indiana.

Brian:

This is not meant to be a political comment so I hope no one takes it as such, just a comment on the reality of the situation as opposed to say 35 years ago when I started. (and even then it was coming into play...)

Ethnic diversity as well as sexual diversity plays a big part in shaping who gets hired, who gets on the air today. For good or bad that's the way it is. I've always strongly believed the most talented people should get the media jobs...period. If that means they are all female... so be it, all Hispanic...so be it, all male caucasians...so be it. I don't care...I want the best people because as an owner of a station I'd figure the most talented people will bring me more listeners...more viewers. That will bring in more advertisers...which means more money for me.

I agree, you see in all markets individuals who have trouble speaking clearly, writing, putting coherent thoughts together and you ask yourself how in the world are they in radio? in TV??

That's part of the reason why. Not saying if that attitude is good or bad, simply telling you that's the way it is.

In 1975 at the national association of broadcasters convention Walter Cronkite, the key note speaker, ripped apart his medium for doing some of the issues that have come into play today. In fact he went farther than that blistering the medium for hiring people on the basis of looks as well in addition to as he put it, "telling people what they want to hear" from a news stand point instead of "telling them what they need to know."

Whenever this stuff comes up I immediately think of Sid Garcia who worked at WGN-TV in the late 80's, early 90's. He was flat out terrible. I'd watch him in Louisiana and think 'this guy is in the #3 market in the country?' He stumbled, he mumbled, he was scared to death on the air and because of that fear would, some shows, literally use the same catch phrase "check it out..." three or four times! in the same three or four minutes. It was comedically bad.

I actually wrote the WGN-TV news director expressing my thoughts on him. The news director wrote back and said (paraphrasing) that Sid was hired in part because he scored the highest in audience recognition tests. When I read that I wrote the guy back again and said "the reason he scored the highest was because he's so bad folks remember it. Is that the reason you hire people...because they are bad??"

I never got a reply from the news director to that comment. LOL.

Lip

[dickallen15]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Brian:

This is not meant to be a political comment so I hope no one takes it as such, just a comment on the reality of the situation as opposed to say 35 years ago when I started. (and even then it was coming into play...)

Ethnic diversity as well as sexual diversity plays a big part in shaping who gets hired, who gets on the air today. For good or bad that's the way it is. I've always strongly believed the most talented people should get the media jobs...period. If that means they are all female... so be it, all Hispanic...so be it, all male caucasians...so be it. I don't care...I want the best people because as an owner of a station I'd figure the most talented people will bring me more listeners...more viewers. That will bring in more advertisers...which means more money for me.

I agree, you see in all markets individuals who have trouble speaking clearly, writing, putting coherent thoughts together and you ask yourself how in the world are they in radio? in TV??

That's part of the reason why. Not saying if that attitude is good or bad, simply telling you that's the way it is.

In 1975 at the national association of broadcasters convention Walter Cronkite, the key note speaker, ripped apart his medium for doing some of the issues that have come into play today. In fact he went farther than that blistering the medium for hiring people on the basis of looks as well in addition to as he put it, "telling people what they want to hear" from a news stand point instead of "telling them what they need to know."

Whenever this stuff comes up I immediately think of Sid Garcia who worked at WGN-TV in the late 80's, early 90's. He was flat out terrible. I'd watch him in Louisiana and think 'this guy is in the #3 market in the country?' He stumbled, he mumbled, he was scared to death on the air and because of that fear would, some shows, literally use the same catch phrase "check it out..." three or four times! in the same three or four minutes. It was comedically bad.

I actually wrote the WGN-TV news director expressing my thoughts on him. The news director wrote back and said (paraphrasing) that Sid was hired in part because he scored the highest in audience recognition tests. When I read that I wrote the guy back again and said "the reason he scored the highest was because he's so bad folks remember it. Is that the reason you hire people...because they are bad??"

I never got a reply from the news director to that comment. LOL.

Lip

Sid Garcia actually reported on fights that were at least 10 years old and were broadcast on ESPN Classic as happening that day on his sports report.......twice.

[Lip Man 1]

Originally Posted by dickallen15

Sid Garcia actually reported on fights that were at least 10 years old and were broadcast on ESPN Classic as happening that day on his sports report.......twice.

Are you serious???????????????

Just found this by the way, it's hilarious:

http://www.noozebox.com/?p=4374

Lip

[Viva Medias B's]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Are you serious???????????????

Just found this by the way, it's hilarious:

http://www.noozebox.com/?p=4374

Lip

He overrates Jon Kelly. He was horrible!

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Are you serious???????????????

Just found this by the way, it's hilarious:

http://www.noozebox.com/?p=4374

Lip

Giangreco #2? One of my least favorite Chicago media people. Smug, obnoxious, and often unprofessional. I can't stand him.

[Noneck]

When I saw you interviewed Coppock, I was thinking it would be at least a 2 page interview, the way he can go on and on.

Good job again Lip.

[Lip Man 1]

Noneck:

Actually the vast majority of the 60 or so interviews I've done are all at least five pages. I think Jack McDowell may hold the 'record'...we spoke for four hours on consecutive days.

Lip

[Golden Sox]

Does Chet Coppock no longer have a full time Chicago radio job because of his age? Being 64 years old does not actually fit into the young demographics these stations are looking for today. Steve Dahl, Mike North and Chet Coppock were big time radio stars in Chicago at one time. It looks like their days of being stars in this market are over. I always thought Coppock leaving Chicago for New York hurt his career. He was at the top when he was here and was basically a Chicago guy. His Chicago act didn't go over in New York, and when he came back here he was basically forgotten about.

[Noneck]

Lip,

I can just imagine the tangents BlackJack went off on.

[slavko]

Originally Posted by DSpivack

Giangreco #2? One of my least favorite Chicago media people. Smug, obnoxious, and often unprofessional. I can't stand him.

Nor I. But his qualities resemble Chet's qualities and that may have affected Chet's ratings. The piece is a discussion starter, that's all. He's right on for some and puzzling for others. And if he liked Jon Kelley so much he should have spelled his name right. Jon was clean-cut, professional and seemed to not understand the words he was reading.

Chet thinks his age is a problem all right. Why else would he get a face lift and a hair transplant? Too bad for Chet that he can't get a "refuses to take calls from listeners" transplant. That, IMO, is his main problem.

[Lip Man 1]

Noneck:

Read Jack's interview yourself and decide:

http://www.whitesoxinteractive.com/r...ory=11&id=2085

Lip

[Noneck]

Lip,

I have already read it and his blog, so thats why I mentioned what I did.

[Brian26]

Originally Posted by slavko

Chet thinks his age is a problem all right. Why else would he get a face lift and a hair transplant? Too bad for Chet that he can't get a "refuses to take calls from listeners" transplant. That, IMO, is his main problem.

Chet used to take calls. It wasn't the entire focus of his show, but he would definitely take calls. A young Brian26 called him a handful of times back in the day when he was on WMAQ. Chet also used to do "Friday Night Fights" where to callers would square off on a particular topic.