Roger Badesch, July 4th, Leslie Harris

Thanks to a long non-radio work day, I ended up falling asleep before I could report the latest, breaking news, but it's just as well, because today is WGN's Roger Badesch's birthday! He's very passionate about radio (I've interviewed him) and very friendly, open to talking about anything (i.e., not just superficial topics). 

This cake looks sad, but it's in German, which is interesting.

• Here's the newsy bit: Roger is going to be the Parade Reviewing Stand Announcer at the Skokie 4th of July Parade...and that's not all...ESPN's Dave Kaplan (yet another broadcaster I've interviewed) will be the Grand Marshal! The parade seems to be media-oriented because CBS 2's Rob Johnson will be a Special Celebrity Guest, and ESPN's Marc Silverman and WGN's Patti Vasquez are the "next" celebrity guests (I don't know what "next" means in this context).
• Also what's new: Leslie Harris announced that she's back at The River (WERV-FM) doing weekends and fill-in, but the schedule doesn't have her yet :(
• And here's something to check out: Shereen Mo, who works at WBBM Newsradio, has an Instagram about food called Devour Chicago. The pictures are good, despite not having a crew of food stylists :p

And make sure you jump in the pool because today is Swim a Lap Day!

Ham field day, book tours, vegetable and dad days

Just ahead of Eat Your Vegetables Day and Father's Day (which I won't be celebrating for the first time in my life due to my dad's passing before Thanksgiving, making that holiday and every special day since then difficult), here's some info hot off the summer sidewalks, starting with something nerdy, yet fun:

• The Chicago Suburban Radio Association is having "their annual Field Day On-Air operation" (quoting from the website so that I don't end up plagiarizing) at Veteran's Park in North Riverside next weekend, June 24 and 25. They claim it's the "most popular on-the-air event" in our fine country and Canada, where thousands of hams broadcast. 

Not this ham (note the tomatoes in honor of Veggie Day)

The pictures capture the festive atmosphere, where you can also see longtime radio pro and historian Scott Childers (who* I interviewed). The CRSA was founded in 1924, two years before my dad was born (thus he lived through much of broadcast history, during the golden age of radio and the birth of TV). More details about the event are at the CRSA website, which you should also explore or even join in you're a suburban radio operator.

• Jen Weigel (who* I also interviewed) is on a book tour, appearing tonight in Minneapolis. But she'll be back in the burbs for a Comedy Nosh at Max & Benny's in Northbrook on June 22 and an event at SoderWorld Wellness Center in Willowbrook on June 23.

• Steve King and Johnnie Putman have also been doing appearances for their A Little More Les book. They will be at Paul Henry's Art Gallery in Hammond tomorrow (June 17) at 3:00. They're working on another book and seem quite busy in their post-full-time-radio life, so you'll probably see more items about them here as things progress.

So enjoy your vegetables before Father's Day, when you'll probably eat cupcakes, burgers, and other non-healthy food.

It's his/its day.

*I know it's supposed to be "whom" but I want to say "who."

Carol Stream history, Loyola book, ballpoint pen

In honor of National Ballpoint Pen Day, I've decided to write some news on a computer...

• Someone on Fakebook told me about a new book called Student Voices: The History of Loyola University Radio by Sammy R. Danna, who was a professor of communication at Loyola for 43 years.
• And speaking (typing) of Fakebook, longtime radio pro Rick Gieser (who ["whom" to be grammatically correct] I've interviewed) does a lot of research and reporting for his Carol Stream Page there. The multimedia creation includes historical pictures, videos, features, and news in the western suburb. He's also involved with the Carol Stream Historical Society page as well. If you thought it was just some random town you pass by on the expressway, this will make you reconsider such an opinion.
• If you haven't checked out CLTV in HD, you should. I don't know why it took a while for them to establish it, but I'm glad they've joined the 21st century. I forgot about it until I saw the "Watch in HD" option when I turned to grainy channel 10. Now they just have to update the news scroll at the bottom to make it more current, such as reporting today's headlines instead of rerunning yesterday's news.
• And here's someone to watch out for: Sarah Hurd. She's just starting out her media career, but I think we're going to be seeing lots of interesting stuff from her in the future, and some of us will probably work for her. It's just a hunch I have, and when I shared my opinion with someone else in the biz (neither of us have any kind of managerial or professional power, btw), they agreed. So if anything substantial develops, you read it here first. 



Invented by a Hungarian journalist.

• Now I'm going to get off the computer and write in my paper journal with a ballpoint pen. Enjoy the day!

Journalism jobs, CRM's goodbye, doughnuts

Some news: journalism job and journalism internship list 

• WBBM's Bob Roberts edits the JobFile, which was created by the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and the Chicago Headline Club. You can download the latest list of jobs at IBNA.net. If you want to list any jobs, email Bob at BoRoWMAQ@aol.com (I interviewed Bob Roberts earlier this year).
• Also, what a lot of people already know: the Chicagoland Radio and Media site is on hiatus, which is why I've created a news section here. CRM was a big supporter of the Radiogirl Podcast from the beginning, and I really appreciate all he's done not just for me, but for various media professionals who otherwise wouldn't have gotten coverage elsewhere. When he first expanded his site, he granted me what was then an exclusive interview.
  His hiatus was prompted by personal and financial reasons, and it may be indefinite, brief, or forever. In the meantime, if you would like to share any news, email me at margaret AT radiogirl.us, contact me on social media, or even send regular mail to PO Box 10910, Chicago 60610.
• And finally, some more important news: it's National Doughnut Day. Audrey Gorden does some hard-hitting reporting for RedEye (a publication I like because the writing style has always been modern and fresh) about where to get free doughnuts. 

Delicious donut.