Mornings on WLS has been going sharply down-hill for the past few months. I was deeply disappointed by Don and Roma’s softball interviews with Blago pre-impeachment. Having him as a guest-host was stupefying inappropriate. The only thing that could have been worse is if Blago guested for Mancow to commiserate with Drew Peterson.
Secret Square
· 9 months ago
John Kass mentioned April 2 (next Thursday) as a possibility, so I'm thinking that may end up being the real Fitzmas... just in time for Easter!
Stooges
· 9 months ago
It is pathetic how little respect the ex-gov has for the office he once held and for the citizens of this state. He has absolutely no shame in being impeached. This guy makes Bill Clinton look humble.
Chicago Cynic
· 9 months ago
Broadcasters used to at least offer the pretense that they are licensed to operate in the public interest. WLS violated that standard with this stunt. Shame on them.
Concerned Observer
· 9 months ago
I thought Steve Cochran summed it up well last night on my drive home.
"You've probably figured out, I'm no fan of management. But the guy who runs that place used to run this place. And I've got no problem with him personally. But that was a jack@$$ move."
Thank you, Steve, for saying succinctly what many of us felt.
Quinn T. Sential
· 9 months ago
All of the D's and those known to be D's but slated under different names in the local consolidated election on 4/7 that had any connection with Hot Road should be thrilled to have to deal with that for the last week to 10 days before the election.
HoBoSkillet
· 9 months ago
WLS got what they wanted and that was nation wide attention. It is really a dumbing down of public discourse but if you seriously look at the weekday lineup of hosts, who among them is really there to raise public discourse? I would argue that there are two. But the rest is more for entertainment value than anything else.
Quinn T. Sential
· 9 months ago
Ooops; Hot Rod
Stooges
· 9 months ago
So we may get a trifecta of indictments. Plus, when Fitzgerald holds his press conference to announce them, he always shares some of the highlights of what the accused has be up to. I'm sure we'll be hearing more profanity-laced transcripts from Mr. and Mrs. B.
Secret Square
· 9 months ago
Anyone else notice how EVERY time Blago thrusts himself back into the public eye, Drew Peterson immediately does the same (People interview)? They do both have the same publicist so I can't help but wonder if some twisted sibling-like rivalry isn't at work here.
GlenView
· 9 months ago
The possibility is that Hurtgen's cooperation is leading the investigation back to something more subsnative. Possibly back to tollway deals, back to deals with TRS, back to state bond re-fi.
noname
· 9 months ago
Rod could pray at our lady of the underpass; it is much closer to home.
VanillaMan
· 9 months ago
Blagojevich: 'I was hijacked from office' I was hard at work one evening, hard at work for the hard-working workers of Illinois, like I always do, when I suddenly felt extremely tired. Kinda like when the Cubs are up by one at the top of the ninth, and then blow the game - that kind of tired."
"I checked my cocoa-cup, but didn't find anything unusual about the marshmallows floating inside. I always preferred Fat-Free "Swiss Miss" since I try to stay in shape working out...working hard for the hard-working workers of Illinois."
"The next thing I knew, I saw standing before me, Michael J. Madigan and Lt. Governor What's-His-Name, wearing Cubs uniforms, complete with hard protective plastic cups."
"Madigan says to me, "Governor, you've been a thorn in our side ever since you won election by working hard for the hard-working workers of Illinois. We want huge tax cuts, but you thwart our evil ways. Me, and Lt. Governor What's-His-Name are here to take over."
"Governor Blagojevich! This is a hijacking!"
"They hurled catcher's mitts at me that were autographed by Randy Huntley. That hurt. Deeply. I mean to assault me by one of the greatest Cubs ever, I felt like those words by that great philospher Emerson, "Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet."
"I knew that Madigan and Lt. Governor What's-His-Name hijacked me to raise taxes on the hard-working workers of Illinois. Steal from them in order to continue their double-dipping, and double-heading shut-outs. I felt the peril!"
"Now I await justice! You see, I have nothing to fear but the truth. The truth will set me free, or something like that. As I lay prostrate and politically bedridden, these Monsters of the Midway run unscathed through the verdent gardens of our great Prairie State."
"Hijacked! Heed my warnings O sons and daughters of this great land! I have performed by duties, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday, often at my humble abode, in dim light, by the light of the moon, with God by my side, and I can DO NO MORE!"
Anonymous
· 9 months ago
Rod's perfect for talk radio. Dishonest, ignorant, shameless, narcissistic. Unless you're talking about Milt Rosenberg, there aren't too many in that world who could hold down a chair at the Algonquian Roundtable.
Secret Square
· 9 months ago
He doesn't need a reality show. He IS a walking reality show. Or more precisely, a walking ALTERNATE reality show.
Ghost
· 9 months ago
I wonder what his numbers were? I bet high enough that WLS ould do it again, and advertisors will gladly fork over for the time.
We cry our moral outrage, but we tune in and buy the products advertised. I say it is not fool on WLS, it is fool on us for tuning in and supporting WLS advertisors.
Speaking at Will
· 9 months ago
It's kind of funny to me that everyone lathers up the high horse and trotts it through the public square casting shamefull looks at WLS for letting Blagojevich guest host the morning shift.
Would it be wrong for the Sun Times to let Blagojevich write a guest editorial? The station took an opportunity to gain a few listeners and sell a few more spots. How is that wrong?
Does WLS not provide news, weather, sports, and other programming beneficial to the community? Obviousy the answer is yes they do. So lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. In my opinion everyone needs to take a breath.
Dan S, a Voter, Taxpayer and C
· 9 months ago
Vman, another classic. Cudos sir cudos!!
booooring
· 9 months ago
If blago was even funny or interesting, we may have given WLS some credit for trying to entertain us, but many agree, this served no other purpose than to play into and enable this impeached governors plans to have a long drawn out circus of a trial.
HoBoSkillet
· 9 months ago
Speaking at Will - I'm not throwing the baby out yet. I am still a regular WLS listener and I have no plans of changing that. My point is that most of the weekday lineup at WLS are entertainers. This gimmick of letting Blago guesthost just confirms that WLS lacks public redeeming value just like so many other forms of entertainment.
By the way, Christina Filiaggi is one of my favorite traffic reporters out there on the radio.
Wacker Drive
· 9 months ago
Tollway deals, deals with TRS, state bond re-fi all figure in. Let's count out IDOT too.
Wacker Drive
· 9 months ago
Blago saddles up with Attorney Terence Gillespie just other day, timing is everything. Judgement day cometh Rod! Orange is going to look good on you!
Correction: Let’s not count out the IDOT deals too.
Secret Square
· 9 months ago
Could this be why we haven't heard much from our friend "Judgement Day Is On The Way" recently? He or she must be pretty busy.
this old hack
· 9 months ago
WLS lost whatever credibility they had with me years back when they had Ed Vrdolyak host a show. Haven't listened much since.
Bookworm
· 9 months ago
An Indictment Watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe speculation concerning the number and identity of possible defendants. Tornadic spin (by national talking heads), damaging winds (from Blago's mouth), and (a) large hail (of criminal counts) are all possible.
All Comments
"You've probably figured out, I'm no fan of management. But the guy who runs that place used to run this place. And I've got no problem with him personally. But that was a jack@$$ move."
Thank you, Steve, for saying succinctly what many of us felt.
I was hard at work one evening, hard at work for the hard-working workers of Illinois, like I always do, when I suddenly felt extremely tired. Kinda like when the Cubs are up by one at the top of the ninth, and then blow the game - that kind of tired."
"I checked my cocoa-cup, but didn't find anything unusual about the marshmallows floating inside. I always preferred Fat-Free "Swiss Miss" since I try to stay in shape working out...working hard for the hard-working workers of Illinois."
"The next thing I knew, I saw standing before me, Michael J. Madigan and Lt. Governor What's-His-Name, wearing Cubs uniforms, complete with hard protective plastic cups."
"Madigan says to me, "Governor, you've been a thorn in our side ever since you won election by working hard for the hard-working workers of Illinois. We want huge tax cuts, but you thwart our evil ways. Me, and Lt. Governor What's-His-Name are here to take over."
"Governor Blagojevich! This is a hijacking!"
"They hurled catcher's mitts at me that were autographed by Randy Huntley. That hurt. Deeply. I mean to assault me by one of the greatest Cubs ever, I felt like those words by that great philospher Emerson, "Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet."
"I knew that Madigan and Lt. Governor What's-His-Name hijacked me to raise taxes on the hard-working workers of Illinois. Steal from them in order to continue their double-dipping, and double-heading shut-outs. I felt the peril!"
"Now I await justice! You see, I have nothing to fear but the truth. The truth will set me free, or something like that. As I lay prostrate and politically bedridden, these Monsters of the Midway run unscathed through the verdent gardens of our great Prairie State."
"Hijacked! Heed my warnings O sons and daughters of this great land! I have performed by duties, between 9AM and 5PM, Monday through Friday, often at my humble abode, in dim light, by the light of the moon, with God by my side, and I can DO NO MORE!"
We cry our moral outrage, but we tune in and buy the products advertised. I say it is not fool on WLS, it is fool on us for tuning in and supporting WLS advertisors.
Would it be wrong for the Sun Times to let Blagojevich write a guest editorial? The station took an opportunity to gain a few listeners and sell a few more spots. How is that wrong?
Does WLS not provide news, weather, sports, and other programming beneficial to the community? Obviousy the answer is yes they do. So lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. In my opinion everyone needs to take a breath.
By the way, Christina Filiaggi is one of my favorite traffic reporters out there on the radio.
Judgement day cometh Rod!
Orange is going to look good on you!
Correction: Let’s not count out the IDOT deals too.