WGN Wins Big In Illinois

6-20-13

WGN Radio took top honors at the 2013 Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Awards. For the 6th year in a row, the IBA recognized WGN Radio as the Chicago Market Station of the Year at its annual best-in-state awards ceremony. In addition to being named Chicago Market Station of the Year, WGN Radio also earned first-place honors in five categories:  major market personality for Mike McConnell, best newscast for Judy Pielach, best station website for wgnradio.com, best play-by-play team for Chicago Cubs broadcasters Pat Hughes and Keith Moreland, and best humorous commercial for ?Chicago Food and Wine,? produced by Jason Skaggs.

?It is a great honor to receive the award for Chicago Market Station of the Year by the Illinois Broadcasters Association,? said Jimmy de Castro, President/General Manager of WGN Radio. ?To be recognized by our industry peers is a reflection of the tremendous talent and dedication from our staff to continue to provide the quality of programming our community expects from WGN Radio.?

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Illinois Flood Surrounds Radio Station Building

4-24-13

This is the NextMedia building in Lake County Illinois. GM Karl Wertzler tells Radio Ink, The recent flooding from the storms turned his Waukegan radio stations WLXC-FM and ESPN Deportes into a radio island.  "Throughout the mess, many of the staff members stayed in the building to lend a hand with bailing and sandbagging and the efforts paid off. WXLC remained on the air while Deportes was down for only a brief period of time." 

Wertzler added, the parking lot was just under waist deep at its peak and the floors were saturated inside the building. "I think we have officially made up for the drought conditions on our local level.  While the standing water will remain for several days, we are in pretty good shape overall.  I understand this is the worst flooding we have had since 1986."

WERV-FM General Manager Scott Kosak says his station fared OK but listeners had many more challenges to face in their homes, their neighborhoods, and on their regular routes of travel. "We were regularly announcing road closures and school closures in local areas in the western suburbs.  The same was true for various stations who super serve defined suburban areas in the Northern, North Western, and South Western suburbs of Chicagoland.  It's times like this where, in a major market like Chicago, our hyper-localized suburban based power proves its' value in keeping our listeners as updated as possible in their immediate area."  

Reach out to Karl Wertzler at kwertzler@nextmediachicago.com
Reach out to Scott Kosak at SKosak@NextMediaChicago.com

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Illinois Gets "First Informer Broadcasters Act"

1-31-2013

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed into law a bill that ensures Illinois? broadcasters and cable operators can earn emergency credentials necessary to gain access to their operations, and recognizes the importance of allowing the delivery of fuel necessary to power their facilities? emergency generators during times of disasters.

Illinois Broadcasters Association CEO Dennis Lyle said, ?Illinois? brave first responders have always known they can depend on their dedicated local broadcasters to assist them in disseminating critical information to the masses, regardless of the disaster or emergency,?

The ?First Informer Broadcasters Act,? sponsored by Illinois State Representative John Bradley and Illinois State Senators Antonio Munoz and Kirk Dillard, passed 114-0 in the House early last Spring, and by a vote of 50-0 this January. With the stroke of the Governor?s pen, the Act becomes effective immediately. The IBA (Illinois Broadcasters Association) now begins the process of working with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency in identifying and creating a training curriculum that broadcast and cable operator personnel will have to complete before earning emergency credentials.

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Cornelius To Be Inducted Into Illinois Hall

7-11-2012

The late Don Cornelius will be inducted into the Illinois Broadcasters Association?s Hall of Fame exactly 42 years after ?Soul Train? debuted from Chicago studios. Illinois Broadcasters Association President Dennis Lyle said, ?Sadly, our previously planned 2012 induction of Mr. Cornelius will now be a posthumous induction. That said, his well-deserved induction allows us to formally recognize the genius behind ?Soul Train? and celebrate his countless contributions to our industry.?

Cornelius learned of his invitation for IBA Hall of Fame induction just days before his untimely death late last year. IBA Director Emeritus Marv Dyson, a personal friend of the famous host, reached out to Cornelius last December to personally deliver the invitation and reported Cornelius was delighted to learn of the news and graciously accepted the invitation for 2012 induction. Days later, Cornelius passed away.

As with all of IBA?s Hall of Fame inductions, the August 17th Cornelius induction is a private event open only to IBA-member stations and guests.

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