John Siuntres: Happy Sweet Sixteen, Word Balloon!

Everyone seems to have a podcast now, but John Siuntres is one of the very early podcasters, and has been going strong since 2005 with his very popular Word Balloon podcast. He talks about how he started podcasting, how he built his audience, boxing, what he thinks of the proliferation of podcasts, how he’s been able to podcast for so long, comics and animation, nerd culture, Star Trek, his hosting style, the North Shore and New Trier, how he gets guests, why he’s into comics, what he thinks of video-casting, advice for podcasting, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG175.mp3

And listen to the previous podcast with John about his radio career and more.

p.s. My novel, Wicker Park Wishes, is now available! Published by Eckhartz Press, owned by longtime radio pro Rick Kaempfer (who I interviewed for this podcast in the early days). Order at the Eckhartz Press site.

Hannah Stanley and Fred Weintraub: Hannah and Fred Show

TV pro Fred Weintraub and radio pro Hannah Stanley host the Hannah and Fred show on WCGO and WIMS Radio, and they talk about how they host live while Fred is in London and Hannah is in Chicagoland; how he got interested in the British Royal Family and discussed them on Hannah's WGN Radio show; how they are different yet use their strengths; working in TV and radio; how Fred and Hannah created their show and are able to work together easily; their TV and radio careers; why Fred lives abroad; advice for being a guest and working in the media, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG174.mp3

p.s. My novel, Wicker Park Wishes, will be published by Eckhartz Press, owned by longtime radio pro Rick Kaempfer (who I interviewed for this podcast in the early days). Pre-order here.

Gary Wordlaw: Black News Channel exec and incredible person

Gary Wordlaw is a very experienced TV pro, and is now the Vice President of News and Programming at the Black News Channel, which can be viewed throughout the country, including Chicago. He talks about how he got into TV; what the South and Chattanooga, Tennessee were like when he was growing up; working in TV in the 1960s as the first African American hired at the Chattanooga TV station (after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed); how his family, the community, and God helped him get through challenges; the NAACP and what the 1960s were like; what he thinks about how the news biz covers stories about African Americans; why he is glad and proud to be part of the Black News Channel and how he chose the broadcasters; why the channel is located in Tallahassee, Florida and what that city is like; what it’s like to work in different parts of the country (from Chattanooga to Bellingham, Washington, Baltimore, Maryland, Washington D.C., Syracuse, New York, Seattle, Washington, New Orleans and Baton Rouge in Louisiana, and Tallahassee a couple of times) and how moving around has affected him; what being a Southerner means and his family background; what “it” is; why he thinks TV covers certain stories; the importance of telling the deeper story of individuals; important stories for the African American community; why he went into management; what he thinks of social media; how to effectively fact check; how to stay objective in news; advice for working in news, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG173.mp3

p.s. My novel, Wicker Park Wishes, will be published by Eckhartz Press, owned by longtime radio pro Rick Kaempfer (who I interviewed for this podcast in the early days). Pre-order here.

Brent Payne: Bald SEO a Decade Later!

Brent Payne, the "Bald SEO" who I interviewed ten years ago when he was doing SEO (search engine optimization) at the Tribune Company, gives an update about his company, Loud Interactive, moving out of the city into the North Shore with his family, why he likes working from home instead of having an office downtown, being intense and motivated, why a plan is important, spending half a million dollars on a mistake and how he deals with mistakes and setbacks, working with solopreneurs in his Loud Consortium, how he gets clients, work/life balance, why he's so happy and what's important in his life, how SEO has changed over the past ten years, how he leads a company after working alone, what he's learned, SEO tips, why Google matters, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG172.mp3

Jennifer Keiper: more reporting and anchoring

Jennifer Keiper now works at WBBM Newsradio in Chicago, where she is an anchor and reporter. She talks about working during the pandemic, how she came back to WBBM, working at WLS in Chicago (where I interviewed her before) and WKRS/XLC in Waukegan, being a traffic reporter in the Sears Tower, working at B96 with News Director Karen Hand, traveling around the country and the world as a Midwest Bureau Correspondent for Fox News Radio, dealing with being fired or laid off, the media business, how she developed her writing and broadcasting skills, why being objective is important, doing concise interviews and preparing for them, writing and rewriting news, how to work on deadline, how to get people to talk for a story, working in the suburbs and city, difference between reporting an anchoring, difference between reporting locally and traveling, what kind of experience is important, how journalism has changed, why reporters should focus outward, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG171.mp3

Michele Fiore: having fun in TV

Michele Fiore is a reporter at Fox 32 Chicago and talks about why it's a great place to work; what a desk assistant does; how they choose stories to cover and what makes a good story; how journalism has changed; the difference between working in TV and radio; working in Decatur, Illinois; working in Chicago at Metro Networks, WMAQ radio, CLTV, and WBBM Newsradio; working in Milwaukee at WTMJ Radio and WTMJ TV, and CBS 58 TV as a reporter and at the news desk; her work at WAND TV in Springfield; how to get work in the media; why getting along with people and being a team player are important; how social media affects reporting; how TV stories are put together and why TV is fun; how they check sources; what Milwaukee is like; how to find people to interview for stories; how radio stories are different from TV stories; how to create a compelling story; how she likes doing both reporting and anchoring radio; advice for getting into broadcasting; what makes good writing, and more. See videos at Michele's YouTube page. 

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG170.mp3

Steve Scott: from successful news guy to new college grad

Steve Scott is an anchor at WCBS Radio in New York. He provides an update on what is going on with his life there (I interviewed him about his news radio broadcasting career in 2012), including what it's like during the coronavirus lockdown and challenges the city is facing; how they report the news through audio and writing; finding positive stories; what makes a good story, how they get big-name politicians on the air, reporting the news on WLS when 9-11 happened, advice for getting into journalism, how to know when to quit, why he considers himself lucky, and he also reveals his own incredible news: after 40 years, he has finally graduated from college! He wasn't able to go to his graduation in California (San Jose State) due to the virus shutting events down, but his diploma is on the way!

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG169.mp3

Rob Martier: from Chicago to Canada and back

Rob Martier is a news and sports broadcaster at WLS Radio, where he covers Illini teams. He previously worked at WGN Radio after spending several years in Montreal, Canada covering sports at CJAD radio. He talks about what Canada is like, why he considers Montreal home, being a beat reporter for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, getting started in media at Glenbrook South High School, interning with Robert Murphy at Q101, what Robert Murphy was like, why he likes doing radio more than TV, how to create a concise, compelling story; fact checking; the Jussie Smollett story (which allegedly happened pretty much below the NBC Tower, where WLS Radio is located); how journalism has changed; working in sports journalism; why he loves covering sports; working in Canada vs the U.S.; how he went from sports to news; why news shouldn’t be biased; advice for getting into journalism and media; why you should not major in journalism; Illini football, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG168.mp3

Jim DeRogatis: very smart and interesting

Jim DeRogatis is a co-host of Sound Opinions and has been a music critic and music journalist for several years, and is also an author. He talks about what he teaches at Columbia, what he thinks of “dead tree journalism” and how journalism has changed over the years, how he was able to write the Buzzfeed article about R Kelly, how to write and fact-check articles, why journalism is expensive, why reading is important, what he reads and what he thinks about reading, how to write well and persevere in it, why criticism is important, pizza, why being creative is important even without pay, why he cares about mentoring, hard work and perseverance, interviewing Lester Bangs, playing in a punk rock band, if he gets cool invites around town, getting banned from Lollapalooza, reporting and mentoring, how he stays motivated, why he thinks Chicago is the best city in America, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG167.mp3

Rob Hart: third time's a charm

Rob Hart is an anchor and reporter at WBBM Newsradio in Chicago. He talks about why he likes doing both reporting and anchoring, hosting the Noon Business Hour, what makes a good show guest, what is good reporting, why news radio still matters, how to write and find a good story, why talk radio is so difficult (he did it at WGN and WLS), how to deal with the volatility of the radio biz, advice for getting work, working at WLUP The Loop with Maxwell, working at WTMJ in Milwaukee, what Milwaukee is like, why he likes doing radio more than TV, how he’s dealt with challenges, advice for working in the media, what he thinks journalism is, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG166.mp3

Andrea Darlas: newsworthy career

Andrea Darlas was an anchor and reporter at WGN Radio for several years, and is now the Senior Director of Constituent Engagement for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She talks about how she got her current job and her long radio and TV career, which started at WPGU at the University of Illinois, then WGBO-TV in Chicago, WDWS in Champaign, as a news director at WJOL in Joliet, then WGN radio, plus CLTV and WGN-TV. She also talks about if someone who does publicity should work in the media first, "fake" news, how the media has changed since she started working in it, what she learned from news anchor and reporter Dick Sutliff and news pro Tom Petersen, who were both at WGN Radio for many years, what she's learned over the years, how technological changes have affected news reporting, how she separates doing straight news vs talk radio, why you should never leave a meeting, why she chose radio over TV, why working in a small market is important, advice for getting work, how she got into TV, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG165.mp3

Jordan Bernfield: six years later, doing sports and news on TV and radio

Jordan Bernfield is now doing news and sports at WGN Radio, in addition to doing play-by-play for ESPN, BTN, and NBC. He gives advice for getting into radio and media, talks about working at WSCR The Score, how to deal with competition, how to do sports prep and play-by-play effectively, how doing sports has helped him write and cover news, what it’s like to work in both news and sports, what it’s like to do TV vs radio, why being versatile is important, and more. I first interviewed him exactly six years ago at WGN.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG164.mp3

Here's a video I did when he was at WGN Radio earlier in his career:

Lisa Fielding: passionate about journalism

Lisa Fielding is an anchor and reporter at WBBM Newsradio, and she talks about why she likes doing both, explains what an enterprise story and chyron are; what she considers as news, reporting bad news, remaining neutral, international news, why she got into journalism, working in television, how she interned at WEEK-TV in Peoria, making mistakes, working at WROK 1440 AM in Rockford, anchoring and reporting at CBS-TV in Rockford; anchoring at Fox 47 in Madison, Wisconsin and the CW in Milwaukee; what it’s like to experience failure and how to face challenges; starting over at WBBM, what it’s like to work in Wisconsin, why she loves following news, what she thinks of digital, how to write a story, the difference between TV and radio, how to succinctly tell a story, advice for getting work in TV or radio, the importance of journalism, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG162.mp3

Here's a video of her that I did a while ago at the news radio station (I took a couple of digital video classes and this was one of the projects that I did).

Lisa Fielding: radio news from Margaret Larkin on Vimeo.

Edwin Eisendrath: total Chicago guy

Edwin Eisendrath is best-known for being the former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times, and was also Alderman of the 43rd Ward (Lincoln Park area) and the regional director of HUD. He talks about why he thinks Chicago is a great city; knowing Governor JB Pritzker, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, (who[m] he says is brilliant and has an incredible memory), Mayor Harold Washington; leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); how Chicago neighborhoods have changed, the Chicago housing situation and redlining; why he respects government careerists; what he thinks of how the media covers politicians; why he ran for alderman; why he respects journalists; why he's pro-union; mistakes he's made; the Chicago political scene; how he helped the Sun-Times; Chicago’s problems and positives, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG163.mp3

Charlie Wheeler: knowledgeable journalist emeritus

Charlie Wheeler, a former Chicago Sun-Times reporter who is currently a professor at the University of Illinois Springfield and director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program, talks about what makes a good reporter, his career at the Sun-Times, covering the Illinois constitutional convention and the state government in Springfield, what it was like to be a reporter in the 60s and 70s, how newspaper bureaus have changed, how he got into working for newspapers, his father and grandfather's newspaper work, how journalism has changed, what he thinks of digital, how to assess stories and prepare, how to become a journalist, and more. I interviewed him at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) convention in Springfield.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG161.mp3

Mike North: radio boxer

Mike North got into radio via an interesting route, and has worked in TV and digital as well. He talks about money, the Vietnam draft, what he thinks of smartphones, his radio and TV career; his online endeavors including Bears Barroom and Mike at the Movies; why former WSCR/The Score Program Director Ron Gleason is wonderful, how Mike got The Score job in the early days and why he left; what Mayor Daley I was like; meeting famous people at his hot dog stand; why honesty is important, what's lacking in today's media climate, what being successful and wealthy is like; drinking, meeting Harry Caray and Rush Limbaugh; how the biz has changed; why people play it safe; the Bears, Bulls GM Jerry Krause; the White Sox's tax incentives; why he doesn't trust media people; the Chicago Sports Webio fiasco aka his "Vietnam;" dealing with setbacks; how he got a movie made about his life, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG160.mp3

Ryan Burrow: excellent radio reporter

Ryan Burrow is a reporter for ABC Radio and WGN Radio. He talks about how he prepares for interviews all over the country, how he juggles his news responsibilities, how he maintains objectivity and standards, stories he's covered, working in Fredericksburg, Virginia, at WRAC in Memphis, Tennessee, at Clear Channel News Network and Tribune syndicate in Chicago, at WLS Radio, what FM News was like, doing multimedia journalism, doing sports radio at Valparaiso, interning at C-Span, how he got into news, his passion for sports, advice for getting into the media biz, what he's learned, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG159.mp3

Esmeralda Leon: radio geek?

Esmeralda Leon is on the air at WGN Radio doing traffic and being part of Nick Digilio’s show. She talks about how she got into radio, why she prefers doing traffic to news, what she thinks of her hometown Joliet, what it was like to work for Jonathan Brandmeier’s show at The Loop, what she’s learned, how she got into traffic, being a podcasting pioneer with Brandon Wetherbee and the live show, "You, Me, Them, Everybody," briefly working with Roe Conn and Bill & Wendy on WGN, then Nick Digilio and Patty Vasquez; how overnights are different, what it’s like to be on Nick’s show, how she preps for shows, her aspirations, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG158.mp3

John Siuntres: radio broadcaster and podcasting pioneer

John Siuntres is a radio broadcaster (currently at WBBM Newsradio) and is one of the pioneers of podcasting...he started way back in 2005, when there weren't many podcasts at all (now there are lots of them), with his popular Word Balloon podcast. He talks about how he got into radio, covering boxing on Chet Coppock's show on WLUP The Loop; being part of the early staff when WSCR The Score started; writing about boxing for Boxing Illustrated; working on Dan McNeil and Terry Boers' afternoon show on The Score; working at Sporting News Radio; his very successful Word Balloon podcast; doing production including imaging for WSHE 100.3, and commercials for WDRV The Drive and The Mix WTMX at Hubbard; interviewing the boxing greats, why he loved boxing, and the quirks of the boxing biz; what he thinks of the radio biz; what the early days of The Score were like; his parody songs (sampled in the interview); how radio was the original social media and how social media has affected radio; why he started his podcast and what makes a successful podcast; getting on TV as a commentator on the Prophets of Science Fiction show; how his podcast became successful and which famous people he's talked to among his almost 800 interviews, and more.


Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG157.mp3

Craig Dellimore: dignified reporter

Craig Dellimore has been the Political Editor, City Hall reporter, and host of At Issue on WBBM Newsradio for several years. He talks about getting started at WBBM around the time Harold Washington became Mayor, what City Hall was like when he started reporting in Chicago, what Harold Washington was like, diverse newsrooms, covering crime, racial issues, dealing with doubters, covering Springfield, issues in the suburbs, simplifying story lines, New York vs Chicago, working at WCBS in New York, the NYC Blackout and other stories he’s covered, why he came to Chicago, working at City Hall, politicians’ motivations, voting issues, maintaining professionalism, changes in culture, “the n word,” advice for being a good reporter and writer, doing TV on Chicago Tonight, and more.

Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).

http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG156.mp3