Radio is Airwaves and McDonalds is a Meal
Photo: Pervis Spann the Blues Man Helped Define Chicago Radio
Chicago Tribune media watchdog Phil Rosenthal hits one out of the Park ( Millennium or Grant?) with his Sunday column:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-0608130240aug13,1,5601628.column?coll=chi-business-hed
The City of Drooping Shoulders will take anything. What was once a nerve center for national communications has become a toothache. Bobby Skafish was shown the door at WXRT much in the same way as other identifiably 'Chicago' broadcasters become exhibits in Bruce DuMont's Museum on Michigan Ave.
While teaching in Kankakee, IL , the center piece of the day was Lee Schrock's Spin on Valley Sports - Lee has been with WKAN since 1965 and continues to part of that region's culture. Along with the Illinois Farm Report, teacher/coach/broadcaster Lee Schrock was a great sounding board for the region. He was part of the identity. http://www.wkan.com/who/lee.html
http://www.wkan.com/who/lee.html
Chicago has lost its taste for identity in favor of canned calories from Corporate. Beverly Bean at 2734 W. 111th Street serves up better Java than any Starbucks and hires neighborhood kids. It is part of the culture of the neighborhood, as much as non-stop '16 softball at Kennedy, Mount Greenwood, and Beverly Parks.
Phil Rosenthal does a great job giving Chicago Media a full-length look at itself in the mirror. The city that launched Dave Garroway, Frank Reynolds, Wally Phillips, Larry Lujack, Ron Magers, Jane Pauley, Bob Collins, Mike Rapchak, Milt Rosenberg, Pervis Spann, & Fred Winston will settle for a Happy Meal of Whoopi & Limbaugh.
Great work, Phil!
23 comments:
Hickey brings out an important point about supporting small and neighborhood business and the growing (if not already grown) big corporate, to me souless (not completely perhaps) culture with no connection from the bottom up.
McDonalds, Starbucks, nationally run Album oriented radio where everyone listens to the same thing, big pro-sports instead of local HS coverage etc.
I agree with the Hickey diagnosis, I just don't know what the answer is, or if it is even possible.
My hope is that my kids will not step over a buck to pick up a penny.
There seems to be that trend in everything.
Hope your kids don't ever have to encounter a brutal sociopathic sadistic racist cop like JON BURGE if they ever get in trouble or are mistaken for someone else or at the wrong place at the wrong time.
They have little to woryy about with you two geniuses hot on the trail of millions$$$$$$$$$$$$
I'll bet that Ryan deposition will have you lads going broke on Depends at Wal-Mart, though.
Have a good thought!
Depends at Walmart is not a good throught for anyone.
Hickey you are a tad warped.
I tend to agree with Hickey a lot on this blog. He is funny and witty and clever with proper amounts of cynicism and sarcasm.
He brings a different perspective than either partisans who blog here and other places (at least of political blogs) I think he has it right on community business and private school alternatives and certain nuanced cultural questions. I don't even think some people (like Skeeter) even understand him or history, as Hickey despite the clever one liners, is very deep.
HOWEVER, I am disturbed he seems to take the Burge torture victims and actual torture so lightly and dismisses it because of some allegedly shark lawyers with an overarching agenda. To me, (and many others of good will), the question is whether there was torture and if any of these people were innocent of the crimes they were charged for (understanding some of them may have committed other separate crimes). It goes to the integrity of the system. Regardless of the crime, torture should not happen here in the United States and I do not think I am being naive on that. Moreover, while these shark agenda driven lawyers that Hickey seems to hate may be undermining institutions that need credibility and support or our whole social fabric can collapse, it is not only the lawyers who are undermining those institutions (courts and cops) but also the Mayor (Daley), State's Attorney Dick Devine, some of the cops involved in this, and the district attorneys who prosecuted the cases by lying, covering things up and seemingly (besides maybe Daley) accepting no responsibility. There certainly is an undercurrent of racism and the evidence for at least wrondoing if not torture in the John Burge and Area teams seems overwhelming. It is very disturbing. Now, an affirmative conclusion may not be possible from the Hickey comments on this topic (which are more than one) but certainly he is dismissive and seems to minimize certain aspects of it. Moreover, the integrity of plaintiffs attorneys or liberal university professor like approaches at supposed innocence or the death penalty does not necessarily prove anything nor does it justify wrong doing.
I am disturbed by the whole Burge affair, and the numerous cops and district attorneys involved, and the seemingly lack of responsibility or any admission by Devine and others. The confidence in police and prosecution is at an all time low especially in low income black neighborhoods. The protest at City Hall the other day (I passed it downtown) looked scary to me with all the angry looking people and the cops. There has to be some kind of search for truth and justice and reconciliation. This does not mean let criminals go or be stupid. But it does mean to hold people in authority accountable.
It seems that Hickey minimizes and dimishes this situation, which hurts me while I do not know Hickey personally, he seems so intelligent and profound and right about so many topics. I wish he would think deeper or at least write more accurately on the topic of the specific police torture.
(Sorry, I deleted my initial response due to typos - no coffee yet.)
That was the first reasoned - (not like a four year old on bennies)commentary on the fact that:
1. While I have NO idea IF torture took place at Area Two with, under, around or near Lt. Burge, I do not believe that Messrs.. G. Flint Taylor, Locke Bowman, Jon Loevy or the balance of their mobilized cadre have made a compelling enough case ( they have in fact made no less than four runs at Federal Courts) of the weight required to compel me to don the skirt and sweater required to launch me to the top of their cheerleader pay-out pyramid and really 'bring it' to the alleged torturers.
2. Flint and Locke have a massive PR army (journalists, editorial boards, University think-tanks, Centers for Everything & etc.) and have won the skirmish of making Jon Burge a poster boy for brutality - 'He Looks Like a Racist Irish Cop Doesn't He/ He Must be One' - But Burge is not Irish - I believe that he is Dutch - no matter. Capt. Dreyfus looked like 'a sneaky Jew traitor' and had the personality of a dial tone and that was enough for French public opinion in the 19th Century Republic ( Liberty, Fraternity, & all that stuff). Burge ain't no Dreyfus but the parallel portrayal is pretty accurate. Some people want Burge to be guilty. Fine. This is America.
3. Four Mayors, including Chicago's First African American Mayor - a guy I voted for and liked alot - and the MOST progessive Mayor in Chicago's history Dave Orr and Chicago's second African Mayor Eugene Sawyer - a wonderful and kind-hearted man, and their Police Superintendents did not act on Jon Burge. How come? Were they part of some vast conspiracy as well? Brandmeier was on the Loop at that time - what exactly was His part in all of this? Really, the howlers are that desperately intense.
4. The Special Prosecutors had their dual fannies wetted and moistened by Flint and the lads upon appointment and are a NOW part of the vast cover-up conspiracy and the University foot-soldiers in Flint's crew are taking editorial pot-shots ( BUT Mr. Egan just handed the guy from DePaul the cheeks of his butt in a wonderful legal reposte). Come on.
Flint gets more face-time in the media than Oprah.
5. When Mr. Evans was asked by a reporter why he did nit take a substantuial settlement in favor of the ZERO dollars he was awareded by a jury, Jon Loevy immediately muzzled him. What's that about? Is it not about Justice? 'These voices MUST be Heard!' Could a malpractice suit be in the offing?
6. George Ryan will be deposed in a few weeks concerning what evidence presented to the panel considering pardons that have been sealed and prompted him to pardon the guys Flint-Locke, Inc. are representing and those legal lads are soiling their collective Union-suits over that possiblity. Why is that?
7. What does it matter what I believe? My thoughts are my own and being wrong, based upon my understanding of things, will not amount to much in this great scheme of things: But the mere fact that my opinion means so much to the people who have already convicted Jon Burge is one more chip in my pile. People who know nothing of or about me feel compelled to hand-cuff me to Jon Burge when they toss him into the briney-deep speaks volumes of their moral worth.
Like I said, Why does my opinion mean so much? You folks have the numbers. 'Send Jon Burge to Devils Island without a trial' - you'll sleep better?
Also, What about the state of Chicago radio? Or, is my scepticism regarding radical law manipulation and public opinion that intensely crucial?
What's the phrase - Move On?
7:32 AM
Radio is controlled and becoming too national. Big corporations, very little local origination, Chicago bucks the trend a little.
Jon Burge (first name Jon withouth the H usually a Jewish or WASP spelling not Catholic Irish) is/was a Congregationalist. He was not Dutch Reformed, religion is not necessarily despositive of race/ethnicity but can be an indicator. Congregationalists (with many good points including anti-slavery, and a strong support of education at least among themselves, but some anti-semitism) were considered liberal vis a vis the Protestant demoninations and mostly Anglo-Germanic. Burge could be an Orangeman which than you could really pile on him he could be like the popular but very tough Rat or you can blame him on Ian Paisley.
Burge ain't no Dreyfus (not Richard either) and the parallel is weak. There will probably be no trial to Devils Island because well there will be no trial because supposedly all the statutes of limitations have run.
BUT....OPS (Chicago Police Office of Professional Standards which rarely statistically wise gets officers or especially higher ups)determined that Jon Burge should be terminated and did torture. Jon Burge had top lawyers in now Judge Kunkel and now States Attorney Devine from politically connected firm of Phelan Pope--so no one denied Burge defense, he had top lawyers before his termination board which is a hard thing to do(terminate that is).
The Special Prosecutors Report (the so called Burge report) done by former Judge Egan and Bob Boyle did determine that Burge tortured people and should of been indicted and would of been convicted if the statute did not run.
So both OPS and the Special Prosecutors report found against Burge and many other police officers. Burge may be the face of this but there were other officers.
Again, this is not Flint, Locke, Loevy, silly university professors, bad media people BUT the Office of Professional Standards investigation, proceedings and a hearing on Burge's termination where Burge had the best lawyers in the city who were the power (Kunkel and Devine even though they knew about Burge torture)and the Special Prosecutors Report which is criticized by the above Peoples Law Group and the like but still, again, but still says that torture happened, Burge and other officers clearly did torture, and if the statute did not run they should of been indicted and by the weight of the evidence (by their analysis without a trial obviously) been convicted.
You (Patrick Hickey)seem to not want to face that one human being in power could of tortured other human beings including according to HUNDREDS of accounts (yes some liars who also want to get out of problems)but HUNDREDS of corroborated stories now with Police officers admitting things, and medical records corroborating etc. The Special Prosecutors report studied 147 claims of torture and said at least HALF were substantiated. (there are actually 191 claims but they did not look at them all) While you may be right about the bad hungry lawyers, you are not informed, or want to deny a great deal of establishment evidence against many officers whose face is Jon Burge.
It may be the fault of Loevy, but in the case of Evans, even Dick Devine said he was innocent, and the DNA evidence proved it. So I would not be too happy that a man that served 27 years on death row did not get any money. I do not believe in breaking the bank for anything, Holocaust survivor, Slave reparations on down BUT they should get something and it is a shame if Evans gets nothing.
People care about what you say because you are a Blogger and discuss the issue or others discuss it and your respond.
It is an important issue that you seem to have no compassion for nor any search for truth.
Move on to somewhere, not just denial with no justice.
Jonathon Brandmeier was involved in police torture?
of course he's denying it - it's that chilling cone of silence.
sorry, I'm just kidding.
It was really the Parranaman and he is connected to Al-Qaeda?
Hickey is defending Burge because of a JJ Red Squad connection?
I am sick of hearing about the Jon Burge case, bottom line is it was a different time back than. Burge has the support of many of the police and pols from that era, they raised money for his defense including former 19th ward Alderman/Senator/friemd of da Mayor Jeremiah Joyce (also a former cop) Lets move on people.
Burge was a stand up cop that you would want in a fox hole with you.
Crimes were solved. Animals were put in jail. Why do you think crime dropped. Burge deserves a medal.
You would torture too if you had to work in some of these districts.
These so called racist Irish cops are the ones that protect you from the monsters. Hickey or whoever is right in revealing the communist lawyers who steal from the taxpayers and try to make criminals free. It is really they who are the sick ones. Thank God for Area 2 and 3 and the good hardworking tough yes white cops who kept Chicago from turning into a Detroit circus.
Hickey defending Burge, and that is what he is doing, no way around it, is sick sick sick.
Hickey can criticize lawyers who have revealed innocent people who were on death row.
MICHAEL EVANS DID NOT EVEN HAVE THE SAME DNA
AND IMMORAL DICK DEVINE EVEN HE WHICH TAKES A LOT ADMITTED EVANS WAS INNOCENT
There was torture, the evidence is clear. It is a shame you cannot even discuss it.
Hickey should be ashamed to be in the African American community.
Get a grip cupcake! You'll swoon.
Cupcake swoon
?????
what does that have to do with racist cops torturing innocent (and guilty) Black people
HICKEY FEEL SHAME
Yes Ma'am. Immediately, if not sooner.
what does swoon mean in this context?
where is skeeter when you need him
Skeeter is an appendage and not a necessity, as his behavior attests.
some appendages are important
probably not Skeeter though
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