“The Next 89 WLS Talk Star”
Thursday, Aug 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From WLS AM…
Laura Kelly beat out four other finalists to become ‘The Next 89 WLS Talk Star,” winning the contest at a live finale at The Improv in Schaumburg Wednesday night.
“This is just so incredible!” Kelly said after 89 WLS midday host Lauren Cohn announced her as the winner.
Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft hosted the finale, and Kelly joined them this morning to talk about what she plans to do on her two-hour, 89 WLS talk show.
Proft said that her focus on getting Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin out of office is what put her over the top and separated her from the other finalists.
“That’s the reason I wanted to have a talk show, to be able to just focus on them and dump Dick Durbin. I just want somebody in there that will bring in good government,” Kelly said.
* Check out the video of the presentation…
“There are many people who appreciate this station and appreciate Republican values,” Kelly said after she was awarded the prize.
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:47 am:
Wow. That’s pretty partisan stuff. Is WLS now an arm of the Republican party?
- ChicagoR - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:48 am:
Nice to see that extreme bias is now the principal qualification. Guess that’s why I don’t listen to WLS (other than Roe Conn).
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:53 am:
“Proft said that her focus on getting Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin out of office is what put her over the top and separated her from the other finalists.”
Wow - that’s pretty amazing stuff. It’s not her talent or ability to keep a show lively and entertaining. It’s her loathing of Dick Durbin. I guess they should have renamed this contest, “The Next Radical Right Radio Star.” Look out Rush?
- Raymond - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:54 am:
Isn’t there an FCC issue when a radio show host’s stated and exclusive intention is to un-elect two elected officials?
- Keep Calm and Carry On - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:56 am:
“Is WLS now an arm of the Republican party?”
Is WCPT an arm of the Democratic party?
Cuts both ways.
- siriusly - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:57 am:
I have no problem with conservative talk radio, not all of them are total paranoids. But to just say that WLS = Republican is rather shocking to me.
- siriusly - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:59 am:
Were the other three finalists were Jason Plummer, Alan Keyes and Bob Kustra ?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 11:59 am:
===Is WCPT an arm of the Democratic party? ===
I think they basically admit that.
Also, we’re talking about a 50,000-watt clear channel station with WLS.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:01 pm:
What values does Dan Proft represent?
Being a taxpayer-financed spin doctor for corrupt Cicero politicians?
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:01 pm:
KCACO,
When WCPT creates a new show specifically intended to drum Mark Kirk out of office you’ll have a point.
- Keep Calm and Carry On - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:06 pm:
47th,
WCPT already has that show. All day long.
Not just Kirk, either. Every. Single. Republican. Evildoers, all of them.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:08 pm:
I should’ve included in my above comment that WCPT radio is 1,800 watts. I can and have listened to WLS in my car in Springfield. I doubt I can pick up WCPT’s signal on Chicago’s South Side if I tried, which I haven’t. Doesn’t really interest me. I’m more of a WXRT fan.
- Responsa - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:08 pm:
If she’s funny and smart and entertaining, people will listen to her ala Colbert and Stewart. There are currently a lot of hacktastic people on the airwaves pushing all sorts of issues. And there’s not just one “acceptable” POV. If she goes overboard she’ll justifiably lose listeners. If she’s personable and actually concentrates on “good government” she might be able to open doors and minds and facilitate some decent give and take about politics on Chicago radio. Let’s give her a chance, shall we?
- tominchicago - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:10 pm:
Does she get a month’s supply of Oxycontin in her prize bag?
- too obvious - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:12 pm:
I’m sure she’s a nice person, but Proft’s got a conflict of interest, trying to insure that some better talent doesn’t challenge his own mediocre show that’s falling like a rock in the ratings.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:19 pm:
lol, tominchicago. I’m interpreting that as being a GOPer sometimes, though not always, calls for a bit of pain relief. And, while it sometimes does, Rs are pretty tough and most can get through it on their own without unusual side effects–though there is an argument there for plausibility deniability, I’d imagine, if you choose to “partake.”
- A guy... - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:22 pm:
To the 50K watt point; there’s a bit more competition in the Chicago area too Rich. BTW, XRT is a very laudable choice for listening.
- foster brooks - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:30 pm:
Bring back Larry Lujack and 70’s hits
- MrJM - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:32 pm:
I believe tominchicago is referring to this: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=128270&page=1
– MrJM
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:34 pm:
=BTW, XRT is a very laudable choice for listening. =
And a very viable alernative to oxycontin in some cases!
- walkinfool - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:35 pm:
Keep Calm: Simply not true about WCPT. You obviously don’t listen to them.
I’ve never heard Kirk, JBT, Rutherford, Cross, Radogno, or other state level politicians even mentioned, though I don’t listen to them all the time. They do focus on left-wing issues and politicians at other levels, and Bost and Joe Walsh did make their hit parade due to great, newsworthy outbursts. Keep up that paranoia.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:36 pm:
Thanks, MrJM. Didn’t know about that (or it got “archived” in my brain). Not much of a Rush listener.
- grand old partisan - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:37 pm:
Not sure why anyone should be upset about this. WLS is a private entity. It’s hosts should be allowed to say whatever they want. I’m more concerned with the cycle of tax dollars - public union dues - political contributions that makes Illinois inherently corrupt (with utterly predictable results that we can no longer avoid).
- Wakkinger Dickus - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:37 pm:
Hey wait a minute. What happened to Larry Lujack? Li’l snot-nosed Tommy? Animal Stories takes on a whole new meaning.
- Responsa - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:37 pm:
“Oh my gosh, is the duck (moose doggie, snake kitten) gonna be alright, Uncle Lar?” “Yes, Little Tommy, he’s gonna be just fine.”
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:44 pm:
I remember Larry Lujack and his wife at the time. Wasn’t she a beautiful hand/foot model? If that’s right (the hand/foot model thing), I met her briefly once and she was quite lovely.
- Jim - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:46 pm:
WCPT’s coverage is better than you may think. It simulcasts on three suburban FM stations — the one to the south can be heard as far south as Ford County.
- nobody - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:47 pm:
Haven’t listened to that station since the late 60s - early 70s. Don’t think that type of programming changes any minds but rather plays to their base core listeners.
- Ghost - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:51 pm:
meh nothing to see here move along…..
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 12:52 pm:
Hello, Ghost!
- Newsclown - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 1:01 pm:
WLS was Republican-slanted since Rush started airing on it, and they began conforming all their programming to retain Rush’s lucrative audience thru all dayparts. Short-term it has made them lots of money but that audience is aging-out now and you can hear a lot of free public Service spots running in the dead air where commercials used to run. Cumulous is dropping Rush soon, is the rumor, which may open up some schedule holes in the WLS day for a new host. Yiu can “buy” your own show on WLS on the weekends, and several companies do. Ever since Proft joined, the station’s on-air personality has gotten more stridently right-oriented. The contest and the unseemly pandering it displayed is just the latest evidence of the rightward slide. Conn’s practically a liberal by comparison, and he’s the only guy I can stand listening to on that station. He’s got his own viewpoint, and it’s a conservative one, but he doesn’t beat the audience over the head with it. I respect that. Proft has to watch out how deep he gets into campaigning for office using the station’s airwaves, before he officially announces. Then again, based on his last campaign, we have little to fear.
- Wallinger Dickus - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 1:02 pm:
And for her efforts a shiny new dime, Li’l Tommy.
- Keep Calm and Carry On - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 1:11 pm:
walkinfool: not just wrong, but incredibly. I have listened to them for years. The way I first discovered Ed Schultz and others was not on television, but on the old Air America (now Chicago’s Progressive Talk). Sometimes they make my blood boil, other times they make excellent points. It broadens perspective on things and keeps one from getting sucked into groupthink.
It is disingenuous to imply that a station can harp on Republicans and Republican positions in general all day long but that they’re not really talking about Republicans.
WCPT vigorously tars everyone with the same brush. Just because they don’t pick out one in particular for a special coat of paint doesn’t mean they are remotely close to moderate, objective or fairly balanced.
- Realist - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 1:26 pm:
Boogie check boogie check!
(Ah, high school Friday nights, cruisin’ the main drag in my little home town in my 1972 Dodge Dart…)
- Stones - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 1:36 pm:
I’ve often wondered why conservative oriented talk radio & television seems to receive much higher ratings than liberal programming?
Without getting into an ideological debate what would be your opinions on why this occurs? It doesn’t seem to matter which party occupies the White House or Congress.
- Snucka - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 1:40 pm:
I’m sure Dick Durbin is terrified.
- TooManyJens - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:09 pm:
Stones, I’m not sure that question can be fully answered without getting into ideology. I’ll take a shot at part of it, at least, which is that older folks are probably more likely both to listen to talk radio and to vote Republican.
- I have a question - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:14 pm:
Who is Dan Proft?
Is he the guy that finished behind even the phonebook magnate with the comic book hero campaign?
- Tim Snopes - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:18 pm:
Sad. Very sad. The concept of “public airwaves” is now only a memory.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:30 pm:
I still miss Dick Biondi.
- CarrollCounty - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:34 pm:
During the Bush-Kerry race WLS pulled Don and Roma off the air to negotiate their expired contract. Don and Roma are a wonderfully balanced pair of radio professionals, IMO. They were back on the air shortly after the election, as I recall.
In their place were some total hack Bushie cheerleaders. It really rubbed me the wrong way, that’s for sure. Turned the station and have been much less loyal.
In other news, Kathy and Judy are coming back at WGN, but only for two hours on Saturday.
http://wgntv.com/2013/08/20/kathy-and-judy-steve-cochran-to-return-to-wgn-radio/#hlGWMegxl4APHZPm.01
- OneMan - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:35 pm:
Well isn’t political talk radio basically people listening to people they agree with who reinforce the idea that they are right and smart and the folks with other viewpoints are wrong and stupid?
But seriously, do these stations really influence people or do they just preach to the converted?
- Stones - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 2:55 pm:
Toomanyjens…..your response seems logical but it doesn’t explain the same phenomenon in television programming. FOX is entirely more successful than MSNBC which would be the closest thing to their counterpart.
Oneman…I agree with your assessment - people listen to these programs to reinforce their own beliefs.
- steve schnorf - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 3:34 pm:
1OA2GRS
- Endangered Moderate Species - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 3:46 pm:
==appreciate Republican values===
Why do some GOP enthusiasts act as if their values are superior to the values of others? When heard in this context, I interpret it as arrogance.
- Samurai - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 4:17 pm:
Anonymous–Dick Biondi is still on 94.7 WLS FM. I think on evenings.
- shore - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 4:28 pm:
Love bruce wolf, dan proft is too negative for me, and their guests are really stale outside of steve stone.
- LisleMike - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 4:46 pm:
Hey gang! Been out of pocket with some family funerals to attend to.
Guess what? It is all about $$$
Listeners=rating=billing/advertising revenue. Maybe listener do tune in to reinforce their views, but they tune in. Many come and go, and from what I heard this morning, Laura Kelly is not likely to be a long term addition to the station. Rant as you might about “right wing” or Republican slanted news, but there is an audience and advertisers are willing to pay to reach it. If the progressive stations got someone who could draw an audience, they too, would garner the $$ to stay on the air. Just my 2 cents worth. (Low $$)
- Amalia - Thursday, Aug 22, 13 @ 4:53 pm:
omg, Right Wing Idol! who else will be on the judges panel for the next season and can we please have the outtakes?
- concern1 - Friday, Aug 23, 13 @ 10:34 am:
good for her I’m glad somebody in Chicago wants Quinn and durbin out of office!!!
- Obama's New Puppy - Friday, Aug 23, 13 @ 10:55 am:
Unlistenable
- 2nd Generation Wannabe - Friday, Aug 23, 13 @ 1:34 pm:
wordslinger,
Proft’s values are whatever makes him the most money. He is the ultimate opportunist.