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WGN RADIO ANNOUNCES KEVIN METHENY AS PROGRAM DIRECTOR

R

Ronn

Inactive
Inactive User
Monday, December 15, 2008 - WGN Radio 720 AM announced today that Kevin Metheny has been hired as program director.
Metheny was most recently the VP of Programming of the Cleveland radio station cluster, which includes the 50,000-watt news/talk, WTAM-AM, along with music stations WAKS, WGAR, WMJI, WMMS, and WMVX. He previously was VP/Programming & Production for MTV and VH1; and he was Director of Programming & Operations at WNBC Radio-New York.
Tom Langmyer, VP/GM of WGN Radio, likes Metheny's successful track record. "During his ten years in Cleveland, perhaps his most impressive feat was to take AM-1100 and make it Cleveland's number one station and a top 25-54 performer. Metheny is a true radio guy that has a great understanding and respect for WGN. He knows what WGN Radio means to Chicago and will be instrumental in futher growing the station in terms of relevance as "THE Voice of Chicago."
Kevin has been a long time WGN fan and was thrilled about the opportunity to help lead the station. "I've loved Chicago and marveled at WGN since I was a child listening to Wally Phillips and Bob Collins. It's an honor to join the leadership of an American treasure like WGN Radio," said Metheny.
 
"The way the call letters are pronounced is... W-G-NNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
 
Indeed, it wil be interesting. Looking at WTAM's line up it includes Russ Lumbaugh and Glenn Beck. Let me guess what is going to happen to the early afternoon spot. Something syndicated and maybe a march to the "right" which would be a great lead in to Steve Cochran's form a conservative talk and permit him to move further to the right.
 
Ya think? Remember, Kevin was the guy who mentored Jerry Springer during his foray into progressive talk, throwing Beck off of WTAM to their farm-team AM in Akron, WHLO. Heck, I have an aircheck of Kevin filling in for Springer on the net one day.

I expect a thoughtful rethink of WGN, not a boilerplate copy of the Clear Channel formula.
 
i think if you don't keep WGN with local talent, you will mess up what has been working for decades. I don't they need any syndicated talk at all. Don't loose the local part of what is a great radio station !
 
On the other hand, may be an attempt to skew younger by sending the two ladies, Bob Sirott, and Milt Rosenberg to another place to be. Not all at once but strategically placed to maximize the use of the Cubs audience in the spring.
This way he can open up the entire 9:00AM to 4:00 PM slot with a fresher sound and end with recapturing a lost group later in the evening
 
He also programmed KFRC FM in San Francisco. When they Took over the 99.7 frequency from Emmis' X-100, they kept saying "FM 99.7, KFRC FM" That got to be a little monotous. Starting with FM and ending with FM. Grew so tiresome. I am bored now!
 
Kevin Metheny also worked in Chicago. He was the Program Director of "We FM" (99.5 WEFM, now WUSN) when the station was Top 40, owned by General Cinema Corporation. This was around 1979.

Back in my teen years, I used to visit downtown radio stations without any appointment. He was nice enough to give me and a friend a tour of the station, located in the Hancock Center.

I think Kevin worked in St. Louis prior to Chicago, because he had a 'KSLQ picture disc' on the wall in his office.

I won't forget his generosity.
 
He may have been perceived as nice in the WEEEE-FM days, but a friend in Cleveland sent this last July when he exited the CC cluster:
"he made peoples lives (99% of employees) a living hell daily for his "mind screwing with them"! I was told they were doing CARTWHEELS in the building when he was escorted out."

I wish him well as he is handed the keys to "Not Your Father's WGN."
 
Even through it is mainly years later, in 2016 the hirings of Randy Michaels and Kevin Metheney are the most questionable management team in Chicago radio. Just how did Randy Michaels get on the board on Tribune Company in the first place, and why did he hire Kevin Metheney and why they made the plan to shake up of what Kevin Metheney called an American Treasure. All we have to wonder if Spike O'Dell saw the writing on the wall, and chose to retire early rather then stay on, and who knows if he would have bene the first to get fired instead of Kathy & Judy.
 
The demographics of WGN had been heading toward nursing home age, and Michaels hoped to work the same magic at WGN that he had in the 80s at WLW. It was too late to do that....you just weren't going to make that old lady hip. Metheny passed away at his desk at KGO, and this is all history. Has WGN's demographics gotten any better since 2010?
 
gr8oldies said:
The demographics of WGN had been heading toward nursing home age, and Michaels hoped to work the same magic at WGN that he had in the 80s at WLW. It was too late to do that....you just weren't going to make that old lady hip. Metheny passed away at his desk at KGO, and this is all history. Has WGN's demographics gotten any better since 2010?
Click to expand...

In 25-54 it has been hovering between 20th and 25th for the last year.
 
It depends who you ask, WGN Radio had really good afternoon ratings when they had a guy by the name of Garry Meier as their afternoon host, and looked at what they did to him which they don't deserve really any good ratings. According to the most recent ratings for the month that I guess ended September 16th, or listed at that day has a 3.7. All these stations had ratings better then WGN Radio, WBBM-AM, WVAZ-FM, WTMX-FM, WKSC-FM, WSCR-AM, WGCI-FM, and WDRV-FM. WBBM is no really big surprise since they score the best ratings for the last month with a 6.0 or tied with WVAZ-FM.
 
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