I have been a loyal WGN Radio listener for low these many decades. I listened to the House that Wally Built as a child, and I remember listening to Roy Leonard talk about his six boys. Bob Collins........Well, Bob had to be my favorite radio personality of all time. The day he died we lost an incredible man.
I've been there as WGN found new people and tightened their ship. I've gradually adjusted to the new format, with the exception of the inappropriate verb use during the news, but......now they've gone too far!
While I was off celebrating Christmas with my family, they closed down the noon Farm Show. I came back expecting it to be in the same place, and instead heard a nervous Steve Cochran starting his show.
The Farm Show has been an integral part of my listening. WGN is a clear channel station that reaches a LOT of Midwestern states. Farmers and those associated with farms (of which I am one), listen to learn what's going on in the national and international markets. Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong were prepared to discuss the newest trends in farming and marketing, and were able to give insight on national legislation affecting farms.
Our family owns farms in Iowa. These men have kept me apprised of trends in farming, so that I am more informed, and can make better decisions. I can get the raw data in a lot of places, but I depended on their analysis.
WGN, like most media outlets, depends on Arbitron ratings to determine what they can charge for ads. Unfortunately, Arbitron chooses to sample just an 11 county area to determine WGN's rating. In doing so, they overlook thousands of loyal listeners through out the Midwest.
WGN believes that a trend toward corporate farming, or "Agri-biz" has shrunk their target market, but there are still families working land they have owned for generations. I've always thought highly of WGN for their diversity in programing. I felt that they were number one in ratings because there was something for everyone at WGN.....but that's changed.
Personally, I believe the new management has made a bad choice. They've erred. The Farm Show was important to a huge part of their audience. If you miss it too, send General Manager Mark Krieschen an e-mail at mkrieschen@tribune.com and let him know what you think about his changes.
My day is just not the same without Orion and Max. I want them back!
UPDATE: It seems that you might also want to talk to Mr. Krieschen about the fact that WGN, after 22 years, has decided they will no longer broadcast in stereo. WGN Radio 720 was one of the first AM stations to choose to broadcast in stereo, and it's odd that they are relinquishing their leadership in this area. Not only did they make the change, they made it unannounced. The change was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.