John Williams

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about why he’s disappointed in the Democrats that voted to end the government shutdown, the possibility that ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ is coming to an end, and President Trump posting that military troops should go to Michigan Avenue to fight crime.

Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to share his thoughts on the Trump administration proposing 50-year mortgages. David says that the option of 50-year mortgages could be beneficial to some, but it probably is not the best idea over the long run.

David hosts “Home Sweet Home Chicago” on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm on WGN Radio. You can call him at 855-56-David, or check out the Team Hochberg website.

WGN Radio won in three categories at the 2025 Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA) Silver Dome Awards, including two honors for the WGN Radio newsroom. The awards, which recognize the top-tier in Illinois broadcasting were announced on November 6 at a reception held at the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago.

WGN Radio received the following Silver Dome Awards:

IBA also recognized Dave Eanet, whose two stints on WGN Radio encompass more than 30 years, with the 2025 Chicago/W. Russell Withers Jr. Broadcast Pioneer Award. Eanet is the voice of Northwestern Wildcat football and men’s basketball, as well as serving as a fill-in anchor on the WGN-TV sports desk.  He is a respected voice in college athletics and has been synonymous with Northwestern football radio broadcasts since 1990. The award is named after the late W. Russell Withers Jr, founding father of the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation.

The Northwestern University alum first joined WGN Radio in 1984 as the morning sports anchor and was part of the Chicago Bears WGN Radio team until leaving in 1988. He returned to the station in 1996 as sports director when WGN Radio became the rightsholder for Northwestern University Athletics and Eanet added men’s basketball play-by-play to his resume. Eanet also filled in on play-by-play for Chicago Cubs broadcasts on WGN Radio in the late 1990s through early 2000s.

Eanet has consistently earned recognition throughout his career, receiving multiple honors as a leading sportscaster and for excellence in play-by-play from the Illinois Broadcasters Association, Chicago Headline Club and Associated Press. He was named a 2005 honorary inductee into the Northwestern University Athletics Hall of Fame and the 2011 Illinois Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

The event also featured the induction of Pat Hughes into the Illinois Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Hughes has been the radio voice of the Chicago Cubs since 1996, including 18 years on WGN Radio.

• Dave Eanet (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Bill Murdoch, Steve Eanet, Dave Eanet, Karen Eanet, Marlene Wells, Mary Boyle, Ashley Bihun, Jack Heinrich (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Dave Eanet and Pat Hughes (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Dave Eanet, Marlene Wells and Pat Hughes (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Dave Eanet, John Williams and Pat Hughes (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Sylvia Snowden reacts to winning her award (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• Sylvia Snowden receives an award from Mark Rivera and Ravi Baichwal from ABC7 (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• Sylvia Snowden (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• John Williams on stage (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• John Williams (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• John Williams receives an award from Erin McElroy and Tahman Bradley from WGN-TV (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• Mary Boyle (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• Dave Eanet (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Marlene Wells (Mary Boyle/WGN Radio)
• Sylvia Snowden, Mary Boyle, John Williams (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• Dave Eanet and Mary Boyle (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)
• Jack Heinrich and Dave Eanet (Mary Boyle / WGN Radio)

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

John U. Bacon, best-selling author of ‘The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald,’ joins John Williams to talk about the history of the ship Edmund Fitzgerald, why the man Edmund Fitzgerald didn’t want the ship to be named after him, the magnificence of the ship, what the Great Lakes were like during the time, how the Edmund Fitzgerald was designed, how many shipwrecks happened on the Great Lakes, the make-up of the crew, what the day was like when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank, how bad the weather eventually got, and how sailing has changed since the sinking of the ship.

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. With the early November snow, Lou offers some tips to winterize your home. What should we do once the snow clears? And as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement questions.

Listen to HouseSmarts Radio on WGN each Saturday morning at 6 am.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

Music Director Enrique Mazzola, who is conducting ‘Carmina Burana’ at Lyric Opera of Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about what we should know about ‘this show ‘Carmina Burana,’ the meaning of the ‘O Fortuna’ piece, what makes this production special, the melodies being very accessible and memorable, how the music is appropriate for all ages, and how he manages all of the forces on stage. For tickets and more information click here.

Phil Mikhaylov, co-founder / CEO, Unicorn Auctions, talks to John about their auction platform for spirits and wine. Phil explains how the auctions work, how the prices vary for the auction items, how they acquire the bottles that go up for auction, and the world’s first appearance (at auction) of the Very Very Old Fitzgerald Blackhawk 15 Year 121 proof bourbon. This will be the very first time the world has ever seen the 15 Year —the rarest of the Blackhawk trilogy—sell publicly.

Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about what’s weighing on the market this week, how the government shutdown has been impacting the economy, his thoughts on the Supreme Court hearing on the Trump administration’s tariff power, why he thinks the Fed will cut rates again in December, the market still being powered by AI enthusiasm, the concern about the labor market, and what people should be doing with their money right now and why it might be time to rebalance your portfolio.