John Williams

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions.

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. 

After 40 years of invaluable contributions, Steve Bertrand is signing off on a remarkable career, and we are honored to celebrate his retirement! He announced on-air that his last day on the radio will be November 13th.

A trusted voice in the newsroom, Bertrand recently celebrated his 40th Anniversary with WGN Radio this past June. He is known for his quick-witted commentary. He has hosted several shows and anchored news on nearly every part of the clock during his tenure.  

“From joining  WGN Radio in 1985 during the Wally Phillips era to anchoring news on the Lisa Dent Show today, throughout his 40 eventful years here Steve has faithfully maintained the highest standards of journalistic integrity, combined with his own unique gift for playful on air banter which is sure to be  missed by colleagues and listeners alike,” said WGN Radio Vice President and General Manager Mary Sandberg Boyle.

Raised in Manteno, Illinois and a Marquette University graduate, Bertrand started at WGN Radio as an intern and hired full-time in 1985. He has been in the news anchor chair since 1992, working with legendary WGN names including Wally Phillips, Roy Leonard, Spike O’Dell and Kathy O’Malley and Judy Markey. With the latter, he brought a unique blend of banter and insight to the conversation of the duo known as “The Girlfriends.”

“I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the history of radio. As a kid, I dreamed of one day living in Chicago. I never imagined I’d be part of her daily conversation,” said Steve Bertrand. “I will forever be grateful to the legends I worked with and, most especially, the listeners who made it all happen. I’ve had the privilege of being part of a pretty amazing family for 40 years.”

“Our loss is Steve’s (and his family’s) gain.  But, boy are we gonna miss him.  He has been the stable, warm and wise voice for Chicago radio for so many years.  If he’ll no longer talk on our shows, I hope he’ll call in.  Chicago needs more Steve Bertrands,” said WGN Radio host John Williams.

Bertrand spent six years on the road with the Chicago Bears when WGN Radio was the flagship for the team, producing play-by-play broadcasts, hosting pre- and post-game shows and interviewing Coach Mike Ditka live from the locker room.

A few of the more notable news stories Bertrand has covered over the past four decades include the death of Mayor Harold Washington, the Plainfield tornado of 1990, Al Gore’s decision not to concede on election night in 2000, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has received several awards and gained a national reputation for interviewing top authors.  

• Dave Eanet and longtime teammate Steve Bertrand. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Angelina Gear and Steve Bertrand
• Steve Bertrand with Ron Santo at the 2005 JDRF Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes
• Steve Bertrand
• Steve Bertrand
• Steve Bertrand at the anchor desk in the WGN Radio studios at Tribune Tower
• The WGN Radio News Team in the 1980’s. Pictured (l-r) top row – Steve Bertrand, Rod Sierra, Wes Bleed, Kathy Worthington, Jan Coleman, Dick Sutliff, Gene Dorretti middle row – Judy Pielach, Dave Stewart, Lyle Dean. front row – Tom Petersen, Dave Ellsworth.
• L to R: Hub Arkush, Spike O’Dell, David Kaplan, Steve Bertrand. (WGN Radio)
• Lisa Dent, former Bear Richard Dent, Steve Bertrand, Kevin Powell
• Richard Roeper, Lisa Dent, Steve Bertrand, Kevin Powell
• Richard Roeper, Lisa Dent, Kevin Powell, Steve Bertrand
• I Care International trip to Guatemala, March 2025 (Steve Bertrand / WGN Radio)
• Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Steve Bertrand in the WGN Radio Showcase Studio (WGN Radio photo)
• Steve Bertrand with cake.
• Steve Bertrand, Clay Jenkinson and John Williams, November 2024. (M. Wells/WGN Radio)
• Steve Bertrand and a Bears beanie babie
• Bob Kessler, Steve Bertrand, Kevin Wells (Lisa Dent / WGN Radio)
• From the newsroom: Steve Bertrand, Steve Grzanich and Don Kleppin (S. Tieman/WGN Radio)
• John Williams and Steve Bertrand
• Dennis Quaid joins Steve Bertrand

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

Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about U.S. Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino appearing in federal court this morning, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visiting Illinois to advocate for redrawing the state’s electoral maps before the next election, and the possibility of President Trump running for a third term.

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the difference between trading and investing, why investors need to ride the market, if he’s concerned about an ‘AI Bubble,’ what he expects from Fed policy, why we should be paying attention to earnings, and why you should take some time to revisit your portfolio before the end of the year.

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about a new study that shows the shingles vaccine being connected to health benefits, early-phase research shows COVID mRNA vaccines could give immunotherapies a cancer-fighting boost, what to know about Tylenol and links to autism, President Trump getting an MRI, and why now is the perfect time to get your COVID and flu shot. Oh, and Shohei Ohtani, too.

Local farmer John Andermann of the Will County Farm Bureau joins John Williams to talk about farming corn and soybeans, how many acres he farms, how the harvest has gone this fall, the generally above average yield in their area, the cost of running a small farm in Illinois, if he expects this to be a profitable year, and how trade policy has been impacting the farm.

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

The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou says now is the time to start prepping your home if you are planning to host Thanksgiving festivities. Lou also answers all of your home improvement questions.

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