Charlie Wheeler, a former Chicago Sun-Times reporter who is currently a professor at the University of Illinois Springfield and director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program, talks about what makes a good reporter, his career at the Sun-Times, covering the Illinois constitutional convention and the state government in Springfield, what it was like to be a reporter in the 60s and 70s, how newspaper bureaus have changed, how he got into working for newspapers, his father and grandfather's newspaper work, how journalism has changed, what he thinks of digital, how to assess stories and prepare, how to become a journalist, and more. I interviewed him at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) convention in Springfield. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG161.mp3

Mike North got into radio via an interesting route, and has worked in TV and digital as well. He talks about money, the Vietnam draft, what he thinks of smartphones, his radio and TV career; his online endeavors including Bears Barroom and Mike at the Movies; why former WSCR/The Score Program Director Ron Gleason is wonderful, how Mike got The Score job in the early days and why he left; what Mayor Daley I was like; meeting famous people at his hot dog stand; why honesty is important, what's lacking in today's media climate, what being successful and wealthy is like; drinking, meeting Harry Caray and Rush Limbaugh; how the biz has changed; why people play it safe; the Bears, Bulls GM Jerry Krause; the White Sox's tax incentives; why he doesn't trust media people; the Chicago Sports Webio fiasco aka his "Vietnam;" dealing with setbacks; how he got a movie made about his life, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG160.mp3

Ryan Burrow is a reporter for ABC Radio and WGN Radio. He talks about how he prepares for interviews all over the country, how he juggles his news responsibilities, how he maintains objectivity and standards, stories he's covered, working in Fredericksburg, Virginia, at WRAC in Memphis, Tennessee, at Clear Channel News Network and Tribune syndicate in Chicago, at WLS Radio, what FM News was like, doing multimedia journalism, doing sports radio at Valparaiso, interning at C-Span, how he got into news, his passion for sports, advice for getting into the media biz, what he's learned, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG159.mp3

Esmeralda Leon is on the air at WGN Radio doing traffic and being part of Nick Digilio’s show. She talks about how she got into radio, why she prefers doing traffic to news, what she thinks of her hometown Joliet, what it was like to work for Jonathan Brandmeier’s show at The Loop, what she’s learned, how she got into traffic, being a podcasting pioneer with Brandon Wetherbee and the live show, "You, Me, Them, Everybody," briefly working with Roe Conn and Bill & Wendy on WGN, then Nick Digilio and Patty Vasquez; how overnights are different, what it’s like to be on Nick’s show, how she preps for shows, her aspirations, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG158.mp3

John Siuntres is a radio broadcaster (currently at WBBM Newsradio) and is one of the pioneers of podcasting...he started way back in 2005, when there weren't many podcasts at all (now there are lots of them), with his popular Word Balloon podcast. He talks about how he got into radio, covering boxing on Chet Coppock's show on WLUP The Loop; being part of the early staff when WSCR The Score started; writing about boxing for Boxing Illustrated; working on Dan McNeil and Terry Boers' afternoon show on The Score; working at Sporting News Radio; his very successful Word Balloon podcast; doing production including imaging for WSHE 100.3, and commercials for WDRV The Drive and The Mix WTMX at Hubbard; interviewing the boxing greats, why he loved boxing, and the quirks of the boxing biz; what he thinks of the radio biz; what the early days of The Score were like; his parody songs (sampled in the interview); how radio was the original social media and how social media has affected radio; why he started his podcast and what makes a successful podcast; getting on TV as a commentator on the Prophets of Science Fiction show; how his podcast became successful and which famous people he's talked to among his almost 800 interviews, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG157.mp3

Craig Dellimore has been the Political Editor, City Hall reporter, and host of At Issue on WBBM Newsradio for several years. He talks about getting started at WBBM around the time Harold Washington became Mayor, what City Hall was like when he started reporting in Chicago, what Harold Washington was like, diverse newsrooms, covering crime, racial issues, dealing with doubters, covering Springfield, issues in the suburbs, simplifying story lines, New York vs Chicago, working at WCBS in New York, the NYC Blackout and other stories he’s covered, why he came to Chicago, working at City Hall, politicians’ motivations, voting issues, maintaining professionalism, changes in culture, “the n word,” advice for being a good reporter and writer, doing TV on Chicago Tonight, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG156.mp3

Rey Diaz has the dream job for a lot of guys (and some gals) working in sports radio as a content producer for 670 The Score’s (WSCR) morning and midday shows and as a studio producer for Bears Radio on WBBM. He talks about how he got into radio, WNTD, being Mexican, Polish, and Italian (he looks Puerto Rican); working for the Mancow show at Q101 and digitizing his carts (and deleting people from audio bits whom Mancow didn’t like); what Mancow was like, how much Mancow does during and after the show; working at WVON; getting robbed and beaten (and injured), interviewing for a job with a shut mouth; expressing himself on social media, working in sports media, how he went from WVON to WBBM, overcoming failure, how he started working for Bears radio, how he got to The Score, advice for getting into sports radio, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG155.mp3

Meteorologist Elliot Abrams has made a very good life out of being nerdy. He is one of the co-founders of AccuWeather Radio, and does weather on WBBM Newsradio in Chicago, WADK Radio in Rhode Island, four stations in College Park, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, in addition to doing lectures and lots of other things. He's a witty meteorologist who's also in the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia's Hall of Fame and the National Meteorologist Hall of Fame. He talks about how he got into weather and radio, being a geek, the early days of weather broadcasting, the US weather bureau, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, doing weather on the Pennsylvania Public Television network, why meteorologist Wally Kinnan was an innovator, how weather broadcasting technology and media have changed, started forecasting at WARM Radio, Fahrenheit vs Celsius, having a sense of humor and creating puns, AccuWeather's patented Real Feel, how he creates a forecast, the difference between creating TV and radio broadcasts, how the meteorologist’s role and the industry have changed, how AccuWeather helps railroads, climate change, how he became VP of AccuWeather, being a township supervisor in his town, his blog, advice for getting into the weather business, the future of weather forecasts, how he stays current, how communication and media consumption used to be, the Farmer’s Almanac, Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday party, getting older, his lifestyle, social media, writing, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG154.mp3

Duffy Atkins talks about her career as a meteorologist at CLTV (part of WGN-TV) in Chicago, working in sunny weather at an ABC station in Santa Barbara, why she loved working at KHQA-TV, which broadcast to the tri-states via Quincy in Illinois, Keokuk in Iowa, and Hannibal in Missouri; being a chief meteorologist in Reno Tahoe, how moving around is inevitable for TV, her twin sister, why she became a meteorologist, what classes are needed to be a meteorologist, changes in the media, why Tom Skilling is so great, communicating with viewers, pressure on TV women, how she works with the green screen, the importance of internships (she did hers at WLS-TV in Chicago and WESH-TV in Florida), how to stay motivated, funny on-air moments, how she prepares for forecasts, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG146.mp3

Neil Fiorito does traffic on WBBM Newsradio and hosts "Neil’s News" for the Marriott in River North, and has done traffic at US99 WUSN, WIND Radio, for radio stations in Houston, Minnesota, St. Louis, and more. He started doing music radio at Triton College, and he talks about his varied career that includes working for his dad’s business, being on the air at Loyola’s WLUW Energy 88.7, Lite 103 in Rockton, WXLC in Waukegan, WRXQ and Star 96.7 in Crest Hill, and WCCQ 98.3. He also talks about why Dick Biondi is so wonderful, why he has a good personality for hotel work, why he likes acting, why he feels he’s living the dream, why he loves working at the hotel, what Mr. Marriott is like, why he likes doing radio, his theater experience, why he likes talking so much, his family, why he loves people, and more. Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac). http://radiogirl.us/audio/RG153.mp3