Radiogirl

I have known Jill Urchak for many years, but I did not know that she was married before (though now I know, not just because she told me, but because I searched online after we did the interview; I should have searched before). She is probably the only person on this podcast who has discussed personal topics on the record, such as marriage and work. Of course, she also discusses her radio career, which has included talk and traffic on WGN, WBBM, and other stations that she didn't name because she had some challenging experiences. She has a great attitude and is a strong person, who has persevered through the years. In addition to radio broadcasting, she hosts her own podcasts, and is a total fan and passionate participant of radio.

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/RG177.mp3

For several years, Steve Dale has been hosting Steve Dale's Pet World and more recently Steve Dale's Other World on WGN Radio, in addition to writing and lecturing all over the world. He talks about his extensive radio experience, advice he's followed, how he got into the radio biz and why people shouldn't work in it, working with the grand masters of radio and what he learned from them, how being an expert is beneficial, dealing with setbacks and how he stays motivated, how TV and radio are different, how he writes, how to get on a show, being in the COVID vaccine trial, 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/RG176.mp3

Gary Wordlaw is a very experienced TV pro, and is now the Vice President of News and Programming at the Black News Channel, which can be viewed throughout the country, including Chicago. He talks about how he got into TV; what the South and Chattanooga, Tennessee were like when he was growing up; working in TV in the 1960s as the first African American hired at the Chattanooga TV station (after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed); how his family, the community, and God helped him get through challenges; the NAACP and what the 1960s were like; what he thinks about how the news biz covers stories about African Americans; why he is glad and proud to be part of the Black News Channel and how he chose the broadcasters; why the channel is located in Tallahassee, Florida and what that city is like; what it’s like to work in different parts of the country (from Chattanooga to Bellingham, Washington, Baltimore, Maryland, Washington D.C., Syracuse, New York, Seattle, Washington, New Orleans and Baton Rouge in Louisiana, and Tallahassee a couple of times) and how moving around has affected him; what being a Southerner means and his family background; what “it” is; why he thinks TV covers certain stories; the importance of telling the deeper story of individuals; important stories for the African American community; why he went into management; what he thinks of social media; how to effectively fact check; how to stay objective in news; advice for working in news, 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/RG173.mp3

p.s. My novel, Wicker Park Wishes, will be published by Eckhartz Press, owned by longtime radio pro Rick Kaempfer (who I interviewed for this podcast in the early days). Pre-order here.

Brent Payne, the "Bald SEO" who I interviewed ten years ago when he was doing SEO (search engine optimization) at the Tribune Company, gives an update about his company, Loud Interactive, moving out of the city into the North Shore with his family, why he likes working from home instead of having an office downtown, being intense and motivated, why a plan is important, spending half a million dollars on a mistake and how he deals with mistakes and setbacks, working with solopreneurs in his Loud Consortium, how he gets clients, work/life balance, why he's so happy and what's important in his life, how SEO has changed over the past ten years, how he leads a company after working alone, what he's learned, SEO tips, why Google matters, 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/RG172.mp3

Jennifer Keiper now works at WBBM Newsradio in Chicago, where she is an anchor and reporter. She talks about working during the pandemic, how she came back to WBBM, working at WLS in Chicago (where I interviewed her before) and WKRS/XLC in Waukegan, being a traffic reporter in the Sears Tower, working at B96 with News Director Karen Hand, traveling around the country and the world as a Midwest Bureau Correspondent for Fox News Radio, dealing with being fired or laid off, the media business, how she developed her writing and broadcasting skills, why being objective is important, doing concise interviews and preparing for them, writing and rewriting news, how to work on deadline, how to get people to talk for a story, working in the suburbs and city, difference between reporting an anchoring, difference between reporting locally and traveling, what kind of experience is important, how journalism has changed, why reporters should focus outward, 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/RG171.mp3