Steve and Johnnie

If you thought you missed the show last week, don’t worry, it was just really small! Steve King and Johnnie Putman had a big 5 hour show packed into a little speck of time!

We get some anecdotes from the early days of caller giveaways, stories about Johnnie’s favorite instrument, and some big news for the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 with some very special guests set to introduce Suzy Bogguss as she receives the Founder’s Choice Award! Who are they? Tune in and find out!

Steve King and Johnnie Putman are rolling out the red carpet on a show fit for two Kings!

We start off with Steve Bernas, President & Chief Executive Officer at BBB of Chicago & Northern Illinois and he brings us up to speed on the latest slew of scams and spams with the big one being a very convincing email scam.

Steve’s brother Lee makes a rare appearance to go over the list of Oscar nominations, shares his take on some of the contenders for best picture and best actor/actress, plus his personal picks ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards. You can get Lee’s full piece of his mind at his blog!

Patrick Crispen, Director of Educational Technology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC checks in for a more tech-centric update regarding the brand new iPhone, the beta launch of T-Mobile’s Starlink satellite service, and a major Google Chrome update that may warrant the switch to other alternative browsers. Head over to the show blog for Patrick’s full list of notes!

Plenty of other surprises along the way, some musical memories and Johnnie’s latest recipe!

Johnnie Putman and Steve King invite you to reminisce 40 years after their first show on air together. Along the way, we have a cavalcade of classic characters and a medley of music sure to keep you entertained!

John Davis, Host of MotorWeek and longtime friend of the show checks in to highlight some of the 2025 Driver’s Choice Awards recipients, many of which were featured at the Chicago Auto Show!

We chat with Gino Salomone, Entertainment Reporter for Fox 6 in Milwaukee to highlight some new TV features to check out! With a new Sly Stone documentary and the 50th anniversary of SNL, there won’t be a shortage of things to watch!

Patrick Crispen, Director of Educational Technology, Keck School of Medicine of USC continues to update us as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency continues to seep into various parts of federal departments, gaining access to classified government information and releasing it to the public on the highly insecure DOGE website.

We also check in with Tom Appel, Publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive for the usual roundup on road tests and recalls with the biggest coming from the 2025 Subaru Forester. Inclement winter weather is at full blast and we touch upon some helpful tire information to be aware of.

Enjoy all of this and so much more that is stuffed in the cracks along the way!

Steve King and Johhnie Putman bring another shortened show, but still just as sweet with a couple of features you don’t want to miss!

With 25 years having gone by since the tragic loss of our very own Bob Collins, there was no better time to join Steve and Johnnie and reminisce on the man who spent a quarter of a century contributing to what made WGN Radio one of the greatest.

After that, we pick up into a different kind of blues with a great musician by the name of Tommy Castro to kick off his brand new album Closer to the Bone with his band The Painkillers. We learn a little bit of what led to this electrifying record, some of our favorite tracks and you’ll be able to witness some of Tommy’s magic live at SPACE in Evanston on March 5th! Head over to their website for information on tickets and how you can secure your own copy of Closer to the Bone!

Johnnie Putman and Steve King are packed to the brim with a wide range of delicious audibles to kick off February! Between all of the computer, automotive and restaurant talk, we look at how everything is being affected as a new presidential power takes root into all parts of the nation.

We start off with Jennifer Morand, President of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association and General Manager of the Chicago Auto Show, for a look ahead at Chicago’s greatest automotive event. With nearly 1,000 vehicles and tons of manufacturers present, there’s sure to be something for everyone, car enthusiast or otherwise. We also get her take on how incoming tariffs may affect manufacturers.

Next up is Monica Eng, Axios reporter and co-author of Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites with some defining dishes across iconic locations outside of Chicago and the outlook on the restaurant industry as ICE raids descend upon Chicagoans.

We then have TV historian, author and Beatles expert/superfan Wally Podrazik with his take on how the song “Now and Then” is brought to the masses through the use of artificial intelligence decades after its conception and his take on who should be the proper recipient of a Grammy award for the song. We also get a tease at his latest book set to arrive very soon.

Saving the best for last, everyone’s favorite tech professor, Dr. Patrick Crispen is back online with a batch of hacking warnings regarding Chrome and Subaru, massive AI news on DeepSeek and a surface-level analysis of Elon Musk’s digital takeover of government offices. You can dive deep into the discussion with Patrick’s detailed notes from the show..

Dive deep within yourself and the universe! Steve King and Johnnie Putman have another loaded show to make you feel fulfilled and abundant! Along the way we have a some featured players to keep you up to speed on what’s happening in the world of sports, cars, television!

Jessica Radloff has the latest things to watch on television and a look ahead at stars of the FireAid Benefit Concert aimed at providing financial relief to those affected by the LA wildfires

Tom Appel checks in with more groovy tunes and a slew of automotive updates including some positive EV news for Belvidere, a potential General Motors engine recall upwards of 900,000 vehicles, and a highly sarcastic report on the commercial success the Tesla Cybertruck was.

Along with Gabe Salgado’s take on the new Bears head coach, there are plenty more morsels to be had on the show!

Johnnie Putman and Steve King have a shorter show, but one that’s sure to keep you warm all the same.

We kick it off with the always entertaining Gino Salomone, Entertainment Reporter for Fox 6 in Milwaukee, to look at some of the tougher things in life. They reminisce about the late Bob Uecker, a good friend of Gino’s, and what he’s seen coming out of the wildfires in Los Angeles.

Keeping things to the West Coast, we jump back into tech talk and the latest hacks with Patrick Crispen, plus the latest from the wildfires including news of a benefit concert. The big story is the future of TikTok and many laws surrounding it as a new organization takes the reins at the White House.

Along with some Sports Between the Sheets, we’ve got plenty of musical and movie morsels you don’t want to miss!

Steve King and Johnnie Putman welcome long time friend and member of New Colony Six for a show full of laughs, fun stories from the early days of NC6 and, despite a number of technical difficulties, some great jams from Ronnie (and the Rockin’ Rabbi)!

Patrick Crispen checks in from the west coast for an update on how he and the family are holding up during the Los Angeles wildfires and more of the latest from the weekend.

Tom Appel checks in for an update on all things test drives, EVs and recalls with a number of from vehicles that Steve and Johnnie and we learn that the days of the manual transmission may be over, and we learn of a couple of special guests on the Car Stuff Podcast.

Johnnie Putman and Steve King are back for another year of fun guests, conversations and stories! Kick up your feet and sit by the fire because, baby, it’s cold outside.

Our first guest is the one and only Charlie Meyerson, journalist, editor and most notably former newscaster right here on WGN Radio. He tunes in to catch up on the good old days at the Chicago Tribune, WXRT, WGN and with Johnnie at WAUR/WMRO! He tells us about Chicago Public Square, his online independent news source, which is much needed when many networks and publications are facing higher costs and corporate pressure.

Patrick Crispen, Director of Educational Technology at Keck School of Medicine at USC, checks in for a regular update on all things technology. We dive deep into more cyberspace with more hacking and AI shenanigans and we get the scoop on Patrick and his son Joseph’s driverless Waymo ride.

We have plenty of words to discuss(and words to dispose of), some Sports Between the Sheets with Gabe Salgado to close out the Bears season and everyone’s NYE recap.

The countdown begins! Steve King and Johnnie Putman present their last show of the year! Knowing them, it had to be a special one with some special guests!

We kick off the show right away with a drive by appearance from Muriel Anderson and her legendary Captain, Bryan Allen! She treats us to some harp guitar magic and we learn about her big plans for 2025!

The Crispens are also in the house! Our favorite tech professor Patrick Crispen makes the long trip to Chicago and he brings his superstar team, Christine and Joseph! Patrick walks us through some wonky audio installation, some of the biggest hacks and scams of the year, including the latest from “free” browser add-on Honey, and what to expect bad internet actors going into 2025.

We have tons of other fun morsels throughout the show, so kick back, relax, get your grapes ready and start placing bets on how long it will take before you remember to write 2025 on your checks!