Having spent the first 23 years of my life being served by legitimately second-rate public radio enterprises, I'm sometimes surprised at how WBEZ is taken for granted by the locals. more ›

In college I would listen to WBEZ and think, "someday I'll make enough to be a member." Now that I can afford to do so, that feeling is gone. more ›

If you really want to see what Chicago is like on the Fourth, you need to fly over the neighborhood where all the Chicago cops (and therefore all of the confiscated fireworks) are more ›

In the nearly four years since the launch of Vocalo, the station has struggled to gain a foothold among Chicago listeners. The combination radio and blog experimental broadcast project relied heavily on user-generated content, though its blog has arguably been the more successful of the two entities, snagging writers like Jim DeRogatis, Steve Dolinsky and formerly Robert Feder. Today, its parent organization Chicago Public Media (formerly Chicago Public Radio) announced that it will be relaunching the young station this spring. more ›

Book Cellar, 4736 North Lincoln Avenue, 7 p.m., free more ›

Whack-ass weather be damned, it's summer, and Millennium Park is plowing ahead like we aren't in the middle of the lousiest warm season in twelve years. The gems continue Thursday evening with a free taping of "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" more ›

Hop on that bike saddle and crank your chain, bike likers. On Saturday, May 30 Chicago cyclists will trek to the Hyde Park Art Center for Chicago Public Radio Presents’ panel discussion, Hubs & Spokes: Threading the Wheels of Chicago’s Bike Culture. The event begins with a free bike ride from five city locations and then converges at the Art Center for a ticketed panel chat about the cycling community’s reclamation of the bike as a respectable, practical mode of everyday transport. more ›

Got $500 to kill? Sure, we all do! If you'd like to throw your cash at Chicago Public Radio and recieve more than a tote bag to show your devotion, consider ponying up to attend their Audible Feast. Wednesday night, WBEZ is presenting This American Life's Ira Glass, Wait, Wait's Peter Sagal, and Weekend Edition's Scott Simon to hang out, let their collective NPR hair down and tell tales from their favorite show moments. Taking place at the Art Institute, the big spenders will enjoy dinner in the Stock Exchange Trading Room, while the cheap seats ($75) still enjoy a wine and cheese reception. Wine & cheese and NPR listeners? You don't say. But seriously folks, the last time we saw Ira live it was at Rhinofest '06 for a radio vs. theater smackdown, and it was pretty entertaining. Add in another couple NPR stars and you've got a recipe for intellectual stimulation - some seriously low-key, understated, smugly clever stimulation, with a palpable air of superiority around it. Worth every penny! more ›

Here are some things going around town to make you consider giving the weather a big ol' raspberry. more ›

Lonely phone calls, dying and dead relatives, a literary classic, and a reexamination of the Middle Eastern conflict took the prizes at the 2007 Third Coast International Audio Festival competition. The jury turned much of their lives over to their headphones, listening to 225 entries in search of the best English-language radio docs. Winners received a trophy/sonic instrument, a national platform for their work, and some cash to help support their future work. more ›

If you'd like to witness the next time Mayor Daley is at a loss for adjectives, but can't find time in your schedule to go see him speak on the issues live, Chicago Public Radio's got your back. The audio isn't the best on the reporters, but pump up the volume on WBEZ's website to hear the Q&A portion of Daley's press conferences, which the station will be posting as a supplement to regular City... more ›

Members of SEIU Local 20 held a one-day strike Monday at Roseland Community Hospital. Most hospital workers strike over staffing levels and quality of care issues, but this strike was purely economic. "People aren't lined up to work at Roseland. And we think by the hospital adjusting the pay rate so that it's comparable to other South Side hospitals, that speaks to better recruitment, better retention and ultimately better patient care," Local 20 President Byron... more ›

Former WKQX-FM 101.1 radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller filed a lawsuit Tuesday against his former employer, saying radio officials disparaged his show and blocked him from getting other work. We are getting pretty sick of the cell phone drivers, but we are always amazed at the cell phone bikers (not in a good way). Yesterday, an 19-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a garbage truck on the Northwest Side, was apparently talking... more ›

Here’s what you missed while you were sneezing and burning: Guest #18, your comments are hilarious, but how do you fare with a live audience? If you think you’ve got the chops, submit a 1-2 minute video to Time Out Chicago by September 20. Best entries will be screened online for their discerning website visitors. The top four will compete live for the chance to be crowned “Chicago’s Funniest Person.” (... at least according to... more ›

On Wednesday, the Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved legislation that would enable the RTA to fund the CTA, Metra and Pace and prevent service cuts and fare hikes across the board. The Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved a transit funding and reform proposal by a 15-4 vote. The House is expected to convene to vote on the proposal next week. This bill comes after the RTA announced that a "doomsday" scenario... more ›

Did anybody hear Catrin Einhorn's story on Chicago Public Radio about the push for people to neuter feral cats in the city? A Maryland-based nonprofit group called Alley Cat Allies dedicated to lowering outdoor and stray cat populations without killing them is targeting some Chicago neighborhoods. The group partnered with the Tree House Animal Foundation in Pilsen to raise awareness about their methods, which include Trap-Neuter-Return. Basically, people can bring cats to certain organizations and... more ›

You may have read or heard that the Midwest kicks the rest of the country's ace in the volunteerism sector. That doesn't necessarily mean Chicago does, though. more ›

With questions about its choice of AT&T as a carrier, along with usual 1st generation jitters, who the heck wants to stand in line for the new iPhone? Not us! (Well, maybe some of us.) However we are totally down with getting one as long as it's free, and not free in that "annoying banner ad that's been on MySpace to get a "free" "iPhone" since its existence was announced earlier this year" kind of way. more ›

Were you aware that our state is the 2nd largest corn producer in the United States? According to Chicago Public Radio, the price of corn has doubled since this time last year and Illinois farmers are taking full advantage of it. Chris Gould, an Illinois farmer profiled in the story, said that normally during harvest season the price starts to drop and farmers are paid to hang on to the corn until the buyers need... more ›

Tom Sherman from fledgling Chicago tech site WindyBits filled up Mr. Fusion yesterday and traveled back in time to review nascent versions of your favorite Chicago websites. We're particularly taken with the proto-version of the Tribune (someone got a Flash book for their birthday), and the absolutely hideous, 1998 incarnation of the Sun-Times (image maps rule). more ›

We were in the car last night and Chicago Public Radio ran a piece on the CNA building downtown and its process for creating their "Go Bears". We always assumed these were simply mapped out on an excel sheet and that was that. But, it sounds pretty intense. more ›

Chicago sure seems conducive to fostering public relationships between critically abrasive duos. We produced one of the most famous teams in movie criticism with Siskel and Ebert, and who can ever forget the headline-shattering team of Marin and Mancow? We think it’s time to add DeRogatis and Kot to that list as well. Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis head up Sound Opinions, what they claim to be the world’s only rock 'n' roll talk show.... more ›

Food pantries are seeing a rise in use in the Chicago area this year. Sister Donna Preston of the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation says a big reason for the spike is the the use of the facilities by illegal immigrants, who are eligible for food stamps but neglect to apply due to fear of deportation. more ›

This morning, Chicagoist hopped on the bus to Navy Pier to listen to a presentation by Chicago Public Radio (CPR) explaining the rationale for their new 2007 schedule. Torey Malatia, the president and general manager of the station, explained the purpose of restructuring the schedule and doing away with the music formats. Malatia described how CPR was simultaneously a local, regional, national, and global broadcaster. In order to remain relevant with local and regional... more ›

If you’re a fan of This American Life, and you’ve been thinking about donating during Chicago Public Radio’s fall pledge drive, you might want to get on that. more ›

This American Life. A radio show, unlike any other radio show on the airwaves. They have humor, they have grace, yet, at the same time they give an insight to everyday life. They seem to have it all, except one thing, one tiny little thing. Free Podcasts. (We apologize for our bad Ira Glass impression, kind of hard to do an impression in this medium.) more ›

Ask the average Chicagoan about the riots of the late 1960s, and he or she will probably nod their head and say “During the Democratic National Convention, right?” While the 1968 riots maintain a prominent (read: notorious) place in this city’s history, this week marks a series of riots that were a flashpoint for the frustrations of Puerto Ricans in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. On June 12th, 1966, 20-year-old Aracelis Cruz was shot by police... more ›

With new details emerging each week, Chicago’s summer of rock festivals continues to roll on. Yeah, that’s right. We said it. What fun is a cliché if you can’t beat it into the ground? We’re not the only ones excited though: Chicago Public Radio is putting together a “Listener's Guide to Chicago's Summer Music Festivals,” featuring Chicago rock fans talking about their favorite acts playing Lollapalooza, Intonation and Pitchfork this summer. If you’d like the... more ›

The Chicago Improv Festival kicks off tonight at the Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown with Schadenfreude’s first Chicago stage performance since…probably last year’s fest. The “Schadenfreude Rent Party” is an evening of all new material from a group that routinely packed the house at past CIFs, their late night revues, and the national college circuit until Chicago Public Radio got a hold of them. Then they were too busy hobnobbing with, and making fun of,... more ›

Daniel Ash; Vice-President, Strategic Communications; Chicago Public Radio more ›