WBEZ's Jim Nayder Dies

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 28, 2013 9:05PM

Sad news from Chicago's public radio community this afternoon: Former WBEZ-FM 91.5 program director Jim Nayder died Friday. He was 59.

Mr. Nayder was best known for producing and hosting "The Annoying Music Show," a one-minute program that aired Saturday afternoons after This American Life where he would share some truly God-awful music with listeners, always ending with the tagline, "Good Lord." Mr. Nayder later expanded "The Annoying Music Show" for segments on NPR. One of the more popular segments centered on terrible covers of Beatles songs.

Mr. Nayder was also the producer and host of Magnificent Obsession: True Stories of Recovery, a half-hour program telling the tales of a recovering alcoholic or drug addict in his or her own words. He told Robert Feder last year Magnificent Obsession was the true passion of his career. the show was originally greenlighted by WBEZ as a 13-week documentary series that eventually ran for 20 years.

A lifelong Chicagoan, Mr. Nayder's parents met while performers on WLS' The National Barn Dance.