|
October 1998 Shows
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
COMEDY TONIGHT
"Everything is funny, as long at it’s happening to somebody else."
So quoth humorist Will Rogers, one of the standard-bearers of American
comedy. Although Rogers died over 60 years ago, not much has changed.
In today’s comedy clubs, sitcoms and movies, ethnic humor (black comedian
Chris Rock), immigrant-bashing (sitcom cartoon "The Simpsons"),
and grossout comedy (movie "Something About Mary") is what sells
and entertains. Tonight, Abe Peck, Associate Dean and Chair of
the Magazine Program at Medill School of Journalism and a panel of observers
will recount the roots of modern comedy and analyze it in its current
state, with the assistance of carefully selected and illustrative audio
clips.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
FROM THE ARCHIVES
It is the eve of Yom Kippur and Milt is taking the night off. We will
play previously unaired interviews with authors, some possibilities include
Norman Mailer discussing his book, a compendium of his life’s work,
The Time of Our Time (Random House) and Barry Lopez’s
About This Life (Alfred A Knopf), a thoughtful examination
of the experience of place.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
THE PR GAME
Whether they're spinning tales of politicians or celebrities, marketing
a product, or selling you something you really don't need, the folks who
work in the public relations business make just about everyone look good
(or make just about everything look appetizing). Tonight, three experienced
PR veterans, including Irving Rein, Professor of Communications
at Northwestern, share their secrets of the trade and critique the business,
too.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
ON AMERICAN CULTURE
Tonight, two outspoken visionaries
who refuse to accept the status quo in American culture, offer their alternatives.
In the first hour, Lowell "Bud"
Paxon, the CEO and Chairman of Paxson Communications and author of
Threading the Needle: The Pax Net Story (HarperBusiness),
explains his mission to create a family-oriented television network at
a time when sex and violence is what sells. In the second hour, Shelby
Steele, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and author of A
Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America (HarperCollins)
takes on the perplexing dilemma of race and democracy and what can be
done to resolve the rift between the two.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
ALL THAT JAZZ
Who’s your favorite? Sir Duke? The bandleader,
composer, and musician who essentially started the jazz revolution in
1917? What about the enigmatic Miles Davis, who combined elements of classic
jazz with rock and funk rhythms, thereby creating "fusion."
And then there are the modern-day greats, like the Marsalis brothers and
Herbie Hancock. Two hours may not be enough time to review its complete
history, but tonight, Neil Tesser, a Chicago-based music critic
and author of The Playboy Guide to Jazz Music (Plume), will
showcase the personalities, the virtuosos and of course, the compositions,
that have made jazz a popular and significant musical genre.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5
STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY, PART I
Non-white high school students who apply to
colleges and universities today experience a far different application
process than did their counterparts as little as five years ago. Such
institutions once gave them "preferential" status, but recently
political pressure has forced administrators to eliminate those policies.
William Bowen and Derek Bok, of Princeton and Harvard Universities
respectively, undertook a quantitative study to determine the impact of
affirmative action on minority students during and after college. In their
new book, The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering
Race in College and University Admissions (Princeton University
Press), they bring to light startling conclusions and compelling evidence
which will surprise policymakers who advocate against preferential
admissions policies. Tonight Bowen and one such opponent will evaluate
institutionalized affirmative action.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6
THE POLITICS OF BAD FAITH
David Horowitz takes no prisoners in
his aptly titled new book of essays, The Politics of Bad Faith: The
Radical Assault on America’s Future (Free Press). He contends
that 60’s-style radicalism fomented an anti-American Left which now governs
over the university, the government and even the church, all to society’s
detriment. This one-time 60’s liberal joins us tonight for a lively discussion
on politics at a very impolitic point in history.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7
THE HORSE RACE: THE 1998 ELECTIONS
November 3rd is less than a month
away and residents of Illinois have important votes to cast—for their
Senator, Governor, and Secretary of State, to name but a few. The lingering
questions of Mosely-Braun’s ethics, Peter Fitzgerald’s extremism, Poshard
and Ryan’s struggle to capture the state’s moderate conservative voters
and the impact of the presidential follies are up for discussion tonight,
with our panel of astute political observers, including WGN Radio’s Paul
Green and the Chicago Tribune political correspondent, Rick Pearson.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
HOLLYWOOD EAST
ER, Chicago Hope, Early Edition, The Fugitive...
The list of Chicago-based television programs and movies is seemingly
endless. Tonight's guests, including tv/movie extra (and WGN Radio's very
own) Michael Jordan and casting director Karen Peake, will
share the ins and outs of the film business in our town.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
COLD WAR REVISITED
Dean Acheson had a remarkable career. As a statesman,
a foreign policy expert and advisor to six presidents from FDR to Nixon,
he was one of the chief architects of the postwar world order. From the
Marshall Plan to the Bay of Pigs, from the arms race with the Soviet Union
to the communist regime in China, Acheson helped define America as a superpower,
or so claims James Chace, author of Acheson: The Secretary of
State Who Created the American World (Simon and Schuster).
Tonight’s panel, including Chace, will traverse the rocky road of American
foreign policy, from the Cold War to the 21st century.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Nutrition experts regularly offer up suggestions,
salves and solutions to prolong human longevity. And while many of these
quick-fix solutions are later dismissed as just those, there is one thing
everyone agrees on: A healthy diet is good. So tune in tonight, as Dr.
Bob Arnot, NBC News Chief Medical Correspondent and author of The
Breast Cancer Prevention Diet (Little, Brown) and Mary Abbot
Hess, of the American Dietetic Association, lay out a roadmap to healthy
living.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14
This program will feature a terribly interesting
author or a terribly interesting topic, but terribly enough, it is still
under development.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15
TV OR NOT TV
The fall television line-up features quirky
dramas, formulaic sitcoms and talking heads galore, so tv or not tv, that
is the question. Who better to evaluate the new season, the entertainment
industry, the mysteries of network and cable programming decisions and
the "genuises" behind them, than a panel of television critics,
including Aaron Barnhart, Kansas City Star television reporter
and author of Barnhart’s Unauthorized: TV ’98 and the Sun-Times’
Phil Rosenthal? Leave the remote control by the boob tube tonight
and surf over to Extension 720.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME SURVIVORS
False Memory Syndrome (FMS)
fits perfectly into the absurdist world of the late 90’s, where pop psychology,
faux mysticism and ethical lapses abound. Lawyers, psychiatrists and scientists
have debunked the FMS myth—that individuals can uncover repressed memories
of childhood abuse or molestation through hypnosis or intense therapy—but
it still persists and counts as its victims the patient and the accused,
usually a member of his or her family. Pamela Freyd is the President
of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation and she will join other "survivors"
to tell stories of this insidious therapy and the toll it takes on innocent
people.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19
PEACE AND POLITICS: IRELAND
TODAY
Dr. Marjorie "Mo"
Mowlam, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Eamon Hickey,
the Irish Consul General are our featured guests tonight, for an examination
of the Ireland peace process and the complicated world of diplomacy, politics
and terrorism in which its extraordinary leaders must operate. This evening’s
guests will address the long-simmering questions on everyone’s mind: What
will it take to bring peace to this warring nation?
TUESDAU, OCTOBER 20
THE AGE OF NAPOLEON
As the rallying cries of "Liberte, Fraternite
and Egalite" echoed across France and Western Europe, a 20-year old
named Napoleon Bonaparte had just completed his formal military training.
Fifteen years later, he had conquered northern Italy, Austria, and Malta,
and assumed the title of emperor. Tonight’s guests, David Jordan,
Professor of History at University of Illinois at Chicago, and Sarah
Maza, Professor of History at Northwestern, reflect on this imperious
and fascinating character and on the unique period of European history
in which he lived.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
HEALTH CARE
Martin Gross, author of The
Medical Racket: How Doctors, HMOs and Hospitals are Failing the American
Patient, and a panel of experts discuss the timely and important topic
of health care in America.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
DINING OUT
Ah, the life of the food critic! Anyone who
enjoys a good meal and a fine wine has probably, at one time or another,
fantasized about how wonderful it would be to do something one loves,
namely eat, and get paid for it, too. But as Andrew Dorenenburg
and Karen Page reveal in their new book, Dining Out: Secrets
from America’s Leading Critics, Chefs, and Restaurateurs (Wiley)
it’s not all truffles and champagne. Critics eat out at least nine times
a week, often wear peculiar disguises to maintain anonymity, and must
endure bad service, undercooked food and ugly decors. They will be our
guests, along with one of Chicago’s leading foodies, to dish the dirt
on a seemingly glamorous lifestyle that can just as easily give a bad
case of indigestion as a five-star taste of heaven.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
THE AMERICAN CENTURY
Y2K computer meltdowns, Armageddon scenarios
and doom and gloom prophecies begone! Let us celebrate the glories and
sorrows, the remarkable achievements and the disappointing moments of
the 20th Century! Harold Evans, the editorial director
of U.S. News and World Report (formerly of Random House), has issued
a centennial encyclopedia, The American Century (Alfred A. Knopf)
which paints the past 100 years in living color. And tonight, he regales
us with his thoughtful reflections.
MONDAY OCTOBER 26
EARTH IN TURMOIL
Speaking of doom and gloom prophecies (see 10/23
listing), did you hear the one about the BIG earthquake/volcano that is
supposed to strike/erupt… any day now? There are plenty of seismologists
and volcanologists in the world, with plenty of science and technology
to support them, so why can’t they ever accurately predict when a seismic
event will occur? If anyone has the answer to this perplexing question,
it is tonight’s guest, Kerry Sieh, author of The Earth in Turmoil:
Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind (W.H.
Freeman). As one of the world’s leading geologists at the California
Institute of Technology, he can not only clue us in on potential seismic
danger spots but explain the death defying work of those scientists who
study the mysteries of the earth.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27
THE MIDDLE AGES
(This program was rescheduled from an earlier
date.)
Tonight’s panel of scholars, including Northwestern
University’s Barbara Newman, will conduct a broad discussion of
the social, cultural, political and religious forces of medieval Europe
and how the Crusades and the spread of Christianity set the stage for
the early Renaissance.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
NOTE: Due to circumstances beyond our control,
Jimmy Carter, previously announced as a guest on tonight's Extension 720,
will be unable to appear.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29
THE STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY, PART II
As a companion program to the 10/5 program,
we take yet another look at the business of higher education, this time
with Alan Charles Kors and Harvey A. Silverglate, co-authors
of The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses
(Free Press). Both self-described libertarians, they believe that "campus
life" bureaucracies have obliterated the rights of the individual
student, in terms of free speech, privacy and academic freedom. This evening’s
spirited discussion will be replete with new insights and nuances on the
age-old topic of political correctness and the university.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30
It’s a little too early for trick-or-treat;
certainly this program will be a treat. No ghouls or gobblins are booked
just yet, but we’ve left it open for just about anything.
Sweet Home Chicago
Listen | News |
Talk | Sports
| Weather | Agri-Biz
| Traffic | Closings
Photos | Guests/Schedule
| Contests | Internships
| History
Neediest Kids Fund
| Around the World
Bob
Collins | Kathy
& Judy | John
Williams | Spike O'Dell
Sports Central
| Extension 720
| Steve &
Johnnie
Chicago Cubs | Northwestern
Wildcats | The Three
Bears
Nick
Digilio | Radio
720 Revue | The
Great Outdoors | Mr.
Fix-It
Pet Central |
Let's Talk
Gardening | Crabb
on Computers
Garry Lee Wright | Sunday
Papers | Dean
Richards
On the Money | Unconventional
Wisdom | Dateline
720 | Floyd
Brown
|
