WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Well, it's nice to know there's at least one thing the notorious program director of WGN-AM (720) and his critics can agree on: He very well may be screwing things up at the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk station.

Kevin "Pig Virus" Metheny, the man who's been at the center of the controversial (and, in some cases, inexplicable) changes at WGN for the past 18 months, acknowledged that his efforts could result in damaging what he called "the crown jewel of American broadcasting." Metheny's comments came during a lengthy interview posted Thursday with media blogger Margaret Larkin, a production staffer at WGN who hosts a series of "Radiogirl" podcasts.

Here is the link.

Paraphrasing Tribune Co. CEO Randy Michaels, Metheny compared WGN to a fading dowager, telling Larkin: "Probably the best thing you can do for a grand old lady of AM [radio] is to buy her a new pair of shoes and take her out dancing." Of his mission at WGN, Metheny said:

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You have to wonder will Walmart one day use its billions and tremendous procurement power to do two things that would help stop it from getting border-checked when it comes seeking to build a new store: Either build the town itself, then put in the Walmart, or create a package with so many true public amenities that a city like Chicago--or anywhere---would have a hard time saying no.

Imagine that: a town or a city neighborhood predominantly financed, planned and built by Walmart.

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Green City Market, Saturday, May 15th at 11:30 a.m.; 61st Street Market, Saturday, May 22nd at 11:30 a.m.

Each button will have a number, and after the events above, she will draw 25 winning numbers and post them on www.stephanieizard.com Monday, May 24th. Each winner will be‚ invited to one of the friends and family parties date TBD with a guest.

But you, loyal reader, have a chance to score two tickets to the event simply by telling me why you should go. 

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Dick Biondi still remembers when fans would stand in the alley outside his old radio studio on Michigan Avenue and yell up to him through the fifth floor window. Soon the legendary disc jockey will be able to call that spot his own.

The Chicago City Council approved a resolution Wednesday to name the area just off Lower Wacker Drive near East Lake Street and Garland Court "Dick Biondi Way." It's adjacent to the‚ 360 North Michigan Avenue building that housed the studios and offices of WLS-AM (890) for decades.‚ It also housed the famed London House night club, where top music acts of the '60s played.

Biondi, 77, who earlier this month celebrated the 50th‚ anniversary of his first broadcast on WLS, said he was overwhelmed by the honor. "That is so great," he told me just after the vote made it official.

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As the New York Times reported this morning, Chicago's "Top Chef Master" and Authentic Mexican food ambassador Rick Bayless is headed to the White House next week to cook the Obama administration's second state dinner for visiting Mexican President Felipe Calderón on May 19.

Dinner for 200 will be a challenge for the veteran, since he can't make anything ahead of time and ship it frozen (security concerns, and all). In that case, Bayless will fly back from L.A. on Sunday morning (where he's opening his first restaurant outside of Chicago Red O), prep on Sunday, then fly out to‚ D.C. first-thing Monday morning, according to his publicist Jennifer Fite, where he'll have to create just about everything there, on-site. "It's a little crazy right now," Fite told me by phone from L.A.

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(photo by Lee Bey)

The main branch of the Chicago River--that watery canyon with walls of steel and glass--gets all the attention. With its tour boats and river walks, the Main Branch is almost a second lakefront; a place so scenic, we forget the river was once a rough and tumble industrial waterway on which Chicago depended for its survival.

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Thirsty? Next week there are no excuses, especially at Small Bar (photo by Steve Dolinsky)

On the heels of the Craft Brewing Conference last month, comes "American Craft Beer Week," just in case one weekend wasn't enough for you. Beginning next Monday, and running until May 23, dozens of local brewpubs, bars and restaurants will be celebrating hand-crafted beer by hosting a number of special dinners and tasting events.

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