WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Under the headline "Lights, Camera . . . Kevin" in the Oak Park River Forest High School yearbook, there's an article about sophomore Kevin Roy, described as the self-assured and authoritative star of "Newscene" on the school's cable channel. "Since I've been in fourth grade, I remember telling my parents that I wanted to be an anchor person," 16-year-old Kevin is quoted as saying.

^{Kevin Roy}

Noting that he already "seemed well on his way toward achieving his goal," the article concludes: "With his ambition set, his goals in sight and guts and talent abound, Kevin has all the qualities to become a fine anchor person."

It all came true. In one of those classic "local boy makes good" stories, Kevin Roy realized his dream and became a successful and respected anchorman at the No. 1 station in his hometown. For eight of his 12 years at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, he co-anchored the city's top-rated Saturday and Sunday morning newscasts while doubling as an award-winning general assignment reporter.

Yet for reasons that many of his colleagues and admirers find hard to understand, it all came crashing to an end this week.

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A little something different for today's Elevating Music selection.

I'd like to ask a small favor. I hope that's okay.

The Beckoning of Lovely has recently been entered in its very first film contest. If you like the film and want to help it along, would you click on this link and vote for it? This is the last week of voting, and (in elevator jargon here) we so appreciate you "pressing the button to help us move up."  :)  Vote here.

The two songs in the film are indeed elevating, so even if you don't feel inclined to vote, I hope you enjoy the music...

Thank you,

amy

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An important intermission announcement:

We're only a day away from what I'm calling our "Synchronized Flash Texting" mission.

Tomorrow, April 29th, at 4:29 pm (in whatever time zone you live in), please text someone "i love you."

Here is our 1-minute video titled "Amy's Texting Mission" that I hope you will share with as many people as possible. If this thing goes viral and global, just think how many humans will feel loved in that one minute? Kind of cool I think...

ATM-ly,

amy

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A few months ago, I told you of suburban Schaumburg's unrealized circa 1970 plan for a complex called Outer Planets. It would have contained the world's tallest building.

Quite a few of you emailed, asking to see more of the unbuilt development. So behold, today I give you concept plans for the residential interiors. Outer Planets' inner‚  space, if you will--or more precisely, the bathroom suites that were proposed.

Let's begin--shall we?--with the multi-colored bathroom above, where 2,000 years of interior design have been distilled into a single space with shower, vanity and adjoining bathroom.

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Here is a little video we put together covering the World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards in London this past week. I'm back in town today and thought I would post up what I did for ABC 7, including an interview with Chicago Chef Grant Achatz from Alinea, after he learned of his honors.

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The future of Chicago's progressive talk radio took an unexpected turn Tuesday with the resignation of Jeff Chardell as interim vice president and general manager of‚ WCPT-AM (820). He doubled as director of sales at the Newsweb Radio station.

Chardell's exit follows the late-February departure of Harvey Wells, who had been vice president and group station manager of Newsweb Radio for six years. While he'd carried the interim title for two months, Chardell was believed to be vying for Wells' job permanently.

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Kevin Roy, who's been a weekend morning news anchor and an award-winning reporter for ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7, was fired Monday after failing to show up for Sunday morning's newscasts. He cited "physical exhaustion" as the reason.

^{Kevin Roy}

It was the third time in recent months that Roy was a no-show at work. Once he missed a dayside reporting shift on a Wednesday. And last weekend was the second time he'd missed the two Sunday morning news blocks (from 6 to 7 a.m. and from 8 to 9:30 a.m.) he anchored with Stacey Baca, sources said.

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