I know it’s been a while since I last wrote, but there have been lots of things in the lab to do. Have you listened to Eight Forty-Eight recently? We’ve gone almost all live, producing fantastic shows daily. I’m trying to get more live music in the mix and get callers to call-in on any subject. That’s actually been harder than it seems, since this station has rarely taken calls in the past. You can throw the number out as much as you want, but really all you get back is people complaining about their skin rashes. You think I kid. But the number is 312-923-WBEZ. Tattoo it on your forehead.

Also, we’ve been able to incorporate the bloggers on-air with much more frequency. Louisa Chu is on Worldview today talking about her recent trip to Japan to tour tsunami-affected restaurants. And last week, we had Jim DeRogatis on talking about the city and summer music (who’s booking it?) and Lee Bey explored Jesse Jackson Jr.’s idea of making Pullman a national park. All good posts and all good segments.

I’m going to use this space to promote what is coming up on Eight Forty-Eight, Worldview and Steve Edwards’ vehicle (starting Feb 13). We send out a rundown every day telling the various parts of the organization what is on the show. Instead of doing that via internal email only, I’ve decided to just post them. Wow, and I didn’t even need to call a press conference announcing my transparency initiatives.

Here’s the rundown for today’s Eight Forty-Eight. You can listen to it here.

Who’s running the show?  Two weeks after the Senator Mark Kirk’s stroke was revealed, WBEZ’s Sam Hudzik relays the latest update on his health and explains how the office will operate while he’s rehabilitating.

At least they learned how to file class-action lawsuits: More than a dozen law schools are facing class action suits that accuse the schools of inflating post-graduate employment information to attract students. As more young lawyers struggle to find work and others consider their own investment in a law degree, we ask Staci Zaretsky, an editor for the blog “Above the Law,” to help us examine the state of the legal profession. Listeners can weigh in at (312) 923-9239.

Food fight! The West Loop scene: A boom within a boom?  The West Loop has had a booming restaurant scene for quite a few years. What does it take to last there—or anywhere—in the restaurant business? Eight Forty-Eight talks to restaurateur Kevin Boehm, chef Jared Van Camp and food writer Carly Fisher for answers.

Live music - Who needs Madonna when you have Julie Frost?: Julie Frost has gone from Wiggle Worms at the Old Town School of Folk Music to standing on stage at the Golden Globes. The singer/songwriter co-wrote Madonna’s “Masterpiece,” which won the Globe for Best Original Song. The former Chicagoan is back in town performing at Evanston’s SPACE tonight. She’ll perform live in studio.