December 3, 2012
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John covered the final two years of the turbulent period in Chicago political history known as "Council Wars", including the death of Mayor Harold Washington in 1987. John spent a total of 12 years at WBEZ, where he hosted his own talk show, and served as moderator of the station’s political debates and town hall meetings. In 1997, John moved to the former WMAQ 670-AM, co-hosting morning and afternoon drive as the station embarked on a news/talk hybrid format. When WMAQ became sports talk in 2000, John moved on to television, spending five years as a General Assignment Reporter at Chicago's FOX affiliate, WFLD-TV. After a brief detour to Kansas City as the host of "Kansas City's Morning News" on KMBZ-AM, Kansas City's leading news talk station, John returned to Chicago in 2007 to join “The Don Wade and Roma Show” on WLS as News Anchor. John was the winner of the 1997 Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for a report he did on the history of Chicago political patronage. 1997 was also the year John was also voted "Best Political Reporter in Chicago" by the readers of New City newspaper. In addition he won a Kansas Association of Broadcasters award while in Kansas City. John was born on Chicago's west side and grew up in west suburban Maywood and Villa Park. He attended Proviso East and Willowbrook high schools, and is a graduate of the Radio-Television program at Southern Illinois University. |
 Since 1986, Wendy has been a friend to Chicago radio listeners. Wendy’s sharp wit, pop culture mind, and free-wheeling style brings anyone within earshot along for a wild ride. What makes Wendy connect with Chicago radio? Well, for starters, she spent her entire life in Chicagoland. She likes to remind people that she owns the title of “Brookfield’s Favorite Daughter”. In fact, it is rumored that her broadcasting career began when she was “discovered” narrating the Motor Safari tour at Brookfield Zoo. This is something she will neither confirm nor deny.
For over 20 years, Wendy has served as your personal Morning Show Host, News Anchor, Rock and Roll DJ, Bratty Little Sister, Girlfriend, Confidant, Pal…You get the picture! No topics are off limits for Wendy – from her home life with husband Jimmy Mac, sons Michael, 13 and Dylan, 10 and her Mountain Dog/Husky-mix, Tiki – to her latest visit to the doctor’s office. (Wendy, by the way, is a full time hypochondriac!). Now the trip brings Wendy back to her passion – Talk Radio! WLS is her radio home and you can find her on the air with Don and Roma every weekday morning from 5 – 9am. |
 Bill Cameron, who, until the demise of WMAQ Radio was their political reporter, is considered the "dean" of radio political reporters in Chicago.Bill’s coverage of Chicago politics began with the first Mayor Daley, Richard J., and includes the "revolving-door administration” of Mayor Jane Byrne, the "Council Wars" of the city's first black mayor, Harold Washington, and the current Mayor Daley, who is making Chicago an international city. Bill was also on the scene for many other famous Chicago stories including the tragic plane crashes and train accidents of the '70s, the grisly mass murders of John Wayne Gacy, and the scandals that have sent so many politicians to jail. His audio archive of these events, plus humor and songs of Chicago politics give Newstalk 89 an added dimension. From this archive, Bill reported and produced two cassette albums, "Mayor Daley on the Record" and "Remembering Harold." Bill is the winner of two Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio & Television News Directors Association, shared in a Peabody, and has received numerous AP, UPI, and Gabriel awards for his work. He has a BS in Broadcast Journalism from Indiana University. He's the son of an Illinois High School Hall of Fame football coach, Fred Cameron, and has called football and basketball games on radio in addition to working as a trainer and referee in sports. Bill's daughter Elizabeth is the principal flutist of a symphony orchestra, and son Matt is a nationally-ranked athlete in the sport of fencing. |
 The Roe Conn Show's newsman Jim Johnson is a veteran of Chicago Broadcasting. During his decades as a reporter Johnson has covered murders, gangsters, politicians and prostitutes. As Jim puts it, "sometimes its hard to tell the difference."
Johnson's unique conversational style of doing the news has won the hearts of listeners... and won him many awards (including a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award.) JIM SUPPORTS THE FOLLOWING CHARITIES
WINGS (women in need growing stronger) Part of Johnson's on air charm is his ability to converse with Roe Conn on a variety of subjects, including stories about growing up in the North Woods of Wisconsin. Jim claims to be the only newsman whose childhood pets include a skunk and a porcupine. (Despite Roe's attempts to limit them Johnson seems to have an endless supply of Wisconsin stories.) Jim has a Bachelor's and Masters degree in communications from the University of Illinois. Read Jim's article on the Chicago Sun-TImes Prior to joining The Roe Conn Show, Jim was a television news anchor in Champaign Illinois. He also worked as a weekend TV reporter for ABC 7 in Chicago. Johnson is married to his college sweetheart Denise (an occupational therapist). They have a daughter Alexis Del Cid who has followed her father in the business and is currently at KCTV in Kansas City as a co-host of their morning show and an anchor of the news at noon. Asked to sum up his view of life Johnson once told a reporter, "I've been up... I've been down... Up is better." |
Christina grew up in the western suburb of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She graduated from Glenbard West High School in 1986 and in 1990, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan University where she majored in English and graduated with honors. |
 Mary Frances Bragiel joined WLS AM 890 in August of 2011 as an anchor/reporter.Prior to 890, she was employed with WBBM-AM 780 as a reporter, FOX News Channel and ABC News. Mary Frances began her career as a journalist in Grand Junction, Co as a reporter with KREX-TV. From there, she moved to Roanoke, VA where she was a reporter at WSLS-TV. In 2002 Mary Frances moved back to the Chicago area and joined the Tribune owned station CLTV News as a reporter. While in Chicago, she has reported on a number of prominent stories including the Brown’s Chicken murders, Rod Blagojevich corruption trials, and various other political stories. Mary Frances was raised in Arlington Heights and is a graduate of Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Il and a graduate of George Washington University in Washington, DC. She serves on the Misericordia Home, Heart of Mercy Women’s Board and is actively involved in alumni matters with Woodlands Academy. |
John Dempsey has worked in broadcast news since 1982. After starting his career at WGIL-WAAG in Galesburg Illinois, John worked for WJOL-WLLI in Joliet. He moved to the Chicago market in 1985, when he became the morning anchor at Chicago's National Public Radio affiliate WBEZ-FM. He now hosts the 89 WLS First Morning News @4:30am each weekday morning.