Jim Conway always was the quiet one. While he lacked the flamboyance of several of his contemporaries in the Golden Age of Chicago television, Conway was a survivor. After all, how many other announcers managed to work for all four major local stations?
After more than 50 years working in the local media market, Conway will be honored when the Museum of Broadcast Communications holds “An Evening with Jim Conway” at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Conway, who retired more than a decade ago, recalls he got his “big breakthrough” in 1952 at the then-new WBBM-Ch. 2 as host of “In Town Tonight,” a musical variety show featuring visiting stars.
“In retrospect, I had a big advantage,” says Conway, “because I was able to put a verb in back of a noun and complete it with a reasonable (object) without referring to too many notes. At that time, you were a real hero if you were able to speak reasonably coherently and look right into the (TV camera) lens because we didn’t have TelePrompTers.”
Conway went on to anchor the first local half-hour nightly TV news show at WGN-Ch. 9 and then the first local morning talk show at WLS-Ch. 7.
Today’s talk-show hosts “are a little more daring,” he says. “They let people say things that we would have considered too vulgar or too risque. I like Oprah (Winfrey) very much, (but) some of the others try to be too flamboyant. It’s all a quest-sad to say-for ratings. You’re apt to get a little manic about that.”
More prizes: WMAQ-Ch. 5 and WBBM-AM each walked away with plaques in three broadcasting categories at the recent Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism. The WMAQ winners were Lisa Keefe and Norb Tatro for business journalism; Marsha Bartel, Dennis Sampler, Dave Savini, Katy Smyser and Sarah Stolper, consumer journalism; and Andy Avalos, Mark Giangreco, Ron Magers and Carol Marin, television newscast. The WBBM winners were: Catherine Cahan, Steve Carver, Maria Cornejo, Cherry Howze and Valerie Ingram, editorials; Dave Eanet, sports; and the entire news staff, radio reporting. Other winners: WGN-AM’s Rod Sierra (two), radio feature and radio commentary; CLTV’s Bill Moller, arts criticism;; WTTW-Ch. 11’s Dick Carter, Jane Kaplan and Chris Taylor, television features; WNUA-FM’s Jenette Kerr, Charlie Meyerson and Susan Wiencek, radio public service; WTTW-Ch. 11’s Len Aronson, Jamie Ceaser, Judith McCray and Jay Shefsky, television public service; WMAQ-AM’s Jay Congdon, Jim Frank, Barbara Hillebrand and Tom LaPorte, radio newscast (staff of three or more); WNUA’s Kerr and Meyerson, radio newscast (staff smaller than three); and WLS-Ch. 7’s Chuck Goudie and Luke Williamson, television reporting. . . . “Sound Opinions,” the Sunday night show on WKQX-FM 101.1 hosted by Bill Wyman and Jim DeRogatis, was recently honored as “Best Radio Show” at the Music Journalism Awards in Los Angeles.
Technical stuff: WFLD-Ch. 32 was scheduled to be back to full power this weekend after losing one of its transmitters Thursday night because of a malfunction. “At least it wasn’t during the (May sweeps) book or a Bears game,” said Stacey Marks-Bronner, station manager. “Someone was watching over us.” . . . WMAQ-Ch. 5 activates the Second Audio Program (SAP)-available on most new TV sets-for Spanish-language broadcasts of the NBA Finals starting Wednesday and the July 8 telecast of the “VIDA Awards” honoring Hispanic leaders in Chicago and the nation.
School daze: Steve Baskerville and Mary Ann Childers are hosts of the annual WBBM-Ch. 2 “Thanks to Teachers” special, honoring five area educators, at 7:30 p.m. Monday. . . . WTTW-Ch. 11 host John Callaway takes “Chicago Tonight” on the road again at 7 p.m. Tuesday for an accountability session with local college and university administrators. . . . Carol Marin anchors “Chicago Public Schools: The Next Test,” a live special on the latest state legislative attempts at reform, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on WMAQ-Ch. 5.
Hear and there: WGN-AM 720, the Cubs’ flagship station, had the first report Friday afternoon of the firing of White Sox manager Gene Lamont. . . . WBBM-Ch. 2 and WVAZ-FM 102.7 newsman John Davis emcees the Human Resources Development Institute’s “Seeds of Africa” fundraiser Friday at the Chicago Marriott Hotel. . . . CBS Radio’s Charles Osgood broadcasts his “Osgood Files” live from the WBBM-AM 780 studios June 16.