Never take for granted a good night’s sleep. And after more than 18 years getting to the WBBM-AM 780 studios at 3:30 a.m., John Hultman on Monday will finally be able to sleep in.
“I will miss getting up in the morning. I know that sounds crazy, but I will miss it,” said Hultman, who does his last show with the station Friday morning after 30 years. Currently, he co-hosts the city’s third-rated morning radio program with Felicia Middlebrooks, who is still waiting to know who her new partner will be.
For the sure-and-steady-voiced Hultman and the station, it has been an incredible run, especially for a radio personality who never thought he’d end up in news.
“I really didn’t plan to be in news,” Hultman said. “I’ve done a little bit of everything in radio and TV.”
That includes doing a kids’ show in Ft. Wayne, Ind., early in his career as well as an “American Bandstand”-type show.
A native of Wilmette, Hultman said that he auditioned for a staff announcer’s job at the station after college at Purdue University, and didn’t get it.
He ended up at a radio station in Detroit, and in 1968 got a call back from a friend at WBBM about an opening for an announcer.
Hultman was hired in February of that year by current “Chicago Tonight” host John Callaway, who was given the task of turning the station into an all-news station.
“When we started all-news, it was all rather new,” Hultman recalls. “Callaway was given one month to change it to an all-news station.”
Thirty years later, the format is still working for the station.
Hultman, 61, said he’s seen a lot of changes over the years. He believes that the station has become more organized and formatted.
“We do have much more of an idea of what goes where,” he said. “We do our best work when a big story breaks. Everybody gets together. That’s when we really shine.”
Hultman said he will pursue a freelance voice-over career but looks forward to being back on the air next month to cover the air and water show for WBBM.
Surprises for Hultman: A station party is planned for Hultman after his last show on Friday, according to Georgeann Herbert, director of news and programming for the station. A number of surprise guests are also expected to call in during the morning show.
Dean a contender: While the station has yet to name a replacement for Hultman, sources say that veteran news anchor Lyle Dean has emerged as a contender for the job. Dean, currently working as a part-time broadcaster at WGN-AM 720, had previously worked full-time on Orion Samuelson’s start-up Channel Earth network.
Maclennan extends contract: Linda Maclennan, co-anchor of CBS-Ch. 2’s 10 p.m. newscast, has extended her contract with the station. Details of the agreement were not available. Her extension affirms comments by Hank Price, general manager of Channel 2, that he would not make any changes in his 10 p.m. lineup, even though the station is a distant third in the ratings.
Lindsay Leaves Ch. 5: After 13 years at NBC-Ch. 5 as newswriter and, most recently, planning editor, Gladys Lindsay is leaving. Well regarded for her knowledge about the city, Lindsay is taking the rest of the summer off before deciding what to do next.
“We’ll miss Gladys’ enormous contributions to our newscasts,” said news director Frank Whittaker.
Eric Lerner’s news vision: Before new ABC-Ch. 7 news chief Eric Lerner gets to know his new digs, we asked about his vision of TV news at KING-TV in Seattle. “I’m proud of the enterprise reporting we did. We broke a lot of important stories and built our investigative team from one person to four,” he said. “Our mission there is to investigate issues that really matter and cover the important stories. I care about content. I care about covering important stories.”
Programming Notes: WLIT-FM 93.9 runs Brian Wilson’s recent concert in St. Charles as part of its “Summer Spotlite” program Sunday at 8 p.m. The show, “Brian Wilson and Friends,” will be hosted by Bruce Buckley.
Ben Hollis returns for a look behind the scenes at Six Flags Great America. “Ben’s Banner Day at Great America II” debuts Sunday at 10 p.m. on WPWR-TV Ch. 50.
