Mike North (born c. 1952) is an American radio sports personality, formerly working for Clear Channel Communications as a cohost with Andy Furman on Fox Sports Daybreak Mon-Friday from 5am-8am CST on their Fox Sports Radio subsidiary, until this program was cancelled in September 2016. North writes a column, The Rebel Inside, twice a week for the Daily Herald and does videos three days a week for their web site about current sports topics. He was the co-host of the Monsters in the Morning with Dan Jiggetts on Comcast SportsNet Chicago in 2009 and was a sports talk radio show host at WSCR "The Score 670" in Chicago from 1992 to 2008 along with Doug Buffone. He was also the color man for the Chicago RushAFL team for two seasons alongside Tom Dore. He was the co-host of Monsters and Money in the Morning on WBBM-TVCBS 2 Chicago until its cancellation in 2010.
In the late 1970s, North and his wife, BeBe, bought their first hot dog stand. They established Be-Be's Hot Dogs in 1984. Among North's frequent customers at his restaurant was the staff of Diamond Broadcasting, owners of WXRT-FM and WSBC-AM. After North suggested to them that he take the place for vacationing Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Verdi as the host of a short sports segment on WXRT, North's contacts at Diamond suggested he lease time on WSBC if he was interested in pursuing a career in radio. North took their advice and launched the "NFL Handicap Show" on WSBC in 1990.[1]
After the Diamond Broadcasting team purchased WSCR in 1992, North was hired to become one of the station's original personalities, teaming with Dan Jiggetts on the Monsters of the Midday show (a twist on the popular Chicago term, Monsters of the Midway),. The two were reunited for a one-year stint on cable television in 2009.[permanent dead link]
Radio timeline
1990–"NFL Handicap Show" on WSBC
1992–WSCR was launched. North teamed with former Chicago Bear, Dan Jiggetts on The Monsters of the Midday show.
September 1999– North began hosting his own show, The Mike North Show, from 12-4pm Monday through Friday.
2002–North teamed up with former Chicago Bear Doug Buffone, and they soon became known as "The Wise Guys".
August 2002–North signed a multi-year contract worth an estimated $1.5 million a year,Archived 2008-06-07 at the Wayback Machine making him one of the highest paid radio personalities in Chicago.
September 2004–North agreed to host The Score's morning show to compete with rival WMVP's syndicated ESPN Radio morning show, Mike and Mike in the Morning. Until this move, North's shows had generally been broadcast during mid-day or afternoon time slots.
Spring 2006–North called his own station while driving drunk.Archived 2006-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
June 2008–Left WSCR when his contract with the station ended
Controversies
Calling Chicago Cubs Korean pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu a "Chinaman."[2]
On May 18, 2007, North engaged in a much-publicized argument with then White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén during his show, in which Guillen frequently cursed at North before hanging up on him.
On June 20, 2007, North was targeted by fans of the Opie & Anthony show. The radio duo took issue with North seemingly taking credit for being one of the first radio hosts to use the chat service Paltalk, something they instead laid claim to. Fans subsequently invaded North's chat room and bombarded him with insults while Opie & Anthony watched from their own chat room and mocked North and his show.[3]
North has released a CD, Caucasian Man, with music and interview highlights. This CD includes a parody song titled "Secret Asian Man."
North had an acting role in the movie Eden Court. In spite of being complete for a year, the film has only been screened at obscure festivals and has not secured commercial distribution.[citation needed]
North appeared in the slot formerly filled by Imus in the Morning on WFAN May 29 and 30, 2007.
In August 2008, North launched a short-lived, subscription-based sports gambling website, and had a podcast hosted on the website of a Chicago-based restaurant chain.
In April 2009, North was hired by [7] David Hernandez, to work at a webcasting company focused on Chicago sports.[8]
According to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Hernandez was using the business he founded with North to launder money from Hernandez's fraudulent medical staffing firm NextStep Medical. The complaint alleges that North and Hernandez's business operated under the name of Spectrum Entertainment Group, which received over $160,000 of fraudulently-procured funds. Another shell company established by Hernandez using fraudulently-procured funds, The Ilumina Group, also financed the webcast operation.[9]
While North was an executive for Spectrum Entertainment, $300,000 was funneled from Hernandez's company to fund the sports operation.[10]
On June 12, 2009, Hernandez fired North after North questioned business irregularities.[11] The following day it was reported that Hernandez was under federal investigation,[12] and Hernandez was subsequently charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with operating a Ponzi scheme.[13]
In July 2009, North was sued in federal court by defrauded investors for his role in Hernandez's scheme but was cleared and released of any wrongdoing.[14]
In December 2009, Comcast SportsNet decided not to renew North's television show because the budget costs were too high to sustain, effective 31 December 2009.[15]
Two Prudential Plaza is a 64-story skyscraper located in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. At 995 feet (303 m) tall, it is the seventh-tallest building in Chicago as of 2022 and the 28th-tallest in the U.S., being only five feet from 1,000 feet, making it the closest of any building under 1,000. Built in 1990, the building was designed by the firm Loebl Schlossman & Hackl, with Stephen T. Wright as the principal in charge of design. It has received eight awards, including winning the Best Structure Award from the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois in 1995.
WBBM-TV, branded CBS Chicago, is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's CBS network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division, the station maintains studios on West Washington Street in the Loop, and it transmits from atop the Willis Tower.
WMAQ-TV is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's NBC outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Telemundo station WSNS-TV ; it is also sister to regional sports network NBC Sports Chicago. WMAQ-TV and WSNS-TV share studios at the NBC Tower on North Columbus Drive in the city's Streeterville neighborhood; both stations are broadcast from the same transmitter atop the Willis Tower in the Chicago Loop.
WCPT is a commercial progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois. Owned by the Newsweb Corporation, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. The station's studios and daytime transmitter are located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side, while its nighttime transmitter is located in Joliet.
WBBM – branded Newsradio 780 WBBM – is a commercial all-news AM radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter—diplexed with sister station WSCR—resides in the nearby suburb of Bloomingdale.
WXRT, also known as XRT and 93-XRT is an adult album alternative (AAA) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. For many years, their slogan has been "Chicago's Finest Rock". "Chicago's Home For Music Lovers" has been used as its slogan since fall 2017.
WCFS-FM – branded Newsradio 105.9 WBBM – is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to the Chicago suburb of Elmwood Park, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Chicago metropolitan area, operating as a full-time simulcast of WBBM.
WYLL is a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It originated as WJJD and broadcast some pioneering shows. It is owned by Salem Media Group and airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The studios and offices are located in Elk Grove Village. Its daytime transmitter and two-tower array are located off Ballard Road near Interstate 294 in Des Plaines. The nighttime transmitter and six-tower array are off Deer Drive near Interstate 355 in Lockport. WYLL is powered with 50,000 watts, the maximum for commercial AM stations in the U.S. But it must use a directional antenna at all times to protect clear-channel station KSL in Salt Lake City, the dominant Class A station and several Class B stations on 1160 AM.
WSCR – branded 670 The Score – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, and the Chicago metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WSCR is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range in most of the Central United States and part of the Eastern United States. WSCR is the Chicago affiliate for the BetQL Network, CBS Sports Radio, the Fighting Illini Sports Network and the NFL on Westwood One Sports; the flagship station for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bulls radio networks; and the home of radio personalities David Haugh and Matt Spiegel.
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Douglas John Buffone was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL). Buffone, the son of a coal miner, attended high school at Shannock Valley High School in Rural Valley, Pennsylvania.
Edward O'Bradovich is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 1962 NFL Draft. In 2019 he was selected as one of the 100 greatest Bears of All-Time. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois and the University of Illinois.
Matt Spiegel is a sports talk show host and singer based in Chicago. He served as a host on The Score SportsRadio 670 off and on since 2009. As of 2022, he is the current drive time host with Danny Parkins and hosts the Sunday morning seasonal baseball show "Hit & Run". He has also serves as a fill-in broadcaster on the Chicago Cubs Radio Network.
Danny Marcellus Jiggetts is a retired American football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1976 NFL Draft.
Chet W. Coppock was an American radio broadcaster, television broadcaster, sports talk personality and author based in Chicago. His fifth book “Chet Coppock: In Pursuit of Chet Coppock” was released in July 2018. Coppock hosted the Chicago Blackhawks Heritage Series, and emceed corporate sponsorship events for the Blackhawks featuring former NHL stars such as Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito and Denis Savard.
Bruce Wolf is a veteran Chicago broadcaster and sports anchor who has been on both TV and radio for more than 20 years. He formerly hosted a politics-themed talk show weekday mornings on WLS (AM) radio in Chicago. He also fills in as a sportscaster on WMAQ-TV in Chicago and works part-time as a divorce attorney.
NBC Sports Chicago is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports-related news, discussion and entertainment programming. It is branded as part of the NBC Sports Regional Networks.
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Mike Murphy is an American sports radio personality, who hosted The Mike Murphy Show on Chicago's Sports Radio 670 The Score. His last show aired on June 12, 2009. He currently hosts a show on WMVP-AM every Saturday from 9am-12pm with Fred Huebner.
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