Ed Grennan
Encyclopedia
Ed Grennan was a staff announcer with WNBQ and WMAQ-TV
in Chicago, Illinois.
Grennan started his radio career in 1944 with the Armed Forces Radio Network
while in Guam
. After some stints downstate and in Michigan
, he returned to Chicago to work at several stations including WGN
, WAIT
and WBBM-FM
. Grennan worked for WLS
radio from 1959-1960, and then WNBQ/WMAQ the NBC
owned and operated station in Chicago.
Grennan was probably best known to the Chicago television audience as the host of It's Academic
, a weekly quiz show
of the late 1960s where three teams of students from Chicago area high schools competed to answer questions on academic subjects and general knowledge. He hosted the show for eleven years. Grennan won an Emmy Award
for football
announcing and for It's Academic.
After Grennan's retirement in 1991, he had a supporting role in David Lynch
's Buena Vista film The Straight Story
.
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
in Chicago, Illinois.
Grennan started his radio career in 1944 with the Armed Forces Radio Network
American Forces Network
The American Forces Network is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces American Forces Radio and Television Service for its entertainment and command internal information networks worldwide...
while in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. After some stints downstate and in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, he returned to Chicago to work at several stations including WGN
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
, WAIT
WAIT (AM)
WAIT is a radio station located near Crystal Lake, Illinois. It was purchased by Newsweb Corporation in 2004. Original call letters were WIVS....
and WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM, known on air as "B96", is a Rhythmic Contemporary outlet in Chicago, Illinois with a Rhythmic based playlist. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 4.2 kW. WBBM's main competition is WKSC-FM "103.5 Kiss FM", as well as urban rivals WGCI-FM &...
. Grennan worked for WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
radio from 1959-1960, and then WNBQ/WMAQ the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
owned and operated station in Chicago.
Grennan was probably best known to the Chicago television audience as the host of It's Academic
It's Academic
It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
, a weekly quiz show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
of the late 1960s where three teams of students from Chicago area high schools competed to answer questions on academic subjects and general knowledge. He hosted the show for eleven years. Grennan won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
announcing and for It's Academic.
After Grennan's retirement in 1991, he had a supporting role in David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's Buena Vista film The Straight Story
The Straight Story
The Straight Story is a 1999 film directed by David Lynch. The film was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and co-worker. She co-wrote the script with John E. Roach....
.