Roe Conn
Encyclopedia
Roe B. Conn is an American
talk radio
host of The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper, which airs on WLS
-AM 890 in Chicago
live from 2 to 6 p.m. (Central Time), Monday through Friday. Three hours of the radio show are also simulcast on NBC Chicago (WMAQ) Digital 5.2 television between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays. He was also the host of The Roe Report, a nationally syndicated wrap-up of the day's news with a comedic bent.
in Granville, Ohio
. Returning to Chicago after graduating from college he worked fill-in duties at WLUW
, starting in August 1986. He then was the producer for Don Vogel on WMAQ (AM) and Walter Jacobson
at WBBM-TV
. On August 27, 1989 Conn debuted a Sunday morning radio show at WLS (AM)
. Conn maintains that his performance went poorly, but that the program director ordered the show be continued after confusing Conn with another host.
He received his first national exposure for his daily roundup of the O.J. Simpson trial. After that, he continued to host his regular show on WLS (AM)
. Eventually he teamed up with Garry Meier
to cohost the highly successful Roe & Garry Show
.http://www.roeconn.com/about_page.php In 2004, amid an impasse in contract negotiations with the station, Meier did not renew his contract with WLS. Roe then became the sole host of the show, which also featured Jim Johnson
and Christina Filiaggi
. Many praise Roe Conn for having a good sense of humor and for being skilled at articulating his thoughts. In the spring 2006 ratings period, The Roe Conn Show
became Chicago’s most listened-to radio talk show among adults.
On March 27, 2009, Conn announced on his WLS-AM radio show a new, parallel endeavor called "The Roe Report." The Roe Report was a nationally syndicated daily news/commentary segment initially airing in New York (WABC), Los Angeles (KABC) and Chicago (WLS-AM), filling the void left by the death of Paul Harvey. The final "Roe Report" aired October 29, 2010. A reason for ending the Report was not cited.
On May 8, 2009, it was announced on the show that long time associate Christina Filiaggi
had been once more laid off by station management, and would be replaced by Chicago area newscaster Amy Jacobson the following week; however, after a change in management, she returned for the third time on March 26, 2010.
On May 29, 2009, it was announced on the air that Bill Leff had been laid off by corporate management. Roe and Leff had often joked on the air about the similarity of their voices.
On January 11, 2010, The Roe Conn Show became Roe and Cisco, as Cisco Cotto was introduced as the new cohost of the WLS afternoon show with Roe Conn. Also, Amy Jacobson was removed from her position doing traffic and weather for the show and daily appearances by WLS-TV
anchor Ron Magers
ceased, although Magers returned to the 3 p.m. hour on February 9, 2010. The following day the show became The Roe Conn Show again with the announcement that Cisco Cotto was leaving to host his own show on WLS from 9 to 11 a.m.
On April 12, 2010, Richard Roeper
became Roe's new on-air partner, and the show was rebranded The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper.
, where he studied anthropology
.http://www.RichardHouriganInc.com.
On 5 January 2006, Roe Conn mentioned Wikipedia
in his daily talk show on WLS. He said that while most of it is factually correct, some details (including his birthday) were incorrect. Now his birthday is correct on the site (as of 6 June 2006). However, Chicago Sun-Times
columnist Michael Sneed, whom Roe loves to read, declared his birthday as June 7 in her 2006-06-07 column.
When Dusty Baker
was fired from the Chicago Cubs
, Harry Caray
's Restaurant named a hot dog
kids meal after Roe. He is the first non-Cub whom the restaurant has so honored.
statements accusing Michael Chertoff
and Zionist
Jews of orchestrating the September 11, 2001, attacks and planning Phase 2 attacks). He pledged to contribute $6,500, the amount that Condit paid for his ads on Conn's show, to the Jewish United Fund and the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Condit's spots were pulled from WLS that afternoon. Chicago Sun-Times
columnist Robert Feder
lauded Roe's stance as one of the "genuine class acts" in radio that year.
. This possible juror misconduct was one of the bases for appeal in Ryan's conviction on criminal charges of corruption.
Conn testified for the plaintiff at a civil proceeding involving his former on-air partner Garry Meier
. In the suit, Meier's former manager Todd Musburger said he was owed money for work related to contract negotiations. Conn's testimony contradicted that of Meier, and the jury sided with Musburger.
is also a member of this entity. On June 9, 2007, Conn became a winning owner when his horse, Greeley's Angel, won for the first time in Race 5 at Arlington Park. R Plus partners had a second horse, Sted's Pirate, but lost ownership after a $30,000 claims race at Churchill Downs on July 7, 2007.
recognized Conn as one of the "One hundred most influential radio hosts in America."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host of The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper, which airs on 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....
-AM 890 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
live from 2 to 6 p.m. (Central Time), Monday through Friday. Three hours of the radio show are also simulcast on NBC Chicago (WMAQ) Digital 5.2 television between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays. He was also the host of The Roe Report, a nationally syndicated wrap-up of the day's news with a comedic bent.
Career
Roe's first radio gig was Saturday overnights on WDUBWDUB
WDUB is a student-run, non-commercial, 100-watt college radio station registered by the Federal Communications Commission , owned and operated by Denison University in Granville, Ohio, USA...
in Granville, Ohio
Granville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
. Returning to Chicago after graduating from college he worked fill-in duties at WLUW
WLUW
WLUW is a college radio station owned and operated by Loyola University Chicago, serving Chicago, Illinois and its northern suburbs. WLUW was founded by Jim Wagner and Michael Russo in the 1970s and they ran the station until Loyola University offered more funding and support...
, starting in August 1986. He then was the producer for Don Vogel on WMAQ (AM) and Walter Jacobson
Walter Jacobson
Walter David Jacobson is a Chicago television news personality and current anchor of the 6 p.m. news on WBBM-TV. He had been working at WBBM-TV since February 2010 once again doing Walter Jacobson's Perspective twice a week on the 10 O'Clock News prior to being promoted to anchoring the 6 p.m...
at WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
. On August 27, 1989 Conn debuted a Sunday morning radio show at WLS (AM)
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....
. Conn maintains that his performance went poorly, but that the program director ordered the show be continued after confusing Conn with another host.
He received his first national exposure for his daily roundup of the O.J. Simpson trial. After that, he continued to host his regular show on WLS (AM)
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....
. Eventually he teamed up with Garry Meier
Garry Meier
Garry Meier is a Chicago-based radio personality and is currently the afternoon host on WGN-AM 720 in Chicago, heard weekdays 3-7 PM CT.- Beginnings :...
to cohost the highly successful Roe & Garry Show
The Roe Conn Show
The Roe Conn Show, also known as The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper and Roe and Roeper, is a talk radio show hosted by Roe Conn and Richard Roeper on WLS-AM. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 2 pm to 6 pm CDT, from the studios of WLS in Chicago and aired online by Citadel Radio...
.http://www.roeconn.com/about_page.php In 2004, amid an impasse in contract negotiations with the station, Meier did not renew his contract with WLS. Roe then became the sole host of the show, which also featured Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson (radio)
Jim Johnson is a personality on The Roe Conn Show on WLS 890 in Chicago, where he is a news reporter and occasionally participates in the on-air discussion with the other on-air personalities.-Personal Life and Education:...
and Christina Filiaggi
Christina Filiaggi
Christina Filiaggi is a personality on The Roe Conn Show on WLS 890 in Chicago, Illinois, where she is a traffic reporter and participates in the on-air repartee with the other on-air personalities...
. Many praise Roe Conn for having a good sense of humor and for being skilled at articulating his thoughts. In the spring 2006 ratings period, The Roe Conn Show
The Roe Conn Show
The Roe Conn Show, also known as The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper and Roe and Roeper, is a talk radio show hosted by Roe Conn and Richard Roeper on WLS-AM. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 2 pm to 6 pm CDT, from the studios of WLS in Chicago and aired online by Citadel Radio...
became Chicago’s most listened-to radio talk show among adults.
On March 27, 2009, Conn announced on his WLS-AM radio show a new, parallel endeavor called "The Roe Report." The Roe Report was a nationally syndicated daily news/commentary segment initially airing in New York (WABC), Los Angeles (KABC) and Chicago (WLS-AM), filling the void left by the death of Paul Harvey. The final "Roe Report" aired October 29, 2010. A reason for ending the Report was not cited.
On May 8, 2009, it was announced on the show that long time associate Christina Filiaggi
Christina Filiaggi
Christina Filiaggi is a personality on The Roe Conn Show on WLS 890 in Chicago, Illinois, where she is a traffic reporter and participates in the on-air repartee with the other on-air personalities...
had been once more laid off by station management, and would be replaced by Chicago area newscaster Amy Jacobson the following week; however, after a change in management, she returned for the third time on March 26, 2010.
On May 29, 2009, it was announced on the air that Bill Leff had been laid off by corporate management. Roe and Leff had often joked on the air about the similarity of their voices.
On January 11, 2010, The Roe Conn Show became Roe and Cisco, as Cisco Cotto was introduced as the new cohost of the WLS afternoon show with Roe Conn. Also, Amy Jacobson was removed from her position doing traffic and weather for the show and daily appearances by WLS-TV
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
anchor Ron Magers
Ron Magers
Ron Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
ceased, although Magers returned to the 3 p.m. hour on February 9, 2010. The following day the show became The Roe Conn Show again with the announcement that Cisco Cotto was leaving to host his own show on WLS from 9 to 11 a.m.
On April 12, 2010, Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
became Roe's new on-air partner, and the show was rebranded The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper.
Education
Roe is a 1986 graduate of Denison UniversityDenison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
, where he studied anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.http://www.RichardHouriganInc.com.
Personality
He often describes himself as obsessive about cleanliness, and avoiding germs and sickness.On 5 January 2006, Roe Conn mentioned Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
in his daily talk show on WLS. He said that while most of it is factually correct, some details (including his birthday) were incorrect. Now his birthday is correct on the site (as of 6 June 2006). However, Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
columnist Michael Sneed, whom Roe loves to read, declared his birthday as June 7 in her 2006-06-07 column.
When Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
was fired from the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, Harry Caray
Harry Caray
Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
's Restaurant named a hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
kids meal after Roe. He is the first non-Cub whom the restaurant has so honored.
Jim Condit Jr. ads
On November 2, 2006, Roe said he was disgusted that WLS 890 had to air Jim Condit Jr.'s "political advertisements" (which were really issuestatements accusing Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
and Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
Jews of orchestrating the September 11, 2001, attacks and planning Phase 2 attacks). He pledged to contribute $6,500, the amount that Condit paid for his ads on Conn's show, to the Jewish United Fund and the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Condit's spots were pulled from WLS that afternoon. Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
columnist Robert Feder
Robert Feder
Robert Feder is a noted Chicago media blogger who was the TV and radio columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1980 until 2008 and a blogger for Vocalo.org from 2009 until 2010...
lauded Roe's stance as one of the "genuine class acts" in radio that year.
Involvement with litigation
The Roe Conn show took a call on March 28, 2006, from a small-business owner who claimed to have spoken with a juror about the trial of former governor George RyanGeorge Ryan
George Homer Ryan, Sr. was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Ryan became nationally known when in 2000 he imposed a moratorium on executions and "raised the national debate on capital punishment"...
. This possible juror misconduct was one of the bases for appeal in Ryan's conviction on criminal charges of corruption.
Conn testified for the plaintiff at a civil proceeding involving his former on-air partner Garry Meier
Garry Meier
Garry Meier is a Chicago-based radio personality and is currently the afternoon host on WGN-AM 720 in Chicago, heard weekdays 3-7 PM CT.- Beginnings :...
. In the suit, Meier's former manager Todd Musburger said he was owed money for work related to contract negotiations. Conn's testimony contradicted that of Meier, and the jury sided with Musburger.
Other business interests
Conn, in a partnership called R Plus Partners, owns two race horses. Ron MagersRon Magers
Ron Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
is also a member of this entity. On June 9, 2007, Conn became a winning owner when his horse, Greeley's Angel, won for the first time in Race 5 at Arlington Park. R Plus partners had a second horse, Sted's Pirate, but lost ownership after a $30,000 claims race at Churchill Downs on July 7, 2007.
Awards
Talkers MagazineTalkers magazine
Talkers Magazine is a trade industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media"...
recognized Conn as one of the "One hundred most influential radio hosts in America."