- Mike North
-
Mike North is an American radio sports personality working for Clear Channel Communications as a weekend host on their Fox Sports Radio subsidiary. 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. He was also the color man for the Chicago Rush AFL team for two seasons alongside Tom Dore. He was the co-host of "Monsters and Money in the Morning" on WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago until its cancellation in 2010.
Contents
History
North was raised in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood and attended Senn High School from 1967-1970 before dropping out to work for the Chicago Park District. In 1971 he was drafted to join the US Army, completing basic training at Ft. Polk, Louisiana.
In the late 1970s, North and his wife, BeBe, purchased a hot dog stand where he enhanced earnings from the restaurant with a low-stakes gambling operation. During the 1980s he operated several hot dog stands in Chicago. 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 replace 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),[1]. The two were reunited for a one year stint on cable television in 2009.[2]
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,[3] 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 broadcasted during mid-day or afternoon time slots.
- Spring 2006 North called his own station while driving drunk.[4]
- June 2008- Left WSCR when his contract with the station ended
Controversies
Calling Chicago Cubs Korean pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu a "Chinaman."[5]
Opining that Hispanic-American newscaster Antonio Mora could get better ratings if he wore a sombrero during his newscasts.[6]
On May 18, 2007, North engaged in a much-publicized argument with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén during his show, in which Guillen frequently cursed at North before hanging up on him.[7]
Outside of WSCR
North has released a CD, Caucasian Man, with music and interview highlights.
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 has appeared on WBBM-TV, WMAQ-TV and WFLD-TV, and is frequently a featured guest on and occasionally the guest host of Comcast SportsNet Chicago's Chicago Tribune Live show.
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 recruited his friend of over 15 years,[2] the convicted wire fraud felon, David Hernandez, to finance a webcasting company focused on Chicago sports.[3]
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 "investment firm," NextStep Financial. 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.[4]
While North was an executive for Spectrum Entertainment, $300,000 was funneled from one of Hernandez's businesses into North's own production company.[5]
On June 12, 2009, Hernandez fired North after questions emerged about the businesses finances.[6] The following day it was reported that Hernandez was under federal investigation,[7] and Hernandez was subsequently charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with operating a Ponzi scheme.[8]
In July 2009, North was sued in federal court by defrauded investors for his role in Hernandez's scheme.[9]
The next month, August 2009, Comcast SportsNet decided to cancel North's television show, effective 31 December 2009.[10]
Awards
- Achievement in Radio Award (four times)
- 1997 Best Sports Show (North and Dan Jiggetts)
- 2002 Best Talent on a News, Talk, Personality, or Sports Station
- 2004 Ellis Island Medal of Honor
- 2005 Telly Award for a commercial that he did for the Score
- 2 Chicago Emmy Awards
- Special Children’s Charities Entertainer of the Year Award
- Irv Kupcinet Award
- Richard J. Daley Award by the Red Cloud Athletic Fund
- Silver Circle Award from The National Conference for Community and Justice of Chicago and Greater Illinois
- 2006 Inductee into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame- the first radio broadcaster ever to be inducted
- 2006 Media Excellence Award from the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
Notes and references
- ^ http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/money-where-his-mouth-is/Content?oid=895834
- ^ http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/06/when-mike-north-and-dan-jiggetts-interviewed-david-hernandez-a-transcript.html
- ^ http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=32568
- ^ http://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2009/comp21085.pdf
- ^ http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=32568
- ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-13-mike-north-jun13,0,7862014.story
- ^ http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/people/1622062,CST-NWS-North14.article
- ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sec-chicago-sports-webio-jun15,0,4162544.story
- ^ http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090727005549&newsLang=en
- ^ http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/10/monsters-smash-comcast-sportsnet-to-drop-north-jiggetts-program.html
External links
Categories:- American sports radio personalities
- Radio personalities from Chicago, Illinois
- American people of Italian descent
- Living people
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