Frank Sinatra
The music of Ol' Blue Eyes will air exclusively from 6:30 to 9 a.m. Sundays on WGN 720-AM, the Nexstar Media news/talk station announced Tuesday.
Starting December 8, David Plier will host the locally-produced showcase devoted solely to the classic tunes of Frank Sinatra, leading into “Dean Richards' Sunday Morning” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
David Plier
Plier, a marketing and branding executive who also serves as interim chairman of Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications, has been a weekend talk-show host at WGN since 2012. He’ll also host Friday nights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday mornings from 3 to 5 a.m.
"The Sinatra Hours" is the brainchild of Sean Compton, who was named executive vice president overseeing the station after Nexstar Media Group acquired Tribune Media.
To accommodate the new addition, WGN will move "Steve Dale’s Pet World" to 5:30 a.m. Sundays and “The Sunday Spin: Politics with Rick Pearson” to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Also new to the weekend lineup will be a two-hour syndicated travel show hosted by Peter Greenberg at 4 p.m. Saturdays, starting December 7.
"WGN Radio Theatre with Carl Amari and Lisa Wolf," the program of old-time radio classics now airing Saturday and Sunday nights, will be heard only on Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Among programs being cut from the lineup are Saturday's "Wintrust Business Lunch" and "Saturday Night Special," both hosted by Amy Guth, "Nocturnal Journal with Dave Hoekstra" and Brian Noonan.
In the latest Nielsen Audio survey WGN ranked eighth overall with a 4.0 share. On weekends the station tied for eighth with MeTV FM, Weigel Broadcasting soft rock oldies WRME 87.7-FM, with a 3.9 share.
Here is WGN’s new weekend schedule, effective December 7-8:
Fridays
7 to 11 p.m. Justin Kaufmann
11 p.m. to 1 a.m. David Plier
Saturdays
1 to 5 a.m. Matt Bubala
5 to 6 a.m. The Morning Show with Orion Samuelson & Max Armstrong
6 to 7 a.m. Outside the Loop Radio with Mike Stephen
7 to 10 a.m. HouseSmarts Radio with Lou Manfredini
10 a.m. to noon David Hochberg
Noon to 1 p.m. Startup Showcase with Scott Kitun
1 to 4 p.m. John Williams
4 to 6 p.m. Peter Greenberg Travel
6 to 10 p.m. Sports Talk and White Sox Weekly
10 p.m. to 3 a.m. WGN Radio Theatre with Carl Amari and Lisa Wolf
Sundays
3 to 5 a.m. David Plier replay
5 to 5:30 a.m. Great Outdoors with Charlie Potter
5:30 to 6 a.m. Steve Dale’s Pet World
6 to 6:30 a.m. The Lutheran Hour
6:30 to 9 a.m. The Sinatra Hours with David Plier
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dean Richards' Sunday Morning
1 to 5 p.m. Pete McMurray and Jane Monzures
5 to 7 p.m. The Sunday Spin: Politics with Rick Pearson
7 to 9 p.m. Karen Conti on the Law
9 to 11 p.m. After Hours with Rick Kogan
11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Nick Digilio