By Rick Kaempfer
WE CAN STILL HEAR YOU
Doug Buffone
filled with competition, egos, and a win-atall-costs mentality, he proved over and
over that nice guys don't necessarily finish
last.” According to Eddie, Harry’s jovial
spirit was definitely not an act. “He
always told me, ‘I think you're like me –
you try to make people laugh and smile
every day whether it's on the air or just in
life. And that's more important than being
a star. Always remember that."
Doug Buffone
Photo courtesy of
Chicago Bears
I
n 2015, the Chicago media community lost a
few beloved figures. As the year comes to a
close, we pay one last tribute to four of them
who had an incredible impact during their long
and storied careers.
Harry Volkman
In a career that spanned more than 50
years, weatherman Harry Volkman
touched the lives of millions of
Chicagoans. He was part of top rated
broadcasts at both WMAQ Channel 5 and
WBBM Channel 2, and later was the
weatherman at WFLD Channel 32, but
Harry’s impact went well beyond his
viewers. He loved to speak to schools and
charitable organizations, and everyone
who met him was taken by his decency.
We asked his son (fellow broadcaster)
Eddie Volkman to try to put into words
the impact his father had on the media in
this town. “I knew he was well-respected
among the media in Chicago and even
nationally but I was still overwhelmed by
the outpouring of sentiment, tributes and
messages when he passed. In a business
When Doug Buffone passed away in
April, the tributes to him focused mainly
on his great football career with the
Chicago Bears, but Buffone was just as
treasured in Chicago media’s community.
The dean of Chicago sports-talk radio is
Chet Coppock, and we asked him to measure the impact of Buffone’s career behind
the microphone.
“Buff was a superb broadcaster,” Chet
says, echoing the thoughts of many of his
co-workers and fans. “Somehow, football
2015 just isn't the same without Doug and
his tag team partner Ed O'Bradovich railing about the Bears. Buffone was a rarity in
today's homogenized industry: a man
completely unafraid of allowing his emotions to ooze from every pore. The Chicago
broadcast landscape lost a giant when #55
left us on April 20. We will never see his
like again.”
Buffone’s longtime program director at
the Score, Mitch Rosen, agrees. “The city,
the radio station, and most importantly the
fans lost a voice, a tremendous person, and
someone everyone loved! As great of a
football player Doug was, he was a better
person. The day we lost Doug was the day
a part of the Score was lost.”
Steve Nelson
Casual Chicago radio listeners might
not have known Steve Nelson’s name, but
he also certainly had an impact on the
broadcasting business during his long and
storied career at places like WCKG, WLS,
and WBEZ. The marketing/sales/promotion guru was one of those rare individuals
who seemed to connect with everyone.
When he passed away in May after a long
battle with cancer, WDRV morning man
Pete McMurray eulogized Steve on the
radio – on a station that wasn’t even on
Steve’s resume. When we asked him why
he had done it, Pete replied, “Steve Nelson
was a guy everyone loved. He was the guy
who made you laugh, pumped you up,
and made you think all in one breath. We
all miss him dearly. Rest assured his memory will live on in all the wonderful stories
and everyone he's touched over the years.
I think about him often. A few years back
as a joke, I offered Nelson $762 to shave off
his beard (Why $762? Because it's funnier
than $700). He declined and said no one
will remember what he looked like! I said,
‘There's no way we will ever forget that
face.’ And, we haven't.”
John Landecker worked with Steve at
WLS. “Steve Nelson made going to work
fun. I've always said that WLS in its heyday was a group effort with contributions
from every department. Steve Nelson was
a perfect example of that. Steve was smart
and funny, and I always looked forward to
hanging out with him. He was a friend, not
just a co-worker.”
Ty Wansley
In a Chicago radio career that spanned
more than 40 years, Ty Wansley’s impact
was likewise undeniable. He was a part of
Continued on page 43
18 illinoisentertainer.com december 2015