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Home , Chicago Cubs, Chip Caray, Clark (mascot), Harry Caray, Jack Brickhouse, Jim Deshaies

THE GAME OF HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST 70 YEARS, BUT THERE HAS BEEN ONE CONSTANT FANS ’s COULD COUNT ON THROUGH IT ALL—THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CUBS AND WGN-TV. THIS SEASON, THAT ENDURING BOND CELEBRATES A SPECIAL MILESTONE. Very Own BY SRI RAMAN COURTESY BOB VORWALD

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n a glorious summer day of an illustrious relationship, spanning generations, Kasper, now in his 14th season He happily recalls family came down the road together: Jack [Brickhouse], Vince was that “television, handled with in 1983, the inimitable between a ballclub and a broadcasting entity. The with the club, is effusive in his praise excursions to Cubs games at [Lloyd], Lou [Boudreau], Harry [Caray], , imagination and understanding, 2018 season will mark a milestone, as the partnership for all of the contributors, past and Wrigley Field, and, in a sense, he . It’s been a fabulous association of two [would result in] bringing many graciously accepted the between the Chicago Cubs and WGN-TV celebrates its present, who have worked hard to brings that same childhood passion great organizations.” more persons to ball- OFord C. Frick Award, presented 70th anniversary. make the network’s to his current vocation every day. parks to get a close- annually to a broadcaster who For legions of Cubs fans around the Cubs broadcasts He is determined to make sure BRAND BUILDING up, personal view of If you had a has made major contributions globe, WGN-TV has been a trusted unforgettable over the each broadcast is still appointment On April 16, 1948, a mere 11 the dramatic scenes to the national pastime. As the friend in their living room, welcoming paragraph to describe last 70 years. viewing and is keen on finding days after the station’s launch, and colorful charac- Cubs legend stood before the them with open arms, rejoicing with the history of the One such exponent ways to insert fans directly into the a headline in the Chicago Tri- ters they became ac- game’s cognoscenti at the National them during times of jubilation and Chicago Cubs, WGN is Bob Vorwald, heart of the action. bune read: “WGN-TV Will Tele- quainted with.” Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, commiserating through years of would be an essential who has been the “Wrigley Field is the best televi- cast City Series Today.” That Eldon Ham, an at- he paid tribute to the ’s storied heartbreak. That connecton has only executive producer sion studio,” Vorwald said. “Our big- unassuming blurb belied the torney and past. In the midst of his speech, been augmented by the fact that the part of it. Without of WGN Sports since gest goal has always been to take moment’s historic significance, legal analyst who there was one touching moment of network has been home to many WGN, the Cubs 1998. Vorwald’s Cubs the viewer to the game.” for it highlighted the station’s authored the book gratitude that spoke volumes. renowned voices over the years, voices wouldn’t be nearly roots trace back to Another influential cog in the first-ever broadcast of a Cubs Broadcasting Baseball: “It is with the deepest sincerity I so ingrained in Cubs history that fans as popular as they his youth. He fondly seven-decade broadcast partnership game. Fittingly, it was a pre- A History of the Na- thank my company, the WGN Con- are on a first-name basis with them— are today.” remembers tuning has been the esteemed Jack season matchup against the tional Pastime on Radio tinental Broadcasting Company in guys like Jack, Vince, Lou and Harry. into the weekly Rosenberg. During his 45-year as crosstown White Sox. and Television, said Chicago, for believing in the enter- “If you had a paragraph to describe — LEN KASPER, CUBS TV Sunday night WGN-TV WGN-TV’s sports editor, Rosenberg With the fervent support that William Wrigley BROADCASTER tainment value of baseball on radio the history of the Chicago Cubs, WGN telecasts that would covered everything from ’ of Cubs owner Philip K. Wrig- Jr. had taken a similar COURTESY BOB VORWALD and television,” Brickhouse said. would be an essential part of it,” said , the get picked up in his hometown of rookie year in 1954 to ’s ley, WGN-TV would carry all approach in bringing That statement was far more current, highly respected member of that broadcasting Bagley, . sensational chase of 1998. Cubs home games that season. Other owners, fearing Cubs games to radio, and Philip than an obligatory nod to a fraternity. “Without WGN, the Cubs wouldn’t be nearly “Those games were appointment “[WGN-TV] grew up with the televised broadcasts would cannibalize their ticket was simply following in his fa- longtime employer. It told the tale as popular as they are today.” viewing,” Vorwald said. Cubs,” Rosenberg said. “A lot of us sales, bristled at the move. But Wrigley’s philosophy ther’s footsteps.

44 VINE LINE cubs.com/vineline cubs.com/vineline VINE LINE 45 “Both were doing what we call Brady has been a WGN Sports producer since 1998 and would go on the road, it would be ‘billboarding’ the game,” Ham said. said Harris’ influence is inescapable. 5,000, 6,000, 10,000 people pulling “The more you expose fans to the “We still follow the approach of Arne. The fans are for us in the road .” THE (INTER) product, the more you make it as big a deal as the players on the field,” Brady said. Caray also made a regular habit available on radio—or, in this case, “We have always tried to bring the fan to the game, to of reading letters from the Cubs’ NATIONAL PASTIME television—the more the fans will the bleachers, to the excitement. They just have to buy far-flung fan base. These days, WGN-TV has been a conduit into the game for come out and participate.” their own beer.” Kasper continues that tradition via generations of Cubs fans. On one memorable occasion, By 1952, WGN-TV had gained Sadly, one of the few times Cubs fans actually got to modern modes of communication. an afternoon affair at the Friendly Confines provided exclusive rights to Cubs telecasts. see and hear Harris was the day after his passing. On “We receive texts, tweets and much of Europe its first glimpse of America’s pastime. Despite some lean years on Oct. 7, 2001, WGN-TV dedicated that day’s Cubs-Pirates posts from all over the The Telstar satellite revolutionized broadcasting. On the field, the ensuing period broadcast to the legend himself. The gamelong tribute, world,” Kasper said. “The Cubs re- July 23, 1962, 13 days after its launch, the first live saw the emergence of ebullient full of old Harris footage, was handled admirably by ally are a global phenomenon. I’m transatlantic video communication took place. Journal- Cubs superstar Ernie Banks. He Caray’s grandson and successor, . amazed to this day.” ism heavyweights and Chet Huntley and fellow Hall of Famers Billy hosted the historic occasion. Eventually, a friendly Williams, and Fergie GLOBAL REACH PIONEERING SPIRIT greeting came from the BBC in Brussels: “Hello, Walter Jenkins were a part of some of Over the years, Rosenberg has enjoyed the same Rosenberg said he feels fortunate Cronkite. Hello, .” the most beloved teams WGN-TV exchange with countless Chicagoans. “You know, to have arrived at WGN-TV during During the 20-minute transmission window, choice ever showcased. when I was a kid,” someone will begin. At which what he calls “the embryonic North American visuals were to be shown, beginning For nearly a half-century, the point, Rosenberg interjects, “You would rush home stages of television.” The only hard with President John F. Kennedy’s news conference. franchise also enjoyed two larger- from school and catch the last few innings of the and fast rule back then was to However, with Telstar’s slightly ahead of sched- than-life personalities behind Cubs game on WGN.” disregard all hard and fast rules. ule, Cronkite made the announcement, “We take you the mic in Brickhouse and Caray. Day baseball at Wrigley Field was absolutely That mindset has helped drive a to a baseball game in Chicago instead.” But, in 1960, an equally vital team essential to growing the popularity of WGN-TV’s Cubs spirit of innovation throughout the Thus, among the very first live American images ever member joined WGN Sports, Arne broadcasts and creating a shared history for millions 70-year Cubs-WGN partnership. viewed by millions of Europeans was a Cubs-Phillies game Harris. Harris, who would assume of fans. This became even more pronounced in 1978, An early example of this on WGN-TV, direct from Wrigley Field. By the time the producer-director duties in 1964, when the station took full advantage of cable and didn’t occur at Wrigley Field transmission switched over to the president, viewers from set a new standard not only for satellite advancements and joined the ranks of Ted but, rather, five miles away at London to Rome had witnessed Cubs outfielder George Cubs broadcasts but also for Turner’s WTBS in as a national . Thillens , a popular Altman snaring a fly ball on the right-field warning track. baseball broadcasts in general. Young Cubs fans all across America soon rushed Chicago located Cubs PA announcer Pat Pieper informed those gath- “Arne made Wrigley Field and home from school to catch the last few innings of at the corner of Devon and ered at and Addison: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Cubs fans part of the show,” games. Vorwald, who also authored the book Cubs Kedzie. In 1951, WGN-TV we have just been informed that this baseball game is Vorwald said. “He really under- Forever: Memories from the broadcast Little League games being seen in Europe over the Telstar satellite.” stood both were part of the fabric.” We still follow Men Who Lived Them, has from the famed venue, and the Cronkite encapsulated that surrealistic first live Harris’ famous Wrigley Field the approach of Arne heard from many notables production crew, compromised broadcast as only he could. hat shots became a signature [Harris]. The fans are as who took great delight in by the 2,400-seat park’s scaled- “The first slice of American immediacy Europe saw element, and his use of the big a deal as the players watching their favorite down dimensions, tested out was baseball,” he said. scenery—the surrounding team in the afternoons. a new piece of technology, the on the field. We have to home, Jack Brickhouse added his own neighborhood, Lake To catch his beloved center-field camera. This bit witty enhancement. and the Chicago skyline—further always tried to bring Cubs, would of resourcefulness, eventually “Right now, our colleagues who are doing the advanced Philip K. Wrigley’s the fan to the game, battle snowdrifts and adapted at Wrigley Field (and translating are going crazy trying to say runs, hits, and notion regarding the visual power hand crank a satellite dish throughout the game), was LEN KASPER AND errors in Swedish and Italian.” to the bleachers, to the of home games on television. at his Colorado residence. groundbreaking for both Cubs excitement. They just have DAVID DUROCHIK There was also an enduring referred to the and baseball telecasts alike. mystique about Harris, as the to buy their own beer.” Cubs’ budding national On Aug. 7, 2001, WGN-TV re- home a point. Sometimes it’s just CHICAGO PRIDE can be seen on multiple Chicago affiliates. Kasper be- man behind the curtain. He was — MARC BRADY, PRODUCER, following as “fans con- alized another technological about baseball.” The current Cubs—buoyed by a lieves that dynamic will always endure. WGN SPORTS referenced multiple times during suming their favorite af- landmark, when it aired its first Over the past 70 years, WGN- championship core that includes “Technology changes,” Kasper said. “The way televi- each broadcast, but fans never saw ternoon soap opera.” was always grate- high-definition broadcast. As Ham TV has indeed staged some of the , and sion broadcasts the games changes. But WGN will al- him or heard his voice. That touch ful his family and friends in Washington state and noted, the station was again ad- most incredible moments in Cubs many others—are in the midst of a ways have that vibe when it comes to Cubs baseball.” of mystery made for some classic Arizona were able to tune in to so many of his games, vancing the medium for both the baseball history. Ernie Banks’ golden age, and WGN-TV Still, despite the many changes in the one-way banter. despite the distance. team and the sport. 500th home run in 1970 punched remains an important Wrigley way the game has been delivered, the one During the improbable divi- The 1984 season will always hold a special place “HDTV has enhanced baseball’s Mr. Cub’s ticket to Cooperstown. piece of this magical era. Field is the best constant is the relationship between the sion title run of 1989, in Cubs franchise history. Sandberg won the NL MVP, attributes and its nuances more ’s extraordinary Yet, simply put, times television studio. Cubs and WGN-TV, one of the truly special launched a two-run walk-off took home the NL Award, and than it has for any other sport,” MVP campaign was punctuated have changed. Exclu- Our biggest goal bonds in professional sports. Cubs baseball homer in a July game against the the Cubs captured their division, sending the team to Ham said. “It also makes cathedral with a prodigious homer in his sively day baseball at has consumed the afternoons—and often Mets. Caray playfully disputed the the postseason for the first time in 39 years. It was a ballparks, such as Wrigley Field, final Wrigley Field at-bat of the Wrigley Field ceased as has always been the evenings—of fans around the world, home run tracker, which measured memorable season for WGN-TV as well. Van Halen’s look all the more amazing.” 1987 season. ’s one- of 1988, and Cubs games to take the viewer from the early days of televised sports to Grace’s blast at 390 feet. “Jump” was the station’s theme music, and the Harry This drive to innovate and im- gem against the Astros in 1998 is were removed from to the game.” the modern day. It has stretched from Andy “Aw, come on! That had to go Caray- tandem had developed outstanding prove on baseball broadcasts con- still widely considered the best- WGN’s national cable — BOB VORWALD, Pafko to Ron Santo; from Fergie Jenkins to over 400 feet!” Caray bellowed. chemistry during their second year together. Thanks tinues in present day operations. pitched game in Wrigley Field channel in 2014. EXECUTIVE ; from to Joe Mad- “Hey, Arne, who’s measuring?” to the superstation, it was the first time much of the “We’ve always prided ourselves history. And, of course, there are MLB team packages PRODUCER, don. And there’s no reason to think it will WGN SPORTS Harris’ legacy has been carried country, and parts beyond, got a chance to see Wrigley in not following a cookie-cutter the countless memories from the have taken William and stop anytime soon. on by many gifted successors, in- Field fully reveling in fever. approach,” Brady said. “When 2016 championship Philip Wrigley’s billboarding concept “We pride ourselves on being Chicago’s very own,” cluding Vorwald, Skip Ellison (who The notion that Cubs fans travel well soon became necessary, we use analytics. season that made millions of fans to the next level. Now, much like in Vorwald said. “Nothing has helped us achieve that retired last season) and Marc Brady. a cliché. told Vorwald: “When we Sometimes we use music to drive dreams come true. the early days of television, the Cubs more than this 70-year association.”

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