As the 2024 Democratic National Convention came to Chicago, it provided an opportunity for radio brands like WBBM, WGN Radio, WLS-AM 890, and AM 560 The Answer.
Few cities are as well served in the news/talk format as the Windy City, and that prowess has been on display throughout the week as Kamala Harris accepts the party’s nomination for President.
We asked WBBM Brand Manager Craig Schwalb, WGN Radio Vice President and General Manager Mary Sandberg Boyle, WLS-AM 890 Program Director Stephanie Tichenor, and AM 560 The Answer Program Director Marcus Brown a series of questions about their coverage of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, how long they’ve been preparing for the event, what similar events they can learn from, and how it being the “other side” of the political aisle for two of the stations affects how they cover the event happening in their city.
Barrett Media: When did first begin planning for Convention Coverage?
Craig Schwalb (WBBM): Our newsroom started preparing for convention coverage about a year in advance. With the opportunity to cover both the RNC in Milwaukee and the DNC in Chicago, we recognized this as a crucial year to spotlight the stories that define our entire region The extensive planning and logistics necessary requires a team effort that really cannot be left to the last minute.
Stephanie Tichenor (WLS): We started planning for the convention a year ago. We needed to ensure we had the resources and team assembled to produce the best content for our station and for other Cumulus stations. Of course, once we had attended the RNC, we were able to tweak coverage plans for the DNC.”
Marcus Brown (The Answer): We began planning for DNC coverage almost immediately after it was announced that Chicago would be hosting the event. We knew that we’d have a unique vantage point as a conservative radio station in Chicago.
Mary Sandberg Boyle (WGN): We started talking about it last year and then the planning/coordinating picked up steam 6 months ago. We have to coordinate with our national news newtork, News Nation, and our local TV partner, WGN TV for both coverage and logistics.
BM: Are you able to utilize planning from other events to carry over to the convention?
CS: Absolutely. We are fortunate to lean on the extensive experience of WBBM Political Director Craig Dellimore, who has covered multiple conventions both in Chicago and across the country. Craig’s deep understanding of the local and national political landscape is invaluable. Alongside seasoned editors Zac Weber and Geoff Buchholz, we draw on decades of expertise to effectively approach the enviable task of covering two major conventions in our region.
ST: Absolutely. WLS-AM is a heritage station that has been a voice for Chicagoland for 100 years. We are market in #3. Our news and digital team were able to use their knowledge from past events to ensure our seamless coverage.
MB: I’ve been involved in covering political conventions in some capacity for 20 years, and each one is unique. Some are more predictable than others, and you get used to the rhythm of the week. Then, there are years like 2020 when all your planning goes out the window, and you scramble to make your coverage substantive and compelling, despite the limitations. We brought all of that experience into the planning of our coverage this year, knowing that there were still many unknowns that we’d encounter along the way.
MSB: Yes. Our station is over 100 years old. Our staff has had a lot of experience covering conventions as well as other news events. And we are a big city that sees large conventions regularly.
BM: Does the Convention being in your city change your on-air content at all?
CS: Not significantly, though we do assign more reporters to cover the convention and related stories. Importantly, our coverage isn’t limited to what happens on the convention floor; our reporters also focus on the surrounding protests and human interest stories as well. As an example, we want to learn how the convention is impacting local businesses like catering services, cab drivers, or even the neighboring Boys and Girls Club. These pieces often resonate more with our audience, providing a more comprehensive view of the convention’s influence on Chicago and the suburbs.
ST: It absolutely changed the coverage every day because there were more local stories involved with the DNC in Chicago. It was a great balance of local and national.
MB: Absolutely it does. For a convention in another city, we would largely follow the contours of the day-to-day proceedings, but since we know the various dynamics behind the scenes in Chicago, we can layer that on top of how we would normally cover a convention. For example, both Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker are playing significant roles at the DNC, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. We are extremely familiar with both of them — how they operate, what’s at stake for each of them politically, and how their performance is playing with residents of Chicago and Illinois.
In addition, the DNC is massively disruptive to the lives of our listeners. Traffic is normally a mess in Chicago, but when you add in thousands of delegates and dozens of VIP’s with security details, getting around town becomes a nightmare. We have to do our best to help our listeners literally navigate through the road closures and security checkpoints as they’re trying to live their normal lives.
MSB: It does from a standpoint of letting our listeners know what to expect while the city hosts the event. Specifically, road closures, special events tied to the convention, etc. We also cover the happenings, special guests of the city, like the president coming to town, but we don’t spend a lot of time on the actual politics.
BM: Do you need to balance convention coverage with other news topics?
CS: Yes, definitely. We’re very mindful of ensuring our coverage remains diverse and relevant to all our listeners, not just those interested in the convention. Our newsroom is committed to covering the full spectrum of Chicago news, making sure we address the interests of the entire market in every section, every day.
ST: Local matters. All of our convention coverage is filtered through a Chicago lens.
MB: For this week, the DNC is all-consuming because of the historic nature of Kamala Harris’ candidacy as well as Chicago’s role as the backdrop. The DNC has sucked all of the oxygen out of the room for us until the end of the week. That’s fine with us because the appetite for this type of coverage among our listeners is greater than ever. Election years are our Super Bowls.
MSB: We deal with this daily, outside of convention weeks. We are a long-form talk station. What matters to our listeners is their health and wealth. We make sure we still stay true to those topics even with the spotlight on our city.
BM: How much does it being the Democratic National Convention affect your coverage rather than if it was the Republican National Convention in Chicago?
ST: We have a responsibility to our listeners to be accurate, fair, and transparent. Our coverage for both conventions was reflective of our promise as journalists to inform our listeners of the truth in an impartial manner. I am proud of our team for upholding these principles and prioritizing their integrity as well as that of Cumulus Media.
MB: As a conservative talk station, our audience watches the DNC with a much more critical eye than they did when the RNC was just up the road in Milwaukee. Our coverage reflects that perspective. We have several on-air hosts and reporters on-site in the convention hall, and they’re reporting can sometimes sound like it’s coming from behind enemy lines.
That’s the nature of political talk radio. The RNC was a much different feel, as Trump was riding a wave of momentum that seemed to crest at the end of that week. Our coverage had to reflect that mood.
BM: Anything else about your coverage or the event you’d like to include?
MB: Radio stations should continue to innovate when it comes to planning coverage. It’s easy to fall into a paint-by-number approach of planting a talk show host on radio row and calling it good. Increasingly, the most interesting stories and angles are happening somewhere other than the convention hall.
There are tens of thousands of protestors in the streets of Chicago interacting with delegates, party officials, and law enforcement. Those stories are much more compelling than a pre-packaged speech from the stage. There are so many different ways to cover what’s happening at a convention like this. You have to be willing to look for those opportunities.
MSB: Our city sees conventions twice the size of the DNC on a regular basis so we were equipped and have handled the logistics of the events well.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
