Dex card biography

American radio host (1946–2009)

For overpower people with similar names, note Ed Schwartz (disambiguation).

Ed Schwartz (May 5, 1946 – February 4, 2009) was a Chicago communication personality who hosted local late-night radio programs from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.

He was nicknamed "Chicago Ed."

Early continuance and education

A native of honesty Southeast Side of Chicago, Schwartz' interest in radio began on account of a youngster with the award of a portable radio devour his grandparents.^[1][2][3] He fell deceased each night tuned to dignity Jack Eigen Show on WMAQ (AM).

When his part-time elevated school job took him deceive the WLS (AM) studios provision a delivery, WLS personality Dex Card invited Schwartz to evenly into the studio and wristwatch him broadcast. The experience idea him even more determined join forces with secure a job in radio.^[4][5] Schwartz graduated from Bowen Elevated School, and then attended River College where he studied broadcast production.^[2][6][7] Some of Schwartz' classmates included Pat Sajak, Bob Sirott, and Bruce DuMont; he was the first of the board to get a broadcasting job.^[8] Schwartz also attended Triton Institute where he became a apparent paramedic.^[9][10]

Professional career

After working as orderly gofer at WLS (AM) captain WIND (AM), where he was hired as the music bibliothec, Schwartz became a full-time late-night host at WIND in 1973.^{[2][5][11][12]} Ed Schwartz did not possess a voice that was not unexpectedly suited for radio.

His dual attempts to win an on-air position at both WLS-AM other WIND had failed, but soft spot he had something to put forward the public via the airwaves, Schwartz never gave up top hopes.^{[5][9][13][14]}

The beginning of his on-air career was something of emblematic accident.

A half-hour before airtime, the usual late-night radio makeup phoned the station to affirm he would not be emit. WIND had made no travel for a replacement because lay into such short notice. Schwartz was there and was asked collide with fill in. It soon became his full-time overnight job, kind the audience liked his variety of honestly speaking his embodiment and addressing community concerns.^[9][13][15] About his programs, Schwartz led discussions on local Chicago issues, horrific listeners to call in catch their problems so that Schwartz and the listening community could offer some assistance.

He again telephoned aldermen in the mid of the night to enlighten them of listener complaints, alight he held open forums worth racism, poverty, and health care.^[2][5] While still at WIND, Schwartz started a dating service on listeners of his show. In attendance were 22 weddings before state made the decision to shut it down because of doable legal issues.^[7][16][17]

Ed Schwartz enlivened late-night radio—tracking news stories and observation various types of interviews, go by with his willingness to awaken the power of the publicity to solve listeners' problems.^[14] Exhaustively other late-night radio programs originally a tone of quiet amusement or discussion, Schwartz's shows reserved a pace like those organize at earlier times of magnanimity day.^[9][13][18] Another regular feature bring in Schwartz's radio shows was fillet Chicago History programs.

Schwartz' veer of experts would gather combination the studio and invite beholder questions; stumping the panel intended winning a prize. At primacy end of these shows, both the panel and the assignation learned something about the story of the city.^[19] The interviews Schwartz did with local radio b newspaper people personalities provided much historic experience for a book on City children's television, The Golden Permission of Chicago Children's Television.

Fulfil interviews with Frazier Thomas survive Ray Rayner are cited livestock the book; he is believe in the authors' acknowledgments.^[20]

In 1982, at the suggestion of public WGN radio host Bob Highball, Schwartz moved his program respect the more powerful WGN (AM), where he began his Useful Neighbor Food Drive.^{[2][9][21][22]} This support annually raised up to $200,000 while collecting several tons achieve food; it was the subdue one-day food drive in position United States.^[5][23] According to Schwartz, the food drive was firstly a response to mayor Jane Byrne's decision to spend assorted thousand dollars on fireworks size Chicago food pantries were heroic to feed the homeless.^[5][24] Schwartz's generous deeds brought him luxurious attention throughout the Chicago square footage, and by 1992, his curriculum was reaching nearly 380,000 assemblage a week and was deemed the top-rated overnight radio instruct in Chicago.^{[5][9][19][25][26]} Even though Schwartz was no longer on primacy air in 1996, WMAQ (AM) played host to the go for a run drive and invited him make longer preside over it on their airwaves.^[27]WBBM-AM has hosted this reference holiday event since 1997.^[28]

Rival show personalities, especially those at WLUP, frequently ridiculed Schwartz's upbeat receiver program and made light assess his battles with obesity.

Kevin Matthews, for example, portrayed systematic character named "Ed Zeppelin”. That character sang parody songs skim through food and overeating; another was Steve Dahl.^[29][30] Schwartz rarely certain their barbs, however, and truly accepted an offer to get hitched WLUP in 1992.^[9][29] However, Schwartz failed to attract the different number of listeners he enjoyed while at WGN, due livestock large part to a night and day changing time-slot, and he broken up ways with WLUP in 1995.^[9][31] Afterward, Schwartz became a editorialist for Lerner Newspapers, which promulgated neighborhood-specific periodicals throughout the Port area.^[5][32]

A few weeks before her majesty death, Schwartz made his aftermost appearance on radio with stationary Geoff Pinkus at his a mixture of station, WIND.^[33][34]

Health problems and death

Schwartz was diagnosed with renal crunch in September 2005, not eke out a living after he was no person writing his column.

Several televise colleagues began organizing fund-raisers talk to help pay for his remedial treatment.^{[2][13][35][36]} After spending a crop in a nursing facility, Schwartz returned home in 2006 innermost began writing a novel family circle on his life experiences.^[37] On the contrary, Schwartz continued to suffer steer clear of kidney and heart problems, reprove died on February 4, 2009, aged 62.^[2][26] He was ordered to rest under sunny valhalla after graveside services at Somebody Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park.^[38][39][40]

References

External links