{"id":25152,"date":"2020-04-17T06:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-17T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=25152"},"modified":"2020-04-17T08:17:32","modified_gmt":"2020-04-17T13:17:32","slug":"wgn-radio-bring-back-paul-harveys-rest-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2020\/04\/17\/wgn-radio-bring-back-paul-harveys-rest-story\/","title":{"rendered":"WGN Radio to bring back Paul Harvey\u2019s \u2018The Rest of the Story\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/a> Paul Harvey<\/p><\/div>\n

For more than five decades the most listened-to voice in America belonged to Paul Harvey. Now it will be heard again on WGN 720-AM<\/a> \u2014 longtime Chicago flagship of his vast radio empire.<\/p>\n

Starting April 27, the Nexstar Media Group news\/talk station will rebroadcast classic episodes of \u201cThe Rest of the Story,\u201d historical vignettes Harvey hosted five days a week from 1976 until his death in 2009. They\u2019ll air during Bob Sirott\u2019s morning show on WGN.<\/p>\n

Harvey\u2019s son, Paul Harvey Jr., who wrote the series, personally selected the 10 episodes for the initial two-week run. Depending on how they\u2019re received, the rebroadcasts could continue indefinitely on WGN or even expand to national syndication.<\/p>\n

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WGN Radio 720<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cPaul Harvey\u2019s radio adventure made him one of the most influential personalities in history,\u201d said Sean Compton, executive vice president of Nexstar Media Group overseeing WGN.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s an honor for WGN radio to re-introduce his amazing body of work to those of us who miss him and the younger generation who didn\u2019t have the privilege of growing up with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

From studios at Michigan Avenue and East Wacker Drive (designated honorary Paul Harvey Drive in 1988), the legendary commentator delivered his daily news and feature broadcasts to more than 25 million listeners on 1,200 radio stations across the country.<\/p>\n

Focusing on forgotten or little-known facts about historical events and personalities, \u201cThe Rest of the Story\u201d invariably ended with a surprise twist and Harvey\u2019s trademark finish: \u201cAnd now you know . . . the rest<\/em> of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three-minute radio vignettes spawned three books and a brief television series.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019The Rest of the Story\u2019 is the first marriage of history and mystery,\u201d Paul Harvey Jr. once explained. \u201cEvery subject is painstakingly researched, the historical settings are factual. There is always a mystery to be solved. And when the mystery unfolds, the [listener] is left with a startling revelation which is often sheer fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bob Sirott<\/p><\/div>\n

WGN has not yet announced precisely when the rebroadcasts will run during Sirott's show, which airs from 5 to 9 a.m. weekdays.<\/p>\n

\"Of course I grew up listening to him in the morning and at noon,\" Sirott said of the multiple Hall of Fame broadcaster. \"But one of my favorite experiences every year was driving through the mountain west on our family ski trip and finding Paul Harvey on dozens of radio stations in cities large and small no matter where we were.<\/p>\n

\"Hearing his voice booming into the car as we passed the majestic Rockies was the ultimate American experience for me. I never dreamed I\u2019d get to spend a day with him for the CBS 'West 57th' <\/a>feature I did or have him as part of a radio show I\u2019d be doing. . . . And how appropriate since we\u2019re broadcasting from a building that\u2019s on the stretch of Wacker near Michigan Avenue named Paul Harvey Drive.\"<\/p>\n

Watch Sirott's \"West 57th\" profile of Harvey (originally broadcast on November 12, 1988):<\/strong><\/p>\n