Ed Sherman: Mike North says he's smarter than you

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: Report item as: (required) X Obscenity/vulgarity Hate speech Personal attack Advertising/Spam Copyright/Plagiarism Other Comment: (optional) North starting over again; says no regrets leaving WSCR : North starting over again; says no regrets leaving WSCR : Posted by Ed S. at 8/30/2010 2:25 AM CDT on Chicago Business : Stop us if you've heard this one before: Mike North is about to begin a new job. : I've been doing the sports business blog for Crain's for just under two years, and Mr. North's ever-changing career has been a recurring theme. : Here's the rundown for those keeping score (not to be confused with "The Score"): : After leaving WSCR-AM/670 in 2008, Mr. North did an Internet show for Rich Melman's Wildfire restaurant; attempted a morning show called "Monsters in the Morning" on Comcast SportsNet, and then launched another morning show called "Monsters and Money" on WBBM-TV/Channel 2. : And there also was the ill-fated Webio venture that he helped found. It ended in disaster when it was discovered owner David Hernandez funded it via a Ponzi scheme. : Now the latest entry in this saga has Mr. North returning to radio at Fox Sports Radio. His hiring was announced shortly after Channel 2 canceled the "Monsters and Money" show. The exact nature of the Fox job still is to be determined, and there's speculation his role could be limited. : Mr. North could have avoided the commotion if he had remained at WSCR. He had an offer to continue as host of his morning show for a reported $700,000 per year. : However, the deal was half the $1.5 million he pulled in from his previous contract. Mr. North didn't feel he deserved such a big pay cut and shut the door on WSCR. : Looking back, Mr. North not only passed on big money, he also walked away from a morning audience that made him a significant voice of sports in this town. : The obvious question: Any regrets, Mr. North? : "No regrets," he said. "No. The only thing I would like to revisit is that they didn't have the (Portable People Meters) when I was there." : Mr. North is referring to a new radio rating system that more accurately documents listening habits. The data show more people listen to sports talk radio than previously reported under the old system. : "For 16 years, (Dan Jiggetts and I) thought the ratings were inaccurate. We were 'The Flinstones.' People were driving those diaries with their feet. I would like to do a year's worth of shows with those people meters." : But beyond that, Mr. North said he made the right move. Saying "he has plenty in the bank," he also insists it wasn't just about the money. : Mr. North said he wanted to try new things. "I had a great run," he said. "I wanted some new challenges. Sometimes you have to take some risks. If I had stayed at WSCR, I never would have tried those things." : He is disappointed his latest endeavor didn't have a better ending. "Monsters and Money" was a hybrid of sports, business and general talk. The show, though, struggled in the ratings and was canceled after a short run. : "Absolutely, I'm disappointed," Mr. North said. "People were telling me the show was an acquired taste. You can't build anything in six months. But I understand why they did it. New York (CBS corporate headquarters) wanted to go back to a more traditional newscast. (Channel 2 President Bruno Cohen) was disappointed. We all were." : It didn't take long for Mr. North to land another job. Longtime Chicago radio executive Jeff Schwartz, a close associate and friend of Mr. North's, now is working as a consultant for Fox Sports Radio. He moved quickly to hire Mr. North. : "I said, 'Let's get him in the stable and we'll see what he wants to do,' " Mr. Schwartz said. : Fox Sports Radio has more than 300 national affiliates, but it doesn't have a station in Chicago. The only way you'll hear Mr. North here is if you subscribe to XM-Sirius satellite radio. : Exactly how much Mr. North will be on the air remains to be seen. Mr. Schwartz said, "He will do something more than menial on this network." : However, Mr. North doesn't sound as if he is expecting a full workload at Fox. He repeatedly said he still remains "contractually bound to CBS," where he will be paid for another one-and-a-half years. : "I have to be mindful of CBS and respect the contract," Mr. North said, even though he doesn't expect to do any more work for Channel. 2. : When I pushed further, telling him it sounds like he's been told Fox doesn't have much for him, he said, "I've had a lot of great things happen in the last 17-18 years. I might decide I want to take a long break. I'm being paid not to play." : I told Mr. North I had a hard time seeing him slow down. He quickly responded by reminding me of the newspaper deal he has with the Sun-Times. He and Mr. Jiggetts write point-counterpoint columns. Mr. North buys the page from the paper and then sells the ads himself. : "It's the wave of the future," he said. : Mr. North said he also is working on a book deal, and, get this, a possible movie loosely based on his life. : "I have a lot of balls in the air," he said. : Mr. North now is 57. He joked, "Hopefully I've restored a few of those brain cells (he killed along the way)." : He insists he is a long way from being finished. The next challenge awaits. : "It's like that old Elton John song: 'I'm still standing,' " Mr. North said.

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