Posted by chicagomedia.org on November 21, 2008 at 11:06:02:
In Reply to: Johnny B on TV posted by chicagomedia.org on November 21, 2008 at 10:53:18:
Jonathon Brandmeier tries TV again
After his much-publicized, nationally syndicated television show didn't last the summer in 1991, WLUP-FM 97.9 star Jonathon Brandmeier said that all he ever wanted, all his original deal called for, was a limited-run local TV show that would afford a chance to develop slowly.
"I didn't want to do it, and my gut is always right," he said in the Chicago Tribune's postmortem. "But they made the big pitch. They said I'd have plenty of time to grow. ... We did 25 shows over five weeks, and I felt like I was getting beaten up from all sides."
Seventeen years after "Johnny B. .... On the Loose," Brandmeier is following his own game plan: "Almost Live ... Starring Jonathon Brandmeier." The show shares Brandmeier, his comedic sensibilities and an ellipsis with the earlier effort, but that's about it.
The under-the-radar collaboration with his old radio boss, Larry Wert, president of the Central and Western Region for NBC Local Media, is a low-risk late-night TV trial balloon airing next month on Wert's WMAQ-Ch.5.
Two half-hours have been produced and are set to air. The first is scheduled for 1:05 a.m. Friday night/Saturday morning on Dec. 6, replacing the news repeat that usually follows "Last Call With Carson Daly" and repeating late the next Sunday after the football postgame show. The second is set to sneak on a week later.
"The shows are fun and spontaneous and Johnny-like," Wert said. "We've produced a few shows for air and we'll see how it goes. He's got a vision for late-night TV that he never really got to realize and this is something we feel like we should test the water on."
(Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune)