Posted by chicagomedia.org on March 18, 2008 at 10:34:46:
Well, it didn't take long for Jake Hartford to land on his feet.
Just two weeks after he was among more than a dozen staffers fired in a cost-cutting bloodbath at news/talk WLS-AM (890), the veteran host has been picked up just down the dial.
Starting March 29, Hartford's show will air from 6 to 10 a.m. Saturdays on WCPT-AM (820), the Newsweb Radio progressive talk station.
"I'm moving a little bit left," joked Hartford, who was among the most popular personalities purged when parent company Citadel Broadcasting wielded the ax at WLS.
The move will keep Hartford in the same time slot in which he attracted a loyal following for more than 10 years.
"I've always been a fan of Jake's Saturday morning show," said Harvey Wells, Newsweb vice president and group station manager. "As soon as I heard that he was one of the people let go [from WLS], I knew that WCPT had found the perfect show to begin its Saturdays."
Hartford said he was humbled by the outpouring of support he received from listeners after his firing -- including from Wells.
"Harvey had only two rules: One was to have fun, and I forgot the other," Hartford said. "And he did promise me a 5-pound ring of bologna from Bobak's."
Hartford, whose real name is Jim Edwards, was a producer at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 for 16 years, including 10 years as top investigative producer for Walter Jacobson.
Forced to use the pseudonym while still employed at Channel 2, Hartford began working at WLS in 1991. He'd been hosting Saturday mornings since 1997.