By Rick Kaempfer
REMEMBERING MY LOOP
16 illinoisentertainer.com april 2018
was 23 years old the day I walked into
the Loop offices for the first time. After
getting rejections from the other rock sta-
tions in Chicago (and there were quite a few
at the time), I had thrown a Hail Mary pass
to the biggest of them all, The Loop. I wrote
a letter to the promotion director of the sta-
tion, Sandy Stahl. I was absolutely shocked
when she called me in for an interview.
I vividly remember sitting nervously in
the Loop lobby on the 37th floor of the
Hancock staring at the giant portraits of the
biggest stars in Chicago radio -– Jonathon
Brandmeier, Steve & Garry, Bob Stroud,
Bobby Skafish, and Patty Haze. These peo-
ple were my heroes. I listened to them every
day, and I was about to walk in the same
hallway they did.
The door behind the receptionist opened
up and a blonde lady with short hair poked I Are you kidding me? I went to all of
Steve & Garry’s appearances (and Kevin
Matthews’ appearances too – Gehrig was
also his manager). Within a year, Steve &
Garry’s producer Roman Sawczak decided
he wanted to leave the show, and they gave
the job to me. For the next few years I
worked for Steve and Garry and learned a
lifetime’s worth of lessons. I learned every-
thing through trial and error, mostly error.
Every mistake became on-air fodder for
Steve and Garry’s sharp barbs. Talk about
motivation not to screw up!
It was an incredibly wild ride. I met the
biggest stars in the world. Rock stars, come-
dy legends, movie stars, politicians, and ath-
letes were on the show every day. I also met
a cute redhead in the news department
named Bridget who later became my wife.
One day shortly after I was named produc-
her head out. “I’m Sandy. Come on in.” I
was surprised how small the station was.
There were a few small studios with “ON
AIR” lights, a room full of tape cartridges
that also housed an AP wire machine and a
desk, a record library/office, and maybe two
or three other offices. Sandy led me to the
end of the hall to her office and asked me to
take a seat. My head was spinning. I have
zero memory of what I said. I only remem-
ber her warm comforting smile made me
feel at ease. I have very good radar about
people, and I could tell immediately that I
was dealing with a very special person.
After I gave her my spiel, she broke the news
to me.
“We are in talks to buy an AM station,
and there might be a spot there for you. It
may be a year or more before we go on the
air, but here’s what I suggest you do. You
should start coming out to our events and
get to know everyone. That way, when we
start hiring, you will be top of mind.”
She brought me around and introduced
me to everyone. I met program director Greg
Solk, production director Matt Bisbee, GM
Jimmy deCastro’s friendly assistant Geri
Wells. She even took me into the air studio
and I met Bob Stroud. I was in heaven. I
think I flew to my car after I left.
After that, Sandy would call me every
few weeks and tip me off to Loop events. I
went to an event at the Hard Rock Café and
met the new overnight guy they just brought
in from St. Louis. His name was Kevin
Matthews. Sandy also introduced me to
Gehrig Peterson, Steve & Garry’s manager
at the time. He was looking for help running
Steve and Garry’s fan club and wondered if
I wanted a job. er, Greg Solk called me into his office.
“Rick,” he said, “Would you like to try doing
a shift on the FM?” Are you kidding me? I
was on from 4-9am on a Sunday morning.
The first time I cracked the microphone and
said “The Loop” on the air, I almost fainted.
When I decided it was time to leave
Steve & Garry’s show, I couldn’t bear to
leave the only station I cared about, and the
management was kind enough to let me stay
for a few more years. The GM at the time,
Larry Wert, gave me a weekend show on
AM 1000 with Stan Lawrence called Ebony &
Ivory. Sandy Stahl introduced me to the edi-
tor of Chicago Advertising and Media, who
gave me a regular column writing about the
media, and a foot in the door for a second
career as a writer/author. I couldn’t believe
my good fortune.
My last show on the Loop was right
before Steve & Garry’s last show together,
although nobody knew it was their last
show at the time. I still have the tape of
Garry’s character Cliff talking to me about
Garry’s upcoming wedding, and wishing
me luck in my future ventures.
The year was 1993. All of those memories
were flooding through my mind when I
heard the news a few weeks ago that the
Loop was signing off. I walked down mem-
ory lane for a good week or two with my for-
mer friends and colleagues on social media
and on the phone. I could tell that everyone
was getting as emotional as I was.
Throughout all the reminiscing, I kept think-
ing about one thing. The radio station that I
listened to as a youngster, and gave me a
career and a wife and a life, is gone forever.
I have no idea how to sufficiently convey my
thanks.