Mike McConnell is an American talk radio host based in Chicago on WGN. He left 700 WLW in Cincinnati after 25 years in 2010.
McConnell started out in radio as Alan McConnell, as a rock music DJ at an album-oriented college radio station WVUD (University of Dayton) in Dayton, Ohio in the 1970s. He then worked as a DJ at a top 40 rock station in Dayton, WTUE, before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio to host a local talk show on 700 WLW.
On WLW, McConnell previously hosted two programs. His weekday show, Midday with Mike, aired Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon (ET) on WLW in Cincinnati and formerly nationwide on XM Satellite Radio (discontinued by Clear Channel in March 2009). "Midday with Mike" was picked up for national syndication by Premiere Radio Networks in July 2006 (replacing the then retiring Phil Hendrie, who returned to radio in 2007), and at its peak, aired on roughly 20 stations across America, including WIBC in Indianapolis, WGST in Atlanta, and WSYR in Syracuse. However, the show failed to acquire a nationwide audience, and a dwindling affiliate count resulted in Premiere quietly canceling the show's syndicated run in February 2008.
McConnell's Saturday show, The Weekend with Mike McConnell, was heard Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 3:00 pm (ET) on over 100 stations. The Weekend was developed in 1998 to feature different rotating guest hosts weekly. McConnell took over the show permanently in 2004. McConnell's shows often feature a broad range of topics, from "in the news" social issues to the oddities of everyday life. McConnell describes himself as politically and socially conservative on most issues but not part of a conservative movement. More so than such hosts as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, he can be dismissive of conservative callers who agree with him but make statements that he finds exaggerated or poorly reasoned. McConnell has taken a libertarian position on various issues including his opposition to the drug war and specifically on marijuana being illegal.
It was announced on June 7, 2010, that McConnell is no longer working at WLW-AM, and is leaving Cincinnati to become a host for WGN in Chicago.[1] McConnell now hosts a morning talk show Monday through Friday on WGN.
McConnell currently works at WGN Radio in Chicago (AM 720), as of August of 2010. His show originally ran from 8:30 AM Central Time to 12:30 PM. As of December 12, 2011, it has been changed to 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Mike McConnell's page at WGN-AM Chicago