John Madigan Views the Press transcripts, 1970-1988

 

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Katie Obriot; ed. by Rachel Juris, 2010.

 

 

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/research

 

 

© Copyright 2010, Chicago Historical Society

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

 

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Title: John Madigan Views the Press transcripts [manuscript], 1970-1988

Main entry: WBBM (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.)

Inclusive dates: 1970-1988

Size:

8.5 linear ft. (21 boxes)

 

Restriction: Research use of this collection is governed by the standard rules and regulations of the Chicago History Museum Research Center.

Accession number: 1996.0133

Provenance statement: Gift of John Madigan (1996.0133).

Terms governing use: All rights owned by the donor, including copyright, were deeded to Chicago Historical Society. Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: John Madigan Views the Press transcripts (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

 

This descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Biographical note,

Summary description of the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

Arrangement of the collection,

Detailed description of archival series in the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

 

Biographical note:

John Madigan was a political editor and media critic for many years at WBBM Radio, a CBS affiliate in Chicago (Ill.). Madigan began his career in journalism in 1937, as a copy boy at the Chicago Evening American. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, he joined the Washington bureau of the Hearst newspaper chain, later worked for Newsweek magazine, and was a panelist on the CBS television program "Face the Nation." In 1957, Madigan became political editor at Chicago's American. In 1961, he transitioned into television journalism as assistant to the general manager of WBBM-TV (Channel 2) and was appointed news director in 1963. Madigan became a political editor and media critic at WBBM-AM Newsradio 780 in 1968. At WBBM-AM, Madigan authored and delivered several programs, including "John Madigan Views the Press"; "News and Commentary"; "At Issue," a Sunday morning news-interview show; and "At Random," a program that aired on weekends after midnight. Madigan retired from WBBM in 1988 at the age of 70. Madigan served as spokesman for the Illinois Supreme Court from 1988 to 1998.

 

Summary description of the collection:

Drafts and final versions of daily radio commentaries, primarily about news reporting in the United States, authored and delivered by John Madigan on WBBM-AM Newsradio 780, a CBS affiliate in Chicago (Ill.). Included are drafts and final versions of "John Madigan Views the Press," a media critique that aired for two and half minutes five times a week from September 5, 1972 to February 5, 1988. Edited drafts cover the periods of September 1972-October 1975 and May 1981-February 1988; final versions, prepared for public release, cover the period of January 1974-February 1988. Also present are drafts of "News and Commentary," a slightly longer program that commented on local, national, and international current events. Drafts of "News and Commentary" cover the period of April 1970-May 1981.

 

List of online catalog headings about the collection:

The following index headings for this collection were entered in the online catalog.

 

Subjects:

Madigan, John, b. 1918?

WBBM (Radio station : Chicago, Ill.)

John Madigan views the press (Radio program)

Broadcast journalism.

Journalistic ethics.

News radio stations--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Newspaper publishing.

Radio broadcasting--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Chicago (Ill.)--Politics and government--20th century.

 

Form/genre:

Radio scripts.

Transcripts.

 

Added entries:

Madigan, John, b. 1918?.

John Madigan views the press (Radio program)

 

Arrangement of the collection:

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series 1. Views the Press final transcripts, 1974-1988 (box 1-6)

Series 2. Views the Press drafts, 1972-1975, 1981-1988 (box 6-13)

Series 3. News and Commentary drafts, 1970-1981 (box 13-21)

 

Detailed description of archival series in the collection:

Series 1. Views the Press final transcripts, 1974-1988 (box 1-6)

Series 1 consists of final typed transcripts of the radio program "John Madigan Views the Press," a daily media commentary written and delivered by Madigan on WBBM-AM (780). Madigan offers critiques of media coverage; topics range from Chicago politics and local current events to Washington D.C. politics and national news. Transcripts were prepared for public release. Materials are arranged mostly by date.

 

Series 2. Views the Press drafts, 1972-1975, 1981-1988 (box 6-13)

Series 2 consists of edited drafts of the radio program "John Madigan Views the Press," a daily media commentary written and delivered by Madigan on WBBM-AM (780). Materials are arranged chronologically.

 

Series 3. News and Commentary drafts, 1970-1981 (box 13-21)

Series 3 consists of edited drafts of the radio program "News and Commentary," a daily news commentary written and delivered by Madigan. Topics include local and national current events. Materials are arranged chronologically.

 

List of contents of the collection:

Box 1              Views the Press final transcripts, 1974-1976

Box 2              Views the Press final transcripts, 1977-1978

Box 3              Views the Press final transcripts, 1979-1980

Box 4              Views the Press final transcripts, 1981-1983

Box 5              Views the Press final transcripts, 1984-1987

Box 6              Views the Press final transcripts, 1987-1988

                        Views the Press drafts, Aug. 1972-Apr. 1973

Box 7              Views the Press drafts, May 1973-Sept. 1974

Box 8              Views the Press drafts, Oct. 1974-Oct. 1975

                        Views the Press drafts, Mar. 1981-Aug. 1981

Box 9              Views the Press drafts, Sept. 1981-Oct. 1982

Box 10                        Views the Press drafts, Nov. 1982-Feb. 1984

Box 11                        Views the Press drafts, Mar. 1984-Aug. 1985

Box 12                        Views the Press drafts, Sept. 1985-Jan. 1987

Box 13                        Views the Press drafts, Feb. 1987-Jan. 1988

                        News and Commentary drafts, Apr. 1970-May 1970

Box 14                        News and Commentary drafts, June 1970-July 1971

Box 15                        News and Commentary drafts, Aug. 1971-Dec. 1972

Box 16                        News and Commentary drafts, Jan. 1973-Apr. 1974

Box 17                        News and Commentary drafts, May 1974-Mar. 1976

Box 18                        News and Commentary drafts, Apr. 1976-Feb. 1978

Box 19                        News and Commentary drafts, Mar. 1978-July 1979

Box 20                        News and Commentary drafts, Aug. 1979-Nov. 1980

Box 21                        News and Commentary drafts, Dec. 1980-June 1981