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End of an era

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* Rick Kogan

Mike Flannery walked into the newsroom of the Chicago Sun-Times on June 18, 1973, a fresh-faced, hopelessly curious and wildly energetic 22-year-old and now he is calling it quits, leaving the political scene where he earned the admiration of colleagues, rivals and viewers. Esteemed journalist Carol Marin puts it succinctly: “Mike is a walking, talking encyclopedia of politics.”

His final report will come on June 30 on WFLD-Ch. 32. That is where he has been political editor for 13 years, as well as host of the weekly “Flannery Fired Up” interview program, He previously spent 30 years in a similar role at WBBM-Ch. 2, which came after his seven years at the Sun-Times.

So, what will his final story be?

“Who knows?” Flannery said. “That has always been one of the great joys of being a reporter in this town, the constant unpredictability of it all, the ways in which a story will grow and alter, even over the course of one day. In that way, this business has been perfectly suited for my personality.” […]

So, you wish him well and he says, “Thanks. I can think of, almost see, my young self, sitting at home watching on TV the Democratic Convention in 1968 and then in 1996 there I was covering the next convention here, running around like crazy. And now, the convention is coming back next year and …” He goes silent for a moment and you realize you might be able to take this man out of politics but it might be impossible to take politics out of this man.

Good luck, Mike!

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 20, 23 @ 10:05 am

Comments

  1. Nice shirt

    Comment by TradedUpForMitch Tuesday, Jun 20, 23 @ 10:26 am

  2. Decades of memories of a nice guy, a great Sox fan, a friendly face even if he was covering work being done. Will play the Stones, Satisfaction, in his honor.

    Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Jun 20, 23 @ 10:44 am

  3. His work was great, but his cadence set him apart. Good luck and enjoy.

    Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Jun 20, 23 @ 11:10 am

  4. His yoga poses while waiting for the four tops to emerge, lol.

    Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Jun 20, 23 @ 11:30 am

  5. i don’t know him well, but always liked him. I didn’t especially like his Fox reporting, but personally, he was great. I wish him well in retirement.

    Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jun 20, 23 @ 1:26 pm

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