Steve McMichaels, better known as Mongo to Chicago Bears fans that applauded his efforts for that team in the 1980s, is running for mayor of suburban Romeoville IL – and a request by the incumbent for possible equal time on the radio cost him his usual spot on Bears final 2012 pregame show.
The program is carried on ESPN/Disney outlet WMVP-AM Chicago. McMichaels played defensive tackle for the Bears and has been a member of the WMVP pregame air staff for some time.
Romeoville is a community of about 40K citizens in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago. McMichaels’ interest there is said to have begun about two years ago when he opened Mongo McMichael’s Sports Bar.
When he filed to run for mayor, an election turned over to voters 4/9/13, incumbent John Noak notified WMVP he may be interested in equal time. WMVP said that in view of McMichaels’ candidacy it was best to simply remove him from the air.
A third candidate is in the race, former mayor Fred Dewald.
RBR-TVBR observation: It’s questionable whether or not his would have been a problem for WMVP, but looks to us like it was done merely out of an “abundance of caution,” as the lawyers like to say. There are a number of factors – the non-political nature of a football pregame show and the fact that the election in question is still three-plus months away. But it’s only one game, and it was certainly so much simpler to just cancel McMichael than get the lawyers involved..
