OTL: Episode #303- New food truck legislation, Chicago Rants, Future of the Portage Theater

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “cook on the truck” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen learns the fallout from the new food truck legislation, talks to the founder of ChicagoRants.com, and discusses the future of the Portage Theater.   Amy Le— Co-owner of The Duck ‘N Roll Food Truck Amy discusses how the new Chicago food truck legislation will affect food truck operators across the city.   Amy Le next to her food truck.  Photo courtesy of ducknrolltruck.com. Andrew Bach – Founder of ChicagoRants.com We get the lowdown on this site that features “rants and raves about the Windy City.”     Mike Edwards– Founder of the Save the Portage Theater Facebook page The future of the Portage Theater in Portage Park is once again uncertain.  We hear from a concerned resident of the neighborhood who is trying to save the theater.   OTL #303 local music provided by The Soil and the Sun…  

OTL: Episode #302- Windy City Rib Classic preview, Chicago’s population grows, The Metro at 30

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “BBQ” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen previews the Windy City Rib Classic, discusses the slight growth in Chicago’s population, and airs a conversation with Metro’s Joe Shanahan.   Gary Wiviott— Co-founder of the Windy City Rib Classic, Author of Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons An authentic BBQ competition comes to Chicago on August 12th.  We get the tasty details this week. Chicago’s population grows – According to this article on Crain’s Chicago Business website, Chicago’s population is finally growing.   Graphic courtesy of chicagobusiness.com   Joe Shanahan– Owner of Metro This year one of the best-known music venues in Chicago, Metro, turns 30.  Mike digs up an interview he did with Joe Shanahan from 2002 when the club turned 20.  We hear part of this interesting conversation. Joe Shanahan.  Photo courtesy of msn.com.   OTL #302 local music provided by Careful Q…  

OTL: Episode #300- Art on (The El) Track, OTL’s 300th show, Lake Claremont Press covers Chicago

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “30o is the new 50” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Mike Stephen celebrates the 300th episode of the show, learns about turning the El into an art gallery, airs a clip from Robert McChesney, and talks to the founder of Lake Claremont Press.   Tristan Hummel— Founder of Art on Track On September 22nd, a 6-car CTA El train will become a mobile art gallery.  We get a preview of the event this week.  You can check out the event’s Kickstarter page HERE. Robert McChesney – Media reformer, professor of communication at U of I, founder of FreePress Since this is OTL’s 300th show, we take a look back at Mike’s first interview on the program.  It’s a discussion about localism in our media.     Sharon Woodhouse–  Founder of Lake Claremont Press This local press has been publishing books on Chicago-specific topics since 1994.  They have a great body of work and we hear about the origins of this fantastic press. OTL #300 local music provided by Hollows…  

OTL: Episode #298-Chicago as a creative hub

TO HEAR THE SHOW, PRESS THE “PLAY” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST… (podcasting from the studios in the OTL Bunker, somewhere in Chicago) (broadcasting on the “bad week for the air conditioning to fail” radio station WLUW-FM (88.7) Chicago) Since Mike Stephen had to deal with the breakdown of the OTL Bunker air conditioning unit, we hear a rebroadcast of a roundtable discussion from last April… The topic of this roundtable ishow to make Chicago a creative hub. Mike welcomes: Nik Rokop– Director of the IIT Knapp Entrepreneurship Center Erika Pfleger–  Asst. Director of the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School John Bosher– Producer, Beverly Ridge Pictures L to R: John Bosher, Erika Pfleger, and Nik Rokop The Roundtable is portable!  If you have an idea where we should record the next one or what we should talk about, let the OTL Staff know!