Former WGN Radio news anchor Dometi Pongo and OTL host Mike Stephen.

Mike Stephen catches up with former WGN news anchor and MTV host Dometi Pongo, discusses civic engagement in Chicago immigrant communities with Alexandra Arriaga of City Bureau, and learns the Secret History of 70s rockers Trilogy. And in the OTL Wrap Party segment, Mike and Producer Collin reflect on the importance of civic engagement and sing the praises of the aforementioned Mr. Pongo. The local pandemic jamz come from Ocean Cult. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

Posted 5 years ago Tagged

Mike Stephen enjoys a delicious seafood buffet while at a wedding in Cleveland.

Mike Stephen learns about the fate of buffets in the wake of the pandemic with the Washington Post’s Tim Carman, discusses La Casa Norte’s important work to empower the homeless with community engagement coordinator Rebecca Sumner Burgos, and chats about the new Mellow Chicago Bike Map in the Chicago Reader with columnist John Greenfield. And in the OTL Wrap Party segment, Mike and Producer Collin decompress after a seemingly unending week while Collin offers Mike a wedding anniversary tip. The local phase four music comes from The Mekons. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

Posted 5 years ago Tagged

A look at the inside of the new Chicago Mobile Maker Space. Photo by Tom Harris.

Mike Stephen gets an update on the Chicago Mobile Makers with founder Maya Bird-Murphy, talks to Dr. Donald Wuebbles of the University of Illinois about the effects of local air pollution during a pandemic, and discovers the Secret History of 1960s garage-rockers Byzantine Empire.  And in the OTL Wrap Party segment, Mike and Producer Collin give their takeaways from the show. The local phase four music comes from OTL contributor Steve Krakow’s band, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate! To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

Posted 5 years ago Tagged

Mike Stephen and his son Joey celebrate the 4th of July early on Saturday morning.

Mike Stephen learns about the effort to protect voting rights in IL with Ami Gandhi of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, discusses the increase in fireworks in Chicagoland with Bob Chiarito of Block Club Chicago, and discovers the Secret History of blues diva Holle Thee Maxwell.   And in the OTL Wrap Party segment, Mike and Producer Collin talk about the importance of getting away from it all during this summer. The local phase four music this week comes from Jen Lem. To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

Posted 5 years ago Tagged