Outside the Loop RADIO is Chicago's Almost Above-Ground Audio Magazine. Founded as a podcast in September 2006 and picked up for broadcast by Chicago Sound Alliance WLUW 88.7-FM in March 2007, "OTL" now airs on Chicago's Very Own 50,000-watt heritage powerhouse station WGN Radio 720-AM. Storyteller and urbanologist Mike Stephen hosts this weekly program featuring fun segments and interviews with local newsmakers, artists, musicians, and others doing cool stuff around the greater Chicago area.…
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Mike Stephen previews the November Chicago School Board election with journalist Mary Wisniewski, chats with the local teen band Large Mouth about its upcoming Riot Fest gig, and discusses the cultural connection between Chicago and the U.K. with media producer Terry Jervis .
Mike Stephen looks back on segments previously aired on the show. Enjoy!
Mike Stephen gets the scoop on the new documentary Saving Ferris Butler from executive producer D.B. Frick, previews the upcoming Flamenco Quartet Project with Clinard Dance founder Windy Clinard, and learns how TaskForce Prevention & Community Services is strengthening communities across Chicago from assistant communications director Hannah Pewee.
Mike Stephen discusses the legacy and impact of the Heather Mack case with Rasul Freelain, a former Oak Park police officer and author of the new book When Lambs Become Wolves . Then he talks with Jennifer Mosley, board president of HelloBaby and senior associate at the Obama Foundation , about building community in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood.
Mike Stephen learns how Three Level Basketball is improving the game for area youth with co-founder and coach Matt Maloney and discusses a new report offering recommendations to improve math outcomes in Illinois schools with University of Illinois professors Erica Mason and Phi Nguyen.
Mike Stephen discusses the legacy of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 with Peter Cole of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project , explores how entrepreneurship is creating opportunities for people returning from incarceration with Judy Dawson and Rudy Gonzalez of the William H. Hall Center for Entrepreneurship , and celebrates the legacy of the Mayfair Academy of Fine Arts with owner and…
Mike Stephen visits the Hope Chicago 2026 Goal Getter Conference at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Hope Chicago is a scholarship-focused nonprofit designed to provide students and their parents/guardians with the support they need to graduate from college debt-free.
Mike Stephen gets an update on the secrecy around a plan to buy back the city's parking meters from Block Club Chicago's Mick Dumke and learns about a new series of live local performances that explore the history of the Untied States from co-producers Cheryl Corley and Lucy Smith .
Mike Stephen learns about a new report highlighting the risks of removing fluoride from drinking water from Dr. Helen Lee of the University of Illinois Chicago, gets an update on the new Southwest Chamber of Commerce from McKinley Park News publisher Justin Kerr, and chats with Naked Brunch vocalist Michael Hanna about the band's new music.
Mike Stephen gets an update on the hurdles to obtaining certificates of innocence from Injustice Watch senior reporter Dan Hinkel, checks out new music from Chicago's Cult Canyon with band leader Josh Chicone , and discusses Ricardo , a new film about identity, with writer, director, and actor Roberto Jay.
Mike Stephen explores the legacy of one of the most successful sports figures of the 19th century with Nancy Hays, author of Riding for America: The Story of Isaac Murphy, Sports Icon of the 19th Century , gets an update on the community-building work of HelloBaby from founder Debbie Frisch, and spotlights Chicago Pride Hockey .
