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No--not a NY Theatre Off-Broadway Award. And not the Jedi warrior either! We're talking about OBIE YADGAR--our new Morning Host! You can hear him every weekday morning from 6:00 AM to noon. And from what we've been hearing from you, in a crush of approval, both on the telephone and in the mail, it looks like we've landed a winner! "I'm Obie Yadgar GOOD morning, good morning" is the now familiar, soothing, signature refrain that coaxes us to awaken each morning, already like an old friend and warm cup of coffee. His new posting with us is tailor-made to this veteran broadcaster. An early riser who loves people and music, he was for ten years the morning host at WFMR in Milwaukee, where "his downto-earth style made listeners comfortable, and his commentary made classical music accessible to everybody." The city adored him. He was named "Best Morning Announcer" by Milwaukee Magazine. When his station moved to automated programming in 1992, listeners' collective sorrow at losing his dynamic radio presence was palpable: 'Obie was an alive, creative force that brought freshness and spirit with each new day... He will not only be missed ... he leaves a void..." wrote a listener to Milwaukee Magazine. Needless to say how delighted we are to welcome all of his fans to his new home at WNIB/WNIZ , whose signal reaches in the north to Milwaukee. But for the benefit of all his new fans, here in Chicago, just who is Obie Yadgar and what is all this fuss about? Well, those who know him best say that there's a lot more to him than his distinctive radio voice. His friends describe him as a true "Renaissance" man-an avid reader, writer, movie buff, arts connoisseur, gourmet, symphony narrator, lecturer and more. Obie was born in the fabled city of Baghdad, of Assyrian heritage, "descendants of the biblical Assyrians who scattered all over the world when the empire fell," as he describes it. His namesake was the last of the Assyrian kings, Ashur Ubalit (ruled 611-608 B.C.), but his high school classmates called him "Obie" and the name stuck. Raised in Teheran, he grew up speaking Assyrian and Persian. Although he was always listening to the radio as a youngster, a career as an American classical music broadcaster had to be the furthest thing from his mind when he arrived in Chicago in 1957. Not only did he speak very little English, he stuttered. With the same determination and tenacity with which he taught himself music without any formal musical education, he not only conquered his speech impediment, but mastered English without so much as a trace of an accent. Professionally, however, he is perhaps above all a writer as much as a broadcaster. He writes both fiction and non-fiction. "I've always felt like a writer behind a microphone," he explains, "and I'm always typing in my head. Both writing and radio are such intimate mediums. When I'm doing a program I imagine I'm speaking to one special person. What could be more intimate than someone speaking just to you--playing music for you?' Probably his most stressful writing assignment was as a combat correspondent in Vietnam when he was drafted and served with the 4th Infantry Division from 1967-68. "It made everything else in life seem so wonderful in comparison," he said. Perhaps that's why for Obie Yadgar there are no "gray days." They are all to be cherished, "introspective days' as well as happy, sunny ones, and the simplest pleasures are for him the best--a good walk, a good book and, of course, good music. Although at the moment his life is still somewhat in flux as he continues to commute between Milwaukee and Chicago twice a week, to teach and to do his freelance writing and to be with his family. His return to Chicago not only represents a personal homecoming, but it is, in fact, also home to most of his extended family-4 aunts, 2 uncles, a brother and 4 sisters! A great new 'Classical Companion" for WNIB listeners, he has been a 30-year companion to his adored Kansas-born wife, Judith, and doting father to his two lovely grown daughters, Sonja and Sadie. To all of them, our warmest welcome along with our thanks for sharing him with us! Copy Rights by Author - Authorized for publishing on this web page. Updated August 9, 1998 Return to the Profiles Page Return to Home Page