How About A Minute Of Silence To Honor Lin Brehmer. Chicago Radio, Would You Do It?

Let’s not hear it for Lin!

On Broadway, when a legend dies, all the theaters collectively dim their marquee lights for a minute as an honor and show of respect. The tradition dates back to the 1950s and in the last year been used to remember Angela Lansbury and Sidney Poitier.

Why couldn’t Chicago radio have a similar honor for its own recently passed legend, WXRT’s Lin Brehmer? Why not a minute of silence for the man who brought joy to so many Chicagoans with his favorite adage “it’s great to be alive”?

I propose that next Monday, January 30th, at 9:31 am (“XRT call letters are 93.1 on the FM dial) all locally produced radio stations turn off their transmitters and fill the airwaves with a minute of silence

That’s right. A minute without any number-one hits. A minute without the guy from Portage Park calling in to argue about how the Bears should use their number one draft pick. No young women calling in to talk about being ghosted after their last horrid date, no call-in-to-win contests.

We can handle a minute without Hotel California, radical right rants, or left-leaning logic. No smooth jazz, no urban sounds, no up-to-the-minute traffic reports. Especially no pledge drives with matching grants and handy giveaway totes.

Just a moment of peace and quiet to reflect on the fun-loving guy who helped keep Chicago radio alive. And if people want to reflect on other things, like how you should never take anything for granted (another Linism) that’s fine too.

How about it, local radio moguls? We aren’t NYC (thank the lord) but we are Chicago strong. Let’s remember Lin, and then, as he would want, let’s keep on rockin’ in the free world.

It’s great to be alive.