Posted by Fil-Am MegaScene on January 10, 2011 at 05:36:33:
You�d think that being the star columnist for a daily newspaper, the co-host of a top-rated radio talk show, and a movie critic whose reviews are seen by millions on cable and online would be more than enough work for anyone.
Unless you�re talking about Richard Roeper.
In addition to juggling all of the above, the 51-year-old Chicago media icon has set his sights on yet another role: game show host. Roeper recently produced and hosted a pilot for a TV quiz show in which teams of ordinary moviegoers compete for prizes � ranging from giant tins of popcorn to trips to Hollywood red-carpet premieres � by answering film-related questions. (Sample query: �In which movie did Harry Potter share his first romantic kiss?�)
In the preview I saw, he bantered amiably with contestants like an old pro. �It was a blast,� recalls Roeper, who�d previously been under consideration for two other game shows. �I�ve always been interested in hosting the right kind of fun show that�s closer to a �Jeopardy� or a �[Who Wants To Be a] Millionaire� than some silliness. This would overlap a lot of things I already do: It�s pop culture, it�s television, and it�s movie-related.� Initial response to the Chicago-produced pilot from potential sponsors and a national cable channel has been quite favorable, according to his agent, Brian Musburger.
Holding down multiple jobs is nothing new for the south suburban Dolton native, who�s been an award-winning columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times since 1987. A three-year contract renewal last fall paved the way for Roeper�s column to hit the 25th anniversary mark, which would be a noteworthy achievement for any newspaperman these days.
That deal came on the heels of his radio partnership with Roe Conn on news/talk WLS-AM (890), where they hold forth from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Michael Damsky, president and general manager of the Citadel Broadcasting station, calls Roeper�s hiring �the single most important programming change we have made in the past year,� and points to an 83 percent increase in year-to-year ratings since �Roe & Roeper� rejuvenated afternoon drive.
�Richard brings out the best in Roe, and vice versa,� adds Damsky. �When you hear them together, it is easy to understand why they�re the most listened-to talk show on Chicago radio.�
A new dimension to the show was added in November when NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 began airing a live video simulcast of �Roe & Roeper� on its Chicago Nonstop digital subchannel. With the duo outdrawing even their own station�s once-formidable Rush Limbaugh, it�s no wonder there�s talk of national syndication in the offing.
Beyond Chicago, Roeper is more widely known for his eight-year run on �Ebert & Roeper,� the nationally syndicated movie-review show he co-hosted with Roger Ebert after the death of Gene Siskel. His frequent appearances with Jay Leno and Howard Stern � as well as the eight books he�s written on everything from urban legends to his beloved White Sox � have helped make Roeper one of the media�s go-to guys on all matters pop culture.
Since he and Ebert parted with Walt Disney Co. in 2008 (leading to the demise of the show two years later), Roeper has forged a successful career as a solo critic, drawing several million page views a year to his reviews at richardroeper.com and becoming a ubiquitous presence on Reelz Channel, the movie-centric cable and satellite network owned by Hubbard Media Group. In December he signed a two-year, six-figure deal greatly expanding his duties with Reelz.
Inside and out of the critics� screening room, Roeper still keeps in touch with Ebert and his wife, Chaz, co-executive producers of �Ebert Presents at the Movies� (which debuts Jan. 21 on WTTW-Channel 11 and public television stations nationwide). He�s invited the co-hosts of the Eberts� new show, Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, to appear as guests on �Roe & Roeper.� At the same time, Chaz says she and Roger �look forward to having Richard on [their] show at some point,� adding: �Roger and Richard are still friends. Some people who�ve written things about them on the Web don�t realize that.�
As great as the past year turned out to be for the busiest man in Chicago media, Roeper says he�s �looking forward to even bigger things in 2011 � with the exception of �Transformers 3.� �
Robert Feder