Byline: Sean Noble Daily Herald Staff Writer
There are several certainties in northern Illinois sports, Doug North said.
St. Charles High School has a great football coach. The Chicago Bears have a not-so-great owner.
'It's a shame the team's being run into the ground by a loser owner who doesn't know any better,' North said, disdain dripping from his voice.
And another certainty: North would like to keep his voice on the airwaves and keep talking about what's right and wrong with sports to whoever will listen.
'I know for sure I want to get into sportscasting,' said North, a senior at Elgin High School. He knows this because he's already doing some broadcasting on a part-time basis at a low-powered radio station that - nonetheless - gives him big-time dreams of success.
North's 'Sports Update' airs three mornings a week on WEPS-FM 88.9, a station owned and operated by Elgin Area Unit District 46.
The program is only 15 minutes long. The station runs on only 750 watts, just enough juice to push North's voice about as far as Sugar Grove.
The Bartlett teenager isn't sure how many - or even if - any people are listening. But he doesn't care much, either.
'Basically, it's a learning experience, no matter who listens,' he said.
North's muse and uncle, the mid-day host at WSCR-AM 1160, agreed.
'He's got a lot of ambition,' Mike North said of his protege. 'He's a real, real responsible kid - exactly the opposite of what I (was like) as a kid.'
Mike North was working hot dog stands until 'the tender age of 37,' when he decided to take a shot at broadcasting. He began leasing time on a small radio station for his sportscasting hobby and stumbled into a small-time broadcasting job before The Score hired him as a sportscaster six years ago.
His nephew, he pointed out, is pursuing a career 'the way you should.'
Doug North has stayed close to sports from an early age, with seat-vending jobs at Chicago Cubs and Bulls games. He has worked local high-school football games as a intern for WRMN-AM 1410 in Elgin.
He's visited WSCR with his uncle to learn the ins and outs of the broadcast booth.
Last year North even figured out a novel way to practice the art of public speaking - reading the morning announcements over the public-address system at Elgin High.
Principal Ron O'Neal approved the idea on the strength of North's enthusiasm and a demo tape. He hasn't regretted the decision.
'I was impressed with the fact he'd done his homework ahead of time,' O'Neal said.
In fact, it was O'Neal who suggested North spend last summer drafting a WEPS sports program proposal. District officials approved the plan, and 'Sports Update' was born this fall.
'It's given him a feel for whether or not this is what he really wants to get into,' O'Neal said.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, North leaves Elgin High for his free period of the day.
He drives to the WEPS station at Chicago and Gifford streets, where he waxes philosophical about sports from 9:45 to 10 a.m. Then, he heads back to school for the remainder of his day.
Finding enough material to fill his time sometimes can prove difficult, when balanced with homework and his jobs. In addition to hawking goodies at ballgames, he works in building services at Barrington's Willow Creek Community Church.
Still, North enjoys his juggling act. And he enjoys filling a niche that few other broadcasters do - talking about high-school athletes.
North empathizes with the hard work student athletes do, having labored on the Elgin High wrestling team once.
As he looks to the future, North has narrowed his post-high school choices down to three, including Columbia College in Chicago. Wherever he winds up, he wants to study broadcasting.
For now, even with the success he's had and the experience he's gaining, North is trying to keep things in perspective.
'I love doing this, but I've got to remember I'm just a high-school senior,' he said.
