Mike Royko:
The Man Who Wrote Chicago
A one-hour television documentary from TMW in association with the Duncan Group
"He was the best newspaper columnist in America. When he died, second place wasn't even close."
John Klass, Chicago Tribune columnist
“Joo-read-Royko?” was often heard around Chicago from September 6, 1963 until March 21st, 1997. It would be translated around the world.
Mike Royko’s column appeared in more than 600 newspapers. In thirty years, he wrote more than 8,000 columns. He had a fan club in Japan. When he died, a newspaper in Australia ran a special section about him as a tribute.
“It’s not the Pulitzer Prize, which Royko won, or the many other official journalism tributes,” writes columnist John Kass. “The most important award is the refrigerator prize. We readers cut out Mike’s columns and put them on our refrigerators, at home and in workplace lunchrooms, for everyone to see.”
Mike Royko:The Man Who Wrote Chicago is a documentary that traces the life of Mike Royko from his flat-above-the-tavern youth to becoming one of the most read writers in history.
Through family photos, interviews with Royko family and friends and the sights and sounds of Chicago unfolds this portrait of an American journalist.
Mike Royko:The Man Who Wrote Chicago reveals how he:
Bob Royko, Mike’s brother, has asked Triangle Media Works to pursue a documentary about his famous brother. Bob can help us access many images seldom seen outside the family and share insights to the significant milestones in his brother’s life.
We will collaborate with Doug Moe, author of The World of Mike Royko. Not only is Doug a newspaper columnist himself, he knows more about Royko’s life than anyone outside the family.
Potential interview subjects
Bob Royko, Mike’s brother
Eleanor Cronin, Mike’s sister
Dorothy Zetlmeier, Mike’s sister
Hanke Gratteau, Mike’s friend and assistant at three newspapers
Doug Moe, Author of The World of Mike Royko
John Kass, columnist for the Chicago Tribune
Sam Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern and Mike’s friend
Doug Moe, writer
Doug Moe is a daily columnist for the The Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Wisconsin. He worked for Madison Magazine for 11 years—first as an associate editor and later as editor. During his time at Madison Magazine, he published two books: Greater Madison: Meeting the 21st Century and Alex Jordan: Architect of His Own Dream. Doug also works as a freelance journalist writing newspaper and magazine articles for several periodicals and newspapers including Madison Magazine, Wisconsin Trails and the Milwaukee Journal Sunday Magazine. He was also a contributing editor to Milwaukee Magazine.
His illustrated biography, The World of Mike Royko, is the first account of the colorful Chicago columnist.
“In The World of Mike Royko, Doug Moe captures not only the letter but the spirit of the dean of American news hounds. The book is ‘like Mike’—the first of the great Chicago Michaels—in that the words are blunt and simple, deceptively so.”
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author
Deep End of the Ocean
© 2009 Triangle Media Works, LLC