Hello and thank you for listening to 1023 XLC!  I'm Jennifer Stephens-- the Jen half of the new "Jimmy and Jen" morning show on the radio station.  And I'm just as excited to get to know you and the rest of our listeners as you are interested in getting to know a little about me--  so here goes:

I've loved listening to the radio for as long as I can remember.  When I was growing up we always had a  radio.  And with my parents the radio was always on in the kitchen-- news, weather, sports, traffic, talking-- always sharing the events of the day.  Then in high school the FM stations and disc jockeys were so, so cool.   I remember my sister and I being absolutely giddy with excitement waiting for anything new to be played.  Radio is still cool and I still love listening to it.

I grew up in Michigan and my family is still mostly in the Detroit area.  I graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Journalism and met the man I would eventually marry at my college radio station.  I've been working in morning radio as a news anchor or reporter or co-host in some capacity ever since.  I worked for an NPR station in college and after graduation moved home to Detroit where I worked for ABC radio. After a year or two in Grand Rapids  (where I was partners with John Howell-  a radio name you might know here in Chicago)-  it was off to Philadelphia where I was hired by CBS Radio for one of their morning shows and to do network fill-in and weekend work in New York.  Philadelphia is an exciting, engaging city.  I still miss it so much. And I've been in Chicago for over 10 years now.

I was wooed here by ABC Radio to be a part of CD 94.7 and to work with Kevin Matthews.  I made very close friends there- people who are still a part of my life.  After a format change there it was a move to 100.3 FM where I co-hosted mornings with Bill Leff.  I also met some more very special people.  One of them you know: Haynes Johns our afternoonpersonality here at XLC; Haynes and I have remained close friends ever since. 

I'm excited to get to know all the listeners, staff and clients at 1023XLC.  And it's been comforting to hear from some of you already who already know how neurotic I am.  And I'm already madly in love with my co-host,  Jimmy Novak-- how could I not be?  Our first day on the air he showed up in an old Blackhawks tee and made the coffee.