I never expected an interview with me ever to be labeled “an exclusive.” I’ll pretty much talk to anyone. Just call.

However, thanks to Paul M. Banks, who did an “exclusive” Q/A with me on his new site, Chicago Sports Media Watch.

And this is a first. I’m selecting an excerpt from myself:

Tell us about your experiences writing “Inside Media” for the Chicago Tribune, what was your favorite part of doing that column? What do you miss and not miss about it writing it?

ES: I really enjoyed doing the column for the Tribune. It was a position I wanted for a long time. There’s so many different facets of the industry. You could be writing on one thing and then suddenly have to transition to something completely different. It’s too bad many papers, including the three big ones in Chicago, have eliminated the sports media columns. I know that the columns get great readership, especially if there’s something controversial going on.

I remember there was a month at the Tribune when three of my stories ranked in the top 10 for most read on the website. And I’m not talking about the sport section. It was for the entire paper.

A big plus of the beat:

Unlike athletes, the people–play-by-play men, analysts, studio host etc–want to talk to you for the most part. And again unlike athletes, they understand the nature of our job.

The biggest plus:

Getting to know some of the giants of the industry.  A truly memorable day was having lunch with David Halberstam, one of my heroes. There weren’t a lot of negatives, which is one of the reasons why I’m jumping back in.