John Williams takes Don Shelby's WCCO radio slot

Shelby retired from his radio gig last December

Can you be a "Good Neighbor" from Chicago? WCCO-AM certainly hopes so, having announced that John Williams will take over the station's 1 to 3 p.m. slot once held down by local broadcasting icon Don Shelby -- and he'll handle the duties from the Windy City.

That's right. Williams will sound like your next door neighbor when he's really hundreds of miles away. He ought to feel at home, having hosted the 9 a.m. - noon slot on WCCO from 1993-1997, before heading to WGN in Chicago for his own show. The station says he's retaining his WGN gig; let's hope he keeps things straight in his head.

"I'm looking for good talent who is connected with our community," WCCO program director Wendy Paulson told the Strib. "He has friends, family here; his son is going to the University of Minnesota. He vacations here. It is a chosen community for him."