Ed Schwartz (May 5, 1946 – February 4, 2009) was a Chicago media personality who hosted local late-night radio programs from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.

[4][5] Schwartz graduated from Bowen High School, and then attended Columbia College where he studied radio production.

[2][6][7] Some of Schwartz' classmates included Pat Sajak, Bob Sirott, and Bruce DuMont; he was the first of the group to get a broadcasting job.

His multiple attempts to win an on-air position at both WLS-AM and WIND had failed, but feeling he had something to offer the public via the airwaves, Schwartz never gave up his hopes.

He frequently telephoned aldermen in the middle of the night to inform them of listener complaints, and he held open forums on racism, poverty, and health care.

[7][16][17] Ed Schwartz enlivened late-night radio—tracking news stories and doing various types of interviews, along with his willingness to use the power of the media to solve listeners' problems.

[14] While other late-night radio programs set a tone of quiet entertainment or discussion, Schwartz's shows kept a pace like those done at earlier times of the day.

[5][9][19][25][26] Even though Schwartz was no longer on the air in 1996, WMAQ (AM) played host to the food drive and invited him to preside over it on their airwaves.

[2][13][35][36] After spending a year in a nursing facility, Schwartz returned home in 2006 and began writing a novel based on his life experiences.