WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses
C-QUAMC-QUAM is the method of AM stereo broadcasting used in Canada, the United States and most other countries. It was invented in 1977 by Norman Parker, Francis Hilbert, and Yoshio Sakaie, and published in an IEEE journal....
AM stereoAM stereo is a term given to a series of mutually incompatible techniques for wireless radio broadcasting stereo audio in the AM band in a manner that is compatible with standard AM receivers...
and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of
Tinley Park, IllinoisTinley Park is a village located primarily in Cook County, Illinois, United States with a small portion in Will County. The population was 48,401 at the 2000 census, and 58,322 in the 2007 census. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs south of Chicago...
.
WLS is currently a
talk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station, with its programming consisting of about half local talk shows such as
Don Wade and Roma and
The Roe Conn ShowThe Roe Conn Show, also known as The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper and Roe and Roeper, is a talk radio show hosted by Roe Conn and Richard Roeper on WLS-AM. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 2 pm to 6 pm CDT, from the studios of WLS in Chicago and aired online by Citadel Radio...
, and the rest syndicated programming such as
Rush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
,
Sean HannitySean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
,
Mark LevinMark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
,
Adam BoldAdam Bold is an American author and businessman. He is the founder and minority shareholder of The Mutual Fund Store, and host of The Mutual Fund Show, a national weekly talk radio show focused on actively managed mutual fund investments...
and others. WLS also covers
Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
football and basketball.
WLS had been owned and operated by the radio division of the
American Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC) since the purchase of its parent company in 1959 and the subsequent merging with
WENR, a station with which WLS had shared its frequency since the 1920s. ABC-owned radio stations not affiliated with
ESPN RadioESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
or
Radio DisneyRadio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
, including WLS, merged with
Citadel BroadcastingCitadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
on June 12, 2007. Citadel merged with
Cumulus MediaCumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
on September 16, 2011.
Despite different owners, WLS-AM and
WLS-TVWLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
maintain a strong partnership (as WLS-TV is the local ABC
owned-and-operated television stationIn the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
). An example of this strong partnership was when new management at WLS-AM decided to return WLS-TV anchor
Ron MagersRon Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
as a daily commentary during the 3 pm half hour of
The Roe Conn ShowThe Roe Conn Show, also known as The Roe Conn Show with Richard Roeper and Roe and Roeper, is a talk radio show hosted by Roe Conn and Richard Roeper on WLS-AM. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 2 pm to 6 pm CDT, from the studios of WLS in Chicago and aired online by Citadel Radio...
. This was on the advice of WLS-TV general manager Emily Barr.
WLS' website continues to be one of the most visited websites in the United States to date.
History
In the 1920s,
Sears, Roebuck and CompanySears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
was a major
mail orderMail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
company. To target farmers, Sears bought time on radio stations, and then decided to form their own station. Just before the permanent station was ready, Sears began broadcasts on March 21, 1924 as
WBBX with noon programs using the WMAQ studios.
Sears broadcast test transmissions from its own permanent studios on April 9, 10 and 11, 1924, using the callsign
WES (for "World's Economy Store"). On April 12, 1924, the station commenced officially, using the callsign
WLS (for "World's Largest Store"); and on April 19, aired its first
National Barn DanceNational Barn Dance, broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the Grand Ole Opry...
. Sears originally operated its station at its Chicago headquarters on Chicago's West Side
where the company's mail order business was locatedSears, Roebuck and Company Complex is a complex that includes the Sears Merchandise Building Tower and the Sears, Roebuck and Company Administration Building...
. Sears then moved the WLS studios into the Sherman House hotel in downtown Chicago.
Sears opened the station in 1924 as a service to farmers and subsequently sold it to the
Prairie Farmer magazine in 1928. The station moved to the Prairie Farmer Building on West Washington in Chicago, where it remained for 32 years. For a few months after ABC's 1960 purchase of it and the format change, the "bright new sound" that began in May 1960 was broadcast from the Prairie Farmer Building. WLS didn't make the move to downtown Michigan Avenue's
Stone Container BuildingThe London Guarantee Building, formerly known as the Stone Container Building, is a historic building located in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. It is known as one of the four 1920s flanks of the Michigan Avenue Bridge . It stands on part of the former site of Fort Dearborn...
until October of that year. Thirty years later, it would move once more, to its present location at 190 North State in downtown Chicago. It was the scene of the
National Barn DanceNational Barn Dance, broadcast by WLS-AM in Chicago, Illinois starting in 1924, was one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct precursor of the Grand Ole Opry...
, which featured
Gene AutryOrvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
,
Pat ButtramMaxwell Emmett "Pat" Buttram was an American actor, known for playing the sidekick of Gene Autry and for playing the character of Mr. Haney in the TV series Green Acres. He had a distinctive voice which, in his own words, "... never quite made it through puberty"...
, and
George GobelGeorge Leslie Gobel was an American comedian and actor. He was best known as the star of his own weekly NBC television show, The George Gobel Show, which ran from 1954 to 1960 .-Early years:He was born George Leslie Goebel in Chicago, Illinois, His father, Hermann Goebel, was a...
, and which was second only to the
Grand Ole OpryThe Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
(in itself a local
National Barn Dance spinoff) in presenting
country musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and humor.
The station also experimented successfully in many forms of news broadcasting, including weather and crop reports. Its most famous news broadcast was the report of the
Hindenburg disasterThe Hindenburg disaster took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, which is located adjacent to the borough of Lakehurst, New Jersey...
by
Herbert MorrisonHerbert Morrison was an American radio reporter best known for his dramatic report of the Hindenburg disaster, a catastrophic fire that destroyed the LZ 129 Hindenburg zeppelin on May 6, 1937, killing 36 people.-Hindenburg disaster:...
.
Starting in the 1930s, WLS had been an affiliate of the
Blue NetworkThe Blue Network, and its immediate predecessor, the NBC Blue Network, were the on-air names of an American radio production and distribution service from 1927 to 1945...
of the National Broadcasting Company (
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
), and as such aired the popular
Fibber McGee and MollyFibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
and
Lum and AbnerLum and Abner was an American radio comedy network program created by Chester Lauck and Norris Goff that aired from 1931 to 1954. Modeled on life in the small town of Waters, Arkansas, near where Lauck and Goff grew up, the showed proved immensely popular...
comedy programs (both produced at the studios of Chicago's NBC-owned stations, WENR and WMAQ) during their early years. When the
Federal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
forced NBC to sell the Blue Network, WLS maintained its affiliation with the network under its new identity, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Under this affiliation, some programs from the network that were not commercially sponsored or which were scheduled to cross the time that WLS and WENR shifted its use of the same frequency (such as baseball or football games) were transferred to air on a third Blue Network/ABC affiliate in Chicago,
WCFLWCFL was the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, hence its call letters. The station is now known as WMVP. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove and is still in use by WMVP...
. Blue/ABC network broadcasts of addresses by labor leaders were also shifted away from WLS and WENR to WCFL, which was owned at the time by the
Chicago Federation of LaborThe Chicago Federation of Labor is an umbrella organization for unions in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is a subordinate body of the AFL-CIO, and as of 2011 has about 320 affiliated member unions representing half a million union members in Cook County....
.
WENR
WENR became active in late 1924 and early 1925, the creation of E. N. Rauland, whose company manufactured the All-American brand of radios. Rauland started with 10 watts on 1030 kHz in 1924; on March 19, 1925, he received his license for WENR at 100 watts. By late 1925 WENR was using a 1000 watt transmitter designed by Rauland himself. The station quickly entered into a time-sharing agreement with WBCN, owned at that time by the Chicago Southtown newspaper. The two stations changed frequencies to 1040 kHZ a year later.
By 1927, Chicago investor
Samuel InsullSamuel Insull was an Anglo-American innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States. Insull was notable for purchasing utilities and railroads using holding companies, as well as the abuse of them...
had taken serious interest in both stations. A founding partner of
KYWKYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
, he sold his interest in it and had started Great Lakes Broadcasting. Insull purchased both stations, paying $1 million for WENR alone. Under Insull's management, the two stations once more changed frequencies, this time to 870 kHz, when the combined stations became the first Chicago radio station operating under 50,000 watts of power from a new transmitter in
Downers Grove, IllinoisDowners Grove is a village in Downers Grove and Lisle Townships, DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 48,724 at the 2000 census, with an official estimated population of 49,250 in 2008.-History:...
in 1929. Insull's Great Lakes Broadcasting holdings also included a
mechanical televisionMechanical television was a broadcast television system that used mechanical or electromechanical devices to capture and display video images. However, the images themselves were usually transmitted electronically and via radio waves...
station, W9XR, which went on the air after the Downers Grove transmitter was installed. Insull moved his stations first into Chicago's Strauss Building, and then to his own
Civic Opera HouseThe Civic Opera House is an opera house located at 20 North Wacker Drive in Chicago. It is part of a building which contains a 45-story office tower and two 22-story wings. This structure opened on November 4, 1929 and has an Art Deco interior....
. The investor's fortune began dwindling by 1931; Insull then sold the licenses of both stations to National Broadcasting Company. By early 1933, WBCN's call letters had left the airwaves and the frequency was occupied by WENR, which became part of NBC's
Blue NetworkThe Blue Network, and its immediate predecessor, the NBC Blue Network, were the on-air names of an American radio production and distribution service from 1927 to 1945...
, and by WLS. NBC shut down W9XR by 1933, just as it had done with WX9AP, which it acquired in its purchase of radio station WMAQ.
Changes were made regarding AM frequencies in 1941; this moved WENR and WLS from 870 kHz to 890 kHz. In August 1943, NBC was ordered to divest itself of its Blue Network stations; WENR was sold to the newly-formed American Broadcasting Company. The 1931 sale of the station to NBC moved WENR from the Civic Opera House to the
Merchandise MartWhen opened in 1930, the Merchandise Mart or the Merch Mart, located in the Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, was the largest building in the world with of floor space. Previously owned by the Marshall Field family, the Mart centralized Chicago's wholesale goods business by consolidating vendors...
, NBC's Chicago headquarters. The station continued on at the Mart until 1952 by becoming NBC's tenant, moving back to the Civic Opera House in that year. WENR and WLS used the same frequencies in a time-sharing arrangement until 1954, when
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
bought WLS and combined the stations. The late
Paul HarveyPaul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
's Chicago broadcasting career began at WENR.
Rock music years
In 1960 WLS hired star disc jockey
Dick BiondiDick Biondi is an American Top 40 and Oldies disc jockey. Calling himself "The Wild I-tralian", he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. In a 1988 interview, Biondi related he had been fired 23 times; both fits of...
(an inductee of the National Radio Hall of Fame) from
WEBRWNED is an American radio station broadcasting in Buffalo, New York at a frequency of 970 kHz. It offers an all-news format.WNED is one of two National Public Radio affiliates in Buffalo. The other is WBFO, operated by the University of Buffalo...
in
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, to anchor the station's new Top 40
music radioMusic radio is a radio format in which music is the main broadcast content. After television replaced old time radio's dramatic content, music formats became dominant in many countries...
format that began May 2, 1960. Mort Crowley was the first on-air voice of the new WLS (6 AM); the first song played was "Alley-Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles. Other notable disc jockeys who worked at WLS include Fred Winston, Art Roberts (2002), Ron "Ringo" Riley, Gene Taylor, Mort Crowley,
Larry LujackLarry Lujack , a Top 40 Music radio disc jockey, was known for his world-weary sarcastic style, "Klunk Letter of the Day" and darkly humorous "Animal Stories" along with "sidekick Little Tommy", and "Cheap Trashy Show Biz Report." He was also referred to as Superjock, Lawrence of Chicago, Uncle...
, Dex Card,
Clark WeberClark Weber has been an American radio personality in Chicago, Illinois. He runs his own radio advertising consultancy, Clark Weber Associates. In July 2008 he published a book, Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio: The Fun Years, 1955-1975...
, Chuck Buell, Kris Erik Stevens, Jerry Kay (2005),
Bob SirottRobert Michael "Bob" Sirott , is a Chicago broadcaster who currently is one of the two principal news anchors at WFLD-TV in Chicago and is a radio host at WGN-AM.- Early life and education :...
, John Records Landecker, Yvonne Daniels (1991),
Steve DahlSteven Robert Dahl has been an American radio personality and humorist for more than thirty years. He is currently podcasting, and releases the podcasts for download daily from his own website as well as the iTunes store...
,
Garry MeierGarry Meier is a Chicago-based radio personality and is currently the afternoon host on WGN-AM 720 in Chicago, heard weekdays 3-7 PM CT.- Beginnings :...
,
Brant MillerBrant Miller is a meteorologist for NBC owned and operated television station WMAQ-TV in Chicago. At WMAQ-TV he is the meteorologist on NBC 5 News at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m and now at 4:30 p.m....
,
Steve KingSteve King is a radio personality who has been heard on several different stations, almost all in the Chicago area. For more than 25 years, King and his wife, Johnnie Putman, have hosted on "The Steve and Johnnie Show" overnights on WGN....
, and
Tommy Edwards. Some of the production directors responsible for the sound of WLS were Ray Van Steen, Hal Widsten, Jim Hampton, Bill Price and
Tommy EdwardsTommy Edwards is an American public address announcer for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association.Edwards was the arena voice for the Bulls at Chicago Stadium from 1976-1990...
. In the 1960s WLS was a major force in introducing new music and recording artists. The first US airplay of a Beatles record ("
Please Please Me"Please Please Me" is a song and the second single released by The Beatles in the United Kingdom, and the first to be issued in the United States. It was also the title track of their first LP, which was recorded to capitalise on the success of the single...
") was on the WLS Dick Biondi show on February 8, 1963. WLS was voted by broadcasters nationally as "The Station of the Year" in 1967, 1968 & 1969. John Rook was named "Program Director of the Year" in 1968 & 1969 as WLS was estimated attracting 4.2 million listeners weekly by Pulse research. Dr. Cody Sweet became the voice of "WLS Super Summer Radio" in the late '60s.
WLS also produced the weekly Silver Dollar Survey from October 14, 1960 to April 28, 1967 and from September 1, 1967 to December 22, 1967, broken by the Super Summer Survey from May 5, 1967 to August 25, 1967. The survey nominally contained 40 current listings, except for occasional weeks when it contained less current listings, usually 20, plus a special listing of greatest oldies. Thereafter the survey changed its name numerous times (89 WLS Hit Parade, 89 WLS Chicagoland Hit Parade, WLS Musicradio 89, etc.). Starting with the July 20, 1970 survey, the number of listings dropped from 40 to 30, then varying from 25 to 40 starting June 26, 1972, then dropping to 15 by March 9, 1974, then increasing to a high of 45 by the end of 1975. The year-end listing was the 20 greatest hits of the year for each year from 1963 through 1966, increased to 89 from 1967 onward.
By the mid-1970s, WLS became conservative about introducing new songs, and many record promoters referred to the station as the "
World's
Last
Station" to add new releases for airplay, usually only after the songs had reached the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100. (However, in very late 1974, the station started playing the track "Lady" by a Chicago band called
StyxStyx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
from an older album of theirs, resulting in other stations around the country adding the song and making the track
StyxIn Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.Styx may also refer to:-Popular culture:...
' first national Top 40 hit.) During the 1970s WLS ran a Sunday night music interview program called Music People. Well into the 1980s, WLS continued as a mainstream Top 40/CHR station. By 1985, the music evolved into more of a Hot AC (Adult Comtemporary) format. In 1986, WLS began evening talk programming as its ratings were on a steady decline.
Unique "WLS-only" versions of songs
Like many AM radio stations of the seventies, WLS edited many of the songs they played into a more "radio-friendly" or "radio edit" (a term still used today) format, usually 3 minutes to 3 and a half minutes in length. Even songs that were only 4 minutes in length as a single were sometimes edited. The Doobie Brothers 1975 hit "Black Water", for example. The single/LP version is 4:18 in length; the WLS version edited out some of the instrumental bridge. Of course even longer songs, such as
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", were heavily edited. WLS engineers also made special editions of some Top 40 songs exclusively for their broadcasting. Among these were:
- John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" (1975) – added "farm animal" sound effects.
- Reunion's "Life Is A Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" (1974) – Changed audio lyric to "Life is a rock/WLS rolled me".
- The Pointer Sisters "Fire" (1979) – Changed audio lyric to "I'm riding in your car/you turn on W-L-S."
- Captain and Tennille's "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Por Amor Viveremos" (1975) – Created a "Spanglish" version with alternating English/Spanish lyric vocals. The Spanish-only version of the song ("Por Amor Viveremos") charted in 1975.
- Johnny Wakelin
Johnny Wakelin is a British Pye Records recording artist.-Career:He had his first outings in clubs in his hometown but without big success...
's "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" (1974) – Added quotes from Howard CosellHoward William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
between vocals.
- Benny Bell
Benny Bell was an American singer-songwriter who reached popularity in the 1940s, with a comeback in the 1970s. He is particularly remembered for his risqué but cheerfully optimistic songs.-Career:Benny Bell was born to an immigrant Jewish family in New York City...
's "Shaving Cream" (1975) – Added additional verse making reference to WLS disc jockey Bob Sirott.
Talk radio
By 1987, WLS was an adult contemporary station during the day and talk at night. Their approach was no longer music intensive. By 1988, the station evolved into a soft AC format with very few if any current product, and liberally laced with
oldiesOldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
. By now the station focused more on personality and less on music, including a Sunday night late night talk show called "Sex Talk" and a daily late night sports related talk show.
In June 1989, WLS announced they were going all talk by the end of the summer. Rumors were that the change was to happen September 1. Air personalities were becoming more talk intensive anyway and midday talk was added as well. But quietly with no warning, on August 23, 1989 at 7 pm, WLS stopped playing music altogether (appropriately, the last song played was a song by
ChicagoChicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, "Just You 'N' Me", from
their 6th albumChicago VI is the sixth album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1973. Following the streamlined character of Chicago V, this successor would see the group follow more of a pop music approach, relying less on their trademark horns and exploring varied music forms.After recording all...
) as it became a 24/7 all
talk stationTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
featuring high-rated talk talents from around the country, such as
Bob LassiterBob Lassiter, also known as "Mad Dog", was a controversial and highly influential American radio talk show host in the 1980s and '90s...
from
Tampa BayTampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
, Stacy Taylor from San Diego and their biggest hit,
Rush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
out of New York. After a few years, however, they dropped Lassiter, Taylor and some of their other national hosts in favor of more local hosts.
Jay MarvinJay Marvin is an American liberal radio talk show host and writer.Marvin began his radio career in 1971 as a country music DJ at KWMC in Del Rio, Texas. After that he worked at various stations including WWOD Lynchburg, Virginia, K102 FM El Paso, Texas, WJEZ and WJJD Chicago, Illinois, and KKAT...
also had several stints on WLS, where he was one of the few liberal voices on its political talk shows. The station is also the "flagship" broadcast outlet for the weekly, national political talk show,
Beyond the Beltway with Bruce DuMont.
On Memorial Day 2007, WLS took a cue from sister station
WABCWABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
and ran a special day of musical programming, "The Big 89 Rewind," featuring live visits from
Larry LujackLarry Lujack , a Top 40 Music radio disc jockey, was known for his world-weary sarcastic style, "Klunk Letter of the Day" and darkly humorous "Animal Stories" along with "sidekick Little Tommy", and "Cheap Trashy Show Biz Report." He was also referred to as Superjock, Lawrence of Chicago, Uncle...
, Tommy Edwards, Fred Winston, Chris Shebel, Jeff Davis, John Records Landecker,
Tom KentTom Kent ,is an American radio personality. As the head of the Tom Kent Radio Network, he hosts 105 hours of classic hits programming each week, which, as of February 2, 2009, is distributed through Cumulus Media Networks.-Biography:Prior to becoming syndicated, Kent worked on the air and in...
, and other D.J.s, sounders, and airchecks from the Musicradio era. The broadcasts re-aired on Independence Day 2007, and there was a new Rewind in 2008.
The station voice is longtime WLS personality, Jeff Davis.
External links