WSCR
Encyclopedia
WSCR is a sports radio
station
in the Chicago, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by CBS Radio
and transmits on 670 kHz on the AM dial
. Its transmitter is located just off Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale
, which is a western suburb of Chicago. It is known as "The Score," and has been on the air since 1992. Initially signing on at 820-AM, it moved to 1160-AM in 1997, and to its current dial position of 670-AM — a 50,000 watt clear-channel signal acquired when Viacom ceased broadcasting WMAQ's all-news format in August 2000, and subsequently divested the 1160 frequency due to FCC
limits on ownership (see WMAQ (AM) and WYLL
). WSCR is currently the radio flagship home for Chicago White Sox
baseball as well as Northern Illinois University
Huskies football and men's basketball, and DePaul University
basketball. WSCR also carries other live sports programming from Westwood One
, including Monday Night Football
. From 2001-2008, the station was the flagship for Chicago Blackhawks
hockey, until their move to WGN
(720).
Before 1992, the WSCR call letters were on 1220 in Hamden CT. Prior to that they were the longtime radio call letters for a station in Scranton, Pennsylvania
at 1320-AM.
The Score is known for various concepts, such as:
The Score directly competes with ESPN Radio
WMVP
1000.
Starting in 2005, WSCR started airing Sporting News Radio
overnights (now limited to Saturday and Sunday a.m. and other fill-in time slots). It also began airing the Dan Patrick
show on a delayed basis in 2007. Now overnights are primarily covered by Les Grobstein.
and CBS Radio
, was at the NBC Tower
. Currently the station is located in Two Prudential Plaza
, along with several other CBS-owned stations.
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in the Chicago, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and transmits on 670 kHz on the AM dial
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
. Its transmitter is located just off Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale
Bloomingdale, Illinois
Bloomingdale is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, approximately 25 miles west of Chicago. The population was 21,675 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, which is a western suburb of Chicago. It is known as "The Score," and has been on the air since 1992. Initially signing on at 820-AM, it moved to 1160-AM in 1997, and to its current dial position of 670-AM — a 50,000 watt clear-channel signal acquired when Viacom ceased broadcasting WMAQ's all-news format in August 2000, and subsequently divested the 1160 frequency due to FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The 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...
limits on ownership (see WMAQ (AM) and WYLL
WYLL
WYLL 1160 is a "Christian Talk & Teaching" radio station located in Chicago and owned by Salem Communications. The station runs features, preaching, and other religious programs. Ministries may also buy time for programming. WYLL additionally produces a couple hours of local call-in shows every...
). WSCR is currently the radio flagship home for Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
baseball as well as Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
Huskies football and men's basketball, and DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
basketball. WSCR also carries other live sports programming from Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
, including Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. From 2001-2008, the station was the flagship for Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
hockey, until their move to WGN
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
(720).
Before 1992, the WSCR call letters were on 1220 in Hamden CT. Prior to that they were the longtime radio call letters for a station in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
at 1320-AM.
The Score is known for various concepts, such as:
- The station's relationship with long-time listeners. Many of the original listeners from the station's inception remain dedicated listeners, callers, and contributors. Many supply regular contributions to the station in the form of faxFaxFax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
es and e-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s. Some callers and e-mailers, known as "Score Heads," use colorful monikers, such as "Schmutzie," "Stan from BellwoodBellwood, IllinoisBellwood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,535 at the 2000 census.There is a railroad station with commuter service to Chicago.-Geography:Bellwood is located at ....
," "Whitley from Ravenswood," The Gridiron Assassin," "Rusty from StickneyStickney, IllinoisStickney is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,148 at the 2000 census. It was well known in the 1920s and early 1930s as the home for several bordellos linked to mobster Al Capone's empire....
," "Bichiro," "LeBron James's Hummer," "Alex from Rogers Park," "GatorBill from Champaign", "Denver Dave", "StonecutterHomer the Great"Homer the Great" is the twelfth television episode of The Simpsons sixth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 8, 1995. In the episode, Homer discovers that Lenny and Carl are members of the ancient secret society known as the Stonecutters...
from the Northwest Side," "Wild Bill" (known for his hoarse, out of breath voice), the always hilarious "Rex Kwon Do," "Mr. Mouth", "Quad Cities Pat", "Quit Playin'", "Mike in Milwaukee", "Northside Fro Dog", and an impersonator of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
villain "Mr. Burns."
- The station's relationship with many well-known Chicago celebrities, sports or otherwise. Some of these include former pitcher and current Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
announcer Steve StoneSteve Stone (baseball player)Steven Michael Stone is an American former Major League Baseball player, and current sportscaster and author....
, and Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
manager Ozzie GuillénOzzie GuillénOswaldo José "Ozzie" Guillén Barrios is a Venezuelan-American former Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Miami Marlins. He managed the Chicago White Sox from 2004 to 2011 before asking for his release at the end of the 2011 season....
; some, such as Stone and Pro Football WeeklyPro Football WeeklyPro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
publisher and former Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
announcer Hub Arkush, are paid expert analysts. Ozzie Guillén Jr. conducts a Spanish languageSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
baseball program.
- The station's various "radio remotes." Radio shows are done from various locations in the Chicago area, ranging from restaurants and local bars and pubs, to Chicago sports teams' training camps, mainly the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. At one point, former morning radio personality Mike NorthMike NorthMike North is an American radio sports personality working for Clear Channel Communications as a weekend host on their Fox Sports Radio subsidiary. He was the co-host of the Monsters in the Morning with Dan Jiggetts on Comcast SportsNet Chicago in 2009 and was a sports talk radio show host at WSCR...
even did a series of remote shows from the backyards of various SCORE listeners. On every Friday the Boers and BernsteinBoers and BernsteinBoers and Bernstein is an afternoon drive-time sports talk show on Chicago's WSCR hosted by former columnist Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein. The program airs weekday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. On days when the Chicago White Sox have a 7:10 start time, the program will often be extended half...
show hosts the Bud Light "Who Needs Two" tavern tour.
- Various "signature segments." These range from "Who Ya' Crappin'," based on Mike DitkaMike DitkaMichael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
's response to a question posed by Terry BoersBoers and BernsteinBoers and Bernstein is an afternoon drive-time sports talk show on Chicago's WSCR hosted by former columnist Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein. The program airs weekday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. On days when the Chicago White Sox have a 7:10 start time, the program will often be extended half...
in a recorded interview, to Mully and Hanley's "Reporters' Notebook." The signature and other segments are now available via the "Pod Spot" menu of The Score's website.
The Score directly competes with ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN 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...
WMVP
WMVP
WMVP is the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is owned by ABC. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove. The station broadcasts live sports talk, both locally and nationally. Daily programming consists of talk shows that are both national and local...
1000.
Starting in 2005, WSCR started airing Sporting News Radio
Sporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
overnights (now limited to Saturday and Sunday a.m. and other fill-in time slots). It also began airing the Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
show on a delayed basis in 2007. Now overnights are primarily covered by Les Grobstein.
Broadcast Facilities
The Score has had three primary broadcast facilities in its years on the air. The first was at 4949 West Belmont Avenue on the Northwest Side of Chicago. The second, with them moving to the 670 frequency after the merger of WestinghouseWestinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
and CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
, was at the NBC Tower
NBC Tower
The NBC Tower is an office tower on the Near north side of Chicago, Illinois, United States located at 454 North Columbus Drive in downtown Chicago's Magnificent Mile area. Completed in 1989, the 37-story building reaches a height of 627 feet...
. Currently the station is located in Two Prudential Plaza
Two Prudential Plaza
Two Prudential Plaza is a super-tall skyscraper that was built in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois, United States in 1990. At 995 feet tall, it is currently the sixth-tallest building in Chicago and the thirteenth tallest in the United States. The building was designed by the firm Loebl,...
, along with several other CBS-owned stations.