Mother Weber's oldest son: https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/03/08/clark-weber-1930-2020/
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Longtime Chicago radio host Clark Weber
- Thread starter radioman148
- Start date
Class act by all accounts. Best rembered for his days as top-40 jock and PD at WLS. John Rook took over as WLS PD in '68, and "Mother Weber's oldest" soon moved on to play the hits at WCFL and then WMAQ. After that he made a successful transition to talk show host at WIND and WJJD. He also was a private pilot and ham radio operator, In the '60s he was as much fun to listen to on the 80-meter ham band as he was on WLS.
He was also much in demand as an MC at various venues. Everything from the Beatles first Chicago appearance, to the Friday night teen dances at "The New Place" here in Crystal Lake.
He was also much in demand as an MC at various venues. Everything from the Beatles first Chicago appearance, to the Friday night teen dances at "The New Place" here in Crystal Lake.
The linked story says he made that transition to talk at ag 43 because he was too old to play pop music. How many other radio people would have done that?
Wish I had heard him on 80 meters. I've listened recently to some amateur radio operators discussing the glory days of Chicago radio on 3840 kHz AM as I recall.
I remember Clark Weber from WLS and WCFL when DXing in the 1960s and early 1970s. He went to WIND in 1973 and took over the Contact Talk program in 1976. Top 40 stations were experimenting with Talk in the evenings then.
I remember Clark Weber from WLS and WCFL when DXing in the 1960s and early 1970s. He went to WIND in 1973 and took over the Contact Talk program in 1976. Top 40 stations were experimenting with Talk in the evenings then.
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In 1995, I took a collection of DJs who were tired of sitting for 3 minutes for a song to end 12 times an hour and made them talk hosts. The station was KTNQ in LA, and in 25-54, it beat KFI on occasion.
My model was the Limbaugh story, but more talk about societal issues than politics.
I wonder how many talk hosts began as DJs? I never thought to analyze that.
I think the good ones did. Imus. Stern. Beck.
Clark Weber's amateur callsign was W9FFB.
Many actors began in radio. Bob Crane was so successful at WICC Bridgeport, CT, he was eating into WCBS's ratings, so rather than compete, they offered him a job at KNX Los Angeles. The rest is history.
Many actors began in radio. Bob Crane was so successful at WICC Bridgeport, CT, he was eating into WCBS's ratings, so rather than compete, they offered him a job at KNX Los Angeles. The rest is history.
Very few did.
A very good speaker as well. When I was in college he came to our campus at NIU and spoke for an hour. He was very interesting. He admitted to making a few mistakes on record judgements when he was PD at WLS.
When he spoke to us he had recently moved to WCFL. At that time Larry Lujack had just moved to mornings at WLS. Someone in the audience asked
him if Lujack would succeed in mornings. Weber said he didn't think so because he was too negative for morning radio. Even the best can make mistakes.
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Clark always sounded like such a friendly guy on the radio. Always really enjoy airchecks of him on WLS.
I heard him say on one of the WLS 25th Anniversary shows in 1985 that one of his shortcomings was that he never understood or had an ear for soul or R&B music. You can definitely see that on WLS charts before John Rook took over. Most huge R&B crossover hits barely made the WLS charts making WLS very “white” compared to KHJ or WABC or any of the Southern top 40 stations of the era. Considering the demographics of Chicago, that always seemed odd to me.
I heard him say on one of the WLS 25th Anniversary shows in 1985 that one of his shortcomings was that he never understood or had an ear for soul or R&B music. You can definitely see that on WLS charts before John Rook took over. Most huge R&B crossover hits barely made the WLS charts making WLS very “white” compared to KHJ or WABC or any of the Southern top 40 stations of the era. Considering the demographics of Chicago, that always seemed odd to me.
The aging DJ in Harry Chapin's "WOLD" became a talk host when his voice "grew low" -- "I made my way down to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to do me a late night talk show" -- so the story must have been a familiar one at the time.
Rush Limbaugh started out as a rock jock.
Chicago definitely had its share of those. At least two of the WLS "Original 7" DJs among them. Jim Dunbar and Bob Hale. As for Weber, I don't think he had much choice in the matter. When WIND flipped from music (oldies) to talk in the late 70s, they were very upfront about the coming format change. I remember right after the change was announced, but still a couple of weeks in the future, I was listening to Weber saying on the air, "I can't give you all the details, but I can promise that we won't bore you". Apparently not....and the the topic emphasis indeed was on societal issues.
Imagine THAT approach to a format flip today!
Anyway, a few other longtime Chicago radio veterans who began as top 40 DJs that come to mind just off the top of my head. Bob Collins, Bob Sirott, Steve King (and wife Johnnie Putnam). Steve Dahl, Garry Meier, Don Waade and I believe also...at least briefly...Brant Miller. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting.
Milo Hamilton
How many made the switch voluntarily? At age 43? Most of them were at least a few years older.
Point taken. But there are also those that take on off-air roles or get out of the business entirely. In my own case,,,,aside from some production work for a couple of years, I voluntarily quit my shift on the air at age 27. And got out of radio entirely and permanently a few months before I turned 31. Of course I continued in print and online media for more than three decades before retiring in 2012.
I never got radio out of my blood, however. Which helps explain the neaarly fourteen years I've been having a blast on this and other boards! For me, it's been a lifetime of the best of both worlds
No, it was more the case of wanting to continue in radio but in a format that better fit their age and, most importantly, interest.
Piecing together a few sources on line, it looks like that when Bob DelGiorno quit Mornings in 1976, Dave Baum moved from the Contact 10-Midnight Talk Show to Mornings, and Clark Weber moved from Weekends to the Contact 10-Midnight position.
WIND Lineup at the end of 1975.
Bob Del Giorno 5:30-10 am
Chuck Benson 10 am-2 pm
Stu Collins 2-6 pm
Connie Szerszen 6-10 pm
Dave Baum "Contact" 10 pm - Midnight
Ed "Chicago" Schwartz Midnight-5:30 am
Howard Miller Weekends 9pm-Midnight
Gary Gears Weekends
Joel Sebastian Weekends
Clark Weber Weekends
WIND Lineup at the end of 1976.
http://las-solanas.com/surveys/WIND/WIND_1976-00-00_1.jpg
WIND Lineup at the end of 1975.
Bob Del Giorno 5:30-10 am
Chuck Benson 10 am-2 pm
Stu Collins 2-6 pm
Connie Szerszen 6-10 pm
Dave Baum "Contact" 10 pm - Midnight
Ed "Chicago" Schwartz Midnight-5:30 am
Howard Miller Weekends 9pm-Midnight
Gary Gears Weekends
Joel Sebastian Weekends
Clark Weber Weekends
WIND Lineup at the end of 1976.
http://las-solanas.com/surveys/WIND/WIND_1976-00-00_1.jpg
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