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Prais said:
The top 40 term came out of Storz' WTIX in New Orleans, but the format itself debuted in August of 1952 on KOWH in Omaha.
Storz' stations began adding rock n roll songs as they became popular... WIND did not add them all, becoming an AC station two decades before the term became common. Storz' WHB, WTIX and KOWH all became what we know as rock n roll based top 40's, and so did the later Storz facilities such as WDGY and WQAM, etc.
DavidEduardo said:
My memory is that WIND added at least some of these in the late evening hours...at least for a couple of years, then eventually abandoned the practice. I was in grade school at the time, so I stand to be corrected. What I do remember was not liking when my folks put on WGN or WBBM etc., because I thought the music they played was painfully boring. Fortunately for me, they mostly kept on WIND and WJJD.
I listened to WIND a lot on a trip to Chicago in the Summer of 78. They were AC at that time. A song I remember them playing was Michael Johnson-Bluer Than Blue. It was the first time I ever heard it. I also recall them running Bill Drake's "The History Of Rock and Roll" syndicated special.
In the mid-70s I DXed WIND and remember them broadcasting Chicago Bulls basketball.
In the mid-70s I DXed WIND and remember them broadcasting Chicago Bulls basketball.
MsMusicRadio said:
I always wonder, when a topic starts with a question and then the participants take the discussion in several directions, whether the initial question was answered to the satisfaction of the person asking it. I have to agree with WLS being at the core of the answer, for three reasons that go beyond merely the success of the station itself:
1. Not everyone participating on this Chicago radio message board is/was in Chicago, but the WLS signal made the station familiar to many others. And as an extension to that,
2. The closest thing to a serious challenge to WLS was, briefly, WCFL. Each had 50kw and could be heard far beyond the market -- unlike other battles where only one (or even none) of the stations was a 50, like WABC vs WMCA, KFRC vs KYA, CKLW vs WKNR, WIBG vs WFIL, and the multiple contenders in LA. When two 50kw elephants thrash about in the forest, it can be heard far away.
[As for the WIND/WJJD leg of the discussion, to translate that for Ms MusicRadio (who seemingly is/was of Pittsburgh/Tampa), WIND in the 50s was akin to what sister station KDKA became in 1967 (playing pretty much the non-teen hits) while WJJD started in 1956 as straight-ahead top 40 ala KQV.]
3. Last but not least, WLS prevailed from 1960 until the early 80s, which means that several eras of listeners knew of it, unlike say WLCY which was only viable for a short period of time.
Jay
JbeJay said:
WLS had a better signal than WCFL despite both being 50kw and fairly close on the dial. 'CFL was directional. Not a particularly severe pattern daytime, but there were a few pests on adjacent channels. At night there was a major null to the west and southwest. Essentially the same setup as WMVP today. So for the most part, you probably weren't hearing both unless you were east.
When WJJD started as top 40 in '56, they found themselves with a 50kw signal that was inferior to chief competitor WIND's 5kw. Just one of several instances in the history of top 40 a.m. radio where a lower powered station actually had a better signal than a higher powered competitor.
b344077 said:
That has got to be a wonderful experience. Do you have any stories or anecdotes about working there? I'd love to hear them!
I was fortunate to have met Todd Storz shortly before his death, and he took the time to explain Top 40 to me in the year in which I put my first Top 40 station on the air. I think that his "crash course" had a great influence on my success, for which I am always grateful.
StorzDavidEduardo said:
I'd like to hear any stories, too....and I'd have liked to have been a fly on the wall at David's meeting with Mr. Storz. As it is, I feel fortunate to have had three Storz stations available during my college years in the late '60s. KXOK and WHB during the day, KOMA at night.
(Not to mention having been grateful that the family's Storz beer was selling at a very student-friendly price of 67 cents a six-pack during those days!)
East of Chicago, particularly in Buffalo, WLS and WCFL stormed in at night like locals in the late 60s and early 70s. Even with 900 CHML Hamilton, Ontario and 1010 CFRB Toronto on a first adjacents, WLS and WCFL were solid (thank you, Linc Hayes.) WLS and WCFL were great radio stations in their own right. I prefered WCFL for its energy and on air production. WLS probably had the stronger Chicago personalities. Both stations served as "clinics" for aspiring Top 40 jocks and aircheck collectors. Still have Buffalo native Tim Kelly on WCFL cassette... somewhere in the archives (aka, "radio junk in the basement.")cyberdad said:
Prais said:
Fisher seems to be enjoying himself and having fun on "Dungaree Doll", and probably could have done more or better if he were so inclined. Rock??? Well, okay maybe...at least by the standards of the time. Certainly fits what would have been the WIND definition of a rocker.
Como, on the other hand, to me always sounds forced and unnatural on "Kokomo" and the (very) slightly better "Juke Box Baby". At the time he was in his early 40s and probably going along with record company executives' attempt to tap into a youth audience. He probably realized these songs didn't fit him. But he was able to have some measure of success with a younger audience....and sound much better and more natural in the process....with sides like "Tina Marie", "Hot Diggety", "Glendora", and "Kewpie Doll". All of which (except maybe "Kewpie") still stand up as fairly decent examples of mid/late 50s novelty/pop. I was only in grade school, but I remember all of these getting lots of spins on WIND. (FWIW, I thought the best of Como's 50s major chart hits was his cover of "Don't let The Stars Get In Your Eyes")
Como also brought us the Fontaine Sisters, who did some fairly credible rocking of their own on their covers of "Hearts of Stone", "Seventeen", and "Daddy-O".
Hey Guys:
Enjoyed reading all of the posts. So I have this clear. WIND 560 was never a "TRUE 24 HOUR TOP 40" station like WLS, WJJD or WCFL? They only played Top 40 from there surveys I saw (57-58) Mon-Fri 5pm till 6pm and 9pm till 11pm. I saw an article from Billboard saying that WIND was an MOR for more than 50 years when it changed to all talk in 1978.
Thanks
T.J.
Enjoyed reading all of the posts. So I have this clear. WIND 560 was never a "TRUE 24 HOUR TOP 40" station like WLS, WJJD or WCFL? They only played Top 40 from there surveys I saw (57-58) Mon-Fri 5pm till 6pm and 9pm till 11pm. I saw an article from Billboard saying that WIND was an MOR for more than 50 years when it changed to all talk in 1978.
Thanks
T.J.
...I don't know what MOR ever played Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," Deep Purple's "Hush" or The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," all of which are in surviving '73-'75 airchecks of WIND...t.j. said:
t.j. said:
That's basically true. I can remember in the late 50s when WJJD would sign off I'd switch to WIND to get at least some pop music.
One night a week, I think it was Sundays, WIND would air a Top 21 countdown (their survey). That was a must listen for me because it was the only time I could hear Top 40 music when WJJD was off the air.
You probably already know that in the 70s WIND was mostly a gold based Top 40 station until the end in 78.
t.j. said:
WIND from the mid-50s through the very early 70s basically used a top-40 presentation....somewhat toned down, of course, with a mix of softer current hits and "MOR". The result was you'd hear Fats Domino, Pat Boone, some Elvis, etc. mixed with Sinatra, Doris Day, Guy Mitchell, etc. during the day. Then at night they'd open up and play most, if not all, of the top 40. It was a very successful approach.
By the time WLS and WJJD were "up and running" in the 60s....the top 40/MOR was on fulltime.
And yes, I remember the Sunday night countdown...hosted by Howard Miller, IIRC.
After WIND became fulltime oldies in '70 or '71 (with a current song thrown in once every half hour), "harder stuff" like Zeplin, etc. finally was getting played.
cyberdad said:
Thanks for mentioning Howard Miller on the Sunday night countdown show. I was going to mention his name, but I figured if he was on in the morning (Monday) what would he be doing on Sunday night? So I was hesitant to trust my memory. I also remember Milo Hamilton hosting that show a few times--"The Big MH"
Prais said:
No way would any teen of the day consider Fisher's "Dungaree Doll" to be anything near Rock 'n Roll. I know, I was there. Trust me, Eddie Fisher was known for only one thing - dumping Debbie Reynolds for Liz Taylor. Teens paid as much attention to Fisher as they did Lawrence Welk.
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