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How about a WCFL rewind?

R

radioray

Wouldnt it be great if someone would put that together?

Frankly I dunno who would do it or where it would air (though if approached maybe AM 1000 would do it, cmon, one day....)

During the early 1960s, WLS was the only real top 40 station in the nation's second-largest market at the time, Chicago. But in fall 1965, WCFL switched to top 40, and WLS was no longer alone in the format. Ultimately Chicagoland radio listeners benefited because CFL's excellent sound during its first years in pop music forced WLS to improve.

Some famous announcers on WCFL included Dick Biondi, Jim Bohannon, Ron Britain, Bob Dearborn, Larry Lujack, Howard Miller, Barney Pip, Ron Riley, Art Roberts, Joel Sebastian, Clark Weber, Fred Winston, Wolfman Jack, and morning duo Dick (Saint) & Doug (Dahlgren). The comical Chicken Man vignette radio shows were born at WCFL during its early years as a top 40 station.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCFL
 
Unfortunately, I don't think a WCFL "rewind" will happen. At least not like the most enjoyable one that WLS did on Memorial Day.

AM 1000 is now sports talk, which does have programming of interest on holidays. In fact, AM 1000 carried play-by-play of a baseball game in the afternoon and the NBA West Finals during the evening.

In addition, I'm not so sure that anyone wants to point out the irony that years later both stations (890 and 1000) that brought many of us the greatest radio wars ever, are owned by the same company.

Furthermore, since the WCFL call letters are in use elsewhere, there might well be some permission issues, which, obviously don't exist with WLS.
 
What a perfect project for Bruce Dumont at the Museum of Broadcasting in Chicago. Why not call and suggest it to him?
Crabbing here won't help, and it is certainly NOT a project for the present am1000 battling for sports leadership.
 
That would be awsome a WCFL rewind weekend ..on am 1000 for the 4 th of July.

An LMA for a day ... or broken the time


You got my vote , just gotta put it together

Air1
 
Lujack would have to re-retire at this rate... Great idea.

There must be tons of Britain, Pip, Sebastian, Winston, John Gannon news et al...and my all night fave - Stan Dale "Stan the All Night Man" who did Talk, if memory serves (for a short time,) along with the obligatory half-dozen records.

I've got the entire Anita Kerr/Chuck Blore jingles from 'CFL (and the TM jingles, too) that I'd donate if anyone can get it going.

I listened from 1,500 miles away near Philadelphia and won't ever forget one of the best radio wars ever, in my opinion.

What a thrill to hear those airchecks and features again...
 
A Super CFL retrospective would be terrific. But as has been mentioned above, not sure where it would air. CFL, in my mind, was at its best when it took on 'LS head on in the early 70's. They were so different in approach, but they both relied on personality, albeit CFL tended to spread it out a bit as opposed to hitting you over the head every five minutes. I loved both stations! Lujack on CFL was simply fantastic, and I think he told us that numerous times! ;) The way he would ramp up those intros for 10-15 minutes, then step down and just do a relatable "bit" was what radio was, and should be, all about. Combine it with clean shotgun jingles and you have radio magic. Too bad today's generation can't and won't be able to relate.
 
I do hope that board members have heard the aircheck of Uncle Lar stickin' around and introducing 'CFLs "Beautiful Music" format when it dropped Top 40. It is priceless and to hear him so tongue-in-cheek, knowing that he was being paid big contract bucks basically just to do legal IDs.

It was so funny.

That aircheck needs to be in the Museum of Broadcasting. I wanted to hear "Animal Stories" so bad then ...

Wasn't it something like "Beautiful Mutual 1000" or like that?
 
Back when there was a required 'news content' WCFL's news was very well done, and darn hard to tune away from. WLS had ABC Contemporary, but it was network, and had to be done a certain way.
 
The news comment adds to the memories. Can't forget WCFL's news hitting around :45 - :48 past the hour, so that people would flip over to WLS only to hear one more song going into their news....and then it was back to 'CFL for their music sweep thru the top of the hour! Not to mention Red Mottlow on sports - "I'm into it every day!".
 
Maybe I'm having a senior moment, but didn't CFL have news at 15 and 45 after the hour? Seems like they had it twice during the hour, but it might just be memory malfunction.
 
Maybe I'm having a senior moment, but didn't CFL have news at 15 and 45 after the hour? Seems like they had it twice during the hour, but it might just be memory malfunction.



I'm thinking they did during morning drive, when WLS had news at :25 and :55. But I seem to recall that both went with only the :45 / :55 casts during afternoon drive in order to keep playing the hits.
 
Yes. CFL had news at 15 and 45 for a spell.

HOWIE ROBERTS, JIM FRANK, CAROLE SIMPSON and others. My dad used to say "Howie Roberts sounds like he had his head in a rain barrel."

Their news sounded good.

I still love (long deceased) Joel Sebastian, too.
 
Joel Sebastian is a lost Chicago jewel.

Many probably don't realize that Kris Erik Stevens was on WLTH Radio in Gary, IN prior to the big move to Chicago's CFL and LS.
 
Thanks for the newscasters' names. Carole Simpson was a favorite.
Another thing 'CFL had was excellent processing. They really jumped out of the radio! I remember how good "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" by Carly Simon sounded on 'CFL.
I worked for awhile at their twin, formatically, KTLK in Denver. Sadly, they couldn't hold a candle to Super CFL...
 
(music fades)

PREVIEW! (a few seconds of the song that would follow the news)

DJ; WCFL, The Voice of Labor, It's __O'Clock, Chicago!

News Announcer; "This is WCFL News!"

Sounder; (no words but 4 drake-ish imitator brassy music notes to the tune of "You can tell it's 'cfl!).

I also really loved the "Capsule Countdown" -playing the "title bars of (somtimes) the top 10 - and (sometimes) the top 3.

Wow, what (you'lll pardon the expression) energy!!
 
My name is Bruce Cole. You can tell by my "handle" on this board that I'm a big fan of those great days of top forty radio characterized by WLS and WCFL. I do middays on WQBW-FM in Milwaukee, a ClearChannel station (nom d'air Carson). WOKY is also part of our group. Some of you may remember that station from its heyday in the 60s and 70s as the Mighty 92 WOKY. Art Roberts, Barney Pip, Bob Collins, Jack McCoy, Sam Hale, the original Mitch Michaels, all did stints at that station. I'll get to fill in and play the hits, complete with the old jingles, etc. this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. will be Dick Sloane, who went from WOKY to 99X WXLO, New York back in the 70s. It's a ton of fun to be part of all that.

Enough of the too-long introduction. I have an idea. Probably, WMVP wouldn't want to jump out of format like WLS did this past weekend. Weekends are good for sports talk formats and being the second to do something doesn't excite most programmers. But...I wonder if The Museum of Broadcast Communications would support an effort to pull the talent that are still alive together with the production elements, and broadcast for a day using their studio there and streaming it on their website. Any thoughts on that idea?
 
Bruce. Sounds good. Check out post #3 in this string. Been there. Thought That. Great idea. BRUCE is a great guy.
 
Drake-Chennault Top 40 flamethrowers such as WCFL and KHJ here in LA were always noteworthy for their exceptional production; I NEVER knew that AM radio could sound THAT astonishing.

I rmember Kris Erik Stevens was an absolute wunderkind in broadcasting history; I recall a 1971 film entitled 'T. R. Baskin' in which Candice Bergen is listening to KES while he was on the air at WLS; he must have been barely 21 or 22 years old then.
 
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