Regarding the significance of WILM during the Hawkins' years:
Go back and look at Arbitron books during the 1990s. The ratings were there. Enough people found the station worth listening to. If often beat WDEL. If the station had an FM co-owned station to split the back-office costs with, or if it had invested in some automation equipment so it would not have to be staffed 24/7 live, it might have made a profit. Not bad for a 1,000-watt stand-alone station.
We can debate personal views on WILM all we want. The proof is in whether the public found it worth listening to. And they did.
Go back and look at Arbitron books during the 1990s. The ratings were there. Enough people found the station worth listening to. If often beat WDEL. If the station had an FM co-owned station to split the back-office costs with, or if it had invested in some automation equipment so it would not have to be staffed 24/7 live, it might have made a profit. Not bad for a 1,000-watt stand-alone station.
We can debate personal views on WILM all we want. The proof is in whether the public found it worth listening to. And they did.