News Talk 720?

[tjthedj]

I've heard the WBBM studios in the Wrigley referred to as being "in the basement."

I believe WIND was on the 5th floor. They used to sling records out the window into the river from there as the record library was on THAT side of the building. The WIND air studio had interior walls as did the "closet" of a news studio to the right of the air studio and the larger production studio to the left. There was a disc cutter on a table in front of the news studio. Except for a magnifier flourescent light in the main studio, the lighting in all those rooms reminded me of being in a mine.

The WIND board op could view all 3 places well. There were 3 Ampex tape decks (remote controlled from the board) behind the engineer (to establish DELAY for the new show "Contact") and also another 6 down the hall (South) to the newsroom. Those 6 played news cuts that came from Group W as well as local reporters who all had Wollensak machines.

The "record turner" sat on a foot high plaatform on the EAST wall of the main studio with (I believe) 4-16 inch turntables. Ed Turlikowski worked with Howard Miller. Al the record turners belonged to the musicians union. All the music and all the ads were on disc.

2 cart machines appeared just prior to the "Number 1 Music" format and sat on the control board. "Games" by Redeye was the first song to be carted. When music left the format, the music carts all wound up at WOWO, Ft. Wayne. A 30 minute cart was on top of those machines. On that cart was the "BREEM BREEM BREEM BREEM" Westingouse News electronic noise news intro that played at the top and bottom of EVERY hour. The 10pm news was a TAPE of the 9pm news for many years. Not sure why.

About 40 years ago I tried to explore if the Wrigley HAD a basement, but the RIVER SMELL made that too BOLD a journey.

 

[JoeU]

Dave Baum never worked at WGN. Baum started as a reporter at the old WNUS (1390 AM) the 1st all news station in Chicago before WBBM turned all news in 1968. He moved from WNUS (turning to beautiful music) to WIND as their city hall reporter. Dave took over to "Contact" talk show from Jack Aultmann in early 1969. Dave left WIND for KMOX in St. Louis after doing morning drive at WIND for a short time after Bob DelGiorno was fired in July of 1976.

Clark Weber (not Howard Miller) took over Contact when Dave Baum moved to mornings. Clark continued with Contact for a few years as WIND went to a full news block in Morning drive after turning News/Talk. Clark Weber would move to morning drive at WIND until they were sold by Group W in 1985.

Dave Baum only lasted one year at KMOX and returned to Contact when Clark Weber moved to morning drive at WIND. Dave eventually move to talk mid-days at WIND until being sold by Group W in 1985. Dave remained off radio until his return to WSCR "The Score" doing Saturday Morning talk sports around 1991 up to present.

Howard Miller never had a week day position at WIND as a talk show host after his return in the late 70's. He did a saturday night talk show from 9 to midnight and did fill in on Contact from time to time. Howard Miller held the number 1 morning drive position in Chicago at WIND from the mid 1950s until he was fired in 1968. Howard also did two shows on WIND during the very early 60s as he was on morning drive 6 to 9 and on for an hour at 1 PM in the afternoon. Howard Miller after being fired from WIND as hired by WCFL in September of 1968 at the insistence of William Lee who was the president of he Chicago Federation of Labor and WCFL. He lasted less than a year leaving for afternoons at WGN during June of 1969. He lasted about a year and a half at WGN. He then turned up at at WMAQ doing morning drive in late 1971. He lasted for about a year at WMAQ before being replaced by Clark Weber who moved from WCFL to WMAQ morning drive. Howard Miller passed away in November of 1994.

Bill Berg worked afternoons 12 to 3 PM at WIND as a disc jockey from about 1966 to 1969. Bill Berg did the first sports talk show in Chicago starting out with "Talk Sports with Leo Durocher". The show started in 1969 (6 to 8 PM) turning into "Talk Sports with Bill Berg" in September of 1969 after the Cubs started their free fall in September of that year. Bill Berg moved to WGN afternoon drive in 1970 after Howard Miller left WGN. WIND went back to Music from 6 to 10 PM after Bill Berg left moving Dave Baum and Contact from 10 PM to midnight. Bill Berg continued doing afternoon drive talk on WGN until being pushed out by Bob Collins around 1978. Bill Berg always wanted to do play by play for the Cubs but was never given he chance by WGN.

 

[tjthedj]

Hey Joe,
Sounds more correct. What is your info source?

The 1pm afternon Howard Miller show on WIND had this theme song;
"Here's How Heres How Heres How Heres How,
Here's Howard Miller.
Thats How thats how thats how thats how,
to make your day a killer.
If You're in the mood for an interlude of music,
he's the killer diller.
Here's How heres how heres how heres how,
Here's Howard Miller.

PS Howard was also on WIND Sunday nights at 10 for many years.

 

[cyberdad]

Joe, that's how I remember it. I remember him being on 'GN during afternoon drive around the time of my wedding (Nov '70), I also recall the Sunday night show on 'IND in the early 60s, which I think may have been taped.

 

[tjthedj]

I'm sure the Howard Miller Sunday night show was LIVE.

He gave the weather often. The idea was to get people to tune to WIND before they went to bed so their radios would be set there for morning drive.

What WAS recorded was the Monday 5-6am hour, their first our after their weekly sign on. They signed off either at 2 or 3 on Monday morning (can't remember). The last hour was a Westingouse news show, and a couple of religious programs (Showers of Blessing and another one)

The 5am hour on Monday was NOT Howard, but another dj and it was sponsored by Household Finance. The news live at 6 and then Howard began at 6:05 with his theme song, "Josephine" by Dick Jurgens.

 

[JoeU]

tjthedj & cyberdad,

My info source is my memory!

The theme songs I don't remember by name that well. I know one that he used to use was the "sunny side of the street".

Yes, Howard Miller was also on WIND on Sunday nights I believe from 9PM to Midnight. I believe he used to sleep over at the station until the Monday morning drive show. So, the show was live.

In my past post I forgot about WAIT. WAIT went all talk for a short 1 1/2 year stint. I believe Howard Miller did afternoon drive with Joel Sebastian doing morning drive and Jim Beatle doing mid days. This had to be about 1977 or 1978. This was even after a shorter stint where WAIT went Adult Contemporary after WIND dropped their AC format days in favor of news talk.

I believe someone lumped Eddie Schwartz with Eddie Hubard and Franklin McCormak all being on WGN at the same time. Eddie Schwartz did not make it to WGN radio until 1983 which was long after Franklin McCormak died (1970). Eddie Schwartz was Larry the Legand Johnson's producer (12AM to 5 AM) on WIND from 1970 through 1973. "Larry the lege" left to do TV in Green Bay, WI. Eddie Schwartz took that slot until 1979 when he was switched to afternoon Drive. WIND dropped their afternoon drive news block with Don Wattson at that time. Eddie went back to 12 AM to 5AM around 1980 or 1981 until he left for WGN in 1983.

 

[cyberdad]

TJ....you're absolutely right. I do remember Miller talking about the weather and the days sports results, etc. on the Sunday night 'IND show.

 

[tjthedj]

More memory test; I believe the WIND Sunday night show had the "Sunny Side of the Street" (Tommy Dorsey) theme.

O yea, WAIT as a talk station. I remember Howard Miller's last broadcast there, talking about the "experiment" that was, etc. I also remember Joel Sebastian in the morning there.

I'm not old enough to remember who did mornings on WGN BEFORE Eddie Hubbard had the morning show. I clearly remember Eddie there (his theme song was called something like "the women of Portugal" or something like that.)

I believe it was during Eddie's show that Officer Len Baldy died in the helecopter. Irv Hayden died in the afternoon (I believe during Wally's 5-6pm show).

I get the idea that Eddie must have started on WGN in the early 50's. I understand he did mornings in Baltimore prior to that. I'm not sure of the WGN history prior to Eddie. I know Two Ton Baker did mornings on WGN (there are some websites that refer to that) but I'm not sure about when. Two Ton was a great guy. I worked at channel 26 and got to know him quite well, when he did "Corral 26."

Also wondering, was WGN 24 hours prior to Franklyn MacCcormack and what was on?

 

[cyberdad]

Don't know who preceded Hubbard on mornings at WGN...Maybe "Two ton" was the guy. I remember "Two Ton" from his kids show on channel 7...dressed as a pirate! What I don't remember was Joel Sebastian at WAIT. I do, however, remeber him as one of the jocks at WIND in the early 60s (evenings), along with Dick Williamson, Chuck Benson, and Bernie Allen. A few years prior to that, the lineup of WIND jocks also included Milo Hamilton.

 

[Boogie Skank]

Larry 'The Legend' Johnson went from TV in Green Bay to mornings in Milwaukee at the old WZUU FM, the first Top 40 FM in Milwaukee. He did a good job of kicking AM WOKY's posterior for aproximately 10 years. They originally teamed him with newsman David Gaines who's now in Washington DC. I think he survived at least one or two format changes there before finally retiring.

Sad to say I heard that Larry died a couple of years ago, due to complications of that stroke.

 

[Ultimajock]

...Larry "The Legend" Johnson's newsman at WZUU was David HAINES. And Larry is *not* dead (unless the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel somehow refused to publish the obituary)...

 

[StevenGastreich]

...Larry "The Legend" Johnson's newsman at WZUU was David HAINES. And Larry is *not* dead (unless the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel somehow refused to publish the obituary)...

I believe David Haines is deceased. It seems like I remember hearing something about that from Tim Cuprisin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel a little while back.

 

[Ultimajock]

...David Haines died near Washington, DC last year. He had been the newsman on the "Don & Mike" show in the '90s, leaving a little while before WJJD picked the show up for the Chicago market. Oddly, he died the same week that Don Geronimo's wife was killed in a car crash...

 

[tjthedj]

"Larry "the ledge" was always great listening, a "natural" like Wally Phillips, Joel Sebastian, or Howard Miller.

 

[317C50KW]

Howard Miller, was News Talk 720?

I remember that Howard also owned WRRR-1330 in Rockford. I know I met him there in 1975 or '76. He was doing talk in the mornings.

Eddie Hubbard was still on the air until very recently in Dallas at KAAM-770. He's in his early 80's, and didn't sound too bad on the air. According to a friend who works for ABC's satellite service, Eddie was one of the original "Stardust" jocks when the service started as Satellite Music Network in the early 80's. He was still on the air there until last year.

 

[pcmacd]

Josephine It Is!

I'm sure the Howard Miller Sunday night show was LIVE.

He gave the weather often. The idea was to get people to tune to WIND before they went to bed so their radios would be set there for morning drive.

What WAS recorded was the Monday 5-6am hour, their first our after their weekly sign on. They signed off either at 2 or 3 on Monday morning (can't remember). The last hour was a Westingouse news show, and a couple of religious programs (Showers of Blessing and another one)

The 5am hour on Monday was NOT Howard, but another dj and it was sponsored by Household Finance. The news live at 6 and then Howard began at 6:05 with his theme song, "Josephine" by Dick Jurgens.

My mom used to have WIND Chicago, "The Howard Miller Show" on the radio which sat on our table, mornings when I was very young. I've been having his theme song in my head on and off for over a decade; I am now 67 years.

Today I finally figured it out thanks to this gentleman. "Josephine" by The Dick Jurgens orchestra.... The piano solo at 1 minute in was Miller's theme song.

This is an itch I have been trying to scratch for a very long time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8iYmGnGHEg&feature=youtu.be&autoplay=1

 

[davideduardo]

My mom used to have WIND Chicago, "The Howard Miller Show" on the radio which sat on our table, mornings when I was very young. I've been having his theme song in my head on and off for over a decade; I am now 67 years.

When I did Arbitron diary reviews in Columbia back in the late 90's for WIND (which had been in Spanish for years) I'd occasionally find non-Hispanic seniors listing "Howard Miller WGN".

Obviously, they were actually listening to Wally Phillips on WGN, but thinking Wally was Howard as the shows would have appealed to the same generation and lifestyle.

Of course... and topical today... Mr. Miller left WIND following remarks about the Martin Luther King assassination in 1968. He later joined WGN doing afternoons.

Miller's remarks in 1968 were supportive of the police and authorities who tried to avoid riots and violence. But many saw that as lacking in feeling for Reverend King, and protested. 52 years later, we are seeing the same thing all over again.

 

[radioman148]

When I did Arbitron diary reviews in Columbia back in the late 90's for WIND (which had been in Spanish for years) I'd occasionally find non-Hispanic seniors listing "Howard Miller WGN".

Obviously, they were actually listening to Wally Phillips on WGN, but thinking Wally was Howard as the shows would have appealed to the same generation and lifestyle.

Of course... and topical today... Mr. Miller left WIND following remarks about the Martin Luther King assassination in 1968. He later joined WGN doing afternoons.

Miller's remarks in 1968 were supportive of the police and authorities who tried to avoid riots and violence. But many saw that as lacking in feeling for Reverend King, and protested. 52 years later, we are seeing the same thing all over again.

I think it was before Miller went to WGN that he did mornings for short time on WCFL in 1969. It was very strange hearing him on a Top 40 station that played lots of music except when he was on.

 

[cyberdad]

I think it was before Miller went to WGN that he did mornings for short time on WCFL in 1969. It was very strange hearing him on a Top 40 station that played lots of music except when he was on.

Didn't Miller also end up on WMAQ for a time? He wasn't exactly a great fit there either, but certainly meshed better with the "chicken rock" format there than he did with top-40 WCFL.

 

[radioman148]

Didn't Miller also end up on WMAQ for a time? He wasn't exactly a great fit there either, but certainly meshed better with the "chicken rock" format there than he did with top-40 WCFL.

Yes, he was at WMAQ for awhile. I think it was after WCFL. He was at CFL in the first part of 1969. Then Clark Weber left WLS and took Miller's place at WCFL and they were able to Rock again in the morning.