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WLS AM/FM SOLD

radioman148 said:
howardm said:
No, original disc jockeys on 890 in 1960 were Dick Biondi, Mort Crowley, Sam Holman, Ed Grennan, Gene Taylor, & Bob Hale.
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And Jim Dunbar.
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I was referring to these gentlemen when I said "the original seven". The others came before and after. Although Don MacNeill's Breakfast Club continued for a couple of years into the top 40 format (Between Mort Crowley and Jim Dunbar). Martha Crane also hung on for a little while with short in-program "featurettes" for women. Clark Weber came on board a couple of years after the top 40 launch....basically fulfilling a promise Sam Holman had made to him from their Milwaukee days. He was the second replacement for the "original seven". Art Roberts was the first, when he took over for Ed Grennan.

Safe to say, all the people we're talking about here relating to the "original seven" and their first replacements were great hires. Grennan may have been an exception. But my understanding is that he didn't like or fit the format and wanted out anyway.
 
cyberdad said:
Although Don MacNeill's Breakfast Club continued for a couple of years into the top 40 format (Between Mort Crowley and Jim Dunbar).
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...McNeill's show lasted on WLS until a couple of days after Christmas 1968, not just "a couple of years into the top 40 format." I live in Southern California now, and just last week I happened to come across Don McNeill's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as I was running errands along Hollywood Boulevard (it's on the north side of the 6300 block). There's also a few other Radio and TV stars on the Walk given to WLS Radio alumni -- Fibber McGee & Molly (east side of the 1500 block of Vine Street, in front of where their later broadcast home, NBC Radio City, used to stand), Gene Autry (he's got five different stars), George Gobel (south side of the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard) and a batch of individual stars on the west side of the 1700 block of Vine Street: Harold "Gildersleeve" Peary, Freeman "Amos" Gosden & Charles "Andy" Correll...
 
Great names...all!

I don't recall Mac Neill's show lasting into 1968 on WLS, but as always, I stand to be corrected. I do seem to remember, however, that he continued on the ABC network for a number of years after WLS' flip in May of 1960. Perhaps Mac Neil's show continued on the FM side.

Another thing I do remember is Mac Neill doing commercials for breakfast at McDonald's shortly before his passing. I thought that was very cool and very classy on McDonald's part.
 
Mac Neill's show did last until 1968 on WLS-AM. It seemed so out of place, especially in the last few years on WLS.
That and their "News-scope" programming actually hurt them after WCFL got into the fight in 1965.
When ABC adopted "The Contemporary Network" in 68, both WLS & WABC dropped the Breakfast Club and most of their extra long news programs.
 
cyberdad said:
Great names...all!

I don't recall Mac Neill's show lasting into 1968 on WLS, but as always, I stand to be corrected. I do seem to remember, however, that he continued on the ABC network for a number of years after WLS' flip in May of 1960. Perhaps Mac Neil's show continued on the FM side.
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...indeed, in the final months of The Don McNeill Show, as the title was by then, it was on the FM only (they simulcast Clark Weber until 8 and then carried McNeill live from 8 to 9, switching back to Weber for his final hour until 10). In its last couple of years on the AM, The Breakfast Club had been tape-delayed to 10:00-11:00 (between Weber and Bernie Allen) from its live network production at 8:00; interestingly, this pit McNeill directly against his old CBS rival Arthur Godfrey on WBBM. The final McNeill broadcast was on Friday, December 27, 1968, when afternoon driver Larry Lujack was filling in on the morning drive shift (I'm not sure if Weber had left for WCFL by then, and/or Bill Bailey had officially taken over that shift yet). After McNeill's sign-off with his customary spiritual farewell, Lujack purposely played a gag on the FM audience by rejoining the simulcast with the most raucous record on the WLS playlist at the time, The Beatles' "Revolution" :D ...
 
I believe Weber left WLS at the end of July 69. Not sure when his first show on WCFL was, but Bill Bailey from Louisville replaced him at WLS on August 1, 1969.
Bailey was a disaster on WLS and was replaced briefly by Art Roberts about 7 months later.
Finally Lujack took over mornings on WLS in Oct 1970.
 
In its last couple of years on the AM, The Breakfast Club had been tape-delayed to 10:00-11:00 (between Weber and Bernie Allen)...

Actually, to get into some real minutia, McNeill was originally between Weber and Gene Taylor, who was the WLS program director at the time. Taylor was on from 11:00 to noon, News-scope was from noon to 12:30, and Bernie Allen was on from 12:30 to 3:00. Eventually, Allen added Taylor's late-morning shift to his on-air time (with News-scope still in play for awhile).
 
howardm said:
Wasn't Breakfast Club broadcast from the Tic Tac Room of the Allerton Hotel on Michigan Ave.?
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The Allerton was (and still is) better known for the "Tip Top Tap". Not sure if "Tic Tac Room" was the same room, another room, another name, or whatever. But "Tip Top Tap".....now THERE'S fine venue for a breakfast program "eye opener". Bottoms-up and off into the sunset! ;D
 
Tip Top Tap closed a long time ago.
The sign is still there at the top of the Allerton Hotel, but they gave up a long time ago trying to compete.

I really could give myself a good hard kick for not going there before it closed.

Ya can't do everything, even if you want to. :-\
 
When did WLS move out of the Stone Container Building? Anyone ever visit that fifth floor lately at 360 Michigan Ave? Wonder what was there now?
 
I visited studio on Michigan Ave in the last era of Larry Lujack's morning show. Studio at that time was only open during that show. I think date was late 80's but not sure. Catherine Johns was the news announcer at that time.
 
Tom Wells said:
Tip Top Tap closed a long time ago.
The sign is still there at the top of the Allerton Hotel, but they gave up a long time ago trying to compete.

I really could give myself a good hard kick for not going there before it closed.
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You and me both, Tom! I knew the Tip Top had closed, but I thought it had also re-opened when the Allerton re-branded as part of the IC Hotels/Crown Plaza group.

Someone mentioned WLS in the Stone Container Building. I was there once as a freshman or sophomore in high school. Art Roberts was behind the glass on the air, and came out to visit a couple of times during breaks. Dick Biondi and Bob Hale also stopped by for a few minutes each. IIRC, Gene Taylor also came out said hello. I'm pretty sure his duties were 100% off-air at that point.
 
I also visited WLS in the early 60s in the Stone Container Building. Art Roberts would always come out of the studio during the news to talk to the kids. Also met Gene Taylor and Bernie Allen.
Last time I was up there was in the late 80s when Landecker was on the air.
 
I really don't care for all the sports talk now on WLS. I miss turning on Roe's show at 5 PM and listening to the top 5 stories of the day. If I wanted to hear sports, I would turn on the Score or ESPN. I now listen to WIND for the Answer! How do you feel about all the sports on THE BIG 89?
 
Dr Wayne said:
I really don't care for all the sports talk now on WLS. I miss turning on Roe's show at 5 PM and listening to the top 5 stories of the day. If I wanted to hear sports, I would turn on the Score or ESPN. I now listen to WIND for the Answer! How do you feel about all the sports on THE BIG 89?
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My guess is they are trying to increase listeners with the 25-50 men demo in order to increase advertising revenue.
WLS-AM's ratings haven't exactly been stellar lately.
 
radioman148 said:
Dr Wayne said:
I really don't care for all the sports talk now on WLS. I miss turning on Roe's show at 5 PM and listening to the top 5 stories of the day. If I wanted to hear sports, I would turn on the Score or ESPN. I now listen to WIND for the Answer! How do you feel about all the sports on THE BIG 89?
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My guess is they are trying to increase listeners with the 25-50 men demo in order to increase advertising revenue.
WLS-AM's ratings haven't exactly been stellar lately.
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Since Cumulus distributes CBS Sports Radio, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if WLS became that network's Chicago affiliate, once their contracts with Limbaugh and Hannity expire (same goes for WABC in NY). I can't see CBS wanting to just run the network overnights on The Score for an extended period of time. The days of geezer-friendly political talk are coming to an end. Don & Roma's unfortunate-but-necessary retirement just hastens the inevitable.
 
I listened to the 5PM hour on WLS until it turned to Sports. Aren't there enough places to get sports in Chicago? I now listen to Garry at 5 on WGN. Too much sports programming, not only in Chicago,but everywhere. Overkill.
 
benale said:
I listened to the 5PM hour on WLS until it turned to Sports. Aren't there enough places to get sports in Chicago? I now listen to Garry at 5 on WGN. Too much sports programming, not only in Chicago,but everywhere. Overkill.
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I agree--2 sports stations are enough, if you include ESPN 1000 and their ratings are dropping everyday.
 
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