WLS AM/FM SOLD

[radioman148]

560 or 1160--the 2 stations where rock music was first heard in Chicago. Bring back the WJJD calls.

I thought WIND was predominantly an MOR station. How much rock 'n' roll did they play during the 50s and early 60s. WJJD probably would've done better if it didn't have to sign off at sunset to protect KSL Salt Lake City!

WIND was mostly MOR, but they did publish a survey and on Sunday nights played the Top 21 hits.

Was that Sunday night show hosted by Milo Hamilton? ???

I guess since WJJD was daytime only, WIND's top 21 show on Sunday night was the only place in Chicago to hear rock 'n' roll at night until WLS came on the scene.

Indeed it was hosted by Milo Hamilton--I remember him well on WIND--"The Big MH"

 

[radioman148]

I guess since WJJD was daytime only, WIND's top 21 show on Sunday night was the only place in Chicago to hear rock 'n' roll at night until WLS came on the scene.

When did WYNR 1390 first appear? Was it before or after WLS switched to rock?

WYNR took on WLS on Sept 1, 1962. They had virtually no success as their 5KW-D could not begin to compare to WLS' big signal. WYNR used to always say they played more music. Even had a jingle to that effect, but they didn't last too long.
The first serious challenge to WLS was WCFL.

 

[uncamark]

I guess since WJJD was daytime only, WIND's top 21 show on Sunday night was the only place in Chicago to hear rock 'n' roll at night until WLS came on the scene.

When did WYNR 1390 first appear? Was it before or after WLS switched to rock?

WYNR took on WLS on Sept 1, 1962. They had virtually no success as their 5KW-D could not begin to compare to WLS' big signal. WYNR used to always say they played more music. Even had a jingle to that effect, but they didn't last too long.
The first serious challenge to WLS was WCFL.

Seems to me that WMAQ was very briefly Top 40 in the mid-60s and that Mike Joseph was doing his usual tricks for a few weeks until NBC in New York ordered that the station go back to MOR. I recall seeing some Tribune ads to that effect and someone complaining about rock and roll on their good music station. Anyone remember?

 

[radioman148]

I guess since WJJD was daytime only, WIND's top 21 show on Sunday night was the only place in Chicago to hear rock 'n' roll at night until WLS came on the scene.

When did WYNR 1390 first appear? Was it before or after WLS switched to rock?

WYNR took on WLS on Sept 1, 1962. They had virtually no success as their 5KW-D could not begin to compare to WLS' big signal. WYNR used to always say they played more music. Even had a jingle to that effect, but they didn't last too long.
The first serious challenge to WLS was WCFL.

Seems to me that WMAQ was very briefly Top 40 in the mid-60s and that Mike Joseph was doing his usual tricks for a few weeks until NBC in New York ordered that the station go back to MOR. I recall seeing some Tribune ads to that effect and someone complaining about rock and roll on their good music station. Anyone remember?

I certainly don't remember WMAQ going Top 40. I do remember them playing a soft Beatle tune or two when Bob Hale left WLS & went there, but I have no recollection of them being a full time Top 40. Anyone else remember this?

 

[cyberdad]

WMAQ came up with what they called the "Q" format in the mid-60s. Uptempo MOR....or more blunt/more correctly "chicken rock".
I never heard that the NBC suits in New York tried to put a stop to it. I wouldn't doubt that, but they were still pretty much "chicken rock" to one degree or another until they went country in the early or mid '70s.

As for WIND, indeed Milo Hamilton was one of the jocks in the mid 50s.There was a story that he lent his name to multiple "teen record hops" that went on simultaneously on Saturday nights, etc. As the story goes...and who knows if it's true....there'd be these several hops going on run by other people. Then at some point, Milo would show up, intoduce a couple of tunes, pick up a check, and then move on to the next one to repeat the process!

I don't know how long this went on....if indeed it even happened at all.

I do, however, remember that WIND was more pure top 40 at night than it was during the day. At night, Patti Paige, Vic Damone, etc, might be replaced by Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Gene Vincent, & company.

 

[radioman148]

WMAQ came up with what they called the "Q" format in the mid-60s. Uptempo MOR....or more blunt/more correctly "chicken rock".
I never heard that the NBC suits in New York tried to put a stop to it. I wouldn't doubt that, but they were still pretty much "chicken rock" to one degree or another until they went country in the early or mid '70s.

As for WIND, indeed Milo Hamilton was one of the jocks in the mid 50s.There was a story that he lent his name to multiple "teen record hops" that went on simultaneously on Saturday nights, etc. As the story goes...and who knows if it's true....there'd be these several hops going on run by other people. Then at some point, Milo would show up, intoduce a couple of tunes, pick up a check, and then move on to the next one to repeat the process!

I don't know how long this went on....if indeed it even happened at all.

I do, however, remember that WIND was more pure top 40 at night than it was during the day. At night, Patti Paige, Vic Damone, etc, might be replaced by Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Gene Vincent, & company.

Yes in the late 50s WIND did play more Top 40 at night, probably taking advantage of WJJD being rundown at sundown. I even remember Howard Miller pulling double duty & hosting that nightime countdown show a few times.

 

[secondchoice]

i miss WJJD also! but because sunrise to sunset= WLS put them under top 40 24/7 where would you go.it was a great station at it's time. have a great day.

Yes their daytime only status really hurt them along with the fact WLS had much better sounding DJs. WLS blew them out of the water pretty quickly in the early 60s & WJJD changed to MOR.

Didn't WJJG "go country" in the mid to late 1960's. I think my dad listened when he was transferred to Chicago.

 

[KeithE4]

Didn't WJJG "go country" in the mid to late 1960's. I think my dad listened when he was transferred to Chicago.

No, but WJJD did. ;D They were country from the late '60s to the early '80s, IIRC. I thought they were a better country station than WMAQ, although they didn't make me rich.

 

[Dr Wayne]

WMAQ Personalities Late 60's
Henry Cooke 6-10 AM
Pat Sheridan 10-2 PM
Mark Edwards 2-7 PM
Floyd Brown 7-10:30 PM

I believe Howard Miller took over 6 - 10 Am for awhile in 1970

Later in the Early 70's
Clark Weber 6-10 AM
Pat Sheridan 10-1
Joel Sebastan 1-4
Jim Stagg 4-8
Bob Beasley 8-12

 

[radioman148]

WMAQ Personalities Late 60's
Henry Cooke 6-10 AM
Pat Sheridan 10-2 PM
Mark Edwards 2-7 PM
Floyd Brown 7-10:30 PM

I believe Howard Miller took over 6 - 10 Am for awhile in 1970

Later in the Early 70's
Clark Weber 6-10 AM
Pat Sheridan 10-1
Joel Sebastan 1-4
Jim Stagg 4-8
Bob Beasley 8-12

Didn't Henry Cooke do an all night truckers show on WMAQ in the 70s?

 

[KeithE4]

Didn't Henry Cooke do an all night truckers show on WMAQ in the 70s?

That was Fred Sanders, unless Cooke preceded him.

 

[uncamark]

Didn't Henry Cooke do an all night truckers show on WMAQ in the 70s?

That was Fred Sanders, unless Cooke preceded him.

Cooke retired after doing morning (although I believe he continued to do TV announcing for a while). Jim Hill was the all-night man for years (and early morning booth announcer on TV and fill-in weatherman) until the flip to country and Sanders' all-night show. Hill continued to do the early morning announce shift on TV and became the early morning weatherman on TV. It seems that he was forced to retire because he had trouble running the computer weather graphics, but Sirott might've stayed at 5 doing "First Thing in the Morning" longer if Hill had stayed around and wasn't replaced by the obnoxious Roberta Gonzales.

 

[radioguy39nj]

As for WIND, indeed Milo Hamilton was one of the jocks in the mid 50s.There was a story that he lent his name to multiple "teen record hops" that went on simultaneously on Saturday nights, etc. As the story goes...and who knows if it's true....there'd be these several hops going on run by other people. Then at some point, Milo would show up, intoduce a couple of tunes, pick up a check, and then move on to the next one to repeat the process!

I don't know how long this went on....if indeed it even happened at all.

I do, however, remember that WIND was more pure top 40 at night than it was during the day. At night, Patti Paige, Vic Damone, etc, might be replaced by Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Gene Vincent, & company.

Yes in the late 50s WIND did play more Top 40 at night, probably taking advantage of WJJD being rundown at sundown. I even remember Howard Miller pulling double duty & hosting that nightime countdown show a few times.

Sounds like the formula at a number of Westinghouse stations during the 50s and 60s, MOR by day, top 40 at night. Makes perfect sense WIND would take advantage of WJJD being daytime only.

 

[radioman148]

Didn't Henry Cooke do an all night truckers show on WMAQ in the 70s?

That was Fred Sanders, unless Cooke preceded him.

My error.

 

[Ultimajock]

...Chuck Berry wrote in his autobiography that he would appear on a rock 'n roll radio show at WGN in the '50s -- might this have been an early assignment of Wally Phillips' after he first arrived from WLW Cincinnati? On the WGN-TV 40th Anniversary special in 1988, Geraldo Rivera commented that Wally was also a Dick Clark-like disc jockey on Channel 9 before Jim Lounsbury did The Record Hop on WGN-TV and WBKB?...

 

[Dr Wayne]

I read recently that Lee Rogers (Former WIND Jock) was let go from a west coast station where he did mornings for several years. I recall in the late 60's
Chuck Benson/Kurt Russel did 6-10 AM, Lee Rogers 10-2 PM and Dale Ulmer 2-6 PM. I believe a sports show was on in the evening.

 

[radioman148]

I read recently that Lee Rogers (Former WIND Jock) was let go from a west coast station where he did mornings for several years. I recall in the late 60's
Chuck Benson/Kurt Russel did 6-10 AM, Lee Rogers 10-2 PM and Dale Ulmer 2-6 PM. I believe a sports show was on in the evening.

The sports show that was on in the evening was hosted by a guy named "Berg". I can't remember his first name, but he later went to WGN. Was it Bill?

 

[radioman148]

...Chuck Berry wrote in his autobiography that he would appear on a rock 'n roll radio show at WGN in the '50s -- might this have been an early assignment of Wally Phillips' after he first arrived from WLW Cincinnati? On the WGN-TV 40th Anniversary special in 1988, Geraldo Rivera commented that Wally was also a Dick Clark-like disc jockey on Channel 9 before Jim Lounsbury did The Record Hop on WGN-TV and WBKB?...

Wally Phillips did host an evening show on WGN where he did play pop music. He mentioned later that he never liked Rock & Roll, but that's what he was told to play.

 

[KeithE4]

I read recently that Lee Rogers (Former WIND Jock) was let go from a west coast station where he did mornings for several years. I recall in the late 60's
Chuck Benson/Kurt Russel did 6-10 AM, Lee Rogers 10-2 PM and Dale Ulmer 2-6 PM. I believe a sports show was on in the evening.

The sports show that was on in the evening was hosted by a guy named "Berg". I can't remember his first name, but he later went to WGN. Was it Bill?

The name Bill Berg sounds familiar from WGN. IIRC, he did afternoons there in the '70s.

 

[radioman148]

I read recently that Lee Rogers (Former WIND Jock) was let go from a west coast station where he did mornings for several years. I recall in the late 60's
Chuck Benson/Kurt Russel did 6-10 AM, Lee Rogers 10-2 PM and Dale Ulmer 2-6 PM. I believe a sports show was on in the evening.

The sports show that was on in the evening was hosted by a guy named "Berg". I can't remember his first name, but he later went to WGN. Was it Bill?

The name Bill Berg sounds familiar from WGN. IIRC, he did afternoons there in the '70s.

Yes, and before WGN he hosted an evening sports show on WIND in the late 60s.