WLS - Late Sixties

Self | Self

[nanetteclaret]

WLS was mentioned in a post the other day, and several FReepers mentioned listening to it at night. Although WLS was located in Chicago, the range seemed to be across the country. I listened to it, here in Dallas, many nights (when the weather cooperated). How about you? Did any of you listen to WLS? I did, on my patent’s hi-fi in the living room - when I was doing my homework. 😉

[Fiji Hill]

A few more call letters explained:

• KEIB, "the Patriot" Rush Limbaugh's home in the Southland at 1150 kilocycles, is named for Excellence in Broadcasting, Limbaugh's slogan. It was formerly KRKD, named for the Arcade, a shopping arcade in downtown Los Angeles. These call letters can still be seen on the old transmission towers atop the structure.

• KFI, which carried Limbaugh's program for more than two decades, stands for Farm Information.

• KFAC, the Southland's classical music station at 1330 kcs., is named for Fuller-Auburn-Cord, an automaker.

• KDAY, at 1580 kcs. stood for "day" because it was a daytime-only station. In the 1970's, before conservative talk radio took off, the Southland's conservative underground tuned in to KDAY to hear programs like the the Rev. Steuart McBirnie's Voice of Americanism, the Rev. Carl McIntire's Twentieth Century Reformation, which clamored for victory in Vietnam, Life Line, hosted by Melvin Munn, which advocated "traditional American values," Richard Cotten's Conservative Viewpoint, and Radio Verite, hosted by Ron Wright, a spokesman for the John Birch Society. KDAY also featured an afternoon program hosted by the legendary disc jockey Dick Hugg, aka Huggy Boy, who played mostly "oldies," including a lot of "doo-wop."

[Tucker39]

I think it’s all MANAGEMENT. PRR, failing, merged with New York Central. Penn Central, failing, taken over by the Feds. Failing, split into freight and passenger divisions. Amtrak passenger needs serious gov’t support. Freight division taken over by Norfolk Southern and is FLOURISHING. I say it’s MANAGEMENT. Look at America beginning to flourish under Trump. MANAGEMENT.

[TomServo]

Listened to John “Records” Landecker all the time in Huntsville, AL - great stuff in the 70’s. My Mom listened to WLS when it was a country station.

[Tucker39]

Here in S. Central PA, add to that WKBW Buffalo, NY; WWVA Wheeling, WV; WCKY Cincinnati, OH; WRVA Richmond, VA to name a few. Those old vacuum tube radios were magic.

[Disambiguator]

I remember KOME 98.5 in San Jose in the 70s and early 80s.

“Don’t touch that dial, there’s KOME on it!”

(Yes, they actually used that tagline on the air.)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There’s a new station in LA, with call letters KCBC.
It came to life in the late 1940s in Des Moines, IA on 1390 kHz.

It went off the air sometime in the early 80s, beaten by KRNT (once owned by the Register & Tribune newspaper at 1350) and KSO, Des Moines, now owned by WHO and renamed KNXO at 1460.

Station KIOA once dominated central Iowa and down into mid-Missouri in the 1960s and 70s. New car dealers monitored radio station coverage by checking the buttons on car radios as the cars came in on trade. KIOA at 940 kHz was always the first or second button...

[CARTOUCHE]

Just for the west coasters who also have some radio nostalgia.

In 1963 Dad bought a Magnavox console HiFi which sat in the living room. The evening of the Great Alaska Earthquake on Good Friday 1964 I lay on the floor in front of the cabinet listening to wall to wall news coverage on KNBR and KGO. The previous Christmas each of us kids had received transistor radios and the Magnavox put them to shame.

When I did listen on the transistor it was to KKIS our local station in Pittsburg (CA)

[Yaelle]

I remember Dr. Demento played some verrry controversial historic songs that would get him thrown off the airwaves for sure today. I was shocked to hear he was still alive, he was at Weird Al’s star ceremony last week, because he discovered him.

His theme song is not coming to mind. But fishheads, how I hated that song! Lol. Funny, when I “go back” in my mind to that era, the little boy in my class I was crazy about, and both of us connected through Dr D, comes back into my mind, and 2 of my sons look just like him now.

[lneisone]

I was not supposed to stay up until 10:00 to listen to the top 3 but I did. That was my “gateway drug” to Clyde Clifford KAAY (Little Rock ?)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Clyde Clifford’s real name was...?

[Vaduz]

WLS was a good station I remember in the 60’s when mini skirts came about a DJ was fired from there for saying if skirts get any shorter the will have to power two more cheeks and comb another head of hair.
Don’t recall his name

[Fester Chugabrew]

Met and became acquainted with Fred Winston. He was kind enough to introduce our blues band at an event in SW Michigan a couple years ago. Great guy. Still has a golden voice.

[lneisone]

Dale Seidenschwarz I had to look it up. His show was called Beaker St I once drove to a head shop that advertised on his show. The “something?” Barn

[Rum Tum Tugger]

Lived in Chicago during the 1960’s. WLS with Dick Biondi was my fav.

[Let's Roll]

Iroquois County.

[Let's Roll]

We did our grocery shopping in Newton County, IN. My brother’s family lives in Newton County.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Bingo !
Clyde also hosted Stan’s Record Shop show, with the theme “You can’t sit down.” Sponsored by Stan’s in Ville Platte, LA...

[TwoSue]

Grew up across the lake in NW Indiana. Listened all the time.

[George from New England]

“The border blasters, just across the Mexican border and aimed north. Back in the day, XERF ran 250 KW, five times the US AM broadcast power limit. “

Then with AM, a station could positive modulate upwards of 200% and get the extra thousand miles to you. Then the FCC clamped down and set a + limit at 125%. That didnt stop Cuba or Mexico thou.

[cynwoody]

Then with AM, a station could positive modulate upwards of 200% and get the extra thousand miles to you. Then the FCC clamped down and set a + limit at 125%. That didnt stop Cuba or Mexico thou.

Those tricks lead to crappy audio.

Better to have gone to the Mexican limit of 500 KW, but with a clean signal.