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]

Once when I was parked high on a mountain in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, my car radio got stations from coast to coast--KFI in Los Angeles and Radio Taino, an English-language station, in Havana, Cuba.

Once when I was in Key West, Fla., I heard Radio Moscow on the car radio. It was broadcast over Radio Taino.

[cynwoody]

In the late 80’s just before all the clear channels went away I could listen to Texas Rangers Baseball games (On a good night) in our flat in the Mid-levels of Hong Kong. It was pretty amazing.

That's damn good for the AM broadcast band! I once listened to WBAL (AM 1090) in Baltimore while parked in a rental car by the sea in Plymouth, England. That's a distance of 3500 miles. No doubt, being right by the water helped.

I've often heard WBZ (AM 1030) in Boston while visiting Chicago, especially when driving along the lake. It used to be routine to hear WLS in Boston at night, until they licensed a station in Dedham on the frequency. There are now 31 stations in the US and Canada on 890 (and 41 on 1030!). So much for clear channel.

[nanetteclaret]

That’s wild!

[dfwgator]

Yes in the 80s, Radio Havana Cuba was all over the dial in South Florida.

[nanetteclaret]

So much had to do with the weather!

[dfwgator]

So much had to do with the weather!

Also sunspot activity.

[cynwoody]

He is still coming down for breakfast, according to the Wikipedia.

Dick Biondi

Dick Biondi at WCFL
circa 1967

[nanetteclaret]

Not to be all tin foil hatty or anything, but I wonder how much chemtrails have to do with not picking up radio signals previously being heard ?

[bamagirl1944]

Listened to it in LA (Lower Alabama) all the time in the 1960’s. That and WLAC in Nashville, TN.

[Fiji Hill]

It's hard to find airchecks from the 1960s as most people did not have tape recorders back then.

In the 1980's, I bought dozens of airchecks on cassette from Tom Konard, who operated a business called Aircheck Acres in Wild Rose, Wisc. I don't know if they are still in business.

There used to be a wonderful Internet resource for airchecks called Reel Radio, but it was apparently sued out of existence by the Recording Industry Association of America, the music industry lobby.

[FreedomPoster]

>>AM radion at 3 a.m. in southern Georgia in 1979 did not have much to offer a midwest college kid.

Believable!

Now FM in Atlanta was pretty good. 96 Rock was decent in the day, and the GA Tech and GA State college stations, WREK and WRAS, were both worthwhile as well. WREK had some great Friday night shows in particular, and WRAS might have gotten you some early B-52s and other early Athens/college scene new wave bands Iike the Swimming Pool Q’s.

[hsmomx3]

WLS...great, great memories!

One of the members of New Colony Six is from my hometown and we attended the same church

[Fiji Hill]

I remember Dick Biondi, “the wild Italian,” when he was on KRLA in late 1964 and 1965.

[Chode]

those were the days

[aomagrat]

When I was in high school in the early ‘70’s I delivered the Charlotte Observer in the mornings before school. I listened to WLS, WWL, WNBC, WSB

[tet68]

WLAC, used to listen to it here in Atlanta.
I think it was home to Earnie’s Record Mart.
They sold records, mostly 45s in package deals
mostly country.

Also listened to WWL coming from the Blue Room at
the hotel Roosevelt. Leon Kellner, his accordion
and orchestra.

Growing up I listened to the radio on a little Chrystal
radio shaped like a rocket. I don’t know the channel but
I used to listen after lights out to a program called
X Minus 1, all SciFi radio plays.

[cynwoody]

And then there were the Mexican stations. The most famous being XERF

Ah, yes! 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.

[Oklahoma]

“WBAP was the home of Bill Mack, who had a nightly show after midnight for the truckers.”

In my youth I would listen to Bill Mack and Horace Logan on KPCN in Grand Prairie. Mack later moved over to WBAP. I would listen to those stations during the day when not in school, then switch to the Clear Channel stations at night. WLS had a strong signal as did WHO, WOAI, WSM, KMOX and WWL. Lum & Abner were still broadcast on WHO and WWL had live broadcasts from the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.

Do you remember how WBAP and WFAA would switch off on their signals?

[dfwgator]

Do you remember
Back in nineteen sixty-six?

Country Jesus, hillbilly blues,
That’s where I learned my licks.

Oh, from coast to coast and line to line
In every county there,
I’m talkin’ ‘bout that outlaw X
Is cuttin’ through the air.

Anywhere, y’all,
Everywhere, y’all,
I heard it, I heard it,
I heard it on the X.

We can all thank Doctor be
Who stepped across the line.
With lots of watts he took control,
The first one of its kind.

So listen to your radio
Most each and every night
‘cause if you don’t I’m sure you won’t
Get to feeling right.

Anywhere, y’all,
Everywhere, y’all,
I heard it, I heard it,
I heard it on the X.

-ZZ Top

[stinkerpot65]

Larry Lujack - Boogie Check!