Posted on 09/01/2018 7:22:52 PM PDT by 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. 😉
When I was in grade school, we lived in northern Indiana, about 100 miles from Chicago, for a while.
We referred to our location as being behind the corn silk curtain.
I loved radio as a kid too, but on the west coast we never got that station. I remember my parents listening to KMPC - was it talk radio with some songs thrown in? Top 40 with some chattery dj’s?
And we kids listened to 93 KHJ! And eventually to “album oriented rock” stations like KLOS and my favorite KMET. (Tweedle dee) Those dj’s made a lot of references to smoking weed. And back in elementary school I was hooked on Dr. Demento and I’ve been in love with Weird Al since those days! He just got his star on the walk of fame last week.
Just for the west coasters who also have some radio nostalgia.
Now I have DD’s theme song and Fishheads stuck in my head!
I remember Larry Lujack from the days he was at KJR in Seattle. KJR had some terrific DJs in the sixties. Sure do miss the heydays of AM top 40 rock ‘n roll.
Must have been doing something else - Bump! ;-)
Wasn’t Wolfman Jack also on XPRS? This would have been in 1972.
Central Illinois, west of Danville.
Our Big-4, back in my youth were WLS (Chicago), WBZ (Boston), WLW (Cincinnati), and WWL (New Orleans).
I enjoyed them all.
Yep, in northern Michigan at night.....
In the late 50s, and early 60s, in Northern Minnesota, all us ‘kids’ would wait expectantly for darkness to come so we could get WLS on our old vacuum tube car radios.
For me, it was WKBW in Buffalo.
Thanks for this. I could never remember Dick Bondi’s name. I listened to him in North Ga. during the early 60’s. I can remember my Dad yelling turn that off, it’s nothing but static. But I could hear him and the songs.
Don’t be nervous.
Don’t be rocky.
You’re our teenaged guest disc jockey now.
L
WLS, WKBW and WIBG (Philly) were the three best in the early 60’s.
Lyle Dean went over to WLS’s competitor, then worked for ABC Contemporary Net.
I listened to WKRP growing up.
The home of more music and Les Nesman
Oddly, yours is the only mention of the Motown powerhouse CKLW.
I enjoy reading the history of that station. I got into it toward the end of the heyday early 70’s.
Byron McGregor and Jojo Shutty were still around. I remember Pat Holliday, Super Max Kinkel and a few others.
A while back, I was looking for 20/20 News clips. Staccato voice with teletype machine background. “The Detroit City morgue has eight new visitors lying on stretchers with toe tags today after a horrific murder...”
WLS, 890 AM, was a 50,000 watt clear channel radio station in those days and could be heard all over the midwest at night. I think it is still a 50,000 watt station, but regulations over the last 20-30 years has required it to make its “wave” directional at night. I could still pick it up before dawn in Washington, DC, when I was living there last year.
Their is WJR in Detroit, that station can be heard with skip, but frankly right now their programming sucks...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.