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Scott, Like so many before me, I want to thank you for a dedicated effort and beautiful results. I grew up like most in the central regions listening to WLS. I grew up in Eastern Kentucky. My brothers turned me on to WLS from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM every night. It was a great escape for us. Your pages rekindled fond memories of my childhood. Such as picking up the station in Houston, TX on a clear night while on vacation. And telling my cousins there how cool WLS was. And mostly lying in bed falling asleep to the broadcasts of WLS. And waking in the morning to hear the last of WLS (for us) that day. My most vivid memory? Calling at night and getting Steve King on the phone. I was so startled my the fact that here was a super DJ on the phone with me. I think I hung up after mumbling something incoherent. John "Records" Landecker and Steve King and Yvonne Daniels are the ones I remember the most. And until I found your page I always had a missing connection (where did they go?). The power as I recall was the ability to entertain and the authority to inform. WLS had it then, and they have it now. Some things change - but the more they change, the more they stay the same. That's WLS. I still listen, though in California, via the internet. Now talk radio (like the AM rock radio of my youth) is all I listen to. Thank you so very much for the ride. I'll get on again soon, for the visit is like seeing old family members that you actually miss. Thanks again Scott, Best Regards, -Steve E. Craver,
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Scott: I am 47 now. For years I have looked for the song I heard once on WLS....it was called "Classified One A." I think it was 1971....might have been 1970. Can you please tell me what it was? I heard it on WLS as that is all I listened to - heck all I still listen to - never want to grow up I guess. I love your WLS history site, what a grand job you did. Thank you. We sent tapes of WLS to my husband to be in when he was in Viet Nam....long before they did it on M*A*S*H. It made home not nearly so far away for him. -Jo Andrews,
- I am not sure about that song. Any help out there? Contact Jo at bandrews@fourway.net
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Hi Scott, I found your wonderful page as a link from Art Roberts. I was a "guest teen DJ" in September of 1965! Spent the last half hour browsing your WMAQ page. Very well done. Very well laid out. Professional job! When I was growing up in Brookfield, I would get to know various voices in Chicago by sending them letters. I was wondering if you have any info on a guy named John Doremus. Big voice. Did a show on WMAQ-FM called "Patterns in Music" (I think that was it). Show was also on Channel 5 for a short time on Sunday afternoons. Anyway, I sat in on his show once and thought he was quite cool. I know he did voice work for one of the airline music services, and my guess is he did a good number of voice over jobs as well. Any info on him? Another guy I remember visiting was Brad Bisk (not sure about the spelling of the last name) who at the time worked at a station called WKFM. I remember visiting him in some very shabby studios downtown. Not sure what became of him either. Anyway, I left Chicago in 69...was drafted into the Army. Spent 26 years in Alaska. Then Portland, OR and presently in Sacramento, CA doing mornings for the KLOVE network. www.klove.com Oh yea...what is Chet Coppock doing now? We went to Columbia College together. I'm gonna continue to browse your great site. Thanks for your hard work! Do you have a life separate from the web?? -Larry Wayne PS: I remember the calls of some of the stations you have listed in the background of your page. I remember WSEX. Although I didn't work for it with those calls, my first paid gig was at WNWC (wonderful northwest communities), later to become WEXI (owned by Mack Cadillac). For a short time when it was 'EXI, it was the only FM playing a rock format! Thanks so much Larry, I think I got all the questions! After the demise of WMAQ, Chet is working with One-On-One sports (I think). John Doremus passed away. For a time, the PIA Radio Network picked up some of the Doremus airline shows in the late 1980's (when I worked for them it was American, United and Continental). WSEX became WCBR then WXBR then WKIE. Now it's Spanish language. Oh, and no I don't have much of a life away from the computer or the microphone!! -Scott Anyone else with some answers? E-mail Larry at larry@wayneaudio.com
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Hello Scott, Came across your site, and had to add my two cents. I was a big fan of WLS from the 70's on down, and the first jock I talked to was Tommy Edwards. Nice guy, great talent, wonderful to listen to, and funny as hell. Larry Lujack & Tommy Edwards-the 70's & 80's version of Roe Conn & Garry Meier on WLS Newstalk 89. Wonderful guys and Animal Stories was it for me! Brant Miller -nice guy- he sent me an autographed picture of himself after I wrote him a fan letter and a poem in the early 80's. I always thought he was good looking and really funny. I gained a lot of respect for him after he had cancer in 1983. I always thought the way he handled his illness was with such style, grace, and humor. Fred Winston- met him in '83-also a nice guy. Funny as well. Jeff Davis- this guy deserves all of the good things finally happening to him after getting his feet wet being a jock at WLS years ago. I wrote him a fan letter in the 80's and he sent me an autographed picture of himself and a beautiful handwritten letter that showed just how good at calligraphy he is. I wonder if he still does it. Rich McMillan- the cat's meow...nice to talk to, good looking, smart, and down to earth. (I can see how good looking he is from the picture on your site!!) Also, I wrote him requesting a picture in the 80's and he sent me one too. Chuck Britton- this guy had a way of calling me toots that drove me wild! Mike MacDonald- nice, easy to talk to, and very funny. Wonder where he is now? I know he used to also work at O'Hare Airport for American Airlines. I could go on and on...all of the jocks from the 80's. I just about remember- but these guys are the ones that stick out for me. Loved your site and keep up the good work! Sincerely, -Kathryn Sheppard Fioti
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Hello WLS: Way back when...WLS played Rock & Roll in the early sixties, I would tune in after dark to pick off the skip AM signal to listen to my favourite top 40 tune of the week. I now see WLS is a Talkradio station, which is progress for some & a loss for us "oldies station fans." I enjoyed the extensive History of WLS web page work. Bye for now, -L. Paul Jones,
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Hey Scott, I just looked at the time and I've been sitting here looking and listening to your WLS history site for almost 6 hours! I grew up in SW Kansas in the 70's and WLS and KOMA in Oklahoma City were the stations that you listened to at night when the 2 local AM stations went off the air at sundown. For me, WLS was the absolute best in the way a radio station should be. John Landecker and Boogie Check was fun. While I was still in high school, if I had to get up early in the morning before sunup, I would tune in the BIG 89 and listen to Uncle Lar and Little Tommy for Animal Stories since I didn't get to hear them that much. After I graduated from school, it was WLS always in the early mornings on the way to work - I had to be there at 5:30 - and all night long. I have been an over the road truck driver for almost 20 years now, and whenever I would get close enough to Chicago in the day time the tuner was always on WLS. AM 89 always kept me company at night also. I remember all the fun I had listening to the great Jocks that were on. Lujack, Landecker, Turi Ryder , Chuck Britton (whatever happened to these two?), Jeff Hendrix , Jim Johnson and Catherine Johns were great news people as well as fun sidekicks, Fred Winston and Don and Roma. I thought their "Name That Tune" game, where you won absolutely nothing, was good. You have done a great job putting this site together and bringing back a lot of wonderful memories of my teenage years and all the years that have followed listening to the BIG 89. Thanks and keep it up. I'll be back for more. -Kelly Hogan
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Scott, I'm the midday jock on Classic Country KFDI AM 1070 in Wichita. I'm also the historian at KFDI and have been working on the history of KFDI from 1923 through the present. I also play in a cowboy band called the Prairie Rose Wranglers. Check us out at www.prairierosechuckwagon.com. I enjoyed your history of WLS. I thought I should let you know that Stu Stuart, lead singer of the Prairie Rose Wranglers, is the grandson of Hal O'Halloran, announcer of the WLS National Barn Dance for many years. -Orin Friesen Wow, great story Orin! Hal was also apart of the wake-up crew as a member of the WLS "Smile-A-While" show. Follow the sitemap to see a picture of the crew! -Scott
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