Scott-

Absolutely fabulous! I just sat for 3.5 hours reading the entire WLS History site. Accuracy, presentation, and respect for one of America’s greatest radio stations are all as good as it gets. This is the best such site I have seen!

I cannot believe that this spring marks forty one years since I bought my Silver Dollar Survey album and began listening to Dick Biondi and Art Roberts. I was about 700 miles from their transmitter, in Columbus, GA. The signal was superb, killing WCBS on 880 and surviving WWL in nearby New Orleans on 870. Not one of the other Chicago clears came close to WLS, in signal strength and fidelity. On several very cold winter days in 1962/63, we were able to listen to WLS around the clock! That fall, at 15, I started driving. For the next 20+ years, every vehicle I owned had a pushbutton set on 890. I’ll never forget that deep bass, rattling the speakers in my ’65 Impala fastback.

Since 1964, I have enjoyed a 35 year career in broadcasting, including engineering the design and construction of some 65 radio and 15 TV stations. I have managed, programmed, done air work, co-owned – everything but sales. I went to my first NAB in Chicago in 1967, and was able to “sneak” into the Stone Container Building for a brief view of the studios.

Now, after being injured in a fatal car wreck in 1998, I design and build tube-type audio processors that are used in recording studios in London, Japan, Australia, and (of course) the US.

WLS’ air sound was always an inspiration for me, and my biggest stations were always set up for (as one PD called it) The Hi-Fi Sound. I truly believe that explains how WLS (and many of my own AM’s) survived well into the ’80’s. I am a lifelong student of compression, EQ and processing, and am very appreciative of the unique sound of stations like WQAM, CKLW, KHJ, etc, but I always gravitated back to the “long-term listening” sound of WLS and the mighty General Electric 50kw.

After WLS and WABC switched to the Harris MW-50’s in the mid ’70’s, things just weren’t the same. I always thought, but have never been able to prove, that the GE 50’s delivered the best possible combination of modulation density, fidelity, soft clipping, etc for clear channel operation. Some transmitters just had that ability! I have worked with three of the GE’s, but only one in a dominant situation: 1020KHz on Grand Turk island. 40 years after that transmitter first saw service at CKNW, it became the loudest, best-sounding rig audible in the islands and over much of the SE USA.

Referring to one portion of your site, I personally believe that WLS’ signal stayed every bit as good as it ever was. What was lacking was what I mention above, plus there was also more and more natural and man-made noise on AM, and many more stations (all of whom were in a constant loudness and modulation battle.) I do remember when, on early Monday mornings in the late 60’s, WLS would switch down to their 10kw auxiliary. The signal was slightly less than half, which it should have been, but the modulation was nothing close to the GE. And the fidelity wasn’t there. I heard that this was an ITA (or early CCA) transmitter, but never knew for sure.

You probably are too swamped with mail to possibly answer this, but I have several questions in case you do get around to it. First, in 1965 when WLS was dominating both of our local rockers, WDAK and WCLS, I remember reading and hearing it mentioned on-air that their Chief Engineer had died. I would like any info on this gentleman. This occurred at the absolute peak of their signal penetration and quality…about August, 1965, since they were playing It Ain’t Me, Babe by The Turtles and my alltime favorite WLS turntable hit, Roseanna by The Capreez.

Also, I’d like to know if there are any technical websites (like the ones for WABC) showing the 50’s and 60’s transmitter and studio set-ups.

Again, thanks VERY much for a most-enjoyable labor of love! It shows!

– Charles McHan
Jacksonville Beach, FL