Great, great radio! The Rock of Chicago is sorely missed. I grew up with WLS. This was radio at its best. Larry Lujack, Fred Winston, Lyle Dean , Bill Bailey, Catherine Johns, Jeff Davis, Tommy Edwards, Tom Kent, John Landecker, etc. you are remembered / replaced / but never forgotten!
Sorely, sorely miss radio like this. Growing up across the lake in southern Michigan, I was lucky enough to be able to get the Big 89 during the day as well. At night, they were an absolute powerhouse of a station - strong as an ox and clear as a bell unless there were really bad thunderstorms. Everyone was having a good time with the Rewind, but Tom Kent was at a whole different level. You could tell he was having a BLAST doing this.
I grew up listening to WLS back in the late 60’s/early 70’s when jocks like Art Roberts and Ron Riley ruled the airwaves. Later on, when I was working on-air at a different midwestern radio station, I met Art. He was everything I expected him to be...a REAL PRO both on and off air, as well as a genuinely nice guy. In the early 90’s, I got the chance to chat with Lyle Dean for a bit. There will, unfortunately, NEVER be another WLS, and that is a REAL loss to modern-day radio!
That was a great day of listening to the radio, Memorial Day 2007. I meant to listen for just a little bit, but I ended up listening to almost the whole thing all day and night. It just goes to show just how great those guys were on WLS.
I grew up on WLS Musicradio... I miss it so much and I was ELATED to hear it is back on the FM dial... I tune it in on my computer... THIS is MY BBC Home Service.
Every jock in the Midwest (including me) wanted to have a gig on the Big 89. Didn't make it, but still loved listening to it. Met a few of these folks at Loyola's college radio conference in 1976.
WOW.this is awesome to see the faces that you listened to in the 70's and 80's. A great memory from listening to the radio growing up in southern Minnesota and listening to boogie check fading in and out.
Forget everyone else, and give me MORE TOM KENT--Tom that was great. Used to listen to you in Cleveland at G98. You're one of the few jocks I actually respect, and you stil can "kick it" good!!
So sorry to hear about WLSQ. We had the same thing happen to us last year in Joplin Mo. Our neighbor city, Pittsburg, Kansas had a great station, STAR 101.7. Their motto was, "It's all coming back," playing 60s-70s-80s with real DJs and contests & a lunch hour request show, and the largest music library I've ever heard. They had a great run for 3 years but the owners cut its throat, sold it out & at midnight they flipped a switch and turn it country. :-(
I can remember when the Big 89 could be heard just about anywhere West of the Rockies at night, in AM Stereo! A tremendous station. Now the signal has deteriorated to match its format. I think Darwin had it backwards.
Dave Wollenberg what i thought exactly! i thought if WLS could rebroadcast the big 89, along with 94.7 as a classic hits station, 60's-80's leaning, then yes! bam! my first and original thought was that WLS-AM could do an oldies format (50's-70's) while the FM side would take the current classic hits format. Although if they could do it, they both could rework the playlist as a 50's-80's station.
@@blind_t2 At the rate Cumulus is going, they'll probably wind up selling their Chicago cluster to EMF. EMF will then sell off 890, and it'll be up for grabs cheap!
I think there have been multiple attempts to reinvent WLS but all have failed. At some point, the audience is just too old, unfortunately. @@fredmorton4291
Tommy Edwards was a great sidekick for Ole Uncle Lar. On his own, he was a bit lacking. It was like Ed McMahon hosting the Tonight Show. The was no better second banana than McMahon, but a host he was not. That's why a guest host was always brought in rather than let Ed sub for Johnny. The same is true of Little Tommy.
It's you. TK isn't in the main studio, but the side announcer's booth. The board operator has to look across the main studio to see him through two soundproof glass windows. That's why JRL had to cue the board op for him. The only problem I have with TK is he just doesn't seem animated enough. :)
I agree. I grew up listening to WLS in the 1960's. Maybe classic rock with some 1980's big hair glam rock would be good for nowadays. Talk radio are just boring opinions with tons of commercials.
I was thinking, since 94.7 is mainly classic hits, maybe a flanker would be this. They could simulcast 890 with 94.7, however, 89 would have the larger library adding 60’s to the mix.
I remember all these guys at least from the 70s. Those were the days but FM killed the AM radio star at least as far as music goes. I still couldnt believe it when I thought I'd turn on WLS to do some painting with in the mid 80s and it was all talk radio, bummer. I'm still surprised people listen to talk radio on a regular basis, especialy all the political crap.
