WLS Radio History

[LincolnKat]

It is a shame that WLS has gone the way it has since 1989.

[Jayhare]

A good talk radio station today but not as listened too or influential as Music Radio WLS in the 60's.

[FelixTheHouseFreak]

Dear WLS, get those horrible talk radio hosts the hell out and break back out the record collection.

[Bodie007]

Talk radio sucks. Rock and Roll rules.

[OrangeSatan]

What happened to the best radio station of all time? In the sixties and seventies, WLS ruled the national air waves at night. Dick Biondi had something like a sixty national share of the audience in his time slot. Ron Riley, Dex Card, Bob Hale, Larry Lujack Gene Taylor, and Bob Hale were some of the best DJs of all time and they were all at one station in the sixties. Now we have right wing morons like Hannity and Limbaugh infesting this once great station.

[A1MaxJones]

Phony populist ranting claptrap by paid flacks who mix in a little classic rock. How insulting to rock and roll. It happened in Germany too...These jerks can screw off.

[kicnbac]

WLS has a libtard talk host. People may not know that because libtards lie about everything. Hence, no audience.

[DrakeGrad]

What has happened to this grand lady is a shame and sham. WLS used to mean something. Now itis "canned" with Righ twingers and complainers and local hosts who are just terrible. I used to love the "Local" WLS the BIG 89. May she rest in peace

[DaveWollenberg]

Anybody else besides me think that the 'Big 89' could turn a profit again, as a classic hits music station? Nobody, but nobody, gives a rip about talk radio, right, gang? God bless! P.S. Only comment if you agree with me.

[patterthom]

Boo! This video only spends about 10 seconds on the BEST part of the history of WLS: The JOCKS. Puh-leese. Lujack, Fred Winston, Jeff Davis, John Records... they deserve MUCH more time and attention in this INCOMPLETE retrospective.

[vinylcollector89]

@patterthom I noticed the same thing also. The beginning focuses on the 1920s and 30s and then they spend little time talking about the 60's and 70;s and then the rest of the film is them talking bout how great their present day talk format is. I am assuming most of the people watching this video dont care about that anymore than I do. Someone should make a better documentary on this station if it hasnt been done already and the station should go back to a good music format.

[groovymom67]

anyone remember a female jockey who said "stickin' it in your ear, 24 hours a day"

[groovymom67]

was dick biondi ever on wabc new york?

[dblup157]

I listened to this station back in the seventies!

[greenfrog775]

How good of a video loved it

[DaveWollenberg]

musicollector1975, you're absolutely right. They absolutely could come back and be a '70's&'80s top 40 station. I'll just bet they could still make a profit with it. God bless!

[TheDikasaurus]

i grew up in nw arkansas and listened to Beondi,Weber, Lujack and the rest,,,listened to Beondi on my channel

master transistor radio in orange county ca, in the early

60's,,,went in the air force and the guys from chicago listened to KAAY out of Little Rock,,,ain't it a hoot???

[NcicHit]

@TheDikasaurus I used to listen to KAAY back in high school but KLEO and WLS ruled in those days along with KOMA.

[BudWiser999]

Too bad the signal in Wisconsin is so crummy compared to WGN, WBBM, and WSCR. And their bragging about Hannity, Limpjaw, and Levin is laughable.

[musicollector1975]

WOW! Did you place that clip of the great Ed McMahon at the end on purpose? If so, well done! Great ending! Great memories!

[musicollector1975]

Dick Biondi, J.J.Jeffrey, Jon Landecker, Fred Winston. Larry Lujack...the list of legends goes on and on. Joy, pure, sheer joy was I experienced listening to it during the early 70's. Oh, how I wish The Big 89, The Rock of Chicago, could come back with a vengeance!

[Surfborg]

One of the only things I miss about Illinois... WLS ... esp. the Roe Conn Show

[yitzchok1000]

it's called internet you BUGWOMP

check ur facts before u post

[yitzchok1000]

Roe Conn is a legend! He's so knowledgeable and fun to listen to!

If I was quadriplegic I would sleep until 2 and go back to sleep at 6. I would listen to Roe between 2 and 6!

I might do some therapy while I was listening, I don't know!

[BigBishop1]

american propaganda

[drradio2003]

this really suck's. im taking a classisc rock station to espn, which we have on our 5kw station. no longer will there be the zoo, WFBZ trempleau. well I do as im told, but being chief engineer some times, has it's times. I used to listen to WLS all the time. now im begining to wounder what will become of FM, like AM? WLS rocked once. perhaps you know maggy martin WGFA watseka ill. I was chief there too for many years. god help radio. great people, and many good times. wow!

[brihaspati79]

Please bring Coast to Coast back to midnights!! It is extremely entertaining and has a huge audience. Sure it has it's share of nut cases and whacks (part of what makes it great), but like you really need another hour of the hateful little ultra right wing Mark Levin??

[CheapSushi]

Jerks cut off the 1st hour of Coast to Coast AM!!!!!!!!

BRING IT BACK YOU BASTARDS!!!!!!!

[Kelski1998]

Thank God someon had the right sense to put the WLS call letters on FM side where they play Oldies now. I listened in the 80's to Uncle Lar and Snot Nose Tommy in the morning. Legendary voices such as Lujack Dick Biondi and Clark Webber just to name a few

[449wessexrd]

Your station for angry white male jag offs and right wing assholes. The only thing WLS ever did right was put Steve Dahl on the air. I like how there's not a single mention of either Steve or Garry Meier but they proudly mention Sean and Rush. Back in the day Steve and Garry would have had a ball with the parody songs they could have come up with about those douche bags and it would have killed as great radio. Disco sucks. So does conservative talk radio .

[zackman86]

Now the only thing WLS has that's not even close to Steve and Garry is Mancow and Cassidy...and all it is is just an AM version of Mancow's syndicated show with Pat Cassidy

[zackman86]

I forgot to mention Jerry Agar isin't at WLS anymore...he's at WGN because of Mancow and Cassidy Jerry Agar was fired from WLS

[agnesmoorhead]

No mention of Ron Riley?

[harryanchan]

So, that's what it means...now I know after all these years; "World's Largest Store"!

[DickBert10]

Chris Eric Stevens was THE KING OF NITE TIME RADIO!!

[brendaleake]

I lived west of Rockford and grew up w/THE ROCK OF CHICAGO in the 70's too. What ever became of that chant they'd do in the eves, (c 1977, 1978) that sounded like "boogie check boogie check ooh ah! boogie check boogie check ooh ah!"???

AM EIGHTY-NINE, W-L-S, CHI-CAAAGGGO!

[jer19541]

yea, and he killed disco too. thank god.

[AllenC040170]

I was a HUGE WLS listener when I was a baby, growing up in the 1970's back home in Chicago, when the radiostation used to play music. Definately my all-time favorite radio air personality was (and forever always will be) none other than Larry Lujack because good ol' Uncle Lar' will make you laugh like a hyena, when it comes to his morning jokes while either waking up and going to school, or you must've been stuck on the Kennedy Expressway going to work in downtown Chicago. I also love the music.

[RetiredAFGuy]

Grew up in Chicago too, 60's and 70's prior to FM coming in WLS and WCFL were THE radio stations to listen to. I still remember the censors telling them they couldnt place things like the song Lake Shore Drive because it mentioned "LSD" - duh! Stupid old people back then it means Lake Shore Drive. Larry Lujack lives out in New Mexico now, way out in the middle of no friggin place. Met Dick Biondi when I was a busbiy at Candlelight Dinner Playhouse on Harlem in HS in the early 70's too.

[RetiredAFGuy]

When I went to Iceland in 1980 we could pick them up at night as long as the Aurora Borealis wasnt active, caused too much static in the atmosphere.

I miss Chicago of back when Riverview was still around despite the problems with the riots and all (my dad was a Chicago cop) but now I wouldnt live there for any reason. Changed too much - like radio and TV have, for the worse.

[wjdebbi]

I used to listen mostly to Larry Lujack growing up in Wheaton, IL. I remember Steve Dahl, and John Landecker too. When I moved to Houston, TX, I really missed WLS radio. Thanks for this awesome clip!!!

[jimwalsh2001]

When did Landecker lose his hair?  God, I feel old...

[bunneegrl]

What has happened to Christina?

[supressorgrid]

Here in west tennessee, wls was the station to listen to at night on my truck radio. John Landecker cracked me up.

[widwag]

Steve Dahl. . . the original howard stern !

[dwendt66]

...but Roe Conn destroys Steve Dahl today!

[comet1970]

Nicely done video. Listening to WLS was a major part of growing up in the 1960s in the Midwest. I must admit I haven't listened to it for the past ten years or so. Talk radio isn't my cup of tea.

[Djfish44]

Awesome. It's a great video from someone who was in the business for 26 years.

[mairead027]

"Welcome to My Square Circle" - should have been a WLS show...

[Kelski1998]

Gotta love the fact the first song is Stranglehold by Ted Nugent