WLS AM 890 radio has a long and proud history in Chicago broadcasting, dating from the early 1920's.
From WIKIPEDIA:
"Sears opened the station in 1924 as a service to farmers and subsequently sold it to the Prairie Farmer magazine in 1928. It was the scene of the National Barn Dance, which featured Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, and George Gobel, and which was second only to the Grand Ole Opry (in itself a local National Barn Dance spinoff) in presenting country music and humor.
In 1960 WLS hired star disc jockey
Dick Biondi (a 1998 inductee of the
National Radio Hall of Fame) from
WEBR in
Buffalo, New York, to anchor the station's new
Top 40 music radio format that began May 2, 1960.
[ Mort Crowley was the first on-air voice of the new WLS (6 AM); the first song played was
"Alley-Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles, four full weeks before it debuted on the Hot 100. Other notable disc jockeys who worked at WLS include Fred Winston,
Art Roberts, Ron "Ringo" Riley, Gene Taylor,
Larry Lujack, Dex Card,
Clark Weber, Chuck Buell, Kris Erik Stevens, Joel Sebastian, Gary Gears, Jerry Kay,
Bob Sirott,
John Records Landecker, Yvonne Daniels,
Steve Dahl,
The 'WLS's Top-40 list - published weekly in the 1960's and 70's and distributed at area music stores like the widely known Record Center, at 1648 N Pulaski Road, in the city's Hermossa area, which boasted one of the largest supplies of .45's and 33 and 1/3rd albums in Chicago.'
By 1988, the station evolved into a soft AC format with very few if any current product, and liberally laced with oldies.
On August 23, 1989 at 7 pm, WLS stopped playing music altogether
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I recall listening to Dick Biondi late at night, on a new Sony transistor radio my father had just purchased for me in the early 1960's. Biondi used to take requests, so if you got him at 25 after of 55 after the hour break, he would glady play your song with a dedication. These were pre-Beatle days, when the Four Seasons and Dion were the top recording artists.
With the 2014 eveing addition of
Dr. Michael Savage to the afternoon broadcasting of Rush, along with the late night wrap up of Mark Levine, WLS has reached a major point in its long history of broadcasting in Chicago.
Dr. Savage brings his unique brand of highly educated commentary, his mental library of 28 books, which includes 4 NY TIMES best sellers, his long history of battles with Liberal lunacy to a WIndy City audience that has long been starved for some of the brutal honesty that only his brand of Talk Radio can bring. Since his time slot replaced Sean Hannity, it is easy to understand how relieved many of us are to hear some real conservative thoughts framed by a true master in his field.
Though Chicago is overwhelmingly liberal, and as Obama's adopted home town even more so now, Rush, Roe, Savage and Levine enjoy a loyal folowing and outshine any liberal radio competition in a town that has been starved of any honesty in broadcasting for far too long.
Now, after close to a century of Chicago broadcasting,
WLS AM 890 will serve as the Midwest beacon of Conservative Talk Radio, and give the
Lilliputian imitators a run for their money.
Current programming schedule
4:30-5 a.m. First Morning News with John Dempsey
5-6 p.m. 89 WLS Sports Pregame Show
6-9 p.m. The Michael Savage Show - Dr. Michael Savage
WLS AM 890 - http://www.wlsam.com/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLS_(AM)
- About Michael Savage http://www.wlsam.com/common/page.php?section_id=333&pt=About+Michael+Savage&id=78573&is_corp=0
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