Chicago’s No. 1 Station ‘Finally Getting Its Props’

From Robert Feder, Time Out Chicago:

The hottest radio station in Chicago never plays any music. It boasts no wacky disc jockeys, no larger-than-life personalities, and no incendiary talk show hosts. It generally steers clear of hype, controversy or drama. In fact, it’s been churning out the same type of programming day in and day out — delivered by some of the same voices — for more than 40 years.

And yet as measured by both ratings and revenue, the undisputed No. 1 radio station in town is WBBM-AM (780), the CBS Radio all-news outlet. While that may come as a surprise to some, it’s been the case for quite a while. It just hasn’t been widely acknowledged until now.

Newsradio 780, as it’s known, is in its third year as the consistently top-rated station among all listeners age 12 and older, according to Arbitron Co. And in revenue figures for 2010 recently published by media analysts BIA/Kelsey, WBBM led the market (and ranked seventh in the country) with $42.5 million. With rare exception, it’s been the top biller locally since 2003. No other Chicago station finished among the top ten nationally last year.

“It’s been a great station for a long time,” said Rod Zimmerman, senior vice president and general manager of the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse, and chief of CBS Radio’s seven-station Chicago cluster. “It’s nice to know it’s finally getting its props.”

With veteran news anchors Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy (pictured above) solidly entrenched in morning drive, Newsradio 780 boasts a lineup of experienced professionals. Matching their longevity is that of their bosses: Zimmerman first made his mark as a sales account executive at the station in 1978. Ron Gleason, director of news and programming, began his initial run there as a sports anchor in 1985.

In some ways, CBS Radio is reaping the benefits of seeds that were sown a decade ago. In 2000, Newsradio 780 regained the rights to Bears football broadcasts in a move that coincided with the demise of sister station WMAQ and its competing news/talk format. One year later, 9/11 put all-news front and center.

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WBBM Website.