CBS Radio Names Kenetta Bailey SVP/Marketing

Kenetta Bailey

Kenetta Bailey has been named Senior Vice President, Marketing, CBS RADIO, it was announced today by Andre Fernandez, President, CBS RADIO.  Bailey will begin her new role on Monday, May 16, and report to Fernandez.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Kenetta to our leadership team, and look forward to introducing her creative energy and brand expertise into everything we do,” said Fernandez.  “We have a tremendous opportunity to expand the strength of our brands locally and nationwide, as well as define our long range position in the marketplace.  I know Kenetta will play an instrumental role in the telling of our story to the industry.”
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In this position, Bailey will be responsible for the marketing and brand positioning of CBS RADIO and its portfolio of 117 over-the-air stations and suite of digital products.  Additionally, she will provide B2B marketing support, and work with the division’s Market Managers and station management to develop and coordinate strategy for their local marketing efforts.

Bailey most recently led her own consulting firm, KB Consulting where she worked with a variety of start-up businesses on subscriber growth, social media and branding from 2015-16.  She also serves as an adjunct instructor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Previously, Bailey was Managing Partner and Chief Brand Strategist for GroupM’s Maxus agency (2014-15).

KC Radio: Tom Becka Returns As N/T KCMO Revamps

Tom Becka

Cumulus Media announces that it will debut a new weekday on-air line-up today on KCMO 103.7 FM / 710 AM in Kansas City.

Rob Carson of KCMO’s popular “Carson in the Morning” kicks off the day for talk radio listeners from 6AM-10AM, and tees up KCMO’s new midday show, hosted by veteran talk radio personality Tom Becka. Becka’s new show will air weekdays from 10AM-12PM Noon. KCMO’s Mike Ferguson moves to the 12PM Noon-1PM slot, followed by Dave Ramsey Live from 1PM-4PM and Michael Savage from 4PM-6PM.

Becka has built a reputation over the last 20 years on-air as one of the top radio talk show hosts in the nation. This marks a return to Kansas City radio for Becka, who was previously on-air on Kansas City’s KMBZ. Most recently, he hosted shows on Omaha talk radio stations KOIL and KFAB.

Prior to his career as a talk show host, Becka spent five years on the road as a stand up comic working with such comedic greats as Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Drew Carey, and Sam Kinison. He is also author of an Amazon bestselling book, “There’s No Business Without the Show.”

Donna Baker, Midwest Regional Vice-President and Market Manager, Cumulus Media-Kansas City, said: “"KCMO Talk Radio takes an exciting step forward today. Welcoming Becka back to KC, Mike Ferguson continuing local community conversations over the lunch hour, and Dave Ramsey returning to three hours in the afternoon are powerful additions to our talented line-up."

KCMO 94.9 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage

Lance Tidwell, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Kansas City, said: “I’m really excited to work with Tom Becka. Tom is a truly entertaining talk show host with history in Kansas City and the perfect fit for our local line-up with Rob Carson and Mike Ferguson.”

KCMO 710 AM (10Kw-D, 5Kw-Night, DA2)

Becka said: “I’m thrilled to be coming back to Kansas City radio. There is a great energy in town with lots to talk about. I can’t wait!”

Report: CNN Gains Ground On Fox News

Since the start of the year, when the primary season began in earnest, CNN’s prime-time audience has more than doubled to 435,000 viewers a night in its target demographic of 25- to 54-year-olds, according to Nielsen.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that after years of weak ratings, the network is nipping at the heels of Fox News, the longtime ratings leader in cable news, whose prime-time audience has grown 42% to 450,000 viewers, and is roughly doubling the audience of MSNBC, the weakest of the three major cable news channels. which is up 73% at 225,000.

Zucker says CNN is benefiting disproportionately from the election race because he repositioned it to appeal to Republicans and Democrats alike.

“I think it was a legitimate criticism of CNN that it was a little too liberal,” Mr. Zucker said. “We have added many more middle-of-the-road conservative voices to an already strong stable of liberal voices. And I think that we are a much more-balanced network and, as a result, a much more inviting network to a segment of the audience that might not have otherwise been willing to come here.”

Competing networks dismiss those claims and say CNN’s ratings rebound looks so significant mostly because the network, which was No. 3 during the previous presidential race, started from such a low base. “CNN has been languishing in the basement so long that they consider getting to the ground level in an election year a wild success,” said a spokeswoman for cable rival Fox News. “That speaks volumes about Time Warner’s low expectations.”

Sanders' Supporters Hound FCC About Media Bias

Bernie Sanders supporters have hounded federal regulators with allegations about bias in the media, according to records obtained by The Hill through a Freedom of Information Act request.

A review of about 850 complaints to the FCC about the three major cable news networks throughout the campaign season found that one of the most popular objections came against CNN in the days after the first Democratic debate last October.

In what looked to be a coordinated effort, more than 160 complaints alleging CNN bias in favor of Hillary Clinton were filed. The complaints pushed a now-debunked story claiming the cable news network deleted favorable polling that showed Bernie Sanders won the debate.

“CNN hosting the debate while backing Hillary Clinton. There [sic] phony polls and editing of the debate,” read one October complaint to the FCC originating from Layton Utah. “Bernie Sanders not getting a fair shot!”

Though somewhat misguided, the flood of complaints highlights the reach of the digital army of Sanders supporters, who have become a force on Reddit, Facebook and other social media platforms.

The FCC cannot restrict content from CNN and other programming that is transmitted over cable rather than broadcast airwaves. While the commission gets many complaints about news on actual broadcast stations, its scope to respond is narrow since it is barred from censorship or infringing on the First Amendment right of the press.

Many of the FCC complaints connected allegations to large donations that Time Warner, the corporate parent of CNN, has made to Clinton throughout her career.

About a dozen complaints said that the news networks were giving too much or too favorable coverage to Donald Trump.

WHCD Afterparty: Fox News, HuffPo Scuffle

For an event held at the soaring U.S. Institute of Peace building  in Foggy Bottom, the swanky afterparty hosted by MSNBC following the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner sure saw some conflictm report The Washington Post.

Jesse Watters

In the early-morning hours of Sunday, 'the nerdy fight (as WaPo put it) broke out between Fox News correspondent Jesse Watters and Ryan Grim, the Huffington Post’s Washington bureau chief.

Here’s how it went down, per several witness: Grim and Watters were among a group located in a heated tent just outside the main party area. The two apparently don’t have a personal relationship, but Grim realized who Watters was and recalled a beef he had with the “O’Reilly Factor” correspondent that dated back to 2009, when Watters, known as an “ambush journalist,” had engineered an on-camera confrontation of writer Amanda Terkel, now a HuffPo colleague of Grim.

Ryan Grim

Terkel’s account of the incident was headlined “I Was Followed, Harassed, And Ambushed By Bill O’Reilly’s Producer.”

According to The Post, Grim decided to give Watters a taste of his own medicine, whipping out his camera phone and filming him. Watters didn’t take well to this, eventually snatching the phone away from Grim and putting it in his pocket. Grim set out to retrieve it, and a scuffle ensued. No cinematic sparring or broken beer bottles, witnesses said, but the two flailed around a bit, upending a table and bumping into several people.

Before any damage was done, several bystanders, including RNC executive director Sean Spicer, separated the two. Spicer said he didn’t see the lead-up to the fight and said he was just attempting to stay true to the party venue. “Just trying to keep the peace,” he said.

Obama Torches Trump At WHC Dinner

(Reuters) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday took aim at Democrats and Republicans alike in his final appearance headlining the star-studded White House correspondents' dinner, but saved his sharpest barbs for Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.

"The Republican establishment is incredulous that he's their most likely nominee," Obama told attendees at the black-tie event, which brought together journalists and media moguls with Hollywood stars and power brokers from Capitol Hill and beyond.

"They say Donald lacks the foreign policy experience to be president. But in fairness he has spent years meeting with leaders from around the world: Miss Sweden, Miss Argentina, Miss Azerbaijan," the president said to howls of laughter, referring to contestants on the Miss Universe pageant that Trump formerly co-owned.



Obama made fun of the angst many in the Republican establishment have expressed at the prospect that Trump or Tea Party candidate Ted Cruz could win the party's nomination to run in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

“Guests were asked to check whether they wanted steak or fish, but instead a whole bunch of you wrote in Paul Ryan,” Obama said, referring to the top Republican in the House of Representatives, who many have hoped could be lured into running for president.

"That's not an option people," Obama said, displaying comedic chops perfected through seven previous appearances at the annual dinner. "You may not like steak or fish, but that's your choice."

In his remarks, Obama looked back on his presidency and jokingly predicted the country may be nearing its doom.

“The end of the republic has never looked better,” the tuxedo-clad president said looking out at the well-groomed crowd as he blasted Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus.

“Congratulations on all your success,” Obama told Priebus, while wearing a sarcastic grin. “The Republican party, the nomination process – it’s all going great.”

Larry Wilmore, the host of a show on cable outlet Comedy Central, took his own shots at Trump when he took the podium after Obama, joking that next year the dinner will be called: "Donald Trump presents a luxurious evening paid for by Mexico."

Trump has famously promised to build a wall between the United States and Mexico to prevent illegal immigration, and he has said he would force Mexico to pay for it.



With a bit of nostalgia, Obama reflected on his more than seven years in office, saying he had been a young man of idealism and vigor before he became president.

"Eight years ago I said it was time to change the tone of our politics," Obama said. "In hindsight, I clearly should have been more specific."

And he threw in a few jabs at the media, saying "Jake Tapper left journalism to join CNN," but ended on a serious note urging reponsible reporting and chiding over-coverage of Trump.

“Uncovering truths is more important than ever. Taking a stand on behalf of what is true does not require you shedding your objectivity. In fact, it is the essence of good journalism," he said.

Obama ended his final White House Correspondents’ dinner by dropping the mic and saying “Obama out” before walking away from the podium.

Bob Pittman: Don't Chase Trends, Chase The Consumer

Bob Pittman

In an interview at Further Future festival outside of Las Vegas over the weekend,  iHeartMedia CEO and MTV co-founder Bob Pittman shared his revolutionary ideas on finding the next big thing and where media is headed in the future.

According to Ryan Stabile at axs.com, the discussion started with Bob Pittman being asked, “So, what turns Bob Pittman on?” to which he replies in a very Bob Pittman fashion, “Like most people, curiosity… Regrets in life are not about what you do, but what you don’t do."

As to What happened to MTV, “When I was there, we had some real conscious discussions as to whether we should grow old with this generation or whether we should be the voice of young America, and in the end we decided to go with the voice of young America. What that meant was that we had to deliberately stop doing things that we knew were successful. We had to make change a constant part of the daily process, which I believe is true of any business – you need to evolve or die.”

When it comes to the future of media, Pittman stated, “People chase trends, and I think it’s wrong. I think the only thing people should be chasing is the consumer. The consumer will tell you what they want you to do. They tell us two things: they buy brands and they’re looking for convenience. If you can take anything people already do and make it easy and save them time, they will adopt your product.”

Schumer Wants FTC To Investigate CCO's 'Spying' Billboards

US Senator Charles E. Schumer on Sunday urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the use of ‘spying billboards,’ which are popping up in cities across the country.

“A person’s cell phone should not become a James Bond-like personal tracking device for a corporation to gather information about consumers without their consent, said Schumer. “No one wants to be followed or tracked throughout their day, electronically or otherwise, so these new billboards not only raise eyebrows, but they raise some serious questions about privacy."

Charles Schumer

The new Clear Channel Outdoor billboards have the ability to track a person’s every move using locational data on a person’s mobile device. Companies often use locational data as a way to boost their consumer-information base that can be used to market goods and services or as data to sell to other companies.

Schumer believes the collection of such data may violate the privacy of Americans and constitute a deceptive trade practice because most consumers do not know that they are being tracked.

WKBW-TV7 Buffalo reports to combat this invasion of privacy, Schumer urged the FTC to require that billboard companies, like Clear Channel Outdoor, offer an opt-out option for consumers who do not want to be monitored or tracked.

Company officials say they don't collect any identifiable information about consumers. CCO says it works with partner companies to match aggregated location data. It can then cater ads to specific consumers based on the demographics of passers-by and determine if the people eventually end up at the advertiser's stores.


The company uses aggregated data from partners, including AT&T. It says individual consumers cannot be identified.

Luke Bryan Is ACCA's Entertainer of The Year

It was a night of big performances and top stars at the American Country Countdown Awards in Los Angeles. Album of the Year was awarded to Chris Stapleton for "Traveller."

Many of the big winners throughout the night, like Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Brooks & Dunn, thanked God during their acceptance speeches.

The show kicked off with a performance by Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles and Cam that had the crowd singing along. McBride also performed toward the end of the show.

The first award of the night, Male Vocalist of the Year, was announced by Underwood and was awarded to Bryan. Bryan performed immediately after his win was announced to the cheering crowd of country music greats, which included stars like Reba McEntire and Toby Keith.

"It's hard to do a speech after that," Bryan said as he thanked the crowd out-of-breath following his song. "I want to thank the good Lord above... We love you! Thank you country radio."

Tweets by @ACCAs

Report...Ripa Parlayed Strahan Flap Into Pay Raise

Last Tuesday, Kelly Ripa strolled onto the set of “Live With Kelly and Michael,” declaring her unofficial strike over.

“I’m going to be completely honest,” she said. “I’m fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts in case I drift too far off message.”

Ripa continued, stating she “earned the right” to take an unscheduled break from the show after being blindsided last week by the news that her co-host, Michael Strahan, was ditching “Live” for “Good Morning America.”

According to PageSix at The NYPost, for nearly four years, Ripa and Strahan have been lauded for their on-air chemistry — a lighthearted rapport that led to a 9 percent rise in the show’s ratings. But off-air, sources say, the two hosts were frosty: Ripa resented Strahan’s lack of devotion to the series and his rising star; Strahan was sick of being Ripa’s lesser-paid sidekick.

A show insider says Strahan — who reportedly raked in $4 million as the show’s co-host in 2012 — merely used the program as a stepping stone and quickly became a diva.

He would show up late to tapings, regularly bring his entourage to set, and made the crew stop everything twice a week during pretapings for him to get a haircut at the studio. (A source close to Strahan says the haircuts were approved by “Live” executive producer Michael Gelman.)

According to an industry insider, Ripa managed to parlay the recent scandal into a raise on her already-hefty $20 million annual salary. (An ABC rep had no comment.) But the host is still fuming that she was informed mere minutes before a press release went public that Strahan would be leaving “Live” in September to become a full-time anchor on “GMA.”

His exit date has since been pushed to May 13, four months earlier than planned.

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IN Radio: Report..Hoosier State Not Talking Up Cruz

Tony Katz, WIBC

The resistance to Donald Trump among right-wing talkers was one of the most powerful tools in Cruz's arsenal in his win in Indiana's northern Midwestern neighbor, Wisconsin, earlier this month.

But, according to CNN, in the Hoosier State, talk radio, and the people on it, just aren't as interested in stopping Trump.

"The audience is pretty damn smart, and they're not coming to me to tell them what to do," said Tony Katz, a conservative talker who hosts the morning show on Emmis' WIBC 93.1 FM and has interviewed Cruz several times in recent days.

Now, after badly losing six East Coast primaries, Cruz is trying to resurrect his momentum in Indiana. The state's governor, Mike Pence, endorsed Cruz on one of its most influential conservative talk radio programs -- just as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker had done on Sykes' show in the Badger State.

"Never mind the radio hosts: There isn't a large never-Trump movement here," Katz said. "There are people who don't like Trump, but never Trump? No."

Pat Miller, WOWO

Pat Miller, the afternoon host for WOWO 1190 AM / 107.5 FM in Fort Wayne, is broadcast in the state's most conservative and Evangelical region. He supports Cruz -- but doesn't bash Trump.

"We're not on the anti-Trump train," Miller said. "I don't think that people really sense that the best way to move forward politically is to be anti. I think they feel the best way to do it is to be pro-whatever you're going for. ... I don't need to be against Trump."

Jeff Smulyan, the CEO of  Emmis Communications, said there's less appetite for unbending conservatives on the airwaves in recent years -- which is why he dropped the titan of right-wing radio in 2015.

"People always say, why'd you cancel Rush Limbaugh?" Smulyan said. "Very simple: Because Rush Limbaugh's act is wearing a little thin. It's very old, very white. Everything gets canceled in our business for the same reason: Lack of saleable ratings."

Read More Now

ICYMI: Insight On Indy Radio Morning Show Wars

In the wake of two key departures in January, advertisers and affiliates nationwide are keeping a close watch on the ratings of “The Bob & Tom Show,” as this year proves to be a critical one for the morning show that launched in 1983.

An in-depth article titled "‘Bob & Tom Show’ reaches ratings crossroads" in the Indy Business Journal shows that while its ratings have slipped a bit in the first quarter, the WFBQ 94.7 FM show remains a local powerhouse and doesn’t appear in imminent danger of losing advertising revenue or affiliated stations that carry the morning broadcast.

Despite co-host Bob Kevoian’s retirement and cast member Kristi Lee’s defection, the show, which airs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., still maintained a ratings edge over its nearest competitor in the local market in two important categories in March, the most recent rating period.

Tom Griswold, the other half of “Bob & Tom,” along with other main characters, including Chick McGee, remain with the show.

There’s good reason to keep an eye on the show’s performance locally and nationally, industry experts said.

While “The Bob & Tom Show” originated locally and is still produced in Indianapolis on iHeartMedia's Q95, the syndicated show is now its own broad-reaching entity. Indianapolis is just one market of 112, in 38 states, for the show’s producers to be concerned about. The ratings will affect not only how many advertisers the show can attract but also its syndication deals.

Click Here In Case You Missed It

ICYMI: Millennials Out Number Boomers. Big Deal.

Dick Taylor

The radio world was all a buzz this week when it was announced that Millennials now out-number Baby Boomers.

Well la-te-da, opines longtime radio broadcast Dich Taylor.  Taylor is currently assistant professor of broadcasting at the School of Journalism & Broadcasting at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

In his latest blog posting, Taylor explains why that doesn’t really matter,

"Here’s why radio and advertisers shouldn’t be freaking out over the headline that Millennials now out-number Baby Boomers. There may be more of them, but when it comes to discretionary income – the money that buys stuff – Boomers are still your “bank.” Don’t take your eye off the ball.

If Willie Sutton were operating a media company or an advertising agency, he’d be focused on putting his marketing investment where the best R.O.I. (Return On Investment) is, radio and its #1 reach that delivers 93% of Americans every week. It’s the traditional mass media that Boomers grew up with and still use in great numbers. Radio still delivers."

Click Here In Case You Missed It

Radio Express Syndicating 'World Chart Show' To US

Mike Savage

Radio Express announces that radio personality and music tastemaker Mike Savage will host the next generation of its successful two-hour International Hit Countdown program, The World Chart Show, which Radio Express is making available to U.S. radio stations and audiences for the first time.

The World Chart Show showcases global artists that are featured each week on Radio Express’ The World Chart, created by researching over 100 international charts. The show re-launches on May 7, 2016, with new on-air host Savage and a fresh, edgier new sound with enhanced features and highest quality production values.

The World Chart Show has aired in over 130 countries and on over 550 radio stations around the world since its debut 20 years ago.

Savage has been on-air talent and Music Director at successful radio stations in major U.S. markets including New York (X-107), Los Angeles (Y-107 & Indie 103.1) and San Diego (KFSD 92.1). He has voiced programs for Delta Airlines and US Airways, and curated music for retail outlets including JCPenney, Steve Madden and Quicksilver. As an independent music consultant, Savage has programmed several stations for the music streaming service Slacker, including their “UK Hits” and “UK Indie” channels.

Savage said: “I’m honored to have been asked to join the team at Radio Express, and I’m excited to get back into doing what I truly love – turning people on to great new music from around the world. I look forward to helping take ‘The World Chart Show’ to new levels!”
 
For more information, contact Jessica D’Agostin at (818) 295-5800, ext. 238 or at Jessica@radioexpress.com.

MI Radio: Longtime Midland Personality Gary Williams Retires

Gary Williams

Gary Williams has been described as a professional, a team player, a practical jokester, dependable and a tradition at WMPX 1490 AM /WMRX 97.7 FM in Midland, Michigan.

Now he prefers to be described as retired.

The Midland Daily News reports the veteran radio personality bantered his way through the final edition of “The Morning Show” with fellow radio personality Chris Schaeffer Friday, capping a 37-year career that began at WXOX in Bay City. He has been at WMPX/WMRX for 32 years.

It was at WXOX that Robin Gary Williams was given the moniker that became his radio name, so as not be confused with the popular comedian.

“I told them I don’t care what you call me, just hire me,” he said.

The affable Williams said he has seen a lot of employees come and go.

“I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years and usually it is them leaving. It’s strange I’m the one taking off,” he said.

“When I first started we were actually disc jockeys back then. We played 45s, 33 1/3 rpm records. That is where our music came from. After that it changed to recording tape, we played music off what we called ‘carts,’ cartridges,” he said. “Then in the 80s compact discs made their way, that was a great innovation. Now, CDs aren’t played. It is all computerized.”

Williams said he and his wife AnMaree will be doing some traveling, and he plans on doing a lot more bike riding.

May 2 Radio History

Bing Crosby

In 1904...crooner Bing Crosby was born Harry Lillis Crosby in Tacoma.

His is the most electronically recorded human voice in history.  Bing is also credited as being the major inspiration for most of the male singers that followed him, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. He was a top star of radio from the early 30’s to the late 50’s, and starred on TV in The Bing Crosby Show & Hollywood Palace, plius numerous specials most predictably in the Christmas season.  He also was a pioneer in the development of tape recording equipment, both audio and video.

He died of a massive heart attack after golfing in Madrid, Spain Oct 14 1977 at age 73.



In 1922... WBAP began broadcasting May 2, 1922.

The station shared time with Dallas stations WFAA and WRR. It was the first station in the United States to have an audible logo signal similar to the NBC chimes, the WBAP cowbell. According to Herbert Hoover, the station's call letters stood for "We Bring A Program".

On May 15, 1923, the Federal Radio Commission expanded the broadcast band, and WBAP and WFAA moved to 630 kHz. Another expansion moved WBAP to 600 kHz effective April 15, 1927, and this frequency was shared with WOAI in San Antonio. On November 11, 1928, WBAP moved to 800 kHz, and on June 1, 1929, WFAA also moved to 800 kHz, sharing time (and NBC Red network affiliation) with WBAP.

Station owner Amon G. Carter was unhappy with having to share time on 800 kHz with WFAA. In May 1938, Carter Publishing purchased KGKO Wichita Falls (570 kHz) and moved it to Fort Worth as an affiliate of the NBC Blue network (which became ABC), and more importantly as a second frequency to be used when 800 kHz was not available. On March 29, 1941, as a consequence of the Treaty of Havana, WBAP and WFAA moved one last time, to 820 kHz.

Carter eventually sold half of KGKO to A.H. Belo, owners of WFAA, and on April 27, 1947, KGKO was replaced by a second shared frequency between WBAP and WFAA.

The dual frequency sharing arrangement between WBAP and WFAA continued through the 1950s and 1960s, with the stations switching frequencies several times a day. When WBAP changed frequencies, it signaled the change with a cowbell, which became widely associated with the station.

Even though the stations swapped frequencies several times each day, the network affiliations remained constant: NBC network programming stayed on 820 kHz and ABC network programming stayed on 570 kHz. This frequently proved confusing for announcers and listeners alike.

On May 1, 1970, the unique dual split-frequency lives of WBAP and WFAA ended when WBAP paid $3.5 million to WFAA in exchange for sole occupancy of 820 kHz (and the NBC affiliation).

WFAA took on 570 kHz (and the ABC affiliation) full-time. Once the frequency-sharing with WFAA ended in 1970, both stations were free to program musical formats, and WBAP began programming country music.

It also gained the added benefit of 820's clear-channel signal; previously WFAA controlled it during these prime nighttime hours. After a series of network affiliation changes in the late 1970s among WBAP, KRLD and WFAA, WBAP switched affiliations to ABC.

In 1928...KPQ-AM, Wenatchee, Washington, began broadcasting.


In 1932...the first Radio show featuring comedian Jack Benny debuted on the NBC Blue Network. Here's a video clip from 1942.




In 1941...the Federal Communications Commission agreed to let regular scheduling of TV broadcasts by commercial TV stations begin on July 1 of that year. But the onset in the US of WWII would delay the effective start of network television until the end of the decade.



In 1960...WLS 890 AM, Chicago, Illinois, switched its format from Country to Top 40.




WLS had been wholly owned and operated by the radio division of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) since the purchase of its parent company in 1959. Five years earlier WLS was merged with WENR, a station with which WLS had shared its frequency since the 1920s

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 over the years 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, Garry Meier, Brant Miller, Tom Kent Steve King, and Tommy Edwards. Some of the production directors responsible for the sound of WLS were Ray Van Steen, Hal Widsten, Jim Hampton, Bill Price and Tommy Edwards.

In the 1960s WLS was a major force in introducing new music and recording artists. WLS was voted by broadcasters nationally as "The Station of the Year" in 1967, 1968 & 1969. John Rook was named "Program Director of the Year" in 1968 & 1969 as WLS was estimated attracting 4.2 million listeners weekly by Pulse research.

The WLS News Dept included Lyle Dean, Jeff Hendrix, Catherine Johns, Dick Harley, Harley Carnes, Linda Marshall, Karen Hand, Jim Johnson, Jerry Golden, Jim Wynne, Stan Dale, Bill Guthrie and Les Grobstein was the Stations Sports Director.

For More WLS History: Click Here  and Here.

WLS-AM flipped to a talk format on August 23, 1989 at 7 pm.
In 1963...DJ Dick Biondi did his last show on WLS-AM, Chicago. Here's some audio from a 1962 show.  He returned to WLS 94.7 FM and its Classic Hits format  in November 2006.





In 1972...Bruce Springsteen auditioned for Columbia Records’ legendary talent scout John Hammond in his New York office.  Hammond was so impressed that he arranged for Springsteen to perform that evening for other Columbia executives at the Gaslight Club. “The Boss” passed the audition with flying colors, and was signed that night to the Columbia label. His first album was released 8 months later.