WLS Rewind!

[Peter Q. George]

I was a BIG WLS fan since I was 8 years old.  In fact, my first encounter with WLS was on 9/7/1968, the night before the first day of school in the 3rd grade.  I could not sleep due to the excitement of the first day of class (I'd been out of school since the previous December due to major surgery.)  I kinda stole my Mom's "portable" GE radio from her bedroom.  Lo and behold, WLS was loud and clear (I mean LOCAL strength!). Hearing Chicago, over 900 miles away, was a trip in itself! The radio was a early version of the pre-Superradio series.  I loved it and got my DX feet wet with this baby for many years thereafter.

Many years later, I learned that the great John Rook (WLS/Program Director) initiated the famous "89/WLS" PAMS jingles (after many years of WLS using the Anita Kerr series and some earlier PAMS jingles packages), the same week that I first heard WLS for the first time, some 40 years ago. 

Hearing WLS Musicradio once again this year was a blast! It was great hearing "Boogie Check" (ooooh....ahhhhh!) with Landecker himself, one more time last night!  BTW: I was a regular participant of Boogie Check back in the mid-70's!  Hearing my own voice on skywave on WLS back in the 70's was a real "hoot" for me, to say the least. My parents, on the other hand, were not as enthused about it, when the phone bill arrived ;)! Oh well.....

73,
Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts
"Scanning the bands since 1967"

radiojunkie1@yahoo.com
radiojunkie3@yahoo.com
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--- On Mon, 5/26/08, Kevin Vahey <kvahey@comcast.net> wrote:

> From: Kevin Vahey <kvahey@comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: WLS Rewind!
> To: "Bill O'Neill" <billohno@gmail.com>
> Cc: "BRI" <boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>, "Don A" <donald_astelle@yahoo.com>
> Date: Monday, May 26, 2008, 9:15 PM
> I honestly think WLS was the best Top 40 station ever.
> 
> Talent wise it was the equal of WABC if not a little
> better.
> 
> The guy who did sports this morning Les Grobstein is famous
> in Chicago
> for recording a Cubs manager having a meltdown.
> 
> Lujack played it unedited and somehow the FCC never did
> anything. It
> is a classic
> 
> You can find it on You Tube just search for Lee Elia... he
> said the
> magic words....
> 
> On 5/26/08, Bill O'Neill <billohno@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Don A wrote:
> >> No signal in Vermont either...however...You can
> listen online at:
> >>
> >> http://www.wlsam.com/article.asp?id=152352
> >
> > Thanks for the link. Good stuff to listen to as I
> catch up on work (that
> > I should have done on Friday). Funny bit with Bill
> Bailey about the fact
> > that they did not have any security guards on their
> (WLS's) floor for
> > <cough> obvious reasons.
> >
> > Bill O'Neill <echo echo>
> >