Radio Days
Remembering Some Good Chicago Media People
A few weeks ago, a retired sports reported/newspaper writer-columnist from Chicago passed away. Terry Boers passed away from liver failure. He retired back in 2017 (where has the time gone?) when he was diagnosed with jaw cancer. His health gradually deteriorated to the point he ran out of time. Boers worked sports radio at WSCR and wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times before being an original Score host. He also was part of WGN Radio’s “The Sports Reporters” panel and its tv counterpart while at the Sun-Times.
His tributes were kind, heartfelt and full of memories. So many times, someone might recall something and I’d be nodding my head up and down on remembering something that happened while on the air. Behind the scenes, it seemed he helped and mentored anyone he came into contact with, complete without the ego so many have. I was fortunate to meet Terry at a couple of on location broadcasts and would say from my brief interactions, he was as advertised. RIP Mr. Boers. By-cracky !
What the tributes brought back for me, though, were the days I was always attached to a radio. Chicago was loaded with personalities, radio and tv. Some I listened to, some I only knew by name. I managed to meet quite a few.
In my younger days, I was more of a Top 40 listener, which in Chicago meant WLS or WCFL. I was more of a “Super CFL” listener when I started listening to and paying attention. Larry Lujack was the king. 2-6 Monday thru Saturday.
When WCFL went “Beautiful Music”, Lujack was the one to sign off the top 40 format. He’d stick around for a while, but it wasn’t his thing. He would sign with top 40 WLS and host mornings. While there, he would team up near the end of his show with Tommy Edwards, whose show followed his, and they had a very popular segment known as Animal Stories. They had a great tv commercial promoting it too…
Superjock, Uncle Lar passed in 2013 at the age of 73. Tommy Edwards was also the PA voice of the Chicago Bulls at the Chicago Stadium and United Center, doing two stints (1976-90 and 2006-19). Edwards had a 54 year radio career, retiring in 2014. From what I could tell, he is near his children, retired on the West Coast.
My favorite at the time at ‘CFL, was the midday host, Bob Dearborn. Dearborn would be famous for his analysis of the Don McLean song, “American Pie” while at WCFL.
He would go on to host the nationally syndicated overnight show “Nightime America”. I met Bob at Randhurst Mall in suburban Chicago during a promo. Won an album by knowing that the song “Brother Louie” was recorded by a group called The Stories. When I was on Facebook, I found Bob had a page and sent him a note, recalling his days at WCFL. He sent me back a nice reply recalling his days at WCFL fondly.
With the call letters changing often, I found myself listening to WIND-AM. That station was, music, news and talk. These were my early high school days and would be my first exposure to talk radio. Two Chicago radio legends were on the air back to back in those days. Dave Baum, the “chat champ” was on 10pm- midnight, Monday thru Friday. The show was called “On Contact”. The show was your average news, occasional celebrity discussions. I met Dave at Lincoln Park Zoo on a Saturday during “zoo days”. “Chicago” Ed Schwartz would follow at midnight until 2am or 3am, depending on the day.
When Schwartz went to WGN, his show went entirely overnight. Ed Schwartz was one of a kind. He knew so many people, locally and nationally. His show was entertaining, informative and fun. If you would hear a siren in the distance, you can bet Ed Schwartz knew what was going on. I learned of many a fire, car accident, even a mob hit in the neighborhood listening to Ed. Schwartz had his scanners and contacts who would let him know what was going on around town. His ghost hunter shows on Halloween were classic and were a fun listen. Sadly, Schwartz suffered from many health problems and died in 2009 at only age 62
I eventually found FM. In the day, my stations were WBBM-FM, WFYR-FM and WKQX. While listening to ‘KQX, I had two memorable on air events with morning host, Robert Murphy.
Murphy had a lot of schtick and crazy segments. Probably the most well known commercial promoting his show was the straight jacket from the bambulance. The “bambulance” was a little on air skit he did, very popular.
My first occasion to be on the air was in asking for an autographed picture of one of his sidekicks, Beth Kaye. Heck, she had a great voice and I wondered what she looked like. The conversation was something like this;
Murphy: Good Morning. So you would like a picture of Beth Kaye.
Beth: Oh my. Really? I’m honored. This doesn’t happen too often.
Me: (being shy) Well we hear you every day, but I was just wondering what you looked like.
Murphy: Well, we can do that. (In his strange sense of humor) How would you like that ?
Me: I don’t know, just an autographed pic.
Murphy: Well, you can have nude, semi-nude or one with the Green Bay Packers.
Me: Hmm, I’ll take the one with the Packers.
I did get the station promo pic, autographed, about a week later. I think I still have it in a box someplace.
I had another fun time with Murph on the air. Before the advent of computer dating, once a week Murphy did a segment called “dial a date”. Normally shy people would call in and have Murph call someone they were to afraid to ask out. Now, when I did this, it wasn’t about necessarily being shy. I decided I was going to have a little fun with a gal in our home office in my travel agent days. I knew she was a Murphy fan and listened, so I figured, why not! So, I called in, gave the info and waited on hold. I had got Debbie’s number through someone at the other office. The segment went on with three successes. I guess the way it was set up, with time and all, I wasn’t going to get on. But, someone dropped off, surprised Murphy, and, there I was, on the air. Murphy was a little caught off guard and didn’t really know where this was going to go. So, he dialed up Debbie and played me up. What Murphy didn’t know though, was the Debbie and I were on a cruise through work about a month earlier. So, when Murph asked if she would do the date, she said, “why of course I would”. They let us talk for a minute at which time Debbie dropped the bomb, “wanna go on a cruise” 🤫🤫🤭🤭😉😉. Murphy and the crew were stunned and didn’t know what to say or where to go with it. It was considered a “success” and ended up being the best of that morning’s DaD segment. They “hooked us up” and I called Debbie after. We laughed and giggled a bit, I told her I taped it (I think that tape is someplace too…anyone got a cassette player?) and she said she wanted to hear it. They played it at the other office, everyone had a laugh. No, we never did go on a “date”, but it was all in good fun.
Chicago had so many well known, quality personalities in those days. Some I listened to a little or a lot. In addition to the few listed, there were legends like Wally Phillips, Clark Weber, Bob Collins, Dick Biondi to name a few. On the tv media side there was Fahey Flynn, Joel Daley, Floyd Kalber, Bill Kurtis, John Drury, Walter Jacobson, Carol Marin, Deborah Norville and Jane Pauley who all had stints on Chicago airwaves and many showing up on a national level. In the day, these people were respected, honest and true journalists. Media then was nowhere near as bad as the “journalistic” garbage of today. You turned on the news or radio to be told what was going on. If it was an opinion, it was labeled “Commentary”. Never were you told what to believe or how you should act.
Now, I’m into satellite radio. Unfortunately, Sirius-XM decided to take the station (Spa) I solely listen to off radio access and limit it to app only. I realized today that I was CFLed again. Yes, the station channel was replaced by Christian music. All that was missing was Larry Lujack playing “We need a whole lot more Jesus, and a lot less rock and roll”, or in this case, Spa Channel at the end. Thanks for screwing me Sirius. More silly executive decisions handled in a poor way.
Those days growing up and on into adulthood were graced with some good radio, good people and some decent media. Those days are missed. Even the talk radio I have listened to more recently has become a thing of the past. I used to love sports talk. Sadly, with my current attitudes regarding sport, and the unreliability of mainstream media, there’s not much need to listen to talk radio anymore. So many could be added here, but these are those I have the most vivid memories of.
Some of the Memorable Chicago Media Legends
Ken, you have some great memories! Don't radio people have the greatest voices? I worked at a radio station in New Hampshire and sold radio advertising for a while I enjoyed it very much.
Thank you for sharing Chicago's radio elite!
Nothing quite like those days of local-radio dominance. I used to listen to WDAF-AM (Sixty-Onnnne Country!) in my younger days here in KC, and switched to FM in my teens... then BACK to AM in my 20s LOL. Now, everything is sadly globalized and corporatized to point of irrelevance.
Great memories, my friend - thanks for sharing them!