1000 WCFL
Ron Brittain; Barney Pipp, WCFL Chicago | October, 1967
When Contributor Frank Davis wrote to say he was sending a box of original tapes, we really had no idea of the quality of the recordings. Most, says Davis, were taken right from the source reels, or recorded directly onto cassette. This was apparently the former. Starting off with a promo for the upcoming ‘New’ Dick Biondi ’68 show, here’s Ron Brittain and Barney Pipp – not together, but mixed inside this 30 minute partial scope of what sounds like a couple of different day recordings from the Fall of 1967. Listen to the assortment of jingles that WCFL was using in 1967! Some are instantly recognizable as classic PAMS cuts, others we’re not quite sure about. Heller, perhaps? As we’ve pointed out on numerous occasions on this website, the AM receive...
Dick Biondi on The Big 10 – WCFL Chicago (January 3, 1969) – Part 2
Station: 1000 WCFL (WLUP/WMVP) Chicago (Wikipedia) (WMVP Website) Format: Top 40 Branded: “Big 10“; “Radio 10” Ownership: The Chicago Federation of Labor Featured Air Personality: Dick Biondi Contributor: Anonymous Total Time: 16:59 Aircheck #1,588 From San Francisco California they came – The Jefferson Airplane Curator’s Notes: Part two begins with a full newscast from Bill Reese. Listen for several stories of historical significance – Teddy Kennedy won the Democratic Primary, for one. Reese reads the news and there are stories from reporters in the field. He also reads a quick sports update and the weather before throwing it back to Dick Biondi.. A few minutes later in this scope, there’s another full newscast, this time anchored by Bob Hag...
Dick Biondi on The Big 10 – WCFL Chicago (January 3, 1969) – Part 1
Station: 1000 WCFL (WLUP/WMVP) Chicago (Wikipedia) (WMVP Website) Format: Top 40 Branded: “Big 10“; “Radio 10” Ownership: The Chicago Federation of Labor Featured Air Personality: Dick Biondi Contributor: Anonymous Total Time: 13:41 (Telescoped) Aircheck #1,587 Here comes some bubblegum music… everyone start chewing now! Curator’s Notes This is a clear, yet somewhat grainy aircheck we received on cassette. It sounds like a second-generation recording, however it’s certainly good enough for listener enjoyment. Some notes here, but not enough to be a spoiler – Biondi sounds a bit out of place… think about his then-recent stint as one of the original WLS Top 40 jocks, and his “On Top of a Pizza” song.. his style of presentation...
Ron O’Brien, WCFL Chicago, Part 2 | 1973
Recording Date: 1973 (Exact Date Unknown) Station: 1000 WCFL (WLUP) (WMVP) Chicago (Wikipedia) (WMVP Website) Branded: “The Voice of Labor” Ownership: Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL Union) (Website) Featured Air Personality: Ron O’Brien (Richard Wallis 10.24.1951 – 04.27.2008) (KBAB/WCFL/WXLO/WRKO/WNBC/KIIS-FM/WPGC/WYXR/WOGL (Wikipedia) Contributor: David Hudach Total Time: 13:05 (Telescoped) Segments: Part 1 | Part 2 Description by David Hudach: I have a 27 minute compilation aircheck of Big Ron O’Brien from the 70’s. Early 70’s and then later when CFL was running The Last Contest. Myself and friends were from Struthers, Ohio at the time and loved Big Ron. We were involved in our high school FM radio station and aspired to be big city radio jock...
Ron O’Brien, WCFL Chicago, Part 1 | 1973
Recording Date: 1973 (Exact Date Unknown) Station: 1000 WCFL (WLUP) (WMVP) Chicago (Wikipedia) (WMVP Website) Branded: “The Voice of Labor” Ownership: Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL Union) (Website) Featured Air Personality: Ron O’Brien (Richard Wallis 10.24.1951 – 04.27.2008) (KBAB/WCFL/WXLO/WRKO/WNBC/KIIS-FM/WPGC/WYXR/WOGL (Wikipedia) Contributor: David Hudach Segments: Part 1 | Part 2 7 O’clock at the Voice of Labor! Curator’s Notes: There are three breaks in this 15 minute tape, each one appears to be a different broadcast day. Our contributor wrote: I have a 27 minute compilation aircheck of Big Ron O’Brien from the 70′s. Early 70′s and then later when CFL was running The Last Contest. Myself and friends were from Struthers, Ohio at the time and l...
Composite, 1000 AM WCFL “Big 10” Chicago | December 22, 1970
Date of Recording: 12.22.1970 Station: 1000 WCFL (WLUP/WMVP) Chicago, Illinois, USA Format: Top 40 Featured Air Personalities: Paul Christy, Robert E. Lee Contributor: Daniel Coulombe Date of Posting: 09.05.2017 Total Time: 12:26 Airchexx Entry: 1,507 Nine oh two at the Voice of Labor, this is Robert E. Lee for Clark Webber… Curator’s Notes: This aircheck came to us somewhat unscoped. It’s a somewhat strange aircheck, in that the music is not what I’d consider true Top 40 fare, but considering this was three days before Christmas, perhaps WCFL, as some other stations ESPECIALLY back in 1970, toned it down for the holiday season. Compare with similar airchecks from stations like WLS and try to compare. This aircheck is living proof that radio stations indeed, DID, ac...
Jim Hampton’s Radio Recall Featuring Kris Eric Stevens
Date of Recording: Unknown Station(s): 104.3 WOMC Detroit, Michigan, USA; 890 WLS & 1000 WCFL Chicago, Illinois, USA Format: Oldies Featured Air Personalities: Jim Hampton (WXYZ/WOMC, others); Kris Eric Stevens (WLS/WCFL) Contributor: Jim Hampton Airchexx Entry: 1,486 Comments: Described as perhaps one of the youngest jocks ever on WLS, Kris Eric Stevens is featured in this interview on Jim Hampton’s Radio Recall show. In it, they talk about Stevens’ career at WLS and at WCFL, as he was one of a few jocks who worked both sides of the river in one of America’s closest Top 40 battles in the early 1970s. Radio Recall was a Podcast featured on the Motor City Radio Flashbacks website, which also airs on Classic Hits radio station 104.3 WOMC Detroit. The program has itR...
Format Change in Chicago: WCFL AM 1000 Becomes WLUP | April 29, 1987
Date of Recording: April 28-29, 1987 Station(s): WCFL AM 1000, WLUP/WLUP-FM 97.9 Chicago, Illinois Featured Air Talent: Steve Dahl, Gary Meier, Jonathan Brandmeir, Patty Hayes, Various others Contributor: Frank Davis Aircheck Entry: 1,423 Comments: “WCFL – Nothing has changed but the religion…” At the stroke of midnight, 4.29.87, The legendary WCFL call letters disappeared forever from AM 1000. So, too, did the unique religious programming. In a final half hour in which the station hosts said goodbye, a farewell show worthy of a great Top 40 station, the staff takes the time to say goodbye to dozens of callers… then goes out with a prayer. The next hour of this hour and a half aircheck is all the new WLUP (AM) in the minutes following the midnight flip, then l...
Big Ron O’Brien, 1000 AM WCFL Chicago | October, 1973
The heated battle between WCFL and WLS never was hotter than this… in 1973, ‘CFL actually BEAT WLS in the ratings – it happened only once. But what a year and what a sound the Voice of Labor had. Having ‘stolen’ Larry Lujack from WLS, and the addition of some great talent, including Big Ron O’Brien (who went on to bigger fame at WXLO 99X New York), WCFL really cooked during this time period. Restored by your humble webmaster in honor of O’Brien, who passed away on April 27, 2008, here’s a 22 minute high quality aircheck recorded just after WCFL came off the number one rating book, the best book it would ever get. One listen to the fast pace of this station and you’ll know why they knocked the Rock of Chicago off its pedistal – eve...
Big Ron O’Brien, 1000 AM WCFL | 1976
1976 – The final year that WCFL played Top 40. Before flaming out, this was an incredible station – fast paced, screamin’ jocks, and a harder edge to the music than even crosstown WLS, which billed itself as the “Rock of Chicago”. Unfortunately for all of us who loved the format, the American Federation of Labor Union that owned the station was pretty much finished with playing radio, and WCFL was just about done with Rock music in general. That story we’ll tell at another time. By 1976, WCFL had fallen substantially in the ratings race, due to increased visibility and promotion by both WLS, and the emergence of FM Rock stations which were gaining prominence. You’d never notice if you were a listener to the Voice of Labor though, as you’ll he...
Kevin Matthews, “Night Service”, WLUP The Loop AM 1000 Chicago | August 12, 1987
The great experiment to see if a Talk/AOR hybrid format would work on AM is fully on display here, at the former WCFL Chicago AM 1000 digs, at this point known as “The Loop AM 100 WLUP”. The Night Service is on the air, with Kevin Matthews and a lot of characters, phoners and *some* Rock & Roll. The experiment wouldn’t last long, and soon enough, plenty of gospel would be heard coming from AM 1000. But this era of The Loop was highly written up in the trades. Starts with the end of the afternoon show, a song, then Kevin Matthews. First bit is something with ‘Ronny Reagan’. Yeah, he was getting senile in 1987. There’s lots of dialogue with engineer “Rat Boy”. Ends halfway through something called an “Elvis Minute”. Runs 31:50,...
Airchexx and Big Apple Airchecks Present: A Tribute to “Superjock” Larry Lujack
On December 18, 2013, the broadcast world and millions of devoted fans said goodbye to a man who had become a fixture in Chicago radio. Larry Lujack first became a well known DJ in Seattle, at KJR “Channel 95” (950 AM), before moving east to the Windy City. In no time at all, Superjock became a household name, holding down Afternoon Drive on 89 WLS, and later at “The Voice of Labor”, WCFL before returning to WLS to do mornings. But this website is not here to post Lujacks’ resume. In conjunction with Big Apple Airchecks, we at Airchexx present a tribute to Superjock Larry Lujack. This audio tribute is just that. Stories and interviews with friends and co-workers – the very people who knew Lujack the best. From the Big Apple Airchecks website, “Many...
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