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# 1 in Chicago
The Big 89 � WLS
from Passing Thru
by John Rook
As a youngin�
growing up in the 1940�s, I spent many evenings sitting on the floor of
my grandparents living room in Ohio listening to those far off radio
signals of which WLS was one. I could barely reach the buttons tuned to
WLS, KDKA, WSM, KWKH & WLW and was delighted when grandpa allowed me to
do so, but only with him nearby to make sure I didn�t �break the radio�
as he would caution.
To this day I recall
WLS, WSM and KWKH were the favorites for their Hayride or Barn Dance
music featuring the top country/western singers of the day, with WLW and
KDKA known for news programming. This early influence of what was called
�hillbilly� music would stay with me as a programmer, as I was always
interested in providing airplay to recording artists who provided a
simple understandable lyric with a haunting melody.
Imagine my
excitement as a young man when I suddenly found myself being program
director of KDKA�s competitor, KQV, who had its own early history
starting in 1919, a year before KDKA�s.
Having accepted the
challenge to program WLS a few years later, I remember my drive from
Pittsburgh to Chicago as being flooded with memories of those days as a
small tike when I listened almost every Saturday night to the National
Barn Dance on WLS.
In my time at WLS, I
was always aware of the historic significance of the station and the
part it played in the careers of so many major celebrities over the
years. I was sad to learn that so much of the historical artifacts
pertaining to WLS�s history had been simply disposed of as so much
garbage. As in KQV�s case, so it was with WLS. When ABC purchased the
stations, the first move under new management was to �sweep with a new
broom� any reminders of the past into the dumpster.
Moving to Chicago, I was intrigued as to why it was called �the windy city�
when I found it no more gusty than other places I had lived. It took some
digging until I discovered the tag originated back in the 1870�s when
Chicago and Cincinnati were baseball rivals. The bragging of Chicago fans
moved the Cincinnati Enquirer to begin referring to them as residents of
�the windy city,� and the label stuck. Recalling my arrival at
WLS in 1967. The signal was about half as hot as CFL's and we
sounded dull. The chief engineer told me it was my imagination but I
had a friend in New York, Fred Zellner, head of all ABC radio
engineering, who heard my story, caught a plane to Chicago and after
three days had WLS sounding great AND with a new chief engineer who
actually delivered my needs from that day on. Ratings?
Hell, I never looked at them and frankly had no idea why anyone in
programming would...they were a sales tool.
Research? it came from common sense and my "gut."
After about six
weeks Gene Taylor, sales and engineering understood I had the
backing of Hal Neal in New York....they simply got out of the way
and allowed "it" to happen.
That was the key....programming was
first...the rest fell into place and enjoyed the ride.
Upon my arrival at WLS, Gene Taylor piled a foot high research
project on my desk that had been bought and paid for by ABC,
advising the station on how to reverse the losses to WCFL. Red
faced with anger Gene was furious when I simply picked up the
volumes of paper work and in placing it in my office closet said, �I
don�t think I�ll be needing it.� After
just two days of listening to WCFL it was obvious to me WLS could
succeed simply by playing more music and modernizing its
presentation. As WCFL jingles and features continued to limit the
station�s ability to program hit music, WLS took advantage by
cutting the clutter and programming more music. Art Roberts and
Larry Lujack were very supportive but other WLS personalities were
slow in accepting the changes I introduced. The WLS jingles, the
Silver Dollar Survey and some of the on air talent I had inherited
were soon gone as the Big 89 began its move to regain top spot in
the Chicago ratings.
My time as program director of WLS would be
during one of the most tumultuous times in both the history of Chicago and
the nation. The assassinations of Martin Luther King and Senator Robert
Kennedy leading into the Democratic National Convention of 1968, the clash
between protesters and police over the Vietnam War and a city run by the
last of the big city bosses, Richard J. Daley, I was a witness to events
that would remain etched in my mind for years to come. All news radio
formats had yet to be introduced with WLS taking a major role in providing
coverage of it all along with the music. Gene Taylor was not very pleased with my arrival.
I had been placed in charge of programming against his wishes by ABC
radio�s president, Hal Neal and given complete autonomy. As a manager
who came from the programming side of the hall, obviously Gene was upset from day one, sitting in his office
behind closed doors for most of the first six months I was there. When
I did see him in the hallway, it was me who offered a greeting, Gene
always frowned and seldom engaged me in any conversation. He didn�t bother to introduce me to the staff and I
could feel the chill from the executive suite, including the sales
manager. Neal had suggested I �clean out the place� and start from
scratch rebuilding the station. WLS had been badly bruised in the
ratings by Ken Draper�s WCFL, the previous year. Hal Neal was a man who
spoke what he felt and I was assured Gene Taylor would offer no
interference to me. However, the office I was given was in the very back
of the building, across from the men�s restroom. It was to be shared
with the music librarian. The entire staff including on air talent had been
hired by Gene and I could understand his concern for their continued
employment. He had preceded my arrival apologizing for his inability to
prevent my arrival, it was Hal Neal�s idea, not his. I attempted to give
him respect due a V.P. general manager, but Gene wore his feelings on
his shirt sleeve for all to see and it was clear he felt uncomfortable
with me. While everyone expected me to replace air staff,
first blood did not come from there. Gene had apparently transferred disrespect for me
to the sales manager and within weeks of my arrival I ran into
interference when instructing traffic to install a new program log with
my format. After waiting for several days I inquired of the delay and
the traffic department informed me the sales manager had declared, �Rook
is in programming, not sales� and refused to allow a change in the
program log. I had no doubt of my authority so I requested a meeting
with Gene Taylor to make him aware of my need to format the program log.
Walking into his office, Gene and the sales manager
were waiting and questioned why I was interfering with the sales
manager�s log. I held the log up and asked him to read what it said�he
just smiled and told me to go back to my �hole in the back� and stop
trying to create problems. Before leaving I held the log up and read the
top line PROGRAM LOG, I said and I�m responsible for programming.
Dismissing me with laughter, saying I should stick to programming and
leave sales to them. Returning to �my hole in the back� I telephoned Hal
Neal in New York. Neal was always easy for me to communicate with, a man
of few words he often reminded it all began with product�not sales.
�Who�s in the damn sales department you can work with John�. I suggested
Bob Williams, with Hal asking me to repeat his last name. �Sit tight
and I�ll take care of it�, he stated as he hung up. Catching the
commute to my home in Des Plaines, my memory returned to Pittsburgh
where my arrival had a similar experience. When the phone rang at home that evening, I wasn�t
surprised to hear Gene�s voice. It would be the one and only time he
would telephone me at home, or in the office. �John�, his hesitant voice
started, �I wish you hadn�t of called Hal over that silly log thing, now
I have a real problem in sales�. �I�m sorry�, I said, �but I have a job
to do and I don�t need to have hurdles placed in front of me�. I could
hear him taking a long deep breath before saying, �Rook, you�re
something else, always in such a damn hurry�. I added, �radio is
immediacy you know Gene� as he hung up. Arriving at WLS the following morning a memo on my
desk announced the previous sales manager was no longer employed at the
station. It also announced a new sales manager, Bob Williams. The
crowning touch came that afternoon when building maintenance came to my
office to ask what I wanted moved to my new office, the former sales
manager�s office in the executive area. It would be Neal�s way of
making others aware of my authority. Changing the name of
the WLS music list from "The Silver Dollar Survey" to the "WLS Hit Parade" didn't go over all to
well with Gene Taylor either, he was a DJ on WLS when the Silver Dollar
Survey was first named and he saw no reason to change the name of it.
I argued silver dollars were only used in Vegas slot machines and the
term "Hit Parade" was well known from years of use on radio and TV.
Large portions of the once dominate WLS audience
had moved to WCFL where Ken Draper had transformed his previous success
in Cleveland. WLS was bland, boring and unbelievably had "No Respect" for
the nations #1 song by Aretha Franklin. It wasn�t programmed but her
previously unsuccessful Columbia releases were. On-the-air plugs of
money making disc jockey hops would end and recording artist no longer received
air play for free appearances. Some were outraged that I ended the
practice of programming music that had not been previously
approved by me. More often than not the
persistence of Art Roberts paid off as he would badger me for days for
permission to add songs by unknown artists. �Archie Bell & the Drells�,
�Jeannie C. Riley� and �Zager & Evans� joined the one-hit-wonders that
can thank Art Roberts for launching their one ride to the top of the
charts.
Bill and Betty WLS in Chicago and KHJ in Los Angeles virtually dictated the
nation�s music direction for several years. Often old friends
Betty Breneman and Bill Drake tipped us on records
that were hot with the RKO group of stations and we in turn supplied
them with music information that was showing early success in the Midwest.
Janet
Gavin, John Rook, Bill Gavin Our mutual good friends Bill and Janet Gavin offered valuable insight on what was a hit and what was a hype in the years
the recording industry enjoyed great profits selling a variety of music.
FM was still a decade from being a factor in competition, AM radio was
king. Not only was WLS #1 in Chicago with 3.2 million listeners
each week, the station covered all of the east coast, the Midwest and
the southern states. Music excitement was an important part of WLS
programming. If WLS added a record for airplay, stations all over
the nation followed suit.
John
Rook & Petula Clark While on a quick trip to Dallas to produce some
new WLS jingles, I headed west to Los Angeles to visit superstar
Petula Clark, hot off of her #1 hit song "Downtown". Petula
introduced me to her co-star the legendary dancer Fred
Astaire. Seeking to speed up the stations tempo I returned
from Pams Productions in Dallas with
at least a dozen short acappella� s with an attention getting Alvino
Rey guitar sting for punctuation. Jim West and Alan Box at Pam�s gave me
the big, rich sound by adding more voices than normally sang on a �top
forty� jingle package. I always insisted WLS was not a teeny bopper top
forty station. Not only was the on-air disc jockey talent, the news men,
but the jingles also had to sound BIG...after all WLS was "the Big 89". I could hardly wait to return to Chicago
and hear them on the air. They were indeed a major change from the Anita
Kerr jingle package long heard on WLS. What I didn�t know was again I
would have to enlist the backing of the company president to get them on
the air. It was one of those times when the dark tan on Gene
Taylor�s face turned a crimson red. Gene belittled my jingle producing
efforts as �small market crap�, �a f-cking Joke� and refused to pay for
them. He couldn�t envision jingles without a big orchestration.
Accapella to him was �a practice run�, not a finished effort. I argued
short jingles and more music was the key to defeating WCFL, where long
jingles and uncontrolled disc jockey�s cut into the amount of music
programmed. I insisted WLS disc jockeys would be able to establish a
personality in a music driven format. Finally, Taylor�s, �their not
going on this station� sent me to my office and another telephone call
to Hal Neal. Within ten minutes of that call, an angry Gene Taylor
stuck his head in my office door saying, �do what you want to f-ck up
this station, I don�t give a rats ass�. Gene never again questioned my
programming decisions.
Andy Williams
Henry Mancini
Johnny Rivers
Meeting celebrities was
usually pleasant, but meeting Andy Williams was a shock.
Columbia records President Clive Davis probably was as surprised
as I when shortly after my arrival at WLS, he introduced me to Andy. I
was a huge Andy Williams fan beginning with his initial
�Butterfly� in 1957 and continuing with his top rated weekly TV show
throughout the 60�s. With Clive�s introduction, I extended my hand to
shake and was stunned when Andy refused my handshake and blurted "big f-cking
deal." I immediately realized
Andy was under the influence of something besides good manners, as a red
faced Clive ushered me away.
Henry Mancini had
become the best known and most successful film composer in the world. I
met him briefly a few years earlier in Pittsburgh while I was program
director of KQV. WLS was one of the first �top 40� stations in the
nation to provide Mancini�s �Theme from Romeo and Juliet� heavy airplay
upon it�s release in the late 60�s. Upon his telephoning to say
�thanks� for the exposure, I was surprised that he remembered my name
from our previous meeting in Pittsburgh. A few years later, my office
in Hollywood was in the same building as Mancini�s, so we would meet for
a sandwich where I enjoyed pulling stories out of my reluctant friend.
My memories of Henry Mancini live on through the dozens of motion
picture soundtracks. �Hank� was a classy, down to earth gentleman who
left us much too soon.
My friend Bob Skaff
was first to tell me about the Beatles, months before they would
capture the world. At about the same time, Bob suggested I take time to
visit a new hot spot on the Sunset Strip during one of my west coast
trips. The Whisky A Go-Go was packed and it was easy to sense
the excitement. A blonde Go-Go dancer named Goldie Hawn was
featured in a cage hanging from the ceiling and Skaff was interested in
my impression of the club�s main attraction�an unknown with no real
track record as a recording artist. I didn�t remember his name but I
sure was certain the guy had the stuff to become a hit recording
artist. Skaff mentioned he was interested in �signing� the singer and
given a positive reaction from me wanted to know if I�d program his new
find on KQV. "Lou Adler has been shopping a live tape, but isn't
having much luck in getting it picked up", said Skaff.
Within a few days, Skaff
sent me a tape of a previous Chuck Berry release called
�Memphis�. I couldn�t wait to program it on KQV and almost immediately
the career of Johnny Rivers took a climb to the top of the hit
parade. Skaff was delighted when record stores in Pittsburgh ordered the
record heavily and within days of their first order placed an order for
20,000 more records. "Pittsburgh is breaking this nationally" claimed
Skaff, who was particularly pleased because he had gone against the
advise of label president Al Bennett in signing Johnny Rivers. Within a few months another Chuck Berry classic, �Maybelline�,
was released, and following that a remake of a Harold Dorman song
called �Mountain of Love� received the �go-go� treatment as �Johnny
Rivers Live At The Whiskey A Go Go�
became a #1 album.
As I moved from KQV to WLS, I
made certain Johnny Rivers continued to receive airplay for even
bigger hits, "Poor Side of Town", "Baby I Need Your Lovin'"and "Tracks
of My Tears".
And a few years later as I
moved California, I was pleased that Johnny would invite me to his home
for Christmas celebrations. That unknown singer at the �Whiskey� had
become a major part of the Hollywood music legend.
John & Bobby Vee (1968)
It was in 1960 that I first met a young lad
from North Dakota named Bobby Vee, in Denver promoting
his "Devil or Angel" #1 hit. I had just arrived at KTLN with an
air name of Johnny Rowe and Bobby was just beginning a string of hits
for Liberty records. Here 8 years later when I was program
director of WLS.
The WLS "jocks" of the Big 89
Front row - Art Roberts, Clark Weber, Kris
Eric Stevens
Back Row - Larry Lujack, Chuck Buell, Jerry
Kaye
Larry LuJack and Art Roberts were common folks,
with distinctive voices and an abundance of imagination. I instinctively
knew they figured into my plans. Art was a most professional gentleman
and everyone identified with his folksy personality. In all the years he
was my friend I don�t ever remember him having a negative thing to say
about anyone. Larry�s rebellious image and appearance gave need
for me to think he must have some James Dean or Marlon Brando in him. As
time would tell, both Art and Larry were radio originals and LuJack
would become a radio franchise. He never ventured from radio but I feel
certain he could have made major contributions as an actor.
Larry inspired and left his imprint on a young
David Letterman. A lesser disc jockey named Jeff Christie challenged me
to �dump LuJack and hire me�. I was correct when I advised him he
"would never make it as a disc jockey". He would spend some time away
from radio before taking advantage of an industry that ended "the
fairness doctrine" and allowed talk show hosts to rant as they wanted.
Rush would borrow heavily from the
Lujack style and become a talk radio star....but he never forgave me for
not hiring him at WLS, where today his "talk" show is featured.
Jeff Christie - Rush
Limbaugh Like so many great radio talents, Lujack was shy in person, but a lion on the air.
Once he understood that I was giving him room to develop, he began to reach outside the
format box, pushing the envelope but always aiming to entertain�the
entire family. Never anything that was vulgar or indecent, but with
enough barb to capture attention. Always subject to ridicule as his
boss, I actually received letters advising me what steps I should take
for a more beneficial relationship with Larry. He named me �Big John the
barn boss�, after the brutal prison guards in the Chicago jail. I became
�everyone�s boss� with Larry smugly challenging, �just how smart could
this guy be�coming from Pittsburgh?� Just as LuJack was beginning to feel his oats, Hal
Neal called one day. Listening to Larry on the listen line in his New
York office, Neal said, �he�s really putting you down and you don�t have
to take that you know�. Explaining what I was trying to mold, Hal
interrupted �Rook, you�re the boss�, as I nervously chuckled, �that�s
right Hal�. Leaning back in my chair I took a deep breathe and hoped I
was right � that LuJack�s sarcastic put down of city big shots would
entertain and create attention before our luck ran out. Being program
director of a cutting edge talent could cause some consternation,
but we never received a complaint about his antics. Always in good
taste, Larry had a humorous side even when he was serious and the
audience knew it. WLS had a large show place window where visitors
could watch the stations personalities while they were on the air.
Lujack hated the window, closing the drapes at the start of his show
each day. Sales complained, saying clients visiting the station should
be able to watch Larry perform. I understood Larry�s need to invent
himself void of any distraction and the drapes stayed closed. One
of those who regularly hoped to see Lujack at work was a young high
school lad named Lee Abrams, who would in future times make a name for
himself as a great radio programmer. Another who told me years
later how he grew up listening to WLS and in fact would find his company
hiring Larry Lujack many years later. His name is John Hogan, Clear
Channel's head honcho.
Larry Lujack & Kris
Erik Stevens with fan Larry Lujack was an important part of my
radio career and continues my friend. We talk regularly, Larry living in
New Mexico and me in Idaho. Art Roberts could adlib a commercial better than
anybody I knew. His conversational style delivered a sales pitch before
most knew they had heard a commercial. A live implied endorsement was
requested by clients willing to pay the extra fare. It was profitable
for both the talent and the station, but Art always insisted he be
allowed to visit or personally try a product before he would endorse it.
Art also had an incredible �ear� for hearing the hits and I named him WLS music director. His excitement over a new artist would create more
than one superstar, including
Neal Diamond. In the infancy of his singing career Neal Diamond
was introduced to Art and me by Ilene Berns, widow of Bert Berns,
founder of a fledgling Bang records. Art and WLS introduced
Neil Diamond to the nation and soon he was signed to Universal and then Columbia.
Neil Diamond Pat Pippolo
John Rook My friendship with Russ Regan began in the
early 1960�s and it has lasted through more than four decades as we
continue to talk on a regular basis. Always a gentleman, Russ had an
�ear� for hit artists and demonstrated it by making major contributions
to the career�s of Elton John, Neil Diamond, Barry White, Olivia
Newton-John, the Beach Boys and dozens of other giant music stars.
Russ Regan I always enjoyed the time I�d spend with Russ
during those frequent trips to the west coast. While visiting him as
president of Universal, he excitedly gave me a preview of a distant
Neal Diamond release. Then while excusing him self to take a phone
call, I �lifted� the disc and hurried back to Chicago to world premiere,
"Holly Holy". Russ called, "Rook, what are you doin' to me?, he
laughed. After a few days of fun we honored Russ� request to hold off
airplay until he could stock the stores. �You�re getting us orders from
St. Louis, Denver, and throughout the south� said Russ. Ten days later
we were allowed to continue airplay as Holly Holy became #1 overnight
chart topper. The bruised previous program director of WLS, Clark
Weber, continued as the stations morning host, but not for long. While
I was on a Montana vacation he gave his resignation to Gene Taylor.
Reaching me via telephone Taylor seemed delighted at my inconvenience.
�Clark�s turned in his resignation to go to CFL, so you getter get your
ass back here, he leaves in two weeks� he said chuckling. What was so
damn funny, I thought. Catching a plane from Billings, Montana I was back
at WLS before the close of business on that same day, astonishing
Taylor, who upon passing my office door did a double take seeing me
behind my desk. Shaking his head in disbelief, he just shuffled away
without saying a word. I enjoyed just letting everyone know I was never
that far away that I couldn�t attend my duties.
Of course one can only
imagine how ClarkWeber reacted to my arrival at WLS. As the stations Program
Director prior to my taking his job, Clark was at best �distant� to the
major changes I made at WLS. Obviously, the powers that be in New York
opened the door for me to do what ever was needed to reverse the station�s
decline.
WLS could no longer win
by default with its �dated� programming, as WCFL with Ken Draper at the helm
had won the ratings race.Within a few weeks of my arrival the WLS of Clark
Weber�s liking had become a totally different sounding station.
My recognition of Lujacks
talent didn�t set well with Weber, who had little appreciation of Larry and
the personality I found to be a big plus for afternoon drive. Clark Weber
and Ron Riley found it difficult to accept Lujack and I being the reason for
Larry�s elevation in importance, was not well received either. Ron Riley
would soon be gone, replaced by Chuck Buell and Kris Erik Stevens. Within a
few months, WLS had regained its top rated position in Chicago and Ken
Draper was shown the door at WCFL. Thus, it really came as no surprise that
Clark Weber would be moving across the river to a short stay at CFL before
in time landing at WIND.
Paul Harvey
ABC radio�s Chicago headquarters, including WLS was located
at the corner of Wacker and Michigan in the Stone Container Building. Paul
Harvey broadcast his daily news to the nation from the same building,
providing me with the opportunity to have a few friendly chats with him. I
always marveled at his always positive nature, never once did he express any
negative thoughts. Anyone who ever heard him on the radio would find his
phrasing, his delivery of the news, impossible to forget. There was only
one Paul Harvey. In one of our conversations, he offered an explanation for
his success. �Dare to be different� he said. It was advice I would never
forget in programming from that day forward. After some thought I realized
the great performers had unusual or unique delivery and on air talent, all I
had to do was recognize and encourage them. Always on the lookout for voices and personalities
in what I term �a sea of sameness�, I was well aware of Kentucky�s
�morning mayor�, Bill Bailey on WAKY in Louisville. Top rated year in
and year out, I heard a tape of him when a competitor sent it to me
months earlier hoping to get him hired out of the market. Searching for
the reel of tape I had stashed away in a desk drawer, I couldn�t find
it. I did remember from my initial listen that Bill Bailey as indeed
very unusual. It was after midnight when I checked into a
Louisville hotel room, I�d started the morning in Montana, stopped in
Chicago and was now
setting my travel alarm for early wake up the next morning before
sunrise, to audition Bill Bailey, unbeknown to him. Arising in time to sip some coffee, I waited to
hear if my new WLS morning man was here. I was up and into my first cup
of coffee before hearing his opening greetings, a loveable distinctive
character, Arthur Godfrey with the voice of Elmer Fudd. He was
entertaining, believable, imaginative, and certainly one to be
remembered. A lot like Art Roberts and Larry LuJack, they came from
a similar cloth. Early on I recognized Art Roberts, Larry LuJack and
Jerry Kay were not like those who seemed transfixed on their individual
stardom. However, I hesitated making any changes in the air names that
had become well known to Chicagoans. Entering my third month as program director of WLS,
Hal Neal came to visit. As he and Gene Taylor passed my office door,
Neal paused for a minute, �Lunch?� he asked pointing to me. �Sure�, I
answered, thinking I would be joining both of them for lunch. A short
time later he returned alone signaling me to follow, �you won�t need a
coat� he said as we headed to the London House in our WLS building. Settling
in at our table Neal commenced, �I can tell you�ve got um playing more
music, now if only they could sound like they enjoy it.� As I begun to
offer an excuse for not yet making any on-air talent changes, Neal
peered over the top of his cheater glasses interrupting, �Don�t give me
that crap Rook, that�s why you got the job, now do it ! �Yes sir!� I replied, as we lunched watching an
unknown singer from Australia named Helen Reddy. Morton �Doc� Downey out of New Orleans was under
consideration but Hal Neal was concerned he was �uncontrollable�. �Doc�
would be one of the nations first �shock jocks�, but tame by recent
standards. Neal insisted I look for �newer, younger talent� Age
discrimination wasn�t even a term in those days. Mort and I talked from
time to time over the years until again our paths would cross at KABC.
Chuck Buell (1969) Chuck Buell came to my attention when he was a
teenage disc jockey in Rapid City, South Dakota. He moved up to the
coveted afternoon drive slot at KIMN � �the Denver Tiger� as it was
known. The stations owner, Ken Palmer, was my good friend and largely
responsible for my introduction to major market radio. Complaining Buell
on WLS at night might lure some KIMN listeners, Palmer was also proud
one of his talents was moving up to the big time. Being on the air at
WLS was utopia for any young disc jockey. One of my initial hires in Chicago was Mike
McCormick from KOIL in Omaha. Lyle Dean arrived to become �the Dean of
Chicago newsmen�. Bob's big voice was used on all of "the Big 89"
tracks.
Bob Benson, a shy but extremely
qualified newsman was hired as News Director, propelling him
to become VP of all ABC radio news. He too came from the same legendary
Omaha station KOIL. Bob would go on to head up AP News nationally.
In my first year at WLS, my former boss, John Gibbs
called looking for a new program director to replace Johnny Borders, who
found Pittsburgh not as livable as his beloved Texas. I recommended
McCormick, he would return to program WLS following my departure.
Tom Bigby Lyle
Dean Bob Benson Replacing Mike, I hired Tom Bigby, who in the
future would assist me at John Rook & Associates. Tom�s contribution to
radio continued at WIP in Philly and KRLD in Dallas. Today
he a valued programmer of CBS radio. Kris Erik Stevens was passing through Chicago
somewhere between jobs in Atlanta and San Francisco. I suggested he
spend some time in Pittsburgh at KQV before coming to WLS. Arriving on
Valentines Day, Lujack labeled him �a sweet kid, but does he have any
talent?�. It would signal a regular good natured scolding of the �kid� who just never
seemed to satisfy Larry, but the �kid� would move on to Los Angeles,
where Kris Erik Stevens is one of the nations top commercial voices. His charismatic personality and extraordinary voice
characteristics are heard as the spokesman for prestigious national
brands and clients worldwide.
Great
talents leave an impression. Kris Erik Stevens leaves an impression.
However, as I think back
to those days in Chicago, I'll always remember "the kid" that Lujack helped create.
Kris Erik Stevens - WLS 1969 Even with the Chicago Cubs in a playoff series, WLS
topped WGN in the ratings. WCFL under Ken Draper ended and so did a
challenge to WLS. With our lobby in the Stone Container Building filling with awards,
WLS -
"Station of the Year" and "Program Director of the Year", I began to receive
offers from numerous broadcast groups. Very shortly, youthful impatience
and a job offer in California would lure me from WLS. My heart was in California but my job was in
Chicago. After the first year any contact with Hal Neal slowed
considerably. WLS was a commanding shape delivering ratings and revenue
well ahead of goals. I was slightly concerned when Rick Sklar told me
Hal was deeply involved with the ABC fm division. Harkening back to my
conversation with Hal prior to my arrival in Chicago, I expected any day
to receive a call inviting me to get started with a new challenge
programming ABC�s west coast fm. Imagine my shock upon hearing ABC�s fm division was
instead handed to the assistant Program Director of WCFL, Allen Shaw.
Having just defeated WCFL, I could not understand why my job�had been
given to a competitor. I had lived up to my end of the agreement in
reversing WLS�s slide, indeed the station was on top in Chicago even
over rival WGN. I felt terribly betrayed by Hal Neal. I seriously began to explore other options when my
friend Bill Drake called asking if I�d like to join his efforts in
California as president of his new Drake-Chenault syndication company. I
had spent some time with Drake during trips to California and was very
impressed with the job he and his right hand man Bill Warson had done
for RKO radio. That group of stations nationally had everyone talking
and certainly programming was in charge there, even more so than it was
at ABC. My ticket to the west coast arrived and I took it.
Rick Sklar at WABC telephoned suggesting I reconsider. �Hal could have
something in mind for you, be patient.� I saw no need to reconsider and didn�t.
Buell,
Stevens, Rook, Roberts, Lujack
My friends in both the music and the radio industry
surprised me with a giant send off in Chicago. Kris Erik Stevens brought
the house down as he awarded me the actual studio phone deemed �the bat
phone� I used to police my domain. Within weeks of my departure a new WLS manager was
announced as Gene Taylor moved to Cleveland to become manager of
WIXY
for a short period of time.
I had recommended my old Denver boss,
George Wilson, to replace me as program director of WLS. He was PD at
the time at WOKY in nearby Milwaukee.
Instead, the decision makers at ABC
decided to return Mike McCormick, who had been production director of
WLS for a short period of time before moving on to KQV as Program
Director.
During the first year of my departure
from WLS, several of the WLS on-air talent, including Art Roberts and
Larry Lujack telephoned to advise me the they were having a difficult
time taking "direction" from McCormick .
One of the reasons I did not recommend
McCormick as my replacement was because as the WLS production director
he had not "meshed" all that well with neither Art or Larry, both vital
ingredients to WLS's success.
Thus, when I received an offer from
WCFL's GM, Lew Witz, I knew without much hesitation I could easliy
convience Lujack to join me at WCFL.
Within ten hours of returning to Chicago
as WCFL's consultant I had lunch with Larry Lujack and had hired him
away from WLS where McCormick had moved him from afternoons to morning
following my departure there.
"Super Jock" Lujack became the quaterback
for SuperCFL and within 90 days of his arrival WLS was no more. My
job was done and I returned home to California.
It wasn't long before the manager and the
program director of WLS were replaced.
In time with John Gehron as WLS's PD and
Marty Greenberg as the stations manager, Lujack would return to WLS and
the Big 89 was once again top dog in Chicago ratings.
Greenberg and Gehron were class guys, a
great team that returned WLS to power in Chicago.
All Content on this
Web site � 2008 John H. Rook
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