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Wikipedia

WSCR

March 07, 2023

For other uses, see WSCR (disambiguation).

WSCR (670 AM) – branded as 670 The Score – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, servicing the Chicago metropolitan area and much of surrounding Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana and parts of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WSCR is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range in most of the Central United States and part of the Eastern United States. WSCR serves as the Chicago affiliate for the BetQL Audio Network, CBS Sports Radio, the Fighting Illini Sports Network and the NFL on Westwood One Sports; the flagship station for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bulls radio networks; and the home of radio personalities David Haugh and Matt Spiegel.

WSCR
Broadcast areaChicago metropolitan area
Frequency670 kHz
Branding670 The Score
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatSports
AffiliationsBetQL Audio Network
CBS Sports Radio
Westwood One
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Bulls
DePaul Blue Demons
Illinois Fighting Illini
Ownership
Owner
WBBM, WBBM-FM, WBMX, WCFS-FM, WUSN, WXRT[1]
History
First air date
April 12, 1922 (1922-04-12) (as WGU)[2]
Former call signs
WGU (1922)
WMAQ (1922–2000)
Call sign meaning
Score
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID25445
ClassA
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
41°56′3″N 88°4′24″W / 41.93417°N 88.07333°W / 41.93417; -88.07333 (main)
41°56′7″N 88°4′27″W / 41.93528°N 88.07417°W / 41.93528; -88.07417 (auxiliary)
Repeater(s)104.3 WBMX-HD2 (Chicago)
Links
Public license information
  • Public file
  • LMS
WebcastListen live (via Audacy)
Websitewww.audacy.com/670thescore

The WSCR studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter resides in nearby Bloomingdale, diplexed with co-owned WBBM. Besides its main analog transmission, WSCR transmits continuously[note 1] over a single HD Radio channel utilizing the in-band on-channel standard,[3] simulcasts over the second digital subchannel of WBMX, and streams online via Audacy.

Historically, this station is best known under the WMAQ call sign, which it bore from October 1922 to August 2000.[4] The oldest surviving broadcast outlet in Chicago, it was co-founded and originally operated by the Chicago Daily News, and became a charter affiliate of the CBS Radio Network upon their 1927 launch. Purchased by the National Broadcasting Company in 1931, WMAQ was a key station in the NBC Radio Network for nearly six decades, and later yielded adjuncts WMAQ-TV (channel 5) and WMAQ-FM (101.1 FM). A sale to Westinghouse Broadcasting in 1988 resulted in WMAQ becoming an all-news radio station throughout the 1990s. Since 2000, this station has been the third in the Chicago market to use the WSCR call sign and "Score" branding, adopting a format previously heard on the current WYLL (1160 AM) from 1997 to 2000; the format and branding originated in 1992 on the current WCPT (AM) 820 AM.[5]

History

1920s

On April 12, 1922, the station first signed on as WGU.[6][7] A joint venture between The Fair Department Store and the Chicago Daily News, WGU's first transmitter sat atop the department store.[6][8][9] At the time, the station was broadcasting on 833 kilocycles with a transmitter power of about 100 watts.[7]

Just weeks before its inaugural broadcast Walter A. Strong, then business manager of the Daily News, realized the station would need a manager. Strong knew a young woman with some ad agency experience named Judith C. Waller. He called her and said, “I’ve just bought a radio station; come down and run it.” Waller protested that she didn't know anything about running a station. Strong replied “neither do I, but come down and we’ll find out.”[10] Waller was hired in February 1922. She went on to have a long and distinguished career in broadcasting.

There are questions as to whether anyone actually heard the station's initial half-hour broadcast, as technical problems forced WGU to shut down the following day. It remained off the air while a new transmitter was ordered. One of the problems with reception of the station was the interference of tall buildings in the area and that it had only about 100 watts of power.[2][11][12]

The City of Chicago also operated its own radio station with similar call letters, WBU, sharing a frequency with Westinghouse's KYW, which began in Chicago the year before.[13][14][15] In an attempt to avoid confusion with the city's station, WGU was assigned the new call letters WMAQ, and to improve reception, its power was increased to 500 watts and it was assigned the clear channel frequency of 750 kilocycles.[16][2][17] WMAQ's call letters were first broadcast October 2, 1922, with the inaugural show featuring comedian Ed Wynn.[2][17] The station's longtime motto "We Must Answer Questions," was derived from this call sign.[18]

 
WMAQ transmitter towers atop La Salle Hotel, where the studios were also located–1925.

Early 1923 records show there were 20 radio stations on the air in Chicago alone. Most of these smaller radio stations faded out because of money issues. The Chicago stations that are or had been on the dial for many years usually had a store, newspaper or organization behind them which was willing and able to weather the early times when many radio stations did not make a profit.[19] WMAQ had the financial backing of the Chicago Daily News and a very capable general manager in Judith Waller. Waller remained in charge of the station until it was purchased by NBC. At that point she became the director of public affairs programming for NBC's central division, holding that title until her retirement in 1957.[20][21][22][23][24]

By early 1923, the Daily News was convinced enough in the power of radio to buy out the Fair Store's 51% interest in the station.[2][16][25] The Daily News moved the station and its transmitter to the tallest building in Chicago at the time—the La Salle Hotel on West Washington street in the West Loop.[26][27][28][9] With a new location and new frequency of 670 kilohertz, WMAQ went on the air July 2, 1923. The new frequency however, was not at first clear channel. WMAQ had to share its schedule with another local station, WQJ, which was jointly owned by the Calumet Baking Powder Company and the Rainbo Gardens Ballroom on North Clark Street.[29] Rainbo was one of the country's top ballrooms and Calumet's broadcasts brought the company much publicity for its products.[30] The Daily News was not able to buy out WQJ until 1927 to make the 670 frequency exclusively available for WMAQ.[16][31][32]

Within four weeks after its move, WMAQ obtained the exclusive Chicago rights from American Telephone & Telegraph to broadcast President Warren Harding's address from San Francisco.[9] It also had the rights for his memorial services on August 10, 1923. At the time, it was AT&T's policy to sell the exclusive broadcasting rights for an event to one radio station per city. Shortly before the special event, AT&T would send telegrams to all radio stations, informing them of what event was to take place. The first radio station to respond was then granted the exclusive broadcast rights in that city.[33] WMAQ later broadcast both the 1924 Republican and Democratic conventions by this same arrangement.[34][35]

By 1924, the station took an active interest in broadcasting sporting events, airing the 1924 World Series and convincing William Wrigley to carry all Chicago Cubs home games from Wrigley Field in 1925, the first time one station aired an entire season of Cubs games.[34] Hal Totten, a Daily News sportswriter, was WMAQ's first sportscaster.[36][37] Beginning in the fall of 1925, college football games from the University of Chicago were also broadcast. WMAQ was the first to carry an intercollegate football game in the United States.[34][35][38]

 
The former home of WMAQ and the Chicago Daily News.

WMAQ became a network affiliate of the NBC Red Network in January 1927.[9] In September 1927, it severed its ties with NBC and joined the new Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) as a charter affiliate.[32] It was one of the 16 stations that aired the first CBS network program on September 18, 1927.[32]

Wanting to expand its coverage area, WMAQ needed a new stronger transmitter. A site for it was purchased outside of the city. In 1928, the new station transmitter was constructed in Elmhurst.[39][40][9] It was also time to move the studios from the La Salle Hotel. Walter Strong, who by then had become the publisher of the Daily News, had just finished construction of new building for his newspaper that included studio space for WMAQ. By September 1929, the station had moved to Daily News Building at 400 West Madison (today 2 North Riverside Plaza).[41][42][43] In April 1930, WMAQ was organized as a subsidiary corporation with Walter Strong as its chairman of the board, and Judith Waller as vice president and station manager.[44]

A new radio show called Amos 'n' Andy aired for the first time on WMAQ on March 19, 1928.[45] The actors were no strangers to Chicago radio as their program originally aired on WGN as Sam 'n' Henry. Their first appearance on Chicago radio is said to have been on WLS in the late 1920s.[46][47][48] Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden broke with WGN over syndication rights. General Manager Judith Waller saw the potential of the radio show and granted these rights to the duo as part of their WMAQ contract.[49] Because WGN owned the rights to the characters Sam and Henry, Gosden and Correll made some revisions to their act and renamed the characters for their new program Amos and Andy.[48] Since WMAQ was affiliated with CBS at the time, Waller tried to convince the network to make Amos 'n' Andy a network program, but there was no interest. NBC brought the program to its Blue Network in the fall of 1929, paying the duo a record $100,000 for the right to broadcast the program.[48][50]

1930s

By 1930, the Daily News began experimenting with mechanical television broadcasting. A published announcement of March 30, 1930, indicated the equipment would be installed and operable within two months. The video signal was to be sent by the shortwave radio station W9XAP, while the audio would be broadcast on the normal WMAQ radio frequency.[51][52] WMAQ did not receive an experimental license from the Federal Radio Commission to operate station W9XAP until September 2, 1930.[53][54] The first broadcast of the station actually occurred shortly before this was granted, on August 27, 1930. Only those with special receivers, primarily radio stores which had gotten them from the Daily News, could see the video portion of the broadcast. The station distributed 200 receivers in the city and suburbs.[55][56][57] Those at the dealerships saw and heard Bill Hay, the announcer for Amos 'n' Andy, present a variety show, broadcast from the Daily News Building.[55][58][59] The man behind this and other early Chicago television broadcasts was Ulises Armand Sanabria, who 2 years before used the WCFL Navy Pier transmitter to provide the video and radio station WIBO for the audio portions of the broadcast.[55][60] Both the technical limitations and economic climate of the times brought an end to the station's experimental broadcasts in August 1933.[61] It was the beginning of WMAQ-TV, which would not return until after World War II.[62]

 
The Merchandise Mart: WMAQ was here for the years it was owned by NBC.

On November 1, 1931, the Daily News sold WMAQ to the National Broadcasting Company.[9] The arrangement originally began as NBC becoming a partner in the station, co-owned with the Daily News.[63] In May of the next year, NBC moved the station from the Daily News Building to the Merchandise Mart, where it had newly built a broadcasting center in 1930.[43][64][9] WMAQ remained there until a 1989 move to the NBC Tower.[65][66] WMAQ became a member of the NBC Red Network, later known as the NBC Radio Network, and remained affiliated with NBC well into the 1990s, even after the station was sold to Westinghouse Broadcasting.

On September 15, 1935, WMAQ once again changed transmitter sites. It relocated to Bloomingdale, with its power increasing from 5,000 watts to the maximum 50,000 watts.[9][43][67] Clear channels were reassigned in 1934, with Illinois losing a frequency and Pennsylvania gaining it. Preserving its clear channel frequency for KYW meant Westinghouse needed to move it out of Chicago. So Westinghouse moved KYW east to Philadelphia in late 1934, leaving an unneeded transmitter building and site behind, which is where WMAQ relocated its transmitter.[68][69][70][71] WMAQ's new daytime signal provided secondary coverage to most of Illinois, including Peoria and Springfield. It also provided a strong signal to much of southern Wisconsin (with Milwaukee getting a city-grade signal) and almost half of Indiana. At night, it reached most of the eastern three-fourths of North America.

 
Fibber McGee and Molly from Chicago, 1937.

WMAQ carried original local and network programming. Marian and Jim Jordan started at WLS in 1927 with The Smith Family.[46][72] They came to WMAQ, doing a local show called Smackout and later would move on to form Fibber McGee and Molly. The program was produced at WMAQ from 1935 to 1939, when the show moved to California.[73][74][75][76] During its first months on the air, Fibber McGee and Molly was distributed over NBC's Blue Network, which meant that in Chicago the program was produced at WMAQ but heard over WLS, one of three NBC Blue Network affiliates in Chicago at the time. Amos 'n' Andy was also a popular program that continued being broadcast from Chicago until 1938, when the program moved to Hollywood. Both of these shows moved production to the new NBC West Coast Radio City.[77][78]

Edgar Bergen was initially turned down for a radio spot at WMAQ. The station manager felt ventriloquism would not work on radio. That turned out to be a mistake. Bergen received an offer from Rudy Vallee to become a part of his radio show in late 1936. By May 1937, Bergen and his puppet Charlie McCarthy had their own show on the NBC Red Network.[79][80]

Radio from the Merchandise Mart centered around the many studios on the 19th floor. Only one studio, Studio F, was on the 20th.[81][82][83] Like its Radio City Rockefeller Center counterpart, there were NBC pages (Bob Sirott was one of them in the late 1960s) and a host of staff announcers. In 1947, Hugh Downs (Today Show and 20/20), Garry Moore (I've Got A Secret) and Durward Kirby (The Garry Moore Show) were on the WMAQ staff, as was Mike Wallace, later of 60 Minutes fame.[80][84][85][86] Dave Garroway (1913–1982) also arrived on the NBC airwaves via WMAQ with his 1160 Club playing big band and jazz music in the 1940s.[87][88] Garroway was also responsible for organizing a series of local jazz concerts and establishing a Chicago lounge "Jazz Circuit" in 1947 which revived interest in the music genre.[89][90] In 1948 and 1949, Garroway was voted the nation's top Disk Jockey by his peers in Billboard's annual poll.[91][92] Garroway would eventually host a number of television shows including the Today Show.

1940s

 
WSCR's transmitter building in Bloomingdale Township

In the 1940s, radio stations like WMAQ began playing recorded music during some hours. For many years due to union constraints, all music broadcast on the network was live. Stations in large cities had to maintain full-time orchestras on their payrolls.[93][94] The organ music which was a part of many of the radio "soap operas" was provided by union musicians. When turntables entered studio control rooms, the musicians were replaced by the turntable operator or "record turner".[95] It was the job of the turntable operator (a member of the American Federation of Musicians), to play any recorded music.[96] The Musician's Union received jurisdiction over the turntables because it was reasoned that each turntable was responsible for five "live" musicians losing their employment.[97] Not until the late 1960s did the union turntable operator leave the control rooms of NBC Chicago.[98][99]

For those who had aspirations of becoming broadcasters, WMAQ was a good place to get started in the medium, even if the job was not on the air. The station encouraged its young employees with dreams of working at a microphone by assisting with tuition for college broadcasting courses and holding workshops at the station where those with stars in their eyes were given the chance to display their skills in a "real world" setting. Herb Kent, a Chicago radio pioneer, first came to work in the mailroom at WMAQ as a young high school graduate in the late 1940s. He credits WMAQ and Hugh Downs, who was then a WMAQ staff announcer, with providing him with the tools and encouragement he needed.[100][101][102] After getting some announcing experience, Kent returned to WMAQ, this time on the air as a radio actor.[103]

In the mid-1940s, the WMAQ Radio live studios in the Merchandise Mart were converted to TV studios for use by a new television station. Channel 5 signed on the air on October 8, 1948. Its call letters were WNBQ.[104] Those letters combined the initials for National Broadcasting, plus the Q from WMAQ's call sign. That same year, WMAQ also signed on an FM station at 101.1. WMAQ-FM (today WKQX) largely simulcast AM 670 for its first two decades on the air. It broadcast with 24,000 watts with its transmitter atop the Civic Opera Building on North Wacker Drive.

The popularity of the radio soap operas which began in Chicago made it necessary for NBC to construct six more radio studios on the 19th floor. WMAQ Radio moved to these smaller studios.[82][105][106] Though the NBC Blue Network was sold to American Broadcasting System in 1943, it continued leasing Merchandise Mart space from NBC until its move to the Civic Opera House in 1952. This freed up more space for WMAQ.[99]

The station was a leader in the use of helicopters for traffic reports. In 1948, it used a two-man crew in the air to report traffic on the July 4 weekend. The traffic team covered the Chicago area by air, landing to phone in their reports, which were put on the air.[107][108]

In 1949, the station suffered what could have been a crippling blow. Its main antenna at the Bloomingdale transmitter site collapsed. WMAQ was able to stay on the air, but not at its normal 50,000–watt power. While the main antenna was out of service, NBC found a solution with some history to it to get WMAQ back broadcasting at full power. RCA had a tower in storage in one of its New Jersey facilities that was used as part of its 1939 New York World's Fair exhibit. The tower, which originally came from NBC-owned WTAM in Cleveland, was shipped to Chicago and became the acting main antenna. It remains standing today at Bloomingdale site.[68][71] The station launched a new main antenna tower at Bloomingdale in 1951, which was considered to be one of the tallest tower structures in the U.S. at the time.[109]

1950s

In 1950, The Chez Show originated from the Chez Paree nightclub on North Fairbanks in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. It was one of Chicago's top night spots, as many popular celebrities could be found there, either as performers or as patrons.[110] The original hosts of this weekday late-night interview program were Mike Wallace and his wife, Buff Cobb.[111][112] In 1951, Jack Eigen (1913–1983) took over as host of the program, a position he held for most of the next 20 years.[113][114][115] After the Chez Paree closed in the spring of 1960, the program became The Jack Eigen Show and the interviews continued from WMAQ's Studio G, where there was room enough for a small audience, and from Chicago's Sherman House Hotel. The hotel's College Inn was another popular local venue for entertainment and entertainers.[105][116][117][118][119][120]

Beginning in 1956, the overnight hours were the domain of Holmes "Daddy-O" Daylie (1920–2003), who brought his sense of humor, way with words and musical knowledge to WMAQ as he played cool jazz until dawn.[121] "Daddy-O" was the first African-American hosting a regularly scheduled radio show on a Chicago network owned and operated station.[122] It was WMAQ's Dave Garroway who discovered Daddy-O tending bar in 1947 and suggested he train for work in radio. By 1948, Daddy-O was on the air on Chicago's WAIT.[123][124] When Garroway discovered Daylie, he was the host of the 1160 Club overnight on WMAQ, also playing jazz.[125]

Other performers who would go on to make their mark on local broadcasting got their "break" at WMAQ too. One of them was Ned Locke (1919–1992), who hosted a Saturday children's radio show, Uncle Ned's Flying Squadron, on the station in 1950. His radio work led to his being asked to substitute for the host of a popular weekday children's program on WMAQ-TV. He went on to WGN-TV, where he continued to participate in local children's television. Ned Locke is known best to Chicagoans as "Ringmaster Ned." He assumed that role on the successful and popular Chicago version of Bozo's Circus in 1961.[126]

1960s

On May 4, 1964, WMAQ switched from a beautiful music format to a MOR-pop standard format, featuring music by artists such as Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, and Jack Jones.[119][127][128] The Jack Eigen Show continued to air late nights.[119] A 1964 campaign asking listeners to vote for Elvis Presley or Chubby Checker was just a publicity stunt, but it was enough to start rumors in the broadcasting and record industries that the station was moving to a Top 40 format.[119][128]

On August 31, 1964, Channel 5 changed its call letters to WMAQ-TV to match WMAQ radio, as the stations emphasized their common NBC ownership.[129][130]

When Floyd Brown joined the staff in 1965, his photo wound up on the cover of the RCA Employee magazine next to one of Bill Cosby, who was starring in I Spy on NBC-TV. Floyd was the first African-American hired as a network announcer. A radio veteran, having been involved at the start of Gordon McLendon's WYNR, his smooth voice, his upbeat personality, and his ability to discuss everything from Big Bands to Beatles to Chicago Bears, informed and entertained WMAQ listeners when he became a regular program host.[131][132][133]

1970s

During the early 1970s, WMAQ aired a format blending music, talk, news and sports, using the on-air name "67-Q". Although the station never shifted completely to Top 40, by the early 1970s, WMAQ's playlist had become comparable to today's hot adult contemporary format.[134] One of WMAQ's first sports talk programs was Sound off on Sports, with Pat Sheridan (1920–2005).[135][136][137] Many of the on-air personalities during this time period were well known to listeners from previous radio stations. Clark Weber, Jim Stagg (1935–2007), Joel Sebastian, Tom Murphy, and Howard Miller all spent some time working at WMAQ and previously at WCFL.[138][139][140][141][142][143] A 1975 format change to country music saw WMAQ taking on WJJD. The entire WMAQ air staff was replaced.[144][145][146]

Jim Hill (1929–2005), long-time staff announcer and radio host, moved into the WMAQ-TV announcer's booth where he remained until retiring.[147][148] The first song played under the new format was "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams, Sr. The station's fortunes were helped in no small part by the "WMAQ Is Gonna Make Me Rich!" cash giveaway promotion.[149] The giveaway was eventually used on other NBC-owned radio outlets. WMAQ also served as the flagship station for Chicago White Sox baseball broadcasts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. This was the era of the "Good Morning Guys", including Pat Cassidy, Lee Sherwood, Bob Tracy, Jerry Taft, and Tim Weigel.

1980s and 1990s

 
NBC Tower, where WMAQ moved in 1989. WSCR also broadcast here before moving to Two Prudential Plaza.

By early 1986, WMAQ had begun phasing out country music in favor of talk programming, with the station completing its transition on November 17, 1986.[150][151][152][153] Hosts on the station included Morton Downey Jr. and Chet Coppock.[154][155][156]

After 57 years, NBC disposed of all of the company's radio stations following RCA's merger with General Electric, with WMAQ being sold to Group W in 1988. This was Westinghouse's third stint at station ownership in the Chicago market, having founded KYW before relocating that station to Philadelphia in 1934, and later with WIND from 1955 to 1985.

At 5 a.m. on March 1, 1988, Group W switched WMAQ to an all-news format, patterned after its successful all-news outlets in New York (WINS), Los Angeles (KFWB) and Philadelphia (KYW).[157][158] The slogan was the same as those other stations: "You Give Us 22 Minutes, We'll Give You The World." Long-time WMAQ morning news anchor Pat Cassidy (later with WBBM) was on the air when the switch was made to all-news. The news staff included two veteran WMAQ reporters, Bill Cameron and Bob Roberts, holdover anchor Nancy Benson, Jay Congdon, Christopher Michael, Lisa Meyer, Larry Langford (son of the late Chicago Ald. Anna Langford), Dave Berner, Mike Doyle, Jim Gudas, Cisco Cotto, John Dempsey, Chris Robling, Mike Krauser, Corrie Wynns and crime reporter Doug Cummings. Chicago news veteran Jim Frank (formerly of WCFL and WIND) was hired as the news director, following a stint at WIOD in Miami.[159] Other news directors included Bonnie Buck (daughter of sports broadcaster Jack Buck) and Krauser, who took the same position at rival WBBM after Viacom shuttered WMAQ and fired the staff.

WMAQ was among the first Chicago AM stations to transmit using the Motorola C-QUAM AM stereo standard, even though its format was all-news, not music.

The station moved to the new NBC Tower in 1990 with television station WMAQ-TV despite their being owned by different companies. The studios for both stations had been designed by NBC before the sale.[66]

Amid stagnant ratings, WMAQ added more long-form news programming and some assorted call-in shows in 1998 and 1999.[160][161] Cameron and Langford, hosted by City Hall reporter Bill Cameron and police beat reporter Larry Langford, was cancelled in April 1999, but briefly returned in June 2000.[162] An early harbinger of the future sports format was the evening WMAQ Sports Huddle, which premiered in 1993 and competed with all-sports WSCR and WMVP, as well as WGN's Sports Central program.[163]

Westinghouse merged with CBS in 1995, making WMAQ a sister station to its all-news rival, WBBM; the merger also paired former all-news rival stations in New York and Los Angeles.[164] CBS' radio stations were spun off into Infinity Broadcasting in 1998; CBS retained an 80% stake in the new company.[165]

The end of WMAQ and launch of "The Score"

Further information: WYLL and WCPT (AM)

Viacom merged with CBS in the spring of 2000, which put the combined company over FCC limits on ownership in Chicago.[166] In order to consummate the deal, Infinity decided to transfer the format, branding and call letters of WSCR (1160 AM) over to WMAQ, and concentrate exclusively on WBBM's all-news format, while the former WSCR was put up for sale.[4] Despite lower ratings for WSCR, Infinity management wanted to use the move to elevate WSCR's revenue performance to that of their New York City sports outlet WFAN, which had become one of the highest-billing radio stations starting in 1995; a company spokesman also noted that WMAQ's annual billing of $20 million was "not functioning as a successful station" by comparison.[167] While some WMAQ staffers were retained by Infinity and transferred to WBBM, up to 44 reporters, anchors, editors and writers were dismissed; this included Chet Coppock, who frequently sparred on-air with WSCR staff and incumbent morning host Mike North.[4]

On August 1, 2000, after 78 years, WMAQ broadcast for the last time with a live sign-off message from nighttime police beat reporter Larry Langford. The traditional NBC chimes were played with a late 50s-mid 60s historic ID that, although inaccurate with the current network association and sister station, was appropriate as it spoke, "This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company. WMAQ and WMAQ-FM, NBC in Chicago." An announcer then said the official last words: "The final broadcast, the end of Radio 670, WMAQ, Chicago." After the NBC chimes were played one more time and a WMAQ jingle, the era for the station that was "First In Chicago" came to an end.[168][169] Following the sign-off, WMAQ ran a loop of "Score" promos for six hours before starting a full simulcast of WSCR for a two-week transitional period.[170]

As part of this exchange, Infinity changed the WMAQ call sign to WSCR on August 15, 2000;[171] changed the station's format to sports radio; and re-branded the station as "670 The Score".[4] All on- and off-air personnel were concurrently transferred to the new WSCR. In effect, the new WSCR (670 AM) licensed to Chicago became the successor to the previous WSCR (1160 AM) licensed to Chicago—which concurrently changed their call sign to WXRT (AM), then was sold that November to Salem Communications, and now operates as WYLL.[172] The "Score" format, branding and call letters had its origins on the former WSCR (820 AM), which launched on January 2, 1992;[5] the second WSCR on the 1160 AM facility debuted on April 17, 1997.[173] All three iterations of WSCR utilized the same studios at 4949 West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Cragin neighborhood—shared with WXRT—from 1992 until moving to the NBC Tower in 2001,[174][175] using the facilities that WMAQ had vacated a year earlier.[176]

WSCR

 
WSCR's main and auxiliary towers in Bloomingdale; former ancient rival and now sister station WBBM moved their transmission to the site in 2019.

From 2001 to 2008, the station was the flagship for Chicago Blackhawks hockey, until their move to WGN. WSCR was also the radio home for the Chicago White Sox baseball team from 2006 to 2015, until their departure to WLS at the conclusion of the 2015 season.[177]

Viacom, which had acquired the shares in Infinity Broadcasting it did not already own on February 21, 2001,[178] split into two companies at the end of 2005; Infinity became part of CBS Corporation,[179] and in preparation was renamed CBS Radio on December 14, 2005.[180] In 2010, WSCR's studios were moved to Two Prudential Plaza, home to several other CBS Radio stations.[174]

The Chicago Cubs made WSCR the flagship of their radio network following the White Sox' departure to WLS. When the Cubs left WGN for CBS Radio following the 2014 season, the Cubs were heard on WBBM 780 AM. A clause in the Cubs' deal with CBS allowed a one-time move to WSCR in the event that the White Sox left the station.[181] The move was officially announced on November 11, 2015.[182] The Cubs' first year on WSCR paid immediate dividends, as the team won the 2016 World Series, its first world championship in 108 years, and the first since the birth of radio and modern communications.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[183] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[184][185]

On January 31, 2018, Entercom announced that WSCR would become the new flagship station for the Chicago Bulls on February 3, 2018, after Cumulus Media nullified its contract with the team to carry games on WLS after Cumulus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[186][187]

Programming

WSCR is the exclusive Chicago radio outlet for DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini football, Chicago Cubs baseball, and Chicago Bulls basketball. WSCR also carries other live sports programming from CBS Sports Radio and Westwood One, including Monday Night Football.

The Score's long-time listeners, callers, and e-mailers are known as "Score Heads," and often use colorful monikers.[188][189] The station has also done remote broadcasts from various locations.[188]

Twice an hour, there are minute-long "Score Board Updates" by sportscasters delivering game results and highlighted stories of the day. The Chicago Wolves sponsor the studio used for the updates. Many producers are on-air contributors and fill in when other hosts have days off. Reporters include Zach Zaidman, David Schuster, Nick Shepkowski and Jay Zawaski. Weekends outside of play-by-play constitute of local shows by Mike Esposito, Steve Rosenbloom and Mark Grote.

Starting in 2005, WSCR started airing Sporting News Radio programming overnights. It also began airing the nationally syndicated Dan Patrick show on a delayed basis in 2007. Currently overnight, CBS Sports Radio programming is heard on AM 670. WSCR also carries CBS Sports Radio on its Audacy live stream audio whenever it airs the NFL on Westwood One

Notes

  1. ^ Some AM stations use HD Radio only during daytime hours, per Barry McLarnon's AM IBOC page (see references below).

References

  1. ^ Janowski, Thaddeus P. (2010-09-29). "FCC 316: Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (BTCH-20100930AFL)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e "1922-Year Radio's Population Soared" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 14, 1962. p. 114. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  3. ^ McLarnon, Barry (2016-04-18). "AM IBOC Stations on the Air". Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  4. ^ a b c d Kirk, Jim. "Infinity Kills WMAQ to Move Score to 670", Chicago Tribune. July 11, 2000. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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External links

  • Official website
  • WSCR in the FCC AM station database
  • WSCR on Radio-Locator
  • WSCR in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
  • Scott Childers on WMAQ AM History.
  • Rich Samuels WMAQ page
  • Old Radio pictures of WMAQ building
  • WMAQ Tower Site of The Week

March 07, 2023
wscr, other, uses, disambiguation, branded, score, commercial, sports, radio, station, licensed, serve, chicago, illinois, servicing, chicago, metropolitan, area, much, surrounding, northern, illinois, northwest, indiana, parts, milwaukee, metropolitan, area, . For other uses see WSCR disambiguation WSCR 670 AM branded as 670 The Score is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Chicago Illinois servicing the Chicago metropolitan area and much of surrounding Northern Illinois Northwest Indiana and parts of the Milwaukee metropolitan area Owned by Audacy Inc WSCR is a clear channel station with extended nighttime range in most of the Central United States and part of the Eastern United States WSCR serves as the Chicago affiliate for the BetQL Audio Network CBS Sports Radio the Fighting Illini Sports Network and the NFL on Westwood One Sports the flagship station for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bulls radio networks and the home of radio personalities David Haugh and Matt Spiegel WSCRChicago IllinoisBroadcast areaChicago metropolitan areaFrequency670 kHzBranding670 The ScoreProgrammingLanguage s EnglishFormatSportsAffiliationsBetQL Audio NetworkCBS Sports RadioWestwood OneChicago CubsChicago BullsDePaul Blue DemonsIllinois Fighting IlliniOwnershipOwnerAudacy Inc Audacy License LLC Sister stationsWBBM WBBM FM WBMX WCFS FM WUSN WXRT 1 HistoryFirst air dateApril 12 1922 1922 04 12 as WGU 2 Former call signsWGU 1922 WMAQ 1922 2000 Call sign meaningScoreTechnical informationLicensing authorityFCCFacility ID25445ClassAPower50 000 wattsTransmitter coordinates41 56 3 N 88 4 24 W 41 93417 N 88 07333 W 41 93417 88 07333 main 41 56 7 N 88 4 27 W 41 93528 N 88 07417 W 41 93528 88 07417 auxiliary Repeater s 104 3 WBMX HD2 Chicago LinksPublic license informationPublic fileLMSWebcastListen live via Audacy Websitewww wbr audacy wbr com wbr 670thescoreThe WSCR studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop while the station transmitter resides in nearby Bloomingdale diplexed with co owned WBBM Besides its main analog transmission WSCR transmits continuously note 1 over a single HD Radio channel utilizing the in band on channel standard 3 simulcasts over the second digital subchannel of WBMX and streams online via Audacy Historically this station is best known under the WMAQ call sign which it bore from October 1922 to August 2000 4 The oldest surviving broadcast outlet in Chicago it was co founded and originally operated by the Chicago Daily News and became a charter affiliate of the CBS Radio Network upon their 1927 launch Purchased by the National Broadcasting Company in 1931 WMAQ was a key station in the NBC Radio Network for nearly six decades and later yielded adjuncts WMAQ TV channel 5 and WMAQ FM 101 1 FM A sale to Westinghouse Broadcasting in 1988 resulted in WMAQ becoming an all news radio station throughout the 1990s Since 2000 this station has been the third in the Chicago market to use the WSCR call sign and Score branding adopting a format previously heard on the current WYLL 1160 AM from 1997 to 2000 the format and branding originated in 1992 on the current WCPT AM 820 AM 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 1920s 1 2 1930s 1 3 1940s 1 4 1950s 1 5 1960s 1 6 1970s 1 7 1980s and 1990s 1 8 The end of WMAQ and launch of The Score 1 9 WSCR 2 Programming 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksHistory Edit1920s Edit On April 12 1922 the station first signed on as WGU 6 7 A joint venture between The Fair Department Store and the Chicago Daily News WGU s first transmitter sat atop the department store 6 8 9 At the time the station was broadcasting on 833 kilocycles with a transmitter power of about 100 watts 7 Just weeks before its inaugural broadcast Walter A Strong then business manager of the Daily News realized the station would need a manager Strong knew a young woman with some ad agency experience named Judith C Waller He called her and said I ve just bought a radio station come down and run it Waller protested that she didn t know anything about running a station Strong replied neither do I but come down and we ll find out 10 Waller was hired in February 1922 She went on to have a long and distinguished career in broadcasting There are questions as to whether anyone actually heard the station s initial half hour broadcast as technical problems forced WGU to shut down the following day It remained off the air while a new transmitter was ordered One of the problems with reception of the station was the interference of tall buildings in the area and that it had only about 100 watts of power 2 11 12 The City of Chicago also operated its own radio station with similar call letters WBU sharing a frequency with Westinghouse s KYW which began in Chicago the year before 13 14 15 In an attempt to avoid confusion with the city s station WGU was assigned the new call letters WMAQ and to improve reception its power was increased to 500 watts and it was assigned the clear channel frequency of 750 kilocycles 16 2 17 WMAQ s call letters were first broadcast October 2 1922 with the inaugural show featuring comedian Ed Wynn 2 17 The station s longtime motto We Must Answer Questions was derived from this call sign 18 WMAQ transmitter towers atop La Salle Hotel where the studios were also located 1925 Early 1923 records show there were 20 radio stations on the air in Chicago alone Most of these smaller radio stations faded out because of money issues The Chicago stations that are or had been on the dial for many years usually had a store newspaper or organization behind them which was willing and able to weather the early times when many radio stations did not make a profit 19 WMAQ had the financial backing of the Chicago Daily News and a very capable general manager in Judith Waller Waller remained in charge of the station until it was purchased by NBC At that point she became the director of public affairs programming for NBC s central division holding that title until her retirement in 1957 20 21 22 23 24 By early 1923 the Daily News was convinced enough in the power of radio to buy out the Fair Store s 51 interest in the station 2 16 25 The Daily News moved the station and its transmitter to the tallest building in Chicago at the time the La Salle Hotel on West Washington street in the West Loop 26 27 28 9 With a new location and new frequency of 670 kilohertz WMAQ went on the air July 2 1923 The new frequency however was not at first clear channel WMAQ had to share its schedule with another local station WQJ which was jointly owned by the Calumet Baking Powder Company and the Rainbo Gardens Ballroom on North Clark Street 29 Rainbo was one of the country s top ballrooms and Calumet s broadcasts brought the company much publicity for its products 30 The Daily News was not able to buy out WQJ until 1927 to make the 670 frequency exclusively available for WMAQ 16 31 32 Within four weeks after its move WMAQ obtained the exclusive Chicago rights from American Telephone amp Telegraph to broadcast President Warren Harding s address from San Francisco 9 It also had the rights for his memorial services on August 10 1923 At the time it was AT amp T s policy to sell the exclusive broadcasting rights for an event to one radio station per city Shortly before the special event AT amp T would send telegrams to all radio stations informing them of what event was to take place The first radio station to respond was then granted the exclusive broadcast rights in that city 33 WMAQ later broadcast both the 1924 Republican and Democratic conventions by this same arrangement 34 35 By 1924 the station took an active interest in broadcasting sporting events airing the 1924 World Series and convincing William Wrigley to carry all Chicago Cubs home games from Wrigley Field in 1925 the first time one station aired an entire season of Cubs games 34 Hal Totten a Daily News sportswriter was WMAQ s first sportscaster 36 37 Beginning in the fall of 1925 college football games from the University of Chicago were also broadcast WMAQ was the first to carry an intercollegate football game in the United States 34 35 38 The former home of WMAQ and the Chicago Daily News WMAQ became a network affiliate of the NBC Red Network in January 1927 9 In September 1927 it severed its ties with NBC and joined the new Columbia Broadcasting System CBS as a charter affiliate 32 It was one of the 16 stations that aired the first CBS network program on September 18 1927 32 Wanting to expand its coverage area WMAQ needed a new stronger transmitter A site for it was purchased outside of the city In 1928 the new station transmitter was constructed in Elmhurst 39 40 9 It was also time to move the studios from the La Salle Hotel Walter Strong who by then had become the publisher of the Daily News had just finished construction of new building for his newspaper that included studio space for WMAQ By September 1929 the station had moved to Daily News Building at 400 West Madison today 2 North Riverside Plaza 41 42 43 In April 1930 WMAQ was organized as a subsidiary corporation with Walter Strong as its chairman of the board and Judith Waller as vice president and station manager 44 A new radio show called Amos n Andy aired for the first time on WMAQ on March 19 1928 45 The actors were no strangers to Chicago radio as their program originally aired on WGN as Sam n Henry Their first appearance on Chicago radio is said to have been on WLS in the late 1920s 46 47 48 Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden broke with WGN over syndication rights General Manager Judith Waller saw the potential of the radio show and granted these rights to the duo as part of their WMAQ contract 49 Because WGN owned the rights to the characters Sam and Henry Gosden and Correll made some revisions to their act and renamed the characters for their new program Amos and Andy 48 Since WMAQ was affiliated with CBS at the time Waller tried to convince the network to make Amos n Andy a network program but there was no interest NBC brought the program to its Blue Network in the fall of 1929 paying the duo a record 100 000 for the right to broadcast the program 48 50 1930s Edit By 1930 the Daily News began experimenting with mechanical television broadcasting A published announcement of March 30 1930 indicated the equipment would be installed and operable within two months The video signal was to be sent by the shortwave radio station W9XAP while the audio would be broadcast on the normal WMAQ radio frequency 51 52 WMAQ did not receive an experimental license from the Federal Radio Commission to operate station W9XAP until September 2 1930 53 54 The first broadcast of the station actually occurred shortly before this was granted on August 27 1930 Only those with special receivers primarily radio stores which had gotten them from the Daily News could see the video portion of the broadcast The station distributed 200 receivers in the city and suburbs 55 56 57 Those at the dealerships saw and heard Bill Hay the announcer for Amos n Andy present a variety show broadcast from the Daily News Building 55 58 59 The man behind this and other early Chicago television broadcasts was Ulises Armand Sanabria who 2 years before used the WCFL Navy Pier transmitter to provide the video and radio station WIBO for the audio portions of the broadcast 55 60 Both the technical limitations and economic climate of the times brought an end to the station s experimental broadcasts in August 1933 61 It was the beginning of WMAQ TV which would not return until after World War II 62 The Merchandise Mart WMAQ was here for the years it was owned by NBC On November 1 1931 the Daily News sold WMAQ to the National Broadcasting Company 9 The arrangement originally began as NBC becoming a partner in the station co owned with the Daily News 63 In May of the next year NBC moved the station from the Daily News Building to the Merchandise Mart where it had newly built a broadcasting center in 1930 43 64 9 WMAQ remained there until a 1989 move to the NBC Tower 65 66 WMAQ became a member of the NBC Red Network later known as the NBC Radio Network and remained affiliated with NBC well into the 1990s even after the station was sold to Westinghouse Broadcasting On September 15 1935 WMAQ once again changed transmitter sites It relocated to Bloomingdale with its power increasing from 5 000 watts to the maximum 50 000 watts 9 43 67 Clear channels were reassigned in 1934 with Illinois losing a frequency and Pennsylvania gaining it Preserving its clear channel frequency for KYW meant Westinghouse needed to move it out of Chicago So Westinghouse moved KYW east to Philadelphia in late 1934 leaving an unneeded transmitter building and site behind which is where WMAQ relocated its transmitter 68 69 70 71 WMAQ s new daytime signal provided secondary coverage to most of Illinois including Peoria and Springfield It also provided a strong signal to much of southern Wisconsin with Milwaukee getting a city grade signal and almost half of Indiana At night it reached most of the eastern three fourths of North America Fibber McGee and Molly from Chicago 1937 WMAQ carried original local and network programming Marian and Jim Jordan started at WLS in 1927 with The Smith Family 46 72 They came to WMAQ doing a local show called Smackout and later would move on to form Fibber McGee and Molly The program was produced at WMAQ from 1935 to 1939 when the show moved to California 73 74 75 76 During its first months on the air Fibber McGee and Molly was distributed over NBC s Blue Network which meant that in Chicago the program was produced at WMAQ but heard over WLS one of three NBC Blue Network affiliates in Chicago at the time Amos n Andy was also a popular program that continued being broadcast from Chicago until 1938 when the program moved to Hollywood Both of these shows moved production to the new NBC West Coast Radio City 77 78 Edgar Bergen was initially turned down for a radio spot at WMAQ The station manager felt ventriloquism would not work on radio That turned out to be a mistake Bergen received an offer from Rudy Vallee to become a part of his radio show in late 1936 By May 1937 Bergen and his puppet Charlie McCarthy had their own show on the NBC Red Network 79 80 Radio from the Merchandise Mart centered around the many studios on the 19th floor Only one studio Studio F was on the 20th 81 82 83 Like its Radio City Rockefeller Center counterpart there were NBC pages Bob Sirott was one of them in the late 1960s and a host of staff announcers In 1947 Hugh Downs Today Show and 20 20 Garry Moore I ve Got A Secret and Durward Kirby The Garry Moore Show were on the WMAQ staff as was Mike Wallace later of 60 Minutes fame 80 84 85 86 Dave Garroway 1913 1982 also arrived on the NBC airwaves via WMAQ with his 1160 Club playing big band and jazz music in the 1940s 87 88 Garroway was also responsible for organizing a series of local jazz concerts and establishing a Chicago lounge Jazz Circuit in 1947 which revived interest in the music genre 89 90 In 1948 and 1949 Garroway was voted the nation s top Disk Jockey by his peers in Billboard s annual poll 91 92 Garroway would eventually host a number of television shows including the Today Show 1940s Edit WSCR s transmitter building in Bloomingdale Township In the 1940s radio stations like WMAQ began playing recorded music during some hours For many years due to union constraints all music broadcast on the network was live Stations in large cities had to maintain full time orchestras on their payrolls 93 94 The organ music which was a part of many of the radio soap operas was provided by union musicians When turntables entered studio control rooms the musicians were replaced by the turntable operator or record turner 95 It was the job of the turntable operator a member of the American Federation of Musicians to play any recorded music 96 The Musician s Union received jurisdiction over the turntables because it was reasoned that each turntable was responsible for five live musicians losing their employment 97 Not until the late 1960s did the union turntable operator leave the control rooms of NBC Chicago 98 99 For those who had aspirations of becoming broadcasters WMAQ was a good place to get started in the medium even if the job was not on the air The station encouraged its young employees with dreams of working at a microphone by assisting with tuition for college broadcasting courses and holding workshops at the station where those with stars in their eyes were given the chance to display their skills in a real world setting Herb Kent a Chicago radio pioneer first came to work in the mailroom at WMAQ as a young high school graduate in the late 1940s He credits WMAQ and Hugh Downs who was then a WMAQ staff announcer with providing him with the tools and encouragement he needed 100 101 102 After getting some announcing experience Kent returned to WMAQ this time on the air as a radio actor 103 In the mid 1940s the WMAQ Radio live studios in the Merchandise Mart were converted to TV studios for use by a new television station Channel 5 signed on the air on October 8 1948 Its call letters were WNBQ 104 Those letters combined the initials for National Broadcasting plus the Q from WMAQ s call sign That same year WMAQ also signed on an FM station at 101 1 WMAQ FM today WKQX largely simulcast AM 670 for its first two decades on the air It broadcast with 24 000 watts with its transmitter atop the Civic Opera Building on North Wacker Drive The popularity of the radio soap operas which began in Chicago made it necessary for NBC to construct six more radio studios on the 19th floor WMAQ Radio moved to these smaller studios 82 105 106 Though the NBC Blue Network was sold to American Broadcasting System in 1943 it continued leasing Merchandise Mart space from NBC until its move to the Civic Opera House in 1952 This freed up more space for WMAQ 99 The station was a leader in the use of helicopters for traffic reports In 1948 it used a two man crew in the air to report traffic on the July 4 weekend The traffic team covered the Chicago area by air landing to phone in their reports which were put on the air 107 108 In 1949 the station suffered what could have been a crippling blow Its main antenna at the Bloomingdale transmitter site collapsed WMAQ was able to stay on the air but not at its normal 50 000 watt power While the main antenna was out of service NBC found a solution with some history to it to get WMAQ back broadcasting at full power RCA had a tower in storage in one of its New Jersey facilities that was used as part of its 1939 New York World s Fair exhibit The tower which originally came from NBC owned WTAM in Cleveland was shipped to Chicago and became the acting main antenna It remains standing today at Bloomingdale site 68 71 The station launched a new main antenna tower at Bloomingdale in 1951 which was considered to be one of the tallest tower structures in the U S at the time 109 1950s Edit In 1950 The Chez Show originated from the Chez Paree nightclub on North Fairbanks in Chicago s Streeterville neighborhood It was one of Chicago s top night spots as many popular celebrities could be found there either as performers or as patrons 110 The original hosts of this weekday late night interview program were Mike Wallace and his wife Buff Cobb 111 112 In 1951 Jack Eigen 1913 1983 took over as host of the program a position he held for most of the next 20 years 113 114 115 After the Chez Paree closed in the spring of 1960 the program became The Jack Eigen Show and the interviews continued from WMAQ s Studio G where there was room enough for a small audience and from Chicago s Sherman House Hotel The hotel s College Inn was another popular local venue for entertainment and entertainers 105 116 117 118 119 120 Beginning in 1956 the overnight hours were the domain of Holmes Daddy O Daylie 1920 2003 who brought his sense of humor way with words and musical knowledge to WMAQ as he played cool jazz until dawn 121 Daddy O was the first African American hosting a regularly scheduled radio show on a Chicago network owned and operated station 122 It was WMAQ s Dave Garroway who discovered Daddy O tending bar in 1947 and suggested he train for work in radio By 1948 Daddy O was on the air on Chicago s WAIT 123 124 When Garroway discovered Daylie he was the host of the 1160 Club overnight on WMAQ also playing jazz 125 Other performers who would go on to make their mark on local broadcasting got their break at WMAQ too One of them was Ned Locke 1919 1992 who hosted a Saturday children s radio show Uncle Ned s Flying Squadron on the station in 1950 His radio work led to his being asked to substitute for the host of a popular weekday children s program on WMAQ TV He went on to WGN TV where he continued to participate in local children s television Ned Locke is known best to Chicagoans as Ringmaster Ned He assumed that role on the successful and popular Chicago version of Bozo s Circus in 1961 126 1960s Edit On May 4 1964 WMAQ switched from a beautiful music format to a MOR pop standard format featuring music by artists such as Andy Williams Nat King Cole and Jack Jones 119 127 128 The Jack Eigen Show continued to air late nights 119 A 1964 campaign asking listeners to vote for Elvis Presley or Chubby Checker was just a publicity stunt but it was enough to start rumors in the broadcasting and record industries that the station was moving to a Top 40 format 119 128 On August 31 1964 Channel 5 changed its call letters to WMAQ TV to match WMAQ radio as the stations emphasized their common NBC ownership 129 130 When Floyd Brown joined the staff in 1965 his photo wound up on the cover of the RCA Employee magazine next to one of Bill Cosby who was starring in I Spy on NBC TV Floyd was the first African American hired as a network announcer A radio veteran having been involved at the start of Gordon McLendon s WYNR his smooth voice his upbeat personality and his ability to discuss everything from Big Bands to Beatles to Chicago Bears informed and entertained WMAQ listeners when he became a regular program host 131 132 133 1970s Edit During the early 1970s WMAQ aired a format blending music talk news and sports using the on air name 67 Q Although the station never shifted completely to Top 40 by the early 1970s WMAQ s playlist had become comparable to today s hot adult contemporary format 134 One of WMAQ s first sports talk programs was Sound off on Sports with Pat Sheridan 1920 2005 135 136 137 Many of the on air personalities during this time period were well known to listeners from previous radio stations Clark Weber Jim Stagg 1935 2007 Joel Sebastian Tom Murphy and Howard Miller all spent some time working at WMAQ and previously at WCFL 138 139 140 141 142 143 A 1975 format change to country music saw WMAQ taking on WJJD The entire WMAQ air staff was replaced 144 145 146 Jim Hill 1929 2005 long time staff announcer and radio host moved into the WMAQ TV announcer s booth where he remained until retiring 147 148 The first song played under the new format was Your Cheatin Heart by Hank Williams Sr The station s fortunes were helped in no small part by the WMAQ Is Gonna Make Me Rich cash giveaway promotion 149 The giveaway was eventually used on other NBC owned radio outlets WMAQ also served as the flagship station for Chicago White Sox baseball broadcasts throughout the 1970s and 1980s as well as the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team This was the era of the Good Morning Guys including Pat Cassidy Lee Sherwood Bob Tracy Jerry Taft and Tim Weigel 1980s and 1990s Edit NBC Tower where WMAQ moved in 1989 WSCR also broadcast here before moving to Two Prudential Plaza By early 1986 WMAQ had begun phasing out country music in favor of talk programming with the station completing its transition on November 17 1986 150 151 152 153 Hosts on the station included Morton Downey Jr and Chet Coppock 154 155 156 After 57 years NBC disposed of all of the company s radio stations following RCA s merger with General Electric with WMAQ being sold to Group W in 1988 This was Westinghouse s third stint at station ownership in the Chicago market having founded KYW before relocating that station to Philadelphia in 1934 and later with WIND from 1955 to 1985 At 5 a m on March 1 1988 Group W switched WMAQ to an all news format patterned after its successful all news outlets in New York WINS Los Angeles KFWB and Philadelphia KYW 157 158 The slogan was the same as those other stations You Give Us 22 Minutes We ll Give You The World Long time WMAQ morning news anchor Pat Cassidy later with WBBM was on the air when the switch was made to all news The news staff included two veteran WMAQ reporters Bill Cameron and Bob Roberts holdover anchor Nancy Benson Jay Congdon Christopher Michael Lisa Meyer Larry Langford son of the late Chicago Ald Anna Langford Dave Berner Mike Doyle Jim Gudas Cisco Cotto John Dempsey Chris Robling Mike Krauser Corrie Wynns and crime reporter Doug Cummings Chicago news veteran Jim Frank formerly of WCFL and WIND was hired as the news director following a stint at WIOD in Miami 159 Other news directors included Bonnie Buck daughter of sports broadcaster Jack Buck and Krauser who took the same position at rival WBBM after Viacom shuttered WMAQ and fired the staff WMAQ was among the first Chicago AM stations to transmit using the Motorola C QUAM AM stereo standard even though its format was all news not music The station moved to the new NBC Tower in 1990 with television station WMAQ TV despite their being owned by different companies The studios for both stations had been designed by NBC before the sale 66 Amid stagnant ratings WMAQ added more long form news programming and some assorted call in shows in 1998 and 1999 160 161 Cameron and Langford hosted by City Hall reporter Bill Cameron and police beat reporter Larry Langford was cancelled in April 1999 but briefly returned in June 2000 162 An early harbinger of the future sports format was the evening WMAQ Sports Huddle which premiered in 1993 and competed with all sports WSCR and WMVP as well as WGN s Sports Central program 163 Westinghouse merged with CBS in 1995 making WMAQ a sister station to its all news rival WBBM the merger also paired former all news rival stations in New York and Los Angeles 164 CBS radio stations were spun off into Infinity Broadcasting in 1998 CBS retained an 80 stake in the new company 165 The end of WMAQ and launch of The Score Edit Further information WYLL and WCPT AM Viacom merged with CBS in the spring of 2000 which put the combined company over FCC limits on ownership in Chicago 166 In order to consummate the deal Infinity decided to transfer the format branding and call letters of WSCR 1160 AM over to WMAQ and concentrate exclusively on WBBM s all news format while the former WSCR was put up for sale 4 Despite lower ratings for WSCR Infinity management wanted to use the move to elevate WSCR s revenue performance to that of their New York City sports outlet WFAN which had become one of the highest billing radio stations starting in 1995 a company spokesman also noted that WMAQ s annual billing of 20 million was not functioning as a successful station by comparison 167 While some WMAQ staffers were retained by Infinity and transferred to WBBM up to 44 reporters anchors editors and writers were dismissed this included Chet Coppock who frequently sparred on air with WSCR staff and incumbent morning host Mike North 4 On August 1 2000 after 78 years WMAQ broadcast for the last time with a live sign off message from nighttime police beat reporter Larry Langford The traditional NBC chimes were played with a late 50s mid 60s historic ID that although inaccurate with the current network association and sister station was appropriate as it spoke This is NBC the National Broadcasting Company WMAQ and WMAQ FM NBC in Chicago An announcer then said the official last words The final broadcast the end of Radio 670 WMAQ Chicago After the NBC chimes were played one more time and a WMAQ jingle the era for the station that was First In Chicago came to an end 168 169 Following the sign off WMAQ ran a loop of Score promos for six hours before starting a full simulcast of WSCR for a two week transitional period 170 As part of this exchange Infinity changed the WMAQ call sign to WSCR on August 15 2000 171 changed the station s format to sports radio and re branded the station as 670 The Score 4 All on and off air personnel were concurrently transferred to the new WSCR In effect the new WSCR 670 AM licensed to Chicago became the successor to the previous WSCR 1160 AM licensed to Chicago which concurrently changed their call sign to WXRT AM then was sold that November to Salem Communications and now operates as WYLL 172 The Score format branding and call letters had its origins on the former WSCR 820 AM which launched on January 2 1992 5 the second WSCR on the 1160 AM facility debuted on April 17 1997 173 All three iterations of WSCR utilized the same studios at 4949 West Belmont Avenue in Chicago s Cragin neighborhood shared with WXRT from 1992 until moving to the NBC Tower in 2001 174 175 using the facilities that WMAQ had vacated a year earlier 176 WSCR Edit WSCR s main and auxiliary towers in Bloomingdale former ancient rival and now sister station WBBM moved their transmission to the site in 2019 From 2001 to 2008 the station was the flagship for Chicago Blackhawks hockey until their move to WGN WSCR was also the radio home for the Chicago White Sox baseball team from 2006 to 2015 until their departure to WLS at the conclusion of the 2015 season 177 Viacom which had acquired the shares in Infinity Broadcasting it did not already own on February 21 2001 178 split into two companies at the end of 2005 Infinity became part of CBS Corporation 179 and in preparation was renamed CBS Radio on December 14 2005 180 In 2010 WSCR s studios were moved to Two Prudential Plaza home to several other CBS Radio stations 174 The Chicago Cubs made WSCR the flagship of their radio network following the White Sox departure to WLS When the Cubs left WGN for CBS Radio following the 2014 season the Cubs were heard on WBBM 780 AM A clause in the Cubs deal with CBS allowed a one time move to WSCR in the event that the White Sox left the station 181 The move was officially announced on November 11 2015 182 The Cubs first year on WSCR paid immediate dividends as the team won the 2016 World Series its first world championship in 108 years and the first since the birth of radio and modern communications On February 2 2017 CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom 183 The merger was approved on November 9 2017 and was consummated on the 17th 184 185 On January 31 2018 Entercom announced that WSCR would become the new flagship station for the Chicago Bulls on February 3 2018 after Cumulus Media nullified its contract with the team to carry games on WLS after Cumulus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 186 187 Programming EditWSCR is the exclusive Chicago radio outlet for DePaul Blue Demons men s basketball Illinois Fighting Illini men s basketball Illinois Fighting Illini football Chicago Cubs baseball and Chicago Bulls basketball WSCR also carries other live sports programming from CBS Sports Radio and Westwood One including Monday Night Football The Score s long time listeners callers and e mailers are known as Score Heads and often use colorful monikers 188 189 The station has also done remote broadcasts from various locations 188 Twice an hour there are minute long Score Board Updates by sportscasters delivering game results and highlighted stories of the day The Chicago Wolves sponsor the studio used for the updates Many producers are on air contributors and fill in when other hosts have days off Reporters include Zach Zaidman David Schuster Nick Shepkowski and Jay Zawaski Weekends outside of play by play constitute of local shows by Mike Esposito Steve Rosenbloom and Mark Grote Starting in 2005 WSCR started airing Sporting News Radio programming overnights It also began airing the nationally syndicated Dan Patrick show on a delayed basis in 2007 Currently overnight CBS Sports Radio programming is heard on AM 670 WSCR also carries CBS Sports Radio on its Audacy live stream audio whenever it airs the NFL on Westwood OneNotes Edit Some AM stations use HD Radio only during daytime hours per Barry McLarnon s AM IBOC page see references below References Edit Janowski Thaddeus P 2010 09 29 FCC 316 Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License BTCH 20100930AFL Federal Communications Commission Retrieved 2011 03 15 a b c d e 1922 Year Radio s Population Soared PDF Broadcasting May 14 1962 p 114 Retrieved April 26 2020 McLarnon Barry 2016 04 18 AM IBOC Stations on the Air Retrieved 2016 06 24 a b c d Kirk Jim Infinity Kills WMAQ to Move Score to 670 Chicago Tribune July 11 2000 Retrieved January 22 2020 a b Street Talk Radio amp Records January 3 1992 p 20 Retrieved January 22 2020 a b 1922 Year Radio s Population Soared PDF Broadcasting May 14 1962 p 114 Retrieved April 26 2020 a b Special Report PDF Broadcasting May 14 1962 p 126 Retrieved April 26 2020 Childers Scott A Look Back at the Q Childers Scott Retrieved January 25 2020 a b c d e f g h NBC 25th Anniversary Edition Billboard December 1 1951 pp 52 54 Retrieved February 7 2020 Hedges William S April 1947 How a radio station came into existence just 25 years ago Chainbreak II Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 3 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 The Fair Jazz Age Chicago Archived from the original on May 15 2011 Retrieved June 12 2010 May 1 1922 Broadcast Station List WBU U S Department of Commerce Retrieved March 5 2018 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Cite magazine requires magazine help Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 2 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 Robinson Anna Garfinkel Steve Eckstein Elizabeth 2000 Emergence of Radio in the 1920s and its Cultural Significance University of Virginia Retrieved July 30 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link a b c Special Report PDF Broadcasting May 14 1962 p 126 Retrieved April 26 2020 a b Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 4 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 26 2020 WMAQ ad PDF Broadcasting February 15 1932 p 31 Retrieved April 26 2020 Encyclopedia of Chicago Broadcasting Encyclopedia of Chicago History Retrieved April 29 2010 Encyclopedia of Chicago Judith Waller Encyclopedia of Chicago History Retrieved April 29 2010 Samuels Rich Meet Judith Waller Samuels Rich Retrieved April 29 2010 Judith Waller interview from the NBC Employees Newsletter April 1947 part 1 National Broadcasting Company Retrieved April 29 2010 Judith Waller interview from the NBC Employees Newsletter April 1947 part 2 National Broadcasting Company Retrieved April 29 2010 Wagner Gwen March 1926 Every Station Is The Best In The World PDF Radio Age p 32 Retrieved March 6 2014 Hedges William S How WMAQ Came into Existence 25th anniversary article National Broadcasting Company Retrieved April 25 2010 Early WMAQ antenna atop the La Salle hotel Samuels Rich Retrieved April 24 2010 Early WMAQ photo of one of the La Salle hotel studios Samuels Retrieved April 24 2010 LaSalle Hotel Jazz Age Chicago Archived from the original on September 27 2011 Retrieved June 12 2010 Rainbo Gardens Jazz Age Chicago Archived from the original on September 27 2011 Retrieved June 12 2010 Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 6 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 Daily News Leases WQJ The Decatur Daily Review February 17 1927 p 14 Retrieved November 5 2017 via Newspapers com a b c Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 11 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 7 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 a b c National Broadcasting Company April 2 1962 40 40th anniversary of WMAQ PDF Broadcasting p 75 Retrieved March 4 2014 a b Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 8 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 Samuels Rich Early WMAQ Hal Totten WMAQ s first sportscaster Samuels Rich Retrieved April 24 2010 WMAQ Man Selected For World Series PDF Broadcasting October 1 1932 p 19 Retrieved March 3 2014 Various other WMAQ Firsts 25th anniversary National Broadcasting Company Retrieved April 24 2010 Early WMAQ Elmhurst transmitter site Samuels Rich Retrieved April 24 2010 Early WMAQ Photo of transmitter installed at Elmhurst Samuels Rich Retrieved April 24 2010 Chicago architecture Riverside Plaza Chicago Architecture Info Retrieved April 25 2010 WMAQ in New Quarters Soon The Milwaukee Journal September 15 1929 a b c History Cards for WSCR fcc gov Retrieved February 8 2020 WMAQ Chicago Daily News 17 5 April 1930 Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 12 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 24 2010 a b Childers Scott WLS History National Barn Dance the Jordans Childers Scott Retrieved April 26 2010 McLeod Elizabeth The Original Amos n Andy Freeman Gosden Charles Correll and the 1928 1943 Radio Serial Jefferson North Carolina McFarland 2005 ISBN 0 7864 2045 6 a b c McLeod Elizabeth Amos n Andy In Person McLeod Elizabeth Archived from the original on August 24 2004 Retrieved April 25 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link Hilmes Michelle ed 1997 Radio Voices American Broadcasting 1922 1952 University of Minnesota Press p 384 ISBN 0 8166 2621 9 Retrieved September 28 2010 The March of Radio Radio Broadcast September 1929 273 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Weir James W H March 30 1930 WMAQ To Start Sound Television The Pittsburgh Press Retrieved December 6 2010 Carter s Aid Speeds Early Television in Chicago Early Television org Retrieved December 9 2010 Copy of W9XAP station license Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 Parker Bill October 28 1984 transcript of Bill Parker letter who was assigned the construction of the television studio at the Daily News building in 1929 Television Experimenters Retrieved May 11 2010 a b c Early Chicago Television W9XAP Hawes TV Retrieved April 25 2010 Early television W9XAP WMAQ Chicago Early Television Retrieved April 25 2010 First Scheduled Television Program On the Air Tonight From Chicago News Station The Evening Independent August 27 1930 Retrieved December 6 2010 W9XAP first broadcast transcript from Daily News story August 28 1930 Daily News Retrieved April 25 2010 Amos n Andy Illustrated Midcoast Archived from the original on December 16 2004 Retrieved March 5 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link WCFL Radio Magazine Fall 1928 WCFL Is on the air with Television Programs WCFL Chicago Fededration of Labor Retrieved April 28 2010 WMAQ experimental television Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 NBC Silver Jubilee PDF Broadcasting November 26 1951 Retrieved March 6 2014 Early WMAQ transcript of article in September 1931 RCA News Radio Corporation of America Retrieved April 25 2010 Early WMAQ transcript of the Chicago Evening American s story of the opening of NBC s studios October 20 1930 Chicago Evening American Retrieved April 25 2010 Gootee Tom Tom Gootee s History of WMAQ Chapter 13 Gootee Tom Retrieved April 25 2010 a b Childers Scott A Look Back at the Q Childers Scott Retrieved January 25 2020 NBC Radio September 15 1935 50 000 on the Red PDF Broadcasting p 25 Retrieved March 3 2014 a b Glass Jeff WMAQ Transmitter site Bloomingdale Glass Jeff Archived from the original on February 25 2007 Retrieved April 28 2010 Samuels Rich KYW in Chicago Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 New KYW Opens December 3 page 4 PDF The Microphone November 24 1934 Retrieved July 14 2010 a b Fybush Scott 2008 Tower Sites WMAQ WSCR Fybush Scott Retrieved April 25 2010 Samuels Rich Meet the Jordans Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 Samuels Rich Description of Smackout and downloadable audio files Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 audio file Fibber McGee and Molly phone WMAQ National Broadcasting Company Retrieved April 25 2010 RealPlayer Childers Scott WMAQ Time Capsule Childers Scott Retrieved April 26 2010 Samuels Rich Fibber McGee amp Molly with downloadable audio files Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 Samuels Rich WMAQ Amos n Andy Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 Samuels Rich Audio files from the Chicago years of Amos n Andy Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 Baker Terry The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show Reps Online Archived from the original on March 6 2012 Retrieved April 26 2010 a b Dunning John ed 1998 On the Air The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio Oxford University Press USA p 840 ISBN 0 19 507678 8 Retrieved June 10 2010 WMAQ Studio F Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 a b A Tour of the 1930 NBC Studios Samuels Rich Retrieved April 25 2010 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Bill Archived from the original on December 12 2010 Retrieved April 26 2010 Samuels Rich The NBC Chicago Orchestra Samuels Rich Retrieved April 26 2010 Samuels Rich 1954 WLS Turntable Operator Max Thompson Samuels Rich Retrieved May 29 2010 Krock Fred Backstage at NBC Radio City San Francisco Bay Area Radio Museum Archived from the original on April 4 2010 Retrieved April 26 2010 James C Petrillo WTTW TV Retrieved July 4 2010 Samuels Rich WMAQ Studio C Samuels Rich Retrieved April 26 2010 a b Samuels Rich The Nineteenth Floor Merchandise Mart 1942 Samuels Rich Retrieved April 26 2010 Columbia College Inside the Radio Studio with Dick Biondi amp Herb Kent 100 Years On the Air April 10 2010 Columbia College Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved April 26 2010 Herb Kent Radio Hall of Fame Radio Hall of Fame Archived from the original on April 10 2010 Retrieved April 27 2010 Kent Herb Smallwood David eds 2009 The Cool Gent The Nine Lives of Radio Legend Herb Kent Lawrence 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1969 Archived from the original on November 5 2012 Retrieved May 22 2010 WJJD s Sam Hale describes the format change ReelRadio Retrieved April 27 2010 Vox Jox WMAQ staff changes for new format Billboard December 7 1974 p 26 Retrieved April 27 2010 NBC Gears WMAQ AM for Country Billboard October 19 1974 p 30 Retrieved April 27 2010 Samuels Rich WMAQ staff announcers Samuels Rich Retrieved April 27 2010 Samuels Rich Mart Memories passing of Jim Hill in 2005 Samuels Rich Retrieved April 27 2010 Station Profiles Radio amp Records Special Edition The Best in the Country 1976 p 20 Retrieved February 5 2020 Hurst Jack WMAQ AM s untimely country retreat Chicago Tribune February 4 1986 Section 5 p 5 Sullivan Paul As Sun sets on Urban Cowboy WMAQ talks itself up Chicago Tribune June 11 1986 Section 5 p 6 Feder Robert Once mighty AM giants are falling on deaf ears Chicago Sun Times October 21 1986 p 56 Feder Robert Ch 2 backs Jacobson on Trib ad withdrawal Chicago Sun Times November 13 1986 p 78 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2020 Gaines Sallie L August 28 1998 CBS plans spinoff to bolster its stock Chicago Tribune Retrieved May 9 2020 CBS And Viacom Complete Merger CBS News April 26 2000 Retrieved January 25 2020 Rathbun Elizabeth A August 7 2000 WMAQ Says So Long PDF Broadcasting amp Cable p 34 Retrieved March 6 2014 Samuels Rich August 1 2000 The Demise of WMAQ Radio Samuels Rich Retrieved April 29 2010 audio file of WMAQ s last signoff Westinghouse Broadcasting August 1 2000 Retrieved April 29 2010 RealPlayer Kirk Jim WSCR Now in Pressure Cooker Chicago Tribune August 1 2000 Retrieved January 22 2020 Call Sign History fcc gov Retrieved January 22 2020 Kilgore Tomi Salem buys WXRT AM from Infinity MarketWatch November 11 2000 Retrieved January 22 2020 Feder Robert April 2 1997 Score ready to move on Monday afternoon Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on September 11 2016 Retrieved January 22 2020 a b Feder Robert WXRT staffers packing up for another station break WBEZ February 25 2010 Retrieved January 22 2020 Rosenthal Phil Some static expected as XRT leaves home Chicago Tribune February 8 2008 Retrieved January 22 2020 Local sports talk radio station prepares to move downtown The Times of Northwest Indiana August 1 2001 Retrieved May 9 2020 Feder Robert June 23 2015 WLS wins White Sox radio rights robertfeder com Retrieved 2016 06 24 Viacom Infinity seal broadcasting merger Spartanburg Herald Journal February 22 2001 Retrieved April 19 2011 CBS Viacom Formally Split CBS News January 3 2006 Retrieved May 9 2020 Goldsmith Jill December 14 2005 Infinity erases Mel s memory Variety Retrieved May 9 2020 Neil November 11 2015 Cubs Officially Move Radio Broadcasts to 670 The Score chicagocubsonline com Retrieved 2016 06 24 Cubs make their radio move to WSCR official Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on November 17 2015 Retrieved November 17 2015 CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger 670 The Score Named The Bulls New Flagship Station 2018 01 31 Retrieved 2018 02 01 Feder Robert 31 January 2018 Done deal Bulls pivot to The Score Robert Feder Retrieved 1 February 2018 a b Mueller Jim The Buddy System Chicago Tribune October 1 1997 Retrieved January 22 2020 Big Doug Road To Indy CBS 2 Chicago October 26 2011 Retrieved January 22 2020 External links EditOfficial website WSCR in the FCC AM station database WSCR on Radio Locator WSCR in Nielsen Audio s AM station database WMAQ Official Web site from 1999 Scott Childers on WMAQ AM History Rich Samuels WMAQ page Old Radio pictures of WMAQ building WMAQ Tower Site of The Week Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title WSCR amp oldid 1143042760, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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