Self-effacing where Magic was brash, Red Alert became a beloved figure of listeners and rappers alike. I would often love to put on my moms high-heel shoes, and prance around the house. The feeling you get when you look a teammate in the eye. She sings from her soul, and weve listened to her be very transparent in her lyrics. Asking questions like: Is "the zone" a real place? Chicago Morning Takeover, Weekdays 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. FROM LEFT: Leon Rogers,Kendra GandKyle Santillian, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Pat Cassidy,FeliciaMiddlebrooks,Keith Johnson,Kris Kridel, TOP ROW, FROM LEFT: Josh Liss, Nancy Harty, Jeff JoniakBOTTOM ROW, FROM LEFT:Len Walter, Steve Miller,Rob Hart, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: RegineSchlessinger, Craig Dellimore,Bernie Tafoya,Bob Roberts. My father likes to dress a lot, so I would see him being put together at times. The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.Read the press release here. [33] Two former WVON personalities, Pervis Spann and Wesley South, were the principals of Midway Broadcasting. So I counteract negative energy when Im faced with it, with some positive energy. 9:35 am. They were, for African-American listeners across the country, the important and influential voices and leaders of their communities. Its Chicagos urban legacy station and for more than 50 years, WVON has been positioned as a media powerhouse, so Ive always known of the station. How does this position fit into your career plans? After college, Williams started her career in radio as an intern for Kiss 108 in Boston, and made the move to New York Citys Kiss-FM, where she eventually landed her own air shift; and then on to New Yorks Hot 97. The music was an inspiration. In a major market, it was the first 24-hour R&B station, and it had tons and tons and tons of listeners. [4][5] Like many stations of the time, WHFC shared time with other stations on its frequency. Samantha Thomas is an Emmy winning journalist, entertainment/lifestyle correspondent and radio/social personality. They didn't know we were all black. Not attending immediately after graduation increased my desire to go away. Mack gave the first airplay to now-legendary acts like the LA Dream Team, Egyptian Lover, World Class Wreckin Cru, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, Ice T, Ice Cube, NWA, Tone Loc and dozens more. It turned out to be perfect timing. What killed us was FM radio, and people are so fickle. For the listener, it not only was encouraging, but it came closer to giving the truth, the reason for the struggle, the importance of participating in the struggle to bring about change. $19.99. Shes also had a long-standing career, and I think its partly because shes so real. Two U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly support the lab leak theory with low-to-moderate confidence. In the mid-1980s Parr also recorded with his band Bobby Jimmy and The Critters. In 1996, he became the second African American giant of syndication when his Russ Parr Morning Show on Radio Ones WKYS-FM became the base of operations for a network that eventually reached more than 3 million listeners daily on over 40 radio stations. The Cliff Kelley Show, Weekdays 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Terri Hemmert,Weekdays 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lin Brehmer,Weekdays 5:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. "The only thing I can do is pray," Brown said a day after the fire. There's something about this place. Currently, Samantha is an on-air personality at WVON 1690AM/i HeartRadio, Chicago's oldest African Amercan-owned news talk radio station. Williams currently hosts her own daytime TV talk show. [32], The FCC process of assigning a license for the vacant 1450 AM frequency resulted in a shared-time arrangement, as applicants Midway Broadcasting Corporation and Migala Communications reached an agreement to split the broadcast day. With his Bronx Science high school colleague Kevvy Kev Montague over at Stanfords KZSU, and a number of other important DJs and shows at college and community stations across the Bay, Cook eventually became the ringleader of the Bay Area Hip-Hop Coalition, the first rap radio deejay collective in the world, with more hours of hip-hop on air than in any area of the country. The station's transmitter was located in Chicago's Ashburn neighborhood, near the Evergreen Park, Illinois border, and operated as a diplexed operation from one of the towers of its sister station, WGCI (now WGRB). He became the station's program and music director in 1965 and went on to become WVON's general manager in 1970. I began filling in as needed as the traffic/weather and news anchor, and things took off from there. (DJs who made their name before becoming radio personalities have been excluded, but honorable mentions must go to folks like Steve Harvey, Rickey Smiley and Yolanda Adams.). WVON's origins lie in WHFC, which began in 1926, broadcasting from the Hotel Flanders in Chicago. Sunday: 12:00 AM - 03:00 AM & 06:00 AM - 07:00 AM. They were attracted by some good jazz and blues, and along with that would be the story. WVON became well known outside the Chicago area as well. Where were you born? I'm sure this will go down as one of the great black talk stations of all time, just as it was one of the great music stations. I knew that I had more experience in television, so I operated in that vision. Cliff's interview covers critical issues that impact the African American community. The Talk of Chicago. During the 1980s, Daniels worked Chicago morning shows on WVON, WGCI and eventually on "Smooth Jazz WNUA." During her 30-year career, Daniels is credited with paving the way for future generations of female radio personalities. Why not a career in fashion? At Roosevelt 'L' Station, Obama Closes Inaugural Summit As Inspirer-In-Chief, Common, Lin-Manuel Miranda Close Obama Summit With Epic Freestyle [VIDEO], 62-Foot Norway Spruce To Become City Christmas Tree At Millennium Park, Wild Costume Art Returns To Beverly Arts Center Stage With 'Wandering Bird', 82 Percent Jump In Police Accountability Budget Not Enough, Alds. Wendy Williams | Source: Getty Images / Getty. Stayed on the air, didn't play music but took telephone calls from people all over Chicago, the suburbs. Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. We could put a record on and play it a couple of days, it would start selling like crazy, if it was a good record. So if we were in an economic recession in the mainstream, I was in a tsunami. We played the hit R&B songs 24 hours a day. It had monster ratings, ruled the soul music scene and became a radio legend -- all with only 1000 watts days and 250 watts at night on 1450. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. FM had this great sound: stereo. I grew up on 'VON. But we were in the food markets, vegetable markets, community centers, just everywhere. We went out in the street, made appearances at a lot of community centers. But that's true of most of the reading and listening areas of communication. I honestly never thought about a career in fashion, but can always be found putting together clothes to wear. Afternoon Drive,Weekdays 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Herb Kent, "The Cool Gent," who died last fall at age 88 after more than 50 years at the station. It's the station they get their information from. So in the confusion and everything, I think the talk radio thing was born here at WVON. I also like to write. I jumped on that wave early in the game, although I didnt understand how effective and cool it would be for my job. Though often contentious, the show continues to capture new supporters while proving to be at the forefront of todays changing media landscape. Telephones for the first time were portable, and we rode around in the neighborhoods and talked to people (on the air). Moses "Lucky" Cordell, known as the "Baron of Bounce" on WVON radio, has died less than two weeks after he and his daughter were rescued from a fire in their South Shore home. trial. Their aggressive and culturally mixed personas quickly surpassed Howard Stern for the number one spot among young listeners. Im smiling as I answer this. WVON 1690 AM is a News/Talk radio station serving Chicago. (It was) very, very, very important; because all of (the hosts) had names that were well-known, there was a great listening audience. If you've ever wondered what your favorite radio personalities look like, scroll down or check out the slideshow. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke into its microphones. WVON, in all of its glory, it has to continue that legacy of being honest, of being culturally specific. I was never really shy. Like our content? Cliff Kelley, WVON radio personality, has an insightful interview with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. What Ive done is always remember who I am and where I plan to go. When I arrived at Lincoln University of Missouri in Fall of 2000, I majored in computer information systems. @dnainfo_breen @trafficjamjen @jmd34john @C1McKnight pic.twitter.com/KTAke3a1it. And our ratings, when we were doing Arbitron (were) 20, 23, 24, we slowly dropped down to a 1, 2 share, 0.5. It's this place that they can come to and feel like they're in a living room having a conversation with their family. . He was a disc jockey on WVON and was influential in the development of blues music in Chicago, Illinois. But there were some of us missed! Williams was Billboards Best On-Air Radio Personality in 1993 and became the second African American woman inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2009. WVON 1690AM/ iHeartRadio is a staple in the Chicago media community. The Opening Bell, Weekdays 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. & The Steve Cochran Show. But even more so in the African-American community, because so many of the earlier listeners are now older people. Jesse Jackson called the station to report King's assassination. Sometimes people turned it on to hear the music, but along the way they got the message. If it was the O.J. In 1998, Joyner became the first African-American inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/103.0.0.0 Safari/537.36, 2nd Helping sponsored by Residential Improvement Services, The Daily Game sponsored by Maryland Lottery, Operation Severe Weather Tire World Auto Service Centers, Connecting Communities Submit Your Event. Moses "Lucky" Cordell, also known as the"Baron of Bounce," was WVON radio station's program and music director in 1965 and went on to become WVON's general manager in 1970. Our hosts cover all that matters to you. Helped different black politicians get elected. A Chicago native and Cultural Enthusiast at heart, Samantha started her Media career as a Director and Television News Producer for several local news markets across the U.S., including Missouri. I can wear a T-shirt and jeans, and some stilettos and a dress, and love both outfits because Im always adding my personality to the mix. I love all types of music. Stream the best podcasts from your favorite stations. ", Herb KentLegendary Chicago broadcaster; was one of WVON's original disc jockeys. The station served as a springboard for Barack Obama during the early days of his political career.[2]. On February 19, 2002, The HistoryMakers played host to a free public event entitled WVON: The Good Ol Days of 60s Radio. "WVON celebrates 50th birthday with celebs, pols". From when I came out of the army, in 1964, I was introduced to WVON. The Laurence Holmes Show, Weekdays 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Kap & Co. Show, Weekdays 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. The idea was that, The People are as interesting as the Plates.. Conrad WorrillProfessor at Northeastern Illinois University and former host on WVON. Get in touch Location 800 S. Wells St., Suite 170 Chicago, IL 60607 Contact Us Phone : (773) 247-6200 Our Hours MON - FRI 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM SAT - SUN CLOSED Follow Us I'm not so arrogant as to believe that 'VON is a larger portion of it, but I'll tell you this: We are better because we are here. Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist. My grandmother and mother dressed so jazzy, and so did their friends. I'm sure they were fair, but it was always a white talk show, not completely black like this. Social media is the wave. [42], In 1986, WVON adopted its current black-oriented talk radio format. Chuck Leonard, air personality in New York City in 1960-1970s on WWRL, WABC, WXLO, WRKS, WBLS and others. Thank you! Our innovative concepts and approach to delivering intimate and scaled events tailored to fit client needs are unparalleled in today's broadcasting landscape. [4] In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, WHFC aired ethnic and African-American programming. People keep asking me, "What will the next 50 years look like?" That an organic, independently owned operation could exist and be able to play in this wonderful world of multiple radio stations and television stations and media companies in the city of Chicago is amazing. And we all went through it. Leonard caught the radio bug in college as program director of the University of Illinois station WPGU. A nationally renowned pioneer blending hip-hop, radio and community activism, David Cook moved from the Bronx to the Bay Area shortly after the dawn of the hip-hop era. I want to know what people are thinking sometimes. WVON is owned by Midway Broadcasting Corporation and broadcast on the 1690 kHz frequency via a LMA local marketing agreement with frequency owner iHeartMedia, Inc. WVON has studios on . What are talent hotbeds, and how do we create them? I don't know. A few of my proudest achievements? Pervis Spann, who helped boost the careers of many radio personalities, disc jockeys and successful recording artists as he transformed WVON into the "Voice of the Negro" and . In 1985, Tom Joyner earned his stripes as The Hardest Working Man In Radio, juggling two top-rated shows in separate cities over a thousand miles apart. The Patty Vasquez Show, WGN-AM, weeknights, 11 p.m. - 2 a.m. They know the benchmarks that are important, and where you can get the authentic word. He was pronounced dead at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. We took the market by storm. Everybody listened to it. Copyright 2009-2018, DNAinfo. For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: Next in Downtown, South Loop & River North. As president and general manager of Chicago's WVON-AM, Melody Spann-Cooper heads the only African American-owned radio station in the nation's third-largest market. [12] WVON debuted on April 1, 1963 and quickly became a success playing R&B music, becoming the second most listened to Chicago station during evening hours by early 1964. (WVON ). If it's going on in black politics, if it's going on in Chicago and it's impacting the African-American community, or you want to know what's going on, this is the station that you go to. Perhaps there's no better way to understand the value and history of WVON than to hear from the voices that know it best. Have you progressed in your career as you have expected? "In the Wake of the News.". Check out the latest episodes featuring Opal Staples and Myracle Holloway. I always say that WVON has one of the most intelligent listening audiences in the country because you cannot get away with saying (just anything), however rational or irrational it is. Im the oldest of three, with a younger brother and sister. So I married my love of talking, food, and TV news and in 2014 came up with the concept of SmallTALK. [10] WHFC's programming was simulcast on 97.9 WEHS after WEHS's storecasting contract expired in the 1950s. There's nothing wrong with that. And we were staying: "Stop rioting. Producing on that show was my break from producing tv news, and an introduction to the restaurant scene. WVON came into play during the days of the continuing struggle for civil rights. Just absolutely phenomenal. I like coming back. Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Cook eventually landed a radio show on Berkeleys KALX. (WVON ) Moses "Lucky" Cordell, known as the "Baron of Bounce" on WVON radio, has died less than two weeks after he and his daughter were rescued from a fire in their South Shore home.. Needless to say, Im creative all day! But when we hit, we hit like a ton of bricks. Jack Diamond hosted the Jack Diamond Morning Show in Washington, DC for ABC radio for 30 years! They know where they're going to come to get the real deal. That was important, because at that time the (other) stations had very, very few African-Americans that were participating. Ive had many disappointments, but I learn everyday, so I wont say that Ive failed, only learned lessons. Its currently still being broadcast. Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox. Don't tear up your own home. Jack has also interviewed a Whos Who in sports, including virtually every major name in every major sport, and in many instances, participated in the Washington sports teams, community and charity outreaches. Jesse Jackson called into the station to report the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[13], After Leonard Chess died in 1969, the Chess family decided to sell WVON to Globetrotter Communications, owned by George N. Gillett Jr. and Potter Palmer for $9 million. Two years later, Frankie Crocker hired Williams at WBLS-FM in her hometown, New York City. What time of day are you most creative? And to be back home in Chicago is definitely a plus. It has been incredibly difficult. Check your inbox now to confirm your subscription. Jack Diamond hosted the Jack Diamond Morning Show in Washington, DC for ABC radio for 30 years! [4] Its city of license was later changed to Cicero, Illinois, and it studios and transmitter were moved to Cermak Rd. If they continue to be the voice of the nation, we'll always respond. 199 talking about this. Who is your favorite artist and why? And two important guests I remember listening to were Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King. In fact, the first time Joe Theismann was back on the field at RFK stadium after suffering his career ending injury, was when he and Jack played catch, one morning on the Jack Diamond Morning Show. Its a lighthearted nightmare in here, weirdos! With just 1,000 watts of power, the station surprised everyone by becoming a broadcast sensation, indeed giving voice to a culture and community otherwise marginalized on the airwaves. Thanks for listening to 94.7 The Drive! But I believe Im right where God wants me to be. "Quite frankly, as 'VON continues to evolve, we get away from the psychological segmentation of who we are. Critics say the move looks like retaliation. Cooper was succeeded in Black Chicago radio by very important air personalities like Al Benson who brought the blues and jazz to Chicago on WGES and his colleague Herb Kent, who made his mark after his move to WVON, where he was a strong voice for progress during the tumultuous Civil Rights movement. No one can stop you, but you. We had to get it done, and get it done efficiently fast. Came into play during the days of his political career. [ 2 ] create?! Like this like this career in fashion, but can always be found putting together clothes to wear were! 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