http://live.altavista.com/e?efi=878&ei=2039801&ern=y Chicago Oldest Radio Station To Die 16:48EDT By JIM PAUL Associated Press Writer 07/30/00 CHICAGO (AP) -- The city's oldest radio station, where millions of fans turned the dial to hear "Amos 'n Andy'' and "Fibber McGee and Molly'' before television took over the night, is signing off this week for the final time. On Tuesday, the frequency WMAQ-AM has held for nearly eight decades will become an all-sports station known as "The Score.'' Although WMAQ is based in Chicago, it was broadcast across the country. "When one of the top 10 call letters in the history of the medium goes dark, it's a strong signal that times have significantly changed in the industry,'' said Bruce DuMont, founder and curator of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. WMAQ's demise stems directly from federal regulations and the marriage of broadcasting giants CBS Inc. and Viacom Corp. Federal ownership rules required that CBS subsidiary Infinity sell one of its eight Chicago radio stations. The company chose to get rid of a weaker frequency used by the sports station and move the sports station to the frequency held by WMAQ. The station is all news now, but in its early years it was home to some of the most famous voices on radio. Even its call letters had meaning -- We Must Ask Questions. They were chosen by then secretary of commerce and future president Herbert Hoover. WMAQ began broadcasting on April 13, 1922, as WGU under the ownership of the Chicago Daily News and The Fair, a downtown department store where the original studios were located. Six months later, the Daily News bought out the store's share of the station and renamed it WMAQ. NBC bought it in 1931 and boosted its power from 250 watts to 50,000 watts, enabling the signal to be heard nationwide. Under NBC's ownership, WMAQ became the home of some of radio's most famous stars: Red Skelton, Dave Garroway, Garry Moore and Hugh Downs among them. "Amos 'n Andy'' premiered in 1928 and was broadcast each evening from WMAQ's studios. "Fibber McGee and Molly'' followed in 1935. "Those were the big ones,'' DuMont said. "Amos 'n Andy was probably the most important and most successful radio show of all time as far as a series is concerned.'' Over the years, WMAQ switched to easy listening and then country music, but news always played a major role, said political reporter Bill Cameron, whose 30 years at the station will end with the change. "NBC News ran the local news department, and there was a big premium put on a professional approach to doing the news,'' he said. When the station was sold to Westinghouse in 1988, it changed to all-news programming, putting it in direct competition with CBS. Then, in 1996, Westinghouse and CBS merged. "We still competed to keep each other sharp, but it wasn't as keen as it was when Westinghouse didn't own CBS,'' Cameron said. Georgeann Herbert, who has managed the news operations of both stations for the past year, said all-sports WSCR was chosen over WMAQ to give the company one news station and one sports station, rather than two competing news stations. It will mean the loss of about 60 employees. In the newsroom, the mood has been glum, said Mo Whalen, a former reporter for WMAQ. News reporters bristled as WSCR workers came in for computer training and installed screen savers with photos of the new station's personalities. "I kind of liked the fact that there were two news stations. One was a little more formal and one was a little less,'' said Whalen, who now runs a public affairs program for another radio station. Dave Sachs, a 47-year-old Union Pacific police officer from Chicago, has relied on WMAQ for quick news fixes for years. "That's all we need,'' Sachs said, a bit dismayed at the change. "Another sports station.'' ------ On the Net: Museum of Broadcast Communications: http://www.mbcnet.org -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ________________________________________________________ 1stUp.com - Free the Web Get your free Internet access at http://www.1stUp.com <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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