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Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Discussion pertaining to Lansing, Jackson, Owosso, and all areas from Alma to Hillsdale
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SpartanAM
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Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by SpartanAM » Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:51 pm

Aired this morning on 1320, Dave Downing guest.

http://1320wils.com/assets/podcaster/91 ... 9_1207.mp3


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MichiganPhil
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by MichiganPhil » Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:23 am

SpartanAM wrote:Aired this morning on 1320, Dave Downing guest.

http://1320wils.com/assets/podcaster/91 ... 9_1207.mp3
Thanks for sharing that. I enjoyed listening to it.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:47 am

Ha! This station is the same age as their typical listener. :)

I will say the new imaging sounds good. The local newscasts still need to be dressed up, though. Station still sounds low budget when compared to WOOD in Grand Rapids.



JGP1954
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by JGP1954 » Thu Apr 25, 2019 8:52 pm

In the 80s, I met the owner of WILS at his home near Okemos. I don't recall the gentlemen's name. Any help?



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Calvert DeForest
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by Calvert DeForest » Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:05 am

Depends on when in the 80's. Edwin "Red" Byrd was the principal owner until 1983 when the station was sold to Sentry Broadcasting. His daughter Susan Harvey was the general manager. Northstar Broadcasting, a company formed by Charlie McLravy and Greg Capogna, purchased the station from Sentry in 1986. Charlie oversaw WILS while Greg managed its sister station in Rockford, IL. MacDonald Broadcasting bought WILS in 1989. Andy MacDonald managed the station into the early 90's.


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Trophyhead
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by Trophyhead » Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:14 pm

That would explain my running into Andy Mac at Paul Revere's around the time he started in Lansing.

The MacDonalds had asked me many questions about the WILS operation when I worked for them in Cadillac, based on my LS-102 part-timing in '84. I didn't realize there was another entity there, between their purchase and the previous sale by Sentry.

I also had recollections that WILS GM-for-an-eye-blink Bruce Hendrickson was boy Mayor of Stevens Point, which is on the Wisconsin River, but I discover now that it was actually Ashland, WI, up on Lake Superior.

http://www.ashlandwihistory.com/uploads ... azette.pdf
Last edited by Trophyhead on Thu May 02, 2019 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.



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Calvert DeForest
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by Calvert DeForest » Thu May 02, 2019 12:53 pm

Sentry Insurance HQ is in Stevens Point, as was the HQ of Sentry Broadcasting and flagship AM/FM of the group at the time. Don Colby retired as president of Sentry Broadcasting in early 1985. My understanding was that Sentry made the simultaneous decision to divest the company of all non-insurance subsidiaries and focus on the insurance business alone. By the end of 1986 Sentry Broadcasting was no more.

Bruce was in the building for about a year. The first time I met him he looked down at my shoes. Come to find out he gauged an employee's professionalism by the quality of their footwear. Wore my tenny's on the overnight shift, but if I was there during the day I made sure to wear dress shoes that were nice and polished. :razz


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Mickey Lolich
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by Mickey Lolich » Thu May 02, 2019 5:42 pm

He probably had some kind of freaky foot/shoe fetish.
:roll:


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Calvert DeForest
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Re: Fun piece on WILS turning 70

Post by Calvert DeForest » Fri May 03, 2019 8:38 am

Well worth the read if you're looking for some good stories about 600 West Cavanaugh:

Image


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