WCFL “The Big 10” Chicago

[Deleted User 16173]

Another great classic Top 40 station from Chicago, WCFL here’s the link www.wcflchicago.com.

[Ben Zonia]

In many ways, WCFL was better than WLS in the 1965-1976 Top 40 Era.

Consider that many of the same DJs worked at both stations over the years. Look at the Music Surveys in the 1965-1976 Era. Pretty much the same. WCFL was a little more adventurous in breaking records. WCFL had a superior signal to WLS in much of the Chicago Area. The WCFL skywave to the East, and particularly over Michigan, was much better, serving many moderately sized cities at Night with their only or second Top 40 choice, with a somewhat weaker WLS. Obviously, WLS had a better signal to the West, particularly when it was the go to Night station in the Great Plains, before FM, and when many AMs went off the air at Night, or reduced power, many to just 250 watts with a lot of interference, or had directional antennas that limited parts of their Day service area.

The late Glen Clark discusses many of these issues, at the following link.

https://www.thebdr.net/the-audio-prism-story/

[Deleted User 16173]

I agree, WCFL also had better reception here in the Detroit area at night. WLS had times that were tough to pull in but Super CFL came in like a local.

[Ben Zonia]

I agree, WCFL also had better reception here in the Detroit area at night. WLS had times that were tough to pull in but Super CFL came in like a local.

John Landecker grew up in Ann Arbor, and mentioned in an interview that he preferred WCFL to WLS when growing up in the late 1960s. Not sure if it was the signal, the playlist, or what. WAAM seemed to vacillate between Top 40, Chicken Rock, and AC, and it was the only quasi AM Top 40 there that came in well or was on the air at Night. Even CKLW had a lot of interference. Before 1970, a large percentage of people had only one console FM radio, and only AM in their car.

I have measured WCFL/WMVP with a field strength meter peaking at 10 mV/m in SE Michigan. WLS was rarely more than 5 mV/m.

WLS, WCFL, CKLW, and others may have slowed the eventual takeover by FM with their programming and signals. CKLW was big on the East Coast because of their pattern, when there was little interference.

[FredLeonard]

I loved 'CFL during the Ken Draper years. Chickenman. The Johnny Mann jingle package. The line-up included Wixie alum Joel Sebastian. Funny thing, WCAR 1130 (now WDFN) hired Draper and much of the 'CFL staff a couple of years later and the attempt to recreate the 'CFL magic bombed.

[Ben Zonia]

I loved 'CFL during the Ken Draper years. Chickenman. The Johnny Mann jingle package. The line-up included Wixie alum Joel Sebastian. Funny thing, WCAR 1130 (now WDFN) hired Draper and much of the 'CFL staff a couple of years later and the attempt to recreate the 'CFL magic bombed.

What years was that? CJ Jones programmed it in the early 1970s. In the later 1970s, it was AOR. But that was interrupted by the News and Information format around 1976-1977. I do remember in the late 1970s a music format again.