American Ambassadors of the Airwaves: Midwest East North Central

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The most powerful and influential AM broadcasters of this region are essentially represented by the cities of Chicago, Cincinnati and Cleveland with a slight touch of Detroit.

These 22 stations are identified by us as the most powerful and influential AM broadcasters operating in the Midwest East North Central region of the USA between 1922 and 1983. They reflected both the tastes of their local audiences and an emerging national culture with entertainment, news, sports, advertising and information beamed to millions of local listeners across the eastern Midwest region, throughout the USA and across international borders worldwide.

Ambassadors of the Airwaves

The 7 unlimited clear channel A stations [marked by ‘A’ and in bold type] within this region were created by the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement [NARBA] on March 29 1941 and their reign ended on July 1 1983 when the Regional Agreement for the Mediumwave Broadcasting Services in Region 2 came into effect. We call them the American Ambassadors of the Airwaves because they were heard for over 60 years in places far and wide around the world by 1983.

Approaching 100 Years of service

In this feature we look back to mid 1983 and the call signs that these 22 stations were known by at the time. Many are still broadcasting and some are now approaching 100 years of service to their communities today. That is a remarkable record of achievement for a technology now seen as increasingly old fashioned.

The B stations were almost as widespread in their coverage but faced some limitations and the C stations had to share frequencies and were rather less known the further away from the hometowns they proudly served.

Our 22 most influential and powerful AM radio stations serving the Midwest East North Central region are classified as:

Chicago IL	670	WMAQ	A
	720	WGN	A
	780	WBBM	A
	890	WLS	A

	1000	WCFL	B
	820	WAIT	C
	1160	WJJD	C
Cincinnati OH	700	WLW	A
	1530	WCKY	B
Cleveland OH	1100	WKYC	A

	850	WJW	C
	1220	WGAR	C
Detroit MI	760	WJR	A
	1130	WCX	C
	1500	WLQV	C
Fort Wayne IN	1190	WOWO	B
Haillie WI	680	WOGO	C
Indianapolis IN	1070	WIBC	C

Madison WI	1070	WTSO	C
Milwaukee WI	1130	WISN	C
Muskegon MI	1520	WKJR	C
Superior WI	710	WDSM	C

Obviously over this nearly 50 year period from WWII almost to the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are countless events, personalities, and stories to be told. This feature is a just a once over taster of those years.

Clear Channel FAQ and Birthdays

670	WMAQ	1922	April 13	We Must Answer Questions
720	WGN	1922	May 19	World’s Greatest Newspaper
780	WBBM	1924	Feb 08	World’s Best Battery Maker

890	WLS	1924	April 12	World’s Largest Store
700	WLW	1922	March 22	World’s Largest Wireless
1100	WKYC	1923	Sep 26	KY [from KYW] Cleveland
760	WJR	1922	May 4	W Jewett Radio – Phonograph

Industrial Heartland

The Midwest East North Central region contains some of the most well known industrial heartland cities of the USA having a strong ethnic representation of immigrants from Germany, Ireland, England, Poland, Italy, France and Scandinavia. Their music, their voices, their languages, cultures and traditions found their way on to the local airwaves alongside the All American culture that flowed in from other regions, the nation-wide radio and TV programs and the movement of people into and out of the region as local economies underwent change.

The local airwaves also reached listeners in other regions and across the world. Today, less and less local voices and music grace the airwaves as station ownership becomes even more consolidated in fewer hands and local radio stations become just mere marketing brands with network radio programs from out of town or more often from out of state replacing local personalities and local interests. The All American radio “cookie cutter” has reached the Midwest East Central North region.

2010 Population Data

Total:	46.422m
Male:	49.1%
Female:	50.9%
Under 18:	24.0%
Over 65:	13.4%

These are the main metropolitan areas now found in the region. They are increasingly replacing the individual cites that once provided the variety found on the dials of our 22 most influential and powerful AM radio stations of the 1922-1983 years as detailed in the following section:

Top 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas 2010

1

Chicago IL

9.537m

2	Detroit MI	4.295m
3	Cincinnati OH-KY-IN	2.137m
4	Cleveland OH	2.065m
5	Columbus OH	1.967m
6	Indianapolis IN	1.954m
7	Milwaukee MI	1.570m
8	Grand Rapids MI	1.017m
9	Dayton OH	0.802m
10	Akron OH	0.706m

Top 10 Cities 1950

1	Chicago IL	3.621m
2	Detroit MI	1.850m
3	Cleveland OH	0.915m
4	Milwaukee WI	0.637m
5	Cincinnati OH	0.504m

6	Indianapolis IN	0.427m
7	Columbus OH	0.376m
8	Toledo OH	0.304m
9	Akron OH	0.275m
10	Dayton OH	0.244m

Thanks for the Memories

We hope this brief look at our 22 of the most influential and powerful AM radio stations from the Midwest East North Central region brings back familiar happy memories for those of you ‘remember when’ and if you have your own stories about these stations in those days you’d like to share with others here then write to us and we’ll be looking forward to them!

The Good Old Days

“It gives us a great deal of pride to hear that our station is being heard at such a great distance. Your letter was circulated through the Program, Engineering, Sales and Announcers Departments where it was very much enjoyed. Martin F Hogan, General Manager WCFL”

If this is just a “history lesson” for those of you who were never able to enjoy the power of these American Ambassadors of the Airwaves, the local voices, the local music and traditions and other memories your parents and grandparents still talk about today…. we hope you’ve enjoyed your visit and will go back to the demands of today feeling a little refreshed, nourished and more understanding of ‘the good old days’ and even feeling a little more connected to your heritage.