Chapter 3

The Carbondale Radio Scene:
1966

   Scanning the radio dial in C'dale in 1966, one would find meager offerings. First of all, most people had AM only. Almost all students had an alarm clock device, and most of these were analog AM clock radios. Car radios were almost all AM, even cars with 8-tracks. There were no boom boxes, no walkmen (or walk women) just "transistor" radios, which were all AM.
   So, what was on the dial? Well, the local station was WCIL. It was owned by the McRoy family, as it had been for years. At 1020 AM, WCIL broadcast daytime hours only. It featured shows like "The Trading Post," where locals could trade a ringer washing machine for a meat grinder or a cesspool pump. Another top WCIL program was "Coffee with Larry," hosted by Larry Doyle, the Sales Manager. WCIL played music, occasionally. One would hear the Ray Coniff singers, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Vaughn Monroe, Andy Williams, Doris Day, and maybe they would take a big risk and play some Johnny Mathis.

   The major feature on WCIL, hour after hour, was commercials, and lots of them. Hearing more than 30 minutes per hour of commercials was not unusual. SIU sports, especially basketball, was also a big moneymaker for WCIL.

   WCIL essentially had a local monopoly on commercial radio, and they milked it . By 1968 they also had an FM frequency at 101.5 mz. It was mono, and they used it to simulcast the AM. When the AM went off, so did the FM.

   Also on the AM dial was WGGH, Marion. This was the local country station. You could also find WJPF, Herrin, and WRAJ, Anna. Although some of the music was different than CIL, and there may have been local and network news distinctions, it was the same style of radio.

   WSIU was available at 91.9 FM. Mono at the time, WSIU was the first local station that did not sound like WCIL. But there was no NPR at that time, and WSIU was on its own. Some R-T professors were pressed into service as radio hosts. One example was Dick Hildreth, who hosted a 1930's music show for years. WSIU had a strong and wide-ranging signal, but most people did not have FM at this time.

   This dearth of diversity encouraged listeners to reach out further. On the edge of the daytime range of AM were some St. Louis stations, and others. WKYX, Paducah, Kentucky, was available at 570 AM. KGMO, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, had an AM/FM. St. Louis offered KSD, 550 AM, KXOK, 630 AM, and KMOX at 1160 AM. KYX and KGMO eventually became top-40, but not until the early 70's. KSD was "easy listening," (called MOR then), with WCIL-type music but less commercials. KMOX was mostly news/talk, and they were the St. Louis Cardinals' (baseball and football) flagship station.

   KXOK was the only station playing close to a "top 40" format. Yes, they did play the hits, but also lots of commercials with really bad production, and ancient, embarrassing jingles. Their jocks were very self-impressed and left much to be desired. Anyone who had grown up on Chicago radio could not take much of KXOK.

   KXOK also had a poor signal into C'dale. In the daytime, it could be received in most cars and some dorm rooms, if you were high enough (i.e., if your room was on an upper floor--most students didn't do that then) and if your window faced north or west. At night, the signal was weaker and almost impossible to receive.

   At night, most local AM stations signed off or greatly reduced their power and this was the opportunity one did not get in Chicago-- the chance to DX. This meant trying to receive faraway stations.

   WLS, Chicago, was the main option. Clear channel, "The Big 89" had a fairly dependable signal into C'dale starting about an hour after dark. The other 50,000 watt clear channel Chicago stations, WMAQ, WBBM, and WGN were also receivable in C'dale at night, but these stations did not play popular music. WLS and WCFL were competitors and both featured a "Top 40" format. WCFL also had 50,000 watts, but at night, it was directional north and mostly east; not receivable in C'dale.

At that time, "Top 40" included a great merging of diverse styles. Recent top 10 hits included:

   Because there was such a mix, and the songs were short, this format attracted a large audience. Adolescents from the Chicago area had grown up on this type of radio, and it was a big letdown to arrive in C'dale and have no comparable radio service.
   So, at night, large numbers of C'daleites tuned to WLS. And, that would be the end of this story. EXCEPT, WLS's nighttime signal was not quite dependable enough to satisfy the needs of C'dale. It would drift, fade in and out, increase and decrease in volume. The audio would often distort. Sometimes, it did not come in at all. The general need remained unsatisfied.

   So we have this open space, still in Illinois but essentially a foreign land, that suddenly experiences an enormous building boom and a huge influx of young adults--almost all from the Chicago area--who double the size of the town practically overnight. These "students" were attracted by loose admission and class requirements, new campus, cheap tuition, and a draft exemption. There was a lot of energy, leisure time, and a split feeling of invincibility and desperation.

end of Chapter 3



		Scanning the radio dial in C'dale in 1966, one would find meager offerings. First of all, most people had AM only. Almost all students had an alarm clock device, and most of these were analog AM clock radios. Car radios were almost all AM, even cars with 8-tracks. There were no boom boxes, no walkmen (or walk women) just "transistor" radios, which were all AM. So, what was on the dial? Well, the local station was WCIL. It was owned by the McRoy family, as it had been for years. At 1020 AM, WCIL broadcast daytime hours only. It featured shows like "The Trading Post," where locals could trade a ringer washing machine for a meat grinder or a cesspool pump. Another top WCIL program was "Coffee with Larry," hosted by Larry Doyle, the Sales Manager. WCIL played music, occasionally. One would hear the Ray Coniff singers, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Vaughn Monroe, Andy Williams, Doris Day, and maybe they would take a big risk and play some Johnny Mathis. The major feature on WCIL, hour after hour, was commercials, and lots of them. Hearing more than 30 minutes per hour of commercials was not unusual. SIU sports, especially basketball, was also a big moneymaker for WCIL. WCIL essentially had a local monopoly on commercial radio, and they milked it . By 1968 they also had an FM frequency at 101.5 mz. It was mono, and they used it to simulcast the AM. When the AM went off, so did the FM. Also on the AM dial was WGGH, Marion. This was the local country station. You could also find WJPF, Herrin, and WRAJ, Anna. Although some of the music was different than CIL, and there may have been local and network news distinctions, it was the same style of radio. WSIU was available at 91.9 FM. Mono at the time, WSIU was the first local station that did not sound like WCIL. But there was no NPR at that time, and WSIU was on its own. Some R-T professors were pressed into service as radio hosts. One example was Dick Hildreth, who hosted a 1930's music show for years. WSIU had a strong and wide-ranging signal, but most people did not have FM at this time. This dearth of diversity encouraged listeners to reach out further. On the edge of the daytime range of AM were some St. Louis stations, and others. WKYX, Paducah, Kentucky, was available at 570 AM. KGMO, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, had an AM/FM. St. Louis offered KSD, 550 AM, KXOK, 630 AM, and KMOX at 1160 AM. KYX and KGMO eventually became top-40, but not until the early 70's. KSD was "easy listening," (called MOR then), with WCIL-type music but less commercials. KMOX was mostly news/talk, and they were the St. Louis Cardinals' (baseball and football) flagship station. KXOK was the only station playing close to a "top 40" format. Yes, they did play the hits, but also lots of commercials with really bad production, and ancient, embarrassing jingles. Their jocks were very self-impressed and left much to be desired. Anyone who had grown up on Chicago radio could not take much of KXOK. KXOK also had a poor signal into C'dale. In the daytime, it could be received in most cars and some dorm rooms, if you were high enough (i.e., if your room was on an upper floor--most students didn't do that then) and if your window faced north or west. At night, the signal was weaker and almost impossible to receive. At night, most local AM stations signed off or greatly reduced their power and this was the opportunity one did not get in Chicago-- the chance to DX. This meant trying to receive faraway stations. WLS, Chicago, was the main option. Clear channel, "The Big 89" had a fairly dependable signal into C'dale starting about an hour after dark. The other 50,000 watt clear channel Chicago stations, WMAQ, WBBM, and WGN were also receivable in C'dale at night, but these stations did not play popular music. WLS and WCFL were competitors and both featured a "Top 40" format. WCFL also had 50,000 watts, but at night, it was directional north and mostly east; not receivable in C'dale. At that time, "Top 40" included a great merging of diverse styles. Recent top 10 hits included:
		Because there was such a mix, and the songs were short, this format attracted a large audience. Adolescents from the Chicago area had grown up on this type of radio, and it was a big letdown to arrive in C'dale and have no comparable radio service. So, at night, large numbers of C'daleites tuned to WLS. And, that would be the end of this story. EXCEPT, WLS's nighttime signal was not quite dependable enough to satisfy the needs of C'dale. It would drift, fade in and out, increase and decrease in volume. The audio would often distort. Sometimes, it did not come in at all. The general need remained unsatisfied. So we have this open space, still in Illinois but essentially a foreign land, that suddenly experiences an enormous building boom and a huge influx of young adults--almost all from the Chicago area--who double the size of the town practically overnight. These "students" were attracted by loose admission and class requirements, new campus, cheap tuition, and a draft exemption. There was a lot of energy, leisure time, and a split feeling of invincibility and desperation.