WLS/Chicago Celebrates Century Of Service

• Cumulus News-Talk WLS-AM 890/Chicago celebrated its 100th year on-air last Friday, April 12. It all started at 6pm local time on April 12, 1924, when an experiment in radio took to the airwaves and “W-L-S, The Sears-Roebuck Station, Chicago!” went live on-air. Now, a century later, the station looks back to honor those who made 890 WLS-AM what it is today. What started as a station for farmers evolved into the epicenter for rock & roll in the ’60s and ’70s, and for the past 30 years, has been the home for news and talk in Chicago.

To officially kick off this centennial celebration, WLS-AM 890 aired a two-part 100th anniversary special on Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14 from 4-8pm each day, hosted by Jeff Davis.

Marv Nyren, VP/Market Manager, Cumulus Chicago, commented, “WLS is bigger than a destination on your radio dial — it’s a Chicago institution and treasure. One hundred years ago, radio was simply sound communication via radio wave, but there’s nothing simple about the impact of WLS on Chicago. WLS has been a neighbor, a friend, and a mentor for people in Chicagoland. It’s been a place where people can go for entertainment and information — and it’s been a companion to the biggest moments in history.  We are excited to usher in WLS-AM’s next 100 years with Chicago’s best audio content on-air, online, on-demand, and on-site.”

Stephanie Tichenor, Program Director of 890 WLS-AM, remarked, “We are not bound by physical limits. WLS is on your phone, your smart speakers, in your car, and on your desktop. Our signal only grows in this digital world, and we will continue to grow and evolve thanks to our amazing team. Please join us in wishing the ‘Big 89’ a Happy 100th Birthday, and here’s to the next century of WLS, radio, and Chicago!”