WLS - originally launched by Chicago-based Sears Roebuck ("World's Largest Store") - has had several legendary incarnations since its inception in the early 1920s. Its long-running National Barn Dance show rivaled The Grand Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride as weekly rallying rituals for America's rural demographic. Its entry into the rock & roll market in the late 1950s ushered in over two decades of antics by some of the Top 40 format's biggest and wackiest stars - Dick Biondi, Larry Lujack, John Records Landecker - and its call-letters jingle from that era is still central to its identity.
Then came the transition to talk radio in the late 1980s. The station tried several hosts before it found a long-term winning lineup. Only one team made that transition successfully: Don Wade and Roma, who had come on board in 1985 as disc jockeys, but felt they had plenty to say about culture and public policy. They quickly cemented in the listening public's mind their on-air personas: Don the crusty curmudgeon with a heart, and Roma the holistic poet-type. Their morning show has been a Windy City institution since, and they have held many a corrupt Illinois politician's feet to the fire, among other noteworthy accomplishments, during that time.
Alas, that era is over. Don passed away in Roma's arms this weekend after a protracted bout with brain cancer.
He was one of ours, and he was one of the best. We can only hope such formidable talent is rising through the ranks to man the radio-station artillery positions in the war for America's soul.
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