From: rnewman@BBN.COM
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Thoughts About WFMT Versus WNIB/WNIZ
Date: 30 Sep 92 22:44:20 GMT
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 751, Message 14 of 14

Didn't there use to be another classical station in Chicago, WEFM,
Owned by Zenith Broadcasting I think? What happened to them?


Ron Newman   rnewman@bbn.com


[Moderator's Note: Ah! Don't get me started! A brief history of the 36
years W <E>dward <F.> <M>cCormick was on the air: Owned by the Zenith
Radio Corporation, WEFM went on the air in 1941; I believe it was the
first FM station in the USA, but others say an experimental station in
New York City was first. It was intended as something for the people
who bought Zenith's 'new type radio' -- one with the FM band on it --
to have something to listen to. Prior to then all broadcasting was on
the AM band. After all, why buy an FM radio if there are no FM
stations? The call letters stood for Edward F. McCormick who was the
president of Zenith at the time. It operated as a non-commercial
station playing strictly classical music from 6 AM to midnight daily.
Their only 'sponsor' was Zenith itself. Zenith wanted out of the
operation in the middle seventies and the Metromedia organization
bought the station, intending to change it to rock music. 

A lawsuit forced a delay in the change of the format, and Metromedia
was put in the position of having to run a classical music station for
the two years or so the suit was pending. Metromedia finally prevailed
and late in 1977 got permission for the format change. They announced
late one evening that the new format would begin the next day, and as
the final presentation played Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. They stayed
off the air the next day until noon, then came on with with the new
format.  We had three full time classical stations here from 1955 when
WNIB went on the air for 22 years. As part of the lawsuit settlement,
WEFM gave its extensive collection of classical records to (then in
1977 still tiny and struggling) WNIB.  The FCC required them to run a
disclaimer for two weeks following the changeover (hourly the first
two days; then several times daily over the next two weeks) advising
people of the new format. I'm sure it annoyed the new management to
play a cartridge with George Stone (one of the old, classical music
station's announcers) hourly saying:

"The Federal Communications Commission requires WEFM to broadcast this
announcement at intervals. On <date> 1977, the Federal Communications
Commission granted approval for a change in format to station WEFM.
WEFM is owned and operated by Metromedia, <etc>. The Zenith Radio
Corporation is no longer responsible for the contents of broadcasts on
this station. For continued listening to classical music, we suggest
you tune the dial to WNIB at 97.1 or WFMT at 98.6. You are invited to
comment on this station's broadcasts by writing to the FCC at
<address> or WEFM at 120 West Madison Street, Chicago 60602."

So they had to stop the (otherwise non-stop) rock several times daily
and advertise their competitors for two weeks as part of the
settlement of the suit against them by 'Friends of WEFM', a citizen's
organization which had good connections with the FCC at the time.  PAT]