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Oldtimers: What was the original 104.9 in Rockford?

greg.hahn

greg.hahn

There was a station on 104.9 in Rockford in the early seventies. My 1978 Broadcasting Yearbook listing for WYBR shows the date in 1971, and it shows Jack Ambrozic acquired the station in December of 1974.

That early station was in it's own building on Bell School road just north of State Street. The transmitter was in the basement, and a fire down there burned the whole place to the ground in 1973 or 1974.

So Ambrozic apparently bought the license in late '74, but I know it was 76 before he got it on the air from the Cherryvale Mall, so it was dark for a couple of years or more. Does anyone remember the calls or format of this station, or any more of the story?
 
Got my answer on the engineering board:

From the 1972 Broadcasting Yearbook:


Belvidere (815) Boone County
-------------------------------------
WKWL(FM) Feb 27, 1971: 104.9 MHz; 3
kw. Ant 300 ft. Bell School Rd. Rockford,
Ill. (61107). 398-6464. Belvidere Bcstg Co.
Net: ABC/FM. Format: Good Mus. Spec
progs: Fr 4 hrs wkly.
Keith Walker, pres.


So does anyone remember WKWL? Or the story of the fire that destroyed it?
 
All I remember is that the calls were WYBR...as in Yellow Brick Road. They had a yellow brick paved floor inside the mall that led to the stations door in the mall. They had a Adult Contemporary format. It was Jack and Bob Ambrozic who had the station for a period of time. I don't know much between then and when the X came to be.
 
joebob said:
All I remember is that the calls were WYBR...as in Yellow Brick Road. They had a yellow brick paved floor inside the mall that led to the stations door in the mall. They had a Adult Contemporary format. It was Jack and Bob Ambrozic who had the station for a period of time. I don't know much between then and when the X came to be.
Click to expand...

Yup. That yellow brick road in the mall predated the radio station. It was just a happy coincidence that Ambrozic was able to put to good use.

But I'm talking about before Ambrozic, and before WYBR. WKWL were the calls. It operated for a couple years and then burned to the ground. It was dark for 2 to 3 years before Ambrozic rebuilt it at the mall. I remember finding the foundation to the old building in the early 80s.
 
As a former news broadcaster at YBR ("the imagination station," semi-automated with reel to reel music), I have fond memories of the place and of Jack Ambrozic as well as his brother. The "yellow brick road" led into a dark, winding corridor which opened on a plate-glass window, behind which was the control booth. People could stand and watch the announcers. Bill Monahan was especially talented, exploiting the FM stereo set up to do characters ... one voice coming from one speaker, the other replying through the other speaker. Both Monahan. Good old days!
 
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