View source for WSCR

{{short description|Clear-channel sports radio station in Chicago}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name                = WSCR
| logo                = WSCR 670 logo.png
| logo_size           = 175px
| city                = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| country             = US
| area                = [[Chicago metropolitan area]]
| frequency           = {{frequency|670|[[Hertz#SI multiples|kHz]]}}
| branding            = 670 The Score
| language            = [[American English|English]]
| format              = [[Sports radio]]
| affiliations        = {{ubl|[[BetQL Network]]|[[Infinity Sports Network]]|[[Westwood One]]|[[Chicago Cubs]]|[[Chicago Bulls]]|[[DePaul Blue Demons]]|[[Illinois Fighting Illini]]}}
| owner               = [[Audacy, Inc.]]
| licensee            = Audacy License, LLC
| sister_stations     = [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM]], [[WBBM-FM]], [[WBMX]], [[WCFS-FM]], [[WUSN]], [[WXRT]]<ref>{{cite web | url = https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101400486&formid=316&fac_num=28621 | title = FCC 316: Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (BTCH-20100930AFL) | date = September 29, 2010 | first = Thaddeus P. | last = Janowski | publisher = [[Federal Communications Commission]] | access-date = March 15, 2011 }}</ref>
| airdate             = {{start date and age|1922|4|12}}<ref name="Soared"/>
| former_callsigns    = {{ubl|WGU (1922)|WMAQ (1922–2000)}}
| callsign_meaning    = Score
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id         = 25445
| class               = A
| power               = {{val|50000|u=watts|fmt=commas}}
| coordinates         = {{ubl|{{coord|41|56|3.11|N|88|4|22.25|W|region:US-IL_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} (main)|{{coord|41|56|18.1|N|87|45|5.2|W|region:US-IL_type:landmark|name=WSCR (auxiliary)}} (auxiliary)}}
| repeater            = {{Radio Relay|104.3|[[WBMX|WBMX-HD2]]|Chicago}}
| webcast             = {{Audacy.com|670thescore}}
| website             = {{URL|https://www.audacy.com/670thescore}}
}}

'''WSCR''' (670 [[AM radio|AM]]) – branded '''670 The Score''' – is a [[Commercial radio|commercial]] [[sports radio]] station licensed to serve [[Chicago, Illinois]], and the [[Chicago metropolitan area]]. Owned by [[Audacy, Inc.]], WSCR is a [[clear-channel station]] with extended nighttime range in most of the Central United States and part of the Eastern United States. WSCR is the Chicago affiliate for the [[BetQL Network]], [[Infinity Sports Network]], the [[Fighting Illini Sports Network]] and the [[NFL on Westwood One Sports]]; the [[Flagship (radio)|flagship station]] for the [[Chicago Cubs Radio Network|Chicago Cubs]] and [[Chicago Bulls]] radio networks; and the home of radio personalities [[David Haugh]] and [[Matt Spiegel]].

The WSCR studios are located at [[Two Prudential Plaza]] in the [[Chicago Loop]], while the station transmitter is in suburban [[Bloomingdale, Illinois|Bloomingdale]], [[Diplexer|diplexed]] with co-owned [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM]]. Besides its main [[analog transmission]], WSCR transmits continuously<ref group="note">Some AM stations use HD Radio only during daytime hours, per Barry McLarnon's AM IBOC page (see references).</ref> over a single [[HD Radio]] channel using the [[in-band on-channel]] standard,<ref>{{cite web|last1=McLarnon|first1=Barry|date=April 18, 2016|title=AM IBOC Stations on the Air|url=http://topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html|access-date=June 24, 2016}}</ref> simulcasts over the second [[digital subchannel]] of [[WBMX]], and streams online via [[Audacy]].

Historically, this station carried the [[call letters]] '''WMAQ''' from October 1922 to August 2000.<ref name="Kirk711002">Kirk, Jim. "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-07-11-0007110274-story.html Infinity Kills WMAQ to Move Score to 670]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. July 11, 2000. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref> As the oldest surviving broadcast outlet in Chicago, it was co-founded and operated by the ''[[Chicago Daily News]]'' and became a charter affiliate of the [[CBS Radio Network]] upon their 1927 launch. Purchased by the [[National Broadcasting Company]] in 1931, WMAQ was a key station in the [[NBC Radio Network]] for nearly six decades, and later started affiliates [[WMAQ-TV|WMAQ-TV (channel 5)]] and [[WKQX (FM)|WMAQ-FM (101.1 FM)]]. A sale to [[Westinghouse Broadcasting]] in 1988 resulted in WMAQ becoming an [[all-news radio]] station throughout the 1990s. Since 2000, the station has been the third in the Chicago market to use the WSCR call sign and "Score" branding, adopting a format that originated in 1992 on [[WCPT (AM)|820 AM]],<ref name="R&R13922">"[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1992/RR-1992-01-03.pdf Street Talk]", ''[[Radio & Records]]'', January 3, 1992. p. 20. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref> and was heard on [[WYLL|1160 AM]] from 1997 to 2000.

==History==
===1920s===
On April 12, 1922, the station first signed on as WGU.<ref name="Soared2">{{cite magazine|date=May 14, 1962|title=1922-Year Radio's Population Soared|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-05-14-BC.pdf|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|page=114|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref><ref name="report">{{cite magazine|date=May 14, 1962|title=Special Report|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-05-14-BC.pdf|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|page=126|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref> A joint venture between [[The Fair Department Store]] and the ''[[Chicago Daily News]]'', WGU's first transmitter sat atop the department store.<ref name="Soared2" /><ref name="Look2">{{cite web|author=Childers, Scott|title=A Look Back at the Q|url=https://www.scottchilders.com/timecapsule/TCWMAQ.htm|access-date=January 25, 2020|publisher=Childers, Scott}}</ref><ref name="BB121512">"[https://books.google.com/books?id=B0UEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52 NBC 25th Anniversary Edition]", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. December 1, 1951. pp. 52, 54. Retrieved February 7, 2020.</ref> At the time, the station was broadcasting on 833 kilocycles with a transmitter power of about 100 watts.<ref name="report" />

Just weeks before its inaugural broadcast [[Walter A. Strong]], then business manager of the ''Daily News'', realized the station would need a manager.  Strong knew a young woman with some ad agency experience named [[Judith C. Waller]]. He called her and said, "I've just bought a radio station; come down and run it." Waller protested that she did not know anything about running a station. Strong replied "neither do I, but come down and we'll find out".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hedges |first1=William S. |title=How a radio station came into existence just 25 years ago. |journal=Chainbreak |date=April 1947 |volume=II}}</ref> Waller was hired in February 1922. She went on to have a long and distinguished career in broadcasting.

There are questions as to whether anyone actually heard the station's initial half-hour broadcast, as technical problems forced WGU to shut down the following day. It remained off the air while a new transmitter was ordered. One of the problems with reception of the station was the interference of tall buildings in the area and that it had only about 100 watts of power.<ref name="Soared">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1962/1962-05-14-BC.pdf|title=1922-Year Radio's Population Soared|date=May 14, 1962|page=114|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee3.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 3|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/dss/the_fair.shtml |title=The Fair |publisher=Jazz Age Chicago |access-date=June 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515170901/http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/dss/the_fair.shtml |archive-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref>

The City of Chicago also operated its own radio station with similar call letters, WBU, sharing a frequency with [[Westinghouse Broadcasting|Westinghouse]]'s [[KYW (AM)|KYW]], which began in Chicago the year before.<ref>{{cite periodical |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.319510008420257;view=1up;seq=407 |date=May 1, 1922 |title=Broadcast Station List-WBU |periodical=Radio Service Bulletin |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=March 5, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee2.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 2|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug00/3on1/radioshow/1920radio.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010216095756/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG00/3on1/radioshow/1920radio.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 16, 2001|title=Emergence of Radio in the 1920s and its Cultural Significance|author=Robinson, Anna, Garfinkel, Steve, Eckstein, Elizabeth|year=2000|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=July 30, 2010}}</ref> In an attempt to avoid confusion with the city's station, WGU was assigned the new call letters WMAQ, and to improve reception, its power was increased to 500 watts and it was assigned the [[Clear-channel station|clear channel]] frequency of 750 [[kilocycle]]s.<ref name="report"/><ref name="Soared"/><ref name="Gootee4"/> WMAQ's call letters were first broadcast October 2, 1922, with the inaugural show featuring comedian [[Ed Wynn]].<ref name="Soared"/><ref name="Gootee4">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee4.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 4|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref> The station's longtime motto "We Must Answer Questions", was derived from this call sign.<ref name="1932ad">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1932/1932-02-15-BC.pdf|title=WMAQ ad|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|page=31|date=February 15, 1932|access-date=April 26, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:WMAQ towers LaSalle hotel 1925.jpg|thumb|225px|WMAQ broadcast towers atop La Salle Hotel, where the studios were also located – 1925.]]
Early 1923 records show there were 20 radio stations on the air in Chicago alone. Most of these smaller radio stations faded out because of money issues. The Chicago stations that are or had been on the dial for many years usually had a store, newspaper or organization behind them which was willing and able to weather the early times when many radio stations did not make a profit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/169.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago-Broadcasting|publisher=Encyclopedia of Chicago History|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref> WMAQ had the financial backing of the ''Chicago Daily News'' and a very capable general manager in Judith Waller.  Waller remained in charge of the station until it was purchased by [[NBC Red Network|NBC]]. At that point she became the director of public affairs programming for NBC's central division, holding that title until her retirement in 1957.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2451.html |title=Encyclopedia of Chicago-Judith Waller|publisher=Encyclopedia of Chicago History|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/waller/contents.html |title=Meet Judith Waller|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/waller/waller1.html |title=Judith Waller interview-from the NBC Employees' Newsletter-April 1947-part 1|publisher=National Broadcasting Company|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/waller/waller2.html |title=Judith Waller interview-from the NBC Employees' Newsletter-April 1947-part 2|publisher=National Broadcasting Company|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Age-20s/Radio-Age-1926-03.pdf|title=Every Station Is The Best In The World|author=Wagner, Gwen|date=March 1926|magazine=Radio Age|page=32|access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>

By early 1923, the ''Daily News'' was convinced enough in the power of radio to buy out the Fair Store's 51% interest in the station.<ref name="Soared"/><ref name="report"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/1947/hedges.html |title=How WMAQ Came into Existence-25th anniversary article|author= Hedges, William S.|publisher=National Broadcasting Company|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> The Daily News moved the station and its transmitter to the tallest building in Chicago at the time—the [[La Salle Hotel]] on West Washington street in the West Loop.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/early_wmaq/WMAQ_antenna_lasalle.html |title=Early WMAQ-antenna atop the La Salle hotel|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/early_wmaq/index.html |title=Early WMAQ-photo of one of the La Salle hotel studios|publisher=Samuels|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/hls/lasalle.shtml |title=LaSalle Hotel |publisher=Jazz Age Chicago |access-date=June 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927070652/http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/hls/lasalle.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="BB121512"/>  With a new location and new frequency of 670 kilohertz, WMAQ went on the air July 2, 1923. The new frequency however, was not at first [[clear channel station|clear channel]]. WMAQ had to share its schedule with another local station, WQJ, which was jointly owned by the [[Calumet Baking Powder Company]] and [[Uptown, Chicago#The Rainbo|the Rainbo Gardens Ballroom]] on North Clark Street.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/dhs/rainbo.shtml |title=Rainbo Gardens |publisher=Jazz Age Chicago |access-date=June 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927070159/http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/dhs/rainbo.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref> Rainbo was one of the country's top ballrooms and Calumet's broadcasts brought the company much publicity for its products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee6.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 6|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref> The Daily News was not able to buy out WQJ until 1927 to make the 670 frequency exclusively available for WMAQ.<ref name="report"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14909054/wmaq_sole_operator_on_670/|title=Daily News Leases WQJ|page=14|date=February 17, 1927|publisher=The Decatur Daily Review|access-date=November 5, 2017|via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref name="Gootee">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee11.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 11|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref>

Within four weeks after its move, WMAQ obtained the exclusive Chicago rights from [[American Telephone & Telegraph]] to broadcast President [[Warren Harding]]'s address from San Francisco.<ref name="BB121512"/>  It also had the rights for his memorial services on August 10, 1923. At the time, it was AT&T's policy to sell the exclusive broadcasting rights for an event to one radio station per city. Shortly before the special event, AT&T would send telegrams to all radio stations, informing them of what event was to take place.  The first radio station to respond was then granted the exclusive broadcast rights in that city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee7.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 7|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref> WMAQ later broadcast both the 1924 [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] conventions by this same arrangement.<ref name=1962ad>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-04-02-BC-OCR-Page-0075.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|title=40 (40th anniversary of WMAQ)|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|author=National Broadcasting Company|page=75|date=April 2, 1962|access-date=March 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name = "Gootee 8">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee8.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 8|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref>

By 1924, the station took an active interest in broadcasting sporting events, airing the 1924 [[World Series]] and convincing [[William Wrigley Jr.|William Wrigley]] to carry all [[Chicago Cubs]] home games from [[Wrigley Field]] in 1925, the first time one station aired an entire season of Cubs games.<ref name=1962ad/> [[Hal Totten]], a ''Daily News'' sportswriter, was WMAQ's first sportscaster.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/early_wmaq/hal_totten_wrigley_1927.html |title=Early WMAQ-Hal Totten, WMAQ's first sportscaster|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/32-OCR/1932-10-01-BC-OCR-Page-0019.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|date=October 1, 1932|page=19|title=WMAQ Man Selected For World Series|access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref> Beginning in the fall of 1925, [[college football]] games from the [[University of Chicago]] were also broadcast. WMAQ was the first to carry an intercollegate football game in the United States.<ref name=1962ad/><ref name = "Gootee 8" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/1947/pioneer.html |title=Various other WMAQ "Firsts"-25th anniversary|publisher=National Broadcasting Company|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Alvin Meyer4.jpg|thumb|250px|The former home of WMAQ and the Chicago Daily News]]
WMAQ became a [[network affiliate]] of the [[NBC Red Network]] in January 1927.<ref name="BB121512"/> In September 1927, it severed its ties with NBC and joined the new [[Columbia Broadcasting System]] (CBS) as a charter affiliate.<ref name="Gootee"/> It was one of the 16 stations that aired the first CBS network program on September 18, 1927.<ref name="Gootee"/>

Wanting to expand its coverage area, WMAQ needed a new stronger transmitter.  A site for it was purchased outside of the city. In 1928, the new station transmitter was constructed in [[Elmhurst, Illinois|Elmhurst]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/early_wmaq/elmhurst_antenna_1928.html |title=Early WMAQ-Elmhurst transmitter site|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/early_wmaq/WMAQ_transmitter_1928.html |title=Early WMAQ-Photo of transmitter installed at Elmhurst|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref><ref name="BB121512"/> It was also time to move the studios from the La Salle Hotel.  Walter Strong, who by then had become the publisher of the ''Daily News'', had just finished construction of new building for his newspaper that included studio space for WMAQ. By September 1929, the station had moved to [[Riverside Plaza (Chicago)|Daily News Building]] at 400 West Madison (today 2 North Riverside Plaza).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/1052/Riverside_Plaza.php |title=Chicago architecture-Riverside Plaza|publisher=Chicago Architecture Info|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=WMAQ in New Quarters Soon|date=September 15, 1929|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal}}</ref><ref name="HistoryCards">[https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=62834 History Cards for WSCR], fcc.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2020.</ref> In April 1930, WMAQ was organized as a subsidiary corporation with Walter Strong as its chairman of the board, and Judith Waller as vice president and station manager.<ref>{{cite journal |title=WMAQ |journal=Chicago Daily News |date=April 5, 1930 |page=17}}</ref>

A new radio show called ''[[Amos 'n' Andy]]'' aired for the first time on WMAQ on March 19, 1928.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee12.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 12|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 24, 2010}}</ref> The actors were no strangers to Chicago radio as their program originally aired on [[WGN (AM)|WGN]] as ''[[Sam 'n' Henry]]''.  Their first appearance on Chicago radio is said to have been on [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] in the late 1920s.<ref name = "Barndance" /><ref name=mc>McLeod, Elizabeth. ''The Original Amos 'n' Andy: Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll and the 1928–1943 Radio Serial''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2005. {{ISBN|0-7864-2045-6}}</ref><ref name=person>{{cite web|url=http://www.midcoast.com/~lizmcl/aa.html |title=Amos 'n' Andy In Person |author=McLeod, Elizabeth |publisher=McLeod, Elizabeth |access-date=April 25, 2010 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040824084907/http://www.midcoast.com/~lizmcl/aa.html |archive-date=August 24, 2004 }}</ref> [[Charles Correll]] and [[Freeman Gosden]] broke with WGN over [[radio syndication|syndication]] rights. General manager Judith Waller saw the potential of the radio show and granted these rights to the duo as part of their WMAQ contract.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Hilmes|editor-first=Michelle|page=384|year=1997|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn=0-8166-2621-9|title=Radio Voices: American Broadcasting, 1922–1952|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lsotYM1VZ08C&q=all+about+amos+'n'+andy&pg=PA86|access-date=September 28, 2010}}</ref> Because WGN owned the rights to the characters Sam and Henry, Gosden and Correll made some revisions to their act and renamed the characters for their new program Amos and Andy.<ref name=person/>  Since WMAQ was affiliated with CBS at the time, Waller tried to convince the network to make ''Amos 'n' Andy'' a network program, but there was no interest. NBC brought the program to its [[Blue Network]] in the fall of 1929, paying the duo a record $100,000 for the right to broadcast the program.<ref name=person/><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Radio Broadcast|date=September 1929|title=The March of Radio|page=273}}</ref>
{{clear|left}}

===1930s===
By 1930, the ''Daily News'' began experimenting with [[mechanical television]] broadcasting.  A published announcement of March 30, 1930, indicated the equipment would be installed and operable within two months. The video signal was to be sent by the [[shortwave radio]] station W9XAP, while the audio would be broadcast on the normal WMAQ radio frequency.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=niAbAAAAIBAJ&pg=5984,3826420&dq=wmaq&hl=en|title=WMAQ To Start Sound Television|author=Weir, James W. H.|date=March 30, 1930|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|access-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/a_j_carter.html|title=Carter's Aid Speeds Early Television in Chicago|publisher=Early Television.org|access-date=December 9, 2010}}</ref>  WMAQ did not receive an experimental license from the [[Federal Radio Commission]] to operate [[Early television stations|station W9XAP]] until September 2, 1930.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/w9xap/w9xaplicense.html |title=Copy of W9XAP station license|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionexperimenters.com/sanabria.html|title=transcript of Bill Parker letter, who was assigned the construction of the television studio at the Daily News building in 1929|author=Parker, Bill|date=October 28, 1984|publisher=Television Experimenters|access-date=May 11, 2010}}</ref> The first broadcast of the station actually occurred shortly before this was granted, on August 27, 1930. Only those with special receivers, primarily radio stores which had gotten them from the Daily News, could see the video portion of the broadcast. The station distributed 200 receivers in the city and suburbs.<ref name = "Early">{{cite web|url=http://www.hawestv.com/mtv_chicago/mtv_cgo.htm |title=Early Chicago Television-W9XAP|publisher=Hawes TV|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/w9xap.html |title=Early television-W9XAP-WMAQ Chicago|publisher= Early Television|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Gp4LAAAAIBAJ&pg=2383,5881428&dq=wmaq&hl=en|title=First Scheduled Television Program On the Air Tonight From Chicago News Station|date=August 27, 1930|newspaper=The Evening Independent|access-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref> Those at the dealerships saw and heard Bill Hay, the announcer for ''[[Amos 'n' Andy]]'', present a variety show, broadcast from the Daily News Building.<ref name = "Early"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/w9xap/firstbroadcast.html |title=W9XAP first broadcast-transcript from Daily News story-August 28, 1930|newspaper=Daily News|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midcoast.com/~lizmcl/aapics9.html |title=Amos 'n' Andy Illustrated |publisher=Midcoast |access-date=March 5, 2011 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041216004315/http://www.midcoast.com/~lizmcl/aapics9.html |archive-date=December 16, 2004 }}</ref> The man behind this and other early Chicago television broadcasts was [[Ulises Armand Sanabria]], who 2 years before used the [[WCFL (AM)|WCFL]] [[Navy Pier]] transmitter to provide the video and radio station WIBO for the audio portions of the broadcast.<ref name = "Early" /><ref name="Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/w9xaa.html |title=WCFL Radio Magazine-Fall, 1928-WCFL Is on the air with Television Programs|publisher=WCFL/Chicago Fededration of Labor|access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref> Both the technical limitations and economic climate of the times brought an end to the station's experimental broadcasts in August 1933.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/w9xap/index.html |title=WMAQ experimental television|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> It was the beginning of [[WMAQ-TV]], which would not return until after World War II.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/51-OCR/1951-11-26-BC-OCR-Page-0074.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|title=NBC Silver Jubilee|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|date=November 26, 1951|access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Merchandise Mart 080405.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Merchandise Mart]]: WMAQ was here for the years it was owned by NBC.]]
On November 1, 1931, the ''Daily News'' sold WMAQ to the [[National Broadcasting Company]].<ref name="BB121512"/>  The arrangement originally began as NBC becoming a partner in the station, co-owned with the ''Daily News''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/wmaqnbc.html |title=Early WMAQ-transcript of article in September 1931 "RCA News"|publisher=Radio Corporation of America|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> In May of the next year, NBC moved the station from the Daily News Building to the [[Merchandise Mart]], where it had newly built a broadcasting center in 1930.<ref name="HistoryCards"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/x2.html |title=Early WMAQ-transcript of the Chicago Evening American's story of the opening of NBC's studios-October 20, 1930|publisher=Chicago Evening American|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref name="BB121512"/> WMAQ remained there until a 1989 move to the [[NBC Tower]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/history/gootee13.html |title=Tom Gootee's History of WMAQ-Chapter 13|author=Gootee, Tom|publisher=Gootee, Tom|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Look">{{cite web|url=https://www.scottchilders.com/timecapsule/TCWMAQ.htm |title=A Look Back at the Q|author=Childers, Scott|publisher=Childers, Scott|access-date=January 25, 2020}}</ref> WMAQ became a member of the [[NBC Red Network]], later known as the NBC Radio Network, and remained affiliated with NBC well into the 1990s, even after the station was sold to Westinghouse Broadcasting.

On September 15, 1935, WMAQ once again changed transmitter sites.  It relocated to [[Bloomingdale, Illinois|Bloomingdale]], with its power increasing from 5,000 watts to the maximum 50,000 watts.<ref name="BB121512"/><ref name="HistoryCards"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/35-OCR/1935-09-15-BC-OCR-Page-0025.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|title=50,000 on the Red|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|date=September 15, 1935|page=25|author=NBC Radio|access-date=March 3, 2014}}</ref> [[Clear-channel station|Clear channels]] were reassigned in 1934, with Illinois losing a frequency and Pennsylvania gaining it. Preserving its clear channel frequency for KYW meant Westinghouse needed to move it out of Chicago.  So Westinghouse moved KYW east to Philadelphia in late 1934, leaving an unneeded transmitter building and site behind, which is where WMAQ relocated its transmitter.<ref name="Glass">{{cite web|url=http://members.aol.com/xmitters/  |title=WMAQ Transmitter site, Bloomingdale|author=Glass, Jeff|publisher=Glass, Jeff|access-date=April 28, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070225124613/http://members.aol.com/xmitters/ |archive-date = February 25, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/kyw.html |title=KYW in Chicago|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.otrr.org/FILES/Magz_pdf/Microphone/Microphone_34_11_30.pdf|title=New KYW Opens December 3 (page 4)|date=November 24, 1934|publisher=The Microphone|access-date=July 14, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Site">{{cite web|url=http://www.fybush.com/sites/2008/site-080111.html |title=Tower Sites-WMAQ (WSCR)|year=2008|author=Fybush, Scott|publisher=Fybush, Scott|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> WMAQ's new daytime signal provided secondary coverage to most of Illinois, including [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]] and [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]]. It also provided a strong signal to much of southern [[Wisconsin]] (with [[Milwaukee]] getting a city-grade signal) and almost half of [[Indiana]]. At night, it reached most of the eastern three-fourths of North America.

[[File:Weems fibber molly 1937edited.jpg|thumb|240px|''Fibber McGee and Molly'' from Chicago, 1937]]
WMAQ carried original local and network programming. [[Marian Jordan|Marian]] and [[Jim Jordan (actor)|Jim Jordan]] started at [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] in 1927 with ''The Smith Family''.<ref name = "Barndance">{{cite web|url=http://www.wlshistory.com/NBD/ |title=WLS History-National Barn Dance-the Jordans|author=Childers, Scott|publisher=Childers, Scott|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/jordans.html |title=Meet the Jordans|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> They came to WMAQ, doing a local show called ''[[Smackout]]'' and later would move on to form ''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]''.  The program was produced at WMAQ from 1935 to 1939, when the show moved to California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/jordans/smackout.html |title=Description of "Smackout" and downloadable audio files|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottchilders.com/realaudio/WMAQFibber.ram |title=audio file-Fibber McGee and Molly phone WMAQ|publisher=National Broadcasting Company|access-date=April 25, 2010}} ([[RealPlayer]])</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottchilders.com/timecapsule/TCWMAQ.htm |title=WMAQ Time Capsule|author=Childers, Scott|publisher=Childers, Scott|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/jordans/fmmchicago.html |title=Fibber McGee & Molly with downloadable audio files|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> During its first months on the air, ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' was distributed over NBC's [[Blue Network]], which meant that in Chicago the program was produced at WMAQ but heard over [[WLS (AM)|WLS]], one of three NBC Blue Network affiliates in Chicago at the time. ''[[Amos 'n' Andy]]'' was also a popular program that continued being broadcast from Chicago until 1938, when the program moved to Hollywood. Both of these shows moved production to the new [[NBC Radio City Studios#Live from Hollywood|NBC West Coast Radio City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/amosandy.html |title=WMAQ-Amos 'n' Andy|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/gosdencorrell/index.html |title=Audio files from the Chicago years of Amos 'n' Andy|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref>

[[Edgar Bergen]] was initially turned down for a radio spot at WMAQ.  The station manager felt [[ventriloquism]] would not work on radio.  That turned out to be a mistake.  Bergen received an offer from [[Rudy Vallee]] to become a part of his radio show in late 1936.  By May 1937, Bergen and his puppet [[Charlie McCarthy]] had their own show on the [[NBC Red Network]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://repsonline.homestead.com/pageCharlieMcCarthy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306031449/http://repsonline.homestead.com/pageCharlieMcCarthy.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |title=The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show|author=Baker, Terry|publisher=Reps Online|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Radio Shows">{{Cite book | editor-last = Dunning|editor-first=John|title= On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio |year=1998|page=840|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&q=%22beat+the+band%22&pg=PA75|isbn=0-19-507678-8|access-date=June 10, 2010}}</ref>

Radio from the Merchandise Mart centered around the many studios on the 19th floor.  Only one studio, Studio F, was on the 20th.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/studiof.html |title=WMAQ Studio F|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref name = "Tour">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/trguide.html |title=A Tour of the 1930 NBC Studios|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/birdseye.html |title=Birdseye, cut-away view of the NBC studios|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> Like its [[NBC Radio City Studios|Radio City]] [[Rockefeller Center#30 Rockefeller Plaza|Rockefeller Center]] counterpart, there were [[NBC page]]s ([[Bob Sirott]] was one of them in the late 1960s) and a host of staff announcers. In 1947, [[Hugh Downs]] (''[[Today (American TV program)|Today Show]]'' and ''[[20/20 (US television series)|20/20]]''), [[Garry Moore]] (''[[I've Got A Secret]]'') and [[Durward Kirby]] (''[[The Garry Moore Show]]'') were on the WMAQ staff, as was [[Mike Wallace]], later of ''[[60 Minutes]]'' fame.<ref name="Radio Shows"/><ref>{{Cite book|editor-last=Rayburn|editor-first=John|page=256|title=Cat Whiskers and Talking Furniture: Memoir of Radio and Television Broadcasting|year=2008|publisher=McFarland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79bOhN089foC&q=freeman+gosden&pg=PA56|isbn=978-0-7864-3697-2|access-date=September 15, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/stfanncr.html |title=WMAQ-Staff announcers|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/index1.html |title=WMAQ History-Mike Wallace|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> [[Dave Garroway]] (1913–1982) also arrived on the NBC airwaves via WMAQ with his ''1160 Club'' playing [[big band]] and [[jazz]] music in the 1940s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/davegarrowayobit.html |title=Dave Garroway-transcript of New York Times Obituary-July 22, 1982|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tuxjunction.net/glennmiller.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809082446/http://www.tuxjunction.net/glennmiller.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 9, 2011 |title=Glenn Miller|publisher=Tux Junction|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> Garroway was also responsible for organizing a series of local jazz concerts and establishing a Chicago lounge "Jazz Circuit" in 1947 which revived interest in the music genre.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgwEAAAAMBAJ&q=garroway&pg=PT16|title=Garroway Hits Jackpot With Jazz Concerts|date=July 26, 1947|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=July 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xgwEAAAAMBAJ&q=garroway&pg=PT20|title=3-Lounge Jazz Circuit Formed In Middle West|date=August 2, 1947|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=July 5, 2010}}</ref> In 1948 and 1949, Garroway was voted the nation's top Disk Jockey by his peers in ''Billboard's'' annual poll.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wg4EAAAAMBAJ&q=garroway&pg=PA56|title=The Billboard Third Annual Disk Jockey Poll|date=October 22, 1949|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zx4EAAAAMBAJ&q=garroway&pg=PA50|title=The Billboard Second Annual Disk Jockey Poll|date=October 2, 1948|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=July 5, 2010}}</ref>  Garroway would eventually host a number of television shows including the ''Today Show''.

===1940s===
[[File:WSCR WBBM transmitter building.jpg|thumb|WSCR's transmitter building in Bloomingdale Township]]
In the 1940s, radio stations like WMAQ began playing recorded music during some hours. For many years due to union constraints, all music broadcast on the network was live.  Stations in large cities had to maintain full-time orchestras on their payrolls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://americahurrah.com/NBC/RadioCity.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212151601/http://americahurrah.com/NBC/RadioCity.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 2010 |title=NBC's Radio City, San Francisco|author=Roddy, Bill|publisher=Roddy, Bill|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/joeg.html |title=The NBC Chicago Orchestra|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref> The organ music which was a part of many of the radio "soap operas" was provided by union musicians. When turntables entered studio control rooms, the musicians were replaced by the turntable operator or "record turner".<ref name="Turner">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wls/1954/max_thompson.html|year=1954|title=WLS Turntable Operator Max Thompson|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=May 29, 2010}}</ref> It was the job of the turntable operator (a member of the [[American Federation of Musicians]]), to play any recorded music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bayarearadio.org/schneider/radcity2.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404075000/http://www.bayarearadio.org/schneider/radcity2.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 4, 2010 |title=Backstage at NBC Radio City, San Francisco|author=Krock, Fred|publisher=Bay Area Radio Museum|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref> The Musician's Union received jurisdiction over the turntables because it was reasoned that each turntable was responsible for five "live" musicians losing their employment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=1,7,1,1,38|title=James C. Petrillo|publisher=WTTW-TV|access-date=July 4, 2010}}</ref> Not until the late 1960s did the union turntable operator leave the control rooms of NBC Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/studiocn.html |title=WMAQ-Studio C|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name = "Blue" />

For those who had aspirations of becoming broadcasters, WMAQ was a good place to get started in the medium, even if the job was not on the air. The station encouraged its young employees with dreams of working at a microphone by assisting with tuition for college broadcasting courses and holding workshops at the station where those with stars in their eyes were given the chance to display their skills in a "real world" setting. [[Herb Kent]], a Chicago radio pioneer, first came to work in the mailroom at WMAQ as a young high school graduate in the late 1940s. He credits WMAQ and Hugh Downs, who was then a WMAQ staff announcer, with providing him with the tools and encouragement he needed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theloop.colum.edu/s/644/index.aspx?sid=644&gid=23&pgid=2381&cid=8713&ecid=8713&ciid=30416&crid=0|title=Columbia College-Inside the Radio Studio with Dick Biondi & Herb Kent-100 Years On the Air-April 10, 2010 |publisher=Columbia College |access-date=April 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720212817/http://theloop.colum.edu/s/644/index.aspx?sid=644&gid=23&pgid=2381&cid=8713&ecid=8713&ciid=30416&crid=0|archive-date=July 20, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiohof.org/discjockey/herbkent.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410134446/http://www.radiohof.org/discjockey/herbkent.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 10, 2010 |title=Herb Kent-Radio Hall of Fame|publisher=Radio Hall of Fame|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | editor-last = Kent | editor-first = Herb| editor2-last = Smallwood | editor2-first = David | title = The Cool Gent: The Nine Lives of Radio Legend Herb Kent | year = 2009 | page = 272 |  publisher = Lawrence Hill Books | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=j06dhDdsgioC&q=wenr+chicago&pg=RA1-PA227 | isbn = 978-1-55652-774-6 | access-date =April 27, 2010}}</ref> After getting some announcing experience, Kent returned to WMAQ, this time on the air as a radio actor.<ref>{{Cite book | editor-last = Pruter | editor-first = Robert | title = Doowop: The Chicago Scene | year = 1997 | pages = 227–228 |  publisher = University of Illinois Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f92pJ3JhaJYC&q=dick+biondi&pg=PR13 | isbn = 0-252-06506-9 | access-date =April 29, 2010}}</ref>

In the mid-1940s, the WMAQ Radio live studios in the Merchandise Mart were converted to TV studios for use by a new television station.  Channel 5 signed on the air on October 8, 1948.  Its call letters were WNBQ.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1950/RADIO%20&%20TV%20ALL%20YB%201950%20B&W-11.pdf|title=Broadcasting Yearboook 1950 page 130}}</ref>  Those letters combined the initials for National Broadcasting, plus the Q from WMAQ's call sign.  That same year, WMAQ also signed on an FM station at 101.1.  WMAQ-FM (today [[WKQX]]) largely [[simulcast]] AM 670 for its first two decades on the air.  It broadcast with 24,000 watts with its transmitter atop the [[Civic Opera Building]] on North Wacker Drive.

The popularity of the radio soap operas which began in Chicago made it necessary for NBC to construct six more radio studios on the 19th floor. WMAQ Radio moved to these smaller studios.<ref name = "Tour" /><ref name = "G">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/facilities/studiog.html |title=WMAQ-Studio G|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/facilities/studioh.html |title=WMAQ-Studio H|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref> Though the [[NBC Blue Network]] was sold to [[American Broadcasting System]] in 1943, it continued leasing Merchandise Mart space from NBC until its move to the [[Civic Opera House]] in 1952. This freed up more space for WMAQ.<ref name = "Blue">{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/slobb/floor.html |title=The Nineteenth Floor-Merchandise Mart-1942|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref>

The station was a leader in the use of helicopters for traffic reports. In 1948, it used a two-man crew in the air to report traffic on the July 4 weekend. The traffic team covered the Chicago area by air, landing to phone in their reports, which were put on the air.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5spQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6007,2009107&dq=wmaq&hl=en|title=Helicopter Crew Directs Traffic In Chicago|date=July 1, 1948|author=Conway, William J.|work=The Portsmouth Times|access-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0RsLAAAAIBAJ&pg=3103,86319&dq=wmaq&hl=en|title=Helicopter Cop|date=March 16, 1948|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|access-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref>

In 1949, the station suffered what could have been a crippling blow.  Its main antenna at the Bloomingdale transmitter site collapsed. WMAQ was able to stay on the air, but not at its normal 50,000–watt power. While the main antenna was out of service, NBC found a solution with some history to it to get WMAQ back broadcasting at full power. [[RCA]] had a tower in storage in one of its [[New Jersey]] facilities that was used as part of its [[1939 New York World's Fair]] exhibit. The tower, which originally came from NBC-owned [[WTAM]] in [[Cleveland]], was shipped to Chicago and became the acting main antenna.  It remains standing today at Bloomingdale site.<ref name = "Glass"/><ref name = "Site" /> The station launched a new main antenna tower at Bloomingdale in 1951, which was considered to be one of the tallest tower structures in the U.S. at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/51-OCR/1951-11-12-BC-OCR-Page-0105.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|title=You're looking at one of the tallest structures in America |author=NBC|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|page=105|date=November 15, 1951|access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>

===1950s===
In 1950, ''The Chez Show'' originated from the [[Chez Paree]] nightclub on North Fairbanks in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. It was one of Chicago's top night spots, as many popular celebrities could be found there, either as performers or as patrons.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dB8EAAAAMBAJ&q=chez+paree+chicago&pg=PA17|title=20th Anniversary of the Chez Paree (pages-17-28)|date= November 8, 1952|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 25, 2010}}</ref> The original hosts of this weekday late-night interview program were Mike Wallace and his wife, [[Buff Cobb]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lw4EAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PT6|title=WMAQ Sets Seg From Chez Paree|date=May 13, 1950|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | editor-last = Cushman | editor-first = Aaron D. | title = A Passion for Winning: Fifty Years of Promoting Legendary People and Products | year = 2003 | page = 49 | publisher = Lighthouse Point Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CGnr3-sSEdMC&q=mike+wallace+chez+paree&pg=PT55 | isbn = 0-9637966-1-5 | access-date =April 25, 2010}}</ref> In 1951, [[The Jack Eigen Show|Jack Eigen]] (1913–1983) took over as host of the program, a position he held for most of the next 20 years.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dB8EAAAAMBAJ&q=chez+paree+chicago&pg=PA17|title=for Eigen's "Chez Show" late nights on WMAQ (page 26) |date=November 8, 1952|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2h4EAAAAMBAJ&q=eigen+miller+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA14|title=Miller out-Eigen fired after 8 years on the job (page 14)|date=January 11, 1960|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KiEEAAAAMBAJ&q=eigen+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA48|title=Lee Vogel Out-Eigen under consideration for his old time slot (page 48)|date=February 6, 1961|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref> After the Chez Paree closed in the spring of 1960, the program became ''[[The Jack Eigen Show]]'' and the interviews continued from WMAQ's Studio G, where there was room enough for a small audience, and from Chicago's Sherman House Hotel.  The hotel's College Inn was another popular local venue for entertainment and entertainers.<ref name = "G" /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uB4EAAAAMBAJ&q=eigen+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA42|title=IRS hits Chez with cabaret tax for Eigen show (page 42)|date=May 25, 1959|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.justonebadcentury.com/chicago_cubs_history_13.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713130140/http://www.justonebadcentury.com/chicago_cubs_history_13.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |title=Chicago Cubs history-Chez Paree|publisher=Just One Bad Century|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/jackeigen/index.html |title=WMAQ History-Jack Eigen|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name = "Ruse" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/hls/sherman.shtml |title=Hotel Sherman |publisher=Jazz Age Chicago |access-date=June 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927070642/http://chicago.urban-history.org/ven/hls/sherman.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref>

Beginning in 1956, the overnight hours were the domain of [[Holmes Daylie|Holmes "Daddy-O" Daylie]] (1920–2003), who brought his sense of humor, way with words and musical knowledge to WMAQ as he played cool jazz until dawn.<ref>{{Cite book | editor-last = Barlow | editor-first = William | title = Voice Over: The Making of Black Radio | year = 1998 | page = 334 | publisher = Temple University Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gJuIHrKBONMC&q=Holmes+%22Daddy-O%22+Daylie&pg=PA105 | isbn = 1-56639-667-0 | access-date =April 25, 2010}}</ref> "Daddy-O" was the first African-American hosting a regularly scheduled radio show on a Chicago network [[owned and operated station]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/daddyo.html |title=WMAQ Holmes "Daddy-O" Daylie|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref> It was WMAQ's Dave Garroway who discovered Daddy-O tending bar in 1947 and suggested he train for work in radio.  By 1948, Daddy-O was on the air on Chicago's [[WCPT (AM)|WAIT]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehistorymakers.com/programs/dvl/files/Daylie_Holmesf.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617112044/http://www.thehistorymakers.com/programs/dvl/files/Daylie_Holmesf.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 17, 2011 |title=Daddy-O Daylie Biography|year=2001|author=Daylie, Holmes|publisher=HistoryMakers|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-02-14/news/0302140188_1_bartender-radio-host-broadcast-communications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315223834/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-02-14/news/0302140188_1_bartender-radio-host-broadcast-communications |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |title=Daddy-O Daylie obituary|date=February 14, 2003|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref> When Garroway discovered Daylie, he was the host of the ''1160 Club'' [[Dayparting|overnight]] on WMAQ, also playing jazz.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nkUEAAAAMBAJ&q=dave+garroway+1160+club&pg=PA88 |title=Video's First Big Trade Expo Coverage Ready for CMI Show (page 1)|date= February 8, 1947|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref>

Other performers who would go on to make their mark on local broadcasting got their "break" at WMAQ too. One of them was [[Ned Locke]] (1919–1992), who hosted a Saturday children's radio show, ''Uncle Ned's Flying Squadron'', on the station in 1950. His radio work led to his being asked to substitute for the host of a popular weekday children's program on [[WMAQ-TV]]. He went on to [[WGN-TV]], where he continued to participate in local children's television. Ned Locke is known best to Chicagoans as "Ringmaster Ned".  He assumed that role on the successful and popular Chicago version of ''[[Bozo's Circus]]'' in 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/unclened/uncle_neds_squadron.html |title=Ned Locke-Uncle Ned's Flying Squadron|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref>

===1960s===
On May 4, 1964, WMAQ switched from a [[beautiful music]] format to a [[middle of the road (music)|MOR]]-pop standard format, featuring music by artists such as [[Andy Williams]], [[Nat King Cole]], and [[Jack Jones (American singer)|Jack Jones]].<ref name = "Ruse"/><ref>"[https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/60s/1964/Billboard%201964-07-04.pdf WMAQ Is Outlet For Pop Singles]", ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. July 4, 1964. pp. 14, 44. Retrieved January 18, 2021.</ref><ref name="TopPop"/> ''The Jack Eigen Show'' continued to air late nights.<ref name = "Ruse"/> A 1964 campaign asking listeners to vote for [[Elvis Presley]] or [[Chubby Checker]] was just a publicity stunt, but it was enough to start rumors in the broadcasting and record industries that the station was moving to a [[Top 40]] format.<ref name = "Ruse">{{cite magazine|last=Faggen|first=Gil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IUUEAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA16|title=WMAQ Razzle Dazzle a Ruse|pages=16, 21|date= May 16, 1964|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name="TopPop">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iEUEAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle:billboard&pg=PA6|title=WMAQ In Swing to Top Pop|pages=3, 6|date=May 9, 1964|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref>

On August 31, 1964, Channel 5 changed its call letters to [[WMAQ-TV]] to match WMAQ radio, as the stations emphasized their common NBC ownership.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kkUEAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA21|title=Call Letters Switch|page=21|date=September 5, 1964|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>Wolters, Larry. "WNBQ to Become WMAQ-TV Today", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. August 31, 1964. Section 1A, p. 6.</ref>

When Floyd Brown joined the staff in 1965, his photo wound up on the cover of the RCA Employee magazine next to one of [[Bill Cosby]], who was starring in ''I Spy'' on [[NBC-TV]]. Floyd was the first African American hired as a network announcer. A radio veteran, having been involved at the start of [[Gordon McLendon]]'s [[WGRB|WYNR]], his smooth voice, his upbeat personality, and his ability to discuss everything from Big Bands to Beatles to Chicago Bears, informed and entertained WMAQ listeners when he became a regular program host.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wgngold.com/people/brown-floyd.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205152444/http://wgngold.com/people/brown-floyd.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |title=Floyd Brown|publisher=WGN Radio|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=375510|title=Fox Valley inducts 8 into arts hall of fame|date=April 23, 2010|author=Sarakuskas, Susan|newspaper= The Daily Herald|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dikEAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA29|title=WMAQ's Floyd Brown Batting 1.000|date= July 25, 1970|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref>

===1970s===
During the early 1970s, WMAQ aired a format blending music, talk, news and sports, using the on-air name "67-Q". Although the station never shifted completely to [[Top 40]], by the early 1970s, WMAQ's [[playlist]] had become comparable to today's [[hot adult contemporary]] format.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Paige|first=Earl|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywgEAAAAMBAJ&q=jim+hill+wmaq&pg=PA19|title=WMAQ Keeping Up With MOR; Uses Distinguishable Sound|pages=17, 19|date=October 9, 1971|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref> One of WMAQ's first sports talk programs was ''Sound off on Sports'', with Pat Sheridan (1920–2005).<ref>{{cite news|title=Pat Sheridan recalls working with Lloyd Pettit (page 17)|date=November 17, 2003|newspaper= Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/keyword/pats/featured/4|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710201016/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/keyword/pats/featured/4|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2012|title=Pat Sheridan obituary|date=June 8, 2005|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiodailynews.com/rdncentralarchives-2005-5.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715145043/http://www.radiodailynews.com/rdncentralarchives-2005-5.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |title=Pat Sheridan, a pioneering Chicago sports talk show host and evening personality on the old WMAQ in the 1970s|year=2005|publisher=Radio Daily News|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref>  Many of the on-air personalities during this time period were well known to listeners from previous radio stations. [[Clark Weber]], [[Jim Stagg]] (1935–2007), Joel Sebastian, Tom Murphy, and Howard Miller all spent some time working at WMAQ and previously at [[WCFL (AM)|WCFL]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Jim Stagg obituary-original appeared in The Lake Forester, November 8, 2007|date=November 8, 2007|publisher=Pioneer Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lifeinlegacy.com/display.php?weekof=2007-11-10#P7168|title=Jim Stagg|date=November 10, 2007|publisher=Life in Legacy|access-date=October 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/01/19/joel-sebastian-radio-personality-executive/|title=Joel Sebastian, radio disc jockey|date=January 19, 1986|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=July 31, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cflradio.net/1240_WMMB_AM.htm |title=Howard Miller|publisher=WMMB, Melbourne, FL|access-date=March 7, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/radwcfl.html|title=WCFL On-Air Line-Ups 1965–1976|publisher=Rock Radio Scrapbook|access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841585-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105101428/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841585-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2012|title=Howard Power|date=January 31, 1969|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref> A 1975 format change to [[country music]] saw WMAQ taking on [[WYLL|WJJD]].  The entire WMAQ air staff was replaced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reelradio.com/joce/index.html |title=WJJD's Sam Hale describes the format change|publisher=ReelRadio|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQkEAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PA26|title=Vox Jox-WMAQ staff changes for new format|page=26|date= December 7, 1974|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tAcEAAAAMBAJ&q=wmaq+intitle%3Abillboard&pg=PT29|title=NBC Gears WMAQ-AM for Country|date=October 19, 1974|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=30|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref>

Jim Hill (1929–2005), long-time staff announcer and radio host, moved into the [[WMAQ-TV]] announcer's booth where he remained until retiring.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/miller/millerstaffannouncers.html |title=WMAQ staff announcers|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/mart_memories/index.html |title=Mart Memories-passing of Jim Hill in 2005|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 27, 2010}}</ref> The first song played under the new format was "[[Your Cheatin' Heart]]" by [[Hank Williams, Sr.]] The station's fortunes were helped in no small part by the "WMAQ Is Gonna Make Me Rich!" cash giveaway promotion.<ref>"[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1970s/1976/RR-1976-Country.pdf Station Profiles]", ''[[Radio & Records]] Special Edition: The Best in the Country''. 1976. p. 20. Retrieved February 5, 2020.</ref>  The giveaway was eventually used on other NBC-owned radio outlets. WMAQ also served as the flagship station for [[Chicago White Sox]] baseball broadcasts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the [[Chicago Blackhawks]] [[NHL|hockey]] team. This was the era of the "Good Morning Guys", including Pat Cassidy, Lee Sherwood, Bob Tracy, [[Jerry Taft]], and [[Tim Weigel]].

===1980s and 1990s===
[[File:NBC Chicago.jpg|thumb|right|200px|NBC Tower, where WMAQ moved in 1989. WSCR also broadcast here before moving to [[Two Prudential Plaza]].]]
By early 1986, WMAQ had begun phasing out country music in favor of [[talk radio|talk]] programming, with the station completing its transition on November 17, 1986.<ref>Hurst, Jack. "WMAQ-AM's untimely country retreat", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. February 4, 1986. Section 5, p. 5.</ref><ref>Sullivan, Paul. "As Sun sets on 'Urban Cowboy,' WMAQ talks itself up", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. June 11, 1986. Section 5, p. 6.</ref><ref>[[Feder, Robert]]. "Once-mighty AM giants are falling on deaf ears", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. October 21, 1986. p. 56.</ref><ref>[[Feder, Robert]]. "Ch. 2 backs Jacobson on Trib ad withdrawal", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. November 13, 1986. p. 78.</ref> Hosts on the station included [[Morton Downey Jr.]] and [[Chet Coppock]].<ref>[[Feder, Robert]]. "The toast of the town: Wally, Steve make up", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. February 11, 1987. p. 50.</ref><ref>[[Feder, Robert]]. "WMAQ sale will leave big talkers speechless", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. June 29, 1987. p. 44.</ref><ref>Ruane, John. "Sports TV Weekend", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. December 25, 1987. p. 125.</ref>

After 57 years, NBC disposed of all of the company's radio stations following [[RCA]]'s merger with [[General Electric]], with WMAQ being sold to [[Westinghouse Broadcasting|Group W]] in 1988. This was Westinghouse's third stint at station ownership in the Chicago market, having founded [[KYW (AM)|KYW]] before relocating that station to Philadelphia in 1934, and later with [[WIND (AM)|WIND]] from 1955 to 1985.

At 5 a.m. on March 1, 1988, Group W switched WMAQ to an [[all-news]] format, patterned after its successful all-news outlets in New York ([[WINS (AM)|WINS]]), Los Angeles ([[KFWB]]) and Philadelphia ([[KYW (AM)|KYW]]).<ref>[[Feder, Robert]]. "WMAQ enters battle in radio-news arena", March 1, 1988. p. 37.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/87-OCR/BC-1987-12-21-OCR-Page-0048.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|title=Group W going all-news in Chicago|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]|date=December 21, 1987|page=54|access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>  The slogan was the same as those other stations: "You Give Us 22 Minutes, We'll Give You The World".  Long-time WMAQ morning news anchor Pat Cassidy (later with [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM]]) was on the air when the switch was made to all-news. The news staff included two veteran WMAQ reporters, Bill Cameron and Bob Roberts, holdover anchor Nancy Benson, Jay Congdon, Christopher Michael, Lisa Meyer, Larry Langford (son of the late Chicago Ald. [[Anna Langford]]), Dave Berner, Mike Doyle, Jim Gudas, [[Cisco Cotto]], John Dempsey, Chris Robling, Mike Krauser, Corrie Wynns and crime reporter Doug Cummings. Chicago news veteran Jim Frank (formerly of WCFL and WIND) was hired as the news director, following a stint at [[WIOD]] in Miami.<ref name="Frank">{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/04/29/jim-frank-1940-2007/|date=April 29, 2007|title=Jim Frank: 1940 – 2007|author=Wischnowsky, Dave|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 30, 2010}}</ref>  Other news directors included Bonnie Buck (daughter of sports broadcaster [[Jack Buck]]) and Krauser, who took the same position at rival WBBM after Viacom shuttered WMAQ and fired the staff.

WMAQ was among the first Chicago AM stations to transmit using the Motorola [[C-QUAM]] [[AM stereo]] standard, even though its format was all-news, not music.

The station moved to the new NBC Tower in 1990 with television station WMAQ-TV despite their being owned by different companies.  The studios for both stations had been designed by NBC before the sale.<ref name="Look"/>

Amid stagnant ratings, WMAQ added more long-form news programming and some assorted call-in shows in 1998 and 1999.<ref name="Feder2498">[[Feder, Robert]]. "WMAQ adds personality to drive-time news format", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. February 4, 1998. p. 51.</ref><ref name="Feder42899">[[Feder, Robert]]. "WMAQ-AM loosens up afternoon programs", ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. April 28, 1999. p. 59.</ref> ''Cameron and Langford'', hosted by City Hall reporter Bill Cameron and police beat reporter Larry Langford, was cancelled in April 1999, but briefly returned in June 2000.<ref>Kirk, Jim. "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-06-20-0006200107-story.html 'Cameron and Langford' to Return]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. June 20, 2000. Retrieved April 26, 2020.</ref> An early harbinger of the future sports format was the evening ''WMAQ Sports Huddle'', which premiered in 1993 and competed with all-sports WSCR and [[WMVP]], as well as WGN's ''Sports Central'' program.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/09/17/wmaq-am-joins-long-sports-huddle/|title=WMAQ-AM Joins Long Sports Huddle|last=Nidetz|first=Steve|date=September 17, 1993|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>

Westinghouse merged with [[CBS]] in 1995, making WMAQ a sister station to its all-news rival, WBBM; the merger also paired former all-news rival stations in New York and Los Angeles.<ref>Johnson, Steve. "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-07-15-9707150072-story.html Multimedia Reporting Role for Marin]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. July 15, 1997. Retrieved April 26, 2020.</ref> CBS' radio stations were spun off into [[Infinity Broadcasting]] in 1998; CBS retained an 80% stake in the new company.<ref name="ct-cbsinfinity">{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Sallie L. |title=CBS plans spinoff to bolster its stock |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-08-28-9808280376-story.html |access-date=May 9, 2020 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=August 28, 1998}}</ref>

===The end of WMAQ and launch of "The Score"===
{{Further|WYLL|WCPT (AM)}}
[[Viacom (1971–2005)|Viacom]] merged with CBS in the spring of 2000, which put the combined company over [[FCC]] limits on ownership in Chicago.<ref>"[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-and-viacom-complete-merger/ CBS And Viacom Complete Merger]", [[CBS News]]. April 26, 2000. Retrieved January 25, 2020.</ref> To consummate the deal, Infinity decided to transfer [[Intellectual property|the format, branding and call letters]] of WSCR (1160 AM) over to WMAQ, and concentrate exclusively on WBBM's all-news format, while the former WSCR was put up for sale.<ref name="Kirk711002"/> Despite lower ratings for WSCR, Infinity management wanted to use the move to elevate WSCR's revenue performance to that of their New York City sports outlet [[WFAN (AM)|WFAN]], which had become one of the highest-billing radio stations starting in 1995; a company spokesman also noted that WMAQ's annual billing of $20&nbsp;million was "not functioning as a successful station" by comparison.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/00-OCR/BC-2000-08-07-OCR-Page-0036.pdf#search=%22wmaq%22|title=WMAQ Says So Long|author=Rathbun, Elizabeth A.|magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=August 7, 2000|page=34|access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref> While some WMAQ staffers were retained by Infinity and transferred to WBBM, up to 44 reporters, anchors, editors and writers were dismissed; this included [[Chet Coppock]], who frequently sparred on-air with WSCR staff and incumbent morning host [[Mike North]].<ref name="Kirk711002"/>

On August 1, 2000, after 78 years, WMAQ broadcast for the last time with a live sign-off message from nighttime police beat reporter Larry Langford. The traditional [[NBC chimes]] were played with a late 50s-mid 60s historic ID that, although inaccurate with the current network association and sister station, was appropriate as it spoke, "This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company. WMAQ and [[WKQX (FM)|WMAQ-FM]], NBC in Chicago." An announcer then said the official last words: "The final broadcast, the end of Radio 670, WMAQ, Chicago." After the NBC chimes were played one more time and a WMAQ jingle, the era for the station that was "First In Chicago" came to an end.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/demise/index.html |title=The Demise of WMAQ Radio|date= August 1, 2000|author=Samuels, Rich|publisher=Samuels, Rich|access-date=April 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottchilders.com/realaudio/WMAQ8-1-00.ram |title=audio file of WMAQ's last signoff|date=August 1, 2000|publisher=Westinghouse Broadcasting|access-date=April 29, 2010}} ([[RealPlayer]])</ref> Following the sign-off, WMAQ ran a loop of "Score" promos for six hours before starting a full simulcast of WSCR for a two-week transitional period.<ref name="Kirk8100">Kirk, Jim. "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-08-01-0008010350-story.html WSCR Now in Pressure Cooker]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. August 1, 2000. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref>

As part of this exchange, Infinity changed the WMAQ call sign to WSCR on August 15, 2000;<ref name="CallSign">[https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=25445&Callsign=WSCR25445 Call Sign History], fcc.gov. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref> changed the station's format to [[sports radio]]; and re-branded the station as "670 The Score".<ref name="Kirk711002"/> All on- and off-air personnel were concurrently transferred to the new WSCR. In effect, the new WSCR (670 AM) licensed to Chicago became the successor to the previous WSCR (1160 AM) licensed to Chicago—which concurrently changed their call sign to WXRT (AM), then was sold that November to [[Salem Communications]], and now operates as [[WYLL]].<ref>Kilgore, Tomi. "[https://www.marketwatch.com/story/salem-buys-infinitys-wxrt-am-in-chicago Salem buys WXRT-AM from Infinity]", ''[[MarketWatch]]''. November 11, 2000. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref> The "Score" format, branding and call letters had its origins on the former [[WCPT (AM)|WSCR (820 AM)]], which launched on January 2, 1992;<ref name="R&R13922"/> the second WSCR on the 1160 AM facility debuted on April 17, 1997.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4394849.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911160756/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4394849.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 11, 2016|title=Score ready to move on Monday afternoon|last=Feder|first=Robert|date=April 2, 1997|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=January 22, 2020}}</ref> All three iterations of WSCR used the same studios at 4949 West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's [[Belmont Cragin, Chicago|Cragin]] neighborhood—shared with [[WXRT]]—from 1992 until moving to the NBC Tower in 2001,<ref name="Feder22510">[[Feder, Robert]]. "[https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/wxrt-staffers-packing-up-for-another-station-break/f5c39d0e-0f47-4a96-bb2d-008967a1c984 WXRT staffers packing up for another station break]", [[WBEZ]]. February 25, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref><ref name="Rosenthal">[[Phil Rosenthal|Rosenthal, Phil]]. "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-02-08-0802070929-story.html Some static expected as 'XRT leaves home]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. February 8, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref> using the facilities that WMAQ had vacated a year earlier.<ref name="nwit-wscrnbctower">{{cite news |title=Local sports talk radio station prepares to move downtown |url=https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/local-sports-talk-radio-station-prepares-to-move-downtown/article_76cf67ae-1c90-555a-a64a-dc8e7c67eb5d.html |access-date=May 9, 2020 |work=[[The Times of Northwest Indiana]] |date=August 1, 2001 |language=en}}</ref>

===WSCR===
[[File:WSCR's main and auxiliary towers.jpg|thumb|200px|WSCR's main and auxiliary towers in [[Bloomingdale, Illinois|Bloomingdale]]; former ancient rival and now sister station [[WBBM (AM)|WBBM]] moved their transmission to the site in 2019.]]
From 2001 to 2008, the station was the flagship for [[Chicago Blackhawks]] hockey, until their move to [[WGN (AM)|WGN]]. WSCR was also the radio home for the [[Chicago White Sox]] baseball team from 2006 to 2015, until their departure to [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] at the conclusion of the 2015 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2015/06/23/wls-wins-white-sox-radio-rights/ |title=WLS wins White Sox radio rights |last1=Feder |first1=Robert |date=June 23, 2015 |website=robertfeder.com |access-date=June 24, 2016}}</ref>

Viacom, which had acquired the shares in Infinity Broadcasting it did not already own on February 21, 2001,<ref name="shj-saletoviacomdone">{{cite news|title=Viacom, Infinity seal broadcasting merger|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cUoeAAAAIBAJ&dq=infinity%20viacom&pg=4918%2C8535735|access-date=April 19, 2011|newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]|date=February 22, 2001}}</ref> split into two companies at the end of 2005; Infinity became part of [[CBS Corporation]],<ref name="cbs-viacomsplit">{{cite news |title=CBS, Viacom Formally Split |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-viacom-formally-split/ |access-date=May 9, 2020 |publisher=[[CBS News]] |date=January 3, 2006}}</ref> and in preparation was renamed [[CBS Radio]] on December 14, 2005.<ref name="v-infinitytocbs">{{cite news |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Jill |title=Infinity erases Mel's memory |url=https://variety.com/2005/scene/markets-festivals/infinity-erases-mel-s-memory-1117934623/ |access-date=May 9, 2020 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 14, 2005 |language=en}}</ref> In 2010, WSCR's studios were moved to [[Two Prudential Plaza]], home to several other CBS Radio stations.<ref name="Feder22510"/>

The [[Chicago Cubs]] made WSCR the flagship of [[Chicago Cubs Radio Network|their radio network]] following the White Sox' departure to WLS. When the Cubs left WGN for CBS Radio following the 2014 season, the Cubs were heard on WBBM 780 AM. A clause in the Cubs' deal with CBS allowed a one-time move to WSCR in the event that the White Sox left the station.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2015/11/cubs-officially-move-radio-broadcasts-to-670-the-score.php |title=Cubs Officially Move Radio Broadcasts to 670 The Score |last1=Neil |date=November 11, 2015 |website=chicagocubsonline.com |access-date=June 24, 2016}}</ref> The move was officially announced on November 11, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/1091613/cubs-make-radio-move-wscr-official |title=Cubs make their radio move to WSCR official &#124; Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=November 17, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117224156/http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/1091613/cubs-make-radio-move-wscr-official |archive-date=November 17, 2015 }}</ref> The Cubs' first year on WSCR paid immediate dividends, as the team won the [[2016 World Series]], its first world championship in 108 years, and the first since the birth of radio and modern communications.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom (the forerunner of present-day Audacy).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/116299/cbs-radio-to-merge-with-entercom/|title=CBS Radio To Merge With Entercom - RadioInsight|date=February 2, 2017 }}</ref> The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://audacyinc.com/press/|title=Press Archive|website=Audacy Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/121072/entercom-completes-cbs-radio-merger/|title=Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger - RadioInsight}}</ref>

On January 31, 2018, Entercom announced that WSCR would become the new flagship station for the Chicago Bulls on February 3, 2018, after [[Cumulus Media]] nullified its contract with the team to carry games on WLS after Cumulus filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/01/31/670-the-score-named-bulls-new-flagship-station/|title=670 The Score Named The Bulls' New Flagship Station|date=January 31, 2018|access-date=February 1, 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.robertfeder.com/2018/01/31/done-deal-bulls-pivot-score/|title=Done deal: Bulls pivot to The Score|last=Feder|first=Robert|date=January 31, 2018|publisher=[[Robert Feder]]|access-date=February 1, 2018}}</ref>

==Programming==
WSCR is the exclusive Chicago radio outlet for [[DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball]], [[Chicago Cubs]] baseball, and [[Chicago Bulls]] basketball. WSCR also carries other live sports programming from [[Infinity Sports Network]] (formerly CBS Sports Radio) and [[Westwood One]].

The Score's long-time listeners, callers, and e-mailers are known as "Score Heads", and often use colorful [[moniker]]s.<ref name="Mueller">Mueller, Jim. "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-10-01-9710010139-story.html The Buddy System]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. October 1, 1997. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref><ref>"[https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/10/26/big-doug-road-to-indy/ Big Doug: Road To Indy]", [[CBS 2 Chicago]]. October 26, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2020.</ref> The station has also done remote broadcasts from various locations.<ref name="Mueller"/>

Starting in 2005, WSCR started airing [[Sporting News Radio]] programming overnights. Currently overnight, Infinity Sports Network programming is heard on AM 670. WSCR also carries Infinity Sports Network on its Audacy live stream audio whenever it airs the [[NFL on Westwood One]].

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.audacy.com/670thescore}}
{{AM station data|25445|WSCR}}
* [https://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/chicago/wmaq.htm Old Radio] pictures of WMAQ building
* [http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wmaq/contents.html Rich Samuels WMAQ page]
* [http://www.scottchilders.com/timecapsule/TCWMAQ.htm Scott Childers on WMAQ History.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19991217191119/http://www.wmaqradio.com/ WMAQ Official Web site from 1999]
* [https://www.fybush.com/sites/2008/site-080111.html WMAQ Tower Site of The Week]

{{Chicago Radio}}
{{Sports Radio Stations in Illinois}}
{{Entercom}}
{{Clear Channel AM}}
{{Chicago Cubs}}
{{Chicago Bulls}}

[[Category:1922 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Audacy, Inc. radio stations]]
[[Category:CBS Sports Radio stations]]
[[Category:Clear-channel radio stations]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1922]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Chicago|SCR]]
[[Category:Sports radio stations in the United States]]