2008 Woodie Awards
The Favorite Five...Midwest radio stations
Ben Turner/ Verge Editor
Issue date: 2/13/03 Section: The Verge
5. WEFT FM 90.1 Champaign - A non-profit, volunteer run station, WEFT provides 24-hour musical diversity. WEFT is one of the only stations I have ever encountered that plays practically every genre of music humans have ever invented. I'm not kidding either, blues, jazz, world, hip-hop, ambient, metal, punk, alt-country, bluegrass, industrial and the list goes on and on. Opinions are also expressed on talk segments that cover a wide range of topics and community news. If you're looking to expand your musical horizons, WEFT will do so more than any other station I have ever encountered.
4. WMVP AM 1000 Chicago - The home of ESPN radio in Chicago, WMVP carries many of the syndicated ESPN programs but does have a live and local afternoon drive team of Mac, Jurko and Harry. Jurko's real name is John Jurkovic, a former Eastern defensive lineman who was named the Gateway Conference defensive player of the year twice in the late '80s. Jurkovic had productive years with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars during his NFL career, and his time with The Packers creates interesting reactions from some listeners.
WMVP is also home to Bulls basketball with Neil Funk and John Paxson, White Sox baseball with John Rooney and Ed Farmer and covers University of Illinois at Chicago basketball as well. Chicago Sportscenter updates follow the national updates, typically twice an hour, and any games that are ESPN radio feeds can be heard as long as don't interfere with the home town teams.
3. WXRT FM 93.1 Chicago - I love XRT because Iggy and The Stooges might be followed by Bob Marley and The Wailers. You never know what's coming next and that's what makes it great. Unlike many stations in the Chicagoland area, XRT adds more than just singles and prefers to play multiple cuts from an album.
The closest thing to a college format on the commercial portion of the band in the area, XRT offers the most diverse rock music of all the commercial outlets. XRT has been playing quality rock music in Chicago for over 30 years. The DJs aren't as annoying as some of the other alternative stations and are very knowledgeable about music in general.
2. WONC FM 89.1 Naperville - North Central College's radio station is my favorite source of rock music. WONC blends classic rock with punk and indie selections. Powerful and informative WONC pretty much covers the entire Chicago suburbs, but many of the Chicago college stations keep its signal from reaching the city.
Broadcasting 24 hours a day and commercial free, some of WONC's personalities are a little annoying but they encourage feedback and they play requests. The late night programs will frequently have guests from the local music scene and play lots of Chicago punk rock. WONC's expanded college radio playlists allows the station to appeal to more than just the college radio fan.
1. WSCR AM 670 Chicago - The Score is my favorite Midwest radio station because unlike all the music stations in the state, no matter when I turn on WSCR I like what I hear. The primary reason for this is because while fans of music have many different opinions on what they like, sports is more of a universal source of entertainment. The personalities on The Score aren't afraid to tell it like it is, and those of us that are fans of Chicago sports teams know that many of the teams deserve the criticism.
Home of local sports like Chicago Blackhawks hockey and University of Illinois basketball, The Score also carries the NFL playoffs, college football and NCAA tournament matchups thanks to feeds from Westwood One. The midday tandem of Terry Bohrs and Dan Bernstein are my favorite personalities but The Wiseguys (Mike North and Doug Baffone), Dan Jiggets and nights with Jonathan Hood are also very entertaining and informative. I never seem to wake up in time to catch the morning drive team. When I go home for breaks I become addicted to The Score proving that it is my favorite Midwest radio station.
WLUP FM 97.9 - Chicago
WHQQ FM 98.9 - Mattoon
WWHP FM 98.3 - Farmer City
WILL FM 95.1 - Kenosha, Wis.
WBBM AM 780 - Chicago
WGN AM 720 - Chicago
WGCI FM 107.5 - Chicago
WZNX FM 106.7 - Decatur
WEIU FM 88.9 - Charleston
4. WMVP AM 1000 Chicago - The home of ESPN radio in Chicago, WMVP carries many of the syndicated ESPN programs but does have a live and local afternoon drive team of Mac, Jurko and Harry. Jurko's real name is John Jurkovic, a former Eastern defensive lineman who was named the Gateway Conference defensive player of the year twice in the late '80s. Jurkovic had productive years with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars during his NFL career, and his time with The Packers creates interesting reactions from some listeners.
WMVP is also home to Bulls basketball with Neil Funk and John Paxson, White Sox baseball with John Rooney and Ed Farmer and covers University of Illinois at Chicago basketball as well. Chicago Sportscenter updates follow the national updates, typically twice an hour, and any games that are ESPN radio feeds can be heard as long as don't interfere with the home town teams.
3. WXRT FM 93.1 Chicago - I love XRT because Iggy and The Stooges might be followed by Bob Marley and The Wailers. You never know what's coming next and that's what makes it great. Unlike many stations in the Chicagoland area, XRT adds more than just singles and prefers to play multiple cuts from an album.
The closest thing to a college format on the commercial portion of the band in the area, XRT offers the most diverse rock music of all the commercial outlets. XRT has been playing quality rock music in Chicago for over 30 years. The DJs aren't as annoying as some of the other alternative stations and are very knowledgeable about music in general.
2. WONC FM 89.1 Naperville - North Central College's radio station is my favorite source of rock music. WONC blends classic rock with punk and indie selections. Powerful and informative WONC pretty much covers the entire Chicago suburbs, but many of the Chicago college stations keep its signal from reaching the city.
Broadcasting 24 hours a day and commercial free, some of WONC's personalities are a little annoying but they encourage feedback and they play requests. The late night programs will frequently have guests from the local music scene and play lots of Chicago punk rock. WONC's expanded college radio playlists allows the station to appeal to more than just the college radio fan.
1. WSCR AM 670 Chicago - The Score is my favorite Midwest radio station because unlike all the music stations in the state, no matter when I turn on WSCR I like what I hear. The primary reason for this is because while fans of music have many different opinions on what they like, sports is more of a universal source of entertainment. The personalities on The Score aren't afraid to tell it like it is, and those of us that are fans of Chicago sports teams know that many of the teams deserve the criticism.
Home of local sports like Chicago Blackhawks hockey and University of Illinois basketball, The Score also carries the NFL playoffs, college football and NCAA tournament matchups thanks to feeds from Westwood One. The midday tandem of Terry Bohrs and Dan Bernstein are my favorite personalities but The Wiseguys (Mike North and Doug Baffone), Dan Jiggets and nights with Jonathan Hood are also very entertaining and informative. I never seem to wake up in time to catch the morning drive team. When I go home for breaks I become addicted to The Score proving that it is my favorite Midwest radio station.
Honorable mention
WLUP FM 97.9 - Chicago
WHQQ FM 98.9 - Mattoon
WWHP FM 98.3 - Farmer City
WILL FM 95.1 - Kenosha, Wis.
WBBM AM 780 - Chicago
WGN AM 720 - Chicago
WGCI FM 107.5 - Chicago
WZNX FM 106.7 - Decatur
WEIU FM 88.9 - Charleston
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