All credit for the material in the links below goes to the staff of The Chainbreak, NBC-Chicago's monthly newsletter. This is an HTML version of that portion of the April, 1947 edition of Chainbreak that dealt with the twenty-fifth anniversary of WMAQ's first broadcast of April 13th, 1922 (albeit using the call letters WGU). It is reproduced verbatim, except for a few insignificant changes.

Not long after WMAQ celebrated its silver anniversary, the age of television arrived at the Merchandise Mart. Studio A's post-war embellishments would be stripped away as what was once the world's largest radio studio was prepared for the video era. Radio's Golden Age was almost---but not quite---over (NBC in Chicago has had a number of near-death experiences, as those who presently work in the NBC Tower may wish to remember).

Via the links below you can...

Read a brief account of how WMAQ came to be written by William S. Hedges. Learn about some of WMAQ's programming and technical innovations. Learn how some of the most famous names in radio got their starts on WMAQ. Read the congratulatory messages WMAQ received on the occasion of its 25th anniversary from former employees. (Some of them---like Marian and Jim Jordan, and Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll---you will know.) Read extracts from early WMAQ program logs and see the many pitfalls of live broadcasting. Learn about WMAQ's special 25th anniversary broadcast. Learn about Walt Lindsay, pioneer WMAQ engineer

Return to the WMAQ radio history index page

QUICK ACCESS LINKS: Introduction and main index to this site WMAQ radio history | "Amos 'n' Andy" | "Fibber McGee and Mollie" | "The Breakfast Club" Dick Kay | Television at the Merchandise Mart | 1970 television facilities tour | Channel 5 turns 20 The "Chicago School" of television | "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" | Dave Garroway | Mary Hartline "Lights Out" | Sound effects | 1930 studio tour | WLS | "Empire Builders" | Barry Bernson Floyd Kalber | The Queen of Love and Beauty | "Today's Children" | Staff announcers | Carol Marin Ron Magers | Studs Terkel l "Chicago Tonight" | Channel 5 News scrapbooks |Roger Miller recalls Zoo Parade | Clifton and Frayne Utley | Val Press | Len O'Connor | Johnny Erp | Bill Ray | Daddy-O Experimental Television: 1930-1933 | Bob Deservi | Kermit Slobb | Ding Dong School | Quiz Kids Bob Lemon | The Korshak Chronicles | KYW: The Chicago Years | WENR | O.B. Hanson | Renzo Jack Eigen | Ed Grennan | The World's Best Cup of Coffee | Glenn Webster | Mr. Piano | Hawkins Falls Chicago Television for Kids | Radio Hall of Fame |The NBC News Night Report: 23 February, 1967 Audio and video downloads About the Curator

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