HR0361 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0361 LRB104 13731 MST 26453 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate WJOL Radio on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio traces its roots to the early days of radio broadcasting as WJBI and WCLS when on June 9, 1925, a group of Joliet's elite turned on the 100 watt WJBI at 1400 kHz; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio began with Madame Gertrude Wagner Gaume singing The Lass With The Delicate Air, followed by an address by Thomas Donovan, Joliet's fire and police commissioner; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio was first operated by local amateur radio operator Harold Couch and was originally transmitted from Couch's home on Summit Street; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio continued to grow throughout the 1930s, featuring community programming, local news, and sports, and by 1940, it had established itself as a popular local station; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio hired St. Louis sportscaster Harry Carabina in 1940 and suggested he change his name to the far easier to pronounce Harry Caray, who spent the next two years at the station as the sports and special-events announcer before moving on to a Kalamazoo station and then becoming the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio shifted to its current dial position at 1340 kHz on March 29, 1941; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio featured a full service format of popular music, local news, sports, and civic affairs throughout the 1940s and 1950s; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio was ranked as one of the most listened to and profitable suburban Chicago radio operations through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio dominated all other local stations, even drawing bigger audiences in Will County than the nearby Chicago powerhouse stations; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio left the aging Walnut Avenue studios for a new state of the art building on Caton Farm Road in Crest Hill in August of 2000; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio, The Voice of Joliet, continues to spotlight news, people, and events in one of the most rapidly growing areas in Chicagoland; along with hosting a high school basketball tournament for 30 years, a baseball tournament for 20 years, and a softball tournament for six years, it has been the home of professional baseball as the flagship station for the Joliet Jackhammers since 2001, and now, the Joliet Slammers, Lewis University basketball, and a full schedule of high school football, basketball, and baseball games are aired on the station; and

WHEREAS, WJOL Radio continues to innovate and break new ground to connect with its listeners after 100 years; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate WJOL Radio on the 100th anniversary of its founding, and we wish it many more wonderful years; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to WJOL Radio as a symbol of our respect and esteem.