A Radio Debt to Sears

That's the original WLS logo from 1925 when WLS was owned by Sears.

For lack of a better term, I am the curator for WLS AM radio history. The things I have in my collection are awesome. Some are rare and others are one-of-a-kind. Scott Childers, who runs wlshistory.com, wrote a book, “Chicago’s WLS Radio” in 2008. He is someone else who is dedicated to preserving the memory of one of America’s great radio stations. I started at WLS AM in the 1970's, an exciting time to be in Radio, and through the years have had a constant affiliation with them. WLS, to me, is unique. When I hosted and produced special programs on WLS history that we aired in 1999, I had a chance to interview so many stars who were legends before I was born, all dead now. In my own on-air experience, I felt a huge responsibility to be the best I could be to honor that great heritage and those who came before.

But, one of America’s most unique broadcast outlets with an envious history would not have existed without Sears, Roebuck & Company in the 1920’s.

In those days, visionaries existed within the company. They were aware that the country’s rural population could benefit from radio and, since Sears had been mailing catalogs for years, farmers were already a big part of their customer base. In 1923, Julius Rosenwald, the renowned philanthropist president of Sears started the Sears-Roebuck Agricultural Foundation which was headquartered at a store on the west side of Chicago. A group of hand-picked Sears experts provided research and services and answered questions, free of charge, to the farm community.

Under Mr. Rosenwald’s leadership, Sears was granted a license for a 500 watt radio station with a small makeshift studio in the Sears Tower at Homan and Arthington.

Sears, Rosebuck & Company had labeled itself as the World’s Largest Store and, after the arrival of the radio station, they had a nifty little logo to go with it which was used on some of the products they sold. On April 12, 1924, WLS Radio was born. There’s a lot of history within those few years in the beginnings of radio.

WLS was sold a few years later, and it was a good fit with “Prairie Farmer Magazine” under the helmsmanship of Burridge D. Butler. Butler continued the idea Sears started: to serve the public in rural America. The wholesomeness of what radio was in those days was very different than it is now. Butler called it a "sacred trust."

Sears was at one time the world’s largest merchant. It begs the question, how could they have fallen so far.

Well, there’s a parallel to radio in some respects. When I was hired at WLS by John Gehron, it was like winning an Oscar. WLS was always such a legend with tons of heritage. People who went through those doors became movie stars, music and television legends. Gene Autry performed there in the beginning of his career and Sears sold his records. Other artists made records that Sears sold. WLS made stars.

But one of the things Sears didn’t do is respect tradition as much as they should have. Some radio stations have the same problem. Sears became much like their competitors. They no longer had the Candy and Nut counter, which took away one of the sensory attractions of the store and the “culture” of Sears eventually became generic. What was now unique about Sears?

But, they had another problem, which became their undoing, one that some radio stations share along with that uniqueness problem.

Lack of vision and unwillingness to change.

Among other problems, Sears had little foresight to notice an entrepreneur who had a better idea. One for the digital age. It was that blindspot that made them vulnerable and completely put their fortunes in reverse. If Sears had developed a business model similar to Amazon several years ago it would have leveled the playing field. In broadcasting, radio stations that embrace all areas of media from podcasts, video and other content will fare much better than those that don’t. Radio stations that want to be competitive will have to invest in content creation.

Or become like Sears.

As for Sears, their contribution to Radio’s beginnings are undeniable. Without them, WLS would never have been born and so many wonderful careers may not have happened.

Jeff Davis is an Imaging Voice and Producer based in Hollywood, California. [email protected]