In this exhibit we present an aircheck of Courtney Roberts holding down the morning show on “Oldies 95.3” WISL-FM in March of 2000. This is one of the few airchecks that exists from the period of time just before the station was sold to Clear Channel and became Bill 95.
WISL-FM “Oldies 95.3” Courtney Roberts – March 3rd, 2000 – 5:26am-6:15am
Let’s go back in time for another classic WISL aircheck. In this recording we check in with Mikey D who was holding down the Saturday morning shift on 95.3 WISL-FM. At this time WISL had recently shifted from a format of mostly Classic Rock to Oldies and was being branded as “Whistle FM.”
This is a great example of what a full-service Saturday morning at WISL-FM sounded like, complete with weather forecasts, sports updates and even a horoscope rundown.
WISL-FM Aircheck – Mikey D. Saturday, March 18th, 1994
Since the mid 2000’s WISL Radio has broadcast live from Shamokin’s Anthracite Heritage Festival of the Arts on Memorial Day weekend. Each year is a little different, however one thing that remains consistent is WISL Morning Mayor, Tom Kutza is the host of the program.
Every year we have been able to provide some WISL history mixed in with other interviews including political figures, local entertainers and WISL listeners. This year, we decided to take a slightly different approach. In 2021, we unveiled our WISL Studio Museum in the Shamokin Museum located at Bamse Coffee at 150 East Lincoln Street. With this focus on the history of WISL, we felt it would be appropriate to focus our broadcast as a WISL Reunion Show.
The response was incredible and we were able to bring quite a few WISL alums together to reminisce about their time at Shamokin’s hometown station. In this exhibit, we present the entire WISL Reunion Show. Listen as Tom Kutza chats with Bernie Flynn, Courtney Roberts, Al Jeffries, Dave Leonard, Chris Roberts, Bob Woodley, James Wagner, Edward Washuta, Joe Anthony and Mikey D in this incredible reunion.
WISL Reunion Show – Hour 1
WISL Reunion Show – Hour 2
WISL Reunion Show – Hour 3
WISL Reunion Show – Hour 4
Anyone who grew up in Shamokin is sure to remember The Fun Shop. Located in the basement of the old Masonic Building at Eighth and Independence Street, The Fun Shop was a gift shop that offered something for every location. From the friendly staff to the novelties found inside, The Fun Shop was a Shamokin institution for over eighty years. The Fun Shop grew over time and expanded into many of the local malls that opened through the 1970s and 1980s including locations in the Columbia Mall in Buckhorn, The Schuylkill Mall in Frackville and The Lycoming Mall in Montoursville.
In 2016 it was announced that the Fun Shop was closing marking the end of an era and leaving another vacancy on Independence Street. To make matters worse, in the early morning hours of December 14th, 2017, a fire broke out in the building causing a total loss. What was left of the building had to be removed due to the extent of the damage. Today a Dollar General store stands at the former location of the Fun Shop.
In this exhibit, we go back to 1987 for a series of radio advertisements that aired on WISL and other area radio stations promoting the goods and services that so many remember that made The Fun Shop a destination in Shamokin.
The Fun Shop – Over The Hill
The Fun Shop – Penn State National Champions Salute
The Fun Shop – Stuffed Animals
The Fun Shop – Thanksgiving
The Fun Shop – Weddings
Third and Walnut street in Shamokin had been home to a car dealership for many years. In the 1960s it was Ford dealer Dusick and Hoberg. By 1990, the building served as a General Motors dealership selling Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs and Buicks and was operating under the name Courtesy.
In this exhibit, we present a radio commercial for Courtesy Oldsmobile-Pontiac-Buick from September of 1990 with Ron Hughes providing a rundown of the entire staff of the dealership.
In this exhibit we present an unscoped aircheck of WISL-FM “Oldies 95.3” from February 1999. At this time, WISL-FM was utilizing a mostly automated format delivered via satellite from The Westwood One radio network. This recording features disc jockey Robert M. Chenault holding down the overnight shift on WISL-FM.
For those that lived in Shamokin from the 1960s through the 1990s it was impossible to thinnk that there would be a world where Tom Kutza would no longer be on the radio. However, that day came on May 22nd, 1998. After thirty-seven and a half years of being on WISL Tom Kutza said his final farewell to his WISL family.
So, Why would Tom Kutza leave WISL after so many years? Times were changing and WISL found itself in a tough position. Shamokin’s economy was not what it once was and owner Mick Haggerty was unable to provide the income and benefits that Kutza needed to continue in his role at the station. It was time to move on.
After leaving WISL, Tom would begin a new chapter in his life as the Tourism Director of Northumberland County. This new role would allow Tom to travel the county sharing the rich history of the area meeting face to face with the the community that he broadcast to for so many years.
For WISL, the post-Kutza years wouldn’t be as happy. After Kutza’s departure, WISL would continue on with a series of syndicated programs. By the fall of 2001, Mick Haggerty’s MJR Media would sell both WISL AM & FM to Clear Channel Communications for $800,000. WISL-AM would be taken dark shortly thereafter and WISL-FM would become WBLJ-FM as a simulcast of WBYL “Bill 95” in Williamsport.
This was not the end of the line for WISL. In 2010, WISL1480.com began broadcasting Tom once again found himself back on the radio, but this time, internet radio. Tom now enjoys his retirement, doing his weekly polka show, Letter’s To Santa, live broadcasts from the annual Anthracite Heritage Festival of the Arts and doing what he loves, connecting to people.
Now, lets go back to 1998 as Tom Kutza says his final goodbye on WISL.
WISL (Shamokin) Tom Kutza Says Goodbye May 22nd, 1998
Denise Coleman, better knowing in Northeast Pennsylvania as DC Day, got her start at WMIM in Mount Carmel when she was only 17 years old. DC was a well known and loved radio personality in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania making stops at radio stations from Williamsport to Allentown. Prior to her death on August 1st, 2017 she worked at WEZX “Rock 107” in Scranton, PA.
Our audio exhibit takes us back to DC’s early days when she simply used her given name, Denise Coleman, on the air. Here we find her at WSPI “Spy 95” in Shamokin sometime in 1984. While this aircheck does not give us much in the way of content from DC, it allows us to not only hear a radio professional learning the ropes as well as an opportunity to get at taste of the sound of “Quad County Radio” in the early 1980s.
WSPI Denise Coleman aircheck – 1984
In this post we are privileged to share some historic audio recorded by the WISL microphone way back in 1952, only four years after WISL began broadcasting. This clip takes us to the crowning ceremony of the Coal Township Football Queen of 1952.
Before we get to the main exhibit, let’s begin with some background information. In 1950, The Coal Township Boosters Association hosted the first Football Queen competition. The program was created to help raise money for the Boosters Association and their various activities throughout the year.
A total of ten girls would be selected from the Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes of the West End High School and the Pulaski School. These girls would then compete, through a voting process, for the title of Coal Township Football Queen. Voting boxes would be placed at each one of the schools as well as at local businesses throughout Coal Township. For a nominal fee, five cents in the earliest years, a person could cast their ballot for queen.
Over the years, the fundraising event would grow and each girl would hold various fundraising events such as bake sales, to increase the amount of money raised.
The final year a Coal Township Football Queen would be crowned would be in 1964. The merger of the Shamokin School District and the Coal Township School District resulted in the dissolution of the Coal Township Boosters Association. Although the Coal Township program would come to an end, by the 1960s many other local schools would begin holding annual Football Queen competitions of their own.
Now, back to 1952. The Coal Township Football Queen was Mary Anne Apple who received a total of 8,606 votes. She was a junior at West End High.
The following clip features an unidentified WISL Radio announcer introducing the crowing ceremony. This program was recorded during the half-time program of the Coal Township vs. Mount Carmel Catholic football game and features remarks from third runner up Miss Rose Marie Krupa, Lady In Waiting (second runner up) Miss Betty Moore, Coal Township Boosters Association President Elmer Shuey as well as a few words from the queen.
So, let’s go back in time and give a listen to the official crowning of the 1952 Coal Township Football Queen.
WISL – Coal Township Football Queen Crowning: Mary Anne Apple October 17th 1952
In 1932 the Dime Trust and Safe Deposit Company merged with the Shamokin National Bank to become the National-Dime Bank of Shamokin. National-Dime was one of the largest financial institutions in Shamokin serving customers with personal and commercial loans, Christmas clubs, and savings and checking accounts. The bank’s corporate offices and main branch were located at the corner of Market and Independence Streets in downtown Shamokin, the current location of M&T Bank. In March of 1968 the National-Dime Bank merged with The Pennsylvania National Bank and Trust Company of Pottsville.
In 1958, The National-Dime Bank of Shamokin was in expansion mode. A merger with the First National Bank of Trevorton was completed on May 28th 1958 with the Trevorton Branch of The National-Dime Bank opening on June 2nd. Around the same time, renovations were underway at the corner of Independence and Shamokin Streets for what would become the East End branch of National-Dime and their third location.
The official grand opening of the East End branch commenced on July 15th 1958 with an open house celebration. The open house was attended by directors of the National-Dime Bank, local leaders and featured a live broadcast by WISL Radio.
It’s not surprising that WISL Radio would be on-hand to help promote the opening of the new, modern banking facility considering Henry W. Lark, owner of WISL Radio, was also the president of The National-Dime Bank of Shamokin.
The WISL Broadcast took place from 4pm to 10pm and featured interviews with a number of people of interest who were in attendance. The audio clip that we have to share includes one of those notable persons, Mary Roebling.
Mary Roebling was a pioneer for women in banking, becoming the President of Trenton Trust in 1937 and also the first woman ever to become president of a banking institution. When Roebling took control of Trenton Trust, the country was in the throws of The Great Depression and the bank was facing $4 million dollars in debt with only $11 million dollars in assets. By 1951, she not only was able to pull her bank through the financial crisis but also increased the banks assets to $70 million dollars. That same year she also scored the bank’s biggest client to date by securing the business of U.S. Steel.
Roebling lent her success to the cause of women’s rights and constantly promoted women in business and spoke out against sexism in the boardroom. In addition to becoming the first woman to serve as a bank president she was also the first woman governor on the American Stock Exchange, was the founder of the first female-owned bank, the Woman’s Bank of Denver in 1978 and first woman member of Union League Club in Philadelphia.
Roebling was a friend and colleague of Henry Lark and made the trip from Trenton to Shamokin for the open house event. In the following audio exhibit, we have a rare recording of Roebling as she congratulates Henry Lark on his expansion of National-Dime. This recording was likely made on premise at the new East End branch and broadcast during the 4pm to 10pm broadcast.
Mary Roebling at the Grand Opening of The National-Dime Bank East End Branch, July 15th, 1958
