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.
AUDIO EXHIBIT
WISL-FM Aircheck – Mikey D. Saturday, March 18th, 1994
Street view of the former Courtesy Oldsmobile-Pontiac-Buick at Thrid and Walnut in Shamokin from 2015
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.
Newspaper Advertisement Announcing the Name Change to Courtesy – Daily Item April 24th, 1990
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.
Tom Kutza in the WISL studio on his final day on the air
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.
WISL AM & FM Logos 1990s
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.
Bill 95 Logo
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.
Tom Kutza at The Anthracite Heritage Festival Of The Arts
Now, lets go back to 1998 as Tom Kutza says his final goodbye on WISL.
AUDIO EXHIBIT
WISL (Shamokin) Tom Kutza Says Goodbye May 22nd, 1998
January of 1998 marked the 50th anniversary of WISL radio. By this time the station was owned by Charles “Mick” Haggerty and was suffering the effects of a faltering local economy. Within a couple of years Morning Man and WISL cornerstone Tom Kutza would leave the station and move on as Northumberland County Tourism Director and the stations (AM and FM) would be sold and the AM taken dark.
While tough times lay ahead, WISL was celebrating 50 years and looking ahead with high hopes. To mark the occasion, News-Item Staff Writer Mark Gilger put together a nice write up of the station for their January 16th issue. We feature this article in today’s post.
WISL Radio Marks 50 Years
BY MARK GILGER STAFF WRITER
SHAMOKIN – WISL Radio in Shamokin, which has delighted thousands of listeners through the years with its wide assortment of programming, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The 24-hour, seven-day-a-week station, which is co-owned by Mick and JoAnne Hagerty of Palmerton, is planning several promotions and live broadcasts from various locations during the up coming year. Mr. and Mrs. Hagerty, who serve as officers for MJR Media Inc., purchased WISL Radio AM and FM stations on Sept. 4, 1997, after leasing both stations since May 1996. The AM station was purchased from Laurel Broadcasting while the FM station was bought from Northeast Broadcasting of Northumberland Inc.
Charles Petrie first station manager
WISL Radio was founded on Jan. 25, 1948, by Henry Lark at its current location at the corner of Rock and Sunbury streets, which is known as the Lark Building. The first station manager was Charles Petrie, Dick Owens succeeded Petrie as station manager. Other managers through the years have included Bernie “Saks” Friedman, Art Sherman and John Berry.
Tom Kutza, popular longtime radio personality, has worked at the station for 37 of the 50 years it has been in existence. The dedicated disc jockey has witnessed a lot of changes in radio through the years and has many fond memories of his radio work “We’ve carried it all through the years including basketball and football games, heart-a-thons, library Christmas tree projects, the Stanley Coveleskie monument project, numerous live remotes from different locations celebrating special events, live broadcasts in the studio using the old boom microphones, religious shows, news talk shows, sports talk shows with Bernie Romanoski Sr. and many other programs,” Kutza said. Kutza, who has interviewed hundreds of celebrities over the years, added, “My favorite program of all time has been the ‘Letters to Santa’ show. I really love that program.” Kutza, 55, whose name has be come synonymous with WISL Radio, started working at the station after graduating from high school. The “station historian” has many photographs and other keepsakes pertaining to the station. The disc jockey, who resides in Elysburg, said the biggest changes in radio today include more talk shows and updated equipment. “I love doing my talk show “ Kutza said. “That’s the highlight for me because I get to meet so many people. I love coming to work and I’m proud to be a part of this station and area. We have the most dedicated listeners in our community. I’m thrilled I’ve been able to work here so long and it’s really amazing for a small station like WISL Radio to be on the air for 50 years.”
Tom Kutza, seated, disc jockey at WISL Radio in Shamokin for 37 years, and station owner Mick Hagerty relax in the control room. WISL Radio is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. (News-Item photo by Mark Gilger)
Mick Hagerty had nothing but praise for the longtime radio personality. “Tom’s is an institution at WISL. When someone thinks of WISL, they immediately associate Tom’s name with the station. His show is a tradition and we plan on maintaining that tradition for as many years as we can.” Hagerty said plans are being made to have Kutza conduct his talk show from his home to make it more convenient for the radio personality, who has endured health problems in recent years.
Mick Hagerty said various promotions are being planned throughout the year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the station. He said remote broadcasts will be done from different places including the historical Victoria Theatre in downtown Shamokin. Memorabilia trinkets pertaining to the 50th anniversary will be made available during the next several months. The station owner commented, “We plan to upgrade our equipment and hire more sales people and disc jockeys. We want to in crease our power on both stations (1480 AM and 95.3 FM). We also are looking into setting up a booth at Knoebels Amusement Resort so we can do live remotes from the park”
Hagerty said the format for the FM station, which features “oldies” music, will remain the same while the programming on the AM station will be upgraded.
“WISL Radio Marks 50 Years” From The News Item January 16th 1998
What was the cost of advertising on WISL in the late 1980s and early 1990s? This rate card was used to determine how much airtime on WISL cost for specific dayparts and durations.
During this period, WISL was owned by Laurel Broadcasting and was a standalone station. WISL-FM 95.3 was operating as WSPI “Spy 95.3”.
The Badlees circa 1994 (courtesy of The Badlees’ Manager Chris Fetchko)
The Badlees were perhaps one of the most successful rock bands to come from Central Pennsylvania in the early to mid 1990′s. The band officially formed in 1990. Their debut EP “It Ain’t For You” had received critical acclaim in Billboard Magazine and The Album Network. The positive response to their initial commercial offering awarded them a chance to open for the Band Firehouse at an appearance in Harrisburg. In 1992 the bands first full length album was released entitled “Diamonds in the Coal.” Their commercial peak came in 1995 when the band signed with A&M Record’s Polydor/Atlas label. Their album “River Songs” produced two singles that climbed the charts, “Fear of Falling” a song tapped by NBC a year later for use in their coverage of the 1996 Olympics and “Angeline Is Coming Home” which broke the top-30 that same year.
The band was set to release a follow-up LP in 1997, however a delay by the record label put the tentative release date to sometime in 1998. In May of that year, A&M records was sold and the release was put on hold indefinitely, pushing the band to pursue the independent route once again. While they never hit the Top-40 after this, the band still continued to produce and tour. Their most recent release was in the Fall of 2013, a 21 song, double-album entitled “Epiphones and Empty Rooms.” To learn more about The Badlees visit their official website HERE.
Back to 1994. The Badlees were local favorites, packing every bar and club they played and quickly gaining attention on the national scene. A tour was in the works through a sponsorship from Budweiser and lead signer Pete Palladino was on the new 95.3 WISL-FM promoting the band.
SPY 95.3 Logo
This was a transitional time for the 95.3 FM frequency. The station originally came online at WISL-FM in the late 1960′s and mainly served as a simulcast of WISL-AM throughout the 1970′s. When Radio Anthracite, WISL’s parent company was sold in the early 1980’s, WISL-FM was split off and became WSPI, branded as “Spy 95.3.” The station’s format was Top-40 with a heavy helping of current rock. Many local acts found exposure on this station, and through the 80′s bands such as Hybrid Ice, Harpo and Youth In Asia became local legends. Sometime between 1993 and 1994 the station was again sold, and reunited with it’s former sister station WISL. The rock continued for a little while before being dumped for Oldies by the mid 1990′s.
Here is a rare glimpse into that transitional period of WISL-FM. From May 4th 1994 here is “Spy 95.3″ veteran Courtney Roberts interviewing Pete Palladino of The Badlees.
AUDIO EXHIBIT
Courtney Roberts Interviews Pete Palladino of The Badlees on WISL-FM (May 4th 1994)
One of the things we love here at WISLRadioHistory.com is finding a long forgotten tape of WISL when it was live and local. Hearing the disc jockey banter, the voices of the callers, the subject matter and advertisers gives us an incredible look into not only how the radio station sounded, but also the community that it served. Today, however, we have a very special opportunity, the chance to actually watch WISL Radio in action!
Radio Personality Clarke Ingram
The date was January 30th 1992 and Tom Kutza has a special guest on his daily talk show. On this program Tom welcomes Clarke Ingram, veteran radio personality to the WISL microphone. Clarke is a Pittsburgh native and his radio career has carried him from powerhouse radio stations such as B-94 (WBZZ-FM) in Pittsburgh, Z-100 (WHTZ-FM) New York City, Eagle 106 (WEGX-FM) in Philadelphia and as far as KRQ (KRQQ-FM) in Tuscon, Arizona. Clarke would be recognized in 1995 as one of “The 40 Best Top 40 DJ’s Of All Time” by the readers of Decalcomania Magazine and in 2000, he was honored as one of radio’s “Legends Of The Airwaves” at The Conclave, an annual radio seminar in Minneapolis. In 2008 he was inducted into the industry publication FMQB’s radio “Hall Of Fame.”
So, what was such an accomplished major market, Top-40 disc jockey doing in Shamokin speaking with WISL’s “Morning Mayor”? Well, the answer is simple. Clarke knows good radio, and in his travels through the coal region, he listened to WISL radio. On one such excursion, Tom happened to be hosting a live remote from the Paxinos Flea and Farmer’s Market and Clarke decided to stop by and say hello. The rest is history.
What you will see in this video is a living and breathing Shamokin radio station. You will get to see some vintage equipment, as well as the newly added 99.7 FM station (the studio was through the window just behind Tom). You will also get to see Tom’s partner in crime for so many years, Jeff Maddox at the console. These are all great things to see, however, the most incredible thing about this video is being able to watch Tom Kutza live in action, doing what he does best. There are contests, trivia, phone calls, commercials, but what rises above it all is the comfort and the sincerity that Tom brought to every broadcast, you can see why someone like the great Clarke Ingram would jump at the chance to stop in and spend some time on the WISL airwaves. When you were in Tom’s studio, or listening to Tom’s program, you were home.
Some of the subject matter you will hear: Sun Ray Drugs, the state of radio, what it means to be a community radio station, discussion of popular music and more!
We hope you enjoy this incredible video. Please leave a comment below to share with us your memories and don’t forget to pass this along to someone would enjoy a glimpse into what radio was meant to be all about!
VIDEO EXHIBIT
Tom Kutza Interviews Clarke Ingram – January 30th, 1992
The Anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania has produced some of the finest athletes our country has known. In high school football, our schools are frequent winners of regional and state championships and nobody knew those teams and their coaches better than Bernie Romanoski.
No WISL Hall of Fame entry would be complete without a little background history. Bernie was born on August 25th 1922, was a 1941 graduate of Coal Township High School and was a lifelong resident of the Shamokin-Coal Township area. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and reached the rank of Sergeant. He served in both the North African and Italian campaigns of World War II. Before his honorable discharge in 1945 he earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service in combat.
During his High School years he began a career in sports that would last 70 years. Having been an All-State athlete in high school, his skill on the field led to a coaching career at Coal Township High School which began in 1949. The Demons saw much success under Romanoski’s leadership. Along with Hall of Fame coach Walt Marshall, they won the Eastern Conference Titles in both 1950 and 1955. In the 1960’s he coached with another Hall of Famer, Ed “Beaners” Binoski and took the Eastern Conference, Southern Division Titles in both 1960 and 1964. After years of coaching the Coal Township football team, he moved to the Shamokin Area High School, where he coached Football, Basketball, Baseball, Track and Golf until 1968.
Bernie Romanoski & Joe “Jazz” Diminick (September 1957)
For many years he also served as the Athletic director at Shamokin Area and is credited with bringing many innovations and improvements to their athletic policy and facilities. It was also under his leadership that Shamokin Area’s prominence as a PIAA Post-Season playing site began.
Bernie Romanoski at Coal Township Field (September 1957)
Bernie also served as a PIAA official for 40 years. His certifications included Football, Basketball and Baseball and he was a frequent official for championship games in all three sports.
Bernie’s love for sports and the people that played them seemed to naturally bring him to the field of broadcasting. He spent many years covering and promoting area sports on Shamokin’s WETV television station and on WISL Radio. His involvement with WISL started in 1970 and weekly radio program became a “who’s who” of local sports and everybody got their chance to be part of the program. Bernie would cover all sports and in many cases his guests would pack the WISL studios. Bernie also wrote weekly sports columns for the Shamokin News-Dispatch and the News Item.
Bernie Receives A Plaque Honoring his 22 Years at WISL in 1992. WISL Host John Berry pictured.
Every Saturday Morning Bernie’s program would take to the air. Tom Kutza would often run the show to make sure something was actually being broadcast and also to let Bernie do what he did best; talk sports. Listeners will remember the many comical program opens that the guys at WISL produced, you can hear many of these original opening in the audio exhibits below. The programs were often lively with good-natured wise-cracking between the guests, Tom and Bernie. The show was also a local forum and Bernie would often take callers to talk about the local sports happenings of the day. He even held trivia contests to test the listener’s knowledge of sports history, giving them a chance to win tickets to a movie at UA Theaters in Frackville or a Whopper at the Burger King. Bernie’s programs were never strictly planned or scripted and he always took time to talk about the lives of the players, and their families.
He used his broadcasting career to further his desire to serve the community and give back by hosting numerous radiothons on WISL and telethons on WETV. Over the years, these events raised thousands of dollars for the American Heart Association, The Shamokin Hospital and other organizations.
Newspaper Ad for the 1978-79 United Way Campaign Radio-Thon
However, his crowning achievement may have been the sports hall of fame that bears his name. Along with other area sports enthusiasts, Romanoski was able to bring the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame to the Lower Anthracite Region. In 1984 The Bernie Romanoski Sports Hall of Fame was created and today under the leadership of his son Bernie Romanoski Jr. continues the tradition of honoring the best student athletes the area has to offer. Bernie passed away in 2008.
Coal Township’s 150th Anniversary Coaches Dinner
We are very lucky to be able to present to you some amazing artifacts from the collection of Bernie Romanoski Jr. In addition to sharing some fantastic photos and newspaper clippings, he was kind enough to give us a number of reel to reel tapes and cassettes he found in his father’s estate. We would also like to thank Larry Deklinski for granting us permission to publish some great shots he had found in the Thomas Collection.
As you enjoy these artifacts, we invite you to share your memories of Bernie in the comment boxes below. We are always interested to hear your thoughts and stories!
AUDIO EXHIBITS:
Classic Bernie Romanoski Sports Show Openers:
(Courtesy of Dave Horjnacki)
Pete Wambach
W. C. Fields
W.C. Fields & Ralph Cramden (Romanoski’s Caravan To Hershey)
Valentine’s Day
The Lone Ranger
The Cereal Bowl Football Game
Ted Baxter & The President
Surprise Birthday Party For Bernie
Shamokin Indians Cheerleaders Cheer For Bernie
Santa Claus
Rubber Duckie
Punxsutawney Phil
Pete Wambach – It’s A Miserable Day In Pennsylvania
Pete DeRito’s New Years Message To Bernie
Pete DeRito’s Birthday Message To Bernie
New Year’s Eve Party
Joe Paterno
Howard Smozel
Horseshoe Camp
Happy Birthday To Bernie
Golf Tournament
Bernie’s Letter To Santa
Fishing Trip
Bernie The Basketball Player (From WAZL Radio in Hazleton)
Bernie Is President Of The Mickey Mouse Fan Club
Bernie Romanoski Sports Show Clips
(Courtesy of Bernie Romanoski, Jr.)
Bernie Romanoski Sports Show – Mike Klembara & Players on Lourdes Winning The Eastern Conference Class A Co-Championship 1974
Bernie Romanoski Sports Show – Shamokin Area Golf Coach Interview 1990
Bernie Romanoski Sports Show – Shamokin Indians Football 1991
Letters To Santa Graphic from Guinan’s Advertisement (Shamokin News-Dispatch, December 2nd 1951)
Growing up in the Shamokin and Mount Carmel area, it’s likely that when you hear someone say “Letters To Santa” it brings a warm feeling to your heart. It may bring back memories of preparing your letter for Santa, probably with the help of your Mother or Father, and then either mailing it to WISL Radio (a.k.a. The North Pole) or going with Mom or Dad to drop it off at a local business, who would make sure it would get to Santa, then racing home from school, or maybe waking up extra early to hear Santa Clause read your letter live on WISL Radio.
“Letters To Santa” article (Broadcasting Magazine December 12th, 1949)
The program was “Letters To Santa” and was arguably the longest running program on WISL Radio. While it’s difficult to track down the exact details of the show’s origins, we do know that it dates back as far as 1949, one year after WISL Radio signed on. According to an article written in the December 19th, 1949 edition of Broadcasting Magazine, the program drew “thousands of pieces of mail from every community, both urban and rural, in the area” and featured two announcers who would alternate reading the letters live on the air. The program ran 15 minutes in length and was usually sponsored by one local business.
Radio Listings as published in the Shamokin News Dispatch December 23rd, 1954, Notice “Letters To Santa” airs at 4pm
The program continued throughout the 1950’s, airing at various times during the day, sometimes at 11am other times at 4pm. The popularity of “Letters To Santa” grew and by the early 1960’s was being hosted by WISL News Director Jim Riley. The format was fairly the same, letters would come to the station and would be simply read on the air by Riley. However, in 1961, that format would change and WISL’s “Letter’s To Santa” would take on a whole new meaning to children in the area.
Tom Kutza has always loved the Christmas season and has even considered himself to be one of Santa’s helpers. When he joined WISL in 1961, he said to himself, if he had anything to do with the “Letters To Santa” program, he would arrange to have Santa read the letters to the children. It wouldn’t be long before Tom got his wish. Jim Riley accepted a job with WHLM-AM radio in Bloomsburg, PA, and upon his departure Tom took over the “Letters To Santa Program.”
From this point on, not only would children get to hear their letters read on the air, but WISL Radio would “fire up their connection to the North Pole” so that Santa himself could read the letters live on the radio.
Guinan’s Department Store Ad from The Shamokin News-Dispatch December 2nd, 1954, telling kids to drop their letters off in their Toyland section.
Over the years there were many sponsors of the “Letters To Santa” program. In the 1950’s there was W.C. Hack & Sons and Guinan’s Department Store, both of which showed their support in newspaper ads in the Shamokin News Dispatch. Kutza said that during the 1960’s Reed’s Dairy was one of the major sponsors, and that kids could give their letter to the Reed’s delivery man to be read by Santa. Burger King was also a sponsor over the years, and kids could take their letters to the restaurant to get them to the big guy.
W.C. Hack & Son’s Ad from The Shamokin News-Dispatch November 24th, 1953. Note the mention of “Letters To Santa” at the bottom of the ad.
Kutza said that it has been interesting to see how toys have changed through the years. When he took over the program the children would “write for dolls and tinker-toys, but today it’s all computers and high tech gadgets.” The program has brought it’s share of heart breakers to the air as well, Kutza said that there were many letters asking Santa to “please get Daddy a job for Christmas” or “bring Daddy back from the war.” He shared with us a couple of the memorable happy stories from over the years:
Father Herbert Skurski from St. Stephen’s Church was loved by the children. Known as “The Magician” it saddened many when he was sent by the Archdiocese to a church in Nova Scotia. The Father was well known in the Shamokin area, so it wasn’t surprising when one youngster wrote a letter to Santa asking if he would please pick up Father Skurski in Nova Scotia on his way to Shamokin and bring him back for Christmas. Well, as luck would have it, Father Skurski was headed back to Shamokin for the season. Can you imagine how happy that youngster was to find that Santa had honored the wish and delivered Father Skurski to Shamokin, just in time for Christmas Mass?
Another story takes us back to the days of the Vietnam War. A young boy wrote to Santa “if it’s possible, could you bring daddy home for Christmas?” Kutza said that these letters were always the saddest, knowing that all this little guy wanted was his daddy home for Christmas, and that nothing could be done to make sure his wish came true. However in this case there was a little Christmas magic in the air. Christmas morning came and the little boy came downstairs from his room, hoping to see his daddy standing there. He looked and looked and there was no sign of his daddy. Sad and disappointed that his daddy was not there on Christmas morning, he looked at his mother and said “I guess Santa couldn’t bring daddy home.” What the boy didn’t know was that in the early morning hours, while he was sleeping his father did come home and was asleep upstairs. The boy’s mother said he should go look upstairs, maybe Santa had left him up there. Needless to say, Santa delivered, and their family was reunited for Christmas.
In 1998, Kutza left WISL and “Letters to Santa” came to an end, at least in it’s original form. Five years later, in 2003 the News-Item approached Kutza, who at the time was the Tourism Director of Northumberland County, about bringing the program back, this time through the magic of the world wide web. Kutza agreed and now children from anywhere in the world can send their letters directly to Santa and hear them read by him nightly through the News-Item’s website.
The tradition also continues on the WISL internet stream weekday night at 7pm through the month of December. Kutza said he is so thankful that the News-Item saw the value in this wonderful program and brought it back to life.
We were able to locate a couple vintage “Letters To Santa” programs from the 1990’s, they are presented here for your enjoyment. We are always looking to add to the archives, so if you or anyone you know may have recorded a “Letters To Santa” program on WISL feel free to email us at [email protected]. We will be happy to pick up cassettes or reel to reel tapes, transfer them to a digital format, return the originals and provide a digital copy in return. We would love to be able to share more Christmas Magic from “Letters To Santa.”
