Fire tore through the WISL Transmitter site located on Big Mountain on February 17th 1968 completely destroying all equipment and forcing the station of the air for a brief period of time. Below is an article published in the Shamokin News-Dispatch on February 19th 1968, the Monday following the fire. Thanks to Heather Sharp-Makal for uncovering this newspaper clipping.
Shamokin News-Dispatch Story February 19th 1968
On the same day that this article was published, WISL also ran a nice sized advertisement proclaiming that the station would be back on the air shortly and thanking listeners for their support and patience.
WISL AD from the Shamokin News-Dispatch February 19th 1968
Amazingly within days of being taken off the air by fire, WISL resumed broadcasting at 9am on February 21st 1968. A new transmitter building would be built in the coming months and would serve the station for more than three more decades. Below is the article from the Shamokin News-Dispatch announcing that WISL has returned to the air.
It was May 1964, right in the middle of “Bealtemania” and Shamokin was not immune. We were recently given some pictures from the “Beatle Ball” at Kunkel Hall in Springfield, hosted by WISL’s Tom Kutza.
Do you know any of these Beatle fans?
Enjoying The “Beatle Ball”“Beatle Ball” DecorTwist and Shout at the “Beatle Ball” “Beatle Ball” Decor “Beatle Ball” Decor
If you’ve listened to the live stream at WISL1480.com, you are probably familiar with the classic jingles presented in the oldies format. It’s hard to believe, but these jingles never aired on the original WISL. These jingles are actually edits, and were created using different vintage jingle packages from WFIL in Philadelphia and WISM in Madison, Wisconsin, giving us the necessary parts for a natural sounding WIS-L sing.
Jingles were a major part of radio programming from the 50’s through the 70’s. These “little songs” created a custom brand for the station and helped keep continuity between songs and programming elements. WISL had a number of packages over the years, each changing with the times.
In this post we have the opportunity to hear what might have been the first WISL jingle package ever created. We know very little about these jingles. They were given to us by Tom Kutza. Tom had dubbed them to a cassette years ago, and can only recall that they were not in use when he began working there in 1960. So, if you recognize these jingles, we would love to know what you know. Share your memories with us.
Tom Kutza Presents Stanley Coveleski with an award (1969)
Stanley Coveleski was born Stanislaus Kowalewski on July 13th 1889 in Shamokin, PA. He was a 5 foot, 11 inch, right handed pitcher that made his major league debut in 1912 with the Philadelphia Athletics. Through 1928, Coveleski would play for the Cleveland Indians, The Washington Senators and The New York Yankees. He had a 60% win-loss record in 357 games with a 2.89 ERA. He led the league twice with 38 career shutouts, once in ERA and once in Strikeouts. During the 1920 World Series, he had an ERA of 0.67 and beat the Brooklyn Dodgers three times (3-1, 5-1 and 3-0), a record that stood for 26 years, only to be tied, never beaten. It’s interesting to note that Stanley’s brother, Harry was also a famous baseball player, and was known as “The Giant Killer.”
“The Silent Pole” at the height of his career
When his career ended in 1928, Coveleski retired to Indiana, operating a gas station as a post baseball career. Although out of baseball for almost 40 years, Stanley’s accomplishments had not been forgotten. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in 1969. It was on this occasion that he once again returned to his hometown, and spent some time with WISL’s Tom Kutza to recount his successful baseball career. Presented here is that very interview, and a rare glimpse into the world of baseball’s infant age told through the experiences of Shamokin’s Hall of Fame Hero, Stanley Coveleski.
In July of 2017, the story of this interview got the attention of WHP-TV CBS 21 in Harrisburg and reporter Jason Bristol visited Tom to get the full story. You can watch the full story below.
Audio Exhibit
Tom Kutza Interviews Stanley Coveleski on WISL – June 30th 1969
Video Exhibits
Photo Exhibits
Stanley
Coveleski On The Mound
Stanley Coveleski
Market and Arch Streets
in ShamokinStanley Coveleski Baseball Hall of Fame
“The Silent Pole” at the height of his career
Stanley Coveleski – Hall of Fame CelebrationStanley Coveleski – Baseball Hall of Fame Induction
TV Guide Ad from 1958 for the Television Version of “Mr. District Attorney”
“Mr. District Attorney” was a very popular and long running radio drama. Starting in April 1939 as a 15-minute serial, the program would become a 30 minute program by June when it was named the summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. “Mr. District Attorney” was created, written and directed by Ed Byron who based the program on New York Governor Thomas Dewey who was famous for his war against racketeering. Byron sought to bring a very realistic program to the air. The stories were a product of Byron’s study of crime statistics, criminology texts and crime reports in the newspaper. Byron was known to even mix with local criminals and police to further his research.
David Brian “Mr. District Attorney” on the radio 1952-1953
From 1939 to 1952, “Mr. District Attorney” aired on NBC and ABC and starred Dwight Weist (1939 15-minute serials), Raymond Edward Johnson (1939 30-minute programs), Jay Jostyn (1940-1952) and David Brian (1952-1953 syndication) as the main character, simply called “Mr. District Attorney” or “Chief”.
Other cast members:
“Voice of the Law” – (The program’s opening announcer) Maurice Franklin and also Jay Jostyn before taking over the lead role.
“Miss Miller” – (Edith Miller the District Attorney’s secretary) Vicki Vola
“Miss Rand” – (The District Attorney’s receptionist) Eleanor Silver and Arlene Francis
“Len Harrington” – (The District Attorney’s Chief Investigator) Walter Kinsella and Len Doyle (1940 -1953)
“Mr. District Attorney” Ad from the Shamokin News-Dispatch October 16th 1954
The program began it’s television run on ABC on October 1st 1952, and was placed into general syndication on radio for the 1952 season.
WISL brought Mr. District Attorney to the air in late 1954, at the tail-end of it’s days on the radio. The episodes ran by WISL were the David Bryan independent syndication episodes. The program aired Sunday afternoons at 4pm and was sponsored locally by D&R Radio of Trevorton and Connaghan’s Music Store of Mount Carmel in what appears to be a ZENITH “co-op” advertising deal.
Presented here for your enjoyment are five original episodes of “Mr. District Attorney.”
AUDIO EXHIBITS
The Deadly Snowflake (original air date May 26, 1948)
The Unknown Source (original air date July 14, 1948)
The Bridal Path Murders (original air date May 31, 1953)
The Body On The Freight Train (original air date July 12, 1953)
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
What was the cost of advertising on WISL radio in the late 1980′s into the early 90′s? This rate was used to determine the different charges for advertising in each day-part and feature.
If you grew up in Pennsylvania in the 1970′s and 80′s, and found yourself anywhere near a radio, it’s a good bet that you have heard this man’s voice. From 1969 through 1985 the words “It’s a Beautiful Day In Pennsylvania” were delivered through the gravelly vocal chords of one Pete Wambach. During it’s run, the radio feature program officially titled “This is Pennsylvania,” was broadcast on more than 100 Pennsylvania radio stations. The idea was simple, each day Pete presented a little known fact about the state’s history, some local trivia from a long forgotten corner of the state or a highlight of an upcoming fair or cultural event. The productions were straight reads, containing no background music or beds, just Pete and the stories as only he could tell them.
Pete had a certain poetic way of presenting his 3 to 5 minute features, weather describing Pennsylvania’s Flaming Foliage or telling the story of The Auctioneer’s Rebellion, it was hard not to be pulled in. His complete mastery of storytelling and the art of communication can be attributed to his many years as a broadcast journalist. Starting in radio in the late 1930′s, Pete’s communication accomplishments include becoming a long time columnist for both the Harrisburg Patriot News and the Paxton Herald, creating the first television-telephone talk show in the country, and hosting various radio and television programs. Pete found himself close to Pennsylvania politics and the Democratic Party serving as a press aide for Governor George Leader, and even ran, albeit unsuccessfully, for lieutenant governor in 1966 and the 17th District Congressional seat in 1974. On the business front he owned Wambach Waxworks, a record distribution company and a restaurant in the Colonial Park Mall from the 50′s through the 60′s. Creatively he even wrote a musical about the coal region entitled “Anthracite!”
WISL radio was one of the affiliates of “This is Pennsylvania” and Pete Wambach was a frequent guest on the station. Whether in studio or via telephone, it was always great radio when Pete Wambach was involved.
Our presentation today is very fitting considering that this week marks Shamokin’s 150th Anniversary celebration. During this week, we reflect on what it means to be from Shamokin, what it was like growing up here. We remember the good times, the bad times and everything that brought us to where we are today. We remember the rich heritage of this amazing place known as “The Coal Region.” In this feature, originally broadcast on April 14th 1983, Pete takes a look at “The Region.” He eloquently describes, the people, the places, the feelings, the history… what it means to be from here, from Shamokin, from “The Region.”
“… No people on earth are so proud, and with all the reason in the world to be, because they live and work and play and eat and die in The Region.”
After his death in 2007, his family donated his transcripts and audio recordings to the Pennsylvania State Archive. The staff has digitally converted and cataloged these historic programs and had made them available on the State Archives website, however this page has gone missing in recent years. You can always hear the many programs we have recovered every weekday morning at roughly 9:30am at www.WISL1480.com.
AUDIO EXHIBIT
This is Pennsylvania – “The Region” April 14, 1983
