As other reporters from this quarter’s special broadcast investigate mysteries currently unfolding, WNUR’s Brandon Kondritz tackled one that’s been developing under our noses for decades—the history of WNUR News.
This story originally aired as part of the WNUR News: Unsolved Special Broadcast.
(music: “Leatherbound”)
Have you ever stopped to think about who came before you? Say you’re sitting on a bus, in your dorm, or even at the airport. How many people have sat in that same seat, lived in that same room, or waited in line to board that same flight?
It’s a curious question, but it got me thinking…who in WNUR News came before me? What stories were important? Was the studio always in the same building? What did shows look like?
With those questions in mind, I set out to piece together a mystery that’s been unfolding for decades—the history of WNUR News.
(natural sound: radio static)
The story starts on May 8, 1950. That’s when the first station engineer, Charles Kingsford-Smith, officially broke radio silence. WNUR-FM was armed with a 100-watt transmitter and could reach Evanston and eastern Skokie.
(music: “Rooftop Rider”)
It joined the existing WCAT-AM, which broadcasted talk show segments throughout the day. WNUR’s first broadcast happened that night from 7 to 9 PM in the station’s first home—Annie May Swift Hall.
(natural sound: radio tuning)
News was broadcast five days a week. Sandwiched between shows like Dinner Date and Keyboard, these ten-to-fifteen-minute segments consisted of live reads from a wire service. Coverage was split between music and news in an attempt to draw listeners away from competing commercial stations.
(music: “Tall Harvey”)
The station quickly grew, and programming quickly expanded. Records and photos show a public affairs program called “Over the Coffee” began in 1952, and it aired on Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 PM. They broadcasted from a coffee shop inside the current Hilton-Orrington hotel—known as The Huddle at the time. Documents by Bill Butler, the first station manager, say special guests included Senator Joseph McCarthy, Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson, and pop singer Toni Arden.
(natural sound: radio tuning)
1964 marked the beginning of live news coverage for the station. Detailed run-down sheets pulled from the Northwestern Library’s archives dictate everything from who was anchoring to when certain lines should be read. Live coverage became especially important in 1972. According to then-first-year Jonathan Lehrer, WNUR’s coverage of an on-campus protest” cemented WNUR News as a campus voice.”
(natural sound: protesting)
What began as a rejection of raising tuition prices quickly turned into a blockade opposing the Vietnam War. Wires were strung through the trees from the Annie May Swift Studio to Scott Hall, so reporters could interview live from Sheridan Road.
(music: “We Drive 3 Days”)
But WNUR News was about more than just providing in-depth event coverage. It was important to the journalists themselves. Listen to this quote from alum Alan Cox, who pursued a career in TV reporting post-graduation.
COX, READ BY KONDRITZ: In the early-to-mid seventies, some of us who intended to major in broadcast journalism were frustrated because Medill’s curriculum dictated that everyone should have a proficiency in writing for newspapers. We weren’t allowed to take broadcast courses until we were seniors. Some of us didn’t want to wait that long. So WNUR was our opportunity. The student volunteer staff produced dozens of newscasts a week.
Throughout the seventies, alumni say the News staff had twenty to thirty journalists. Promotional materials from the period show they covered everything from the Waa-Mu show to on-campus streakers and Vice President Spiro Agnew’s resignation. Writers, announcers, traffic operators, and news directors combined their efforts to represent a broad array of stories relating to the greater NU community.
(music: “Skyforager”)
This is where News’s history takes a turn. In 1977, WNUR installed a more powerful transmitter. At the time, no other independent radio station in Chicagoland had airwaves that extensive. So over the next 15 years, student DJs took the increased listenership to play with new styles of music, and News took a backseat. All of this experimentation gave way to many of the shows the station still has today, but live news didn’t seem to exist anymore.
(natural sound: radio static)
In the late nineties, News returned, but it isn’t clear what form it took. Next time you’re in Louis Hall, take a look inside the trophy case outside the current WNUR studios—the station won a smattering of awards for coverage in the late 90s and early 2000s. From the Illinois News Broadcaster’s Association to the Society of Professional Journalists and College Broadcasters, Inc., it appears the station was producing some original, newsworthy content. But there aren’t many records showing exactly what was being reported on.
(music: “Tidal Foam”)
Original storytelling grew larger as the 2000s chugged along. The News block firmed up its leadership structure, with a News Director overseeing programming and an Executive Producer managing reporters and technical operations. The station also officially moved to Louis Hall, where it is housed today. News staff produced more long-form pieces, often featuring live interviews. Here’s a snippet from Your World with WNUR News, one of the segments from 2015.
(natural sound: Your World with WNUR News, aired 11/20/2015)
(music: “Toothless Slope”)
Special broadcasts—like the one you’re listening to right now—began in 2017. And according to former News Director Alisa Nazaire, original coverage returned full-force to the station in 2018. The three section desks we know today—Campus and Local, Arts and Entertainment, and Oddities—emerged as a way to organize content. Coverage has persisted since then, even despite shutdowns caused by COVID-19. A daily news brief launched in October 2020—now The Daily Cat—bringing back the station’s concept of live-read headlines.
(natural sound: The Daily Cat, aired 10/16/2020)
In recent years, WNUR News is still about the experience of hands-on audio reporting. 2020-2021 News Director Angelina Campanile, who started The Daily Cat, echoed the sentiment of reporters from the 70s. It isn’t all about the news—it’s about the people.
CAMPANILE: Because we’re a small group, it became like more of a team, you know, rather than just a bunch of people you see in a newsroom or on a document filling in tabs. So that was nice.
(natural sound: News at 6, anchored by Maria Ximena Aragon/Iris Swarthout/Paul O’Connor/Helen Bradshaw)
(music: Gaena)
Our website, wnur.news, launched in 2021. After nearly 70 years of covering news relating to Northwestern and beyond, WNUR News now has a place for its coverage to live forever. Today, the News block broadcasts three shows per week, with content curated by a diverse slate of reporters.
Of course, I could not have pieced this together on my own. Current Co-News Director Sara Kadoura did significant research on the subject, and I thank her greatly for combing through various photos and articles from the Northwestern Library’s archives. Several alumni—past News Directors and reporters alike—contributed their experiences too.
Like all histories, this is a work in progress—it’s still unfolding. In the coming months, WNUR News’s past will be cemented on our website. That way, future generations of WNUR News reporters can answer that burning question—who came before them?
(natural sound: Helen Bradshaw saying “Now, back to scheduled programming” on recording)
For WNUR News, I’m Brandon Kondritz.
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SOURCES
Sara Kadoura, WNUR News 2022-2023 Co-News Director
Angelina Campanile, WNUR News 2020-2021 News Director
Alisa Nazaire, WNUR News 2018-2019 News Director
Jonathan Lehrer, WNUR News Alum
Wally Podrazik, WNUR News Alum
Alan Cox, WNUR News Alum
Flawn Williams, WNUR News Alum
Northwestern University Library Archives (The Daily Northwestern articles/photos and miscellaneous records)
WNUR Station Website (wnur.org)
WNUR Trophy Case, Louis Hall
MUSIC CREDITS
Rooftop Rider by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Leatherbound by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Tall Harvey by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
We Drive 3 Days by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Skyforager by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Tidal Foam by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Toothless Slope by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)