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WDNL(FM) D-102
The Sangamon Broadcasting Era
Sangamon Broadcasting of Springfield, Illinois, purchased WDAN and WMBJ in mid-1977. Sangamon Broadcasting owned and operated WTAX/WDBR there. I started working with the stations in September 1977. By October 27, 1977, WMBJ became WDNL(FM), operating a locally produced top-40 format similar to WDBR in Springfield, using what was then a state-of-the-art Harris System 90.
I was one of the original air personalities with my shift from 5:30 am to Noon, Mike James (Noon-6 pm), and PD, Marc Phillips(6 pm-1 am), newsmen Reed Pence and Bill Pickett, Sales Manager Rich Moore (along with account executive Mike James), and General Manager Joe Jackson.
At the left is the FCC record from Broadcasting Magazine of the sale of First Danville Radio to Sangamon Broadcasting, published on July 11, 1977.
On the right is a report from Broadcasting Magazine on the application to change WMBJ's call letters to WDNL, dated October 10, 1977. The approval was reported in late November, but locally the call letters changed with the format change on October 27, 1977.
Before it was WDNL, it was WMBJ. This aircheck is from just a few days before the change to WDNL. Hear the voices of Doug Quick, John Kesler, and Mike James.
(YouTube)
On the first day of broadcasting, I did the morning show from 6 am to Noon, Mike James did the noon-6 p.m. show, and Marc Phillips was to do the 6 pm-Midnight show. We signed off at Midnight at that time. Marc was ill, so I filled in and did 12 hours of air duty on the first day of broadcast.
(YouTube)
The early 1978 WDNL Staff. Front row: Marc Phillips (Gonzer), Dan Chenoweth, GM Joe Jackson, Ken Carson (Kalthoff). Back Row: Sales Manager Rich Moore, News Director Reed Pence, Doug Quick and Keith Mason(Brent Wookey).
Some of the other jocks over the Sangamon years(1977-1987) include Keith Mason, Bob Taylor (who did mornings from ‘79 to ‘87 and served as GM during the mid ’80s), Kerry West, Paul St. John, Ken Carson, John Kessler, Darrin Ellis, Mark Smutz, Scott Medlin, Jason Cain, and Bill LaCombe, among others. Newspeople included Bob Iverson, Tina Bunnell, Carol Vorell, Pat Thompson, Bill Raack, and Jim Knoblauch. The sales department included Rich Moore, Mike James, Dan Chenoweth, Jean Dalbey, Bill LaCombe, Susan Frick, Mark Erwin, Tim Buwick, and me.
The station was programmed by a Harris System 90 state-of-the-art automation system. The original jingle package used in 1977 was the JAM “Positron” package, modeled after WABC’s, and included the “Best Music, Best Station” positioning statement. Other JAM jingle packages followed until 1987.
After I left in mid-1979, Marc Phillips left; ex-WDBR morning jock Bob Taylor took over the morning duties, and Keith Mason was made PD. After a 3-month hiatus at WDZ/WDZQ in Decatur, I received offers to return to WDBR in Springfield or to WDNL in Danville. I chose to return to Danville in late 1979. I continued at the station, doing afternoons through the '80s and later mornings in the early ’90s, while serving as a station account executive, sales manager, and eventually station manager.
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(above): The D-102 jocks of early 1979. Click on each picture edge to view. (right above): A sales piece with our first ratings results showing WDNL in column one compared to the other local stations.
(above)Doug Quick was pictured at his desk in 1977. Among my duties as a morning jock at D-102 were those of a commercial writer, sales assistant, and production of local commercials.
This was a short aircheck synced with an 8mm home movie of me in the studio from 1979. It also shows the air studio and the control room at WDAN/WDNL, along with Keith Mason and Joe Jackson, the station GM.
(YouTube)
After the record-setting winter of ‘78, Spring included one of the year's major charitable events: the Danville March of Dimes “Super Walk.” It was scheduled on Saturday, May 11, 1978. Unfortunately, the inclement weather wasn’t over yet. The day brought drenching rainstorms that reduced the citywide walking route to the track at Schlarman High School and eventually moved it indoors to the Danville Armory.
(YouTube)
I did this air-check on my "last" day at WDNL. My leave was short...just over 3 months. I returned in September of 1979 and stayed for many years.
(YouTube)
(above): WDNL participated in a Cake Decorating contest held at the
Village Mall in late 1977. Here, Marc Phillips (Gonzer), Reed Pence, and Doug Quick display the "D-102" cake, but we lost.....
(above): The WDNL, D-102 studio as it was in 1977-78. Essentially, it was a "talk track" and music dubbing studio, and it served as the home base for any live broadcasting that took place during the morning or at any other time of day.
Turntables were not used for live broadcasting, but music for the automation was dubbed from them....they are concealed under the countertop in the foreground.
Contests-1978
"Hold On Marathon"
(top): Reed Pence, Marc Phillips(Gonzer), Doug Quick, back row l to r: Keith Mason(Brent Wookey), Dan Chenoweth, and Rich Moore in front of the 1978 Plymouth Horizon, which was awarded at our first big promotion, "The Hold On Marathon" at the Village Mall.
(below left): The winner of the "Hold on Marathon" and the car, along with the WDNL jocks, in October of 1978, on the first anniversary of WDNL, D-102.
(below right): Publicity pictures and stories were reported in the radio's "bible" at the time, "Radio and Records" magazine, on November 24, 1978.
Backyard Bash 1980
The Backyard Bash winners with (top row) Joe Jackson, Bob Taylor, winner, Honey Bear Mary Kay, winner (front row) Bill LaCombe, Keith Mason and Doug Quick
Chicago Honey Bear Mary Kay with Doug and Melissa Quick
Mary Kay, our Chicago Bears Honey Bear Cheerleader
The Backyard Bash winners with (top row) Joe Jackson, Bob Taylor, winner, Honey Bear Mary Kay, winner (front row) Bill LaCombe, Keith Mason and Doug Quick
Misc WDNL Photos
Doug Quick setting up for the 1985 Graffiti Night at the North Vermilion McDonalds at the Village Mall.
Doug Quick with daughters Miranda on stage and Mindi with Doug at the set up for the American Graffitti event at the Village Mall McDonalds.
Christmas Party 1983
Doug Quick setting up for the 1985 Graffiti Night at the North Vermilion McDonalds at the Village Mall.
The Harris System 90 at D-102
WDAN/WDNL Engineer Don Russell with the Harris System 90. He's inserting a talk track cartridge into the "2" machine. The one next to it on the left was the newscast player, and the ones across the bottom were the time-announcement playback machines. The record/player machine behind Don was the network news recorder/player/eraser cart, which recorded a new hourly newscast every hour without hand-erasing the cart. The single-play deck below was the only stereo cart deck for station jingles and re-entry after commercials.
(Doug Quick Collection)
When I first saw it, the Harris System 90 was on the assembly line at Harris in Quincy, IL. In September 1977, I was at the Quincy plant with future PD Marc Phillips (Gonzer) for training on the system. The training system was decked out with several different pieces of hardware we didn't get, and it was pretty intimidating.
My only experience with automation was with an IGM(see WTIM-FM) and WDBR's Gates SP8-10. I could get both of those systems to fix coffee for me if I wanted them to, but the 90 was really quite incredible.
When the 90 finally arrived at the studios at 1501 North Washington in Danville, we had to make some building modifications to get it into the future master control room. We expanded doorways and leveled the floor. Ironically, the 90 fit the hole where the transmitter for WICD-TV, channel 24, was located from 1953 to 1968.
The "stock" System 90 had two carousels, five single-play cart decks, and 4 ITC reel-to-reel decks. Eventually, it was modified to contain five reel-to-reel decks. The portable keyboard was disconnected and reconnected every morning from the master control room to the "live assist" studio and back after morning drive. Since I was doing morning drive during that time, I constantly lobbied for another keyboard, fearing I would either drop it or it would quit working just from moving it around. Unfortunately, that was the only way to communicate with the system's brains. Sometimes, when it froze up, a gentle lift from the tabletop and a short "drop" brought it back to its senses.
The system had four mono-cart decks. The "1" machine was for news/weather, "2" was the talk track produced by the jocks, and "3" and "4" were the time-announcement decks. A single stereo cart deck ran jingles, and a recorder/player recorded network news "from the NBC/Source Network." The top reel-to-reel deck was the "6," which was used for current chart climbers/fallers; the "7" was the top 13-15 current selections; the "8"(which, by the way, I have in my garage) was for the top gold selections; the "9" was secondary gold, and the "10" was album cuts or daytime extras. Each category was dayparted, and only the "7s" and the "8s" were talked over and announced selections. The "10s" were announced back. Through a very ingenious system developed at our former sister station, WDBR, we talked up the songs and could hear the intros as we did! The station's overall sound was very "ALIVE." Our consultants couldn't tell at first that the station was automated.
Secrets of the Talk Track System
Now, the secret of the "talk track" system is that we could hear the song intros for the first time anywhere. I wish I could take credit, but I can't. Joe Jackson and his crew at WDBR in Springfield developed it in the early '70s. Essentially, each reel-to-reel to be "talked up" would have a corresponding cart with the song intros recorded in the same order. There were two categories of songs that were talked up (top currents and the super gold), so you would have two distinct "simulator" cart machines, each mixing its output with the board output (with only your mic) for your headphones. So as you laid down your track on your "talk track" cart, you would hit the start on the cart machine, which contained your talk-up song; at the same time, you "eom'ed" the talk track. Got it?
Your talk track listed each of your talk positions in order and would play as needed. The big drawback is that if you forgot one or the cart wasn't in record mode, you could fall "out of sync" and talk up the wrong song or, worse yet, the commercial at the next spot set. Later, when setting up the SMC system for WDNL, I used two talk-track carts: one for talk-ups and the other for pre-spot breaks. That ended the problems of falling out of sync and talking up the spots. At least if it should drop out of sync, it wouldn't be quite as noticeable. The system forced you to plan your shows —an organizational plan I used up to my last day of radio and recommend to all jocks, live or automated! The time announcements were inserted in the format from the two-time announce cart decks. Each jock had a pair of carts, which they recorded with time announcements for every minute of their respective shifts. They would change them when their talk tracks changed. This way of telling the time sounded very "live" and would fall, usually during a "fill" sequence between two songs and ahead of a segue jingle. Something like "Good Morning, Doug Quick, and the Best Music at 9:34" followed by a jingle...D-102."
Now, the answer to another question: Why automate it this way? It made sense! Given the small market, paying for major-market talent would be impossible. We were competing with WLS, the number one station in our market at the time! The idea of paying some jock to sit and play records, drink coffee, and smoke cigarettes was ridiculous and just not possible. So, to bring in great talent, which we always had during the early days, we used the talk track system and allowed them to sell advertising on the station. Jocks spent most of their day on the streets and an hour or so each day in the studio doing the talk track. Each jock received a "talent fee" plus commission. It was a great opportunity, and we did pretty well financially compared to jocks in other markets, even in much larger markets.
This WDNL (D-102) aircheck was recorded on March 13, 1980, and features me, Doug Quick, in my regular weekday time slot from 3 to 7 pm.
(YouTube)
This WDNL audio is from May 22, 1980. I, Doug Quick, filled in for Bill “Boober” LaCombe, the regular night DJ. It added about five hours to my airshift, as I normally was on the air from 3 to 7 pm. All it did was put me in the studio for another 40 minutes or so to record his shift. Bill does the tag on the Miller Beer commercials.
(YouTube)
This WDNL (D-102) aircheck is from Wednesday, July 23, 1981, and I, Doug Quick, am filling in for Bill “Boober” LaCombe while he's on vacation. I’m not sure of the exact hours. Still, I believe it was two different segments: one during the 7 pm hour that included a local newscast with Carol Vorel, and one segment later, after 10 pm.
(YouTube)
Aircheck with Doug Quick as DJ from August 31, 1981. Hear Bob Taylor, Keith Mason, Bill "Boober" LaCombe, Susan Frick, John Eckert, and Bill Pickett deliver the day's local news in a complete newscast.
(YouTube)
This aircheck from October 3, 1981, sounded so much better, at least to me, than my earlier work at D-102. I was on the air weekday afternoons from 3 to 7 pm, and I also worked a Saturday night air shift from 6 pm to midnight. Since I had the college football scores and current weather forecast, I obviously recorded it after 5 pm. A 6-hour shift would normally take about an hour, including preparation, gathering sports scores and weather, and filling out the show form with the songs I would play.
(YouTube)
NightTme America
"Night Time America" aired nationally from January 1981 to December 31, 1984, and Bob Dearborn produced and hosted it. It was the first live, daily, satellite-delivered music show on radio. WDNL aired the show from January 11, 1982, through its last presentation on December 31, 1984.
(YouTube)
Bob Dearborn, formerly of WCFL in the 70s, hosted RKO Radio's "NightTime America," radio's first live music program, which aired overnight on many affiliate stations, including WDNL. Here he is pictured earlier at WTAE in 1977.
This air-check was from June 16, 1983. This was my regular afternoon drive shift from 3 pm to 7 pm
(YouTube)
"Dr. Demento" was also a syndicated program that aired on WDNL on late-night Sundays at 11 pm. It was a popular program, we were told, on the U of I campus.
Picture from DickBartley.com
Solid Gold Saturday Night with Dick Bartley was the first live, nationally syndicated oldies radio show created, produced, and hosted by Dick Bartley from the studios of WFYR, 103.5FM Chicago. It began in April 1980 exclusively in Chicago, then went national in January 1982. WDNL (D-102), 102.1 FM Danville, picked it up, with the first show being aired for the Danville, IL, area on July 2, 1983. For D-102, it became one of the most popular weekend shows ever, with a waiting list of potential sponsors always eager to be part of the local broadcast. The mix of 50s, 60s, and 70s music suited the area's demos and reached listeners nationwide. For me as an account executive (and DJ) with D-102, it was an easy sell! The number of listeners we gained from the Champaign-Urbana area reportedly caught the attention of at least one radio competitor there, which tried to gain rights to Solid Gold Saturday Night. We refused them, using our affiliation with the RKO Radio Network to block them from broadcasting the weekend show, and maintained exclusive rights to broadcast it on WDNL.
In September 1983, General Motors celebrated its 75th Anniversary. The Danville local GM dealers, along with the local GM Central Foundry, sponsored an "open house" at the foundry, along with a huge new-car show and sale on the foundry's grounds in Tilton. WDNL was commissioned to do a live broadcast from the Foundry on September 21, 1983. Find out why this was one of the most uncomfortable live remotes I ever did by watching the YouTube video directly from YouTube and reading the description. Just click the "YouTube" icon in the lower right of the image above.
(YouTube)
This aircheck is from Sunday morning, July 31, 1983, and features DJ Doug Quick on talk track using the Harris System 90 automation system. The station recorded the music to reel-to-reel tape, with current selections updated weekly.
(YouTube)
This aircheck features Doug Quick subbing for regular morning disc jockey Bob Taylor. It is from June 19, 1984.
(YouTube))
This aircheck is from Friday, April 26, 1985, featuring Doug Quick as the DJ, but listen for the station's other iconic longtime voices: Bob Taylor, Keith Mason, Kerry West, and Bill LaCombe. Unfortunately, music rights prevent playing the entire song, but I kept the local commercials for historical purposes. Many of the businesses mentioned in commercials here are gone. I also included a partial newscast from "The Source-NBC" radio network.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
This segment includes a part of the Doug Quick shift and a part of the Bill LaCombe shift. Quick was the DJ from 3 to 7 pm, LaCombe did 7 to midnight. Here's what happened...."I (Quick) was recording my talk track when Bill came into the studio to prepare for his, which he would record when I finished. I was just a couple of talk positions from the end of my show when I turned the mic on him to include his comments. It made it sound more "live" and natural, as if the shows were live. From there, it developed. I heard what happened when Bill found what he thought was a "dirty" book in the middle of the road, and he had to tell the story."
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
With the impending sale of WDAN/WDNL, Bob Taylor, as general manager, saw that his days with the group of stations were numbered. He had taken a position with a group of stations in Wisconsin. He finished his morning show tenure with a shortened farewell show between 6 am and 8 am on a morning in February of 1987. Here is a recording of segments from that show. Also featured are Jim Knoblach, Tim Buwick, and others. For time's sake, the music, news, and commercials were either omitted or edited. Also included was "Cheap Thrills and Big Deals Trivia" and his farewell speech to the nation.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
This aircheck goes back to June of 1987, during the last few months of Sangamon Broadcasting. I was doing a Noon to 6 pm shift, which was unusual even then. Remember that this was a talk track(or voice track) and was pre-recorded. It was also during our "high personality" period. This allowed me to work as a Sales Manager and Account Executive while remaining on the air.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
I started on the morning drive and acted as a sales assistant and production director. The PD was the only person with nothing to do with sales. The midday and afternoon jocks were both AE's. The only person on staff who wasn't on the air, besides traffic/accounting, was the Sales Manager. Being on track also allowed jocks to be on the air 6 or 7 days a week, keeping the quality consistent from day to day. We would adjust the air shifts on weekends for variety. Later, we allowed some of the weekend operators to do a track, but only after extensive training and practice. It was always my thought that voice tracking in this manner makes a mediocre jock sound pretty good, and a good creative jock sounds great! My years with Sangamon were the best radio years of my career. I wish I could've known it then and tried harder to save it.
The final staff of Sangamon Broadcasting at WDAN/WDNL...all good things are coming to an end.
Front row: Darrin Ellis and Mike Hulvey
Second row: Tim Buwick, Mary Vogel, Kerry West, Scotti Lee(Burns), Jill Jackson, Keith Mason(Brent Wookey)
Back row: Bill Raack, Mark Erwin, Doug Quick, Don Russell, Charlie Stewart, Bill LaCombe, Jim Knoblauch, Bob Appuhn, Jeff Slogger, Jeanne Eisenhauer, Susan Frick, and Mark Soderberg(Greg Scott)
This photo was our goodbye to two fine radio stations.
the beginning of the end...
Jim Knoblauch and Susan Frick
Susan Frick and Don Russell
Jeannie Eisenhauer of WDAN
Jim Knoblauch and Susan Frick
When Sangamon Broadcasting was forced to break up and dissolve at the wishes of the majority of the remaining owners, Bob Taylor, then the General Manager, decided it was time to move on and pursue other interests. He took a job as a GM at a station group in Wisconsin, well in advance of the proposed sale of WDAN/WDNL.
These pictures are from his going-away party, taken on January 16, 1987, by station friend, Roberta Mayer, who donated her pictures to this site.
Pictured are many of the staff members who were instrumental in WDNL, D-102's success during the mid-1980s.
WDAN/WDNL was sold to an Indiana-based group for the first time, but the sale fell through on the closing day. Another owner was found in MAJAC during the Summer of 1987, taking over the ownership on August 1st, 1987.
Tim Buwick website: TimBuwick.com
The Majac Years 1987-1991
(above): WDNL, "The Power Station" air staff: l to r: Doug Quick, Lane Delkar, Mike Rogers.
This was the station vehicle under the Majac ownership. "The Power Wagon" was a modified monster truck with a powerful sound system and lighting, equipped with a mast that allowed remote broadcasts from distant locations.
Doug Quick served as General Manager at WDAN-WDNL during the final years of Majac ownership.
On August 1, 1987, the station was owned by Majac, Inc., which was owned by Jack and Marc Steenbarger (father and son). This was the beginning of the worst days of my radio career to date. The automation was eliminated in favor of live programming, and the air staff was cleared of all the long-time jocks: Bob Taylor (who left in February 1987), Keith Mason, Bill LaCombe, Kerry West, and me. Bill LaCombe and I remained in our sales positions because we were already successful account executives with the station. Majac eliminated the “Best Music, Best Station” logo and used “WDNL, the Power Station”, even though the station was still at 9 K-horizontal (11 K-vertical). They brought in a new air staff (sold to the existing staff as "major market talent") consisting of a morning jock, Glen Hill, Lane Delkar, Kate Summer, and Jeff Delfield.
It didn't take long for the existing staff and the audience to discover that the station's on-air quality had dropped considerably. The "major market" staff brought in were also victims of the new owners. Within a very short time, the morning jock was fired, and I temporarily took over the morning drive while maintaining my sales position until the arrival of morning announcer Mike Rogers. In their defense, though, it would be impossible to maintain the "tightness" of the format without using automated functions that virtually all live radio stations used at the time. The problems were evident to the listeners: dead air, short gaps between commercials, commercials and the music, etc.. It just didn't sound right.
Under Majac's ownership, the once production studio was converted into a live studio with carted music and later included a compact disc player. When the studio was converted, ownership was short-sighted not to set up a replacement studio for commercial production! Even after being warned many times about the problem by the old-guard staffers (including me), Majac dismissed the lack of a production studio as a non-issue. After it became apparent that a replacement studio would be needed, one was constructed in what is now WDAN/WDNL's newsroom.
For a time, the programming and music selection were disoriented. The new manager/owner had set up a music programming system that rotated all the top 40 hits equally and mixed in a random selection (based on the whims of the jock on duty) of "recent oldies." Some air shifts were covered by beginners who shouldn't have been on the air. Ownership didn't know what was airing on their radio station overnight!
It wasn't all bad under Majac ownership. In 1988, the station finally went to 50,000 watts with the installation of a new transmitter and outboard power supply. It was unfortunate that, under Sangamon Broadcasting, the power potential of D-102 was never realized during the station's prime.
New audio processing equipment was installed with the power upgrade, but, in my opinion, it was never set up and operated correctly to maximize its audio potential. With the additional wattage, Majac tried unsuccessfully to market the station as a "rim-shot" Champaign-Urbana station. That effort failed.
Later, after Jack and Marc left the operation to concentrate on another property in Flint, Michigan, I tried to restore 102.1 to its more structured format and return it to D-102, now with 50,000 watts. I was made GM during that time and worked with an air staff which included Russ Miller and Kerry West (who returned at the time and remains with the station) as "The Breakfast Flakes," Dave McCracken, "Tiny Tom" Christy (formerly of WAZY-Lafayette, Indiana), Scottie Lee (Burns), Greg Binshish, Greg Laird, Mike Knoblett, Dean Wendt (one of the founders of Disney Radio, and currently the voice of "Barney" the Dinosaur) and others.
During Majac's ownership, WDNL became a 50-kW FM powerhouse... hence the name "Power 102.1." Here, Chief Engineer Don Russell checks out the power supply for the new 50,000-watt transmitter pictured in the background.
(above)WDNL staff members at the Danville Christmas Parade, 1989.
(above): Doug Quick as "The Boss" in 1990.
1987 Great American Graffiti Night-preperations with Doug Quick during a live broadcast on WDNL
1987 Great American Graffiti Night, Doug Quick with Mike Knoblett during live broadcast on WDNL
1988 Doug with Chubby Checker at WDNL studios
1987 Great American Graffiti Night-preperations with Doug Quick during a live broadcast on WDNL
(above): Doug Quick at the newly remodeled D-102 studio in 1989.
I really struggled with adding this air-check to the WDNL collection. Here's the background: On August 1, 1987, WDNL was owned by Majac, Inc. After being a "Live"- sounding automated station, the new owners, without regard for how the station sounded and operated during its automated years, chose to go completely "live." The owners insisted on nothing that could be considered "automated," which meant no auto-cueing of commercials, commercials to music, or music to music. That alone was a stupid decision, as you'll hear in the dead air and slow segues. There were no music categories, with all current selections played at the same rotation rate... in other words, it was a mess. The gentleman you hear on this air-check was sold to the existing staff (or those who were left) as being "major market talent." You be the judge.
The Majac Story
A note to everyone who visits this site:
My airchecks and virtually all the pictures on this site were never meant to be seen publicly. They were all only to document my own personal experiences. That's why this site and much of the material on this site seem to be some exercise in narcissism. That's not my intention!
So, for the public and anyone who was part of the staff at any time from 1977 to 2002 and would like to share them with this site, PLEASE let me know you have them, and I'll let you know how you can share them with me and this website!! That also includes AIRCHECKS!!
--doug
The "Breakfast Flakes" was the new morning crew in 1990. Russ Miller and Kerry West are pictured.
By 1988, WDAN/WDNL began broadcasting a schedule from the Oldsmobile Balloon Classic in Illinois from the Vermilion County Airport. The coverage expanded during the early 1990s and included the entire staff's work. Don't be misled by my lone picture above. Our coverage was a team effort that brought all station departments together. It was quite a logistical feat to coordinate the two stations' coverage with such diverse formats. The picture above shows the studio set up within a travel trailer. The setup included scanners that received closed-circuit signals from remote transmitters on the ground and from the station's balloon chase vehicle. All commercials and all station operations were coordinated on-site and sent back to the station via a remote transmitter, where they were broadcast live. Traffic reports were done from the airport control tower in which visitors were directed to the best areas to park, reporters gave background information on the balloons, pilots, and support personnel. The station received superb support from the advertisers as all broadcasts were "sold out."
Oldsmobile Balloon Classic Coverage on
WDAN/WDNL
(Left): The WDAN/WDNL staff and family at the Illinois Balloon Classic in June of 1991. Pictured front row: Mindi Quick, (unknown name-Dave McCracken's son), Miranda Quick, Tom Wagner, Mark Kirts, Jim Ducey. top row: Glen Natschke, Pat Swanson, Doug Quick, Jeanne Eisenhauer, and Dave McCracken.
The Neuhoff Broadcasting Years
In 1991, Neuhoff Broadcasting of Springfield, Illinois, purchased WDAN/WDNL. A management team was put in place at one time or another, including Mike Hulvey, Lynn Halterman, Jeff Cosgrove, and Doug Quick. During the early Neuhoff years, WDNL was re-automated with an SMC analog automation system, featuring a locally produced Hot AC format and “like live” jocks once again. They included Quick, Jim Ducey, Jeff Delfield, and Kerry West.
In the late 1980s, the station began an association with the Oldsmobile Balloon Classic in Illinois (see above), which continued into the early 1990s under Neuhoff ownership. In October 1992, Doug Quick was dismissed from WDAN/WDNL in favor of another sales manager.
In late 1994, Doug Quick was back at WDNL as the afternoon drive DJ. Mike Hulvey took over as GM after I left in '92. In the mid-90s, the morning jocks were PD Scott Eisenhauer (later Danville Mayor) and "Mother Benson's Boy" Bob Benson Harshbarger. In the late 90s, the station installed a digital system and went to a soft AC format, dropping the “D-102” logo in favor of “102.1FM, WDNL, with 'continuous music of the 70s, 80s, 90s and today.”
The station also added University of Illinois sports, broadcasting men's Football and Basketball games, and canceled the Saturday night syndicated oldie show. Carol Wade was the PD and morning jock during the late 90s and into the 2000s. The other jocks were Doug Quick, Kerry West, Chad Christopher, and Tim Fisher.
Doug Quick continued at D-102 in the midday slot and hosted the "Weekend at the 70s "show on Sunday afternoons through 2002. Doug left in October 2002 when he switched from the morning to the evening shift as a weathercaster at WICD.
Doug Quick and the D-102 Saturday mid-day show from January 1991. This was another example of the automated format using the SMC system shown above, which was voice-tracked. Can you tell it was automated?
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
This is an aircheck with Doug Quick from November 2, 1994. It is an example of an SMC automation system using the talk-track method.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
"The Breakfast Flakes" consisted of Kerry West and Russ Miller in the morning.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
From November 5, 2000, Doug appeared on "Sunday at the 70s. " This was a regular Sunday afternoon feature with songs from the 1970s.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
This air check is another "Saturday at the 70s" sample from June 30, 2002.
(Doug Quick's YouTube Channel)
Doug Quick and Mike Hulvey giving station tours to groups during a Chamber of Commerce event in 1991.
Members of the staff of WDAN/WDNL in 1991.
Jeff Delfield in 1991 during one of our traveling Pizza Party remote broadcasts on D-102.
(above): Doug in WDNL studio during one of the talk track sessions of "Sunday at the 70's."
Now, for the first time since 2002, hear segments from my Last Show on WDNL(D-102). Each part includes airchecks dating back to 1977. Of course, not everyone associated with WDNL is included in these brief segments; that would be impossible. Each segment is 5-10 minutes in length. You'll get a taste of what was happening in Danville during those years, including old commercials, a remote from the GM Central Foundry during its 75th Anniversary, and more. Enjoy!
In the late '90s, Neuhoff purchased the former Rollings station, WWDZ-94.9 FM, in Danville. Neuhoff then changed the call letters to WRHK(FM) and began using the K-Rock logo.
Meanwhile, in late 1999, WDNL once again used the "D-102" logo, beefing up the jock's presence in the format and leaning more toward a Hot AC/Mix format. The station also aired a locally produced '70s show hosted by Doug Quick on Sunday afternoons.
"On October 18, 2002, I left D-102 right before the 25th Anniversary of the station. My final show included audio clips from the last 25 years and, lastly, signed off with a Proclamation for "Doug Quick Day" in Danville on that date, presented by Danville Mayor Bob Jones. There was also an on-air phone call from Geoff Neuhoff, owner of the Danville radio stations, WDAN/WDNL/WRHK. Off-air, I also received calls from State Representative Bill Black and former longtime morning DJ Bob Taylor.
"This is where my tracing of the History of D-102 ends. Since I'm no longer with the station, it will be nearly impossible for me to continue. I leave it to another broadcast historian. Good luck.
When these pictures and audio segments were recorded, the prospect of including a station profile on the internet was not even perceived as possible. So, most of the items here are from my personal collection. If you have any items you'd like to include on this site, please send them to me via email.
"To those I omitted, I'm sorry. Despite you not being included here on this site, you're in my memories."
(left): WDAN and WDNL staffers at the broadcast of my final day. These people were there for much of my 25+ years. From left to right: Mike Hulvey(station mgr), Pat Swanson, Scott Medlin, Gene Cosgrove, me, Don Russell, Tom Barnes, Danville Mayor Bob Jones, and Bill Pickett
In Memory of....
Bill LaCombe
In 2003, Bill "Boober" LaCombe passed away. Along with being one of Danville's most popular radio jocks over the years (WITY, WDAN, WDNL, WPFR-Terre Haute), he had several non-radio jobs, including a host at O'Leary's Pub and a travel consultant at Williams Travel. His many appearances with the "Prime Cuts Road Show" at events over the last 15 years made him one of the area's most popular disc jockeys. He was a real fun-loving guy who was missed by all of his friends.
Mary Vogel
Mary was a member of the WDAN air staff and passed away on July 24, 1987. She was a much-loved member of the staff and participated in many station promotional events during her time. Her work as an account executive made her a well-respected member of the Danville area business community. Mary had many friends throughout the community and will always be missed.
Dan Chenoweth
In October 2005, former WDNL Account Executive Dan Chenoweth died in Oregon. Dan was a gentleman in every aspect of the word. He was a dedicated dad and a friend. We lost contact after he left WDNL in the early '80s, when he moved to the West Coast, but he will always be remembered as the great guy he was. (Dan is pictured above in the section "The Sangamon Years").
Bob Taylor
Bob passed away on November 25, 2011. His broadcasting career shifted to Danville when he took over the morning show on WDNL in June of 1979 and continued through February of 1987. He also served as Sales Manager and General Manager through the last days of Sangamon Broadcasting in Danville. His many catchphrases("land of tall corn", "cheap thrills and big deals trivia" as well as his sign-off "...blue skies, green lights, two scoops of jomocha almond fudge and much love Sunshine."), His appearances as emcee at various functions, his hosting of the "Prime Cuts Road Show," and his work with the Danville Chamber made him a valued and popular Danville personality.
"I first met Bob when he showed me the studios at WTAX/WDBR back in 1973, when he hosted "The Gold Mine" on WDBR and served as morning man with the FM Top 40 station. He introduced me to automated radio and showed me the "gritty" side of the business. He and I worked together in the mid-'70s with some voice-over projects, and I was so happy to work with Bob when I returned to WDNL in September of 1979. Bob passed away on November 25, 2011. ---Doug Quick
Joe Jackson
As part of the engineering and operations staff at WTAX AM/FM in Springfield, Illinois, owned by Sangamon Broadcasting, Joe was instrumental in developing an automated radio system for the FM station in the late 1960s. His most significant contribution to the station occurred on January 14, 1972, when WTAX-FM became WDBR, further developing it as an independent station from its AM counterpart. WTAX-FM was redeveloped as WDBR, a contemporary music station, using a more sophisticated, extensive automation system and airing a syndicated format.
At that time, Joe was promoted to WDBR's station manager position. A year later, he further developed a "live" contemporary music format using state-of-the-art automation with local DJs, helping WDBR become a leading station in central Illinois. In mid-1977, when Sangamon Broadcasting purchased WDAN/WMBJ in Danville, Illinois, he was named General Manager of the stations. By the end of 1977, he guided the transformation of WMBJ to WDNL, with a contemporary music format, using an updated version of WDBR's automation system. Like WDBR, WDNL became the leading station in the Danville area.
Meanwhile, he also used automation to convert WDAN to a country format and to serve as a news/information station. He would continue at the Danville stations through the mid-1980s. On a personal note, I have the distinction of having been hired by Joe three times! Joe passed away tragically in a house fire on February 13, 2025 ---Doug Quick
Shelby Harbison
In late 1973, a nervous young Lincoln Land Community College student walked intently into the studios of WTAX/WDBR located on Dirkson Parkway on Springfield's east side. He asked the receptionist if he could talk to the station manager, whom he knew as Mr. Harbison. In just a few seconds, he would meet with Shelby Harbison, who would send that young student along a broadcast career path of at least 45 years. The studios were the home of the Sangamon Broadcasting Company, which owned WTAX/WDBR. Little did he know then that he would research the company's history, which would become part of a book the young student would write and publish 44 years later.
That LLCC student was me. At that hour-long meeting, we talked about radio —its past and present —and how my interests in broadcasting could come into play in a job at the legendary stations. After the unscheduled meeting, he passed me to WDBR personality Bob Taylor. That was my first meeting with someone who would be a massive part of my first 12 years in radio.
As it turned out, I didn't get a job at WTAX/WDBR...at least not at the time. I began my career in radio at Taylorville. I got a call from Bruce Bagg at WTAX in the Summer of 1975 to interview for a job at the station, but by then, I had already decided to return to college. In early 1976, I was again looking for Summer employment and went to WTAX/WDBR. As it turned out, I got the job as a Summer fill-in at the stations. I had the privilege of working with the most talented people I've ever been part of. Shelby was the general manager and part-owner who assembled this incredible group of people who would influence me in everything I did from that Summer of '76 forward.
I left WTAX/WDBR in the Fall of 1976 to concentrate on schoolwork at Western Illinois University. When I finished at Western, I returned to Taylorville radio, as there were no other opportunities elsewhere.
In early September of 1977, I traveled with a workmate in Taylorville who was interested in a job opportunity at the newly acquired radio stations in Danville, WDAN/WMBJ. I met with Joe Jackson, former station manager at WDBR, and Marc Gonzer, FM station program director, former staffer at Springfield's WFMB and WCVS. By the end of the visit, I was offered a job as a morning DJ, production director, and sales assistant. Based on my experience working for Shelby and Sangamon, I jumped at the chance to join the staff and help create a new radio station modeled after WDBR. That radio station would be WDNL or D-102.
I would be associated with the station as a DJ and account executive during the Sangamon Broadcasting-Danville years from 1977 to 1987. For me, it's easy to say that those years at WDAN/WDNL were some of the best of my life. Once again, Shelby Harbison was at the helm of those tremendous radio stations.
It was a sad period when the sale of the WDAN/WDNL was announced. It was an even sadder day when the new owners took control, and the staff was scattered. You can read about that period on the History of the WDNL site.
Years later, three former Sangamon Broadcasting-Danville employees would meet in Decatur for lunch about three to four times a year, from sometime in the early 2000s to around 2010. Mike Hulvey, now with the Radio Advertising Bureau, Shelby Harbison, Bob Taylor, and I would enjoy catching up at the Decatur Bob Evans. Those meetings ended after Bob Taylor's passing. The three remaining members of our group could not meet again as our schedules did not allow additional meetings.
I regret not being able to meet with Shelby during his final years to discuss the early days of Sangamon Valley Broadcasting in the early to mid-1950s, one of the most fascinating topics of my book. Even more, I regret not having the chance to meet one of the absolute legends of broadcast history one more time. Shelby passed January 5, 2019, at the age of 94.
Here is a link to the University of Illinois-Springfield
An oral history interview with Shelby was conducted in 1973.
Click Here