WRIN
Encyclopedia
WRIN is a radio station in Rensselaer, Indiana
. The Broadcasting Yearbook notes it was founded by 5 partners on September 14, 1963. Rensselaer is about 100 miles (160 km) south of Chicago
in Jasper County, Indiana
.
According to Standard Rate and Data service, the daytime only radio station would cover Jasper, White
, Newton
, Benton
and Pulaski
counties. No other radio stations were located in any of these counties.
WRIN is important because, other than the local newspaper, The Rensselaer Republican it was the only local media for more than 10 years. Today, other local radio media exists in Earl Park
, Monticello
, Kentland
, and Winamac
, all within the original coverage of WRIN.
records show that among the investors, Tony Capparelli (a landfill owner from Chicago Heights, Illinois
), his wife, also Tony Capparelli Jr, Tony DiCarlo (son-in-law to Capparelli), and Bob Becker, an employee of the other radio stations owned by Capparelli and DiCarlo. These people earlier started WCGO
, Chicago Heights, Illinois
.
Early employees of WRIN were Sports director Bob Hayes, Ted Hayes (now at WKVI
, Knox, Indiana
), Rev. Harry McCorkel (news director), Neal Nussbaum, Larry Nudelman (afternoon announcer), Norm Miller (now on staff at the FCC
), Weekend announcers Ron Hickman, Joe Shank, and Tom Jurek, who started as an announcer, later owner/manager.
Program schedules note that the 7:30 morning news round-up was a popular daily broadcast. Local minister and news director Harry McCorkel developed this local news program, bringing his reel to reel
tape recorder to many local meetings. The program prospered with seven local annual advertisers, Earl Butz
, Paul Harvey
, and NBC Radio
.
Many local features gave WRIN a "hometown" feel. They included local birthdays and anniversaries, pet patrol, "local names making news" also a "local talent" feature, where area people played instruments, sang, and displayed their entertainment ability, lots of trivia quizzes, a daily "music battle" where 2 pop songs faced off, and people voted by phone for their favorite, "the voice of the people" where you could express your opinion on a daily topic, and always emphasis on local happenings.
WRIN annually covered the Jasper, Newton, White, Pulaski and Benton county fairs
, doing live remote broadcasts from each location. The station also covered local elections for those same counties.
Farm programs, including market reports, dotted the schedule, with more emphasis on farm news early morning, noontime, and when the market closed. Local farmer Wally Laird contributed to the local farm information, bringing many local guests to the airwaves. Information included "grain elevator reports", featuring corn, wheat and bean prices from ten local grain elevators.
Radio consultants told Jurek that WRIN was successful because there was sparse local competition, and the Chicago radio stations have never served Northwest Indiana very well. It was a "natural" to attract national farm advertisers like Pioneer Seed Corn and John Deere Tractors. Also, this region is quite isolated, due to "far away" geography and "low" population, as well as rural culture rather than "big city" culture from Chicago. The Gary/Hammond (North) area was an industrial and bedroom community area while the Lafayette
(South) was a college and manufacturing area that was very culturally different from the five very rural counties served by WRIN.
WRIN featured "Compu Weather" reports 4 times every hour. Since Rensselaer is in "tornado alley" local sponsors lined up to advertise on this important feature.
The station also aired a 2 hour daily talk show "Sound Off" that Bob Becker hosted, featuring listener phone calls, lots of local issues and very conservative politics. Hosting Sound Off eventually led politically conservative Bob Becker to a sponsored journey to Viet Nam.
WRIN also featured Trading Post and Harry Martin's Rural Radio Network.
Saturdays featured American Top 40 in the morning, the Texaco
Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
, Notre Dame
football, Chicago Cubs
and Bears
games,, Bob Gaskin's Saturday afternoon Gospel Music program, and featured 1940-1970's middle-of-the-road music during the week.
Sundays were mostly devoted to religious programming sign-on to sign off. The exception was the late morning Chet Gulinski
Polka Show. WRIN featured many local ministers and national religious programs like Words of Hope, Jimmy Swaggart
, Kenneth Copeland
, The PTL Club
, the 700 Club
, and The Lutheran Hour
. Local Sunday programs included First Baptist Church with Cal Eastwood, Bethany Calls and Bethany Church service with Harry McCorkel, St. Augustine Church Catholic Mass
, First Reformed Church in DeMotte, the Wheatfield Full Gospel Tabernacle, and many others.
Jurek also bought the local FM
station, (WJCK), and changed the call letters to WLQI (Lucky Radio). As WJCK, the station was started by John Felthouse, a retired broadcast engineer from WBBM
, Chicago. Felthouse mostly tracked beautiful music albums until he sold to Thom Brown, who had previous radio management experience with Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting
. Under Brown,the WJCK format was "country music." When Jurek purchased the station and changed the call letters to WLQI, the format became "adult hits" briefly using Drake Chenault syndication.
From 1973-1985 Tom Jurek hosted the "WRIN Morning Wake up Show" that (according to Arbitron radio ratings) had the largest share of the local listening audience. Harry McCorkel, Rick Klingaman, Doug Booth and others served as News Director. Local news was broadcast from 7:30-8:40, Noon-12:20, and following NBC radio Network News nearly every hour.
By January 1977, Becker died. Jurek bought controlling shares and, according to accounting records, the station prospered even more. FCC Records show that Jurek had a construction permit to begin an FM station in Winamac, Indiana
. That frequency became a Religious format station.
Later, with Annie Rose, Jurek developed a frequency for a "Merrillville, Indiana
radio station, then, sold it to investors who moved it to Portage, Indiana
, where the station exists today.
In 1985 Jurek sold WRIN, WLQI and the Winamac permit to John Balvich, Brothers Broadcasting, who has operated the stations since.
Rensselaer, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,294 people, 2,158 households, and 1,404 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,824.8 people per square mile . There were 2,296 housing units at an average density of 791.4 per square mile...
. The Broadcasting Yearbook notes it was founded by 5 partners on September 14, 1963. Rensselaer is about 100 miles (160 km) south of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in Jasper County, Indiana
Jasper County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,043 people, 10,686 households, and 8,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 11,236 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
.
According to Standard Rate and Data service, the daytime only radio station would cover Jasper, White
White County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,267 people, 9,727 households, and 7,090 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 12,083 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
, Newton
Newton County, Indiana
Newton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 14,244. The county seat is Kentland.- History :...
, Benton
Benton County, Indiana
Benton County is located along in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Indiana, along the border with Illinois. As of 2010, the county's population was 8,854. It contains six incorporated towns as well as several small unincorporated settlements; it is also divided into 11 townships which...
and Pulaski
Pulaski County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,755 people, 5,170 households, and 3,779 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 5,918 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
counties. No other radio stations were located in any of these counties.
WRIN is important because, other than the local newspaper, The Rensselaer Republican it was the only local media for more than 10 years. Today, other local radio media exists in Earl Park
Earl Park, Indiana
Earl Park is a town in Richland Township, Benton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 348 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Monticello
Monticello, Indiana
Monticello is a city in White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of White County....
, Kentland
Kentland, Indiana
Kentland is a town in Jefferson Township, Newton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2010 census. The town was founded in 1860 as "Kent", though this name was soon lengthened to Kentland. The name honors Alexander Kent, who acquired the then marshy plat and prepared it...
, and Winamac
Winamac
Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a laison between New France and the natives of the Lake Michigan region...
, all within the original coverage of WRIN.
History
FCCFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
records show that among the investors, Tony Capparelli (a landfill owner from Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,373 at the 2005 census. Chicago Heights is nicknamed 'Crossroads of the Nation'.-History:...
), his wife, also Tony Capparelli Jr, Tony DiCarlo (son-in-law to Capparelli), and Bob Becker, an employee of the other radio stations owned by Capparelli and DiCarlo. These people earlier started WCGO
WCGO
WCGO was a radio station licensed to Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA on . The station is currently owned by Kovas Communications. WCGO went silent on April 10, 2009...
, Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,373 at the 2005 census. Chicago Heights is nicknamed 'Crossroads of the Nation'.-History:...
.
Early employees of WRIN were Sports director Bob Hayes, Ted Hayes (now at WKVI
WKVI
WKVI is a radio station in Knox, Indiana owned by the Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Company. WKVI Radio consists of WKVI-FM "K99.3", with a Hot AC format at 99.3 MHz FM and WKVI-AM 1520 kHz AM, which operates as "KVI Kountry". WKVI serves the Kankakee Valley area with news, music, and local high...
, Knox, Indiana
Knox, Indiana
Knox is a city in Center Township, Starke County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,704 at the 2010 census. Knox is also within the Chicago Metropolitan Area along with the City of Valparaiso. The city is the county seat of Starke County. The city was founded in 1851 and is named after...
), Rev. Harry McCorkel (news director), Neal Nussbaum, Larry Nudelman (afternoon announcer), Norm Miller (now on staff at the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
), Weekend announcers Ron Hickman, Joe Shank, and Tom Jurek, who started as an announcer, later owner/manager.
Program schedules note that the 7:30 morning news round-up was a popular daily broadcast. Local minister and news director Harry McCorkel developed this local news program, bringing his reel to reel
Reel-to-reel audio tape recording
Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a cassette....
tape recorder to many local meetings. The program prospered with seven local annual advertisers, Earl Butz
Earl Butz
Earl Lauer "Rusty" Butz was a United States government official who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.- Background :...
, Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
, and NBC Radio
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Many local features gave WRIN a "hometown" feel. They included local birthdays and anniversaries, pet patrol, "local names making news" also a "local talent" feature, where area people played instruments, sang, and displayed their entertainment ability, lots of trivia quizzes, a daily "music battle" where 2 pop songs faced off, and people voted by phone for their favorite, "the voice of the people" where you could express your opinion on a daily topic, and always emphasis on local happenings.
WRIN annually covered the Jasper, Newton, White, Pulaski and Benton county fairs
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
, doing live remote broadcasts from each location. The station also covered local elections for those same counties.
Farm programs, including market reports, dotted the schedule, with more emphasis on farm news early morning, noontime, and when the market closed. Local farmer Wally Laird contributed to the local farm information, bringing many local guests to the airwaves. Information included "grain elevator reports", featuring corn, wheat and bean prices from ten local grain elevators.
Radio consultants told Jurek that WRIN was successful because there was sparse local competition, and the Chicago radio stations have never served Northwest Indiana very well. It was a "natural" to attract national farm advertisers like Pioneer Seed Corn and John Deere Tractors. Also, this region is quite isolated, due to "far away" geography and "low" population, as well as rural culture rather than "big city" culture from Chicago. The Gary/Hammond (North) area was an industrial and bedroom community area while the Lafayette
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
(South) was a college and manufacturing area that was very culturally different from the five very rural counties served by WRIN.
WRIN featured "Compu Weather" reports 4 times every hour. Since Rensselaer is in "tornado alley" local sponsors lined up to advertise on this important feature.
The station also aired a 2 hour daily talk show "Sound Off" that Bob Becker hosted, featuring listener phone calls, lots of local issues and very conservative politics. Hosting Sound Off eventually led politically conservative Bob Becker to a sponsored journey to Viet Nam.
WRIN also featured Trading Post and Harry Martin's Rural Radio Network.
Saturdays featured American Top 40 in the morning, the Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts
The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts are a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances. They are transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City...
, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
football, Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
games,, Bob Gaskin's Saturday afternoon Gospel Music program, and featured 1940-1970's middle-of-the-road music during the week.
Sundays were mostly devoted to religious programming sign-on to sign off. The exception was the late morning Chet Gulinski
Chet Gulinski
Chester "Chet" Gulinski was an influential Chicago-area broadcaster and promoter best known for his longtime support for polka music in Chicago. His show was heard on numerous area stations and ran for nearly 40 years....
Polka Show. WRIN featured many local ministers and national religious programs like Words of Hope, Jimmy Swaggart
Jimmy Swaggart
Jimmy Lee Swaggart is a Pentecostal American pastor, teacher, musician, television host, and televangelist. He has preached to crowds around the world through his weekly telecast...
, Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive...
, The PTL Club
The PTL Club
The PTL Club , later called The Jim and Tammy Show, and in its last days PTL Today and Heritage Today, was a Christian television program first hosted by evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, which ran from 1974 to 1989...
, the 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
, and The Lutheran Hour
The Lutheran Hour
The Lutheran Hour is a U.S. religious radio program that proclaims the message of Jesus Christ on nearly 800 stations throughout North American, as well as by weekly audiences on the American Forces Network and XM Satellite Radio FamilyTalk 170...
. Local Sunday programs included First Baptist Church with Cal Eastwood, Bethany Calls and Bethany Church service with Harry McCorkel, St. Augustine Church Catholic Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, First Reformed Church in DeMotte, the Wheatfield Full Gospel Tabernacle, and many others.
Jurek also bought the local FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
station, (WJCK), and changed the call letters to WLQI (Lucky Radio). As WJCK, the station was started by John Felthouse, a retired broadcast engineer from WBBM
WBBM (AM)
WBBM is an all-news CBS radio station in Chicago, Illinois broadcasting on the AM dial at 780 kHz. It is owned by CBS along with WBBM-TV....
, Chicago. Felthouse mostly tracked beautiful music albums until he sold to Thom Brown, who had previous radio management experience with Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
. Under Brown,the WJCK format was "country music." When Jurek purchased the station and changed the call letters to WLQI, the format became "adult hits" briefly using Drake Chenault syndication.
From 1973-1985 Tom Jurek hosted the "WRIN Morning Wake up Show" that (according to Arbitron radio ratings) had the largest share of the local listening audience. Harry McCorkel, Rick Klingaman, Doug Booth and others served as News Director. Local news was broadcast from 7:30-8:40, Noon-12:20, and following NBC radio Network News nearly every hour.
By January 1977, Becker died. Jurek bought controlling shares and, according to accounting records, the station prospered even more. FCC Records show that Jurek had a construction permit to begin an FM station in Winamac, Indiana
Winamac, Indiana
Winamac is a town in Monroe Township, Pulaski County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,490 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Winamac is located at ....
. That frequency became a Religious format station.
Later, with Annie Rose, Jurek developed a frequency for a "Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville, Indiana
Merrillville is a town in Ross Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 35,246 at the 2010 census. Merrillville is located in the east-central portion of Lake County.-Geography:Merrillville is located at ....
radio station, then, sold it to investors who moved it to Portage, Indiana
Portage, Indiana
Portage is a city in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 36,828 as of the 2010 census. It is the largest city in Porter County, and third largest in Northwest Indiana.-Geography:...
, where the station exists today.
In 1985 Jurek sold WRIN, WLQI and the Winamac permit to John Balvich, Brothers Broadcasting, who has operated the stations since.