I'm afraid to fly. I love when you get on planes
You're like in the event of a crash landing your seat cushion doubles as a flotation of ice
If we're crashing my seat cushions gonna double as a toilet
Yeah
No flotation going on down there
Some of my friends fly those price line flights. Oh, I don't get on those. It's like chickens on board
Price line if you don't know it's this website you go on you name the price you want to pay then you just don't get a ticket
It's great
None of the hassles of flying, you know you just had home with your bags like what?
Oh
Did you see this guy think it means that we've been lost
Maybe what's time is all we need I
Can't really help it if my tongue's all tied in knots
Jumping up a bridge. It's just so far. This that I've ever been
Anywhere you go
Any place
Good morning at seven away to WR and JN radio hometown radio refreshed a civic media station
I'm Don Rose and Tom Carco joining me here in studio today because today is
WR and JN Historical Marker number seven lucky seven
Jim Sorenson formal morning air personality here at WR JN radio before I got here and
I think he came with the bricks in the building
Jim Sorenson's is yeah, Jim. Thanks for joining us this morning. I do appreciate it
What's your being here? I had to get up anyway. I got a call on a three schedule for later
You know, you don't really airs. Yeah, you don't really okay. I just
Yeah, that last night would have been the worst night of your life. It's not the colonoscopy
It's it's the night before the colonoscopy. I know I've had a couple of them
By the way, I did read something the other day they said they have done colonoscopies where they found living organisms like insects and everything inside
During a colonoscopy and I want my doctor to know if he finds anything in there. I don't want to know about it
Yeah, I don't need to know that out there. Yeah, I don't need that either. So Jim
Before we begin with your WR JN career. Where am I calling now? What do you live now?
Tough Florida Southeast Florida. I live in Boca Raton. Okay
When did you start in radio? What year we talking that not here, but in radio?
60
five
Maybe
Late four early five
See, I remember the exact date I started in radio because it's one of those things like when they ask you your birthday
Just shoot right out of your mouth with me. I remember the exact date. Okay, so where did you work before the guys who are being hanged?
Remember the exact
I'm sure they do
Jam so okay, so tell where was the first station you worked at?
It was in Zion, Illinois. No, I take it back. I'm a liar. I am a liar
It was WFNY and we're saying that was really a first station
Yep, I worked for Jerry Feeney 92.1 FM which was called with the station for years Jerry Feeney used to be a salesman here
Yeah, he also owned that station. Yes, he did. I worked for him too. Hence the call that is F and Y
We played records. We did not talk we played record. I got there. It was tapes
Being a boredop basically and he had taken little pieces of a scotch or of masking tape and taped out certain tracks on the records
So you didn't play those tracks. Yes, you played the tracks that were yep, you know
And that was kind of a fun to station. I don't know if you you know the history of it or not
I have no idea what's happened to it, you know since then of course, but in those days
Its tower was right outside the the studio building and it was got the land end of the pier down the lake and
That tower and it's light on top served as an aiming point for people who were trying to bring boats into the into the harbor
That in the lighthouse of course. I got to go down a look for that if it's still possible
I don't know
So anyway, WF and Y to see you know a little update here became WHKQ part of WRJN was WRJN's FM station
WHKQ became WECY and then it was purchased by Dave Magnum and changed call letters and formats like
Like you change flavors of ice cream. It kept changing call letters over and over different formats
And it wound up as WVTY
It's a country station and although it's licensed to recene it's up in middle of Wisconsin somewhere in
Not Plantsville. I'm trying to think of where it was. It's somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin
It's not even a recene anymore, but though it's licensed to recene the station itself is nowhere near hundreds of miles away now
All that stuff disappeared. Yeah, it's all gone. So anyway, so when did you come to WRJN?
1971 late 1971 I
I've gotten married earlier in that year several months earlier and
My wife decided that it would be a good idea if I actually had a job and and
That paid something and the WRJN in those days was a union radio station
So we all belong to after SAG and the engineers were IBEW and I
Don't think there was another one put the two but then and then it was a it was run like people at the time
Would have looked at the movies and said, oh, that's a radio station. They got a guy who runs the council and they've got a guy who talks on a big-ass
Microphone and things like that
Yeah, you did and I did you have your engineering you were technically an engineer or capable engineer at that point physics in college
Then one of the things that you learn quickly when you are a physics student is that if you're not really really really really really good at it
You're gonna start to death so you go out and you set the exam for a couple of state licenses
So you can at least have a job at some sort of I did that I had state licenses and then I wrote the exam for the federal license
Which was more complicated than those days that it is not I don't think it even exists anymore
Okay, because I remember when I came here in
79 that you had that first-class license we all saw that up there is like oh this guy's special
No, I wasn't any special about it. It was just what was required to work the
Requirement the FCC had at that time was that if you were going to operate the transmitter of a directional AM station
You had to have a first-class license. Well for third-classers. That was a big deal to see in a first-class license, okay?
Yeah, you know why I never I never posted the state license of those were
Actually kind of plain looking
At one time you actually had to have the licenses on display at the radio station
Yeah, and the first class was like three times four times the size bigger than the third class which I had
There was also a second class which was also an engineering license, but I never quite understood the difference
Between first and second it was not for it was not for broadcast. It was it was for other stuff. Okay
You know primarily, you know things like
FAA markers and then you know
You can take an additional exam off that and take an old for ship radar and that sort of thing
And there was also if I remember correctly at the time I wrote the exam the second-class license also had a more
Code requirement
Okay, so you start here and there it's an engineer shop, right? You've got union people here
So how does that work for people who have no concept of this listening to this?
How does that work your your an announcer you come in you have to work with engineers who have to operate the equipment, right?
Yeah, the engineers under the contract at the time in the IBW contract, which is the international brotherhood of electrical workers by the way
Those guys they were
We as announcers
Performers on the radio we could do anything including what they did in terms of operating the council
Turning a microphone on and off that kind of thing. Well, we could not do however
Was we couldn't push the record button on a on a tape recorder that had to be done by an engineer and
So when we come time to record commercials for example
the
We would sit in the studio and
With a big microphone in front of us and the engineer would be on the other side of the glass
Operating the council and he would we would use hand signals back and forth, but what we're supposed to be
What we're supposed to be doing and then we would just lay down the voice tracks and they would put a bit of the commercials later on
Quick story when I was at WSB. It was a union shop and
We had a we had TV radio news, but we had everything there in that building and one day I'm coming down the hallways
A boy scout troop getting a tour and the young lady giving the tours very small very short and she couldn't reach the speaker volume in the hallways
So people could see so I I rubbed it for her within one hour
I was called to the program director's office with a union grievance against me because I turned the volume up on the speaker
He said don't ever do that again. You call an engineer and they will do it
I said, but she was out in the hallway with the I don't care what you was out in the hall. I don't do it again
So I never did
Rules as well. Yeah, some guys restricted and others. I mean we used to have things
When you wanted to know what the level was you pointed at the number on the dial and the guy would turn the knob for you
Yeah, it's the same idea. So who are some of those engineers back then if you remember?
Dave Duzeric was the chief engineer and his assistant was a guy by the name of Gene Butterfield and
Who passed away unfortunately?
Yeah, yeah, he created that great engineer great human being too. Love that guy
Dave was a Dave was a good one of the best engineers I've ever worked for in terms of broadcasting engineer
He went off and worked for I began after after he left the business
Yeah, David followed Stan Fisher as chief engineer quite well. He was a very nice man
Stan yeah, I standard followed Lee Deckent
There's a story about Stan of course
Those of you who have you know what the building looks like because you guys work in it
But the the basement of course is for one thing it's extra deep. It's very deep and there's a reason for that
The second thing is it's got a full kitchen in it and you guys know that too and Stan Fisher used to cook
Lunch and breakfast sometimes
Down in that kitchen and serve it to the staff. He was the new with character and half
I happened to out of the blue
Lyman Marin son David called me last night. I hadn't talked to him in decades
He mentioned Stan Fisher cooking down there said he used a garbage can a metal garbage can I clean one
I'm assuming and and cooked roast beef in that thing
Oh, yeah, yeah, I've heard that I'd never had the opportunity to participate
Yeah, I heard so the story
Right you know why the basement is so deep. All right. I was gonna get to that. Why is it so deep so tall
Because at one point if you if you well first we'll start outside
Go outside and look at the tower
You'll see the tower is what's called in the tower business a composite tower. It is it is
Paper leg done part of it and straight on part of it
The straight part which is now a trust or a lattice type trust
At one point in time when I joined the company it was a it was a slot antenna
It was a two-foot diameter aluminum tube basically with a slot down one side
That was that length and stood right with that trust is down
And it was for an FM station the FM station used a broadcast for that
It got to the point where structurally it was so distressed
That it was threatening to fall and land on cars in the parking lot
So they decided to spend the money to have a trust with on there since the FM has gone away anyway
It became I think WRKR if I'm not mistaken in those days
Jim we got a take a break here so it can hang on to that and we'll come back want to hear the story
Want to hear everything Jim soren since here? It is WRJ and historical marker numbers seven
Don Carco joining in the conversation here hometown radio refreshed as civic media station
You
At 720 at WRJ and radio hometown radio refreshed where is civic media station?
I'm Don Rosentom Carco joining me in studio
Jim sorenson
Our victim today for our
For our WRJ and historical marker number seven where we're recording the history of WRJ and this will be
preserved for
Hopefully eternity eternity or as long as we all last at the recene public library
They're going to archive it for us also the Wisconsin Broadcast Association
We'll keep it in there at museum of audio and also it's podcast so if you want to hear it
You can always listen to the podcast
Die downloading the civic media app going to WRJ and the WRJ and .com
Also, you can listen to it on the Apple podcasts
Spotify podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts you'll find if they're just typing Don Rosen
And you will hear Jim sorenson our guest and you were talking Jim about the tower the tower in our backyard here
Yeah, it was built
My own little air company I think we're seeing bridge built it actually
And the straight section that's there not which is a lattice
Trust place thing was a tube and it was an FM antenna
But the whole thing was structurally sound enough
That they could have put a TV antenna up on top of it and that's what takes us back to the basement
The basement was built deep enough to allow for a really really modest lighting grid
And they were going to use the basement as the TV studio
or the
Or the thing and the kitchen of course was built because what did every local television station have in those days they had a cooking show
And there you went
Well, let me tell you the basement's still there
It was it was built into offices though. It's not one big area anymore
It was built into when renaissance magazine became part of the company
They divided that build rooms conference rooms offices
The kitchen is still there
But somebody took out the refrigerator in the stove that's missing that's but the kitchen is still there
But the actual the big vastness of the the basement is not there anymore
They called it an entertainment area
Because it was the journal times that owned it at the time
Ah yes, yes
And so they did all kinds of things down there were many dinners and gather rings to people
There were some weddings down there too wedding receptions. They were held down there and the smokers used it too
Oh, yeah, that was the smoking area. Yeah, so Jim
I remember the place everybody smoked anyway. Yeah, yeah, I remember that
Yeah, I never did although I did smoke in those days. I never smoked in the studio only because you ran out of hand
So do you remember how tall the tower is? It's it's one of the great trivia questions for this place
I don't
I don't know I don't know if I remember how tall the tower is
337
Yeah, the 337
Okay, yeah, it's have feeder meters 337 feet tall
The I just learned this going back over some old material the base of the tower is 660 feet above sea level
So do the math this it's a total of 997 above sea level
Mm-hmm and a lot of people are realize half the tower is what you see the other half is spread out on the entire property
Yeah, to match the height of the tower. There's copper straps
reaching the entire property
We had to replace the radio's yeah, the radio's actually this one is kind of unique
If you were to go out into the middle of the lock that the the radio station and the tower sit on
You'll find that there's a water well that has been
Yes, yeah, years and years ago and that that water well is part of the ground thing for the uh for the thing
And those those big
Technical terms known as the counterpoint. Yeah
Those big stone blocks are still out there too that used to for the old tower
Oh really? Yeah, oh there's still those things are 14 feet in the ground according to the documents
And you know that would be that would be common and that tower
For the light of the thing and that guy wire tower that used to be out there on those blocks is now open readsburg
Wisconsin on a station on 1400 am
They're using the old tower. Yeah, they're still using it. That's good. That's a good side. Oh by the way
I was going to say something to you don't rain
Yeah
Yes, that's the B side of paperback right that's yes, that's right. You're right rain
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, thank you very much. I was gonna put that up
Can't tell you what I had for breakfast, but I can remember that I don't understand some jox some jox never forget
Yeah, as there was no a B side with the Beatles every side was a hit
So it's it was hard to tell what the B side was I was gonna mention with those radios that go out from the tower the copper straps
When they replaced them several years ago
They had to rip up the entire parking lot. Yeah, tear it up and put new asphalt down because they had it their radios
I wasn't there when they put those down
Yeah, gosh
So we're gonna try to do something here
We don't
Well, it's it's to give people an idea what you kind of did
Back in the day and we're doing this kind of
Not not really technically the sound he's playing this through a little gadget. He has a digital recorder with some audio
So let's see what this is Jim Sorenson back in the day
Jim Sorenson is my name presumably you know who you are stick around next Kathy Larson coming along on party night at 905 after the news from ABC
That's uh, that's the stuff you know used to do Jim you sound exact and I'm not just blowing smoke here
You sound exactly the same now as you do on that recording you haven't changed one. I own haven't changed one
I'm telling you the truth. I wouldn't just say it you sound exactly the same. I guess I appreciate that I
Wow, that's
Well, if it's anywhere, I've got it
What's the word I'm looking for you? I guess you kind of like a vacuum cleaner when it comes to that kind of stuff
I
Think a story and has more class to it
There's another piece we'll do in a little bit
But it's reference the the funeral and I've talked to you about there in the past. So
So the building it's uh, what do you remember about the unique strange
quirky things about this building?
Not much the original building that held the trasmeters
Pre-building the part that I had the studios in that right was it was still intact and you could tell and there was a
Because it was a stick built wooden frame building and it was on the east end of the uh of the main building the
Building that has the studios in it now, which was incorporated a little door. I don't know what I don't know what it's like
Unlike back there now, but I do remember that the
Interior walls of that transmitter building were made out of a
Product called homicote, which is the kind of a wallboard. It's of it's very cardboard-y looking stuff
And it had all kinds of photographs and it had the original station license and I think the original construction permit
Posted on the wall from 1926. I hate to point out. Yes, and
I think you've got the license haven't you found I have a copy of a license from 1926. Yes
Yeah, that's yeah, the construction permit was different
It outlined the technical parameters. You know that it was a hundred watts of
Power on through a horizontal long wire antenna that was suspended up in the air. I wouldn't by lungs over some bank building downtown
And that one was signed actually with a signature by Herbert Hoover the license. I think was printed with a with his name
But I don't I don't recall what do we have in the lobby there Tom
We you put something up in the lobby an old document from the I believe that's it the one that I had
That's the one. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and I think I said a copy to you
There were some photographs. I'll tell you one thing was kind of interesting
There was a photograph of a band the studio orchestra that used to play at the WRG
Jim hold on to that. We got it. We got to take a break Jim. His name was Leicester Paul. Oh, Jim hold on hold on
We got a break hold on quick quick break. We'll be right back. We're doing WRG and historical marker
Number seven Jim sorenson polymer morning air personality at WRG and radio
This is the way
I've always treated with me
With it it is
oh
The
It's 735 at WRNJ and hometown radio over fresh to civic media station
I'm Don Rosen, I'm here with Tom Carco and our special guest Jim Sorenson
while we're mourning air personality at WRN. It's more important about our WRNJ and historical marker series
Jim is lucky numbers 7
Who's going to be number 13? I don't want to be that
So Jim is here with us today and we're talking about the good old days
Will they that good though?
Okay, yeah, they were they were good. Yes, they were they always look everything and everything looking back always looks good
Because you don't remember the bad times. I always remember the good times and there were a lot of good times in the past
Yes, yes, though
Which him when did you leave WRNJ? What year was it?
1984
83
1984 I said 84
84
And I went to Denver as a matter of fact and took over as engineering director for a company out there
With a very specific purpose, but it was technical so it's not something that would be particularly interesting to use the audience
Newly when I used to talk on the radio
Speaking of which there was a point I mean the station when you were here
Not the only reason I'm here is because I came in and you were already here for several several years
Yeah
And so I'm the new kid on the block coming in so I got to you know work with you and know you
So that's why I'm here
There was a point the station was playing music back then correct?
Time temperature music
Yeah, I deviated from that much to the distress of Wilbur Gomm who was the general manager at the time
But he didn't do anything about it
In 1979 as you may recall there was a political disaster either the Iranian hostage crisis
Right
And I opened the phone lines up at that point and said what do you think about this?
Where do you guys come out on this as an audience?
They're midwest of the United States of America that find up standing you know American citizens
And it's stuck and until 84
I did the talk saying occasionally I guess I'd play a record
I don't really recall doing so but other than that I always had an audience that called them
And were very responsive and what have you?
I will say this I noticed that your advertising material for the station says it's progressive
I'm not sure I know what that is
You don't sell milk so it can't be like progressive dairy used to be
Long on
I don't think you sell milk anyway
I was a conservative person still and so that was a kind of a bent to it yet
On the other hand one of my favorite guests and who appeared in a fairly often basis on the show
Was a fine upstanding Democrat by the name of Les Aspen who had been a professor at the Marquette I believe
And also a congressman for our district and went out to be secretary of defense
He served in the Kennedy White House
And it was a good friend and often appeared on my she was on the last
He was the last interview I did before I went out to out to Colorado
Is that right
Les Aspen did a lot for the community he had a big hand and a lot of things that happened in the community
There's also a nationally known name I mean that broke in the east coast and I knew Les Aspen
Yep
If he hadn't dropped dead from a heart attack he would have been the ambassador to China at that time
So
Yeah
It's interesting a newspaper interview with you or about you regarding in 1983
And you talked about opening up the phone lines and you said it was it was more fun than spinning records
You enjoyed that
Oh it is more fun
The part that's really fun and particularly when you do it and this is going to sound bad when I say it
So please don't take it as being really condemnatory that's not my intention
Would you don't have management support in other words you don't have the necessary actual technical facilities
You don't have the support of a support staff to help you do things
It's really difficult to do that kind of a show
You got you do it right and you really got to have a producer
And that wasn't going to happen Bill gum didn't like the idea of it
He didn't understand it for one thing he's a fine guy otherwise
But he just didn't understand that kind of radio
He understood scripted radio you play the record you say the word on the paper and put on the road
But that's because of his age and that's how he was brought up in the industry
And in my case I just had to win it and it was it was it was exhausting but it was
Yeah
So let's talk about 1980
You hear the tastier choice restaurant fire two firefighters die
Yes
Tragedy for this community
It was my honor to carry their funeral on the radio
It was we broadcast the services live and you were there and we're going to play
Now this might run a little bit but it's it's you and I thought you did a tremendous job with this
You were like the man on the scene leading into the services in December of 1980
This is Jim Sorenson
The street has been blocked off for about four blocks
The front of St. Luke's church has seventh street to make room for the very large number of cars
Coming from visiting fire departments and for the two fire trucks
Engine number one and engine number five from the receipt fire department that carried the caskets of the two fallen firefighters
A wet cold day at downtown receipt
Many people stopped in their usual patterns in the downtown area here too
Watch the solemn ceremony taking place on the street as the caskets of the two bodies were blessed by Mr. Davis McCarthy
Then take it in a solemn procession
The ceremony to pay honor to the memory of the light carry of John Holgo
And also I guess to give us all applause to as citizens perhaps give thanks for having been like him
Working for the city and willing to play their lives on the line as these two so valiantly gallantly did for the rest of us
That was great work that day
We're very kind of safe so to this day it puddles me up if I mean that most sincerely
Particularly in light of our current situation you know in cities
Yeah, so let's talk about some other things the American Motor Show Jim Bradley you and he were good friends
We still are I got a lawyer from him the other day threatening to come out here and you know stay with us for a few days
I was naturally we would love to have it
And his wife
Yeah, that started out Lloyd Northard who was the head of the public relations department at American Motors at that time
Actually had lunch with me and offered me the job of being the most of the American Motor Show
To be really honest with you I well I turned him down and the reason I turned him down was I just I didn't get the vision of the thing
I couldn't see what they were trying to do
And what they were trying to do the way he described it to me was not what it ended up being
Then I suggested they might want to talk to Bradley
I don't say I got him the job I certainly did not he did that all by himself
And you know through talent and perseverance
But he turned it into a legitimate enterprise and I'm very happy to have been associated with it
I built the studios for them
Is that right?
And did some other consulting work for American Motors in my capacity of having an engineered license or two
And it was it was a fun time for a call for quite a number of years as a matter of fact
What was Jim doing before that?
He was the newsman on WKZN which was a station that was the FM version of the Zion radio station WZBN
It was a Kenosa license it had been W-A-X-O
Wax-O
Wax-O
Which is the music space
Yes there is there is
They let it to be Wax-E W-A-X-Y
But they couldn't be because Wax-E was taken it was actually taken by a station in Fort Lauderdale
I know that was a big top 40 station
Yeah they remember Wax-E
But yeah and then he had been the news director at W-L-I-P prior to that
And he was coolers to come over and do the news
We did the news together I didn't read the news obviously but I did the production stuff
And you know did the function buttons to facilitate the newscast for him
Okay Brett and Jim Bradley of course once the American Motor Show came to an end in the 80s
Then he joined our JN doing the mornings up until the ownership change in 86
That I was unaware of would be honest with you I don't know I didn't know that
I know he went out to California and he went into civic government after his day
He did pretty well out there didn't he?
Yeah he did he retired from out there
He and his life spent time between LA and man Bali
That's not all dead
Okay let's talk about some of the people that you worked with over the years
A personalities you have any interactions with Ralph Shone Laban?
No I did not I think I met Ralph but that was about it
Any of the foreign language was that still going at the time you started?
No but I can say good morning in Chinese at that time
We didn't have that that's about the only language you didn't have about that
Some of the other staffers I mean Don Edmark obviously was the news director
He started up the news department here after the journal times
And and and kind of got things cooking to the point that they are now
Whatever that is and you've got Frenchie you did you not hire Frenchie and Bob Cook?
I did I did indeed Frenchie came to us from Lincoln Ema
And of course that's because he lived out in that area
And he was a first class what we used to call a clavier kids were
Which is kind of played the piano for a living
And he had a nightclub entertainer for gosh
I think he was on the arc when it first that failed
The first crew that was on Noah's Ark
He was a fine guy all the way around
He was the original lounge lizard
He was the Bill Murray character
I love Frenchie Bhutan he's a great human being
The fun things was when he had to come in and do the mornings for fill in
He had of course been out entertaining the night before sometimes
Oh yeah
And so you know
But he was always there always showed up and always did great work
By the way if anybody's got if anybody's got a text message
A question for Jim or you want to just make a comment you can
You can go to the civic media app
Just go to WRJ and type it in or you can do it on the phone
262-300-7445-262-3-00-7445
One more time 262-300-7445
And we do have a text message this morning
So nice to hear Tom Carco again
I remember listening to his news reports
My grandmother always had WRJ and on
Tell Tommy needs his own show as well
Tell Jim Sorenson to get off the air
No he didn't say it
No we didn't
I wouldn't tell you even if it was there
No he didn't say that
But yes if you want to text the message to our show you can
It's easy
Wow so okay
Bob Cook you hired as well I mentioned
Yes yes Bob Cook was the back seat Bob Cook hired me
Way back when at the small station after I left WFNY
I went down to Zion the Illinois
And to a little 250 lot directional corn popper down there
That Bob was running for the bigot pharmacy people
Or famous famous folks in that part of the world
And in fact that's so that's where I met my wife
Although she had nothing whatsoever to do with the broadcast business
And it never has had she's a school teacher
Ah
So who else do you remember names?
All going well let's see
There was the first party line girl that I worked with
And they were actually called party line girls
And were the title proudly I think
It was K bus
And after K there was another woman that was there named Maria
Something that's I remember correctly
And I honestly have no recollection of her
She was not there then there was Sue Colson
She ended up marrying a guy in a local government if I'm not mistaken
And the rest of the business
Or left the station anyway
And then for a long time was Kathy Larson
Yep
And Kathy was a
She was just a fine fine host
Kathy started a station as you probably know in the secretarial
And the thing she was the long typer
Yep
We got to take another break
The program long was a sacred cow-type document
We got to take another break, okay?
Can you hang in there?
It was hand-priced every day
Hey Jim
Jim, hang in there, we got to take another break
Don't move, stay right where you are Jim
All right, if you want to text us, you can
text us it's 262-3-0-0-7-4-4-5
Or download the Civic Media app
And just go to WRJN, do it that way
7-49, hometown radio refreshed as Civic Media Station
It's our WRJN historical marker with our guest
Jim Sorenson, Tom Carco in studio with me today as well
You've shown a rainbow is all I can do
Dream of the good times that we never knew
No late nights alone in your arms
It's 7-51 at WRJN radio
It's WRJN historical marker number 7
We're recording the history of WRJN radio to preserve it
For future generations who will say someday
It was something called radio, really?
No, the radio will always be here
In fact, WRJN celebrates its 100th anniversary
We signed on the year 100 years ago on 1926
December 6th, 1926
And next year, two years from now, we'll be the 100th year that we signed on
I'm always confused if it's a 100th year or 99th year
Right, and not those call letters though
It started out as WLBG
Those were temporary call letters
Then a week later became WRRS which stood for Racine radio station
Oh, that's clever
And then in 1928 after the two gentlemen who were involved in the initial setup of the radio station
divested themselves and got out and the journal times took over total control
Then it became WRJN in 1928
But Jim, you weren't here at the get-go, you weren't here 100 years ago
No, I was not, but I wanted to point out something
I don't want you guys to be worried about this
This is not something you need to be concerned with
But it was December 6th, 1926 when the thing kicked off
December 7th is Pearl Harbor Day
I don't think there's a relationship
No, no
No, no
And it's, by the way, December 26th started off in the arcade building
In the town Racine on the Mezzanine level
And then moved in 27 over to Hotel Racine on the third floor
stayed there till 37
Then moved over above the American bank building downtown
That's the one that Dillinger robbed
Eventually in 1933 stayed there till 57
And then to Radio Park
Which is now allowed to be said on the years again
Did we get the interview with Dillinger when he was coming out of the bank?
No, they weren't, we didn't have a microphone out there
No, that's the...
By the way, he received a round of applause though when he showed up
By the way, in the Johnny Depp movie Public Enemy
That starts it off right away
Yeah, it mentions Racine
The opening sequence is about the Racine Bank robbery
Such as they did it in Hollywood
I interviewed one of the hostages from that bank robbery
Ursula Patsky
She was with the teller at the bank
And I interviewed as my all-time favorite interview
So you were talking about...
What were we talking about when we left?
I don't know
People, yes
You were talking about someone in particular
Was I one of them?
What did I have to say about them?
This is what happens when you get older, three of us here
You remember anything
You remember anything
Yep, yep
So we've been asking you about you
You were talking about Frenchy, Bob Cook
And some of the engineer people
You were talking about the person from the party line people
Kathy was...
Oh, that's right, you were still doing party line when...
Kathy, you had a good job on that show
I can remember a couple of times though
And for reasons of...
Just because people come down with the flu, they get a cold
Whatever the heck, you know
A rest, we know incarceration, that kind of thing
When Kathy could not show up, I would have to do the party line show
Yeah, Dan
I think that was a time that struck terror into the hearts of a lot of people
Because sadly, you may have gotten that or picked up on that from our conversation thus far
I very often can't really be responsible for what I might say
It's kind of unpredictable in a lot of cases
You never really know what I'm gonna say or do
That's why we have you on delay
Yeah
Get that each second delay run
And please, on your part
I like the heck out of it, and I can remember
You get strange phone calls on party line
It was quite a show
I don't know if people really appreciated the
The depth of interesting things happening
Just certain different things happening with that program
It's like a lot of things that used to happen in radial of those days
I don't know
It was just the people talking
The people talking to the people
And you get all kinds of fun things out of that
I have one lady who kept telling me about her parakeet
Who kept falling off the perch
And we finally decided that if she quit wasn't fine
Then the water would probably prove the situation
So interviews that you did during your time at WRJN
You've mentioned a couple to me in emails
Margaret Hamilton
Who of course was
We could win to the West
What do you remember about that?
A lovely lady
And I've read some price as a matter of fact
And local people
Some of the local folks do various
And some of these things are good
We're using to promote something
Or oftentimes to promote something
Because they're interesting people
And that's
I think maybe it's
In any city of any size
Well, it's nice to have any size
You don't necessarily know your neighbor
But you don't necessarily know your neighbor
Yeah, exactly
So out of the blue in 2013
March 21st, 2013
You've been gone from here for a long time
I hadn't heard from her about you
Seeing you talk to you in any capacity
All of a sudden it's a slow day here at the station
And I'm walking around and all of a sudden
There's Jim Sorenson
Holy cow
What prompted you to do that?
Or was I there?
Yes, you came in person
Chris Moral was here
I was born in Kenosha
And that fact I got a sister who lives there
And
I worked in Percent in Kenosha the whole
But all time
I had a friend
For some reason and I thought
Well, I'll just go over to the radio station
And hang in rattle for a while as we used to say in Denver
You were here for a while
And I talked to you
And it was great to see you at that point
I mean, again, it had been quite a gap
Oh, yeah
I thought maybe you wandered up in your pajamas from Florida
You just
You were on the interstate
And you just wound up here one day
In your jammies
95 and you go north
Yeah, I don't know both of you turn left
Hey, Jim, I want to thank you for being part of our
WRJ and Historical Marker series
This is how we're going to preserve the radio station
Now people who missed any part of this interview
Want to hear it again?
You can listen on the podcast around 10 o'clock this morning
It'll be up
And you can listen either on
We're Apple podcasts, Spotify podcast, whatever
Also at wwwrjn.com
And wherever you go, just type in Don Rosen
And you will look at the podcast to come up
And it'll be preserved forever and ever
At the Racine Library
And their archives
And also on the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association as well
Tom, thank you
Good to talk to you again, Jim
Actually talk to you
Nice talking to you guys
I enjoyed it very much
I mean, it doesn't really say much for you guys
You know, other than the fact that you were brave
But yeah, I enjoyed it
Well, we didn't know what to do with this hour
So we invited you on
Good idea
Jim, hold on the line
Hold on, don't go anywhere
I want to talk to you a second
Thank you
Thank you very much for coming in today
I'm Don Rosen, we'll do it again tomorrow
6am WRJN