Rock Radio Scrapbook

AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK
For week of June 17, 2012
Edition #685

Talent: DON PHILLIPS
Station: WLS Chicago
Date: August 25, 1967
Time: 24:47

Don Phillips was both on the air and in the air.

A licensed pilot, Phillips hosted the "East of Midnight" all-night show on Chicago's WLS in the 1960s. Nicknamed "Dimple Donnie", the Milwaukee native even carried a picture of his beloved Ryan 260 Navion in his wallet, according to a 1960s article in WLS Magazine. The four-seat, single-engine plane helped get Phillips to record hops and other personal appearances during his WLS days.

Phillips got his radio start at WRJN Racine, Wis., and went from there to WAUX Waukesha, Wis., and WOKY and WRIT in his hometown. He took over the all-night show in 1963, following in the footsteps of Joe Kelly, Clark Weber and Bob Hale, who created the "East of Midnight" name when he took over the overnight slot at the beginning of WLS' Top 40 era in 1960. After departing WLS in the latter half of 1967, Phillips became a options trader on the Chicago Board of Trade. Jerry Kay took over the all-night show after Phillips left and the "East of Midnight" branding disappeared in the late '60s.

"The 50,000 watt signal of WLS booms out pretty far at night when the airwaves are less cluttered. I have had listeners call from as far away as Texas and California," Phillips told WLS Magazine in the 1960s. "When I first started the East of Midnight time slot, I was a little worried that the only listeners around would be truck drivers and bartenders. Well, it turned out that we have some of these, but we also get calls and letters from doctors, nurses, firemen, policemen, and thousands of other people in Chicagoland who work while the rest of the world is asleep."

Enjoy Phillips with "East of Midnight" on WLS here.

(The Don Shuttleworth Collection)

AUDIO ENHANCEMENT by Andy Rebscher

More 1967 airchecks here!

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