WGN celebrates 75 years with special report

The dawn of a new era began on April 5, 1948, when WGN-TV officially went on the air for the first time.
Colonel Robert R. McCormick, former head of the Tribune Company, commented, “In television we have embarked upon another of America’s adventures. Come along with us! Let us share the adventure together.”
More WGN at 75 stories here: bit.ly/3GoPjSK

[@BrandonPenson]

I can remember watching WGN with my Grandma as kid back in the '90s. Now even though she had left Chicago by the early '80s, she continued to watch the 9:00 News every night. That was how I was introduced to people like Steve Sanders, Tom Skilling, Robert Jordan and Allison Payne. The latter two being the first Black reporters I ever saw on television.

[@maureencora1]

2023 Happy B-Day 75th WGN-TV and 60th Portillo's Hot Dogs & Italian Beefs, Chicago's Very Own. (smile)

[@DesmondShannon87]

Chicago's most famous Weatherman! Tom Skilling

[@redmanr5522]

WGN I will always treasure you, I am blessed to have been a loyal viewer, whether it be the Bozo Show growing up, or the WGN News I see online from my PC or phone. awesome!

[@rd350h1]

Growing up in Kenosha Wisconsin in the 60's-70's we were fortunate to pick up WGN over the airwaves, Ray Raynor sent me off to school everyday. Creature Features was awesome too!!! 😊

[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

Personalities of interest: Jack Brickhouse, Ray Rayner, Barbara Barkley, Bob Bell, Frazier Thomas,Harry Caray,Anita Klever,Bill Jackson,Bob Smith, Ned Locke,Marshall Brodien,Joey D'Auria,Elaine Mulqueen,Tom Skilling,Don Harris,Jack Taylor,Elizabeth Brackett,Harry Volkman, Steve Sanders,Jim Ramsey,Bill Berry.,Red Blanchard,Jim Lounsberry,Vince Lloyd,Bob Costas,Neil Funk,Ken Harrelson.

[@stephaniegessner1282]

Thank you for this wonderful piece for the 75th anniversary of WGN. My mom Doree Crews was on “The All Time Hits” television show and she is in here. What a tribute to her as she passed away last week❤️

[@marcushoustonsr]

Im from Cincinnati and I use to watch wgn i used to watch the 9 news and I took the catch from Chicago very own to Cincinnati very own i love wgn

[@onlyjordyn]

That is my grandma Doree Crews at 48:27 😍 she was a singer on “The All Time Hits” every Tuesday on WGN. She sadly just passed last week, so this is so cool to see

[@onlyjordyn]

@@loosha_the_nerd yes, we are all very close ❤️🫶🏼

[@DeAngeloStevens]

I've grown up Outside the Chicago area Birmingham, Alabama watching WGN News at Southside Clairmont Apartment from 1999 through 2012.

[@nursecynthiamusiel]

What a great tribute. Miss those who have passed.

[@janettemcclelland2959]

Thank you. I watched WGN every day during the Superstation era. We got cable in Los Angeles around 1979,and ol number 9 was there. Jack Brickhouse and Hey Hey! Harry Caray and the 7th inning stretch. The Bulls. Bob,Jackie,Rich and Jim on the weekend news. The crazy Morning News team. Miss watching y'all. Here's to another 75 years🎉🎉🎉

[@andrejg4136]

I fell in love with the Cubs in the mid-90s when I would catch baseball while waiting for the WB Cartoons before we got a WB affiliate in Baton Rouge. While I was sad that WGN Superstation now ceases to exist, I always poke around the WGN youtube and website every once in awhile just to see what is going on. And of course I'm still a massive Cubs fan.

[@janettemcclelland2959]

@@andrejg4136 Always watched the Cubs in the afternoon during summer break. I used to zap back and forth between Vin Scully and the Dodgers telecast and Harry Caray or Jack Brickhouse on the Cubs telecast before they started the stupid blackout rules. The Dodgers would conveniently go to commercial during the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley,so I could switch over to Harry. Miss those days.

[@timothyjcrabb190]

The best time to grow up with WGN.

[@TELEVISIONARCHIVES]

Started recording WGN in 1979. Tons of tapes and money invested but well worth it. Sold my collection to someone in California but I'm transferring a new collection now

[@erickrosales2590]

I will always love WGN ❤️❤️

[@timward3116]

Such a great program! It has been almost 50 years since I left Chicago as a teenager, but my childhood memories are so intertwined with WGN-TV that I can't remember childhood without recalling that first springtime Cubs baseball game in the friendly confines, with Brickhouse on the old black-and-white TV, and a warm breeze blowing through the window after a long winter. I can't remember my childhood Christmases with thinking of Suzie Snowflake, Hardrock, Cocoa, and Joe. And there was Clutch Cargo and Space Angel, as well as Garfield Goose and Frazier Thomas. And speaking of Frazier Thomas, there were those Sunday afternoon Family Classics programs, that haunting beautiful music intro, and the non-threatening face of Thomas, who would pull an elegant book from a shelf and tell us about the movie to come. And on those hot summer days, I'd hurry in to watch Bozo Circus in the cool of the basement.

[@rjmcallister1888]

While Channel 9 wasn't seen nationwide until the 70's, many of us outside Chicagoland did get WGN Radio, and still do at night. Hope Nexstar will maintain the tradition.

[@marcushoustonsr]

My Friday tradition was to watch the cubs when they play at Wrigley in the afternoon then if the reds was home ill go to riverfront for my games

[@christophercotton9048]

Happy 75th Birthday WGN-TV 9.

[@erikpridemore3174]

And we have all of Chicago's Very Own WGN-TV Channel 9 logo designs on our WGN-TV green recipe folder, as it is in honor of WGN-TV's 75 Anniversary on the air in Chicago.

[@drummingdanny84]

The Channel 11 of the Midwest!

[@RicardoMr.reporter-ud3uk]

Oh yeah oh 🎶 oh 🎶 oh 🎶 oh 🎶 oh yeah 0:28 oh yeah oh yeah 0:36 0:37 😅😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Jerseysson27]

Can’t forget Jim ramsey

[@williamdiemert9866]

Cubs baseball belong on WGN.

[@JohndavidMiller-dc4zm]

"World's greatest newspaper congratulations to wgn-tv channel-9 on 75 years of being chicago's very own let's have lots more to come" 🇺🇸📺🎬🎤😞🎥🎬🎤🤡🎥.

[@midianc]

26 cents a gallon of gasoline !

[@charleswilliamsjr]

MONROE LOUISIANA had Wgn back in the day

[@matthewcampbell7985]

Ever since my late father brought a cable from TCI WGN was good cable channel from Chicago the shows I was growing up Bozo shows Jerry Lewis telethon cubs games and Pokemon from kids WB. here's 3 reasons 1. kxtx-tv had a WB affiliate from January -july of 1995 since the former owner of ktvt and kstwashington had sign a deal with CBS so Dallas residents should get the WB from national feed of WGN 2. my favorite show WGN America is Walker Texas ranger. and 3. my father doesn't care for Chicago news but 9/11 event yes. fast forward to 2021 newsnation came.

[@ul7185]

From Bozo to Ray Rayner

[@trevorhembrough1290]

Pretty glaring omission of Soul Train from the “music of WGN” part. But I guess it was pretty important to include that blip about your big dumb red barn or whatever.

[@mjpk6269]

... WHAT "special report"?

[@dawnreneegmail]

🙄

[@dawnreneegmail]

Great footage, great reminiscing. Television was my main babysitter and WGN the star. I sat in front of that test Indian screen with the hum turned down until poof, the beginning of your broadcast day. An absolute pillar of many of our lives. Was hoping to see the 'MAGIKIST LIPS' in a clip! 😊

[@wmbrown6]

I seem to remember WGN had another RCA-designed test pattern, one with wedges that looked like handheld fans on the top right and bottom left quadrants, as seen in a 1951 TV ad in one of the technical magazines of the time. The '9' was seen right in the black dot in the middle of the bullseye.