1945: Kankakee to Have Two Radio Stations

By Jack Klasey

August 23, 2025

In late September, 1945, World War II finally came to an end. Soon, local men and women in military service would start coming home to the Kankakee area, and life would begin returning to normal.

One sign of that return appeared on the front page of the Kankakee Daily Journal’s October 5, 1945, edition, under the headline “Two New Radio Stations to Provide Local Service.” The accompanying article noted, “After two years of extensive study and planning, the Daily Journal Company announces today that arrangements are being made to erect and operate two radio broadcasting stations in Kankakee —one using the standard system of amplitude modulation [AM] and the other the new and highly successful process of frequency modulation[FM]—to give the people of Kankakee and the large surrounding trade area complete broadcasting service.”

In 1945, radio broadcasts were the primary source of entertainment and informational programs (long before television was introduced). Kankakee-area listeners tuned in to one of the popular Chicago stations, such as WGN, WLS, WBBM, or WCFL, for daytime radio dramas (“soap operas”), musical programs ranging from popular tunes to opera, live sporting events, and news broadcasts.

“The two stations are seen as a distinct boon to the modernization and growth of the community,” continued the newspaper, “and should add greatly to the prestige of Kankakee as a center of trade and activity….Among the many services offered by this new undertaking will be educational, religious, agricultural, musical, social, weather, news, civic and entertainment programs….[The stations] will provide Kankakee and the surrounding area with local representation in the field of radio and will give a new type of outlet to the many events and functions taking place daily in the community.”

The newspaper article noted, “Looking forward to the day when the close of the war would free the highly technical materials and services necessary to such complex installations, the Kankakee Daily Journal Company undertook…the exhaustive studies necessary to determine the best possible frequencies available, the locations of transmitter, antenna tower, downtown studios, and associated equipment.”

Call letters chosen for the two stations were WKAN and WKAN-FM. “The company was fortunate in getting call letters which have such an appropriate identification with the name of the city,” the Journal commented.

WKAN began broadcasting almost two years later, on Sunday, June 1, 1947, when Chief Engineer Robert Harrell closed a large electrical switch, and an “On the Air” sign lighted up in the station’s studios at 183 N. Schuyler Avenue. Listeners first heard the strains of the National Anthem, followed by the voices of the station’s program staff presenting a specially written historical show entitled “Wonderful Land.” The Sunday broadcast lasted only three hours; in addition to the 45-minute long “Wonderful Land” show, the first day’s programming included several short musical performances, a newscast, interviews, and a sports report.

On Monday, June 2, WKAN aired what would be its full day’s schedule, from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Most of the programs were 15 minutes in duration. For example, on a Friday evening, the “News in Review” program aired at 6 p.m., followed by 15 minutes of dance music. At 6:30 p.m., listeners heard “Shoppers on Parade,” then 15 minutes of “Music from South of the Border.”

Interestingly, WKAN was not the first radio station to broadcast from Kankakee, although it was the first to be permanently located here. The earliest radio broadcast was in 1926, when station WIBM came to the city for a full week of programs originating from the stage of the Knights of Columbus building at Indiana Avenue and Merchant Street. WIBM was a “gypsy” station, moving from town to town each week (supported by advertising sold to local businesses). “Kankakee was on the air for the first time last night,” noted the Kankakee Daily Republican, observing that almost 100 performers had taken part in the opening night broadcast. Among the musical acts that evening were Henry Matchie, an “old time fiddler,” and the St. Rose Trio, composed of Octave Cartier, Arthur Valade, and Miss Mae Mallaney.

WKAN’s programming, when it debuted in 1947, was a mix of “live” and recorded events. News, sporting events, some musical shows, and a variety of interview and discussion programs were the “live” component; recorded material (in the form of large discs called “transcriptions” provided much of the station’s musical programming. The station’s musical library consisted of more than 8,000 recordings, ranging from popular to classical.

Although the call letters of the FM station had been given as WKAN-FM in the 1945 announcement, it began broadcasting in late 1947 as WKIL-FM. After several years of operation in Kankakee, WKIL was sold to a Chicago company and relocated.

When WKAN and WKIL began broadcasting 78 years ago, they were the only two radio stations operating in Kankakee County. Today, more than a dozen AM and FM stations are “on the air” here. They provide a variety of formats, including country, rock, and “oldies” music, “news and talk” programming, and Christian music/talk shows. Still broadcasting in Kankakee after more than three-fourths century is WKAN, although the station ownership changed a number of years ago. The studio location also has changed, from the original building in the 100 block of North Schuyler Avenue to the present facility in an office building on the eastern edge of the Meadowview Shopping Center.

Jack Klasey is a former Journal reporter and a retired publishing executive. He can be contacted at jwklasey@comcast.net.