History of WLTL 

In 1968, radio was gaining popularity. It started in the 1920's in the United States, and by the 60's, had reached more popularity. 

 

Before this year, there had been a radio club at the school. This club was sponsored by Mr. Orville Warning, who was a physics teacher at the time. 

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In 1968, Lyons Township High School went on air for the first time. The cofounders of the station were Wayne Terrell and Terry Marsala, with help from teacher Orville Warning and consulting engineer Bob Jones. The station was originally located on the third floor of the Vaughn Building. 

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When it was founded, the station had a 10 Watt transmitter, two Gates Radio turntables, monitor speakers, an emergency broadcast system monitor, microphones, tape recorders, and an on air sign. LT spent $7,500 on the station its first year. 

 

Originally the frequency of the station was 88.3 FM, but during the 1968-69 school year was switched to 88.1 FM to give another school the first frequency.  

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At the beginning, broadcasting hours were 2:30– 7:00 pm Monday-Thursday; 2:30–10:00 pm on Fridays; and noon–10:00 pm on Saturdays. While there was no equipment to achieve live sports broadcasting, members of the station linked cables together from the radio room to the gym to be able to call sports games. 

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One of the first ever fundraisers for WLTL was completed by the class of 1969. They recorded and sold a 30 minute record as their first fundraiser. 

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Shortly after 1969, WLTL became integrated in the curriculum. Catherine Ott taught classes to students about broadcasting. 

 

WLTL has continued to grow ever since it became a radio station, and will continue to grow in the future.  

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If you are interested in learning more visit 

 https://mikebaker45s.wordpress.com/about/wltl-fm/ 

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