70 Years Of WGN/Chicago Audio To Be Archived At Northwestern University Libraries

70 Years Of Audio

NEXSTAR MEDIA GROUP has gifted a 70-year archive of recordings from its News-Talk WGN-A/CHICAGO to NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY's CHARLES DEERING MCCORMICK LIBRARY OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES for archiving and digitizing. The materials, including 15,000 recordings on various platforms, cover 1941 through 2011, mostly in the 1980s and 1990s.

NORTHWESTERN Curator of Special Collections SCOTT KRAFFT said, “It’s a remarkable collection that represents a significant sampling of CHICAGO history, including local and national news. In addition, the voices of WGN RADIO’s most popular programs are represented here, making this an important archive for the history of the entire field of radio broadcasting.”

“Given the long and storied connection between WGN RADIO and NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, it is most fitting that this audio collection, drawn out of 70 years of our broadcast history, will be under their care,” said WGN VP/GM MARY SANDBERG BOYLE. “While digitizing it will be a substantial undertaking for the NORTHWESTERN LIBRARIES, ultimately, this will be a permanent and invaluable repository and resource for years to come. We trust their expertise and are proud they are the caretakers in this endeavor.”

“When WGN first approached us 10 years ago about taking on this collection, I knew the longitudinal coverage of such an archive would be just astounding,” said NORTHWESTERN LIBRARIES Dean SARAH PRITCHARD. “Our role as a library at a research institution is to collect and preserve culturally important materials like this. The WGN RADIO archive will provide a laboratory for future researchers looking at 20th century media as it intersected with CHICAGO’s cultural and political history.”

“Navigating the preservation of this archive will take time,” added KRAFFT, noting the fragility of the recording media, including tape and glass "transcription discs." “But in the end, it will be worth it to preserve the cultural record represented by WGN RADIO.”

“In 1921, family members connected with the CHICAGO TRIBUNE provided funding to establish the journalism school at NORTHWESTERN, which was named in honor of their grandfather, JOSEPH MEDILL. We have proudly built on that gift for more than a century to make MEDILL the best school of its kind in the world,” said MEDILL SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM, MEDIA, INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS CHARLES WHITAKER. “This new gift of the WGN Radio archives enhances this longstanding relationship and allows scholars studying journalism or other topics to access critical interviews and reports. It’s often said journalists record the first draft of history, and this archive is an important capture of that draft.”

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