NIGHT ROCK: A Brief History Lesson
By this point, NIGHT ROCK had already welcomed on board new jocks Kevin “Kid Rock” Weber and Van “The Man” Pudlo. Along with Don Nelson, these two gents became the core of the “classic” and “best-known” NIGHT ROCK air staff. It was this trio that most old school NIGHT ROCK radio listeners remember to this day.
Tom Lounges soon began popping into the studio and "on air" from time to time, with edited tapes of his interviews with major artists. Lounges would go to the station directly from speaking backstage with artists like Judas Priest, Rick Derringer and Frank Marino at venues like the Chicago Amphitheater and the Aragon Ballroom.
Snippets or “sound bites” of those fresh interview tapes, which would eventually be used for print articles that would later appear in NIGHT ROCK NEWS, would be aired on the radio show. These occasional bits eventually lead to Lounges becoming a frequent guest “side kick” with both Weber and Pudlo.
Other “on air” jocks who drifted in and out of the WFLM studios as fill-in and part-time jocks included: John Pennington, Greg “Harley” Davidson, Ross “Wild Man” Lamar and Bob Alvarez.
None of the NIGHT ROCK staff made a whole lot of money, but everyone was dedicated to “the music” and they sure had a good time rocking and rolling!
There were 'Night Rock Remotes', which were live broadcasts from the road; including one from the very first Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso. There were also “remotes” done live from places the Hobart Game Room (a pinball arcade), the Valparaiso Armory, and top night clubs of the day, like Pointe East, Midway Ballroom and Second Hand Rosa's.
NIGHT ROCK also served as the “welcoming entity” for N.W. Indiana concerts by such major artists like Molly Hatchet, Judas Priest, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult at the Hammond Civic Center. It also hosted it’s own Region Rock festvials at venues like the Valparaiso Armory. Who can forget the memorable night they teamed up the all girl band, BITCH, with those rowdy rockers, The Boyzz From Illinoizz!
The NIGHT ROCK radio show gained a very loyal audience. WFLM showed up in the Chicago Arbitron Ratings Book for the first time...but only after 10pm!
NIGHT ROCK became known for having top local talent like The Hounds, M&R Rush, Mirrors, Mammoth, The Kind, Passage and others stop in the studios for “on air” visits.
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