Sears on the Air
at least one well-known insurance corporation, the Allstate Insurance Company, and a number of popular brands, such as Kenmore, Craftsman, and DieHard, that have all become household names. But did you know that Sears also once owned and operated a radio station? The radio station owned by Sears began broadcasting in 1924 in
M
Chicago, Illinois, under the call letters WES, which stood for “world’s economy store.” Shortly after its premier, the station began operating out of a studio in the Sherman Hotel and began using the call letters WLS, which stood for “world’s largest store.” In addition to music and other types of entertainment, WLS broadcasts included farming reports, weather reports, and tips for running a household. On Sunday nights, the station ran a program called The National Barn Dance, which was eventually the most listened to radio show in the Midwest. WLS was sold by Sears in 1928, but the station still exists today and broadcasts in Chicago as an AM talk-radio station. —JS
When Robert Wood took over at Sears, the company was already a huge mail-order business; he made it the largest merchandising organization in the world. Although Wood stayed on as a member of the board of directors for Sears and Allstate for many years, he stepped down as chairman of the board of directors in 1954 and fully retired in 1968, at which time he was made honorary chairman of the board of directors. Robert E. Wood, forever referred to within the company as “the general,” died on November 6, 1969. Although none of the four men who did the most to make Sears, Roebuck and Co. a household name in the United States lived to see the company reach its zenith in the 1980s, Sears’ unprecedented success would not have been possible without them. Like many other major corporations that have managed to rise to the top of their arenas only to wane in later years, Sears would eventually find itself in decline. Nevertheless, by that time, the name Sears, Roebuck and Co. had become firmly embedded in American history and in the American consciousness. ■
ANY PEOPLE are aware of the fact that during its 120-year history Sears, Roebuck and Co. has been more than just a catalog and retail merchandiser. Sears is famous for originating
74
M A Y 2 0 1 3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93