Charles Leroy "Chuck" Schaden, born June 29, 1934, is a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

-area broadcaster and historian who hosted the

program Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Progra ...

''Those Were the Days'' on local radio from 1970 to 2009. Schaden played

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

of classic

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...

shows and reminisces with radio personalities about the early days of

broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

. The program first aired on WNMP/WLTD in Evanston in 1970 and then moved to WNIB, Classical 97 in Chicago from 1975 to 2001, and since 2001 it has been heard on

WDCB WDCB (90.9 FM) is a public radio station broadcasting a jazz format, serving primarily the Chicago area, and beyond through its streaming audio. The station is licensed to and owned by College of DuPage, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States, a ...

90.9 FM, a public radio station in

Glen Ellyn, Illinois Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lomba ...

. Born in Chicago, Schaden is a former

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

and marketing executive who turned his hobby of collecting radio shows into a vocation. For his efforts in preserving and documenting radio history he was inducted into the

National Radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...

in 1993, the first radio fan to receive this honor. He has often served as a consultant on topics related to broadcasting history, and he is a founding member of the Board of Directors of Chicago’s

Museum of Broadcast Communications The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum, the stated mission of which is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain through our archi ...

. He was the editor and publisher of the magazine ''Nostalgia Digest'' from its inception in 1974 until his retirement from publishing in 2005. The magazine is now edited and published by Funny Valentine Press. He documented the history of Chicago's WBBM in ''WBBM Radio: Yesterday and Today'' (1988), and he also wrote ''The Cinnamon Bear Book'' (1987), ''Speaking of Radio: Chuck Schaden’s Conversations with the Stars of the Golden Age of Radio'' (2003) and ''Chuck Schaden's Radio Days'' (2019). On October 9, 2006, he became the new host of the nationally syndicated '' When Radio Was!'' series, replacing

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

(who had hosted the show since 1995). His first show for ''When Radio Was!'' was "A Salute to Stan Freberg." Chuck stepped down as host of this series in October 2007, with XM Satellite Radio's Greg Bell taking over the program beginning with the broadcast of October 8. Schaden stepped down as host of "Those Were The Days" in June 2009. When making the public announcement, Schaden explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family. On July 4, 2009, current host Steve Darnall took over as only the second host of the show. From 2016 to 2021, he hosted the monthly podcast "Chuck Schaden's Memory Lane," which focused on music from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Mr. Schaden currently resides in

Morton Grove, Illinois Morton Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 25,297. The village is named after former United States Vice President Levi Parsons Morton, who helped finance the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railr ...

, where he lives in retirement with his wife of 65-plus years, Ellen.

References

External links

"Speaking Of Radio" web site with audio archive of Schaden's OTR Interviews

* ttp://www.nostalgiadigest.com/Chuck%20Schaden.htm Chuck Schaden biography at the ''Nostalgia Digest'' web site
Chuck Schaden interviewed by Tom Heathwood
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaden, Chuck 1934 births Living people Radio personalities from Chicago

See also

References

External links