Storytellers Studio

Shotgun Mark Rivers (Mike Lamb) and Tim Larson have known each other since 1977. Then Shotgun helped Tim start up a high school radio station after having a short conversation at a prom dance. Fast forward to 2018 and Tim became the first voice on now Mike's SKY7 radio stations. Access via SKY7music.com. This sit down took place in Mesa, Arizona on December 21, 2002...the day after Mike's surprise...

Jim Lyke and Tim Larson were two ships that passed in the night during dark rough radio seas. You'll enjoy meeting Jim and hearing his stories from 1983-1985. His life after radio should be on a billboard...literally. We'll surely see him on a theater stage in southern Wisconsin very soon. This sit down took place in Rockford, Illinois on December 6, 2022.

Rob Cutter and Tim Larson grew up in radio together in their early twenties. They created on-air stunts as management allowed, interviewed country music's top artists and continue to this day assisting each other with current voiceover and individual radio and podcast projects. These two are the definition of "pick up right where you left off." Recorded inside the tiny Hilton Gardens Inn business...

Aaron Wilson has rolled out of bed at 2:45 am for the last 25 years and traveled northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin AND the world for 23 News This Morning. Weather has never been so interesting. He also simultaneously (for five and a half years) hosted WROK's Live at Five program. Those were very long days. Tim Larson's son Erik is currently his video photographer. Aaron's sit down took place i...

S1 E0 - The Storytellers Studio Trailer offers the explanation about the origin of this project and podcast. Recorded in Rockford, Illinois on October 25, 2022 by co-founder Tim Larson.

Kipper McGee manned the WROK and WZOK ship in the mid 80's, but went on to program giant radio stations like WLS in Chicago, Illinois. He was a master at pulling off unique promotions. Enjoy his stories including a long list of the nation's top radio announcers. He traveled to Rockford, Illinois from Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a sit down with Tim Larson and Liz Wylder and then lunch with Bill Shanno...

Sky Drysdale spent twenty eight years in broadcasting and he has the stories to prove it. He sat down with Tim Larson over glazed donut holes in early October 2022. These two have never worked together at the same radio station, but continue to share common interests. They have truly earned the title of "radio brothers from different mothers."

Johnny Marks and Tim Larson have known each other since 1981 in their college years at Northern Illinois University. This conversation promises to button up all the details of their forty plus year friendship. Tim sums it up this way, "Some people leave a mark. Only with you, we were fishing for the same thing, in the same boat and in the same lake. And, all along the way, we baited each other's h...

What could possibly happen if Tim Larson connected with Kim Carson, who he listened to on WROK when he was in high school? Better yet, they had never met and ironically both lived in Rockford...Tim in Illinois and Kim in Michigan. Well buckle up and find out. It's conversations like this one that proves once again that the Storytellers Studio is a worthwhile project.

Season 1 Episode 25 - WIFR-TV's weatherman Aaron Wilson is always looking for remote locations to do "live shots" during the morning show. When he literally stumbled upon the Storytellers Studio, Tim Larson got the call to crate a WROK/WZOK morning show party focusing on October 26, 1985! (The date on the dashboard of the DeLorean in the film Back to the Future.) Within days we hit the record butt...

The best and the brightest radio jocks from the 70's during the battle between WCFL and WLS radio in Chicago, Illinois are captured in sixty six hours of replayed airchecks on RewoundRadio.com. Thanks to Ted Gorden Smucker and his dedicated group of contributors from all over the country. Labor Day weekend 2022. Here are the promos from some very well known voices.

Phil spent forty-four years in radio sales for WROK and others. He has always been very involved in the Rockford community, both at the stations and personally. This dedication continues today. Doug McDuff and Phil worked side-by-side at both groups of stations on Brendenwood Road and Sandy Hollow Road. Tim Larson joined them on August 19, 2022 in Rockford, Illinois.

Kris founded Dental Dimensions in 1980 and has been a pillar of community involvement. He hosted Tooth Talk on WROK for many years. Tim Larson also knows him through Loves park Rotary and the Boy Scouts of America's Blackhawk Area Council in Rockford, Illinois. The sit down with Kris took place on August 19, 2022.

The Knoll family worked at WROK and WZOK in various positions over the years. You may know Steve and Carol by several air names and Gary represented the WROK sales department. Steve is still in the radio industry at the news department at KRMG in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Chuck Doyle, Liz Wylder and Tim Larson joined in on this episode because everyone is a very different puzzle piece to the Knoll's overal...

Tim attended the Rock Radio Revisited event on August 14, 2022 in the Chicago area for the Museum of Broadcast Communication. This is his account of the day which turned out to be so much more than listening to a panel of radio legends on stage.

Kelly climbed her way to the top of Adult Contemporary radio and finished out her career at Lite 102 in Minneapolis. She's a great cook and we treated ourselves to Prince's Paisley Park tour the next day. Our sit down took place in her kitchen in Eagan, Minnesota on the late evening of August 15, 2022.

From TM Productions Phase II package in 1970 to PAMS Energy Quick in 1975 and JAM Productions Meltdown in 1980. These are sure to bring back memories of your days listening to WROK and WZOK in Rockford, Illinois.

Fred and Tim decided to sit down again to talk more about more personal aspects of his career and the advice he would give to a rookie in today’s news environment.   They did, of course, drift into the news stories which still have emotional impact on the news reporter who saw it firsthand.  No one minds hearing Fred’s recollections of those days again.  His second sit down was...

Chuck worked for both WROK and WZOK for a very long time.  He has mentally catalogued hundreds of memories.  Former WROK colleague Tim Larson and former WZOK colleague Liz Wylder shared the microphones with Chuck on several occasions over our forty-five year friendship.  Chuck’s first visit with us was in Rockford, Illinois on March 11, 2022.

Dean has always been a bucket of unpredictability.  And April 7, 2022 was no exception.  Dean was a great conduit between programming departments and clients to weave promotions together. Former WROK colleague Tim Larson and former WZOK colleague Liz Wylder joined him for a free-for-all sit down that surprisingly did not involve any alcohol. 

John’s quick wit made the transition from a newscast back into programming a joy.  A true professional. Just as many stories from both the AM side and down the hall in FM.  Former WROK colleague Tim Larson and former WZOK colleague Liz Wylder joined him for a sit down on April 13, 2022. 

Fred’s ability to scoop all other media was uncanny.  His stories are fresh in his mind and still link to his emotions.  One of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.   The definition of radio professional. Broadcasting veteran and good friend Doug McDuff along with Tim Larson and Liz Wylder joined him for a sit down on April 29, 2022. 

Don’s short radio career was jam packed with great experiences and he tells them in such an entertaining way.   His love for music led him into a wonderful career as a concert promoter. Former WZOK colleague Liz Wylder, along with former WROK middays host Tim Larson, joined him for a sit down on May 5, 2022. 

Lisa was in the WROK news department.  Joe was an announcer on both the WROK and WZOK sides.  Jim was the Continuity and Commercial Production Director.  We gathered in Chicago, Illinois at WBBM Newsradio.  Five live mics with folks who can finish each other’s sentences…Oh my!   Former WZOK colleague Liz Wylder and former WROK middays host Tim Larson stirred the pot t...

Tim did two tours at WROK/WZOK in the early to mid-1980’s.  He is an avid collector of radio memorabilia and audio recordings.  Being the middays host and Promotions Director for WROK were the highlights of his career.   Former WZOK colleague Liz Wylder not only shared the microphone with Tim for this sit down in Rockford, Illinois on May 27, 2022, but she is also his Lifes3x5s...