WCCO Radio: 100 Years

It was a story that consumed Minnesota, the nation and the world. In April of 2021, 11 months after Minneapolis Police Officer kneeled on the neck of George Floyd who then died, Derek Chauvin was found guilty, a landmark decision in Minnesota. It's another of WCCO's 100 memorable moments in 100 years of the station's history. (Photo by Ramsey County Sheriff's Office)

He was more than a TV anchor on WCCO. He was one of our favorites and for many years hosted afternoon drive on the radio. But when Don Shelby said goodbye and hung it up for good, it was an emotional moment for him. Listen back to another of WCCO's 100 Moments in 100 Days!

Certainly one of the great moments of the entire 20th century, and one of WCCO's 100 Moments in 100 Days. On July 20, 1969, man stepped on the moon for the first time during the Apollo 11 mission. Here's what it sounded like on WCCO.  (Image: Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin poses next to the U.S. flag on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Photo by NASA/Liaison.)

In 2005, following the start of the Iraqi war, WCCO's afternoon news editor Jeff McKinney went there embedded with a Monticello, Minnesota National Guard unit to report on their occupation of the country, and even connected those troops to family back home. He joined Pat Miles in this clip as part of WCCO's 100 Days! (Image: McKinney in the t-shirt with four National Guard soldiers outside of Bagh...

It was one of the most bizarre things you had ever seen over the last 100 years. In 1994, former NFL star, TV personality and film actor OJ Simpson was supposed to turn himself in for questioning after the murder of his ex-wife and a friend. What unfolded over the next few hours was a surreal, slow chase of Simpson on the LA freeways in that signature white Ford Bronco.  (Image: Motorists wave as...

As WCCO looks back on 100 years of history as heard on the station, perhaps no moment stands out like the coverage of Minnesota's largest outbreak of tornadoes in 1965. Here's a sampling of what some of that sounded like as storms ravaged the north metro from the great Dick Chapman and Charlie Boone. (Image: WCCO's helicopter surveys some of the tornado damage in Fridley)

The Dome was rocking. It was the World Series. And the Twins were desperate to get to a Game 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Twins were clinging to a 6-5 lead in the 6th Inning and with two outs, Bloomington native Kent Hrbek stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.  What happened next is one of the great moments in 100 years of WCCO Radio!  (Photo by Jerry Wachter/Sports Illustrated via...

WCCO continues to look back on the most consequential moments of the last 100 years.  In 2013, the world's oldest annual marathon in Boston suffered a massive catastrophe when two bombs were detonated near the finish line killing three. Here's what it sounded like on WCCO that terrible day.  (Image: Signs are placed at a makeshift memorial for victims near the finish line of the Boston Marathon bo...

One of the most unique moments in the station's history took place in 1964 when then President Lyndon B. Johnson was looking for his Election running mate. While on the air with WCCO's Boone and Erickson, MN Senator Hubert Humphrey found out during a CBS net alert that Johnson was trying to reach out to him to be his VP, a remarkable moment for both the station and Humphrey. (Image: Humphrey on th...

It's another moment in WCCO's 100 years! From 1924 through today, WCCO has always brought the biggest moments in Minnesota, and the nation's, history to listeners across the state. It was an historic visit for Minnesota and WCCO covered the moment extensively. In June of 1990, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife Raisa arrived in Minnesota to meet with business and agricultural leaders...

WCCO continues the look back on 100 years of great moments in the station's history. In 2002 and 2003, the Gopher Hockey team took back-to-back NCAA Championships, a first in college hockey in 30 years.  (Image: The Gophers celebrate their first NCAA Championship since the 1970s after an OT goal wins it all in 2002 at the Xcel Energy Center. Photo By MARLIN LEVISON/Star Tribune via Getty Images.)

It's one of the most infamous moments of the last 100 years. On November 22nd, 1963, the country was shocked to hear President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas and later died at Parkland Hospital. This is what that afternoon sounded like on WCCO. (Image: John F Kennedy, 35th president of the US, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy traveling in the presidential motorcade at Dallas, shortly bef...

WCCO is looking back on some of the most consequential moments of the last 100 years. In 1986, just 73 seconds into the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, it exploded killing all seven crew members and shocking the nation. This is what it sounded like that unforgettable January day on WCCO Radio.  (Space Shuttle Challenger crewmembers ahead of their fateful trip on January 28, 1986. Michael R...

It's another of one of the most important and memorable days in WCCO's history. In November of 2016, one of the most shocking presidential election results took place when real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton and became the next President of the United States.  (Image: A picture of Donald J Trump appears on a CNN television program after the Republican party nomi...

WCCO continues to look back on 100 years in celebration of a century on-air! In 1962, one of the most dramatic moments of the 20th century seemingly brought the world to the edge of nuclear war when the "Cuban Missile Crisis" unfolded. The standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led to blockades of Cuba and eventually a withdrawal of nuclear weapons by the U.S.S.R. from the Caribbean island...

WCCO continues to look back on our 100 years on the air. In 2005, a Mound, MN man heard a news story about a murder that took place and decided to call the WCCO Newsroom where Bruce Hagevik was working. The man committed the murder, and confessed live on WCCO in one of the most memorable, and chilling, moments ever heard on the station.  (Image: The workstation Bruce Hagevik occupied in the WCCO N...

There are a lot of great Twins moments in WCCO's 100 years on the air. In 1996, the Twins weren't very good and were playing out the string. But in the twilight of a Hall of Fame career, St. Paul's own Paul Molitor gave fans a thrill by becoming the first and only player in MLB history to get his 3,000 hit on a triple!

WCCO continues to look back on 100 year's of the station's history.  In January of 1978, Minnesota's most famous politician lost his battle with cancer. Former Mayor of Minneapolis, U.S. Senator, and Vice President of the United States, Hubert H. Humphrey died in Waverly, Minnesota. This is what the coverage sounded like on WCCO Radio. (Hubert Humphrey in 1967 while Vice President. Photo by Ron Ca...

Another moment in 100 years of WCCO! 2006 was a big year for the Gopher Football program and the Minnesota Twins. After years of disappointment, the Minnesota Legislature finally came up with a plan to finance stadiums for both, leading to a new, on-campus football stadium and a downtown Minneapolis ballpark.  (Image: Target Field prior to an exhibition game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the...

WCCO is looking back on 100 years on the air and bringing back iconic and consequential moments.  It was the "long, hot summer of 1967 when the Civil Rights movement came to a boiling point in cities across America, with anger and frustration from African Americans leading to battles in the street with police in places like Detroit, New York, Newark and here in Minneapolis. (Credit: Charles Fentre...

WCCO is celebrating an anniversary and that means we're looking back at some of the most consequential moments of the last century. June 6th, 1944, the largest seaborne invasion in history began when Allied forces led by General Eisenhower turned the tide of WWII when they crossed the English Channel and began pushing the Nazi's out of France. This was what D-Day sounded like on WCCO. (Image: US s...

WCCO looks back on 100 years of history heard right here on the "Good Neighbor". He was one of a kind, broadcasting live from the "basement studio" with his cast of (self-voiced) characters. The Cannon Mess era came to a close in 1997 when the legendary Steve Cannon said goodbye to 'CCO.

WCCO is celebrating 100 years with 100 memorable moments! "Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall," proclaimed President Ronald Reagan in 1987. Two years later, East Germany tore down the Berlin Wall, one of the most prominent Cold War symbols and a barrier between the East and West came tumbling down. This is what it sounded like on WCCO Radio.  (Image: November 1989 - Berlin, Germany - East Berliner...

WCCO continues to look back on 100 years of history celebrating a century on-air. In 1925, radio was still in its infancy. And for the first time ever, an American President was inaugurated in "real time" on the radio when Calvin Coolidge was sworn in. WCCO was one of the stations that carried the event an estimated 23 million people tuned in to hear.  (The inauguration of Calvin Coolidge as the 3...

Over 100 years of WCCO Radio, there have been legendary hosts, but perhaps none more popular or influential as Cedric Adams. In 1952, WCCO's star talked to a couple of Hollywood's biggest stars, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. This is what it sounded like on "The Good Neighbor to the Northwest".  (Image: The legend himself, Mr. Northwest Cedric Adams, sharing a laugh in the WCCO Studios)