When Chicagoans think back on the glory days of WLS-AM 890, the booming voices of Dick Biondi, Ron Riley, Larry Lujack, Tommy Edwards, Fred Winston, J
When Chicagoans think back on the glory days of WLS-AM 890, the booming voices of Dick Biondi, Ron Riley, Larry Lujack, Tommy Edwards, Fred Winston, Joel Sebastian, and John Records Landecker often come to mind. Their Top 40 antics defined a generation. Running parallel to that rock ’n’ roll soundtrack, however, was a newsroom built on precision, seriousness, and integrity.
At its center stood Bernard “Bud” Miller, who spent 27 years at WLS as reporter, anchor, and ultimately news director during the station’s most influential years. Miller, who passed away on July 9, 2025, at age 96, leaves behind both historic broadcasts and the reputation of being one of Chicago radio’s most respected newsmen.
Bud Miller – WLS Radio Newsroom
Early Life and Military Service
Born on Chicago’s North Side in 1928, Miller graduated from Sullivan High School and went on to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he gained early experience in campus radio and at WDWS-AM.
After earning his degree in 1950, he served in the U.S. Army in Stuttgart, Germany, working for the Armed Forces Network as an announcer, producer, and director. This disciplined grounding in broadcasting would shape his career when he returned to Chicago.
Joining WLS
Following a brief stint at a Wisconsin TV station, Miller joined WLS in 1961 as a reporter. His authoritative delivery and commitment to fact-driven reporting helped establish WLS as a serious news outlet at a time when rock stations weren’t always expected to deliver hard news.
He worked alongside a strong newsroom that included Jerry Mitchell, Jerry Golden, Mort Crim, Bill Guthrie, Stan Dale, and Harvey Wittenberg, many of whom transitioned from the old Prairie Farmer era to the rock ’n’ roll years. In those days, news was kept separate from music programming, with no “crosstalk” between reporters and disc jockeys.
Bud Miller Street Reporter WLS Radio
Rising to News Director
By the time Miller became News Director in 1973, he had already logged more than a decade at WLS and witnessed sweeping changes in music and personalities. He built a newsroom of stellar writers, anchors, and reporters, ensuring they rivaled the DJs in familiarity and credibility.
Importantly, he diversified the staff by hiring many female journalists, including Linda Marshall, Laurel Ornish, Rosemarie Gulley, Karen Hand, Kathy McFarland, Jan Coleman, Catherine Johns, and Maggie Brock. The old boys’ network, he insisted, had no place in his newsroom.
Broadcaster and historian R. Scott Childers remembered:
“The thing I remember about listening to Bud on the air was that he commanded the audience with a very authoritarian delivery, but he never came across as being stiff or wooden. … You could tell that he took his newscast seriously.”
Balancing News and Music
Miller understood that WLS’s identity was built around music, but he refused to compromise on credibility. His son-in-law, Tim Pretzsch, told the Chicago Tribune:
“He was a serious newsman, but we all loved him because he knew music was our number one product.”
This balance helped WLS maintain journalistic integrity without overshadowing its cultural role as the Midwest’s pop powerhouse.
Former colleague Lyle Dean said Miller maintained ABC’s reputation for strong journalism locally:
“Bud was tasked with maintaining that reputation at a rock ’n’ roll radio station whose popularity was infused with hijinks of the disc jockeys—not an easy job, but he did it well and earned the respect of everyone at the station.”
Building a Legendary Team
Miller’s leadership produced one of radio’s finest news departments. Among those he hired or mentored were Jeff Hendrix, Jim Johnson, Harley Carnes, Lyle Dean, Gil Gross, Jack Swanson, Linda Marshall, and Jeffrey Hendrix.
Bob Sirott, WLS DJ legend, recalled:
“He built a full-service news department second to none—especially unique for a rock music station. He hired a legendary news staff… and everyone respected him.”
Tommy Edwards, former DJ and programmer, added:
“Even as reporters brought their own personalities, everyone followed Bud’s uniform format. He had a great eye for spotting young talent.”
At times, Miller even clashed with corporate bosses. In the late 1970s, ABC slashed newscasts by 25% “over the strenuous objections of Bud Miller,” according to The Tribune.
Beyond WLS
Miller retired from WLS in 1989, just as the station transitioned from Top 40 music to talk radio. His career, however, continued. He worked in communications for Illinois Attorney General Neil Hartigan, later oversaw Shadow Traffic’s news operations, and eventually enjoyed an unexpected second act working at Ace Hardware in Glenview.
“He really enjoyed that,” said Pretzsch. “He was a really handy guy.”
Legacy
From the 1960s through the 1980s, Miller’s voice and leadership gave WLS credibility in an era dominated by DJs and countdowns. He bridged the worlds of rock ’n’ roll and hard news, ensuring Chicagoans always had a trusted voice to rely on.
As Sirott put it:
“He was a serious newsman who made sure the station’s news coverage was the number one product.”
For thousands of listeners, Bud Miller’s broadcasts were as much a part of daily life as the music itself. His passing marks the end of a distinguished chapter in Chicago radio history, but his legacy endures in the generations of journalists and broadcasters he influenced.
Bud Miller, an important part of the USA Radio Museum.
Aircheck of Bud Miller doing headlines on WLS Radio 4/16/67:
