"WVON leads with service and excellence. Our history has proven who we are, our audiences are proof of who we are, and our team members reflect who we are." ~Melody Spann Cooper, Our CEO
A few words
About Us
History
For over five decades, WVON has been the voice of the city and urban community. The station has performed as a platform of Real influence, including the political campaign sector of change in President Barack Obama’s election.
The Original owners of Chess Records, Leonard and Phil Chess, first carved out the canvas of WVON in 1963, a station designed to be “The Voice of the Negro.”
Later they assembled the dynamic group of Radio personalities, The Good Guys. This group had the title of the Top 3 Radio Stations in Chicago.
Political activism and cultural awareness became the nationwide recognition attached to WVON. To magnify the station’s capabilities, in 1977, WVON was bought by Midway Broadcasting owners Wesley South and Pervis Spann. Today the station is continuing to flourish with Melody Spann-Cooper’s radio expertise in Chicago.
- 1963 - WVON hits the airways
- 1977 - Midway corporation buys WVON
- 1986 - WVON changed to talk radio
- 1999 - Melody Spann Cooper becomes Chairwoman & CEO
- 2006 - WVON moves to 1690 AM Frequency
- 2007 - Midway Broadcasting Corporation establishes WRLL
- 2012 - the voice of a nation: WVON JOINS Iheart radio network
- 2013 - WVON makes history celebrating 50th anniversary, becoming the third-oldest radio station in Chicago
- 2020 - OTT Streaming TV Platform launched, VON-tv
Meet Our CEO
Melody Spann Cooper is the driving force behind Midway Broadcasting Corporation. As the daughter of the company’s co-founder Pervis Spann, she joined an elite list of female-owned media companies in 1999 when she became Chairwoman of the company, which now includes broadcast and digital platforms. In addition to the company’s flagship station WVON, Spann Cooper expanded the company’s assets in 2007, with the development of WRLL Radio, The Voice of Chicago’s Latino Community. In October 2020, she oversaw the launch of Midway Broadcasting’s new OTT Digital Streaming Platform, VONtv, (pronounced Vaughn) which can be seen in more than 100 million+ households on ROKU, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime and at von.tv.
Spann Cooper serves on many professional and civic boards including as Co-Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council for the Obama Foundation; as Commissioner of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission; as Chair of the Illinois Broadcasting Association; as a board member of the FCC Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC), and as a board member of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters,
In 2019, she released her first book, The Girlfriend’s Guide to Closing the Deal, a semi-biographical publication for women about people, power and purpose.
- OUR CEO IN THE NEWS -
Crain’s 2021 Notable Black Leaders and Executives
Crain’s Chicago Business
December 9, 2021
Chicago Tribune
November 15, 2021
Springfield is sunny with a chance of maelstrom
Politico
October 19, 2021
Black & Powerful: Melody Spann Cooper, Midway Broadcasting Corporation Chairman & CEO
ABC 7 Chicago
May 22, 2021
Black Media Respond to Mayor Lightfoot Letter
Chicago Crusader
May 22, 2021
Black Media Respond to Mayor Lightfoot Letter
Chicago Defender
May 20, 2021
Chicago Defender
November 18, 2020
PR Newswire
October 1, 2020
Illinois Black-owned media coalition seeks bigger slice of $2 billion state advertising pie
Chicago Tribune
September 23, 2020
PR Newswire
September 17, 2020
River Bender
August 6, 2020
Feder: WVON to add ‘enhanced news’ with Black Information Network
Daily Herald
July 16, 2020
Black Media Owners To America: ‘Actions, More Than Words’
Radio+Television Business Report
June 15, 2020
Kim Foxx shares the importance of voting at 4th annual L.E.G.A.C.Y. Awards Gala
Rolling Out
March 1, 2020
UChicago symposium focuses on business diversity in professional services
UChicago News
December 9, 2019
Chaka Khan lights up Chicago Urban League dinner
Chicago Tribune
November 8, 2019
Chicago Urban League flying high thanks to annual gala
Chicago Defender
November 8, 2019
CEO and owner of Chicago’s WVON radio station Melody Spann Cooper pens new book
Rolling Out
November 2, 2019
Pritzker names Melody Spann Cooper commissioner for state liquor commission
Chicago Suntimes
July 16, 2019
Midway Broadcasting Chair Says Radio Cannot Solely Concentrate on Listeners
Radio World
April 29, 2019
To Chicago’s next mayor: Words of anticipation, hope from black women
Chicago Suntimes
April 1, 2019
Remembering Aretha Franklin: Chicago crowned her the ‘Queen of Soul’
ABC 7 Chicago
August 16, 2018
With Sale, Essence is Once Again a Fully Black-Owned Magazine
The New York Times
January 3, 2018
Obama Personally Answers Questions at Chicago Presidential Library Forum
Chicago Tribune
September 15, 2017
Radio disc jockey Herb Kent remembered as a gentleman
Austin Weekly News
October 26, 2016
Chicago Radio Legend Herb Kent ‘The Cool Gent’ Dies At Age 88
DNA Info
October 23, 2016
Obama Foundation names 17 leaders to ‘inclusion council’ on diversity issues
Chicago Tribune
October 11, 2016
Pillars of Black Media, Once Vibrant, Now Fighting for Survival
The New York Times
July 2, 2016
Chicago’s Iconic WVON Radio Celebrates 50 Fabulous Years
Ebony Magazine
April 17, 2013
WVON AM Radio Celebrates 50 Years in Chicago
DNA Info
April 3, 2013
Chicago Now
July 22, 2012
Chicago Magazine
February 14, 2012
Ariel Investments, UBR Radio Show Fetes “Game Changers”
Black Enterprise
August 8, 2010
Come work with us
If you love media or are interested in using your skills to make a difference in Chicago, we might have the perfect opportunity for you to join our team. Come work in an energetic environment where you can develop professionally, make an impact, and have fun at the same time! Learn about our current opportunities below.
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