WALM INTERVIEW PHOTO - Historical Albion Michigan

Don’t you miss our WALM radio station? This was Albion’s “own” station which broadcast local news, events, and sports from November 2, 1952, until it was closed in May, 1995. The “AL” stood for Albion, and the “M” for Marshall. It was originally marketed as “The Voice of Albion and Marshall.” It was the local programming that made the radio station special. When WALM went off the air in 1995 the 1260 frequency was absorbed by a Grand Rapids station on the same frequency which increased its power there as a result.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of a group of Albion businessmen being interviewed at the station, located along 25 ½ Mile Road (Irwin Avenue) circa 1961. I don’t have any other information about this photo, furnished by Ken Waito. Seated from left to right are: Herbert Wilking (Wilking’s Office Supply) unidentified man 1, unidentified man 2; station owner C. Wayne Wright; Mayor Hugh Rieger, Councilman James McIntosh; insurance agent John A. Weeks. Standing with microphone in hand is Dallas Zonkers, executive secretary of the Albion Chamber of Commerce. Does anyone recognized the unidentified men, or know of the occasion for this photograph?

UPDATE: Albion Panel Endorses Water Bond Issue. Albion businessmen and city officials supporting the $340,000 water department revenue bond issue, the subject of a referendum next Tuesday, conduct a panel discussion with Dallas Zonkers, manager of the Albion Chamber of Commerce (right with microphone) as moderator. Left to right are: Herbert Wilking, retailer; Jack Baisch, water commissioner; Robert L. Curtis, plant engineer; C. Wayne Wright, president of the Albion Chamber of Commerce; Mayor H. A. Rieger; James McIntosh, city councilman; John Weeks, insurance broker, and Mr. Zonkers in back holding the microphone. (From Jackson Citizen Patriot, July 29,1960)

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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