Every time I turn you guys on there it is: AC/DC - You have 28 records that you play all the time 'over and over and over and over' some songs 5 times a day and more! Why! Is it for financial reasons - why in the hell would you not play more of a selection? Do you need to borrow some of my albums? You have 50 years of F'ing music out there. I like your DJs and many things about your station; but you play too many commercials, and then, torture us with the same crap - too much Tom Petty, Pat Benatar. And then 'Rhapsody' - hell I used to like that song; now I hate it - and you have ruined Zeplin for me, for life: I used to love them - and so, on and on . But, you are the only Classic Rock station in my area. PS: Why have Alice Cooper play the same crap that we here all day - I thought he was a Classic Rock specialist read more

The Drive! 97.1 on the FM Dial Some people don't like to drive, and would rather let someone else take the wheel. I guess that's what the Drive is for. Their disc jockeys jockey up a bunch of classic rock. It makes me feel old what they consider "Classic" rock. Their DJs are pretty funny, but vapid. I generally change the channel when they come on. I'll stick around if they play some Stairway again, or some Skynyrd. Is it just me, or does there seem to be a lot of commercials on this station? I was hoping for more country and western music, instead of Tom Petty again. They do play a lot of his stuff. WDRV used to broadcast from the Hancock building, but now they're in Prudential Plaza, with their antenna on top of the Aon Center. The station is owned by Hubbard Media, and can be tuned in on a smart speaker. read more

Five Stars for Bob Stroud. Well Done. Thank You. Rock radio legend Bob Stroud signing off as midday host on The Drive https://www.robertfeder.com/2022/06/07/rock-radio-legend-bob-stroud-signing-off-midday-host-drive/ read more

I was waiting in a cathedral parking lot and channel surfing in Des Plaines. On comes Promised Land by Springsteen. Rock and Roll Heart by Clapton. After that I can't remember. They seem to play classic rock that you haven't heard since it was out, unlike most of the SSDD stations. This made the trip. It's something to look forward to when I'm heading East. read more

This is another station that plays great rock songs from mostly the 60's and 70's. They are playing some from the 80's now and getting more competitive with their former sister station WLUP. I saw the legendary Styx at the Rosemont Theatre , hung out with JIm Peterik at this free show sponsered by this station and got to hear and meet Instant Karma the opening band. read more

WDRV - WDRV radio is in the Hancock Bldg. - Radio Stations Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

WDRV, which serves Chicago and Zion (wherever that is), is a radio station that allows me to be unabashedly nostalgic. You see, deep down, I am a classic rock gal at my core. It's the music I began listening to at a very early age (thanks to much older siblings) and that has continued throughout my life. It's kind of sad that music that was once "alternative" is now so old that it's become "classic rock." Yes kiddies, Nirvana was once considered alternative rock. I guess on The Drive they call it "timeless rock," which is pretty accurate as it's a broader description of the music they play. I like that on any given day I'll hear The Beatles, R.E.M., Elvis Costello and Fleetwood Mac all within the same hour. Their programming also appeals to me: Thursday Artist Portrait, Lost and Found, and Ten @10, Album-Sides Thursday (yes, albums!) are all worth tuning in for. I also like the smoove voices of the DJs, especially Bobby Skafish (whom I'm loved since his two stints on WXRT), but really, they're all pretty good. WDRV also broadcasts in HD digital radio where you can find "deep tracks." I've discovered and (rediscovered in some cases) some great tunes that way. WDRV is like that favorite pair of jeans that you just can't bear to part with; they're probably not the most stylish item in your wardrobe, but they're comfortable and make you feel good. read more

The Drive is my second-favorite station in Chicago, blending '70s-era rock and pop like a chocolate/vanilla fro-yo swirl. It's like the love child of 97.9 and 94.7, minus the annoying bits, and with legit DJs. So those parents should be really proud, even if they're not speaking to each other since meeting at that Cheap Trick cover band show back in '00. The music is 1) what I grew up listening to, and 2) the most important aspect of the station. They play mostly hits, but from a list ranging from Steely Dan to the Police to Pink Floyd to ELO to CSNY to Thin Lizzy to Genesis to Simon & Garfunkel to Billy Joel to Led Zeppelin to Bruce Springsteen to Jackson Browne. That last one is not a selling point for me, or Daryl Hannah, but to each her own. There's also no morning zoo show, no chatterbox cast of characters or big egos. The on-air staff is old-school, most are musicians, and Bobby Skafish and I share the distinction of having been DJs at Indiana University's WIUS. Back when it was AM only, too. The features are mostly good. Thursday Artist Portrait is particularly good, and the A-to-Z marathon is fun (if you catch the Bs, you'll hear "Basketball Jones" by Cheech and Chong, which is a treat). The newest one, the 5:00 Lost and Found, can be weak - sometimes the songs aren't really very lost. The Drive isn't about being louder or sexxxier or zanier than the other local stations, or pandering to the lowest common denominator (I guess I just said the same thing twice). It's about keeping true classic rock in rotation so one day some trixie might hear "Every Breath You Take" or "Won't Get Fooled Again" and realize they were written before she was born, and not by P. Diddy or CBS. Stay with us, WDRV - we like you, but mostly, we need you. Also, note to Jacob G. - I think we all want to work at WDRV. Good luck, kiddo. read more

I can finally listen to good music all day instead of lady gaga on 101.9. The management at my job finally came to their senses :). But really, this is what I grew up listening to, and it brings me back to my days in high school when I'd listen to Pink Floyd all the time. Even 22 year olds can get nostalgic while listening to the drive. Thursdays are now my favorite days to work thanks to the triple play Thursday. This past Thursday I heard Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, and David Bowie all in a row. They must have known I was listening. read more

I have listened to this station for the longest time and I have nothing but WONDERFUL things to say about it. If you check my review on how bad WLIT is, you'll see why I feel so strongly about WDRV. 97.1 always changes the song lineup; they always surprise you with B-sides and entire album sides; they tell listeners about the history of a particular band or artist; and their annual (or so it seems) "A to Z" lineups are always very enjoyable. Unlike pretty much every other station on the radio today WDRV actually cares about playing good music and providing variety (as opposed to, say, WLIT who play the same 10-15 terrible songs over and over, or 96.3 who do worse with only 7 or 8 songs). On top of that, they are constantly "updating" the catalog by including bands that made their mark around 20 years ago (thus you'll hear classics from Nirvana and Pearl Jam, for instance). Needless to say, this station is doing it right...they actually care about good music and are not just a radio station but an archive and historian of worthwhile musical works. read more

For my 38 years of living, and in roughly 31 years of having the power of reason, this is the best radio station that has ever existed. Being 10-15 years younger than the average listener, and arguably outside WDRV's typical demographic racially, I can still attest to the integrity and responsibility this station puts into preserving one of the most revered genres in all of music. There isn't a station, to my knowledge with so obvious a devotion as to frame the artwork so completely that its presentation is right on par with the love of the most sincere listener. Playing songs that people are already in love with isn't rocket science, but The Drive has turned it into just that--a science. All this without demoralizing, over your head, know-it-alls at mic. Whether it's the theme based Ten@ 10, or the long one at 9, or the throaty, urbane Djs, The Drive is just plain cool. I wouldn't change a thing... 5 stars. read more

The Drive is the best radio station in Chicago. I've been listening to it since it began ten years ago. All their DJs are great, but my favorite of them all has to be Bob Stroud. I enjoy listening to his Rock 'N Roll Roots show every Sunday morning. I also like the other special things that The Drive does, such as Ten @ 10, Album Sides Thursday, and The Drive A To Z. This may be a little off topic, but I was a Radio major at Columbia College Chicago and I graduated from there in May of 2011. My goal is to be on the air at The Drive one day. I love classic rock music and I've been listening to it for my whole life. I know a lot of things about many of the great rock artists from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Unfortunately, I'm only 23 years old and most of the DJs at The Drive are between 40 and 60. Even though I'm considerably younger than the current on-air talent at the station, I think I'd fit in well at The Drive because of my knowledge and love of rock and roll. read more

Major props for being of the few Chicago based radio stations that doesn't totally suck. It does have the problem of repeating some songs too often, but then again, what corporately-owned FM radio station doesn't have this problem to some degree? Also love that they have a music log, since I've learned the name of so many band names and/or song names over the years that I like, all thanks to this station. Final thing I'll mention(but initially forgot to say), is that I absolutely love the fact the DJs at this station tend to not have excessive on-air banter between songs. read more

Let me first say I'm in my twenties and I love this station. It's the only thing that got me through working midnights. I knew I could leave it on in the car and be good the rest of the night. This is unlike some other stations that play maybe one or two good songs and then you have to turn the dial. But not WDRV, they consistently play excellent songs all day long. Thanks for the great programs throughout the day. I now know where I can get my Stones fix on a daily basis. read more

I listen on the way to work and I do like the banter between the group. I do need to ask that the content be changed slightly; I work for an Oncology group and it doesn't feel right when there is a drop in which a voice says," Tingle is experiencing a brain tumor". That is really inappropriate for those who are suffering with the effects of that diagnosis. You can't imagine how helpless someone feels when they know they can no longer control what they say because of a mass on their brain. I'm 55, please feel free to use "male menopause moment!" You will get more laughs from the females. Thank you. M. Barrett read more

The three stars bespeak a little naive optimism, since I have enjoyed this station in the past. But on the whole, the Drive isn't really about music any longer. There are a few bright spots here and there. The Sunday morning programming is still pretty solid, and a few features (A to Z, Long One at Nine) still manage to deliver on the station's founding premise, having to do with old school, no-nonsense presentation of a wide and deep variety of "classic" rock. But anyone familiar with the descent of good radio stations into audio outhouses could predict where The Drive's trajectory is heading. DJs talking over records, Wacky Morning Teams (in this case a couple of shouting, sub-literate, two-digit IQ Jersey Shore refugees and overall cretins, i.e. "Sherman and Tingle"), contests, and live events ("Wow, I can meet Sherman and Tingle at a dive bar in Kankakee, totally worth it!!") are all symptoms of desperation, and it's doubtful that this station will even remotely resemble its original incarnation in a year or two. Well, you know, a guy can dream. Finally, I don't think The Drive plays enough Rolling Stones. I was listening to WDRV in the car recently, and there must have been six or seven minutes between Stones tunes. Unacceptable. After all, the Stones are The Greatest Rock and Roll Band In The World. Anyone who thinks there's an upward limit to the times a sane human can listen to Gimme Shelter or You Can't Always Get What You Want really shouldn't be listening to the radio. Right? read more

Rock 'N Roll Roots is Trite, Tired, Played-Out Boringness; just like everything else WDRV does in any given week of airplay! The DJs must have better musical tastes than what they are told to play. If the DJs are playing the things they like, then they have horrible taste in music. Even within a limited time frame (1964-1988, or thereabouts) of their musical selections, WDRV fails listeners by playing the same songs over, and over, and over; when they could play a more expansive variety of songs from that limited time period. Some classic songs that WDRV plays will always be great classic - some great song are somehow ''unkillable''. But there is too much overplayed junk to wade through to get to the good stuff. Ten @ 10, and Rock 'N Roll Roots, particularly, should contain songs that are rarely played anywhere else on radio. Instead, Ten @ 10, and Rock 'N Roll Roots are just more of the same tired, boring overplayed noise. Around 8 AM Sundays, Bob Stroud usually plays a couple Beatles related tunes, just as another DJ is signing-on down the dial. Turn to 93.1 WXRT Sundays at 8 AM to find Terri Hemmert sharing great Beatles related music and great stories. Terri Hemmert's show - Breakfast With The Beatles - comes across as a music community, whereas Rock And Roll Roots comes across as just another three hours of radio, like all of the 168 hours of sameness in every WDRV week. read more

These five stars are dedicated to the memory of Allan Stagg. The radio program "Sanctuary" will live on in my mind as the greatest I've ever heard... read more

Overall, this radio station does its job - playing more popular classic rock music. But it could do much better by adding deeper tracks to the lineup. The ten at ten feature is something I look forward to most days, but it needs to delve more into the featured year. Many of the on air personalities have been in the industry for many years and know their music. My belief is if they had the choice, they would expand the play list more. During this past winter, one of the best morning on air personalities retired. Unfortunately, he was replaced by two new personalities who have changed the feel of the station a bit too much, at least to my liking. There is too much banter between these two - and it detracts from the music. The morning drive was always "the morning show that's all about the music" to quote a former DJ. It seems that is no longer the case. read more

I love hearing from all the young listeners talking about the music that I grew up with as their own. It just goes to show good music is timeless and ageless. as a Dad of 20 somethings and teens that also love this music, its fun to tell my kids about some of the concert experiences and artists I was able to see and meet (Stevie Ray Vaughn among them) It has been WDRV that has introduced so many of the "Kids" to this music and I think its great. This Music is all of ours and Its importance can't be overlooked, how many of us have had a song help us get through a rough patch or evoke great memories? Sorry for being so long winded But WDRV means a lot to this 50 year old. Keep up the great work and W'ell all keep listening! read more

Great station, ESPECIALLY the HD2 stream, which is really special and a pleasure to listen to. Keep it up!

Here's a great story: so this spring I was living in Chicago. on some idle tuesday there was a news item about a couple of Muslims in TX who had bought a bunch of calling card cell phones, you know the ones that you pay as you go, usually for a short time. anyway, these guys were raided and accused of being part of a plot to blow up the Mackinaw Bridge that connects the Upper Penninsula of Michigan to its lower part. well, turns out the government had it all wrong - these guys were just trying to resell them for a small profit to get by. so the next day, without further comment or hub bub, WDRV makes it's 'song of the day', a 10am regular feature Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited which includes these lines: Well Mack the Finger said to Louie the King I got forty red white and blue shoe strings And a thousand telephones that don't ring Do you know where I can get rid of these things And Louie the King said let me think for a minute son And he said yes I think it can be easily done Just take everything down to Highway 61. Well, i don't have the foggiest what a thousand phones that don't ring is all about, but it sure did fit for these phones used to Make calls cause you don't have the number for long enuf to tell neighbors. i'm not into all that reading dylan as some sort of nostrodomos, but it kinda made my day, cause it was just cool. oh, and 61 runs up to Lake Superior and Duluth in MN, while 75 runs to Lake Huron,Michigan and the Big Bridge in Michigan. So I guess the prophet just got the wrong 'M' state and his math missed by Catorce. j read more

This is the best station in Chicago, maybe the best in the country, judging by what I've heard when I'm travelling. They have the best DJ's and really educate the listener about the music. They don't have cheap gimmicks to get listeners. They don't talk too much and they don't have too many commercials. The also have some nice programming like Album Sides Day, Drive A to Z, Thursday Featured Artist, 10 @ 10, Live at 5, One at 1:45 and so on. The only thing stopping me from giving the station 5 stars is that they repeat some songs too often. The music is better than what WLS and WFLD used to play back in the day because they were stuck playing only the top hits. The Drive can ignore the tacky bubblegum music and just play classic rock. read more

I think Sherman and Tingle should be demoted to Saturday Mornings from 6-10 a.m. and mostly Sunday Mornings from 5-5:30 a.m. and 6:30-7 a.m. Jim Foster, Don Nelson, or Marc Vernon shares the Sunday nights from 7-9 p.m and 11 p.m.- midnight. Byrd should be promoted to Weekday Mornings from 5-10 a.m. Bob Stroud stays as middays from 10 am.-3 p.m. Steve Seaver stays as afternoons from 3-8 p.m. Phil Manicki stays as evening from 8 p.m.-midnight. Greg Easterling stays as overnight from midnight-5 a.m. Time Warp with Bill St. James should move to Saturday nights from 7-11 p.m. BRING BACK THURSDAY ARTIST PORTRAIT! DRIVE'S A TO Z! AND ALBUM SIDES! read more

What started out as a fresh and welcome station to Chicago radio, has morphed into Classic Corporate Rock crap, what was once the soundtrack of our lives is now the soundtrack of the corporate suits. Long gone is morning drive Steve Downes all about the music mantra...the Drive had a mission statement in it's inception, no gimmicks contests or goofy morning shows, just all about the music now u have daily contests, cash calls, and Shriek and Tinkle morning drive, long gone is their massive library of deep tracks to be replaced by 25 or 50 songs that come off a list of the best classic rock songs from surveys across the country, no more album sides artist portrait the only way to get any deep cuts is through Stroud's 10@10, seems to me Stroud and what's left of his legacy is hanging on for the almighty retirement check..shame on WDRV for taking a once fresh format, and turning it into cookie cutter classic rock crap a tired format that is heard across the country read more

This is a great station, Especially for it's 10 at 10 & other musical segments.

Some of the people working at this radio station are very rude and obnoxious. I would never listen to their lame radio station and I would suggest you do the same. There are much better radio stations out there anyway. read more

I sometimes wonder what heaven and hell would be like, and my theory of what hell would be, is to relive the same moment over and over and over and over again....for all eternity. That's what listening to 'The Drive' is like (the station plays at my work place in our service department everyday). There is absolutely no need for a DJ when all they're required to do is put the same limited playlist on shuffle. How often should a radio station play 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in a week for instance? This is how narrow minded Corporate America believes a mass audience to be, and maybe they're right. With such an extensive library of material to be had within the genre of Classic Rock, there is no reason to hear the same songs several times a week. What would actually make a Classic Rock station interesting, is for one to discover songs that they may not have heard before, to play B-Sides of a popular artist's work, and to play bands that existed during the era, but never quite received the proper recognition they deserved. Incorporating these ideas with the songs that are already played on a regular basis would make for a much higher quality listening experience. Much of this can be accomplished through knowledgeable DJ's (if provided the opportunity of course), and listener requests. There is a ton of musical knowledge out there that I'm sure people would love to share with others. However, if the demand of an audience is to truly hear the same songs over and over, than that is unfortunately what Corporate America will deliver. For now.... read more