Carol McGowan has been a part of the Argo family and has been a sponsor for Argo’s radio station for 14 years. McGowan has dedicated her life to spreading local news and brought what she learned to the students here at Argo who are interested in spreading news.
Spreading news is pivotal in today’s society. McGowan got a degree in radio and broadcasting and joined several radio stations with the intention of helping her community stay knowledgeable. McGowan has deep ties in Summit and can trace her family being here all the way to 1918.
McGowan works for the Des Plaines Valley newspaper and Argo’s radio station called WARG. She never intended to come back to Argo, but fate brought her back, nonetheless.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.
What was your job in radio like?
I was a driver for the Shadow Traffic Network collecting traffic information and calling it back to our office in the 94th floor observatory in the John Hancock building. It was just driving around gathering information. This was before cameras, and there were sensors underneath the roadway that IDOT had for the expressways but on the tollways, there was no camera technology. I first did traffic on the weekends on WMAQ-AM, which was a news/talk station that doesn’t exist anymore. Then I did traffic, or news and traffic for radio stations like WCCQ, WPNT, WLUP, WUSN, WLS, and others before going to WCCQ in Joliet full-time in 2001 as the morning show co-host. Roy Gregory and I did the morning show until March 2020.
Have you ever regretted going into radio?
I haven’t. I graduated from Columbia College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts and Radio Broadcasting. I did Radio for over 30 years from the traffic service and then I did almost 23 at WCCQ country radio station in Joliet. I cohosted mornings so that was fun. Radio is definitely changing. But again, the local content is what people go after more now to keep it local to keep listeners.
Now you work at a newspaper. How did you move from radio to that?
Covid hit, and things changed with the company I was at. They downsized in many of their markets, let people go, and I was one of them. After about a week or two, I knew I would then be working at the Desplaines Valley News Newspaper for Southwest Community Publishing. It all worked out well for me, and I’m very happy to be at a Summit-based Newspaper. They say things happen for a reason, and when one door closes, another one opens, and it sure did for me. I couldn’t be happier covering news in the local area, and on top of it, still able to work with WARG at Argo!
How long did you work in the radio industry versus the newspaper industry?
I did radio for almost 34 years and then only 3 and 1/2 at the newspaper. It’s pretty new for me. I do a lot of different things there. It’s a great job. I’m still local and keep in touch with local people here.
You’ve dedicated your life to spreading news. Why did you choose this?
I always liked it. I listened to the radio when I was very young. I couldn’t wait to get into Argo to be on the radio station here and I always knew I wanted to go to Columbia because I wanted to go further into radio. It was just kind of always in my blood.
Is there a reason why you came back to Argo?
My family has roots here since 1918. I always felt connected to the radio station here and through friends that I made when I was here and alumni events. This is my 11th year here.
