Super C Radio Legend Jim Hebel passes away
Fri, 02/14/2025 - 10:02am
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By:
Dan Evans TPD Publisher
CRESCO - One of the best in the radio business has passed, but will long be remembered!
Super C Radio Legend James “Jim” Hebel passed away in his Charles City home on Tuesday, Jan. 28. He was age 79 and lived his life many years behind a “mic” as a disc jockey, working for radio stations in Chicago, Woodstock, Rockford in Illinois and in Saginaw, Michigan.
His unique voice had a little “studder” with it when talking face-to-face with someone, but in front of a mic––while on air––Hebel was “good as gold” with a certain flow and voice that made his name recognizable and something special when broadcasting.
Ahead of radio, Hebel was a graduate from Lane Tech High School in 1964 and then obtained his bachelor’s degree from Illinois Teachers College. After college, Jim worked at Avondale School as a teacher and assistant principal, but his true love was broadcasting, music and radio.
In 1986, Hebel followed his passion to Charles City where he bought KCHA (both the AM and FM frequencies). He then built radio stations KCZY in Osage, KCZQ in Cresco, and KCZE in New Hampton, creating a nice area chain called the “Super C”. The five stations allowed him to sell combination advertising, but also to share some of his music offerings and different ways for production each day.
One extraordinary thing about his radio stations was his love for God and Country in that the Holy Rosary, and a local classroom full of kids would sing the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance once each day. He would also have a weekly Sunday church service, Polka music, Flashback music on Saturday nights, and a Golden Classic Age of Radio on Sundays.
You would also often see Hebel at local school concerts, recording a show to broadcast live, or possibly the next day. Sports was another important factor for his stations, often covering local games and meets––especially the playoffs, where his announcers were some of the best in the business. His personnel, or Hebel, would frequently cover local events as well, telling of the units in a parade, broadcasting during an event such as the fair, or doing a community celebration.
The DJ was very talented when it came to music. He knew how to play a variety of instruments and started out his career as a recording artist and producer. His knowledge of bands and professional singing groups, individuals, was also very extensive. His play list on his stations were often created by him, which again, made his stations unique and interesting.
“Jim was a very clever guy, a unique guy,” commented Dean Lickteig, who has worked for Hebel over two decades. “His stations played music you would never hear anywhere else. He brought a lot from Chicago and had a great knowledge of music like no other.”
Lickteig pointed out that Hebel loved the word “local” and when listening to his stations, it was the local events, games, activities and more that you found playing.
“He loved doing parades,”said Lickteig with a smile. “Who does a parade on the radio? It’s theater of the mind . . . during a parade he would talk about a certain car that would pass by and would remind him of a old Chevy he once owned in Chicago, starting a little conversation that people would connect with. He was always at the fair, at school concerts, at just about every parade.”
Lickteig also commented about Hebel’s profession in the Chicago area that launched his DJ career.
“He was on WCFL, which was a big radio station and also worked for WMAQ for a short time, which was an NBC affliated station, both in Chicago. Jim did concerts and opened up for the Jackson Five, introduced them when they first got started, and he even interviewed Bob Seger.”
Hebel was also in the recording business at one time, and recorded an album for the Metro Christmas Flyer which featured a lot of songs still played by the Cresco Station.
“Jim knew how to do a studio recording and did some stuff for “Chefs Records” when a lot of up-and-coming artists were in there (including Chuck Berry and Chubby Checker). He also played in a band and, I believe, knew how to play several instruments.”
Lickteig commented that Hebel did have a studdering problem, but once the mic was in his hand and he was broadcasting, he would would be flawless.
“Mel Tillis was the same way. When Mel would sing, it came out perfect, but when he talked with the public, he would studder. Everyone knew Jim studdered, but few knew he could talk on a mic perfectly and was such a predominate disc jockey.”
Lickteig added that Hebel was proud of his stations and had five at one time, which formed the “Super C” radio group.
“”He had a kind of exclusive thing call the Super C Radio Network, where all five would broadcast off each other. The Super C does not stand for anything in Cresco. It comes from WCFL where they actually have ‘kind of’ the same’ logo. Jim loved the Chicago area, which is where he was from, and brought of lot of that Chicago-style flavor of music to our area.”
Lickteig commented that “Jim will be very much missed,” and added that his “love and knowledge of music” will likely live on for many additional years in Cresco.
Bruce Buckley is another announcer at the Cresco Station and has always been intrigued by his boss.
“Jim had a larger than life personality and it’s really hard to believe that he’s not here and gone,” said Buckley, who also came from Chicago as a broadcaster, but never knew him before coming to Cresco. “Jim would call the station seven times a day. He loved radio with such a passion. His main goal in life was to own radio stations and he actually lived out his dream.”
Buckley commented that Hebel was on that lived for community service and it showed in everything he did.
“He always was about live and local and that’s what we did! I’ve have really never met anyone quite like him.”
Continuing with Hebel’s history, it was in 1990, Jim married Alexsandria “Sandy” Lewon. In their early years of marriage, the couple would go dancing every weekend. They also raised horses and dogs for shows and national competitions. They attended, and won, many shows and championships around the county and Canada. They were members of the American Quarter Horse Association and Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America. He was also involved with the communities he served and was a member of the Elks and Rotary Club.
A funeral Mass for James Hebel was held on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City with Reverend Tom Heathershaw officiating.
