The crew at Citadel Media-owned News/Talker WLS/Chicago will blowout 85 candles on their birthday cake this weekend as the Windy City station celebrates 85 years of service to the Chicago-land region. A special two-hour tribute, The History of WLS, will air this Sunday (4/12) from noon-2pm featuring milestone highlights and personalities from the station’s storied past. Gene “The Singing Cowboy” Autry from WLS’ National Barn Dance, singer Andy Williams, comedian George Goebel, and legendary Top 40 DJ’s Dick Biondi, Larry Lujack and John “Records” Landecker will all be among the personalities featured during the special program. From its days as Sears’ “World’s Largest Store” and the midwest’s “Voice of Agriculture,” to “Music Radio” and its modern-day News/Talk format, WLS has been a part of Chicago listeners’ audio soundtrack for eight and a half decades. You can check out the special tribute broadcast online at www.wlsam.com.

To compete with rival Apple’s iPhone application store, Research In Motion has launched its own online store to sell entertainment, news and travel applications to the legions of Blackberry users. To make the app store attractive to developers, RIM is offering 80% of revenues to its software developers vs. a reported 70% share offered by Apple to iPhone app developers. Seeking to cut further into the mobile consumer market, RIM will offer a number of new apps for Blackberry including Slacker, which allows users to create their own radio stations, and QuickPlay Media which plans to deliver full-length prime-time TV shows to “crack-berry” addicts. Check it out at www.blackberry.com/appworld.

Dial-Global/CBS Radio syndicated talker Michael Smerconish (pictured) has published his fourth book, Morning Drive: Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Talking (Globe Pequot/The Lyons Press). Smerconish says his latest tome is really like two books in one. “One is a political manifesto in which I offer viewpoints on every issue, from same sex relationships to the hunt for bin Laden. The other is a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Talk radio and television punditry.” The WPHT/Philadelphia-based morning host characterizes his new book as “informative, revealing and funny.” Smerconish is slated to kick off a book tour on April 27 on NBC’s Today show, and will also host a one-man show in support of Morning Drive on May 1, at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ, a suburban community just outside Philly.

Just in time for the upcoming NBA playoffs, KLAC/Los Angeles and FOX Sports Radio are hitting the streets of Tinsletown in a big way with their brand new Hummer-powered mobile billboard. The 30-foot long, one-of-a-kind roving billboard is being used to promote the station’s broadcasts of the Los Angeles Lakers who are playoff-bound again this season.

A number of NTS MediaOnline Today readers responded to yesterday’s “Talk Media News Notes” item in which McVay New Media president Daniel Anstandig reported that President Barack Obama’s “team” had begun following the company’s Twitter blog. For the record, it should be noted that Obama’s account is set up so that if you follow him on Twitter, he automatically follows you. In fact, several e-mailers noted that Obama is currently following some 632,000+ “Twitterbugs.” Our mention of the President following McVay Media’s posts was not intended to suggest that it was somehow unique to their company, rather our intent was merely to point out the rapid growth of the new media trend. And yes, if you sign up to follow the Prez, you too can receive your very own “tweet” telling you that “Barack Obama is now following your updates on Twitter.” Use it to show all your friends that you’re personally connected to America’s “First Twitter-er.”

It’s been just a little over a month since the industry bid a final ‘good day’ to ABC Radio Networks (now Citadel Media) newsman Paul Harvey. Now that his passing is no longer the subject of daily headlines, it seemed like a good time to remind News/Talk broadcasters that the memory of Harvey and his lifelong partner “Angel” will be honored forever by naming the special events center at Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago The Paul and Angel Harvey Center. You can help support fund raising efforts with a direct donation from you, your station, or your company. Your station can also solicit support from Harvey’s legion of fans across the nation by promoting details to your listeners that are available on the MBC website at www.museum.tv. MBC President and founder Bruce DuMont began the fundraising campaign just after Harvey’s death, however the effort to build the museum and the memorial center is an ongoing, year-round effort and deserving of our industry’s support