• What is The Midnight Special?
  • Click HERE for an expanded answer.
• Can you tell me the history of the show?
  • Click HERE for the history page.
• Did The Midnight Special ever begin at midnight?
  • To the best of our knowledge, the program never began at midnight, just like the train. The train called "The Midnight Special" ran on the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (GM&O) Railroad, and it departed Chicago at 11:00 PM. However, we doubt this was on Mike Nichols' mind when he named the program. WFMT kept very short hours back in 1953, and would have normally signed off by 11 on Saturday evenings. The program eventually moved to 10:15, where it stayed for almost 40 years, and more recently to its current time of 9:00 PM. Incidentally, the train about which Lead Belly sings in our theme song was a mythical train that supposedly ran past Sugarland Prison in Texas. Rumor had it that if "The Midnight Special" shone its ever-lovin' light on you, you would be a free man within the year.
• How do I find out more about the concerts mentioned on "The Midnight Special"?
  • At the bottom of every Chicago playlist is a complete listing of concerts mentioned on that week's program, with contact information for tickets and reservations. The playlist for each Saturday's program is posted Sunday about noon. Since this may be too late for some listeners to find details for concerts occurring that day, we suggest you check the concerts listed on the previous week's playlist.
• Does The Midnight Special take requests?
  • Our only formal request program is New Year's Eve, a tradition we've enjoyed for about 40 years. We do not take requests at any other time. Listeners always are welcome to make suggestions with the understanding we make no commitment to play them.
• How come you post The Midnight Special playlist the day after the broadcast?
  • First, and most important, I don't know what I'll be playing until shortly before broadcast. Even if I did, our webmaster has a life, and doesn't sit perched at her computer awaiting The Midnight Special playlist. Once she gets the list, she needs to reformat it and add the links to artists and labels, which takes time. Finally, my goal is to continually surprise you on The Midnight Special. Seeing the playlist in advance ruins the surprise, and a good portion of the fun.
• What happened to Norm and Ray?
  • Norm Pellegrini is alive and well and pursuing other interests. Ray Nordstrand retired from the program after a heart attack in 1993, and after a long illness, passed away, August 27, 2005.
• How come you don't offer taped or CD copies of the program, or some of the selections that you play? I'd be willing to pay.
  • Our licensing agreement with ASCAP and BMI allows us to broadcast music, not to sell copies of it. To make copies of the program would violate the composers' and artists' copyrights, not to mention their livelihoods. We sympathize that some of what we play is no longer available for purchase, but it is still copyrighted. Even if these legalities did not exist, WFMT lacks the staff and facilities to oblige. We strongly urge you to purchase the selections you enjoy.
• You post two different playlists, a Chicago playlist and a national playlist. Which show do I hear?
  • If you listen to the three-hour Midnight Special on WFMT, either over-the-air, or on our Internet streaming or archive service, you are hearing the Chicago program and should reference the Chicago playlists. If you hear the two-hour program on a radio station outside of the Chicago area or on Channel 15 of XM Satellite Radio, the national playlist is for you.
• How do I attend your New Year's Eve festivities?
  • First, you have to be listening to The Midnight Special in the fall, most likely during our fundraiser in November. There are two ways to receive an invitation to our gala New Year's Eve party. If you want two confirmed seats, you can pledge $225 per seat during The Midnight Special on our fall Fine Arts Circle membership drive. Or you can enter a free drawing for New Year's Eve tickets. For details on that, you need to listen to the program during November. If you miss the fundraiser, tickets may be purchased on a space available basis by contacting our Fine Arts Circle director Al Andreychuk at: aandreychuk@wfmt.com
• How come the syndicated program I hear on my local station or XM does not match the playlist posted?
• Although we try to keep everyone synchronized, local stations for various reasons sometimes air programs out of sequence or on other than the suggested days. We have little control over this. We apologize for the inconveniece and promise that if the playlist for that program isn't already posted, it will be the following week. XM recently began carrying the current national shows, but sometimes it, too, experiences difficulties airing them the week we intend.

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