‘Peoria Had Something Special’: Central Illinois Radio Legend Retires After 46 Remarkable Years

Longtime Peoria radio personality Scott Wheeler actually retired April 1. However, he waited until Friday to officially announce his retirement after nearly a half-century behind the microphone.

“We had a couple of other guys who were retiring or changing their plans at the time,” Wheeler said. “I didn’t want to steal their thunder.”

Scott Wheeler has retired after a 46-year career in radio. He spent 42 of those years in the greater Peoria area market.

Cleveland rocks, but Peoria’s better

Wheeler, a 46-year radio veteran, spent 42 years of his career in Peoria. Like many radio personalities, he sought a bigger market early in his career. In 1986, he found that market in Cleveland, where he worked for a year.

He eventually decided Peoria suited him better.

“Really, Peoria had something very special that I didn’t know I was looking for,” Wheeler said. “It’s a great place to raise a family. I had a brand-new baby when we moved to Cleveland, and it didn’t take me long to realize Cleveland’s a great city if you’re young and single and going out every night. But to raise a family, I’d rather be somewhere where it didn’t take me an hour and a half to get to the doctor’s office.”

The hub of Peoria’s music scene

The Heart of Illinois Fair at Exposition Gardens was at the hub of Wheeler’s favorite memories from his early career because it was the hub of the greater Peoria area’s summer social calendar.

“That was before we had the Civic Center or other entertainment options,” he said. “That was the thing to go to during the summer. Caterpillar vacation was during that time; and the radio station was always there every day, broadcasting and welcoming artists that were in our format to the concert stage.”