Phil Collins, Elton John, and Gloria Estefan dominated Adult Contemporary radio back in the 1980s and '90s, yet have disappeared from modern radio. Seemingly, the only time you ever hear them is at the grocery store or your local CVS. This blog remembers the music, the stories and the quirky characters from my days working in Adult Contemporary radio.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Wynonna Judd "Tell Me Why"
For years, US 99 (WUSN-FM) was the premiere country music radio station in Chicago. After launching in 1982, the station went on to knock out their four main competitors en route to twenty-plus years of dominance. They actually billed themselves as "America's Country Station" after becoming the most listened to country station in the country -- so take that! In 2015, Clear Channel/iHeartMedia launched a country station called "Big 95.5" that did what all the stations (including KICKS Country 94.7FM) couldn't--it gave US99 a formidable opponent. The result: multiple staff shakeups, management changes and numerous tweaks to the music. Today, US 99 continues to hold the title of #1 country radio station in Chicago...for now.