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.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
The Whispers "Rock Steady"
When Chicago's "Rock 103.5" (WRCX-FM) flipped formats to Jammin' Oldies in the fall of 1998, "103-5 The Beat" (WUBT-FM) was born. The station claimed not to be "your father's oldies station" as it featured music from The Temptations, Donna Summer and The Bee Gees. The station even played early music from Madonna such as "Holiday". The station managed to get famed DJ Larry Lujack out of retirement. Lujack, who was a weekly guest on the station's morning show, eventually got his own show that aired each Saturday morning show from his home in New Mexico. The station also lobbied to get native Chicagoan Chaka Khan a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. By 2000, a new owner took over and wanted no part of the Jammin' Oldies format. Clear Channel (the new owner) wanted to launch a Top 40 station to take on longtime station B-96 (WBBM-FM). In January 2001, Clear Channel dumped "The Beat" in favor of Top 40 "KISS-FM" (WKSC-FM).