WLUP/Chicago: 30 Years of Rock

Chicago's WLUP signed on 30 years ago in March 1977. The station now celebrating their 30th Anniversary with just a ton of memorabilia available on their website - old logos, old promotions, tv spots and more.

At the beginning of 1977, Programmer Jay Blackburn was hired by the Chess family (of the legendary Chess Records) to turn around then-jazz WSDM. His solution was a female-friendly AOR format.

In a email just today - Jay said it took 3 months to rebuild the facility or as he puts it "that old tube station" (under a very tight budget as I recall from a conversation with Jay years ago); and after the rebuild "it took us 7 months to become the number 1 AOR in the market", eventually running ABC (94.7) and NBC (101.1) out of the format in Chicago.

Jay hired some air talents from smaller markets who have since become legends in the business: Bill Evans, Patti Haze, Dave Logan, Les Tracy and Tom O'Toole. Yours truly was a fan of the station while I was doing radio in the suburbs.

The station was then sold to Heftel - who brought in Lee Abrams - and took it to yet another level - the rest is history. 30 years worth. Here. The history of this station is an education for any classic rock program director.

To the left: the original 1977 WLUP logo. Jay admits that by the time Heftel and Abrams came in, it was due for change.

Sunday Morning Odds & Sods

Left: Okemos, MI; today 9:50am.

Winter has returned to Mid-Michigan.

Jerry Del Colliano has an interesting take on how a XM/Sirius merger could "pass go" and benefit HD radio at the same time. Read it here.

Meanwhile KFAB/Omaha's Tom Becka offers his two cents on satellite radio's effect on terrestrial radio in the Omaha City Weekly here.

Cara Carriveau - mentioned here last Sunday - is interviewed on Rick Kaempfer's Chicago Radio Spotlight today. Great read.

Condolences to family and friends of engineer/processsing guru Jim Somich who passed away in recent days. Writing on various industry forums, Omnia's Frank Foti broke the news. I recall using a Jim Somich "Somich Engineering" composite clipper with a Texar Prism/Optimod 8000A configuration in the mid 80s on an FM I was programming. If you're a tech head with some time, read Foti's retrospective of audio processing here.

Here's a least likely industry to display a little attitude. Check this out. I love it. You think they know their market?

Last but not least - stumbled across this station in Indiana this past week. Doing what many have tried: AC/DC and Hank Jr. They stream. Lots o' fun with their imaging.

I like it! Crock on!