Saturday, November 18, 2017

RIP WJMK

I worked at WJMK for ten years. At the time it was known as Oldies 104.3 or Magic 104.3, but the format was the same. We played Oldies. Around 2005, the entire staff was fired and the format was changed to Jack FM. A jockless format. Nobody liked it.

So, a few years later it was switched back to a Classic Hits format. It remained that until yesterday around 11am, when Entercom officially took control of the station.

Once again, the entire staff was fired and the format was changed to Hip Hop. Poof. Just like that. The call letters will be gone soon too. From Robert Feder's column...

The station will air initially without commercials or announcers. In the coming weeks it’s expected to change call letters to WBMX, evoking the legendary urban contemporary station that aired in Chicago from 1973 to 1988. (The call letters currently are being used by an Entercom station in Boston.)

”The expertise and energy that Entercom brings into Chicago coupled with our all-star programmers will bring incredible new life to this storied frequency,” said Jimmy deCastro, new senior vice president and market manager of Entercom Chicago. “We will be dancing in the hallways with you, Chicago.”

Greg Solk continues as operations manager and program director of WJMK as well as adult album alternative WXRT FM 93.1.

The sudden demise of K-Hits will cost the jobs of morning host Dave Fogel, midday host Brian Peck (who was hired only two weeks ago), afternoon host Jeffrey T. Mason and assistant program director Bob Lawson, in addition to a number of part-time staffers. A new lineup of on-air personalities will be unveiled in January.

Brutal.

It's a rough business.

Taking the station off my pre-sets.