An AT40 history on the Chicago 94.7 FM frequency
May 27, 2016 13:43:42 GMT -5
Hervard, at40petebattistini, and 1 more like this
Post by dth1971 on May 27, 2016 13:43:42 GMT -5
Ever since WLS 94.7 FM Chicago bought back AT40: The 70's in April 2016, I decided to give a history on AT40 on Chicago's 94.7 FM frequency over the years and its past incarnations:
* From June 28, 1987 to October 20, 1991 WYTZ 94.7 FM Chicago carried the original American Top 40. WYTZ picked up the show, then hosted by Casey Kasem, from WLS 890 AM. The station carried the show on Sunday mornings even during the August 1988 changeover of the AT40 host (When Casey Kasem got replaced by Shadoe Stevens) and even during the early 1991 ill-fated Top 40/dance format where, thanks to Randy Michaels (who helped turn oldies station Z93 in Tampa, Florida turn into Top 40/dance Power 93 FM - The Power Pig to bash rival Q105 - and succeedeed!), tried to get WYTZ back into the big ratings by bashing Chicago Top 40/dance rival WBBM B-96 FM (B-96 Chicago was carrying at the 1991 time the Casey Kasem hosted Casey's Top 40 since its 1989 launch, but WBBM would drop Casey's Top 40 at the end of June 1993 - 1 year before the old AT40 demise from the American radio airwaves) first with Power Pig style B-96 phrases, mostly about the B-96 DJ's and program director, with most in Spanish (i.e. "B-96 Chupa!" and "Eddie y Jobo/Dave Shakes es loco!") for several weeks, followed by in March 1991 a 1 week name, still in the dance format, as "HELL 94.7 FM" that caused complaints and controversity from listeners that a week later WYTZ became "Hot 94.7" and a month later by late April 1991 the station went back to Top 40/mainsteam. But not for long...in late October 1991 the Top 40 WYTZ format ended and it switched to simucast former Top 40 turned talkradio sister station WLS 890 AM. (Although from March 1992 to April 1994 I could get access to American Top 40 with Shadoe Stevens on top 40 WXLC Hot 102.3 FM Waukegan/Libertyville, Illinois on Sunday mornings, which dropped the show in April 1994 due to its short lived modern rock format (which was launched in September 1993, but still carrying AT40 for several months) which went back to Top 40 in late May 1994 but by the start of June 1994 it was too late to bring back AT40 and had to carry Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 instead in the returned Top 40 format.)
* From late Feb. 2001 until September 9, 2001 AT40 returned to the Chicago 94.7 FM airwaves on then 1980's/Hot AC WZZN The Zone 94.7 FM with the AT40 Flashback package of 1980's AT40 shows in a 3 hour format each starting with the second hour on Sunday mornings (Although the AC American Top 20 continued on WLIT 93.9 FM, WLIT has had AT20 AC starting in Summer 1998), but on the week of the September 11, 2001 tragic events (when at that tragic time many radio stations didn't get that September 15-16, 2001 weekend's AT40/AT20 AC/AT20 Hot AC/AT40 Flashback shows thanks to the slow mail and air traffic ban, but many radio stations did get that weekend's Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 show!), WZZN switched from 1980's/Hot AC to an alternative/new rock format and dropped AT40 Flashback (Though to fill its loss in Feb. 2002, Top 40 station WKSC 103.5 KISS FM picked up American Top 40 on Sunday mornings and, even after Ryan Seacrest replaced Casey Kasem as host of AT40 in January 2004, 103.5 Kiss FM still carries it. WLIT still carried AT20 AC with Casey Kasem even into the Spring 2004 changeover to American Top 10 until WLIT dropped the show at the end of 2004).
* From April 2011 until November 2013 AT40 once again moved back to the 94.7 FM frequency, where WLS 94.7 FM, after dropping the Scott Shannon True Oldies Channel satillite service, carried AT40: The 70's Sunday mornings as the station was an oldies/classic hits format. Although AT40: The 70's was dropped from WLS 94.7 FM in November 2013 it came back to the station on Sunday nights in April 2016 (The former AT40: The 70's Sunday morning timeslot is now occupied by due for retirement anyday now veteran Chicago DJ Dick Biondi.)
* From June 28, 1987 to October 20, 1991 WYTZ 94.7 FM Chicago carried the original American Top 40. WYTZ picked up the show, then hosted by Casey Kasem, from WLS 890 AM. The station carried the show on Sunday mornings even during the August 1988 changeover of the AT40 host (When Casey Kasem got replaced by Shadoe Stevens) and even during the early 1991 ill-fated Top 40/dance format where, thanks to Randy Michaels (who helped turn oldies station Z93 in Tampa, Florida turn into Top 40/dance Power 93 FM - The Power Pig to bash rival Q105 - and succeedeed!), tried to get WYTZ back into the big ratings by bashing Chicago Top 40/dance rival WBBM B-96 FM (B-96 Chicago was carrying at the 1991 time the Casey Kasem hosted Casey's Top 40 since its 1989 launch, but WBBM would drop Casey's Top 40 at the end of June 1993 - 1 year before the old AT40 demise from the American radio airwaves) first with Power Pig style B-96 phrases, mostly about the B-96 DJ's and program director, with most in Spanish (i.e. "B-96 Chupa!" and "Eddie y Jobo/Dave Shakes es loco!") for several weeks, followed by in March 1991 a 1 week name, still in the dance format, as "HELL 94.7 FM" that caused complaints and controversity from listeners that a week later WYTZ became "Hot 94.7" and a month later by late April 1991 the station went back to Top 40/mainsteam. But not for long...in late October 1991 the Top 40 WYTZ format ended and it switched to simucast former Top 40 turned talkradio sister station WLS 890 AM. (Although from March 1992 to April 1994 I could get access to American Top 40 with Shadoe Stevens on top 40 WXLC Hot 102.3 FM Waukegan/Libertyville, Illinois on Sunday mornings, which dropped the show in April 1994 due to its short lived modern rock format (which was launched in September 1993, but still carrying AT40 for several months) which went back to Top 40 in late May 1994 but by the start of June 1994 it was too late to bring back AT40 and had to carry Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 instead in the returned Top 40 format.)
* From late Feb. 2001 until September 9, 2001 AT40 returned to the Chicago 94.7 FM airwaves on then 1980's/Hot AC WZZN The Zone 94.7 FM with the AT40 Flashback package of 1980's AT40 shows in a 3 hour format each starting with the second hour on Sunday mornings (Although the AC American Top 20 continued on WLIT 93.9 FM, WLIT has had AT20 AC starting in Summer 1998), but on the week of the September 11, 2001 tragic events (when at that tragic time many radio stations didn't get that September 15-16, 2001 weekend's AT40/AT20 AC/AT20 Hot AC/AT40 Flashback shows thanks to the slow mail and air traffic ban, but many radio stations did get that weekend's Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 show!), WZZN switched from 1980's/Hot AC to an alternative/new rock format and dropped AT40 Flashback (Though to fill its loss in Feb. 2002, Top 40 station WKSC 103.5 KISS FM picked up American Top 40 on Sunday mornings and, even after Ryan Seacrest replaced Casey Kasem as host of AT40 in January 2004, 103.5 Kiss FM still carries it. WLIT still carried AT20 AC with Casey Kasem even into the Spring 2004 changeover to American Top 10 until WLIT dropped the show at the end of 2004).
* From April 2011 until November 2013 AT40 once again moved back to the 94.7 FM frequency, where WLS 94.7 FM, after dropping the Scott Shannon True Oldies Channel satillite service, carried AT40: The 70's Sunday mornings as the station was an oldies/classic hits format. Although AT40: The 70's was dropped from WLS 94.7 FM in November 2013 it came back to the station on Sunday nights in April 2016 (The former AT40: The 70's Sunday morning timeslot is now occupied by due for retirement anyday now veteran Chicago DJ Dick Biondi.)
