Чикагодағы WBMX радиосының тарихы

Classic hip hop radio station in Chicago
other radio stations that have held the WBMX call sign

WBMX (104.3 FM, 104.3 Jams) is a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, serving the Chicago metropolitan area and Northwest Indiana. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a classic hip hop radio format. WBMX's studios and offices are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 4,100 watts, with its transmitter atop the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). WBMX broadcasts in the HD Radio format, with its HD2 signal simulcasting the sports radio format on co owned WSCR. From 1974 to 1988, the call letters WBMX were held by 102.7 FM, licensed to Oak Park, Illinois (now Urban AC station WVAZ). On December 4, 2017, the call letters were transferred from Boston to 104.3 FM in Chicago.

The station began broadcasting in September 1953, holding the call sign WSEL. The station had an ERP of 40,000 watts, and its transmitter was located atop Chicago's Randolph Tower. In 1958, WSEL's transmitter was moved to the Willoughby Tower at 8 South Michigan Avenue.

The station returned to the air January 2, 1961, with its call sign changed to WJJD FM. On February 15, 1965, WJJD adopted a country music format, and WJJD FM simulcast 1160 WJJD, with WJJD FM continuing WJJD's country programming after sunset. In 1971, the station's transmitter was moved to the Prudential Building, and its ERP was reduced to 14,100 watts. In September 1978, the station adopted a "modern country" format, with a playlist that was approximately 80% country, 20% adult contemporary. The station was branded "Z 104". At that point, WJJD 1160 adopted an adult standards format, known as "The Music Of Your Life".

In early August 1984, the station adopted an oldies format as "Magic 104" and its call sign was changed to WJMK. In 1987, the station's transmitter was moved to the Sears Tower, and its ERP was reduced to 4,100 watts. In 1991, the station's moniker was changed to "Oldies 104.3". In early September 1993, John Records Landecker joined WJMK as morning drive DJ, remaining with the station until 2003. In 1996, Infinity Broadcasting was purchased by the parent company of CBS. In 1999, with competition from the new Jammin' Oldies format of WUBT, WJMK increased the number of 1970s songs playing 3 to 4 per hour on the station while reducing the number of 1950's songs to about 2 per hour, and playing a total number of pre 1964 to about 3 per hour. The station added several dozen 80's songs playing about 1 every 2 hours. By 2002, the station would replace the All Request Saturday Night oldies show with a 1970s and early 80s program. On February 15, 2002, WJMK returned to its former moniker, "Magic 104.3", and its playlist was shifted to include more 1980s music, while further reducing the music played from the '50s and early '60s. In July 2003, the station once again changed monikers, going back to "Oldies 104.3" and its playlist was refocused on music of the '60s and '70s. In 2004, the station dropped the "Oldies" moniker and became known simply as "104.3 WJMK" with the slogan "The Greatest Hits of the 60s and 70s".

On June 3, 2005, at 4 p. m., WJMK switched to an adult hits format known as "Jack FM" at the same time veteran oldies station WCBS FM in New York City made the same switch. The station had a 1980s centric playlist, along with some titles from the 1960s, 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s. Though WJMK's previous oldies format continued to be streamed online and on the WJMK's second HD Radio subchannel, complaints about WJMK's switch were numerous. In July 2006, in a cost cutting move by CBS Radio, the entire DJ staff of WJMK HD2 was laid off. Dahl was dismissed on December 5, 2008. With the exception of Dahl and Kilman, Chicago's Jack FM had no live personalities. WJMK's ratings plummeted after the switch to Jack FM, and the station saw further ratings erosion when Bonneville International debuted "Rewind 100.3" (a mostly 1980s based format) on rival WILV in June 2010.

On March 10, 2011, CBS Radio announced the station would return to their previous classic hits format as "104.3 K Hits", setting the time of relaunch for the following Monday, March 14, at 1:04 p. m.; at 12:30 that afternoon, after playing "Goodbye to You" by Scandal, the station began stunting with a 34 minute montage of songs and pop culture clips, demarked year by year from 1966 to 1989; at the time promised, "K Hits" was then launched with "Beginnings" by, fittingly, Chicago. Weekend hosts included Tommy Edwards, Ken Cocker, and John Calhoun. Eddie and JoBo were released on December 6, 2012, with the station citing low ratings as the main factor. Mornings were then hosted by Dave Fogel, formerly of WLS FM. Tommy Edwards retired from radio on September 12, 2014. The rest of the station's final airstaff included Brian Peck in middays and Jeffrey T. Mason in afternoon drive. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. On November 17, at 10 a. m., after playing "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles and "Changes" by David Bowie, WJMK began stunting with sound effects and clips of a man giving occasional comments, such as "What's going on here?" and "It's almost time to start." Entercom applied to move the WBMX call sign to 104.3 from its sister station in Boston to match the new format; the change took effect on December 4, 2017. The WBMX call letters had previously been used by new rival WVAZ from 1974 to 1988. In addition to WVAZ, WBMX also competes with WPWX and WGCI in the urban radio market. WBMX is the second station in Chicago to use the "Jams" moniker, the first station being WEJM in the mid 1990s.