Wednesday, June 08, 2005

THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED PT. 2 / Oldies 104.3 off the air? Tip and shout.

Maybe I was the last person in the Chicago-metro area who enjoyed listening to Oldies 104.3 WJMK, but I hope that other people are with me on this one....

Oldies 104.3 was a staple for me growing up and introduced me to tons of music that I otherwise would've totally ignored. The Troggs, The Kinks, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ricky Nelson, The Fleetwoods, Del Shannon, The Ronettes etc. etc. 104.3 was the soundtrack to so many early morning rides to school, barbecues, pool parties and summer days that it seems unfair that it would just disappear from the airwaves. I just recently rediscovered 104.3 after years of pretty much ignoring it and maybe it was negligence like mine that sealed the station's fate. Imagine my surprise when I hit my radio preset yesterday morning and heard a radio id for "JACK FM 104.3 - we play what we want, when we want". They proceeded to play Counting Crows "Mr. Jones" followed by "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna. I'm going to have to fortify my ipod with oldies to make it through the summer....but its not as gratifying cuing up a song by The Impressions as it is when it just pops on the radio at the exact right moment.
I checked out the station's website for more info and found this posted on the front page:
6/3/2005
Dear WJMK listener,
Tuning in to 104.3 FM today, you probably noticed that things sound a little different.
WJMK has changed addresses. Instead of being at 104.3 on FM, the WJMK you know and love now lives here online at wjmk.com. Click on the “listen here” banner to hear the Greatest Hits of the 60’s and 70’s streamed with all the great music, personality, and fun you have come to expect over the past two decades on your radio.
We are very excited about WJMK online, because many of the personalities and DJ’s who have been your companion through the years will be featured here at WJMK Online.
Stay tuned because in the future, WJMK’s High Definition (HD Radio) broadcast signal will also make it possible to listen to your favorite music and personalities in crystal clear digital sound on your HD Radio. More on that coming very soon.
104.3 FM is now JACK-FM, and we hope that since you loved WJMK as 60’s and 70’s, that you will give JACK-FM a try too.


So how many people in 104.3's demographic know how to listen to the station online? I'd guess very, very few. Most people between 60 - 70 don't even know how to get online.

Anyone else feeling my pain on this one?

4 Comments:

Blogger Asthmatic American said...

I'm totally with you Quinn. WJMK was my goto station when listening to the radio. And they didn't play the same rotation of oldies that a lot of other oldies stations play.

I'll miss Dick Biondi! He played what he wanted, when he wanted!

11:42 AM  
Blogger plastic passion said...

This news makes me so sad. I grew up listening to WJMK, and it was the only radio station that I ever listened to over the last few years. It was the perfect summertime station, and really, just an all-around perfect station and I'm sad that I won't have it to listen to this summer upon my return home. sigh.

11:57 AM  
Blogger Sleep Out said...

I'm glad you guys are just as bummed as I am. I had a great plan to just bring out my old boombox from my parent's house and listen to WJMK while grilling dogs at are next BBQB4ROK05 (which would technically be BBQB4ROK05#3). That would've been so much fun. Oldies online?????? ghey. I can't grill with my laptop in the backyard. I think we all just got served.

2:11 PM  
Blogger plastic passion said...

and seriously--dick biondi NOT on the chicago radio airwaves?? that's sacrilege.

2:28 PM  

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