WJLB 1996

[Scholarm1111]

Great memories of what a big city mainstream urban used to sound like 15 years ago. This aircheck is of Mike Chaz on the overnight shift on an early Monday morning in January 1996. Songs range from 2Pac to a classic from Detroit hometown favorite Anita Baker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT2Uq6VKqb8

Here is long-time WJLB morning man Mason in the 6 AM hour on a cold Monday morning (with a playlist ranging from 2 Pac to Sade). Mason is now on cross-town WGPR.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4FthaS6YsU

Also from early 1996, here is Sylvia playing the hits in the overnight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoVH9uuUHBU

More here (with lots more from Detroit to be uploaded):
http://www.mostlyuppermidwestairchecks.com/michigan-airchecks.html

 

[BJordan]

@scholarman1111 Keep coming with those 90's airchecks .

 

[Word!]

Love it, i have some Detroit airchecks from "continuous music 1059" and FM 98 WJLB "strong songs" i hated that moniker lol.

one day i will make available my archives

 

[Scholarm1111]

Word, would love to hear some of your Detroit airchecks! I have long considered Detroit one of the best markets for urban radio. I have some airchecks of urban smooth jazz WJZZ just before the format change to hip hop at 105.9 in the summer of 1996 and a few after the switch. The WJZZ ones have been posted but not the ones after the switch to WCHB-FM 105.9 Jamz.

The Mason in the Morning aircheck from 1996 has Mildred Gaddis doing the weather updates and not saying much else. She of course is currently the star talk show DJ on Radio One's WCHB-AM though I believe she goes back much further in Detroit radio.

 

[BJordan]

@Scholarm1111 Thanks for the 1987 KJLH air check.

 

[kilamanjero]

Man do I miss the days urban radio stations in most major markets offered variety on their heritage stations rather than going straight hip-hop-oriented and pushing the throwbacks and golds exclusively to UAC. It's so sad that the only stations that still does this type of radio are only in a handful of cities nowadays and usually the only urban in its station group (like WVEE/Atlanta or WPGC-FM/Washington) or major biller of their company (KMEL/San Francisco). WJLB FM 98 is still pretty good programming wise, but CC has stripped it down to be basically their run-of-a-mill urban formatted stations with most of the classics and golds played on WMXD now. :'(

 

[Scholarm1111]

Agreed! 2 additional notable exceptions both in single urban FM markets - WDKX Rochester and WBLK Buffalo, both among my favorites.

 

[Scholarm1111]

Speaking of WDKX, the stream has been down for awhile, time to get it back up guys!

 

[kilamanjero]

Agreed! 2 additional notable exceptions both in single urban FM markets - WDKX Rochester and WBLK Buffalo, both among my favorites.

Those 2 are among my favorites as well. It's funny that western New York gets a treat that most of us in larger urban markets don't get to experience nowadays. It's one of the reasons why I'm so anti-splicing of the urban format into niches because it just further divides a precious musical format.

 

[Word!]

Word, would love to hear some of your Detroit airchecks! I have long considered Detroit one of the best markets for urban radio. I have some airchecks of urban smooth jazz WJZZ just before the format change to hip hop at 105.9 in the summer of 1996 and a few after the switch. The WJZZ ones have been posted but not the ones after the switch to WCHB-FM 105.9 Jamz.

The Mason in the Morning aircheck from 1996 has Mildred Gaddis doing the weather updates and not saying much else. She of course is currently the star talk show DJ on Radio One's WCHB-AM though I believe she goes back much further in Detroit radio.

I know i jus hope one day i can get them all converted and archived. time time time....