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WLS FM.

B

BOBBY.B

WLS FM.

??? it sound's like wls fm has droped the truue oldies chanel slogan. they say wls fm. 94.7 fm and there are new jingles also. they even brougth back the silver dollar survey- they say from the wls silver dollar survey gold and than play the song. i'm hearing more of the motown sound and r&b sound's also. could it just be me??? hey you all have a great day! ! BOBBY. ::)
 
Re: WLS FM.

dave fogel is pretty lame and doesn't fit . just sayin....
 
Re: WLS FM.

I say, why not capitalize on your heritage call sign if you're "playin' the hits"?
 
Re: WLS FM.

They've been listening too much to the consultants and loading the local playlist with too many late 70's and 80's songs for my taste. A lot of the late 70's and 80's songs they have been playing don't go very well with their imaging, jocks and other music.

Look at it this way: there are plenty of other places where I can hear that music. Particularly when they're playing Springsteen and (bleech!) Funkytown by Lipps, Inc. - that's NOT what I tune to WLS-FM to hear.
 
Re: WLS FM.

i grew up listening to The Big 89, and WLS-FM simply doesn't live up it the call letters. except for biondi there is NO PERSONALITY on the station, it is not programmed well... i've heard better stations in this format in markets over 200+! they would do better to save their money and plug into shannon's True Oldies all day long, at least he knows what he's doing.
 
Re: WLS FM.

radioman148 said:
Dick Biondi still plays good 60s & some 50s music at night, but he's the only one.
Click to expand...

Biondi is fantastic; however, even he has been forced to play more late 70's songs than before. The sole exception seems to be his Friday night request show. For that reason, I always try to catch at least some of that - he plays some amazing "lost" oldies there.

Once or twice lately, I've heard some early 80s rock songs on WLS-FM and actually sat through them to make sure that nothing horrible happened to the format. Those songs sound very out of place (i.e. forced) in that format. If I am in the mood for that sort of music, I can listen to WDRV or WLUP or WJMK.
 
Re: WLS FM.

Sadly it's true that they've mostly become a 70s & 80s format. Biondi still sneaks in some 60s & a few 50s, but other than his show you can hardly hear any actual oldies. Very sad for Chicago and radio.
 
Re: WLS FM.

My taste mirrors most of the posters here. I'm 56 (horrors! out of the demo) so I have accustomed myself to not counting in the vote. I'd rather hear Ricky Nelson (not Garden Party either) than the Bee Gees and Brenda Lee than Olivia Newton-John, but I'm not where the money lives. Given how awful the 70s were musically, I think Shannon does a fair job of pulling out the best of what's left. You can't argue with his success around the country with the format. Even when WLS is live (save Biondi's special stuff) they play the same songs in the same rotation as the other franchises.

If you like the old Drake presentation and usually a few more of the 60's than elsewhere, there's a station out of Northeast (that's the name of the city) Pennsylvania called WYNE. They stream online and the jocks are horrible. The jingles and tunes are worth it, to my taste. They play very few commercials. If you can get past the DJs, and the you like the 60s, it's worth a try.
 
Re: WLS FM.

like i said! ! if you like the 60's and some late 50's than try 103.9! ! WWYW thay do a better job than the biG boy's out of chicago.it's too bad now that they will be sold! !by next media.chicago radio??????? it's what they want to play. have a great day and try radio out of chicago! ! BOBBY.
 
Re: WLS FM.

radioman148 said:
Sadly it's true that they've mostly become a 70s & 80s format. Biondi still sneaks in some 60s & a few 50s, but other than his show you can hardly hear any actual oldies. Very sad for Chicago and radio.
Click to expand...
the PD's and consultants KNOW[ better than YOU what you want to hear, don't you know that???
they ALL have the mistaken notion that they can call themselves "Greatest Hits Of all Time" and leave out the 60's(the golden age or Rock & Roll.. and they are fooling themselves thinking that 70's & 80's will somehow get them younger listeners... look...if you're going to do this format you better LIKE the demographic you have- and SUPERSERVE THEM!
or get into something else if you want younger demo's, a format dabbling in 70's & 80's will drive existing listers away and what is left...will not be enough to keep it going. Shannon's music mix is damn near perfect when he's on.. and a damn lot better than what they are trying to do to their audience(from the posts i'm reading here and other places)...
are they listening????
just sayin'
 
Re: WLS FM.

Being I like songs from the 60s 70s and 80s, the music mix suits me fine. This station's done a fine job of presenting an oldies format appropriate for 2010 and beyond. Rock on WLS-FM!
 
Re: WLS FM.

scanman1 said:
Being I like songs from the 60s 70s and 80s, the music mix suits me fine. This station's done a fine job of presenting an oldies format appropriate for 2010 and beyond. Rock on WLS-FM!
Click to expand...
i'm glad you are happy, but you must not be a radio person, or (at least a discriminating listener) you should check out how good a station in this format can sound. check out cbs-fm, kearth in L.A. Majic in Cleveland or any of a host of others on the web. WLS-FM is Under Performing in ratings in Chicago for a reason. if you check things out you will hear what you're missing, and what is lacking from WLS-FM in Chicago.
 
Re: WLS FM.

It's an oldies station, no doubt, but ( excepting Dick Biondi ) it's not bright, lively or "Chicago-ey".
A little reverb would go a long way.
More reference to "common, daily local interest topics", would also make it fit better.
Here in market no. 3 we are accustomed to major signals sounding as though they are totally "in" Chicago.
WLS-FM currently is a little too disembodied or remote to ever capture the larger audience who expect more
of a home grown Chicago swaggering attitude and sound.
 
Re: WLS FM.

WhoDat! said:
WLS-FM is Under Performing in ratings in Chicago for a reason. if you check things out you will hear what you're missing, and what is lacking from WLS-FM in Chicago.
Click to expand...

Though I tend to agree with you on most of your comments, I must point out that WLS-FM is doing pretty well in the ratings and can hardly be referred to as an "underperformer".

That said, they were also doing just as well without so much Springsteen and other 80s music in the playlist. The station has a great niche with 60s and 70s music and should generally stick with the vast wealth of music available from that time period without feeling the need to inch forward into musical territory that is well covered elsewhere.
 
Re: WLS FM.

I have streamed WCBS-FM and KRTH-FM in the past for comparison to our WLS-FM and, while I find the presentations of each station to be a little different from each other, the music mixes are similar. As I've already stated I like the songs and jocks on 94.7 and the fact I can listen to it on an actual radio. And, as was previously stated, a little reverb would make the station sound more "lively"!
 
Re: WLS FM.

scanman1 said:
I have streamed WCBS-FM and KRTH-FM in the past for comparison to our WLS-FM and, while I find the presentations of each station to be a little different from each other, the music mixes are similar. As I've already stated I like the songs and jocks on 94.7 and the fact I can listen to it on an actual radio. And, as was previously stated, a little reverb would make the station sound more "lively"!
Click to expand...
one could say that the music is basically the same, ok for the sake of argument.. butPresentation is the key difference.
WLS-FM STILLdoesn't have a Morning Show.. like Gary Bryan at KEARTH or a personality like Shotgun Tom Kelly, then there's CBS-FM with Bob Shannon, Bill Lee & Dan Taylor... ... the reason both stations do so well is not only the music BUT THE PERSONALITIES. in this regard WLS-FM is sadly lacking... GREAT Air Personalities once said the call letters WLS, you know the names. aside from Dick Biondi and Scott Shannon(tracked out of NY) the station simply doesn't live up to expectations in the major dayparts.
 
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