Those of you from Boston are probably thinking… What the?… Yes, WBMX was a Chicago FM station before the call letters were dropped and subsequently picked up for 98.5 in Boston after they dropped the WROR calls. Confused yet?
This aircheck isn’t about format changes. It IS about Chicagoland CHR, with some really good jingles and hot personalties. From 1986, recorded at the same time as the WGCI aircheck posted on this website.
From a cassette labelled Midwest Aircheck MW# 122, Dan Shannon is on the old 102.7 WBMX Chicago. They call this 102-7 the NEW 'BMX. This is Contemporary Urban, or whatever they were calling the format back then. Mixed in with a lot of crossover Top 40 hits, WBMX had a…
In "102.7 WBMX"
"V 103, The Best Variety of Hits and Dustys" Six minutes of Classic Soul are heard here in this 1990 recording showcased by aircheck distributor California Aircheck. Our Contributor donated a large number of these Market Profile tapes to our archives many years ago, and we're not even close to…
In "102.7 WVAZ"
"Saturday Night Live At The Oldies" was arguably the most popular show on the old WROR on 98.5 and ran from 1977 when the station first started playing some contemporary music until 1991, when WROR became WBMX "Mix 98.5"
In "98.5 WROR"
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Steve West is a 41 year veteran of broadcasting. His air work as a Jock and News Anchor includes six radio markets and over two-dozen radio stations. Steve is the founder of Airchexx.com and Hitoldies.net - All the BIG Hits!
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You know, I grew up listening to that station. Takes me back to my childhood!!
Yes great jingles …I have those somewhere
In 1979 it was the bodacius fm 102.7 BMX
Actualy the Frequency was the first FM in chicagoland as WGLD . oldies on FM
I Wonder Who Made Those Jingles For The New BMX In ’86?
interesting that someone else actually picked up on this. i’ve lived in massachusetts my entire life. back in 1985 (and then again in 1988) i went to illinois to visit family and fell in love with 102.7 wbmx.
i’m still amazed that i was there to witness the birth of house music and to hear it on a station that was one of the first in the world to play it.
when i came back from illinois again in 1988, i noticed about 2 years later that 98.5 in boston had picked up the call letters. i doubted anyone in the boston area would have known this, so it’s really nice to see i’m not the only one.
by the way, i have many, many tapes of 102.7 wbmx with mix shows, music from its regular rotation, the djs talking, commercials, etc.
these days, the old wbmx actually has a site at //www.wbmx.com and i supply mixes for it.
Yeah, there was a previous website that had some of the history on it, but it has been changed — I’d like to get some of the song sheets (like the Silver Dollar Survey) that ‘BMX had back in the ’80’s. The last one I had, showed the unusual mix of music that was coming out at that time – the listing showed a lot of jazz, what soon would be known as ‘smooth jazz’, and disco/r&b dance cuts. Almost all of the dance cuts were in the ‘top ten’ type list, most of the jazz wasn’t! But I think they played it all, I just don’t have any tapes of that era, dammit!
WBMX Oak Park, IL / Chicago was an ‘urban contemporary’ station, however at the time, that format name did not exist. The format was called ‘Soul / R&B’. BMX stands for ‘Black Music Experience’. I remember a WBMX television commercial around 1977 that said “the best soul, jazz, and disco”.
This was a beautiful clip! It had a number of songs that the WGCI clip from this same period had. What is the name of the song that is played from 8:41 to 9:19 in the clip? It has some scatting in the beginning of it.
I’m from the Westside of South Bend, IN about 75-80 miles out of Chicago and WBMX was the bomb radio station back in the 70’s. That’s where I first heard Doug Banks! I’m so proud of Doug Banks to know that he’s still on the radio doing his thing! We listen to him now daily on WUBU Mix 106.3 South Bend, IN. I had a halter top with WBMX on the front of it that they gave out in South Bend, IN at Howard Park back in the day!!! lol I kept that halter top until I was an adult, moved out of town and don’t know what happened to it. I wish I still had it. I hope you guys in Baltimore appreciate those call letters the way we did in Chicago and the Chicago Land area. Thanks!
I too grew up listening to WBMX, my sister was a big part of my listening, she was on the station, Veronique!! I live in Michigan,about 2 hours from Chicago, sure could use a “BMX” here. Her voice is still as melodic as ever. To all the old BMX peeps,Peace!!
WBMX Had Different Nicknames Like WBMX FM 103, WBMX Progressive 103, & 102.7 The New BMX.
WBMX Chicago – that’s “The New BMX” Legal and Authentical Top Of The Hour ID also at the heart of The Biggest Polish Community Center on the Planet Earth. and here’s the sexiest composite aircheck on the Airchexx.com history. i love listening to “The New BMX” airchecks.