Labor Day weekend 1986… not particularly memorable except perhaps if you were lamenting the fact that Summer vacation was over. Smokin’ Joe Dawson sent this in himself and explains that at this period in time, B-96 had no jingles!
This was about a month before I left to go to Seattle to burn off a no compete before coming back to Chicago at WFYR. The powers that be had B96 sounding like a cross between ‘GCI and Q101 in their Hot AC days.
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I have some clips of the Real Smokin’ Joe Dawson at B-96.. When he was playing the hot hits! Back when Buddy Scott was programming B-96 and it sounded hot.. I have a short scope of the whole staff.
Buddy Scott was still programming the station in 1986–in fact, he was the one who turned that sent B96 in the Rhythmic direction that it has pretty much stayed in ever since. It sounded more like Scott’s bosses at CBS trying to dictate things.
Not sure that date is correct.. When I left B-96 to go to Denver they still had jingles and uptempo rock with high energy delivery and that was late ’86. I was only in Denver for two years (both years the Broncos went to the Superbowl and lost miserably) so I know that was ’87 and ’88.
TM Male Jingle Singers: Smokin’ Joe Dawson!
TM Solo Male Jingle Singer: He is burnin’ up the nighttime!
TM Male Jingle Singers: B96!
I agree with Smokin’ Joe. In 1986, a lot of good songs were being played but b96 sounded confused. Even the reverb was gone.
The best time was when b96 did hot hits. They and other stations that aired the Mike Joseph concept rocked, were really involved with the audience they were serving and it worked.
Things must have radically changed within a few months after I left to go to Colorado.. I cannot imagine B96 any other way than that hot hits flavor. When I left (in 1986) we had jingles and weather beds and breakers I created to use in no-talk transitions.