And, as one of our visitors pointed out, this isn’t actually the Hot Hits!(tm) era, but quite ‘hot’ nonetheless.
By Steve West
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!
The WBBM-FM Joe Dawson ‘check is most definitely from jan-feb 1986 since “Conga”, “Stages”, “Kyire”, “The Sun Always Shines On TV” were all chart hits in early ’86.
Great tape!
It’s Kyrie java.
Hi
This aircheck is from Feb 1986. You can tell from the currents..I’m sure 1984 is a typo..
Great…Winter of Senior year memories….
Thanks
You guys are absolutely right. The person who sent this to me wrote the date as 1984 and I should have caught it based upon the music. I’m gonna stick with February 4, I just think he got his wires crossed when printing the year. I have fixed the title.
Good catch!
Isn’t this post “HOT HITS” – in this aircheck they seem to have gone away from saying HOT HITS. Somehow I remember the real HOT HITS was on WBBM closer to 81/82. I believe this aircheck from 86 features a much wider playlist and a much looser on-air presentation.
Even though Hot Hits as a format ended before 1986, WBBM FM is still doing a high energy approach and it sounds good.
Joe Dawson is cookin with the hits and this is a great aircheck.
Where is Joe Dawson now? Last I heard him was on WWKX FM (Kix 106) in the early 90’s out of Providence, RI.
I hear Joe on a county station in Philadelphia a couple of years ago, he was still cookin’ Don’t know where he is now, but they don’t make dj’s like that anymore.
Joe Dawson is in Atlanta now.
Joe Dawson is in Atlanta and is going to marry a lovely Missouri girl, hopefully before the year is out. (I am that lucky girl)
Nevermind, no nuptials in our future…
PMS strikes again…everything is still on, assuming I can behave 🙂
I’m the guy with the ridiculously low voice saying B96.. Remember this was way before digital audio. I wrapped the capstan on the reel to reel then recorded. When I cut the splicing tape off that is how I sounded. Smokin’ Joe was and still is a good friend and an excllent talent. I may have some Hot Hits tape from B96. When I became Production Director we were still running that format. I have reels of tape that won’t play without baking them.
That Was You Mark?!
Yep. Buddy Scott gave me a lot of room to create. He is the BEST boss for whom I have ever worked, bar none!
Wow! – Vaughn B.