WGCI-FM

WGCI-FM (107.5 FM) is a Clear Channel-owned urban contemporary radio station that has a city of license of Chicago. WGCI is considered to be the most popular urban contemporary radio station in Chicago, the nation's 3rd largest radio market, and one of the most well-known and best-programmed urban contemporary stations in the country. WGCI broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 3700 watts (3.7 kilowatts) at 107.5 megahertz (MHz) from atop the Willis Tower(Sears Tower) in Downtown Chicago. Like many Clear Channel-owned urban radio stations, it uses the slogan "#1 for Hip Hop and R&B;", but recently added the sub-slogan "The Big Station", to differentiate themselves and express their dominance in the market. In 2005, WGCI began broadcasting in IBOC digital radio, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity. In 2006 WGCI also won a Marconi Award for Best Radio Station for Hip-Hop and R&B.; The station also simulcasts nationally on XM Satellite Radio, through SiriusXM's deal with Clear Channel.

History

107.5 began in operation in 1958 with the original call letters WFMQ-FM. In late 1964, the station was purchased by broadcaster Gordon McLendon and its calls were changed to WNUS-FM; it was at that point that 107.5 FM was first paired with 1390 AM, then known as WNUS and programming all-news. It was the last major FM on a shorter downtown Chicago building but was far enough west to avoid most shadowing and interference problems. The current calls WGCI came from then-owner Globetrotter Communications Inc., who purchased 107.5 and sister station 1390-AM for $4.5 million from Gordon McLendon on February 5, 1975 and made the stations urban contemporary and disco. While that transaction was being finalized, both stations played Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis" and "Sweet Georgia Brown," the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters which was then owned by Globetrotter Communications, in a continuous loop for six straight hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CST). The stations were later purchased by Combined Communications Corporation who sold to Gannett Co. Inc., operated as WVON-AM 1390 until the mid 1980s, when the calls flipped to WGCI-AM, and WGCI 107.5 with 33,000 watts atop the Civic Opera House - Kemper Insurance Building at 20 North Wacker Drive at 625 feet above average terrain. Later, in December 1997, Gannett sold the stations to Chancellor Media, which then merged with Capstar Broadcasting to form AMFM, Inc. In 2000, both stations were acquired by Clear Channel through its purchase of AMFM. The 2 stations shared the WGCI calls until later 2003, when 1390AM decided to change calls to WGRB to prevent confusion of the stations among union employees. From mid-2004 until the introduction of Arbitron's Portable People Meters (PPMs) to the Chicago radio market in mid-2008, WGCI was the #1 music station and overall radio station in the Chicago radio market. Since that time, however, the station's overall ranking fell out of the top 10 partly due to the differences between the old diary system (which the Chicago market had used prior to mid-2008) and the PPMs in the way the ratings are tabulated and also due to the emergence of sister station WVAZ as a strong urban music station in the Chicago market ratings (although WVAZ's playlist leans more towards R&B; than hip-hop). In the latest February and March 2010 Arbitron ratings periods, WGCI was in tenth place among all Chicago AM and FM stations.

Alumni

In the mid-1980s, Tom Joyner, was simultaneously working for both a morning show at K-104 KKDA-FM in Dallas, Texas and an afternoon show at WGCI. Instead of choosing between the two, Joyner chose to take both jobs, and for years he commuted daily by plane between the two cities, earning the nicknames "The Fly Jock" and "The Hardest Working Man in Radio." He was later heard on WVAZ. WGCI was also the station that launched the radio career of syndicated personality, Doug Banks, who was the morning show personality until 1993. Banks was later heard on WPWX in early 2000s until it dropped the show.

The Crazy Howard McGee Show was replaced by the Steve Harvey Morning Show on August 1, 2007. Harvey, who McGee had previously replaced, was a host on WGCI before moving to Los Angeles where he eventually landed a syndication deal. He was heard on WSRB, but moved back to WGCI, this time as a syndicated show, due to WSRB's poor promotion of the show. On March 25, 2009, Harvey moved to WVAZ, replacing Tom Joyner. On April 1st, The Morning Riot debuted starring Tony Sculfield, Leon Rogers and Nina Chantele. Nina also does middays at Clear Channel sister station WKSC-FM.

Other notables include: Comedian George Wallace.

On-Air Personalities

Tony Sculfield

Loni Swain

Consuella Williams

Station management

General Manager Earl Jones

Program Director Derrick D. Brown

Asst. Program Director Kris Kelley

Competitors

As an urban radio station, WGCI competes with urban/hip hop rival WPWX Power 92, rhythmic crossover station WBBM-FM B96 and its Urban AC counterparts WVAZ V-103 (its sister) and WSRB 106.3, as well as WKSC-FM (KISSFM, 103.5).

References

External links

WGCI-FM

GCI Category:Clear Channel radio stations Category:Urban contemporary radio stations