WGCI

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WGCI
City of license	Chicago
Broadcast area	Chicagoland
Branding	107.5 WGCI
Slogan	"#1 for Hip-Hop and R&B" "The Big Station" "Home of the More Music Guarantee"
First air date	Mid 1950s
Frequency	107.5 FM (MHz)
Format	Mainstrem urban/urban contemporary
ERP	3,700 watts
Class	B
Callsign meaning	W Globetrotter Communications, Incorporated
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Website	WGCI website

107.5 WGCI 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 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.

In the mid-1980s, Tom Joyner, was simultaneously worked 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." WGCI was also the station that launched the radio career of syndicated personality, Doug Banks, who was the morning show personality until 1993.

Contents 1 History 2 Competitors 3 Station Line Up 4 Station Management

[edit] History

107.5 began in operation in the mid 1950s with the original call letters WFMQ-FM. By the mid 1960s, the calls were WNUS-FM. 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 then 1390 WGCI-AM (now WGRB-AM 1390) in the late 1970s and made the stations an urban contemporary and Gospel. The stations were later purchased by Combined Communications Corporation who sold to Guy Gannett Broadcasting Inc, operated as WVON-AM 1390 and WGCI 107.5 with 33,000 watts atop the Civic Opera House - Kemper Insurance Building at 20 North Wacker Street 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. Since mid-2004, WGCI has been the #1 music station and overall radio station in the Chicago radio market.

At any given time, WGCI only plays about 15 different songs within the hip-hop/R&B genre. With approximately 18 hours worth of hip-hop/R&B airtime, that makes for extraordinary repetition. Many hip-hop fans complain that their repetition reinforces the desire for the songs to be played, even if they are of poor quality (i.e. Laffy Taffy). This contentious issue is increasingly being addressed within the hip-hop community, with artists like Dead Prez and Da Backwudz leading the effort. Allegations of payola conspiracies have been made, but not confirmed.

[edit] Competitors

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

[edit] Station Line Up

Weekdays

• The Crazy Howard McGee Morning Show with Nikki Woods, Leon Rogers, &Ty Wansley ; 5–10 A.M.
• Foxx on the Box with Bionce Foxx & DJ Phantom; 10 A.M.–2 P.M.
• Riot Radio with Tony Sculfield; 2–6 P.M.
• Bad Boy Radio with The Diz; 6–10 P.M.
• Whispers in the Dark with Chris Michaels (slow jams); 10 P.M.–2 A.M.
• Sundance; 2–5 A.M.

Friday Nights

• The "A" Side with Teefa & Leroy; 10 P.M.–2 A.M.
• K2 aka Kernard Karter; 2–5 A.M.

Saturdays

• Saturdays Top 15 Countdown with Tony Sculfield; 5–7 A.M.
• Marcus Chapman; 7–10 A.M.
• Leon Rogers Block Party 10 A.M.–2 P.M.
• The Silky Tour with Sam Sylk; 2–6 P.M.
• Marcus Chapman; 6–10 P.M.
• The "B" Side with Teefa & Leroy; 10 P.M.–2 A.M.

Sundays

• K2 aka Kernard Karter; 2–5 A.M.
• Chicago Insite with Ty Wansley; 5–6 A.M.
• Music of Love & Inspiration with Effie Rolfe (gospel); 6–11 A.M.
• Throwback Sundays with Sundance; 11 A.M.–2 P.M.
• Marcus Chapman; 2–6 P.M.
• DJ Koolout 6–10 P.M.
• Whispers in the Dark with Chris Michaels (slow jams); 10 P.M.–2 A.M.

Fill-In Personalities

• Leroy
• K2 aka Kernard Karter

[edit] Station Management

• General Manager Earl Jones
• Operations Manager/Program Director Kris Kelley
• Music Director
• News/Public Affairs Director Ty Wansley