Q101 has been part of this fine city since 1992 when grunge music and alternative music was becoming the norm and mainstream for radio broadcasts. The station was all about having a little oomph to their broadcast. With disc jockeys like Mancow doing his show in the mornings, you knew that this station had attitude and it wasn’t for the people who just wanted to have some “light” rock to brighten up their day. If you were a fan of Green Day, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters and other bands that helped revolutionize alternative music, Q101 was set to your car radio at all times. This station ruled the airwaves playing the recent rock hits during the later part of the 90s and the early 2000s. They launched Twisted, Jamboree and Block Party for promotions of the station and the most popular and rocking bands of the time.

Somewhere down the line, the radio station started to have to constantly compete with other stations like the former Jack FM and classic rock stations like The Drive and the new K-Hits. They switched their platform to just alternative rock from the past while partially ignoring some of the more recent hits. They were able to outlast Jack FM but the damage was done already. People don’t always want to listen to the same songs all the time and Q101 fell into that pattern of music. Sadly, with how radio ratings and managers are constantly changing music and radio formats, after a glorious nineteen years on being on the air as representing alternative music, the station will change their format to a less glamorous style in news and talk radio.

My two cents are inserted with the bad taste in my mouth when I think about more talk radio on an FM frequency on a once glorious music station. Do we really need more talk radio on the station? We have NPR network, we got WBBM (WGN news) on the AM frequency and if you go the more conservative route, Rush Limbaugh is also available for your pleasure. Talk radio just is. I can appreciate talk radio is a certain aspect when a good debate on certain key issues and maybe trying to develop an opinion, but we know that the format will be instituted to capture ratings. How do you capture ratings on the radio? You need outrageous personalities that will be talked about during coffee breaks at work to listen to this crazy nut. What do people do then? They turn it to that nut who is going on and on. The station will ultimately be like a Fox News or MSNBC on radio formats on the FM side. I like talk radio sometimes as a nice change of venue, but, I don’t see how it will last when competing against stations that are playing music with a little bit of side banters and very little news to report on. If you like talk-radio, turn to an AM station for your 24/hour news to listen to. Why ruin the FM circuits with people talking? People won’t listen much to it because people like music in the morning to get their fuel running. If they don’t like the station, they’ll turn it or plug in their ipods. In today’s era, we can ignore things at a much easier rate. I wish the new station luck on their endeavor to bring all-talk radio to the FM circuit, but, in the long run, I think it’ll be a circus to try and capture ratings in this market.

Q101 was a Chicago institution for a radio station that had rockin’ good music. We will say goodbye to it this Friday. It was a sweet ride. I grew up listening to it and to see it go off the air is quite bittersweet. I hope the DJ’s will land good jobs somewhere else where they will be more appreciated.

Comments

Good-bye FM Radio Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 00:54:56 If you ask me I have 2 options right now. I can switch to XM or stream radio on my iPhone. Thanks bean counters good luck with a news radio station on FM.

Going to miss Q101 Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 01:18:07 There is not a single decent rock station in Chicago. I like to keep up with the newest rock music, and listening to AC/dc and def leppard on the loop isn't going to cut it. Good bye FM radio, hello satellite radio.    Screw your news and talk station.

Terrible Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 01:32:33 Seriously? A news radio station? That's just unbelievable. Now there's nothing to listen to on the radio. Nowadays, the radio is just full of modern shit.

heartbreak Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 01:42:39 this is sad news. grew up with Q and hearing about the changes brings pain to my chest. great music, great dj's. rip Q101.

Absolute BS Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 02:00:00 I live in Holland, Michigan, yet I still LOVED listening to Q101 any time I was in the Chicago area or when the atmosphere was "just right" within 5-10 miles of the lake here in the summer. This is a sad SAD day for anyone who ever gave a sh*t about alternative music because I've listened to a LOT of alt stations in the past 20 years and NONE of them could ever compare to 101.1 in Chicago, man. RIP old friend.    - Lukas Cimbal

sad news, total BS Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 02:32:59 Screw the news and talk station, are you kidding me? I like my morning show hosts in the morning for talk shows on Q101, Sherman and Tingle did an amazing job at that, it's so sad to see this go... this is the very last alt-rock station that existed in Chicago, and now, they are taking it away too... on the FM dial, all we got left, for those that lives north enough, 95.1WIIL rock will be the alternative, but the rest, unless you have a HD radio... still it will be so different without it. Q101 will live on on Q101.com, RIP Q101, fellow Chicagoans will miss you on FM dial, I want to see this news/talk radio fall out and go back to Q101... We want the locals, not the syndicated BS!

Screw the News and Play the Blues Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 07:06:30 If Chicago was a true to its heritage at least Q101 should have changed to a become rockin Chicago blues station of which sadly is also lacking in a blues rich town....Shame on us !

Not Cool Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 10:11:55 I agree with the author. I grew up listening to Q101. It will be missed. I'll have a serious hole in my presets while I figure out something worthy of the number 1 slot.....

Love Letter to My Dying Soundtrack Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 18:38:24 I mourned the death of Q101 with a love letter to the station and to local radio everywhere. You can read how the soundtrack of my formative years will be lost forever at RobbyNova's Pop World:    http://www.robbynovaspopworld.com/2011/07/robbynova-reflects-on-end-of-era-as.html

bring it back Written by Guest on 2011-07-15 23:57:19 The first thing that hit me was, will these aspiring singers, musicians, song writers be heard? Local 101 introduced so many of them , who went on to become well known and go on to careers..it started with Chris Payne and others. You know, these people put a lot into trying to "make it", it's all too sad.

Q101.com still up Written by Guest on 2011-07-20 09:55:03 Everyone please remember Q101 is still on their website, and they have apps for iphone, android and blackberry. You can still tune in if you have a computer or a smartphone!

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