At 11am on November 17, 2017, following the reverse Morris Trust-fueled tax-free merger of CBS Radio with the company then-known as Entercom, a Classic Hits format that failed to connect with Chicago radio listeners was traded in for a “throwback”-heavy taste of classic hip-hop. With new call letters WBMX-FM, “104.3 Jams” was born.
Today, Entercom is known as Audacy Inc. The Field family is no longer in control, with Soros Fund Management holding the controlling interest in the audio content creation and distribution company. And as of February 2, “104.3 Jams” will no longer exist.
In its place will be a simulcast of WSCR-AM “670 The Score,” a giant Class A Sports Talk sibling — a further indication that no matter what the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act does on Capitol Hill, time is ticking for radio station ownership groups to continue to monetize kHz band-only properties in 2026.
Gone from 105.9 MHz come the first Monday in February are afternoon host “Sonic” and a largely automated programming schedule featuring such songs as “Big Poppa” by The Notorious B.I.G. and “Burn” by Usher; the 104.3 Jams audio stream was still active as of 2:08pm Central on Wednesday (1/14).
In its place is a simulcast of WSCR-AM “670 The Score,” a 50kw Class A facility that at night can be heard across a wide portion of the Central and Northeastern U.S. as well as in Ontario, Canada. WSCR also broadcasts in HD Radio, from a transmitter site diplexed with sibling all-news WBBM-AM 780.
WSCR is the station known until August 1, 2000 as WMAQ, acquired by Infinity as the Viacom-CBS merger placed the latter entity over FCC local ownership limits. WSCR was moved from a small facility, ending WMAQ’s final era as an all-News competitor to WBBM Radio. From 1975 until early 1986, WMAQ was a Country music force in the Midwest under programmers including Lon Helton.
Even with HD Radio and a mammoth signal, the coming simulcast of The Score on an FM dial follows a company-wide move to diminish its giant spoken word AM stations acquired in the CBS Radio merger. In Los Angeles and New York, KNX Radio and WINS Radio were given FM simulcast siblings in recent years. WBBM-AM gained an FM home in August 2011 with WCFS-FM.
With The Score getting a full-signal FM home, fans of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs and the NBA’s Chicago Bulls will have an additional choice for listening to games. Commenting on the pending change at WBMX, Audacy/Chicago Sr. VP/Market Manager Kevin Cassidy said, “Chicago fans are the best in the world, and they deserve coverage that matches their passion. Our roster features the best talent in the city with unmatched dedication to delivering the latest sports news and insight. We’re excited to expand The Score’s reach through this FM simulcast, bringing our premier sports content to an even wider audience so they can join the conversation and stay connected to their favorite Chicago teams.”
