“So hot, it’s cool…Thunder 107” — This aircheck represents a great example of small market Mainstream CHR in the early 90’s. Unfortunately, this was the beginning of a period of multi-year struggle for the CHR format as a whole.
During the first ~15 seconds, there is some static that drowns out some of the audio.
Podcast: Embed
This was also sadly toward the end of WTHT as a Top 40 station. They would flipped to Oldies in early 1992. Also, former rival CHR WWGT “G-98” had bailed out earlier in 1991, flipping to AC as Coast 97.9. Those 2 moves left Portland with NO CHR in the market for several years. WRED in nearby Saco tried to fill the gap by increasing its power to cover Portland, but later went Rhythmic. It wasn’t until 1997 when 97.9 (the former WWGT’s frequency) reacquired its call-letters of WJBQ when CHR returned to Portland.
Robyn