And we’re back. It’s been a minute, we’ve been doing our best to keep up with the avalanche of new music that’s hit in the last few days (Valee, Ajani Jones, Air Credits, whew) and have admittedly been dragging on the news side. Well, without further ado, we rounded up some stories from across the city to get some perspective on some happenings around the city and beyond. Included here is the decision to close more Chicago public schools, the end of 97.9 ‘The Loop’ & Pitchfork Festival performer announcements. Catch all of that below and tune in every weekend to The Three Piece Morning Show to hear what Portia, Jamal and Shawn have to say about everything happening.
School Board Votes to Close Englewood Schools Despite Citizens Pleas
In another affront to the average Chicagoan, the Board of Education voted in favor of closing four Englewood schools in direct offense to the parents, teachers and activists who turned up to the meeting to voice their concerns and reasons to keep the schools open. The reason for the closings is a consolidation plan which is expected of the new $85 million high school, also approved last week.
Over 60 speakers from several communities lent their voices to the cause, but ultimately the new school, slated for 2019 will replace the likes of Robeson High School which will be closed this summer and Hope High School while Harper High School and Team Englewood will be phased out over the next three years. In a heated debate that saw Chance The Rapper once doing the right thing by lending his celebrity to a just cause, the school board once again shrank the number of educational facilities for the blighted south and west sides. Also included in the meeting was the plan to consolidate two South Loop high schools into one and convert the National Teacher’s Academy into a high school. The Chicago Teachers Union has filed a grievance against CPS saying that closing these schools is a violation of its labor contract.
‘The Loop’ Sold to Christian Broadcasting Group
WLUP-97.9, better known as the contemporary rock radio station, ‘The Loop’ has been bought by a California-based Christian Broadcasting Group, Educational Media Foundation for $21.5 million.
The legendary station has been in operation at its current FM home since 1977 and became reached iconic status locally and beyond with it’s much-maligned ‘Disco Demolition’ night at Comiskey Park in 1979, led by DJ Steve Dahl. It has since served as a home for rock of all kinds for the city and surrounding suburbs and it’s presence will be missed when it goes off the air for good after Saturday. EMF, is a Christian broadcasting group that includes two networks and 600 stations in 46 states. Its contemporary Christian music formats include K-LOVE and Air1. Programming on 97.9 will include children and christian-based music.
According to WGN the stations was “An FM pioneer, the station at 97.9 signed on in the 1950s as WEHS, and morphed into rhythm and blues outlet WHFC in 1963 under Leonard Chess, the legendary Chicago record company executive.”
The move is the latest shakeup to the Chicago radio landscape as of late, which includes the transformations of CBS Radio to Entercomm and the emergence of 104.3 JAMS throwback hip-hop and R&B station. As always, you can get in on the next generation of radio right here via Mild Sauce Radio.
Pitchfork Announces 2018 Lineup
Pitchfork once again took to a cement wall to paint the additional performers, a week removed from debuting the July festival’s headliners in similar fashion. Added to the lineup from Chicago are artists Kweku Collins, St. Louis transplant Smino, rock outfit Melkbelly and of course, Ravyn Lenae. They join the likes of Chaka Khan, DRAM, Earl Sweatshirt and Tame Impala in Union Park this July.
The names were announced via a oft-mocked live-painting display that went on over two weeks. Pitchfork organizers briefly got upset with reporters standing watch as they reported the outlined names before the artists had a chance to fill them in. The painting was also stretched across two weekends, which seems like a bit much in 2018. Anyway, check out the full lineup here and pick up your tickets for this year’s fest here.