McGavren Guild Media has reached an agreement to rep WLFM-FM, “87.7FM, Chicago’s Smooth Jazz.” Broadcasting from atop the Hancock Center and helmed by SVP/GM Pat Kelley, WLFM-FM immediately filled the void left by longtime Smooth Jazz format WNUA last May. In fact, WLFM debuted the same day that WNUA vacated the format.
Given that Kelley had served as the latter station’s General Sales Manager, he is well suited to lead WLFM to prominence among Chicagoland’s contemporary smooth jazz listeners. He recently brought Rick O’Dell, a notable and respected former WNUA jock to WLFM, as its PD and Midday host, a move which garnered praise from listeners.
Kelley commented on the move to McGavren Guild as well as another hire that will be familiar to the national ad community. He said, “We are very excited to be a part of the McGavren roster of stations. Since we started in May of last year the revenue and advertiser demand on 87.7FM in Chicago (WLFM-LP) has been growing at a nice steady pace. I’m proud of the partnerships we have formed in such a short period of time and look forward to inviting some of the national accounts to join the party….Chicago is very passionate about Smooth Jazz. I’m also thrilled to have PJ Lewis take reins as our National Sales Manager. Her 13 years of national sales management experience and great personality makes her the perfect choice to build our national business.”
Added Lisa Sonnenklar, McGavren Guild President / CEO: “We are thrilled to partner with Pat Kelley, PJ Lewis, and the entire WLFM family. Like that at McGavren Guild, their spirit is fresh, contemporary, and aggressive, and when you add in the longstanding advertiser relationships brought to market by teams at both companies, the possibilities for growth look very promising.”
WLFM LLC is jointly owned by Venture Technologies Group and Malibu Broadcasting.
