Cara Carriveau

Last updated
Cara Carriveau
Born
Cara Stern

June 12, 1976
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Other namesCara Stern, Cara Simms
Career
ShowRadio Personality
Station(s) WLS-FM in Chicago & Nationwide via Local Radio Networks
Time slotLRN: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Eastern Time
ShowPodcast Host
Station(s)Caras Basement
CountryUnited States
Website www.carasbasement.com

Cara Carriveau has spent three decades hosting radio shows in Chicago, currently on WLS-FM.

Contents

History

She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Her first professional radio job using her maiden name Cara Stern was at 95.3 "The New Foxy 95" WCFX in Clare, Michigan while attending college at Central Michigan University. She was hired as a weekend overnight/fill-in personality at WCFX in 1986 and was soon promoted to weekend middays (10 am – 3 pm), then full-time evenings (7 pm – midnight) and eventually middays (10 am – 2 pm) and Production Director.

In 1989, using the stage name Cara Simms on air, she began hosting overnights at 103.9 WABT "The Wabbit" in Dundee, Illinois. [1] [2] Within a year she moved up to evenings (7 pm – 12 am), and within another year began hosting middays (10 am – 3 pm) and also became Assistant Program Director. [1] She was appointed Program Director in 1992 and shortened her on-air shift to 10 am - noon to accommodate her new responsibility. She remained at WABT until the station was put up for sale in 1995. [1] [2] Using her newly acquired married name Cara Carriveau, she became Program Director at Shadow Broadcast Services in Chicago, Illinois in 1995. [3] [4]

One responsibility of her position was anchoring the news and being a sidekick on the nationally syndicated Kevin Matthews Morning Show originating from WLUP studio's in the John Hancock Building. [2] Later that same year Carriveau began hosting weekends at 95.1 WIIL "95 Will Rock" in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Within a few months (March 1996) she accepted the simultaneous positions at WIIL of morning show sidekick/news anchor, midday host (via voicetracking) and Promotion Director. At the same time, she also began hosting weekends at "Rock 103.5" WRCX in Chicago, Illinois. It was during this time that Carriveau discovered she was pregnant with her first child.

After her daughter was born in 1996 Carriveau left WIIL and chose to continue working only part-time at WRCX, allowing her to dedicate more time to being a mother. When WRCX changed formats in 1998 and terminated the entire on air staff, she briefly filled in at WTMX hosting evenings and then middays for vacationing radio personalities during the holidays, then began working part-time at 97.9 WLUP "The Loop" in January, 1999. Within two months she was promoted to full-time evenings (7 pm – midnight), and in 2000 was promoted to middays (9 am – 2 pm). She remained at WLUP until 2006, when she was let go after writing a letter to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder lamenting about legendary radio personalities currently off the air. [5]

During her brief time off the air during which spent a great deal of time caring for her toddler son, Carriveau decided to pursue her passion of interviewing entertainers, specifically rock stars. She started her podcast Cara's Basement in February, 2007, which she still continues to host.

During this time Carriveau also began providing artist interviews for The Chicago Music Guide [6] and providing blog content for The NBC5 Street Team. She returned to the Chicago radio airwaves, working weekends and often filling in weekdays at WTMX beginning in November, 2006. Carriveau was chosen to host middays full-time in July, 2008 after a nationwide search. In 2010 and 2012 she was named "Best Radio Personality, Major Market" by the Illinois Broadcasters Association, winning first place Silver Dome awards. [7] After spending five years hosting middays at 101.9 The MIX, she moved to sister station Chicago's 100.3 WILV on January 14, 2013 hosting evenings. [2] She was promoted to afternoon drive in July, 2014 and continues in that capacity after WILV changed call letters to WSHE in March 2015. She also began blogging for The Local Tourist [8] and was appointed "Music X-Pert" in 2013.

On March 2, 2018 Cara parted ways with WSHE. [9] Cara began hosting middays nationwide on Local Radio Network's classic rock format on April 9, 2018 [10] and joined the air staff at Chicago's 94.7 WLS-FM in July, 2019. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDRV</span> Classic rock radio station in Chicago

WDRV is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and airs a classic rock format. Its studios were originally located in the John Hancock Center. On May 11, 2018, WDRV moved into all new, state-of-the-art, digital studios in Chicago's Prudential Plaza. WDRV's antenna is located atop the Aon Center. The station's programming is simulcast on sister station 96.9 WWDV in Zion, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLS-TV</span> ABC TV station in Chicago

WLS-TV is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the market's ABC network outlet. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on North State Street in the Chicago Loop, and its transmitter is located atop the Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTMX</span> Radio station in Skokie, Illinois, United States

WTMX is a hot AC radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Licensed to Skokie, it is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. WTMX has its studios located at One Prudential Plaza and its transmitter co-located atop Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMVP</span> Sports talk radio station in Chicago, Illinois

WMVP is a commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, carrying a sports format. Owned by Good Karma Brands, the station serves the Chicago metro area as the market affiliate of ESPN Radio, the flagship station of the Chicago Bears, Chicago White Sox, and the Chicago Wolves and is the home of local personalities David Kaplan, Tom Waddle and John Jurkovic. Formerly an ESPN Radio owned-and-operated station, WMVP's studios are co-located with WLS-TV in the Chicago Loop while the transmitter is located in Downers Grove. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WMVP is simulcast over the second HD subchannel of WSHE-FM and is available online.

Jonathon "Johnny B" Brandmeier is a Chicago radio personality and musician.

WCKL is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring a Christian contemporary format via the K-Love network. Owned and operated by Educational Media Foundation (EMF), WCKL serves the Chicago metro area with a transmitter located atop the John Hancock Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXDX-FM</span> Radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

WXDX-FM is a commercial radio station that is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known as 105.9 The X, it airs an alternative rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios and offices are located on Abele Road in Bridgeville next to I-79. WXDX is the flagship radio station of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLS-FM</span> Classic Hits radio station in Chicago

WLS-FM is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area, and is the radio home of Dave Fogel. The WLS-FM studios are located at the NBC Tower in the city's Streeterville neighborhood, while the transmitter resides atop the Willis Tower. Besides a standard analog transmission, WLS broadcasts over two HD Radio channels and is available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKSC-FM</span> Contemporary hit radio station in Chicago

WKSC-FM – branded "103.5 Kiss FM" – is a commercial top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago, and it broadcasts from a 4.3 kW transmitter atop Willis Tower. WKSC is the flagship station of the syndicated morning show The Fred Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKQX</span> Alternative rock radio station in Chicago

WKQX is a commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring an alternative rock format known as "Q101". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. WKQX's studios are located in the NBC Tower, while the station transmitter is located atop the John Hancock Center. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKQX broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and is available online.

Steve Cochran is an American radio broadcaster. He hosted the morning show at WGN in Chicago from 2013 to December 2019. He previously worked at WGN from 2000 to 2010. After leaving WGN in 2019, he started the podcast "Live from my Office," sponsored by Team Hochberg. He has been the morning host for WLS (AM) in Chicago since June 2022.

Liz Wilde is an American radio personality best known for her shock jock radio program Liz Wilde. After much success at WSHE as the evening air personality, Liz moved her show to the Northeast, taking over the night shift of rock station WAAF-FM in the Boston, Massachusetts radio market. After having great success in the evening slot for 18 months, The Liz Wilde Show was moved to afternoon drive-time setting record ratings for WAAF and making them competitive with rival rock station WBCN (FM) in that daypart for the first time. With her ratings success in Boston, Wilde moved to WLUP in Chicago, Illinois in March 1995. Her show aired in the morning drive-time slot from 6am-10am on WPLL in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She moved on to rock-and-roll pioneering station WMMS 100.7 FM in Cleveland, Ohio. Her show also aired on KLLI in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas market, and most recently on WRXK in Ft. Myers, Florida from November 2004 until March 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLIP</span> Radio station in Kenosha, Wisconsin

WLIP is a commercial AM radio station in Kenosha, Wisconsin, serving parts of the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas, along the west shore of Lake Michigan. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. The radio studios are in the north end of the Gurnee Mills Mall in Gurnee, Illinois.

Edward Tyll is an American comedian and radio personality.

John Records Landecker is an American Top40/oldies disc jockey best known for his trademark saying "Records truly is my middle name" and creating Boogie Check, Americana Panorama, and satirical songs and bits based on current events such as "Make a Date with the Watergate", and "Press My Conference". He originally retired from radio broadcasting on July 31, 2015. Boogie Check was a humorous feature; it was the last thing Landecker did each night on his show for about two minutes. A string of brief telephone calls was put on the air in rapid succession. From July 2007 through June 2012, he was host of "Into the Seventies", a syndicated weekend radio program from TKO Radio Networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILS</span> Radio station in Lansing, Michigan

WILS is a commercial AM radio station in Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by MacDonald Broadcasting and airs a talk radio format. It features a local news department and a mixture of local and national talk personalities. The studios and offices are on West Cavanaugh Street in Lansing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAWY</span> Air 1 radio station in Dundee, Illinois

WAWY is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Dundee, Illinois, and serving the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation, and carries its "Air1" contemporary worship music network. The station is listener-supported and seeks donations on the air.

Jenniffer Colleen Weigel, known professionally as Jenniffer Weigel, is a Chicago radio and television personality, as well as an author and performer who owns her own Chicago-area production company. She was a morning cohost on WLS-AM alongside Mancow Muller; she now hosts her own show on WLS-AM from 10:00 pm to midnight Monday through Friday. She previously hosted Taste, a program aired on NBC affiliates both in New York and in Chicago, and she also previously wrote a column for the Chicago Tribune and appeared on WGN Television and CLTV in Chicago to discuss her columns as the emcee of Trib University.

Dave Fogel is an American classic hits radio disc jockey. He has worked in Chicago, Detroit, Washington D.C., San Diego and Kansas City. The bulk of his radio work has been in Chicago, and he is the current morning show host on 94.7 WLS-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSHE-FM</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Chicago, Illinois

WSHE-FM is a radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois with an adult contemporary format focused on the 90s and 2000s with some 80s and 2010s music. The station is currently owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, Its studios are located at One Prudential Plaza, with transmitter facilities atop the John Hancock Center downtown.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "10 Questions with ... Cara Carriveau", All Access Music Group. December 5, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "WTMX-FM & WILV-FM Make Switches & Changes", Chicagoland Radio and Media. January 14, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ Nidetz, Steve. "Clown King Heads For The Center Ring At Medinah Temple", Chicago Tribune , February 22, 1995. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  4. ↑ Stark, Phyllis. "Vox Jox", Billboard , March 4, 1995. p. 85. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Letter To Feder Gets Chi-Town Jock Canned", All Access Music Group. October 5, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  6. ↑ The Chicago Music Guide
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2010-07-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ "Cara Carriveau | The Local Tourist". thelocaltourist.com. Archived from the original on 2013-03-31.
  9. ↑ "Robert Feder: Cara Carriveau Exits WSHE". robertfeder.com.
  10. ↑ "Local Radio Networks Hires 15". radioink.com. 3 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "Cara Carriveau adding her voice to WLS-FM". robertfeder.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.