iHeartMedia Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI, Chicago’s #1 Station for Hip-Hop and R&B, and Get Covered Illinois presented its sold-out Big Jam concert on Saturday, December 3 at the United Center, where a crowd of nearly 13,000 fans kicked off the holiday season. Lineup included Moneybagg Yo, Nardo Wick, Glorilla, Saucy Santana, Muni Long, Tink, PGF Nuk, Sonta and SleazyWorld Go.
“107.5 WGCI’s Big Jam has become one of Chicago’s premiere concerts, which our listeners look forward to attending every December,” said Johnnie D, Program Director for 107.5 WGCI. “We take pride in producing an incredible show of top-flight talent and connecting with our listening audience in a very organic way. However, the most important aspect of this show is our Adopt-A-School Program. This year, we donated $8,000 to Johnson Elementary School and $5,000 to Scott Joplin Elementary School.”
iHeartMedia Chicago’s Adopt-A-School Program began in 2017, when Region President Matt Scarano and other iHeartMedia executives pledged support to Scott Joplin Elementary School after visiting the school on Chicago’s South Side and learning more about the students’ pressing need for music development. Since then, $1 of each ticket sale for WGCI’s signature annual concerts, Summer Jam and Big Jam, has been donated to help the school develop a structured music program—honoring the school’s legacy and namesake, the renowned composer and pianist who was dubbed “the king of ragtime.”
iHeartMedia Chicago will continue to support Scott Joplin Elementary with annual $5,000 donations from ticket sales. Meanwhile, in 2021, another school was added to the Adopt-A-School Program: Johnson Elementary School on Chicago’s West Side, which will put their donated portion of ticket sales towards the creation of a music, art, and/or drama program. Johnson Elementary School is committed to engaging students in a rigorous academic program that helps them develop the knowledge and skills necessary for excellence in academics and in life. With the help of iHeartMedia Chicago, the school will also be able to provide students an artistic curriculum that will enrich their lives and communities.
“Our partnership with these two schools underscores iHeart’s commitment to our local communities,” said Matt Scarano, President of iHeartMedia Chicago. “Scott Joplin Elementary School and Johnson Elementary School represent the future of Chicago. We’re very proud to provide them with the music learning resources they need, so that our city’s future remains bright and artistically rich.”
iHeartMedia Chicago’s radio stations are the foundation of the Chicagoland community and donate significant on-air and digital media to nonprofits, including on-air station personalities serving as ambassadors to numerous community organizations throughout the city.
