Flashback To Totally 80s Weekends - 80s Music On Your Radio

Here we are in the midst of another weekend in Charleston; a weekend that happens to be the first one of fall, albeit it certainly does not feel like fall, oh and it would not be Charleston in late September without the threat of a hurricane. You know in the time since I left terrestrial radio, there has not been a week that has gone by that I have not thought about the indelible impression that radio had on me as an individual. I tell people all the time, it may have truly been the most fun time of my entire life. While AI continues to shape how we will operate as a society in the years to come, I've noticed some amazing uses of this technology that have allowed me to dream of a simpler time, one WITHOUT social media and smartphones, but a time where we lived in the moment and in person with friends and relatives.  While it may sound like I am talking about the 80s, I am. But we don't need to go back to 1989 or 1986 or 1983 for that matter. All we need to do is remember an 80s music novelty period on the radio that had us all stocking up on extra Aquanet hairspray and putting on the parachute pants every Saturday night. Enter Totally 80s Weekends.

Back in the mid 2000s, we were deep inside an 80s nostalgia period. I remember turning on VH1 (back when they would show music videos), and they would have a series on called "I Love The 80s". They would also air a series of shows called "Bands Reunited", where VH1 usually had one week to get a famous 80s musical group back together and on stage to play a few songs. Most of the time Aamer Haleem (the host of the show) had success at bringing these groups back together, but there were times where he failed (read about the Extreme episode). For more information on this very cool show, check out this podcast.  The production of these shows was truly amazing as it allowed the viewer to visually take a "then and now" approach of the band.  On the radio, I spent the better part of 5 years on Saturday nights and middays entertaining listeners in the Holy City with two iterations of an 80s Request Show -- the first iteration occurred on WCSQ - Coast 92.5 from 2003-2005, and the second iteration of the show occurred on WSUY - Sunny 96.9 from July 2005 - October 2007. 

Now, let me speak to the millenial and Gen Z population, who at the time I hosted these radio shows were either too young to be interested in music, had not yet discovered their musical passion, or in some cases were not even born yet. Let me speak to you about a time where Google was only a few years old, and Facebook was barely in existence, and streaming was just coming online to radio, and Spotify was a distant thought in the future. Now in 2025, you usually have in the palm of your hand, a smartphone or tablet that may have a Spotify app that makes upwards of 80,000,000 songs available at your disposal. By the power of Bluetooth, you may be able to connect your smartphone or tablet to a smart speaker for an entire room to hear your carefully curated Spotify playlists.

But let's go back to 2005 or 2006, this was a time where we were gathering more in person. It was also a time where more diverse demographics of people were listening to the radio, and actually being entertained more by what they were hearing. We had not yet reached an era where news had been minimized into 15 or 30 second soundbytes. Back then, we still had longer attention spans, and since we were hosting more parties and get togethers, it was only natural to enhance those experiences with music. So, what do you get when you call up 10 of your friends to come over to your house on a Saturday night, crank up the grill, and light a bonfire? You call it the beginning of Totally 80s Weekends. Oh, I did forget to mention one thing in my description of a Saturday night with your friends -- music.  What better music to throw into the mix at your gathering than music that everyone knows and loves; 80s music.  80s music is STILL in high demand in 2025. Don't believe me? Most of the top radio stations in some of the biggest markets in the country are classic hits, which are programmed with a ton of 80s music. 

So, it's a Saturday night and you have assembled 10 of your closest friends, the grill is hot and ready for some burger and steaks, the cooler is full of beer and your DIY bartender skills have crafted a wonderful mixed drink of choice and its on ice. All of your friends arrive at your house around 7pm and you turn the radio on and one of the most popular radio stations in the area has a DJ who is entertaining you and your guests by providing so many amazing tidbits about all of the 80s songs he's playing. After you get done cooking your hamburgers and steaks, you are sitting down outside around a newly constructed bonfire.  You hear the DJ talk between songs and he rattles off the phone number that you can call to reach him so that you can request  your favorite 80s song. Your friend lets you borrow their flip phone so that you can call this DJ. He answers, and records your request and in the next 15 or 20 minutes you hear your voice on the radio, followed by one of your all-time favorite 80s songs. You are completely and utterly on Cloud Nine. This used to be the norm during another major part of my life; a part of my life that I hold near and dear to my heart, and a part of my life that in many cases I wish I could go back to today.

Usually at midnight on Saturday mornings, the radio station I used to work at for Totally 80s Weekends would switch all of its sweepers, imaging and music and usher in a Totally 80s Weekend. For the better part of two and a half years, WSUY - Sunny 96.9, which at the time was the top adult contemporary radio station developed the Totally 80s Weekends concept for the Charleston, SC radio market. You know when I would be out and about back then and bump into people and tell them what I did, most all of them would tell me how much they were in love with Totally 80s Weekends. 

While I have been off the air from terrestrial radio for close to 18 years, I have always pondered the following question: "How would Totally 80s Weekend be received in 2025?" One of the first answers that comes to mind when I ask that question to myself is "Why would anyone think to call a radio station and request their favorite 80s song when they have in the palm of their hand an app that could provide them access to EVERY 80s songs ever produced. Unfortunately, in a world of voice-tracked shows (not live radio) and syndication, it's becoming increasingly more difficult for me to find out the answer to this question. The Charleston radio market is devoid of any real opportunities to host a show of this nature today. I've heard there are some syndicated 80s request shows on Saturday nights, but when you call their number, the phone just rings and rings. Why does this happen? Most likely because the show was pre-recorded and filled with archived canned phone calls sprinkled in to make it sound like people are actually calling into the show. 

Totally 80s Weekends dominated the airwaves for the better part of two and a half years in Charleston and offered a glimpse into the pop culture and a very large 80s playlist that made for a lot of fun parties and events all over the Lowcountry.  By the spring and summer of 2006, Totally 80s Weekends became such a popular pastime on the weekends in the Holy City that I used to have listeners call me up and invite me over to their house after my show! Nothing like an ice cold beer to cool me off after a hot Saturday night of taking requests from some of the hottest people in the Charleston area.

So, I wanted to take this time to reflect on some of the greatest moments in my life - Totally 80s Weekends. I wanted to take this time to begin to reflect on this last of the golden era of radio that I was so lucky to experience. I would be remissed if I did not take this opportunity to thank Mike Edwards, program director for both WSSX and WSUY at the time who put his faith and trust in me as an announcer and who made the vision of Totally 80s Weekends come to life. You can check out his obituary by clicking on this link. I would also like to thank my good friend, John Anthony who was the program director at WCSQ - Coast 92.5 and who provided me an opportunity to host my first weekend request show on Saturday nights. 

MORE RADIO ARCHIVES ARE COMING UP

I have so many radio shows that are stored on hard drive, DVD, and mini disc that I will have much more content to share with you on this blog post. Unfortunately, it take a great level of effort to edit and perfect these airchecks to get them ready for public listening. We'll start out with this show from August 18, 2007, which would be a little less than 2 months before Totally 80s Weekends would end for good. During this weekend, it was an 80s Triple Play Weekend. Take a listen down below.

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Thank you so very much for finding this blog. In recent years, I had my developer add categories to this blog so I can include radio and some of my selection pieces of production I've produced in my home studio over the years. If you are interested in speaking to me about DJing for your wedding, please click the link up above and you'll be taken over to my contact form where you'll be able to tell me a little bit about your big day. If you are interested in hiring me for an 80s nostalgia party, you may also reach out the same way. Be sure to bookmark this blog page as there will be more pieces of production to be added into the coming weeks and months. Thank you again for visiting!

For some of the Best 80s Soft Rock Songs <---CLICK HERE