Fusion Radio Chicago came to life when former stations Pure Pulse Radio and Energy Internet Radio combined into one amazing dance station powerhouse. Today it's known as one of the largest commercial dance internet radio stations and the largest station based in Chicago-land.

Fusion Radio Chicago's History:

2003--2005
Introduced on June 10, 2003, as a new light to the dance culture. The goal was simple and pure: To create a permanent Dance music outlet in Chicago, while creating a world-class radio station.

By September 2003, the station hosted it's first premier of Amber's exclusive interview with new material. The Amber interview was one of the first internet dance station artist interviews and a tradition that was soon to continue.

As a leader of new dance music, in May 2004, Pure Pulse Radio merged the sounds of Energy Internet Radio together with Pure Pulse Radio to form Fusion Radio Chicago.

2006-2007
A paring in January 2006, produced FUSION'S first continuous broadcast from Circuit Nightclub in Downtown Chicago which lasted for three years.

In the summer of 2006, FUSION participated in the Chicago Pride Parade and presented a live performance by billboard SMASH-HIT performing artist, Jenna Drey.

In December 2006, FUSION relocated it's studio to Evanston, IL and began to broadcast weekly live shows from the studio.

In the spring 2007, FUSION broadcasted live from Ontourage nightclub in Downtown Chicago with a special appearance from DJ Alex Peace.

On December 31, 2007 FUSION broadcasted the top 100 songs live from the studio, during a staff NYE party.

2008- current
Participating in its fourth Pride Parade, Fusion Radio Chicago welcomed Jenna Drey back and Jenn Cuneta to perform live on its float.  Celebrating the station's success, FUSION was featured in the Chicago Sun-Times on Friday, June 29th. 

Celebrating 5 years, FUSION hosted a 5th Anniversary party at Scarlet Bar in Chicago.  The event drew fans from Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.   

Today, FUSION RADIO CHICAGO continues to grow capturing the eye of the dance music industry. With nearly 1.9 million tune-ins, FUSION ranks as the 4th largest commercial internet dance station on the web and runs a leading dance music website.

FUSION is broadcasted from Chicago, IL in the United States

"Today, FUSION RADIO CHICAGO continues to grow capturing the eye of the dance music industry.  With nearly 1.9 million tune-ins, FUSION ranks the 3rd largest commercial internet dance station and runs a leading dance music website."

Original Chicago Sun-Times Article:

Online radio station creates Fusion for world audience.
BY MISHA DAVENPORT Staff Reporter for Chicago Sun-Times
When Energy 92.7 FM left the airwaves in early 2003, things looked grim for fans of high-energy dance music. But corporate-dominated FM radio can't stop the beat, though.

Or, it seems, keep the dance divas and DJs down.

Fusion Radio Chicago (www.fusionchicago.com) literally rose from the ashes of the former FM frequency. Fusion co-founder Manny Esparza met the stations two other founders, Gregory Schweitzer and Dave Tripper, in an Internet chatroom set up for fans of 92.7 to mourn the loss of the dance radio station.

"Corporate-owned radio stations tend to shy away from dance music because it targets a specific audience and the [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community is at its core," says Esparza, now president of development and the new online station's manager. "Half of our listeners are from the GLBT community, but that's a risk that few FM radio stations are willing to take."

"It was kind of a do-it-yourself kind of thing," says Tripper. "I hadn't even used an mp3 file, and in one week I learned how digital music works and had my own show."

The Evanston-based Internet radio station is currently the Chicago area's No. 1 online radio station and is ranked 95th in the world. Nearly a third of their listeners are overseas.

"Dance music is taken much more seriously overseas," Tripper says. "To attract that kind of an audience tells me we're going in the right direction and doing something right."

Things didn't start out that big, though.

"The first show I did was a countdown show," recalls Tripper, who is one of the station's on-air personalities. "We had three listeners and two of them were Manny and Greg. The third person found us just by searching on the internet, so that was pretty cool."

The station will celebrate its fifth anniversary by sponsoring a float in the 39th annual Chicago Pride Parade this weekend. Dance recording artists Jenn Cuneta (whose Billboard hit "Come Rain, Come Shine" samples the horns from The Wings' "Silly Love Songs") and Jenna Drey (whose latest smash is a cover of Air Supply's "All Out of Love") will perform to the parade crowd.

Tripper will kick things off with a Pride-themed block of music on his show at 7:30 tonight. Fusion will be broadcasting live all day from Saturday's Pridefest and from Circuit nightclub that night.

"FM radio has lost an entire generation to the Internet," Esparza says. "All these conglomerates bought up all these stations and now everything sounds the same. Fusion offers something different."

JUNE 2008: Dance Artists Jenn Cuneta & Jenna Drey at the Fusion Radio Chicago Pride float.

NOVEMBER 2008: Fusion Celebrities 5 years at Scarlet Bar in Chicago. 

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