Iconic Chicago Rock Station 97.9 WLUP Loop Van Found Rusting in Deserted Car Lot

Every town in America had that one radio station, the one that defined the city, particularly for rock music fans. In Chicago, that was the Loop, 97.9 WLUP.

The station is long gone, having been sold to the scrap heap of history by its owner with the frequency going to a religious broadcaster, the end chronicled here in the Chicago Tribune.

3 years after the demise of the Loop, a remnant of the station was discovered rotting away in an abanded car lot by the Chicago River - yes that's a rusting Loop van.

Greg Easterling, a longtime Chicago radio personality whose credits on the dial include the Drive, Q101 and WXRT shared the following on Facebook:

Easterling is now the host of American Backroads airing on public radio from the College of Dupage, WDCB.

The Loop lives on as a streaming station.

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The Vibe of Chicago's Loop

You can get a feel for the former radio station from some of its archived commercials:

Loop commercial from 1982.

This is perhaps the most iconic Loop commercial. First filmed in a Chicago backstreet, the footage was used by radio stations across the country:

This is a real early one from 1978:

This one is is a more modern vintage from 2001

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