Born in Chicago, Abrams became a radio DJ.

He pioneered systematic audience research and psychographics, connecting people's lifestyles to their listening habits.

He modified the album-oriented rock music format, or AOR, from a looser, freeform style to a tighter form, using playlists rather than allowing DJs the freedom to play anything they chose from albums. This followed the evolution in the late 1960s and 1970s from the music industry's focus on singles to albums. Some of his other work at this time included numerous voice-overs, notably the introduction commentary in "Let's Talk About Me" from the 1984 Alan Parsons Project album Vulture Culture. Abrams co-founded XM Satellite Radio and served as Chief Programming Officer at that company until his departure in 2008. More recently Abrams was the chief innovation officer for the Tribune Company (2008–2010) but prior to that, founded and ran the notable radio consulting company Burkhart/Abrams, served as an internal consultant for ABC Radio, and helped develop nationwide radio formats such as Z-Rock and Radio Disney.

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