WCFS-FM

Last updated • 11 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

WCFS-FM
Simulcast of WBBM, Chicago
Broadcast area Chicago metropolitan area
Frequency 105.9 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingNewsradio 105.9 WBBM
Programming
Language(s) English
Format All-news radio
Subchannels HD2: Sports and betting talk BetQL Network
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WBBM, WBBM-FM, WBMX, WSCR, WUSN, WXRT [1]
History
First air date
February 1948 (1948-02) [2]
Former call signs
  • WLEY (1948–57) [3]
  • WXFM (1957 [3] –84) [4]
  • WAGO (1984–85) [4]
  • WCKG (1985–2007) [4]
Call sign meaning
"Chicago's Fresh" (former branding)
Technical information [5]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 71283
Class B
ERP
  • 4,100  watts (analog)
  • 163 watts (digital)
HAAT 482 meters (1,581 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 41°52′44″N87°38′10″W / 41.879°N 87.636°W / 41.879; -87.636
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Website www.audacy.com/wbbm780

WCFS-FM (105.9 MHz) – branded Newsradio 105.9 WBBM – is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to the Chicago suburb of Elmwood Park, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Chicago metropolitan area, operating as a full-time simulcast of WBBM (780 AM).

Contents

WCFS-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 4,100 watts. [6] The transmitter is atop the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). [6] The studios and newsroom are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Loop. [7] [8] In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCFS-FM broadcasts over two HD Radio subchannels, [9] and is available online via Audacy.

History

WLEY

The station originally held the call sign WLEY and broadcast at 107.1 MHz. [10] [3] WLEY was founded in February 1948, with commercial broadcasts beginning in April. [2] The "LEY" in its call letters stood for Leyden Township, which contains the city of license of Elmwood Park. [11] WLEY was owned by Zeb Zarnecki. [11] The station broadcast in English and Polish. [12] WLEY broadcast the "Polish Barn Dance", hosted by Zeb Zarnecki, along with other programs for the local Polish community. [12] It is not related to today's 107.9 WLEY-FM in Aurora.

The station's studios and transmitter were located on Harlem Ave, in Elmwood Park. [3] It had an ERP of 320 watts at a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 240 feet. [3] In 1949, its ERP was increased to 1,000 watts and its HAAT was increased to 250 feet. [3] In 1955, the station's ERP was increased to 32,000 watts and its frequency was changed to 105.9 MHz, after the previous occupant of that frequency, WFMT, moved to 98.7 MHz. [3] [13] WLEY was taken silent in 1956. [3]

WXFM

In 1957, the station was sold to Evelyn Chauvin Schoonfield, a school teacher from Detroit, for $22,500, and its call sign was changed to WXFM. [14] [3] [11] In the early 1960s, the FCC investigated several unauthorized transfers of control, which placed renewal of the station's license in jeopardy. [15] However, the FCC allowed Schoonfield to keep the license, and authorized the sale of the station to WXFM Inc., with controlling interest owned by Robert Victor. [16] [17]

In the 1960s and 1970s, WXFM featured a variety of musical programming, including classical, jazz, show tunes, folk music, light classical, and MOR programs. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] On October 3, 1962, it became an affiliate of the QXR Network. [24] [25]

In 1966, the station's transmitter was moved to 333 North Michigan Ave. in Downtown Chicago, and in 1974 its transmitter was moved to the Sears Tower. [3]

In 1970, Triad Radio, a freeform program, began airing on the station. [22] Triad Radio began in 1969, as a three hour weekly program on 105.1 WEAW-FM. [22] The program eventually aired for five hours nightly on WXFM, and continued to air on the station through 1977. [26] [27] Triad Radio published a free monthly magazine that was distributed through retail outlets. [26] [27]

Dick Lawrence, historian and radio personality, hosted "Sound of the 1920s" an original hour-long feature program of vintage music 'old scratchies' woven together by offbeat historical themes. [28]

Count Bee-Jay's "Journeys Into Music", broadcast from a truck stop at 39th and Morgan to the radio station was a daily feature on WXFM from the 70s into the early 80s.

In 1978, Herb Kent began hosting a show on WXFM. [29] [30] [31]

In the early 1980s, jazz began to dominate WXFM's schedule. [32] [33] [34] Personalities on the station at this time included Daddy-O Daylie and Dick Buckley. [33] [35] Pervis Spann hosted an overnight blues show. [36]

WAGO

In 1984, the station was sold to Cox Communications for $9 million. [37] [38] [39] On April 2, 1984, Cox launched a contemporary hits format on the station, and its call sign was changed to WAGO. [34] [40] [4] The station was branded "G-106". [40] [39]

WAGO featured John Records Landecker in mornings, who had made a name for himself on 890 WLS. [41]

Rock era

On March 4, 1985, the station's format was changed to album oriented rock (AOR) and its call letters were changed to WCKG. [39] [4] John Records Landecker continued hosting the morning show on WCKG until 1986, when he returned to 890 WLS. [39] [42] [43]

By 1987, WCKG had transitioned into a classic rock format. [44] [45] [46] [47] On-air personalities included Stephanie Miller, John Howell, Mitch Michaels, Allan Stagg, Joe Thomas, Debbie Alexander, and Rich Koz. [11] [48] [49]

WCKG picked up the syndicated Howard Stern Show for mornings in March 1995. [50] After Stern tried to foment a local rivalry with the locally-based Mancow Muller on WRCX by attacking the personality, his boss, and their families, Cox dropped the show in October 1995. [51] [52] The station blamed issues with "some of Howard's on-air content", and one day later, it was picked up by WJJD, then owned by Infinity Broadcasting, who distributed the show. [52] [53]

In an ironic twist, WCKG would sold to Infinity Broadcasting and become WJJD's sister station in 1996, with Cox acquiring Infinity stations in Orlando in exchange. [54] [55] At the end of the year, Infinity Broadcasting was purchased by the parent company of CBS. [56] This would then clear the way for Stern to return to 105.9 after one year on the AM band.

Hot talk era

Logo as "The Package" 105.9 The Package logo.png
Logo as "The Package"

The station began evolving to a hot talk format in July 1996 with the addition of Steve Dahl in the afternoons and Stern returning to mornings, while classic rock continued to air in the remainder of the schedule. [57] [58] [59] In 1998, Jonathon Brandmeier began hosting middays on WCKG, and the station further moved into a hot talk format. [60] During this time, the station was branded "105.9 The PaCKaGe". [61]

In 2002, rock music was re-added to the station's schedule in certain hours, and its slogan became "Talk That Rocks". [62] On April 1, 2002, Kevin Matthews joined WCKG as midday host. [63] [62] Other personalities and programs during this era include, Patti Haze & Mary Pat LaRue, [60] Pete McMurray, [61] Opie and Anthony , [62] Karen Hand and Dr. Kelly Johnson, [64] Bill O'Reilly, [64] Jim Cramer, [64] Buzz Kilman, [64] Wendy Snyder, [64] Frankie "Hollywood" Rodriguez, [64] Bob Sirott, [64] Marianne Murciano, [64] Little Steven's Underground Garage , [64] and The House of Blues Radio Hour with Elwood Blues. [64] [65] The rock music was removed from the station's schedule by early 2005. [66]

On October 25, 2005, the station was rebranded "Free FM". [67] [68] [69] With Stern's departure from terrestrial radio on December 16, 2005, Infinity announced that effective January 3, 2006, WCKG would become the flagship station of Rover's Morning Glory , a show that originated from Cleveland and outside of moving to Chicago, held no previous connection to the Windy City and focused on a much younger audience than the rest of WCKG's staff, meaning the remaining audience which had not moved with Stern to satellite radio and other programs didn't stick around for the rest of the station's schedule. [67] Following months of abysmal ratings, Rover's Morning Glory was dropped on August 1, 2006, and was replaced by the New York-based Opie and Anthony Show. [70]

WCKG was also the flagship station of the NBA's Chicago Bulls from 2006 until 2007. [71] [72] With the demise of WCKG's talk format, the Bulls returned to all-sports 1000 WMVP. [71]

Steve Dahl's son, Matt Dahl, joined WCKG on March 5, 2007, and Garry Meier joined the station on April 2, hosting late mornings. [73] [74] On May 2, 2007, the station's branding was changed from "Free FM" to "Chicago's FM Talk Station". [75] It was later rebranded back to "The Package". [76] By this time, the weekday lineup consisted of Opie and Anthony, Meier, Stan Lawrence and Terry Armour, Steve and Matt Dahl, Glenn Beck, Loveline , and Bill O'Reilly. [76]

October 29, 2007, was the last day of the talk format on WCKG, as hosts and station staff said their goodbyes on-air. [77] Steve Dahl's show continued to air on WCKG, with best-of clips airing for the rest of the day. [77] His show moved to sister station 104.3 WJMK on November 5. [77]

On November 2, CBS Radio 'tipped' to the media writers at the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune that the station would switch to an all-Christmas format that afternoon before the unveiling of its actual new format. [78] However this was a ruse, designed to throw long-time ratings leader 93.9 WLIT-FM off from its plans to start playing all-Christmas music beginning November 8. [79] The trick worked, as WLIT switched to all-Christmas music on November 2, while WCKG continued to play the "Best of Dahl" until November 5. [79] That day, WCKG began stunting by simulcasting several of Chicago's other CBS Radio stations. From 5:30 to 10 a.m., it carried Dahl's first show on WJMK. [80] From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., it simulcast 670 WSCR; from 2 to 4 p.m., it simulcast 93.1 WXRT, and from 4 to 5 p.m., it simulcast 780 WBBM. [80]

Fresh 105.9

"Fresh 105.9" logo from 2007 to 2011. The logo remained in use when the format was moved to WCFS's HD2 subchannel from 2011 to 2019. Fresh1059.png
"Fresh 105.9" logo from 2007 to 2011. The logo remained in use when the format was moved to WCFS's HD2 subchannel from 2011 to 2019.

At 5 p.m., after the CBS Radio News bell for the top of the hour newscast, WCKG became "Fresh 105.9" with a modern-based adult contemporary format that originally focused on soft rock songs from the 1990s to current product (with some select 80s songs). [79] The first song played was "Beautiful Day" by U2. [81] [80] The station shared its branding with co-owned WWFS in New York City. The station's call sign was changed to WCFS-FM, for "Chicago's Fresh", [82] on November 26, 2007. [4]

On February 25, 2008, morning personality Mike LeBaron and midday personality Lisa Greene signed on as the first DJ's on Chicago's "Fresh 105.9". [83] In April 2008, Program Director Mike Peterson named Rick Hall as afternoon host. [84] On October 6, 2009, Roxanne Steele began hosting afternoons on WCFS. [85] Rick Hall moved to mornings on a temporary basis after Mike LeBaron left the station. [85]

In November 2009, Steve Fisher debuted as the new morning host on WCFS. [86] Upon Fisher's arrival, Rick Hall was moved to middays. [87] However, in June 2010, new program director Jim Ryan told reporters that Hall had been released. [87] Evening host Brooke Hunter was moved to middays. [88]

On March 30, 2010, it was announced that Bill Gamble left CBS Radio Chicago, where he was Program Director of WCFS-FM and WUSN. [89]

WBBM simulcast

On the morning of August 1, 2011, WCFS began redirecting listeners to sister stations 96.3 WBBM-FM and 99.5 WUSN. [90] It played an hour and a half of "end"-themed songs, concluding with "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men and the first six seconds of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds. [90] Then at 8:10 a.m., WCFS replaced the "Fresh" AC format with an FM simulcast of co-owned all-news station 780 WBBM. [91] [92] Until that date, WBBM had been carried on WCFS-HD2, effectively (besides the loss of WCFS's physical staff) making the move merely a swap of the formats for the HD1 and HD2 subchannels. [93]

The format change was seen as a counter to WBBM's new competitor, 101.1 WWWN, which switched to an all-news format on July 31, 2011, one day before WCFS's switch. [92] [94] The "Fresh" AC format was moved to WCFS-HD2 on August 1, rebranding as "The New Sound of Fresh 105.9 HD2". [90]

The move left 93.9 WLIT-FM as the only adult contemporary radio station at the time in Chicago. The switch also gave the NFL's Chicago Bears an FM outlet. [95] The "FM News" format on WWWN, which later became WIQI, failed in the market and was replaced by a 90's-centric adult hits format on July 17, 2012. [96]

Though WCFS uses WBBM's on-air branding ("NewsRadio 780 and 105.9 FM, WBBM"), its official call sign remains WCFS, call letters only mentioned once per hour. Arbitron's use of the Portable People Meter for Chicago radio ratings does not need call letter verification to give credit for listening to 105.9 FM. [97] WBBM thus identifies both signals in a rushed form of station identification at :56 past the hour as "WBBM Chicago, WCFS-FM-HD1 Elmwood Park-Chicago".

The two stations have simulcast continuously since August 1, 2011, with one exception. During the 2015 baseball season, WBBM carried Chicago Cubs baseball exclusively over the AM 780 frequency during the 2015 season, while WCFS-FM 105.9 continued to carry the all-news format on its own during Cubs broadcasts. [98] Starting with the 2016 season, the Cubs moved to co-owned 670 WSCR. [98] WBBM and WCFS returned to a full-time simulcast at the end of the 2015 season. [98]

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom. [99] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. [100] [101]

HD Radio

WCFS-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio format. The HD2 subchannel carries a sports gambling format, branded as "The Bet". [102]

The station's HD2 subchannel debuted in January 2006, and simulcast the all-news format of WBBM AM 780. [93] After WBBM began simulcasting on the analog/HD1 in 2011, the HD2 subchannel continued to carry an automated version of WCFS's former AC format (which gradually shifted to Hot AC) as "Fresh 105.9", leading to one of the few situations where the station's callsign meaning referred instead to an HD Radio subchannel. In February 2019, the "Fresh" format was replaced with an electronic dance music format, branded as "Energy". This format had aired on co-owned 96.3 WBBM-FM-HD2 as "B96 Dance" from 2006 until February 2019, when it was replaced with "Channel Q". [93] [103] [90]

On March 19, 2021, WCFS-HD2 switched to carrying a new national format covering legalized sports gaming, branded as "The Bet". [102]

Related Research Articles

CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadcasting since the 1970s. The broadcasting company was sold to Entercom on November 17, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDRV</span> Classic rock radio station in Chicago

WDRV is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and airs a classic rock format. Its studios were originally located in the John Hancock Center. On May 11, 2018, WDRV moved into all new, state-of-the-art, digital studios in Chicago's Prudential Plaza. WDRV's antenna is located atop the Aon Center. The station's programming is simulcast on sister station 96.9 WWDV in Zion, Illinois.

WBBM may refer to the following broadcast media outlets in the Chicago, Illinois area:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBBM (AM)</span> Radio station in Illinois, United States

WBBM – branded Newsradio 780 WBBM – is a commercial all-news AM radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Chicago Loop, while the station's transmitter—diplexed with sister station WSCR—is in the nearby suburb of Bloomingdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTMX</span> Radio station in Skokie, Illinois, United States

WTMX is a hot AC radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Licensed to Skokie, it is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. WTMX has its studios located at One Prudential Plaza and its transmitter co-located atop Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCKL (FM)</span> K-Love radio station in Chicago

WCKL is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring a Christian contemporary format via the K-Love network. Owned and operated by Educational Media Foundation (EMF), WCKL serves the Chicago metro area with a transmitter located atop the John Hancock Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBBM-FM</span> Contemporary hit radio station in Chicago

WBBM-FM is a rhythmic hot adult contemporary radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,300 watts, transmitting from atop the Willis Tower. The station's studios and offices are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLIT-FM</span> Soft adult contemporary radio station in Chicago

WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBMX</span> Classic hip hop radio station in Chicago

WBMX is a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, serving the Chicago metropolitan area and Northwest Indiana. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a classic hip hop radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXRT</span> Alternative rock radio station in Chicago

WXRT, also known as XRT and 93-XRT is an alternative rock radio station in Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKQX</span> Alternative rock radio station in Chicago

WKQX is a commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring an alternative rock format known as "Q101". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. WKQX's studios are located in the NBC Tower, while the station transmits from atop the John Hancock Center. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKQX broadcasts over two HD Radio channels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLEY-FM</span> Regional Mexican radio station in Aurora–Chicago, Illinois

WLEY-FM is a radio station licensed to Aurora, Illinois, serving Aurora, Chicago, Naperville, Joliet and much of surrounding Northeast Illinois. Owned by Spanish Broadcasting System, it broadcasts a regional Mexican format branded as La Ley 107.9. WLEY's studios are located in the Crain Communications Building in the Loop, while its transmitter is located in Bloomingdale, with its antenna located atop WSCR's tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYLL</span> Christian talk radio station in Chicago

WYLL is a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It originated as WJJD and broadcast some pioneering shows. It is owned by Salem Media Group and airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The studios and offices are located in Elk Grove Village. Its daytime transmitter and two-tower array are located off Ballard Road near Interstate 294 in Des Plaines. The nighttime transmitter and six-tower array are off Deer Drive near Interstate 355 in Lockport. WYLL is powered with 50,000 watts, the maximum for commercial AM stations in the U.S. But it must use a directional antenna at all times to protect clear-channel station KSL in Salt Lake City, the dominant Class A station and several Class B stations on 1160 AM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free FM</span> Short-lived talk radio brand

Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name to highlight that its stations broadcast free-to-air, instead of requiring a subscription fee like satellite radio services. Launched on October 25, 2005, Free FM was phased out over the course of 2007, with the final station using it, KLSX, dropping the brand in November 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garry Meier</span> American radio talk show host

Garry Meier is a Chicago-based radio personality who has been active in Chicago radio since 1973. Meier is well known for being part of the highly successful radio duos "Steve & Garry" and "Roe and Garry", but he also hosted shows on WYEN, WFYR, WLUP, WCKG, WGN and WGN.FM at various times in his career. Meier is also a former feature reporter for WGN-TV's morning show and is a member of the National Radio Hall of Fame. As of March 12, 2016, he has a new show broadcast in Podcast format via his website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Dahl</span> American radio personality

Steven Robert Dahl is an American radio personality. He is the owner and operator of the Steve Dahl Network, a subscription-based podcasting network. Dahl gained a measure of national attention after organizing and hosting Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRME-LD</span> Television and radio station in Chicago

WRME-LD is a low-power television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, affiliated with Jewelry Television. The station's audio channel, transmitting at 87.75 MHz, lies within the FM band; as a result, WRME-LD's audio channel operates as a radio station at 87.7 FM. Owned by Venture Technologies Group and operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Weigel Broadcasting, the station airs a soft adult contemporary/oldies format via the 87.75 MHz audio channel under the brand 87.7 MeTV FM, a brand extension of Weigel's MeTV television network. The WRME-LD studios are co-located with Weigel's headquarters in Chicago's Greektown neighborhood, while the transmitter resides atop the John Hancock Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCKG</span> Radio station in Illinois, United States

WCKG is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Elmhurst, Illinois, and serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It broadcasts a sports radio format and is owned by DuPage Radio, LLC. WCKG is a Fox Sports Radio Network affiliate. It also carries the nationally syndicated Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey and some brokered programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZSR</span> Radio station in Woodstock, Illinois

WZSR is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Woodstock, Illinois, United States, it serves Chicago's northwest suburbs. The station is currently owned by Alpha Media. The station's studios are located behind McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCHI-FM</span> Mainstream rock radio station in Chicago

WCHI-FM (95.5 MHz) is a mainstream rock formatted radio station located in Chicago, Illinois, owned and operated by iHeartMedia. WCHI-FM has studios located at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Chicago, and it broadcasts from a 5.3 kW transmitter based atop John Hancock Center.

References

  1. ↑ Janowski, Thaddeus P. (September 29, 2010). "FCC 316: Application for Consent to Assign Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License or to Transfer Control of Entity Holding Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License (BTCH-20100930AFL)". Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "FM Outlet Histories", Broadcasting — Telecasting . A Continuing Study of Major Radio Markets: Study No. 7: Chicago. October 25, 1948. p. 21. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 History Cards for WCFS-FM, fcc.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WCFS-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  6. 1 2 FM Query Results: WCFS-FM, fcc.gov. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Contact Us", WBBM. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  8. ↑ Feder, Robert. "WBBM Newsradio dedicates studio to Eric Brown", RobertFeder.com. June 26, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=4 Archived September 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine HD Radio Guide for Chicago
  10. ↑ Broadcasting–Telecasting Yearbook Number 1950 , Broadcasting–Telecasting, 1950. p. 133. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. p. 313-314.
  12. 1 2 Migała, Józef (1987). Polish Radio Broadcasting in the United States. Eastern European Monographs. pp. 151-156, 231.
  13. ↑ History Cards for WFMT, fcc.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Ownership Changes", Broadcasting – Telecasting . January 28, 1957. p. 104. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Who's on First? Ignorance of the law may cost WXFM (FM) license renewal", Broadcasting . August 26, 1963. p. 54-55. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Teacher Wins Fight to Operate FM Station", Sponsor . July 13, 1964. p. 4. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Ownership changes", Broadcasting . September 6, 1963. p. 80. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  18. ↑ "FM Units Double in Two Year Period", Broadcasting . February 20, 1961. p. 82. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  19. ↑ Bundy, June. "Vox Jox", Billboard . February 20, 1961. p. 37. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Music as Written", Billboard . February 8, 1960. p. 24. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  21. ↑ "FM Station Key", U.S. Radio. Vol. 5, No. 1. January 1961. p. 13. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  22. 1 2 3 Paige, Earl. "Chicago MOR/Classical FM Station Encouraged By Triad Programming", Billboard . May 29, 1971. pp. 32, 36. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  23. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1976 , Broadcasting, 1976. p. C-59. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  24. ↑ "WXFM Will Join QXR Network on Wednesday", Chicago Tribune . September 28, 1962. p. C10.
  25. ↑ Biro, Nick. "Stereo Called FM's Most Exciting Tool", Billboard . April 13, 1963. p. 41. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  26. 1 2 Childers, Scott (2008). Chicago's WLS Radio . Arcadia Publishing. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  27. 1 2 "Looking Back", The AOR Story. Radio & Records. 1978. p. 9. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  28. ↑ Heise, Kenan. "Dick Lawrence, 66; Was Host of WNIB Weekly Radio Show", Chicago Tribune . March 31, 1992. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Inside Track", Billboard . July 8, 1978. p. 82. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  30. ↑ Moser, Whet. "RIP Herb Kent: Cool Gent, King of the Dusties (and Former Classical and Punk DJ)", Chicago . October 26, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Herb Kent aircheck, WXFM-FM 7/13/81", Chicagoland Radio and Media. February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  32. ↑ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983 , Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1983. p. B-73. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  33. 1 2 McCormick, Moria. "Count B.J. Out of Work as WXFM Abandons Jazz", Billboard . February 11, 1984. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  34. 1 2 "Cox Picks Jeffries as WXFM's PD", Radio & Records . March 2, 1984. pp. 1, 32. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  35. ↑ Reich, Howard. "Air-Waives", Chicago Tribune . February 21, 1993. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  36. ↑ Baker, Cary. "WXOL Chicago Plays The Blues", Billboard . May 16, 1981. p. 27. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Cox Pays $9 Million For WXFM/Chicago", Radio & Records . August 19, 1983. p. 3. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  38. ↑ Application Search Details – BALH-19830912HC, fcc.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  39. 1 2 3 4 "Chicago's WAGO Switches: Outlet Now AOR-Formatted WCKG", Billboard . March 16, 1985. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  40. 1 2 Bornstein, Rollye. "Vox Jox", Billboard . April 14, 1984. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  41. ↑ Bornstein, Rollye. "Vox Jox", Billboard . September 8, 1984. p. 12. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  42. ↑ Chicago Radio Guide . Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  43. ↑ Freeman, Kim. "Vox Jox", Billboard . March 22, 1986. p. 26. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  44. ↑ Feder, Robert (October 12, 1987). "WCKG savors success in 'classic rock' battle". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  45. ↑ Chicagoland Radio Waves , MediaTies. Summer 1988/Spring-Summer 1989. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Winter '87 Arbitron Ratings", Billboard . May 2, 1987. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  47. ↑ Freeman, Kim. "Winter Arbs Hot and Cold", Billboard . May 2, 1987. p. 81. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  48. ↑ "WCKG FM 105.9", Radio Chicago. Fall 1989. p. 34. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  49. ↑ "WCKG FM 105.9", Radio Chicago. Winter 1990. p. 51. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  50. ↑ Feder, Robert (March 28, 1995). "WCKG's Shocker: Stern Comes Back". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  51. ↑ Taylor, Chuck (October 14, 1995). "Vox Jox" (PDF). Billboard . p. 79.
  52. 1 2 "Shock Jock Dumped Again // Vicious attacks, on-air tirades prompt WCKG-FM to drop Howard Stern's morning radio show despite rising ratings". Chicago Sun-Times . October 2, 1995. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  53. ↑ Feder, Robert (October 3, 1995). "Shock Jock Stern Returns via WJJD". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  54. ↑ Feder, Robert (May 16, 1996). "Infinity Trades Up For WCKG, WYSY". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  55. ↑ "Transactions", Radio & Records . May 24, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  56. ↑ "Westinghouse to Change Name to CBS After Spinoff", Bloomberg News. Los Angeles Times . February 6, 1997. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  57. ↑ Feder, Robert (July 16, 1996). "WCKG welcoming Howard Stern back". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  58. ↑ Feder, Robert (June 3, 1996). "Dahl Joining WCKG To Host Afternoons". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  59. ↑ Kirk, Jim. "Contract Talks With Brandmeier, Dahl, Stern a Hot Topic for Infinity", Chicago Tribune . June 4, 2000. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  60. 1 2 Feder, Robert (April 9, 1998). "WCKG still refining its conversion to talk". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  61. 1 2 3 "WCKG Staff". WCKG. Archived from the original on July 16, 2002. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  62. ↑ Mowatt, Raoul V. "WCKG-FM feels a lot like home to Kevin Matthews", Chicago Tribune . April 19, 2002. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  63. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "WCKG Staff". WCKG. Archived from the original on June 5, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  64. ↑ "HOB Affiliate Stations". TheBluesmobile.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  65. ↑ "WCKG Staff". WCKG. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  66. 1 2 Rosenthal, Phil. "Meet the new Howard Sterns", Chicago Tribune . October 26, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  67. ↑ Peterson, Al. "Stern Replacements Revealed!", Radio & Records . pp. 1, 12. October 28, 2005. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  68. ↑ "Infinity Broadcasting Launches 'Free FM' as Part of Howard Stern Replacement Strategy". CBS Radio. October 25, 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  69. ↑ "'Rover' is out; Opie and Anthony are in", Chicago Tribune . August 1, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  70. 1 2 "Bulls returning to ESPN 1000", Daily Herald . October 29, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  71. ↑ Sherman, Ed. "Bulls will flip to FM dial in '06, on WCKG", Chicago Tribune . October 18, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  72. ↑ Rosenthal, Phil. "Oscar honchos smarter than 5th graders?", Chicago Tribune . March 4, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  73. ↑ Rosenthal, Phil. "Meier finds right fit at last with WCKG", Chicago Tribune . March 28, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  74. ↑ Feder, Robert (May 2, 2007). "Canned country". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  75. 1 2 "WCKG Chicago FM Talk Radio Station". WCKG. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  76. 1 2 3 Feder, Robert (October 30, 2007). "Cleaning house: Bulls, on-air personalities sign off as WCKG prepares for new format". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  77. ↑ Feder, Robert (November 2, 2007). "Suddenly Santa: Ready or not, Christmas music starts tonight on WCKG and soon on WLIT". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  78. 1 2 3 Feder, Robert (November 6, 2007). "'Fresh 105.9': Pop goes the music as defunct talker turns to adult-contemporary format". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  79. 1 2 3 "WCKG Becomes Fresh 105.9", Format Change Archive. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  80. ↑ Rosenthal, Phil. "Fresh sound unveiled at WCKG", Chicago Tribune . November 6, 2007. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  81. ↑ "Chicago's 'Fresh' Will Get New Calls". All Access. November 21, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  82. ↑ "Fresh 105.9 Adds LeBaron And Greene", All Access Music Group. February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  83. ↑ "Rick Hall Joins WCFS For Afternoons", All Access Music Group. April 11, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  84. 1 2 Rosenthal, Phil. "Fresh 105.9 hires Roxanne Steele", Chicago Tribune . October 1, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  85. ↑ Rosenthal, Phil. "Steve Fisher gets Fresh morning slot", Chicago Tribune . October 1, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  86. 1 2 Rosenthal, Phil (June 18, 2010). "Midday host Rick Hall out at Fresh 105.9". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  87. ↑ Lazare, Lewis (July 7, 2010). "Brooke Hunter to host midday on CBS Radio Chicago's WCFS-FM". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  88. ↑ Rosenthal, Phil. "Gamble out as US 99.5, Fresh 105.9 program director", Chicago Tribune . March 30, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  89. 1 2 3 4 "Fresh 105.9 Becomes NewsRadio 105.9 WBBM", Format Change Archive. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  90. ↑ "Goodbye to 'Fresh' in Chicago, as WBBM-A to Simulcast on FM". All Access Music Group. July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  91. 1 2 Venta, Lance. "WBBM Chicago Adds Simulcast on 105.9 WCFS", RadioInsight. April 8, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  92. 1 2 3 "Major Radio Groups Announce HD2 Formats", All Access Music Group. January 19, 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  93. ↑ Channick, Robert. "Merlin Media launches Chicago's first all-news FM station", Chicago Tribune . July 31, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  94. ↑ "Newsradio 780 To Simulcast On 105.9 FM, Starting Aug. 1", CBS 2 Chicago. July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  95. ↑ Gillers, Heather. "After a year of trying news, WIQI-FM 101 switches to adult hits", Chicago Tribune . July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  96. ↑ Feder, Robert (July 15, 2011). "It's official: CBS to expand Newsradio brand with FM simulcast". Time Out Chicago . Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  97. 1 2 3 Feder, Robert. "Play ball! Cubs move to The Score", RobertFeder.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  98. ↑ Venta, Lance. "CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom", RadioInsight. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  99. ↑ "Entercom Receives FCC Approval For Merger With CBS Radio". Entercom. November 2, 2017. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  100. ↑ Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  101. 1 2 Entercom Places An HD Bet In Chicago Radioinsight - March 22, 2021
  102. ↑ "Channel Q Expands To Six More Markets" RadioInsight. February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.