WDWS

Last updated
WDWS
Broadcast area Champaign–Urbana
Frequency 1400 kHz
BrandingNews Talk 1400 & 93.9 DWS
Programming
Format News/talk
Affiliations Bloomberg Radio
CBS News Radio
Fox Sports Radio
NBC News Radio
Compass Media Networks
Premiere Networks
Westwood One
Illinois Fighting Illini Radio Network (flagship station)
Ownership
Owner
  • Community Media Group, Inc.
  • (Champaign Multimedia Group, LLC)
WHMS-FM, WKIO
History
First air date
January 24, 1937;87 years ago (1937-01-24)
Call sign meaning
David W. Stevick (publisher of News-Gazette)
Technical information
Facility ID 14961
Class C
Power 1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
40°5′4.00″N88°14′53.00″W / 40.0844444°N 88.2480556°W / 40.0844444; -88.2480556
Translator(s) 93.9 W230CW (Champaign)
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website wdws.com

WDWS (1400 AM) is a commercial radio station in Champaign, Illinois, calling itself "Newstalk 1400 & 93.9FM DWS." It airs a news/talk radio format and is owned by The News-Gazette , the primary daily newspaper in the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area. The radio studios and offices are at the newspaper's headquarters on Fox Drive in Champaign.

Contents

WDWS is powered at 1,000 watts around the clock using a non-directional antenna. The transmitter is on South Neil Street (U.S. Route 45) at West Windsor Road. [1] WDWS provides at least secondary coverage to much of east-central Illinois, as far west as Decatur and Bloomington-Normal, due to the area's excellent ground conductivity. Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator W230CW at 93.9 MHz. [2]

Programming

WDWS airs a mix of local news, talk, agricultural reports and sports shows along with nationally syndicated programs. A local morning drive time show is hosted by Dave Gentry. National hosts include Clay Travis & Buck Sexton, Markley VanCamp & Robbins, Dave Ramsey, Kim Komando, Jim Bohannon and Bill Cunningham. Most hours begin with world and national news from CBS Radio News.

WDWS and sister station WHMS-FM are the flagship stations for University of Illinois Fighting Illini football and basketball. WDWS also carries Fox Sports Radio programs on weekends.

History

WDWS signed on for the first time on January 24, 1937;87 years ago. It was the area's first commercial radio station. (WILL 580 AM, the non-commercial radio station of the University of Illinois, dates its start to the 1920s.)

David W. Stevick, publisher of the News-Gazette, had applied for a license in 1935, and his wife Helen and daughter Marajen continued the project. They named the station WDWS in his honor. In 1937, WDWS became a CBS Radio Network affiliate. It carried CBS's line up of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio."

In 1949, WDWS added an FM station at 97.5 MHz. For most of its early years, WDWS-FM simulcast the programming of WDWS 1400. In 1988 it switched its call sign to WHMS-FM to establish a separate identity.

The two stations are the flagship stations for Illinois Fighting Illini football and basketball games, a role that WDWS has held throughout its history. Longtime sports director Jim Turpin also doubled as the radio voice of the Illini from 1960 until 2002. WDWS also airs the Illini women's basketball, volleyball, and baseball games exclusively.

WDWS was the east central Illinois network affiliate for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball broadcasts from when it signed on until 2010. WDWS broadcast the Chicago Cubs in 2011, however Cubs games moved to WGKC in 2012.

WDWS has been a CBS Radio affiliate for its entire history, except for a period from 2001 to 2009 when it was affiliated with ABC News Radio. The station carried The Rush Limbaugh Show from 1997 until his death in 2021. Sean Hannity was added in 2009.

WDWS's morning program was originally called "Penny for Your Thoughts." The show, formerly hosted by Jim Turpin and later by Brian Barnhart, was known for its unique open-line format.

Logo before translator sign on WDWS newstalk1400 logo.png
Logo before translator sign on

In October 2021, WDWS began broadcasting a simulcast on FM translator W230CW at 93.9 MHz and rebranded itself as Newstalk 1400 & 93.9FM DWS.

Notable staff

Related Research Articles

KIRO is a commercial AM radio station in Seattle, Washington, owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International. The station airs a sports radio format and is an ESPN Radio Network affiliate. The station's studios and offices are located on Eastlake Avenue in Seattle's Eastlake district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSL (radio network)</span> Radio station in Salt Lake City, Utah

KSL Newsradio is a pair of radio stations serving the Salt Lake City, Utah region, consisting of the original AM station, KSL, licensed to Salt Lake City on 1160 kHz, and FM station KSL-FM, licensed to Midvale on 102.7 MHz. Owned by Bonneville International, a broadcasting subsidiary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the stations share studios with sister television station KSL-TV in the Broadcast House building at the Triad Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

WHMS-FM is a commercial radio station in Champaign, Illinois. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. WHMS-FM calls itself "Lite Rock 97.5" and is owned by The News-Gazette, the primary newspaper in the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCIA</span> CBS affiliate in Champaign, Illinois

WCIA is a television station licensed to Champaign, Illinois, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Central Illinois region. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside Springfield-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WCIX. Both stations share studios on South Neil Street/US 45 in downtown Champaign and also operate a sales office and news bureau on West Edwards Street near the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. WCIA's transmitter is located west of Seymour, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL-FM</span> Radio station in Urbana, Illinois

WILL-FM is a public, listener-supported radio station owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States. It is operated by Illinois Public Media, with studios located at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university campus. Most of WILL-FM's schedule is classical music with NPR news programs heard in weekday morning and afternoon drive times. Weekends feature classical and other genres of music, including jazz and opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTOK</span> Radio station in Oklahoma City

KTOK is a commercial radio station in Oklahoma City and airs a news/talk format. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and licensed as iHM Licenses, LLC. The studios and offices were located in the 50 Penn Place building on the Northwest side, in early 2022 iHeartMedia Oklahoma City moved KTOK along with sister stations KGHM, KJYO, KTST, KXXY-FM, KREF-FM to new state of the art studios located at 6525 N Meridian Ave further up the road on the Northwest side just a few miles west from their former studio home at the 50 Penn Place building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLF (AM)</span> Radio station in Pine Hills, Florida

WFLF is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pine Hills, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are in the iHeart Orlando complex in Maitland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSJK</span> Radio station in Tuscola–Champaign, Illinois

WSJK is a commercial FM radio station in Tuscola, Illinois that serves the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area. It is owned by S.J. Broadcasting, and airs a sports radio format as an ESPN Radio Network affiliate. Some hours on weekday mornings are devoted to local talk programming. WSJK is part of the St. Louis Cardinals Radio Network.

WDEL is a commercial AM radio station in Wilmington, Delaware, airing a news/talk radio format. Its programming is simulcast on co-owned station 101.7 WDEL-FM. WDEL broadcasts at 5,000 watts using a directional antenna, with its transmitter, studios and offices located on Shipley Road in Wilmington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WINA</span> Radio station in Charlottesville, Virginia

WINA is a news/talk/sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, serving Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. WINA is owned and operated by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Charlottesville Radio Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDUZ</span> Radio station in Green Bay, Wisconsin

WDUZ and WDUZ-FM are radio stations serving the Green Bay, Wisconsin area, simulcasting a sports format as "Sports Radio 107.5 and 1400 The Fan." The stations were owned by Clear Channel Communications, though they were still operated by their previous owner, Cumulus Media, who swapped ownership of both stations to Clear Channel in exchange for 2 Ohio stations in early 2009. In August 2013, Clear Channel reached a deal to sell its Green Bay stations back to Cumulus. The sale was consummated on December 31, 2013, at a price of $17,636,643.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSHY</span> Radio station in Lafayette, Indiana

WSHY is a commercial radio station in Lafayette, Indiana. It broadcasts a conservative talk radio format. WSHY is owned by William Fielder, III's Coastal Television, through licensee CTI License LLC, as part of a cluster with Fox/NBC affiliate WPBI-LD, ABC affiliate WPBY-LD, and sister radio stations WBPE, WYCM and WAZY-FM. All six stations share studios and offices at 3824 South 18th Street in Lafayette, with WSHY's transmitter also located at the site.

WHOL is a rhythmic contemporary radio station in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by licensee Major Keystone LLC, and airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format. It is simulcast with co-owned AM 1400 WEST in Easton, Pennsylvania. The studios and transmitter are on Colorado Street in Allentown.

KLIN is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. It is licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, and is owned by NRG Media. The studios are in Broadcast House at 44th Street and East O Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KERN</span> Radio station in Wasco-Greenacres, California

KERN is a commercial radio station licensed to Wasco-Greenacres, California, and serving the Bakersfield metropolitan area. The station is owned by American General Media. The radio studios and offices are in the American General Media complex at 1400 Easton Drive, STE 134 in Bakersfield.

WJEK is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian radio format, known as "Christian FM 95.3." Licensed to Rantoul, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by SJ Broadcasting, LLC.

KWBW is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Hutchinson, Kansas, and serving Reno County. The station has a talk radio format and is owned by Eagle Communications.

WRHL is a radio station licensed to Rochelle, Illinois, also broadcasting on 93.5 FM The station serves the Rochelle and DeKalb area and airs a classic hits format of The 60s 70s & 80s, and is owned by Rochelle Broadcasting Company.

<i>The News-Gazette</i> (Champaign–Urbana) Newspaper published in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

The News-Gazette is a daily newspaper serving eleven counties in the eastern portion of Central Illinois and specifically the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area. Since November 2019 it is published daily Tuesday through Sunday. Based in Champaign, Illinois, the paper is owned, along with sister radio stations WDWS, WKIO and WHMS, by Community Media Group, Inc., which purchased it in November 2019 after the paper filed for bankruptcy.

References

  1. Radio-Locator.com/WDWS
  2. Radio-Locator.com/W230CW
  3. "Larry Stewart".