WEUR

Last updated

WEUR
Broadcast area Chicago metropolitan area
Frequency 1490 kHz
Branding1490 AM Radio Chicago
Programming
Format Polish-language talk and other ethnic programming
Ownership
Owner
  • Daniela Wojcik
  • (CSWWII, LLC)
History
First air date
October 7, 1950 [1]
Former call signs
  • WEBS (CP) [2]
  • WOPA (1950 [2] –1984) [3]
  • WBMX (1984–1987)
  • WPNA (1987–2022) [3]
Call sign meaning
Europe
Technical information [4]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 1093
Class C
Power 1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
 41°52′52.11″N87°47′38.21″W / 41.8811417°N 87.7939472°W / 41.8811417; -87.7939472
Links
Public license information
Website radiochicago1490am.com

WEUR (1490 AM) is a time-brokered radio station licensed to Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The station serves the Chicago metropolitan area, and is owned by Daniela Wojcik, through licensee CSWWII, LLC. [5]

Contents

Programming

The majority of the station's programming is Polish language news, talk, and sports. [6] They feature polka music on the weekends with the long running Eddie Blazonczyk Polka Show hosted by Tish Blazonczyk, [7]

WEUR is the home of the Hagerty Family Irish Program, the longest running Irish program in the United States. [6] This program has been on the station every Saturday morning since 1951. [8]

History

WEUR's tower atop the Oak Park Arms WPNA's tower atop the Oak Park Arms from SW.jpg
WEUR's tower atop the Oak Park Arms

The station began broadcasting October 7, 1950. [1] The station's call sign was originally WEBS, but before going on the air the call sign was changed to WOPA to reflect the location of its studios. [2] The studios and antenna were in the former Oak Park Arms Hotel, now a retirement community. [2]

Pervis Spann began his radio career on WOPA in 1959. [9] [10]

In 1984, the station's call sign was changed to WBMX. [3]

In January 1987, the station was sold to the Polish National Alliance for $2 million, and its call sign was changed to WPNA on May 1, 1987. [11] [3] WPNA was the home of the long-running Chet Gulinski Show, which featured polka music and was quite popular in Chicago's Eastern European communities. [12] [13]

On May 25, 2022, the Polish National Alliance announced the sale of WPNA to Daniela Wojcik's CSWWII, LLC for $725,000. [14] The sale was consummated on August 1, 2022. Alliance Communications, which still owns 103.1 WPNA-FM, retained the rights to the WPNA call sign and intellectual property. [15] The station changed its call sign to WEUR on August 31, 2022.

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References

  1. 1 2 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook , Broadcasting, 1971. p. B-66. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 History Cards for WOPA (WEUR), fcc.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WEUR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  5. ↑ "WEUR Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "About Us", WPNA. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Eddie Blazonczyk Polka Show", WPNA. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ Curry, Cathy. "Chicago's First Family of Irish Radio", Irish American News, Chicago, May 2011. Retrieved on October 23, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Pervis Spann", The Blues Foundation. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ Whiteis, David. "Not So Smooth Operator", Chicago Reader . January 18, 2001. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Changing Hands", Broadcasting . February 9, 1987. p. 118. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Chet Gulinski, Host of Radio Polka Show", Chicago Tribune . August 14, 1999. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  13. ↑ "WPNA AM 1490", Radio Chicago. Fall 1989. p. 25. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  14. ↑ Jacobson, Adam "Alliance Agrees To Sale of Chicago AM Serving Polish Community", "www.rbr.com", May 25, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Station Sales Week Of 5/27", "www.radioinsight.com", July 27, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
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