WILL (AM)

Last updated

WILL
Broadcast area Champaign-Urbana
Frequency 580kHz
BrandingWILL AM 580
Programming
Format News/talk
Affiliations NPR
Ownership
Owner
WILL-FM, WILL-TV
History
First air date
March 27, 1922 [1] (experimental under calls 9XJ 1920-1922)
Former call signs
WRM (1922–1928) [2]
Former frequencies
833kHz (1922–1924)
1100kHz (1924–1928)
890kHz (1928–1937)
Call sign meaning
Illinois
Technical information [3]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 68941
Class D
Power
Repeater(s) 90.9  WILL-HD3 (Urbana)
Links
Public license information
Webcast will.illinois.edu/am/willplayer/
Campbell Hall at the University of Illinois, home of the Illinois Public Media, including the WILL studios Campbell Hall UIUC.jpg
Campbell Hall at the University of Illinois, home of the Illinois Public Media, including the WILL studios

WILL (580 AM) is a public broadcasting 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.

Contents

WILL is directional, mostly to protect co-channel WIBW in Topeka, Kansas. It operates at 5,000 watts during the day. Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, as well as its transmitter power, directional antenna and central Illinois's flat land (with high ground conductivity), its daytime footprint is almost as large as that of a full-power FM station. It provides grade B coverage as far north as Chicago and as far east as Indianapolis. At sunset it must reduce power to 500 watts and gradually power down to 100 watts, resulting in marginal coverage even in Champaign-Urbana. At 6 a.m., it increases its power to 335 watts and ramps up to full power at sunrise. [4]

Programming

WILL is a National Public Radio (NPR) member and an affiliate of Public Radio International (PRI) and American Public Media (APM). It airs NPR news and talk, along with agricultural news information for central Illinois farmers.

History

In mid-1920 the University of Illinois at Urbana was issued an Experimental radio station license with the call sign 9XJ. [5] Although primarily used for technical training and experimental purposes, by 1921 9XJ was also being used to broadcast athletic scores, [6] [7] and in early 1922 plans were announced to add musical presentations. [8] However, effective December 1, 1921, the Department of Commerce, which regulated radio at this time, adopted regulations requiring that stations making broadcasts intended for the general public obtain a "Limited Commercial" license. [9] This new requirement resulted in 9XJ ending its entertainment broadcasts, [8] although the station continued to be used for experimental and training purposes.

In early March it was announced that preparations were being made to apply for a Limited Commercial license that authorized broadcasting, in addition to point-to-point communication with other universities. [10] On March 28, 1922 the university was issued a license, with the call letters WRM, for the 360 meter (833 kHz) "entertainment" wavelength and for point-to-point communication on 410 meters (732 kHz). [11] Although the station call sign was randomly assigned, it was sometimes later said to have signified "We Reach Millions". [12] In late 1924, the station moved to 1100 kHz. [13]

WRM was one of many AM stations signed on by universities (mostly land-grant institutions like University of Illinois) in the early days of radio. Many of these stations struggled financially, since they operated non-commercially. In 1925 WRM received a major financial boast when Boetius H. Sullivan decided to provide extensive financial support in order to establish the station as a memorial to his father, Roger C. Sullivan, who had died five years earlier. The Sullivan donation consisted of an initial $100,000, plus annual contributions of $8,000 for maintenance and operations. [14] This financed the purchase of a 1,000 watt transmitter, plus construction at 400 South Wright Street of a new studio building and "flat-top" antenna structure. [15]

On November 11, 1928, under the provisions of the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, the station's frequency was changed to 890 kHz, on a timeshare basis with KUSD in Vermillion, South Dakota and KFNF in Shenandoah, Iowa. [16] At this time WRM's call sign was also changed to the current WILL. [17] Under an agreement with its two timeshare partners, WILL was assigned the timeslots of 5 to 6 p.m. and 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. daily. [18]

In 1937 WILL moved to 580 kHz, initially with 1,000 watts, using a two tower directional array constructed at South First Street. [15] Because it no longer had to timeshare, this new assignment allowed an increase in hours of operation. However, the station was now generally restricted to operation only during daytime hours, although it was also occasionally authorized to operate at night, with power reduced to 250 watts, in order to broadcast Illini basketball games and the Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship. [19] In December 1938, WILL's power was increased to 5,000 watts. In late 1942 the university began operating an FM station, originally WIUC (now WILL-FM), which allowed for the addition of regular nighttime programming after WILL was required to sign-off at sunset. The station has since been authorized for nighttime operations, albeit at somewhat reduced power.

From 1942 to 1998, WILL's studios were located at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's Gregory Hall. [2] In 1994, the station began broadcasting 24-hours a day, airing the BBC World Service overnight. [2] Until 2014, it also served as the default NPR member station for Terre Haute, Indiana, which lacked a full-power NPR member station until WISU began carrying NPR programming that year as a satellite of WFYI-FM in Indianapolis.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHA (AM)</span> Public radio station in Madison, Wisconsin

WHA is a non-commercial radio station, licensed since 1922 to the University of Wisconsin and located in Madison, Wisconsin. It serves as the flagship for the Wisconsin Public Radio "WPR News Network". WHA's programming is also broadcast by FM station WERN in Madison. The station airs a schedule of news and talk programs from Wisconsin Public Radio, NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUOM</span> College radio station of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities

KUOM – branded Radio K - Real College Radio – is a daytime-only, non-commercial, college radio station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Owned by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the station is operated by students and faculty. It mainly airs alternative rock with other genres of music. The studios are in Rarig Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

WPGU is a fully commercial, student-run college radio station on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois. It broadcasts an alternative rock radio format and other programming throughout Champaign-Urbana and surrounding communities. It is owned independently from the university by the Illini Media Company.

KXLY is a commercial AM radio station in Spokane, Washington. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format with the branding "920 News Now". The station is owned by QueenB Radio, with its license held by Morgan Murphy Media, and its studios and offices are on West Boone Avenue in Spokane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQNT</span> Radio station in Spokane, Washington

KQNT is a commercial radio station licensed to Spokane, Washington. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Washington, going on the air in 1922 in Seattle. KQNT offers a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on East Sprague Street in Spokane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFBK (AM)</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Sacramento, California

KFBK is a commercial AM radio station in Sacramento, California. It is simulcast on KFBK-FM 93.1 MHz. KFBK-AM-FM air a news-talk radio format and are owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on River Park Drive in North Sacramento, near the Arden Fair Mall.

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

WBAA and WBAA-FM (101.3 FM) are jointly operated non-commercial educational radio stations licensed to West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, both serving the Lafayette metro area and the Indianapolis area with public radio formats. The stations were founded by Purdue University, but in 2022, 100 years after WBAA's start, ownership was transferred to Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media, Inc. (MIPM), which also owns WFYI radio and television in Indianapolis. Both stations originate from studios in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, with transmitter sites south of Lafayette at the Throckmorton Purdue Agricultural Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Public Media</span> Broadcasting non-profit

Illinois Public Media, previously "WILL AM-FM-TV", is a not-for-profit organization located within the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which is responsible for the university's public media service activities. It manages three university educational broadcasting stations licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States: NPR member stations WILL and WILL-FM, and PBS member station WILL-TV. Illinois Public Media provides locally produced programs to supplement the network programs carried by its stations. In addition, it manages the Illinois Radio Reader Service, a streaming audio service for the reading impaired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL-TV</span> Television station in Illinois, United States

WILL-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States, serving the Central Illinois region. Owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as part of Illinois Public Media, it is sister to NPR member stations WILL and WILL-FM (90.9). The three stations share studios at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university's campus; WILL-TV's transmitter is located on East 1700th Road North, five miles (8 km) west of Monticello.

<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">WDAY (AM)</span> Radio station in Fargo, North Dakota

WDAY is North Dakota's oldest radio station, having first signed on in 1922. WDAY is licensed to Fargo, North Dakota, owned by Forum Communications, and operated by Flag Family Media. The transmitter site is near 210th Street South in Barnesville, Minnesota, and studios are on 8th Street South in Fargo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGNC (AM)</span> Radio station in Amarillo, Texas

KGNC is an AM radio broadcast station in Amarillo, Texas, United States with a news/talk format. The station is owned by Alpha Media LLC. Studios for KGNC and its partners are located in southwest Amarillo near the former Western Plaza shopping center. KGNC's programming is also broadcast on 97.5 FM by translator K248DE in Amarillo.

<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.

WHAZ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Troy, New York, and serving New York's Capital District. The station is locally owned by the Capital Media Corporation and broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. National religious leaders heard on WHAZ include Jim Daly, Charles Stanley, Joyce Meyer, Chuck Swindoll and David Jeremiah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDRC (AM)</span> News/talk radio station in Hartford, Connecticut

WDRC is a commercial AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. It is owned by Full Power Radio and airs a conservative talk radio format. The studios and transmitter site are located on Blue Hill Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut, with other radio stations.

WKAR is a non-commercial public AM radio station, licensed to the trustees of Michigan State University (MSU) at East Lansing, Michigan. It is part of MSU's Broadcasting Services Division, along with WKAR-FM and WKAR-TV. The station's studios and offices are in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at the southeast corner of Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus.

KWSU is a non-commercial AM radio station licensed to Pullman, Washington. It is owned by Washington State University, and is the flagship station of Northwest Public Broadcasting's National Public Radio News network. It airs a news and talk radio format, using programming from NPR, American Public Media and Public Radio International, as well as locally produced offerings. It airs periodic fundraisers and seeks donations on its website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KZNE</span> Radio station in College Station, Texas

KZNE, branded as "The Zone 1150 AM – 93.7 FM", is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve College Station, Texas. Owned by the Bryan Broadcasting Company, KZNE covers College Station, Bryan and much of the Brazos Valley. Studios are located in College Station, with a transmitter site in Bryan.

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

WSOY is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Talk radio format. Licensed to Decatur, Illinois, the station is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Decatur, LLC. Neuhoff owns four other local radio stations, WCZQ, WDZ, WDZQ and WSOY-FM. Studios and offices are located on North Water Street and the transmitter site is near St. Louis Bridge Road, sharing the same tower as WDZ.

KUSD was a non-commercial educational radio station in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, licensed to the University of South Dakota (USD) from 1922 until 1992. It was deleted two years later after the university decided not to replace a transmission tower that had fallen and shuttered the station. At the time of its deletion, KUSD was the oldest broadcasting station in the state of South Dakota; it was the predecessor to the present radio service of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

References

  1. ↑ "WILL Illinois Public Media", American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "The History of WILL". Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois. July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WILL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. 1 2 "Broadcast Frequencies & Coverage Areas". Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois. July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ "New Stations: Special Land Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, July 1, 1920, page 5. The "9" in 9XJ's call sign indicated that the station was located in the 9th Radio Inspection district, while the "X" signified that the station was operating under an Experimental license.
  6. ↑ "Purdue Students to Get Game Results by Radio", Daily Illini, February 7, 1922, page 8.
  7. ↑ Education's Own Stations (University of Illinois section) by S. E. Frost, 1937, pages 117-123.
  8. 1 2 "Radio Order Halts Sending of Scores", Daily Illini, February 7, 1922, page 8.
  9. ↑ "Amendments to Regulations", Radio Service Bulletin, January 3, 1922, page 10.
  10. ↑ "University Applies For License from Government", Daily Illini, March 3, 1922, page 8.
  11. ↑ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, April 1, 1922, page 4. Limited Commercial license, Serial No. 574, call sign WRM, issued March 28, 1922 to the University of Illinois at Urbana for operation on 360 and 410 meters for three months .
  12. ↑ "With a WILL", Engineering Outlook (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), May 1972, page 2.
  13. ↑ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, November 1924, page 10.
  14. ↑ "$8,000 Yearly Added To Gift by Sullivan", Daily Illini, April 18, 1925, page 1.
  15. 1 2 "All-day Programs Begin on Station W-I-L-L Next Week", Daily Illini, April 15, 1937, page 1.
  16. ↑ "Broadcasting Stations by Frequency", Commercial and Government Radio Stations of the United States (June 30, 1929 edition), page 123.
  17. ↑ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, October 31, 1928, page 8.
  18. ↑ Station WILL to Broadcast Daily Program", Daily Illini, November 21, 1928, page 1.
  19. ↑ History Cards for WILL, fcc.gov. Retrieved July 30, 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.