This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2008) |
Broadcast area | Peoria, Illinois |
---|---|
Frequency | 1290 kHz C-QUAM AM stereo |
Branding | Freedom 95.9 & AM 1290 |
Programming | |
Format | Conservative talk |
Affiliations | |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
WSWT (traditional); WMBD (AM), WPBG, WKZF, WXCL | |
History | |
First air date | August 18, 1948 [1] |
Former call signs |
|
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 13040 |
Class | B |
Power | 5,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°37′24.00″N89°35′27.00″W / 40.6233333°N 89.5908333°W |
Translator(s) | 95.9 W240DM (Peoria, via WPBG-HD3) |
Repeater(s) | 93.3 WPBG-HD3 (Peoria) |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | freedom959 |
WIRL (1290 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a conservative talk format. Licensed to Peoria, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Peoria area and broadcasts in AM stereo. The station is currently owned by Midwest Communications, Inc.
WIRL can also be heard in HD on sister station WPBG-HD3. WIRL itself is not licensed to broadcast in HD. [2]
WIRL began broadcasting February 18, 1948, on 1290 kHz with 5,000 watts of power (full-time). It was licensed to Illinois Valley Broadcasting Company with studios in the Jefferson Building in Peoria. [3]
WIRL was most famous as a successful Top 40 radio station from 1960 until approximately 1984. During its tenure, its only competition was daytime-only WPEO 1020 AM. Popular disc jockeys were Robyn Weaver, Lee Ranson, Jerry Barr, Jim French, Timmy "Old Weird" West, Bill McCluggage, Lee Malcolm, Wayne R. Miller, Howard Taylor, Pete Stewart, VLJ, Charlie O'Day, John Sebastian Bachman, Ann Holub, Dave Phillips, Steve Young, Scott Robbins, Ron Thorn, with Mark Wainwright and many more. For many years WIRL broadcast Bradley Braves basketball games not aired on WMBD (AM).
In the late 1970s, FM station WKZW 93.3 a.k.a. KZ93 (now WPBG) began programming a Top 40 format and siphoned away many listeners from WIRL until 1984, when they began to evolve into a full service personality and adult contemporary station. Personalities included Lee Malcolm, Gene Konrad, Kurt Schaeffer, Denise Henley, Steve Larson, Marc Truelove, Steve Young and Darryl Parks. The adult contemporary format lasted until the early 1990s; the station also programmed oldies, standards, and sports talk.
In November 2000, the station changed to all-sports "Fox Sports 1290" with the callsign WWFS. The station returned to the WIRL call sign when it adopted a classic country format in March 2005.
On March 15, 2013, WIRL changed their format to oldies, branded as "Good Time Oldies" and began simulcasting on FM translator W274BM 102.7 FM. [4] [5]
On February 4, 2019, Alpha Media announced that it would sell its Peoria cluster to Midwest Communications for $21.6 million. [6] The sale closed on April 30, 2019.
On February 28, 2022, WIRL switched to a conservative talk radio format, branded as "Freedom 95.9" (simulcasting 95.9 W240DM Peoria and WPBG-HD3). The oldies format is still available on 102.7 W274BM and WPBG-HD2. [7]
KQQL is a commercial radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market and is licensed to suburban Anoka. It plays classic hits and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Utica Avenue South in St. Louis Park.
WLLR-FM is a radio station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, whose format is modern country music. The station broadcasts at a power of 100 kW.
WZTI is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Greenfield, Wisconsin, and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It airs an oldies radio format, featuring hits from the 1960s and 1970s, known as "Fonz-FM". It is owned by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership between Times-Shamrock Communications and All-Pro Broadcasting, along with sister stations 102.1 WLUM-FM and 93.3 WLDB. Its studios are on Good Hope Road in Menomonee Falls.
WCBF is an FM radio station licensed to Elmira, New York. It is owned by Seven Mountains Media and airs a country music format.
WFBC-FM is a Top 40 (CHR) station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, and serving the Upstate and Western North Carolina regions, including Greenville, Spartanburg, and Asheville, North Carolina. The Audacy, Inc. outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with an ERP of 100 kW. The station goes by the name B93.7 and its current slogan is "The #1 for Hit Music."
WWEG is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Myersville, Maryland. The station is owned by Manning Broadcasting, Inc. and broadcasts a classic hits format.
WMXC is a commercial radio station licensed to Mobile, Alabama, and serving the Mobile and Pensacola metropolitan areas. The station broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by iHeartMedia, with the broadcast license held by iHM Licenses, LLC. The studios are co-located with former sister television station WKRG-TV on Broadcast Drive in Mobile. WMXC carries several syndicated shows from co-owned Premiere Networks: Murphy, Sam & Jodi in morning drive time, Delilah in the evening and Ellen K on Saturday mornings.
WILQ is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Van Michael, through licensee Backyard Broadcasting of Pennsylvania LLC, and broadcasts a country music format. The station is an affiliate of Compass Media Networks, United Stations Radio Networks, and Motor Racing Network.
WXCL is a commercial radio station licensed to Pekin, Illinois and serving the Peoria metropolitan area. It broadcasts a country radio format and is owned by Midwest Communications, Inc. WXCL is one of two outlets in Peoria playing Country music, along with 97.3 WFYR.
WMBD is a commercial AM radio station. It is the oldest station in the Peoria, Illinois, area. It broadcasts a news/talk format and is owned by Duke Wright with the license held by Midwest Communications, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Fulton Street in Peoria. The WMBD transmitter site is located on County Road 2100 East in Groveland Township, Illinois. The station is powered at 5,000 watts, with a directional signal. By day, a two-tower array is used, switching to a four-tower array at night to avoid causing interference with other stations.
WPBG (93.3 FM) is a radio station with a classic hits format, and is licensed for Peoria, Illinois. The station was formerly known as 93.3 WMBD-FM, as well as KZ-93 (WKZW) through 1994, "Mix 93.3" prior to its conversion to oldies/classic hits. The station is owned by Midwest Communications, Inc.
WSWT is a commercial radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. It is licensed to Peoria, Illinois, and is owned by Midwest Communications, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Fulton Street in Peoria.
WPMJ is a radio station licensed for Chillicothe, Illinois in the Peoria, Illinois, area. The station is owned by the Covenant Network and has broadcast a Catholic radio format since September 2009.
WCHK is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Spanish-language Latin pop radio format, known as "La Mega." Licensed to Canton, Georgia, it serves Metro Atlanta. The call sign stands for Cherokee, the county of which Canton is the seat of government, largest city, and geographic center. The station is currently owned by Davis Broadcasting of Atlanta, L.L.C.
WHMP is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Northampton, Massachusetts, it serves the Pioneer Valley. It is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Northampton Radio Group. Its programming is also heard on translator station W268CZ in Northampton, and the second HD Radio channel of WRSI in Turners Falls.
WCVQ is a Fort Campbell, Kentucky-licensed radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format in the Clarksville-Hopkinsville broadcast area. The station is currently owned by Saga Communications under licensee Saga Communications of Tuckessee, LLC, and operates as part of its Five Star Media Group. and is also broadcasting on HD radio.
WZBK is a radio station licensed to serve Keene, New Hampshire, United States. The station is owned by Saga Communications and licensed to Saga Communications of New England, LLC. It airs a classic hits format, simulcast with WKVT-FM (92.7) in Brattleboro, Vermont, and also heard on FM translator W272DZ (102.3) in Keene.
WSHE is a commercial radio station, which transmits a digital-only signal on a standard AM band frequency. It is licensed to serve Frederick, Maryland and owned by Hubbard Broadcasting through licensee Washington DC FCC License Sub, LLC. It simulcasts the freeform programming branded as The Gamut originating on the HD3 subchannel of sister station WTOP-FM. The Gamut programming is also available on the HD3 subchannels of sister stations WTLP and WWWT-FM.
WPEO is a daytime-only AM radio station licensed to Peoria, Illinois. It is owned by WPEO Radio Foundation, Inc., and it simulcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format with co-owned WPEO-FM 98.3 FM in Farmer City, Illinois. The radio studios and offices are just south of Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois.
WERC-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Hoover, Alabama, and serving Greater Birmingham. It is owned by iHeartMedia and it simulcasts a talk radio format with sister station WERC 960 AM. The studios and offices are in Beacon Ridge Tower on First Avenue South in Birmingham, off Interstate 65.