| Frequency | 1580 AM (kHz) |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Format | Defunct |
| History | |
First air date | September 21, 1960 [1] |
Last air date | November 29, 2008 [2] |
Former call signs | WKKD (1960–1973) [3] WFVR (1973–1983) [3] [4] |
Call sign meaning | WKane, Kendall and DuPage [5] [6] |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 72077 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 170 watts day [7] 200 watts night [8] |
WKKD (1580 AM) was a radio station licensed to Aurora, Illinois. The station's studios, transmitter and towers were at 1880 Plain Avenue in Aurora. [3]
The station was originally owned by Chicago area radio announcer, emcee, and engineer Russell G. Salter, and began broadcasting on September 21, 1960. [9] [1] The station initially ran 250 watts during daytime hours only with a three tower directional pattern towards Aurora. [10] [3] [11]
The station began simulcasting on 95.9 WKKD-FM on February 12, 1961. [12] Bill Blough hosted a country music program in the station's first years. [13] [14] [15] Chicago weathercaster Tom Skilling began his career at WKKD, c. 1966, while he attended High School in Aurora. [16] By 1968, the simulcast had ended. [12] WKKD 1580 would air an easy listening format. [11]
In 1973, the station's callsign was changed to WFVR, standing for "Fox Valley Radio", and the station adopted a country music format. [10] [17]
By 1979, the station had adopted an adult contemporary-MOR format. [18] [19]
In 1983, the station's callsign was changed back to WKKD and it became part of a partial simulcast with WKKD-FM, while continuing to air an adult contemporary format. [4] [20] [21] On October 3, 1986, the station was granted a construction permit to broadcast during nighttime hours. [22]
By 1988, the station had begun airing an oldies format branded as "Pure Gold". [23] [24] By 1989, the station had begun nighttime operations. [24] [25] In 1993, WKKD-FM began simulcasting the oldies format of WKKD. [26] [27]
In March 1995, AM 1580 adopted a country music format, airing Satellite Music Network's "Real Country" format. [28] [29]
On July 1, 1996, the station adopted a Spanish language Tejano music format as "Viva 1580". [30] [31]
In 1997, the station adopted an all-news format, airing the national audio feed of CNN Headline News. [32] [33] In 2000, the Salter family sold WKKD AM & FM, as well as WRWC in Rockford, Illinois to RadioWorks for $6.5 million, plus $1.5 million in consulting and non-compete agreements. [34] In 2001, the station was sold to NextMedia Group, along with WKKD-FM, for $3.4 million. [35]
In early 2002, the station was sold to Kovas Communications for $825,000, and it began simulcasting the ethnic programming of WONX. [36] [37] [38] [39] In October 2004, the station began airing talk shows related to health and fitness, becoming a full-time "Health Radio" outlet February 1, 2005. [40] This format would later be simulcast on 1600 WMCW. [41]
In 2007, Kovas Communications applied with the FCC to move WKKD to Silvis, Illinois. [42] In February 2008, the station was granted a construction permit to move WKKD to Silvis, Illinois, and increase its power to 1,000 watts during the day and 1,400 watts at night. [43] On November 29, 2008, the station was taken off the air and on April 10, 2009, Kovas Communications surrendered the station's license to the FCC. [2] [25] [44] WKKD's license was surrendered, along with 1600 WMCW's and 1600 WCGO's, in order to enable 1590 WONX (now WCGO) to increase its daytime power from 3,500 watts to 7,000 watts. [45]
The Federal Communications Commission cancelled the station’s license on April 20, 2009. [46]