WAWY

WAWY (103.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Dundee, Illinois, which serves the northwestern suburbs of Chicago. Its transmitter is located in Gilberts, Illinois. The station is owned by Educational Media Foundation, and is an affiliate of its Air1 contemporary worship music network.

WAWY
CityDundee, Illinois
Broadcast areaNorthwest Suburban Chicago / Fox Valley
Frequency103.9 MHz
BrandingAir1
SloganWorship Now
Programming
FormatContemporary worship music
AffiliationsAir1
Ownership
OwnerEducational Media Foundation
Sister stationsWAIW, WCKL, WCLR, WAWE, WOKL, WZKL
History
First air dateJune 8, 1967 (as WVFV)[1]
Former call signsWVFV (1967–1980)[2]
WCRM (1980–1989)[3]
WABT (1989–1996)[3]
WZCH (1996–2004)[3]
WWYW (2004–2013)[3]
WFXF (2013–2019)[3]
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID3135
ClassA
ERP2,550 watts
HAAT98 meters (322 ft)
Links
Public license informationProfile
LMS
WebcastListen live
Websitehttp://www.air1.com/

History

WVFV

The station began broadcasting on June 8, 1967, holding the call sign WVFV,[1][2] as the "Voice of the Fox Valley".[4] The new station was the creation of Jim French, who operated out of a space above Cardunal Savings and Loan in West Dundee.[2][4] WVFV's transmitter was built in Gilberts, Illinois.[2] It originally operated from noon to midnight.[4] The station featured a middle-of-the-road format, with a heavy emphasis on big band music, as well as broadcasts of local high school sports and city council meetings.[4][5][6] The station was sold in Spring 1970 to Richard Willrett, for $45,000.[2][7]

In February 1972, WVFV switched to a progressive rock format.[5][8] In 1976, the station was sold to Ralph J. Faucher for $160,000,[2][9] and its format was changed to adult contemporary.[10][4]

WCRM

In Spring 1980, the station was sold to CLW Communications, a subsidiary of AMG International, for $315,000.[11][2] The station adopted a Christian contemporary format, with an evening block of Christian rock.[12] On May 27, 1980, its call sign was changed to WCRM,[2] standing for "Christian Radio Music".[13] The station's slogan was "Today's Christian Music".[13] WCRM also sold airtime to churches and religious organizations, whose programs primarily aired late mornings.[4] The Christian contemporary format lasted through the decade.[14][13]

The Wabbit

In 1989, the station was sold to Atlantic Morris Broadcasting for $1.5 million.[15][16] On April 10, 1989, its call sign was changed to WABT,[3] and the station adopted an album-oriented rock/classic rock hybrid format, branded "The Wabbit", with the slogan "The Northwest's Own Rock and Roll".[17][18][19] Among the staff at the station was Cara Carriveau (who went by her maiden name Cara Stern and on air name Cara Simms at the time), who began as overnight DJ in 1989, later moving to nights and middays.[20][21] In 1992, Carriveau became program director, replacing Randy McCarthy.[22][19] She remained with WABT until 1995, when she left to become program director of Shadow Broadcast Services, and was replaced by Dan Forthover.[23][24][25] In 1995, the station was sold to M & M Broadcasting, owned by former Hammond, Indiana mayor Thomas McDermott, Sr., for $975,000.[26][27][28] The station began to be simulcast on 103.9 WWJY in Crown Point, Indiana.[29][30]

Spanish language formats

In 1996, the station was sold to Z-Spanish Network, along with WWJY, for $3.6 million,[31][32] and it adopted a Spanish language format,[33] airing regional Mexican music.[34][35] On June 7, 1996, its call sign was changed to WZCH.[3] In 2000, Z-Spanish Network was acquired by Entravision Communications.[36] On December 29, 2000, WZCH began airing a Spanish CHR format branded "Super Estrella", as part of a simulcast with 99.9 WRZA in Park Forest, Illinois.[34][37][38] In May 2004, NextMedia Group purchased the station from Entravision Communications for $5 million.[37][39] By the end of the month, WZCH was stunting with television theme songs.[40]

Y 103.9
Station's logo as Y103.9

On Tuesday June 1, 2004, the station adopted a rhythmic oldies format branded as "Y1039, The Beat of the Burbs", with the new call sign WWYW.[41][42] The following year, the station gradually reformatted as an oldies station branded as "Y103.9, The Greatest Hits of All Time".[43][44][45] This worked to fill the void left by the format flip of WJMK from oldies to Jack-FM.

Y103.9 featured local hosts such as Jim Shea, Jeff James, Jeff Davis, Shawn Powers, Marci Beeks, Carla Coulter, and Ken Cocker.[46][47][48][49] Weekend programing included a Saturday night all 1970s music show with Jeff James.[50]

By 2011, airtime of live and local hosts was greatly reduced, leaving only Marci Beeks at middays, and Jeff James and Carla Coulter's weekend shows as live and local.[48][51][52] The remainder of the schedule was filled with Tom Kent's syndicated programming.[52][48] In January 2013, Marci Beeks left the station, and it's weekday programming was entirely from Tom Kent's network.[52]

The Fox
103.9 The Fox's logo

On February 25, 2013, at 2:00 pm the station dropped its oldies and classic hits format, and adopted a classic rock format branded "103.9 The Fox".[53] The last song as Y103.9 was Mercy Mercy Me by Marvin Gaye, while the first song on 103.9 The Fox was Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix.[54][55] The station's call sign was changed to WFXF on March 4, 2013.[3]

The station shared facilities with sister station WZSR in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The studios for both stations are located behind McHenry County College on U.S. Route 14.[56] On-air staff included Alex Quigley,[57] formerly of Q101, Pat Capone,[58] formerly of The Loop, and Eddie Volkman, formerly of B96.[59]

In 2014, the station was sold to Matrix Broadcasting LLC.[60]

In February 2019, it was announced that Alpha Media would purchase WFXF and 105.5 WZSR for $4,669,011, with WFXF to be immediately resold to Educational Media Foundation for $900,000.[61]

In preparation for the sale, the airstaff announced their final day on The Fox would be on April 5.[62] The Fox's final promotion, an "Adult Easter Egg Hunt" at McHenry County College, was rescheduled from April 19 to April 6.[62][63]

Air1

The station was set to flip to Educational Media Foundation's contemporary worship music network, Air1, on the following Monday, the 8th, with new callsign WAWY already reserved.[62] However, after the final song played on The Fox, the station was taken silent. The station returned to the air the following week as an affiliate of Air1.

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References
  1. 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1968. p. B-52. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  2. History Cards for WAWY, fcc.gov. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  3. Call Sign History, FCC.gov. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  4. Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. p. 123-127.
  5. "Call Gimmick Stirs Listeners", Billboard, July 8, 1972. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  6. "Football", Daily Herald, October 1, 1971. Section 2, Page 6. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  7. "Ownership Changes", Broadcasting, April 20, 1970. p. 102. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  8. 1974 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1974. p. B-63. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  9. "Ownership Changes", Broadcasting, July 5, 1976. p. 46. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  10. "Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine, March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  11. "Ownership Changes", Broadcasting, March 31, 1980. p. 82. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  12. Zorn, Eric. "Deejay`s Fate Was Etched In Concrete", Chicago Tribune, March 04, 1985. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  13. Chicagoland Radio Waves, MediaTies. Summer 1988. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  14. The M Street Radio Directory. 1989. p. S-97. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  15. "Ownership Changes", Broadcasting, February 13, 1989. p. 98. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  16. Feder, Robert. "Sirott agrees to join Ch. 5 as news anchor", Chicago Sun-Times. February 6, 1989. p. 29.
  17. Kening, Dan. "Talk O' The Towns", Chicago Tribune, November 03, 1991. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  18. Chicagoland Radio Waves, MediaTies. Spring-Summer 1989. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  19. "WABT FM 103.9", Radio Chicago, Spring 1991. p. 2. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  20. "10 Questions with ... Cara Carriveau", All Access Music Group. December 5, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  21. Lifelines", Billboard, July 16, 1994. p. 78. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  22. Feder, Robert. "Channel 5 Expands News on Weekends", Chicago Sun-Times. August 12, 1992. p. 37.
  23. Nidetz, Steve. "Clown King Heads For The Center Ring At Medinah Temple", Chicago Tribune, February 22, 1995. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  24. Stark, Phyllis. "Vox Jox", Billboard, May 6, 1995. p. 81. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  25. Stark, Phyllis. "Vox Jox", Billboard, March 4, 1995. p. 85. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  26. Mackanos, Adele L. "WWJY: The end of an era", The Times of Northwest Indiana, May 25, 1996. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  27. Radio Business Report Source Guide and Directory, 1996. p. 1-44. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  28. "Proposed Station Transfers", The M Street Journal. Vol. 12 No. 17. April 26, 1995. p. 6. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  29. "Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol 12 No. 31. August 2, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  30. Feder, Robert. "Radio Will Celebrate 75th Year in Chicago", Chicago Sun-Times. July 27, 1995. p. 29.
  31. "Elsewhere", The M Street Journal. Vol. 13 No. 12. March 20, 1996. p. 8. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  32. "Newsline", Billboard, March 30, 1996. p. 142. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  33. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1997, Broadcasting & Cable, 1997. p. B-134. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  34. Obejas, Achy. "All Mexican, All The Time", Chicago Tribune, January 05, 2001. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  35. Unmacht, Robert; McCrummen, Pat (1998). The M-Street Radio Directory. p. 213. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  36. "Signs of the Times", Radio & Records, 30th Anniversary Issue. 2003. p. 113. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  37. Jacobson, Adam. "Entravision Exits Windy City", Radio & Records, January 23, 2004. p. 4. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  38. Apel, Steve; Devine, Cathy (2001-2002). The M Street Radio Directory. p. 186. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  39. "NextMedia Completes Purchase of WZCH-FM, Serving Dundee, Illinois and Suburban Chicago". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  40. Cox, Ted. "In the air", Daily Herald, May 27, 2004. Section 4, Page 3. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  41. Garmone, Patrick. "New Fox Valley radio station to hit airwaves", Daily Herald, May 27, 2004. Section 1, Page 4. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  42. Devine, Cathy (2004-2005). The M Street Radio Directory. p. 194. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  43. "It's a "Million Dollar Jukebox Weekend" on The New Y103-9!". Y103.9. Archived from the original on September 9, 2005. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  44. "Y103.9 - The Greatest Hits of All Time". Y103.9. Archived from the original on June 13, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  45. Devine, Cathy (2006-2007). The Radio Book. p. 196. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  46. "Staff". Y103.9. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  47. "Carla Coulter Sundays 3pm-7pm". Y103.9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  48. "Marci - Y1039 Afternoons". Y103.9. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  49. "Jim Shea Exits WWYW/Crystal Lake, IL", All Access Music Group. August 31, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  50. "Jeff James 10a-3pm, Saturdays 7p-Midnight". Y103.9. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  51. "Weekend Shows on Y103.9". Y103.9. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  52. "News & Notes: WYCC; Comcast; CSN; WFLD/WPWR; Jason Schaumburg; Chicago Live; Drew Walker; WUSN; WDRV; WKQX; Much More", Chicagoland Radio and Media. February 13, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  53. "WWYW-FM Drops Oldies/Classic Hits, Rebrands As Classic Rocker '103.9 The Fox'", Chicagoland Radio and Media. February 25, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  54. WWYW Becomes The Fox, Format Change Archive. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  55. "Format Changes". Your Midwest Media. February 25, 2013. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  56. "Contact". 103.9 The Fox. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  57. "Quigs". 103.9 The Fox. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  58. "Capone". 103.9 The Fox. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  59. "Eddie Volkman". 103.9 The Fox. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  60. Feder, Robert. "NextMedia buyer embraces local approach", RobertFeder.com. October 10, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  61. Jacobson, Adam. "Matrix’s End: Chicago-area FMs Land With EMF, Alpha", Radio & Television Business Report. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  62. Venta, Lance. "WFXF Sets April 8 For Flip to K-Love", Radio Insight. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  63. Feder, Robert. "Robservations: It’s farewell to The Fox as rocker finds religion", RobertFeder.com. April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.

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