WKTA
WKTA (1330 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a multicultural ethnic format. Licensed to Evanston, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by Polnet Communications, Ltd.[4] The transmitter's power is 5,000 watts, and the station covers the city of Chicago and the Northern suburbs.[4][5]
City | Evanston, Illinois |
---|---|
Frequency | 1330 kHz AM |
Branding | Resonance Radio |
Programming | |
Format | Multicultural Ethnic |
Ownership | |
Owner | Polnet Communications, Ltd. |
Sister stations | WEEF, WNVR, WPJX, WRDZ |
History | |
First air date | 1953[1] |
Former call signs | WEAW (1953-1979)[2] WPRZ (1979[2]-1981)[3] WEAW (1981-1987)[3] WSSY (1987-1990)[3] |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 52909 |
Class | D |
Power | 5,000 watts day 110 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°8′22″N 87°53′7″W |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | http://chicago1330.com/ |
FM Translator
In addition to the main signal on 1330 kHz, the WKTA signal is also heard on 95.9 MHz, an FM translator.
Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | Facility ID | ERP (W) | Height (m (ft)) | Class | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W240DE | 95.9 | Evanston, Illinois | 147928 | 80 | 44 m (144 ft) | D | FCC |
History
The station began broadcasting in 1953, holding the call sign WEAW.[1][2] The station was owned by North Shore Broadcasting, and the station's call sign stood for its president Edward A. Wheeler.[6][7] The station's transmitter was located in Evanston and it ran 500 watts during daytime hours only.[2] In 1956, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts.[2] By 1959, the station had begun airing brokered ethnic programming.[6] In 1962, the station's transmitter was moved to an unincorporated area between Northbrook and Wheeling, and its power was increased to 5,000 watts.[2] By the early 1970s the station primarily aired brokered ethnic and religious programs.[6]
By early 1979 the station had begun airing a Christian contemporary format.[8] On June 1, 1979, the station's call sign was later changed to WPRZ.[2] On July 14, 1979, WPRZ presented the Christian contemporary festival "Alleluia", which featured Chuck Girard.[9] The station was taken off the air in autumn of 1980.[2][10]
In late 1981, the license was sold to Lee Hague for $125,000.[11] The following year the station was brought back on the air from a new site in the same area, with the WEAW callsign revived.[12][13][3] The station aired adult contemporary music and religious programming.[6][14] By the mid-1980s the station was airing Christian talk and teaching programs and uptempo Christian contemporary music, with a certain amount of secular adult contemporary mixed in.[15][16][6] Christian talk and teaching programs heard on WEAW included The Old-Time Gospel Hour with Jerry Falwell, Family Altar with Lester Roloff, and Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll.[16]
In 1986, the station was sold to Polnet Communications for $1.2 million.[17] The station would air adult contemporary music, along with a large amount of ethnic programming.[18] In October 1987, the station's callsign was changed to WSSY.[3] The station was branded "Sunny 1330".[19][6]
In 1989, WSSY began to air a hard rock and heavy metal format branded "G-Force", though brokered ethnic and religious programming continued to air mornings and early afternoons.[20][21] In 1990 the station's call letters were changed to WKTA.[3] By early 1991, "G-Force" had ended, and the station aired brokered ethnic and religious programming.[22] The hard rock and heavy metal format would again appear on WKTA as "Rebel Radio", a brokered format launched by G-Force alumni Scott Davidson.[23] WKTA would become a flagship station for the hard rock network, which was syndicated to other stations in the midwest. New Life Russian Radio broadcast from Northbrook, Illinois on 1330 AM WKTA, featuring call-in shows, international news, and European music.[24]
References
- 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1971. p. B-63. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- History Cards for WKTA, fcc.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- "WKTA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- Predicted daytime coverage area for WKTA 1330 AM, Evanston, IL, radio-locator. Accessed August 11, 2015
- Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. p. 318-321.
- "What those letters on the dial mean", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 16. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- "Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 34. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- "'Alleluia' On Air", Billboard. June 30, 1979. p. 20. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- "'80 In Review", Radio & Records, Issue Number 362, December 12, 1980. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- "Ownership Changes", Broadcasting. October 5, 1981. p. 59. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Public Notice Comment - BMP-19810702AI, fcc.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Public Notice Comment - BL-19820203AF, fcc.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1983. p. B-73. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Zorn, Eric. "Religious Radio Wades To Mainstream To Pull Listeners To Its Message", Chicago Tribune. April 14, 1985. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Chicago Radio Guide. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- "Changing Hands", Broadcasting. February 17, 1986. p. 71. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1987, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1987. p. B-89. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Chicagoland Radio Waves: Your Complete Guide to Local Radio. Media Ties. Summer 1988. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- Seigenthaler, Katherine. "Heavy Mettle", Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1990. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- "WSSY AM 1330", Radio Chicago. Fall 1989. p. 28. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- "WKTA AM 1330", Radio Chicago. p. 41. Winter 1991. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- Chicago Radio Rock Wars: G-Force 1330 Accessed January 1, 2014
- Gwinn, Eric. "Russian picnic mixes borscht with flavor of the homeland", Chicago Tribune. May 2, 2003. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
External links
- WKTA in the FCC's AM station database
- WKTA on Radio-Locator
- WKTA in Nielsen Audio's AM station database