WIBL
WIBL (107.7 FM), known as "The Bull", is a broadcast radio station in Central Illinois with a country music format. WIBL, licensed to Fairbury, Illinois, in the Bloomington-Normal market, broadcasts at 107.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 22,000 Watts and is owned by Pilot Media, which is a subsidiary of Great Plains Media. Great Plains' CEO is Jerry Zimmer, a longtime partner in the Zimmer Radio Group based in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 | |
| City | Fairbury, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Bloomington-Normal, Illinois |
| Frequency | 107.7 MHz |
| Branding | 107-7 & 92-1 The Bull" |
| Slogan | "20 In A Row Country" |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Pilot Media LLC |
| Sister stations | KKSW, KMXN, WKSW, WGSQ, WHUB, WPTN, WZIM, WRPW, KLWN |
| History | |
| First air date | August 2000 (as WZBM) |
| Former call signs | WBZM (2000–2003) WSYT (2003–2010) |
| Call sign meaning | We're Illinois Bull |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 86178 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 14,000 Watts |
| HAAT | 135 meters (443 ft) |
| Translator(s) | 92.1 FM (W221CY) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | http://1.ice1.firststreaming.com/wibl_fm.mp3.m3u |
| Website | |
Frequency history
The station signed on in August 2000 as WBZM, 107.7 The Buzz. It was owned by Crowmwell Broadcasting, and was operated out of their Peoria cluster. It had an Alternative Rock format, with Bob and Tom in the morning. The jocks were all the same as on 99X, which was, at the time, WIXO on its original Bartonville frequency of 99.9.
When Cromwell sold their Peoria cluster in 2001, WBZM was not included in the sale. Operations were moved to Cromwell's Decatur cluster and WBZM quickly went on the sale block. At the end of 2001, AAA Entertainment purchased the signal and began simulcasting 96.7 WIHN Normal, then later 99.5 WDQZ Lexington.
On March 28, 2003, AAA debuted WYST, an AC station branded as "Star 107.7". In June 2003 the station's signal was upgraded and moved from Fairbury to Lexington, Illinois.
In February 2007, the format was modified to R&B/Soul with the slogan "The Heart and Soul of the Twin Cities", which had more of a rhythmic lean than competitor 100.7 WVMG.
In April 2007 the station began an LMA with Great Plains Media. No immediate format change was made.
On June 29, 2007, at Noon, just several days after the closing the sale on WYST, Great Plains Media flipped the format to Country as "107.7 The Bull." The station is the first to take on heritage WBWN in the Bloomington market. On August 17, 2010 WYST changed their call letters to WIBL to go with the "Bull" branding.
The station plays 20 IN A ROW COUNTRY all day long. 20 Country Songs In A Row is over 70 minutes of Non-Stop Country Music.
External links
- WIBL The Bull's official website
- WIBL in the FCC's FM station database
- WIBL on Radio-Locator
- WIBL in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- W221CY in the FCC's FM station database
- Radio Locator Link for W221CY