Newsweb Corporation
Encyclopedia
Newsweb Corporation is a publisher of ethnic and alternative newspapers in the United States, based in Chicago
, Illinois
. The company also owns several radio stations in the Chicago area and a television station in Sterling, Colorado
.
Newsweb was founded in 1971 by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropist Fred Eychaner to continue his printing business.
In early 2004, the company purchased 99.9 FM WRZA from Entravision and in late 2004, the company purchased three suburban Chicago radio stations from Spanish Broadcasting System
: 92.5 FM WDEK, 92.7 FM WKIE and 92.7 FM WKIF
. The trimulcast
was formerly the home to Energy 92.7&5, the first Dance Hits format radio station in the United States. WKIF was broken away from the trimulcast and WRZA took its place. WKIF became a CNN Radio affiliate. The new trimulcast became a variety hits
format as Nine FM, and the station later became a split-format station with Nine FM during the day and Dance Hits format Dance Factory at night. Dance Factory is operated by TKC Entertainment, which leases the air time form Newsweb. Nine FM was discontinued as of October 19, 2008 in favor of Progressive Talk simulcast with sister station WCPT (AM).
WCPT-FM 92.7, WCPQ 99.9, and WCPY 92.5 is a trimulcast which simulcasts WCPT (AM)
between 5 AM and 9 PM, and operates Dance Hits format Dance Factory at night.
Newsweb Corporation owns WCPT (AM)
which is an Air America
and CNN Radio affiliate, and also includes locally hosted Progressive Talk programming. WCPT operates on 820 AM in the Chicago area between 7 AM and 7 PM, WCPT-FM 92.7, WCPQ 99.9, and WCPY 92.5 is a trimulcast which simulcasts WCPT (AM)
between 5 AM and 9 PM, streams on the Internet 24/7 but operates solely as an Internet station at night.
Newsweb purchased WAIT (AM)
in 2004, which is now operating on 850. WAIT is a brokered station with a variety of programming and also features Air America between other programming.
-licensed
UPN
affiliate for Chicago, WPWR, until 2003, when they sold the station to Fox Television Stations Group
, becoming a duopoly
with WFLD
, the Fox
owned and operated station.
In 2006, they also sold Denver
UPN affiliate KTVD
to the Gannett Company
, who made it part of a duopoly with Gannett's local NBC
affiliate, KUSA-TV
. Newsweb retained KTVD's former satellite station in Sterling, Colorado
, KUPN, which is now operated as independent station KCDO
.
Ironically, both WPWR and KTVD are affiliates of MyNetworkTV
.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The company also owns several radio stations in the Chicago area and a television station in Sterling, Colorado
Sterling, Colorado
The City of Sterling is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Logan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 14,777 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Sterling is located at...
.
Newsweb was founded in 1971 by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropist Fred Eychaner to continue his printing business.
In early 2004, the company purchased 99.9 FM WRZA from Entravision and in late 2004, the company purchased three suburban Chicago radio stations from Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through its media products.SBS owns the internet portal LaMusica.com...
: 92.5 FM WDEK, 92.7 FM WKIE and 92.7 FM WKIF
WKIF
WKIF is a radio station broadcasting an adult hits format. The station is licensed to Kankakee, Illinois, USA. WKIF has also broadcast Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Notre Dame Football and other sporting events. WKIF is owned by Newsweb Corporation.-History:The station went on the air in...
. The trimulcast
Trimulcast
The term "trimulcast" was first used in May 1981 by Multimedia Broadcasting's outlets in Little Rock, Arkansas, KAAY-AM and KLPQ-FM when they teamed-up with Cox Cable locally...
was formerly the home to Energy 92.7&5, the first Dance Hits format radio station in the United States. WKIF was broken away from the trimulcast and WRZA took its place. WKIF became a CNN Radio affiliate. The new trimulcast became a variety hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
format as Nine FM, and the station later became a split-format station with Nine FM during the day and Dance Hits format Dance Factory at night. Dance Factory is operated by TKC Entertainment, which leases the air time form Newsweb. Nine FM was discontinued as of October 19, 2008 in favor of Progressive Talk simulcast with sister station WCPT (AM).
WCPT-FM 92.7, WCPQ 99.9, and WCPY 92.5 is a trimulcast which simulcasts WCPT (AM)
WCPT (AM)
WCPT is a progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois, and serving the Chicago area. The station carries programming from Dial Global. WCPT is owned by Newsweb Corporation....
between 5 AM and 9 PM, and operates Dance Hits format Dance Factory at night.
Newsweb Corporation owns WCPT (AM)
WCPT (AM)
WCPT is a progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois, and serving the Chicago area. The station carries programming from Dial Global. WCPT is owned by Newsweb Corporation....
which is an Air America
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
and CNN Radio affiliate, and also includes locally hosted Progressive Talk programming. WCPT operates on 820 AM in the Chicago area between 7 AM and 7 PM, WCPT-FM 92.7, WCPQ 99.9, and WCPY 92.5 is a trimulcast which simulcasts WCPT (AM)
WCPT (AM)
WCPT is a progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois, and serving the Chicago area. The station carries programming from Dial Global. WCPT is owned by Newsweb Corporation....
between 5 AM and 9 PM, streams on the Internet 24/7 but operates solely as an Internet station at night.
Newsweb purchased WAIT (AM)
WAIT (AM)
WAIT is a radio station located near Crystal Lake, Illinois. It was purchased by Newsweb Corporation in 2004. Original call letters were WIVS....
in 2004, which is now operating on 850. WAIT is a brokered station with a variety of programming and also features Air America between other programming.
Television
Newsweb had formerly owned the Gary, IndianaGary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
-licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
affiliate for Chicago, WPWR, until 2003, when they sold the station to Fox Television Stations Group
Fox Television Stations Group
Fox Television Stations, Inc. is a group of television stations located within the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of the Fox Entertainment Group, part of News Corporation...
, becoming a duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
with WFLD
WFLD
WFLD, virtual channel 32 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station, based in Chicago, Illinois; through its parent company News Corporation, the station is owned in a duopoly with area MyNetworkTV affiliate WPWR-TV...
, the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
owned and operated station.
In 2006, they also sold Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
UPN affiliate KTVD
KTVD
KTVD, virtual channel 20 is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station based in Denver, Colorado, and is owned by the Gannett Company. The station is a sister to KUSA, Denver's NBC affiliate and is housed and operated out of KUSA's high definition studios...
to the Gannett Company
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
, who made it part of a duopoly with Gannett's local NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate, KUSA-TV
KUSA-TV
KUSA, channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD...
. Newsweb retained KTVD's former satellite station in Sterling, Colorado
Sterling, Colorado
The City of Sterling is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Logan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 14,777 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Sterling is located at...
, KUPN, which is now operated as independent station KCDO
KCDO
KCDO-TV, channel 3, is a full-service television station licensed to Sterling, Colorado, broadcasting on UHF channel 23 as an independent station...
.
Ironically, both WPWR and KTVD are affiliates of MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
.