WCIL is a radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

  broadcasting a News Talk format as a simulcast of WJPF

WJPF

WJPF is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Herrin, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area...

. Licensed to Carbondale, Illinois

Carbondale, Illinois

Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...

, U.S.A.. The station serves the Marion-Carbondale (Illinois) area. The station is currently owned by Max Media.

History

WCIL (AM) signed on the air in 1946 as a daytime only station with personalities such as Jim Bowen, Bluegrass Roy and others in a second floor studio at about 215 W. Main St. in Carbondale http://www.leonardsview.com/wcilpast.html. At that time, to get the AM license, they were pressured by the FCC to also sign on an FM station. They kept the FM on the air for about a year and then signed it off the air since, at the time, nobody listened to FM. Later, WCIL moved the studios to a house at a location that is now the parking lot for the First United Methodist Church in Carbondale. In 1964 WCIL moved again, this time to new studios at 211 W. Main in Carbondale, right across the street from the church. Paul F. McRoy, the station's owner foresaw the potential of FM and reapplied for an FM license. The license was approved and WCIL-FM signed on in 1968 and allowed broadcasting after local sunset when WCIL was required to sign off. WCIL simulcast programming during this time http://www.leonardsview.com/wcilpast.html. The format was easy listening music and news. A year or so before CIL-FM was born, Top 40 music was played at night after 10pm. The FCC required AM/FM simulcasts to split programming. So, plans were made to split WCIL AM and FM. The AM and FM split programming and became separate stations on August 16, 1976. McRoy would go on to sell both WCIL-FM and AM to Dennis Lyle, now the President of the Illinois Broadcasters Association.

Later, in 1997, Lyle sold the stations to the Zimmer Radio Group. Soon after the sale, WCIL became a daytime-only simulcast of News/Talk WJPF

WJPF

WJPF is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Herrin, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area...

.

In 2004, Zimmer Radio Group sold their stations in southern Illinois (including WCIL-FM), along with Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston, Missouri to Mississippi River Radio, a subsidiary of Max Media, LLC.

Ownership

In December 2003, Mississippi River Radio, acting as Max Media LLC (John Trinder, president/COO), reached an agreement to purchase WCIL, WCIL-FM, WJPF

WJPF

WJPF is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Herrin, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area...

, WOOZ-FM

WOOZ-FM

WOOZ-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Licensed to Harrisburg, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area. The station is currently owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC.-History:...

, WUEZ

WUEZ

WUEZ is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Carterville, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area. The station is currently owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC....

, WXLT

WXLT

WXLT is a radio station licensed to serve Christopher, Illinois, USA. The station is owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC. It airs a Sports radio format.-History:...

, KCGQ-FM, KEZS-FM

KEZS-FM

KEZS-FM is a Country music formatted radio station broadcasting from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The station plays songs by new country artists like Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts...

, KGIR

KGIR

KGIR is a radio station licensed to serve Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC...

, KGKS

KGKS

KGKS is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Scott City, Missouri, USA, the station is currently owned by Mississippi River Radio through MRR License LLC and features programming from Citadel Media.-History:The Federal Communications Commission issued a...

, KJEZ, KKLR-FM

KKLR-FM

KKLR-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The station is owned by Max Media. It airs a country music format. KKLR serves Poplar Bluff, southeast Missouri and extreme northeast Arkansas...

, KLSC

KLSC

KLSC is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Hits music format. Licensed to Malden, Missouri, USA, the station is currently owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC.-History:...

, KMAL

KMAL

KMAL is a radio station licensed to serve Malden, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC...

, KSIM

KSIM

KSIM is a radio station licensed to serve Sikeston, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by River Radio and licensed to MRR License LLC. It airs a News/Talk format...

, KWOC, and KZIM

KZIM

KZIM is a radio station licensed to serve Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC...

from the Zimmer Radio Group (James L. Zimmer, owner). The reported value of this 17 station transaction was $43 million.

External links

• http://www.wjpf.com/home
• History of WCIL
• http://siualumni.com/s/664/index.aspx?sid=664&gid=1&pgid=15&cid=292&newsid=50