WLTL
Encyclopedia
WLTL Radio and formerly known as "Rock88" is a non profit high school
educational radio station
located in LaGrange, Illinois, and run out of Lyons Township High School
. WLTL has won several national and local awards including the Service to America award. All of WLTL is student run. Each year new student managers are chosen to run the station.
The music of WLTL is organized in a variety rock music
radio format
. The DJs air various types of music such as rock, alternative, pop, ska, emo, and many others. The radio format allows each DJ to play his/her specific genre of music while captivating a broad listening audience. Besides variety rock slots, WLTL has many specialty shows, including sports shows, radio dramas, and talk shows. WLTL also alters its normal radio format to broadcast school sports events, school concerts, and community events.
All students attending Lyons Township High School are welcome to be a part of WLTL. A student who does not wish to participate as an on-air DJ may find an interest in an alternative position offered. Different positions offered include DJ assistants, engineers, participation in the sports broadcasting team, or the news broadcasting team. However, if a student has interest in becoming a DJ, (requiring preparation for a two hour radio show each week) an audition is required. The audition consists of a vocal test, written music test, and a one-on-one interview with a WLTL manager. Auditions occur during the beginning of each semester.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
educational 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...
located in LaGrange, Illinois, and run out of Lyons Township High School
Lyons Township High School
Lyons Township High School is a public high school located in La Grange, Illinois. Freshmen and sophomores attend class at South campus, located at 4900 S. Willow Springs Rd. in Western Springs, while juniors and seniors attend class at North campus, located at 100 S. Brainard Ave. in La Grange,...
. WLTL has won several national and local awards including the Service to America award. All of WLTL is student run. Each year new student managers are chosen to run the station.
WLTL Background
WLTL launched in January 1968 as a 10 watt radio station on the third floor of the Vaughan Building at LTHS' North Campus. WLTL has since moved into Room 9 of the North Campus main building. After a license upgrade and frequency shift in the 1980s, WLTL can be found at the frequency 88.1 and broadcasts at 180 watts. WLTL reaches 15 surrounding communities. WLTL is licensed to the Board of Trustees-School District District 204 and is operated by students of LTHS under the supervision of faculty advisers. WLTL offers curriculum courses in radio programming and management (under the school's English Department) and operates as an after school extracurricular activity.The music of WLTL is organized in a variety rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
. The DJs air various types of music such as rock, alternative, pop, ska, emo, and many others. The radio format allows each DJ to play his/her specific genre of music while captivating a broad listening audience. Besides variety rock slots, WLTL has many specialty shows, including sports shows, radio dramas, and talk shows. WLTL also alters its normal radio format to broadcast school sports events, school concerts, and community events.
All students attending Lyons Township High School are welcome to be a part of WLTL. A student who does not wish to participate as an on-air DJ may find an interest in an alternative position offered. Different positions offered include DJ assistants, engineers, participation in the sports broadcasting team, or the news broadcasting team. However, if a student has interest in becoming a DJ, (requiring preparation for a two hour radio show each week) an audition is required. The audition consists of a vocal test, written music test, and a one-on-one interview with a WLTL manager. Auditions occur during the beginning of each semester.
Alumni
After graduation, many alumni taking part in WLTL have moved on to various college radio and television operations; some subsequently moved into successful radio and television careers. Notable alumni include:- Mike MurphyMike Murphy (sports radio personality)Mike Murphy is an American sports radio personality, who hosted The Mike Murphy Show on Chicago's Sports Radio 670 The Score...
(WSCRWSCRWSCR is a sports radio station in the Chicago, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by CBS Radio and transmits on 670 kHz on the AM dial. Its transmitter is located just off Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale, which is a western suburb of Chicago. It is known as "The Score," and has been on...
midday radio personality) - Phil LeBeau (anchor, CNBCCNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
) - Dave Juday (Sports Anchor, ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Radio 1000, WMVPWMVPWMVP is the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is owned by ABC. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove. The station broadcasts live sports talk, both locally and nationally. Daily programming consists of talk shows that are both national and local...
ChicagoChicagoChicago 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...
) - Jen Christensen (Producer for CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
) - Mark Spivey, class of 1988 (Editor-Producer for CNN in Atlanta)
- Tyler Moody (Executive Director of Audio Programming for CNN Radio)
- Michael Kamper (Audio Director at 2K Marin2K Marin2K Marin is an American and Australian video game developer based in Novato, California and Canberra, Australia. The studio's main focus according to press releases is to develop new intellectual property and co-develop products with other 2K studios....
)