WOAM
Encyclopedia
WOAM is a Peoria, Illinois
radio station
that broadcasts an Adult Standards/MOR format.
, but 1350 itself has since switched callsigns several times.
Other call letters have included WAAP, WXCL (still retained by a former sister station), and WTAZ.
The station was most successful as WXCL with a country music
format adopted in 1965. Eventually WXCL was simulcast on 104.9, a Pekin, Illinois
station that changed its callsign to WXCL-FM.
Personalities when the station was country WXCL included Don Elliot, Lee Ranson, Chuck Urban, Bill Bro, Paul Jackson, (Part Timer Arlen Horn), and Jim Crowley, Steve Young, Doug Adams, Tweed Scott, and Dave Hinkley.
Bob Kelly bought the station in 1986.
In 1994 the simulcast was dropped, with WXCL-FM
104.9 keeping the callsign and country format, and 1350 becoming WOAM with the Music of Your Life
format. Veteran Peoria native/broadcaster Cliff Shell hosted a highly rated morning drive show for its first two years. WOAM also became the highest rated AM station in Peoria during its second year on the air. In 1999 the station flipped to talk as (then) sister station WTAZ in Morton, Illinois
) was moved from 102.3 FM to 1350 AM. In September 2001 the WTAZ call letters and format were dropped and WOAM returned using the Timeless Classics syndicated adult standards format. In 2007 WOAM switched to Dial Global
's Adult Standards
syndicated format. By the time WOAM first went dark, its only local show was morning show Breakfast with Royce and Roger.
On October 2, 2008, WOAM along with sister station
94.3 WPMJ
Chillicothe, Illinois
went dark
. Company owner Bob Kelly said he was still seeking funding and expects the stations to be off the air for "probably" 6 to 12 months, but that he did not intend to declare bankruptcy. WOAM resumed operations in September 2009, but was approved to go silent again in January 2010.
Briefly returning to the air in early 2011 with automated broadcasts, it was purchased by Nelson Broadcasting, Inc. With the transfer of ownership, WOAM returned to the air in late July 2011, with the morning Breakfast with Royce and Roger returning in early August.
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
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...
that broadcasts an Adult Standards/MOR format.
History
The station signed on as WEEK in the 1940s. Peoria's TV channel 25 was started by the owners of 1350, and to this day channel 25 retains the callsign WEEK-TVWEEK-TV
WEEK-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for West-Central Illinois licensed to Peoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 25 from a transmitter at studios on Springfield Road in East Peoria. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 10 and in high definition...
, but 1350 itself has since switched callsigns several times.
Other call letters have included WAAP, WXCL (still retained by a former sister station), and WTAZ.
The station was most successful as WXCL with a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format adopted in 1965. Eventually WXCL was simulcast on 104.9, a Pekin, Illinois
Pekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
station that changed its callsign to WXCL-FM.
Personalities when the station was country WXCL included Don Elliot, Lee Ranson, Chuck Urban, Bill Bro, Paul Jackson, (Part Timer Arlen Horn), and Jim Crowley, Steve Young, Doug Adams, Tweed Scott, and Dave Hinkley.
Bob Kelly bought the station in 1986.
In 1994 the simulcast was dropped, with WXCL-FM
WXCL
WXCL is a country music radio station licensed to Pekin, Illinois and owned by JMP Media, a subsidiary of Triad Broadcasting.-History:104.9 signed on the air in the early 70's as WZRO with an oldies format...
104.9 keeping the callsign and country format, and 1350 becoming WOAM with the Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life is a satellite-delivered radio network featuring the Adult Standards music format. Created by record executive and jingle writer Al Ham, and now under the direction of Marc Angell, Music of Your Life has more than 50 AM, FM and HD-2 radio station affiliates, and has been in...
format. Veteran Peoria native/broadcaster Cliff Shell hosted a highly rated morning drive show for its first two years. WOAM also became the highest rated AM station in Peoria during its second year on the air. In 1999 the station flipped to talk as (then) sister station WTAZ in Morton, Illinois
Morton, Illinois
Morton is a village in Tazewell County, Illinois, USA, known for its pumpkins and annual Pumpkin Festival. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. Morton, the home of a Caterpillar distribution facility and a Libby's pumpkin plant, is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical...
) was moved from 102.3 FM to 1350 AM. In September 2001 the WTAZ call letters and format were dropped and WOAM returned using the Timeless Classics syndicated adult standards format. In 2007 WOAM switched to Dial Global
Dial Global
Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
's Adult Standards
America's Best Music
America's Best Music is the on-air branding of an adult standards 24-hour radio network, known internally as Adult Standards and formerly known as AM Only, currently owned by Dial Global. It was one of the original Westwood One's Transtar networks...
syndicated format. By the time WOAM first went dark, its only local show was morning show Breakfast with Royce and Roger.
On October 2, 2008, WOAM along with sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
94.3 WPMJ
WPMJ
WPMJ is a radio station licensed for Chillicothe, Illinois in the Peoria, Illinois, area. The station has been owned by CRCI, L.L.C...
Chillicothe, Illinois
Chillicothe, Illinois
Chillicothe is a city on the Illinois River in Peoria County, Illinois. The population was 5,996 at the 2000 census. Chillicothe is just north of the city of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :...
went dark
Dark (broadcasting)
In the broadcasting industry, dark is a term used to describe a radio station or television station that has gone off-the-air for an indefinite period of time, or as defined by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , a "silent" station...
. Company owner Bob Kelly said he was still seeking funding and expects the stations to be off the air for "probably" 6 to 12 months, but that he did not intend to declare bankruptcy. WOAM resumed operations in September 2009, but was approved to go silent again in January 2010.
Briefly returning to the air in early 2011 with automated broadcasts, it was purchased by Nelson Broadcasting, Inc. With the transfer of ownership, WOAM returned to the air in late July 2011, with the morning Breakfast with Royce and Roger returning in early August.