WPMJ
Encyclopedia
WPMJ is a radio station
licensed for Chillicothe, Illinois
in the Peoria, Illinois
, area. The station has been owned by CRCI, L.L.C. since January 2010 and has broadcast a Catholic radio format since September 2009.
Although the station is in the Peoria radio market, it has relatively low power and is required to put a decent signal across Chillicothe, its city of license
, with that power. It struggled over the years to find a programming niche, having no less than 10 callsigns in its 31 years, and going off the air from October 2008 to September 2009.
Official studios for the station are at 108 N. Main St. Suite J on Illinois Route 117
in Eureka, Illinois
.
.
Throughout the 1980s, 94.3 was a minor player in Peoria radio under many different formats, names, and call letters. While owned by Bro, it was country station WTXR "94X" from 1984 to 1986; followed by adult contemporary "Magic 94"; then satellite driven oldies
as WBZM with Jim Zippo in the morning; easy listening
WQEZ "EZ94FM"; and finally an audio simulcast of CNN Headline News
under the WRED callsign (for "well read") with studios in the old Pabst Building in Peoria Heights
.
), which had been CHR
powerhouse WKZW "KZ-93", had lost its standing in Peoria radio. After trying to hold on to its heritage as "the new KZ-93", the owners of 93.3 finally discarded the name and callsign that had defined the station for over 25 years, and switched to adult contemporary with the nickname "Mix 93.3" and the callsign WMXP. In 1994, owners of then-number-one WXCL
-FM, Kelly Communications in Peoria, bought 94.3 from Bro. Kelly immediately picked up the CHR
format abandoned by 93.3, and in a controversial move unprecedented in Peoria radio, changed 94.3's callsign to WKZW to make it "KZ94.3", playing and advertising "today's hit music" just like before on the rival station.
KZ94.3 developed into an adult CHR radio station that lived in the shadow of its 93.3 predecessor throughout its tenure in the format. Former KZ-93 personality Andy Masur
was the first program director and morning host. KZ94.3 lasted until 1997 with Jesse James (now mornings at KWLI
Denver) in the morning; local comedian Brett Erickson, Keith Berry, and Denyse Haynak in middays; Kevin Ross, Jack Shell (now afternoons at WKDF
Nashville) in afternoons; and Jeff Williams at night.
in the morning. That format was followed by a short-lived ABC Radio satellite-driven Hot AC format called "Kiss 94 FM" under the WKSO call sign with veteran Peoria broadcaster/programmer (former WIRL
/WKZW
/WXCL
) Lee Malcolm at the helm. Since "Kiss", 94.3 had changed ownership from Kelly to AAA Entertainment in 2000 and been an all-1980s music format as "Channel 94-3" under the WCNL call sign. Not longer after, the station flipped to a simulcast with 96.5 FM as "The Point", a Hot AC format with Bob and Sheri in the morning. AAA sold the station in early 2003 back to Kelly to become WPMJ, first a Smooth Jazz
format as, once again, "Magic 94.3". In 2006 94.3 did the format steal again from 93.3 when WPBG dropped the "Big Oldies" format in favor of Classic Hits. 94.3 immediately became "94-3: Peoria's True Oldies Channel", joining ABC Radio Networks as an affiliate of Scott Shannon
's True Oldies Channel.
1350 WOAM
Peoria, Illinois
, went dark
after owner Kelly Communications could not find a buyer or investor for the stations. Company owner Bob Kelly said he was still seeking funding and expected the stations to be off the air for "probably" 6 to 12 months. The stations returned to the air just short of a year later, in September 2009. In early October 2009, Kelly sold WPMJ for $620,000 and applied to assign the WPMJ license by itself to CRCI, L.L.C., controlled by Allen C. Drake of El Paso, Illinois
, a project coordinator for Catholic radio station WSOG
in Spring Valley, Illinois
, that itself controls numerous other stations in Central Illinois. The FCC
approved the assignment on 12 November 2009 and the transfer was completed on .
The station's Spring Bay
tower collapsed on during a blizzard; , the station is silent, but with special temporary authority
to operate from an existing tower near the former Illinois Route 174
in northwest Peoria
as soon as possible.
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...
licensed for 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 :...
in the Peoria, Illinois
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...
, area. The station has been owned by CRCI, L.L.C. since January 2010 and has broadcast a Catholic radio format since September 2009.
Although the station is in the Peoria radio market, it has relatively low power and is required to put a decent signal across Chillicothe, its city of license
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....
, with that power. It struggled over the years to find a programming niche, having no less than 10 callsigns in its 31 years, and going off the air from October 2008 to September 2009.
Official studios for the station are at 108 N. Main St. Suite J on Illinois Route 117
Illinois Route 117
Illinois Route 117 is a rural north–south state road in north central Illinois. It travels from Interstate 74 in the small community of Goodfield to Illinois Route 17 in Toluca. Illinois 117 covers a distance of about .- Route description :...
in Eureka, Illinois
Eureka, Illinois
Eureka is a city in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,295 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city was founded in the year 1855. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
History
94.3 signed on the air in 1977, as WCLL, owned by Bill Bro, with studios in ChillicotheChillicothe, 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 :...
.
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
as WBZM with Jim Zippo in the morning; easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
WQEZ "EZ94FM"; and finally an audio simulcast of CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
under the WRED callsign (for "well read") with studios in the old Pabst Building in Peoria Heights
Peoria Heights, Illinois
Peoria Heights is a village lying almost entirely in Peoria County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 6,635 at the 2000 census. Peoria Heights is a suburb of Peoria and is surrounded by the city except for its eastern boundary on Peoria Lake, a relatively wider section of the...
.
KZ94.3
By the early 1990s, rival station 93.3 (now WPBGWPBG
WPBG is an FM broadcasting station with a Classic Hits format. Licensed for Peoria, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Bloomington, Peoria, LaSalle-Peru area...
), which had been CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
powerhouse WKZW "KZ-93", had lost its standing in Peoria radio. After trying to hold on to its heritage as "the new KZ-93", the owners of 93.3 finally discarded the name and callsign that had defined the station for over 25 years, and switched to adult contemporary with the nickname "Mix 93.3" and the callsign WMXP. In 1994, owners of then-number-one WXCL
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...
-FM, Kelly Communications in Peoria, bought 94.3 from Bro. Kelly immediately picked up the CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format abandoned by 93.3, and in a controversial move unprecedented in Peoria radio, changed 94.3's callsign to WKZW to make it "KZ94.3", playing and advertising "today's hit music" just like before on the rival station.
KZ94.3 developed into an adult CHR radio station that lived in the shadow of its 93.3 predecessor throughout its tenure in the format. Former KZ-93 personality Andy Masur
Andy Masur
Andy Masur is an American sportscaster, announcing San Diego Padres baseball and University of San Diego men's basketball games over XEPRS-AM in Tijuana near San Diego....
was the first program director and morning host. KZ94.3 lasted until 1997 with Jesse James (now mornings at KWLI
KWLI
KWOF is a commercial radio station located in Denver, transmitting from Broomfield, Colorado, broadcasting to the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area on 92.5 FM. KWOF airs a country music format branded as "The Wolf"...
Denver) in the morning; local comedian Brett Erickson, Keith Berry, and Denyse Haynak in middays; Kevin Ross, Jack Shell (now afternoons at WKDF
WKDF
WKDF is a Country music radio station broadcasting on a frequency of 103.3 MHz from Nashville, Tennessee. WKDF is owned by Cumulus Media.-History:...
Nashville) in afternoons; and Jeff Williams at night.
A decade of change
After abandoning the WKZW name and format itself, the station changed call letters to WFXF as "94-3 The Fox", a classic rock format with Howard SternHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
in the morning. That format was followed by a short-lived ABC Radio satellite-driven Hot AC format called "Kiss 94 FM" under the WKSO call sign with veteran Peoria broadcaster/programmer (former WIRL
WIRL (AM)
WIRL is a radio station broadcasting a classic country music format. Licensed to Peoria, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Bloomington and Peoria areas and broadcasts in AM stereo...
/WKZW
WPBG
WPBG is an FM broadcasting station with a Classic Hits format. Licensed for Peoria, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Bloomington, Peoria, LaSalle-Peru area...
/WXCL
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...
) Lee Malcolm at the helm. Since "Kiss", 94.3 had changed ownership from Kelly to AAA Entertainment in 2000 and been an all-1980s music format as "Channel 94-3" under the WCNL call sign. Not longer after, the station flipped to a simulcast with 96.5 FM as "The Point", a Hot AC format with Bob and Sheri in the morning. AAA sold the station in early 2003 back to Kelly to become WPMJ, first a Smooth Jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
format as, once again, "Magic 94.3". In 2006 94.3 did the format steal again from 93.3 when WPBG dropped the "Big Oldies" format in favor of Classic Hits. 94.3 immediately became "94-3: Peoria's True Oldies Channel", joining ABC Radio Networks as an affiliate of Scott Shannon
Scott Shannon
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ, host of The True Oldies Channel, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show.-Early Radio Career:...
's True Oldies Channel.
Sign-off and restart
On 2 October 2008, WPMJ, along with sister stationSister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
1350 WOAM
WOAM
WOAM is a Peoria, Illinois radio station that broadcasts an Adult Standards/MOR format.-History:The station signed on as WEEK in the 1940s...
Peoria, Illinois
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...
, 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...
after owner Kelly Communications could not find a buyer or investor for the stations. Company owner Bob Kelly said he was still seeking funding and expected the stations to be off the air for "probably" 6 to 12 months. The stations returned to the air just short of a year later, in September 2009. In early October 2009, Kelly sold WPMJ for $620,000 and applied to assign the WPMJ license by itself to CRCI, L.L.C., controlled by Allen C. Drake of El Paso, Illinois
El Paso, Illinois
El Paso is a city in Woodford and McLean Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 2,695 at the 2000 census, and 2,870 in 2009...
, a project coordinator for Catholic radio station WSOG
WSOG
WSOG is an FM broadcasting station on 88.1 MHz at Spring Valley, Illinois. It broadcasts Catholic radio programs, primarily EWTN Radio supplemented with local programs. It is licensed to Spirit Education Association, Inc. and has studios at St. Bede Academy in Peru, Illinois.-Stations:, WSOG uses...
in Spring Valley, Illinois
Spring Valley, Illinois
Spring Valley is a city situated on the Illinois River in Bureau County, Illinois. The population was 5,398 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, that itself controls numerous other stations in Central Illinois. The FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
approved the assignment on 12 November 2009 and the transfer was completed on .
The station's Spring Bay
Spring Bay, Illinois
Spring Bay is a village in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. As of the census, the village population was 436 and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Spring Bay is located at ....
tower collapsed on during a blizzard; , the station is silent, but with special temporary authority
Special temporary authority
In U.S. broadcast law, a special temporary authorization or special temporary authority is a type of broadcast license which temporarily allows a broadcast station to operate outside of its normal technical or legal parameters...
to operate from an existing tower near the former Illinois Route 174
Illinois Route 174
Illinois Route 174 was a state highway in Illinois from 1924 to 1983. The route connected Illinois Route 40 and Illinois Route 91 through the community of Alta...
in northwest Peoria
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...
as soon as possible.