| Broadcast area | DeKalb County–Fox Valley |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1480kHz |
| Branding | Woody Country 1480 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Nelson Multimedia Inc. |
| WSPY-FM,WSQR | |
| History | |
First air date | November 11, 1961; 63 years ago (1961-11-11) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Communities served andcity of license; DeKalb County,Yorkville andSandwich or Somonauk |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69700 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
| Translator(s) | 101.5MHz W268DB (Yorkville) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WDYS (1480kHz) is acommercialAMradio station broadcasting aCountryformat.Licensed toSomonauk, Illinois, it servesDeKalb County and theFox Valley, suburbs west ofChicago. It is owned by Nelson Multimedia Inc., with programming coming fromWestwood One's "America's Best Music" service.
WDYS is powered at 250watts by day, and only 10 watts at night. Programming is also heard on 250-wattFM translatorW268DB at 101.5MHz, licensed toYorkville.[3] The studios andtransmitter are on Frazier Road inPlano.[4]
The stationsigned on the air on November 11, 1961; 63 years ago (1961-11-11).[5] The originalcall sign was WGSB.[5][6] The call letters stood forGeneva,St. Charles,Batavia, or "Where Good Sounds Begin".[6] The station was originally owned by the Fox Valley Broadcasting Corporation.[6] Nelda Brickhouse, wife ofWGN-TV sportscasterJack Brickhouse, bought into the station 1966, purchasing controlling interest in 1970.[6][7] For many years, the station was known as the "Voice of the Fox River Valley".[6][8][9]
The station primarily airedeasy listening music, but in 1964 the station began carryingDick Biondi's syndicated program from theMutual Broadcasting System.[6][10] The station also carried theJim Ameche Show,[8] along with community programming including high school sports and local call in program "Party Line".[6] Bill Blough hosted an overnightcountry music program on the station from 1967 to 1970,[11][12] and again in the late 1970s.[13] The station otherwise aired aMOR format throughout the 1970s.[5][14][15]
In 1980, the station was purchased by Howard Miller, a former disc jockey and talk show host on 560WIND.[6][16] In December 1980, Miller changed the station's call sign to WFXW, after being unable to obtain the call letters WFOX.[1][6][16] In 1983, the station was sold to Gamel Broadcasting for $580,000.[17] In 1988, Louis Pignatelli purchased a controlling interest in the station.[6][18]
WFXW aired afull service format, with localtalk programs and a strong emphasis on local affairs, along withadult contemporary music.[6][19][20][21][22] The station also airedbig band andoldies programs, as well as farm reports,Paul Harvey, andPacific Garden Mission's radio dramaUnshackled!.[20][23][24] By 1998, the station had adopted aclassic hits format.[25] In 2001, the station was taken off the air, and its transmitter site was sold for residential development.[26] The station was sold to Nelson Multimedia later that year.[27]
The station's call sign was changed to WSPY in 2002, and the station returned to the air under special temporary authority (STA), running 125 watts, using a long wire antenna inBatavia, Illinois.[28][1] The station aired anadult standards format, and was branded "Timeless Favorites", carryingTimeless network programming fromCitadel Broadcasting until the network's shutdown in February 2010.[29][30][31] The station then adopted a classic hits format,[32] with programming fromCumulus Broadcasting's (formerly Citadel Media) Classic Hits network.
In late summer of 2011, the station switched back to an adult standards format, with programming from Dial Global's America's Best Music.[33] Until 2020, the station continued to operate under the aforementioned STA.[34] In May 2020, WSPY got aconstruction permit to move itscity of license to Somonauk. The studios moved in late 2020. Its call sign was changed to WDYS on May 1, 2021.[1]
41°34′59″N88°36′05″W / 41.58306°N 88.60139°W /41.58306; -88.60139