 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Northwest Suburban Chicago /Fox Valley |
| Frequency | 103.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Air1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary worship music |
| Subchannels |
|
| Affiliations | Air1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| WAWE,WCKL,WCLR,WLWX, WOKL, WZKL | |
| History | |
First air date | June 8, 1967; 58 years ago (1967-06-08) (as WVFV) |
Former call signs | WVFV (1967–1980)[1] WCRM (1980–1989)[2] WABT (1989–1996)[2] WZCH (1996–2004)[2] WWYW (2004–2013)[2] WFXF (2013–2019)[2] |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 3135 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | 97 meters (318 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WAWY (103.9FM) is anon-commercialradio stationlicensed toDundee, Illinois, and serving theNorthwest suburbs ofChicago. The station is owned by theEducational Media Foundation, and carries its "Air1"contemporary worship music network. The station is listener-supported and seeks donations on the air.[citation needed]
WAWY has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 6,000watts. Itstransmitter is located inGilberts, Illinois.
The station began broadcasting on June 8, 1967, as WVFV.[4][1] Thecall sign stood for the "Voice of the Fox Valley".[5] The station was founded by Jim French, who operated out of a space above Cardinal Savings and Loans inWest Dundee.[1][5] WVFV's transmitter was built inGilberts, Illinois.[1] It originally operated from noon to midnight.[5]
The station featured amiddle-of-the-road format, with a heavy emphasis onbig band music, as well as broadcasts of local high school sports and city council meetings.[5][6][7] Prior to the launch of WVFV, an earlier station on 103.9 FM, WELG inElgin, operated from 1960[8] until June 1963;[9] the license for WELG, along with sister station WELF inGlen Ellyn, was revoked on March 11, 1964.[10]
WVFV was sold in early 1970 to Richard Willrett, for $45,000.[1][11] In February 1972, WVFV switched to aprogressive rock format.[6][12] In 1976, the station was sold to Ralph J. Faucher for $160,000,[1][13] and its format was changed toadult contemporary.[14][5]
In early 1980, the station was sold to CLW Communications, a subsidiary ofAMG International, for $315,000.[15][1] The station adopted aChristian contemporary format, with an evening block ofChristian rock.[16]
On May 27, 1980, its call sign was changed to WCRM,[1] standing for "Christian Radio Music".[17] The station's slogan was "Today's Christian Music".[17] WCRM also sold airtime to churches and religious organizations, whose programs primarily aired late mornings.[5] The Christian contemporary format lasted through the decade.[18][17]
In 1989, the station was sold to Atlantic Morris Broadcasting for $1.5 million.[19][20] On April 10, 1989, its call sign was changed to WABT,[2] and the station adopted analbum-oriented rock/classic rock hybrid format, branded "The Wabbit", with the slogan "The Northwest's Own Rock and Roll".[21][22][23]
Among the staff at the station wasCara Carriveau (who went by her maiden name Cara Stern and on air name Cara Simms at the time), who began as overnight DJ in 1989, later moving to nights and middays.[24][25] In 1992, Carriveau became program director, replacing Randy McCarthy.[26][23] She remained with WABT until 1995, when she left to become program director ofShadow Broadcast Services, and was replaced by Dan Forthover.[27][28][29] In 1995, the station was sold to M & M Broadcasting, owned by formerHammond, Indiana mayor Thomas McDermott Sr., for $975,000.[30][31][32] The station began to be simulcast on 103.9WWJY inCrown Point, Indiana.[33][34]
In 1996, the station was sold to Z-Spanish Network, along with WWJY, for $3.6 million,[35][36] and it adopted aSpanish language format,[37] airingregional Mexican music.[38][39] On June 7, 1996, its call sign was changed to WZCH.[2] In 2000, Z-Spanish Network was acquired byEntravision Communications.[40]
On December 29, 2000, WZCH began airing a Spanish CHR format branded "Super Estrella", as part of a simulcast with 99.9WRZA inPark Forest, Illinois.[38][41][42] In May 2004,NextMedia Group purchased the station from Entravision Communications for $5 million.[41][43] By the end of the month, WZCH was stunting with television theme songs.[44]
On Tuesday June 1, 2004, the station adopted arhythmic oldies format branded as "Y1039, The Beat of the Burbs", with the new call sign WWYW.[45][46]
The following year, the station gradually reformatted as anoldies station branded as "Y103.9, The Greatest Hits of All Time".[47][48][49] This worked to fill the void left by the format flip ofWJMK from oldies to Jack-FM.
Y103.9 featured local hosts such as Jim Shea, Jeff James, Jeff Davis, Shawn Powers, Marci Beeks, Carla Coulter, and Ken Cocker.[50][51][52][53] Weekend programing included a Saturday night all 1970s music show with Jeff James.[54]
By 2011, airtime of live and local hosts was greatly reduced, leaving only Marci Beeks at middays, and Jeff James and Carla Coulter's weekend shows as live and local.[52][55][56] The remainder of the schedule was filled withTom Kent's syndicated programming.[56][52] In January 2013, Marci Beeks left the station, and its weekday programming was entirely from Tom Kent's network.[56]
On February 25, 2013, at 2:00 pm the station dropped its oldies and classic hits format, and adopted a classic rock format branded "103.9 The Fox".[57] The last song as Y103.9 wasMercy Mercy Me byMarvin Gaye, while the first song on 103.9 The Fox wasFoxy Lady byJimi Hendrix.[58][59] The station's call sign was changed to WFXF on March 4, 2013.[2]
The station shared facilities with sister stationWZSR in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The studios for both stations were located behindMcHenry County College on U.S. Route 14.[60] On-air staff included Alex Quigley,[61] formerly ofQ101, Pat Capone,[62] formerly ofThe Loop, and JoBo, formerly ofB96.[63]
In 2014, the station was sold to Matrix Broadcasting LLC.[64]
In February 2019, it was announced thatAlpha Media would purchase WFXF and 105.5 WZSR for $4,669,011, with WFXF to be immediately resold toEducational Media Foundation for $900,000.[65]
In preparation for the sale, the airstaff announced their final day on The Fox would be on April 5.[66] The Fox's final promotion, an "Adult Easter Egg Hunt" at McHenry County College, was rescheduled from April 19 to April 6.[66][67]
The station was set to flip to Educational Media Foundation's contemporary worship music network,Air1, on April 8, 2019, with new call sign WAWY already reserved.[66] However, after the final song played on The Fox, the station was takensilent.
The station returned to the air the following week as an affiliate of Air1, airing Contemporary Worship Music from the network.
42°06′22″N88°22′37″W / 42.106°N 88.377°W /42.106; -88.377