| SimulcastsWBGL,Champaign | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadcast area | South and West Suburban Chicago LaSalle, Illinois Pontiac, Illinois Kankakee, Illinois |
| Frequency | 104.7MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian AC |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| WBGL,WCIC,WIBI | |
| History | |
First air date | May 24, 1962; 62 years ago (1962-05-24)[1] |
Former call signs | |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 137 meters (449 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wbgl.org |
WCFL (104.7MHz) is anon-commercialFM radio stationlicensed toMorris, Illinois, and serving the Western suburbs of theChicago metropolitan area. It airs aChristian adult contemporary format and is owned by theUniversity of Northwestern – St. Paul. WCFLsimulcasts the programming ofWBGL inChampaign, Illinois. It is listener-supported and holds periodic on-the-airfundraisers to pay for station expenses.
WCFL has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts, the maximum for most stations in Illinois. Thetransmitter is off Stockdale Road in Morris.[4]
The station was first licensed May 24, 1962.[1] Its originalcall sign was WRMI-FM, which stood for Radio Morris Illinois. It largely simulcastWCSJ (1550 AM), itssister station.
In the 1960s and 1970s, WRMI-FM and WCSJ had amiddle of the road (MOR) format.[5][6] In 1977 the station's call sign was changed to WCSJ-FM to match 1550 AM;[1] the two stations continued to simulcast.[7]
By 1983, the stations were airing acountry music format.[8] In 1988, 104.7 FM separated its programming from 1550 AM and changed its call letters to WUEZ-FM.[3] As WUEZ-FM, the station aired aneasy listening format.[9][10] The station wasautomated, playing quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumentalcover versions of popular adult songs along with some soft vocals.
In 1990, the station changed its call sign to WCFL and adopted anoldies format with the branding "Super CFL". It used slogans andjingles which harkened back to theTop 40 days ofWCFL (1000 AM), when it was popular among teens.[10] The original WCFL-FM air staff included Gary Rivers, Bob Zak, Tom Kapsalis, Don Beno, and Jeff Andrews.[10] WCFL played the hits of 1965 to 1979, with the goal of capturing the sound of the original WCFL.[10][11]
The oldies format lasted until January 1994, when the station began simulcasting thesoft AC programming of WCSJ.[12] At that point, its owners were looking to sell WCFL.
In late 1993, the station was sold to the Illinois District Council of theAssemblies of God.[13][14] In February 1994, the station wentsilent while the sale was being finalized.[15] WCFL adopted its presentcontemporary Christian music format in May 1994.[16][17] By 2003, the station was simulcastingWBGL full-time.[18]
In a complaint filed with theFederal Communications Commission in 2017, WCFL claimed that its signal has been subjected to co-channel interference from translator W284DA, which relaysWRDZ. The translator is operated by Polnet Communications Ltd. of Chicago.[19]
In August 2019, the Illinois Bible Institute reached an agreement to sell the entire WBGL/WCIC New Life Media Network (including WCFL) to theUniversity of Northwestern – St. Paul. The university owns and operatesNorthwestern Media, a network ofContemporary Christian stations and another network ofChristian talk and teaching stations. The sale price was $9,901,558.34.[20][21][22][23] While the station remains Contemporary Christian, the format and programming are overseen by the University of Northwestern - St. Paul, based inMinneapolis.
41°21′17″N88°29′55″W / 41.3547541°N 88.4986806°W /41.3547541; -88.4986806