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| Broadcast area | Kenosha, Wisconsin |
| Frequency | 1050kHz |
| Branding | AM 1050 WLIP |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk,full service |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WIIL | |
| History | |
First air date | May 18, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-05-18) |
Call sign meaning | William Lippman, the station's founder[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 28478 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 250 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°33′10.1″N87°53′38.3″W / 42.552806°N 87.893972°W /42.552806; -87.893972 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WLIP (1050AM) is acommercial radio station inKenosha, Wisconsin, serving parts of the Chicago andMilwaukee metropolitan areas, along the west shore ofLake Michigan. The station airs atalkradio format and is owned byConnoisseur Media, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. The studios are in the north end of theGurnee Mills Mall inGurnee, Illinois.
WLIP broadcasts with 250 watts, using anon-directional antenna. It is limited in its power because1050 AM is a Mexicanclear channel frequency and WLIP must avoid interference withClass A stationXEG inMonterrey, as well as 50,000-wattCHUM in Toronto. WLIP'stransmitter (on land which formerly contained its studios) is off Green Bay Road (Wisconsin Highway 31) inPleasant Prairie.[3]
WLIP on weekdays airs local talk shows in morning and afternoondrive time and some midday hours. Twonationally syndicated shows are heard,Markley, Van Camp and Robbins in early afternoons, andCoast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory overnight. Weekends feature shows on money, health and the outdoors, some of which arebrokered programming. There are also weekendoldies andChristian radio programs. Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.
At 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, 1947, WLIPsigned on the air. The studios were originally in the Kenosha National Bank Building basement at 625 57th Street in downtown Kenosha. The station was licensed fordaytime-only broadcasts at 250 watts. In 1982, WLIP built and opened its new studios at 8500 Green Bay Road.
In 1962, the station launched an FM sister: 95.1 WLIP-FM, later known as WJZQ, and thenWIIL.
During the late 1950s and much of the 1960s, the AM station programmed a popular adult music format. However, the owner, Bill Lipman, did not allow for "Top 40 Hits" to be played. A weekend show with staffer Terry Havel was the only show featuring hit music. The station was required tosign off at sundown.
As Kenosha was the home ofAmerican Motors (AMC), the station was a strong union operation, having on-air staff underAFTRA and engineers underIBEW representation, rare for a station in a mid-sized city such as Kenosha. Its program schedule served the "at work" audience at AMC and other large Kenosha factories.
WLIP-FM offered separate programming during that time and carried aneasy listening format. Bill Lipman's wife, Anne, was influential in the music choices of WLIP-FM, until 1975 when new management took over.
In 1975, WLIP-AM-FM began operating under new management. The AM station switched to afull service,adult contemporary format as "Music 1050" with news and information aimed at the Kenosha community. Lipman's sons and daughter took over the management of the stations by the late 1970s.
In 1987, theFederal Communications Commission granted WLIP permission to broadcast full time. During the 1990s the station added talk programming in the daytime witholdies music played nights and weekends. In 1996, the station changed its sound and began usingDial Global'ssyndicatedAdult Standards service. This format lasted until December 2003 when the station changed itsaffiliation to the syndicatedUnforgettable Favorites format fromABC Radio. In 2005, over theFourth of July weekend, the station switched to ABC'sOldies Radio.
By 2010, WLIP increased its local talk programming during most of the day, with replays some of shows in the evenings Syndicated talk shows air during some hours. On the weekends, it carries how-to programs,brokered programming and talk shows, most of which are local.
WLIP plays 1960s-1970s oldies music during part of each weekend, along with specialty 1950s-1960s oldies showsJukebox Saturday Night on Saturdays andThe Doo-Wop Diner on Sundays. TheMusic of the Stars with Lou Rugani has aired each Sunday morning since 1992.