 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1390kHz |
| Branding | Inspiration 1390 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban gospel |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | October 13, 1923; 101 years ago (1923-10-13)[1] |
Former call signs | |
Call sign meaning | "Gospel Radio Blessings" |
| Technical information[5] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51162 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°44′13.12″N87°42′0.18″W / 41.7369778°N 87.7000500°W /41.7369778; -87.7000500 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | inspiration1390 |
WGRB (1390kHz) is a commercialAM radio station inChicago. It is owned byiHeartMedia and it airs anurban gospelformat. On Sundays, the station broadcasts the services of several African-American churches in the area. Thestudios are at theIllinois Center complex onMichigan Avenue inDowntown Chicago.
WGRB transmits 5,000watts, using adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is off South Kedzie Avenue near West 87th Street in the city's southwest side.[6]
The stationsigned on the air on October 13, 1923.[1] The originalcall sign, WTAY, was randomly assigned from a sequential list of available call letters, and itscity of license wasOak Park, Illinois. It was a shared time station, running 15 watts and operating on 1330 kHz on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings.[1] It was owned by a community newspaper calledOak Leaves.[1][7]
On February 15, 1924, the station began broadcasting from theOak Park Arms Hotel.[7][8] Its frequency was changed to 1060 kHz and its power was increased to 500 watts.[1]
On April 6, 1925,Coyne Electrical School purchased the station and changed itscall sign to WGES, standing for Coyne's slogan, "World's Greatest Electrical School."[1]Ray Kroc played piano live on the air at WGES's studios in the Oak Park Arms.[9][10]
In the late 1920s, the station was purchased by J. Louis Guyon and moved to theGuyon Hotel on theWest Side of Chicago.[1] The station aired big band music from the nearby Guyon's Paradise Ballroom.[11] It also broadcast African-American and foreign-language programming.[1] In 1927, the station's frequency was changed from 940 kHz to 1210 kHz, and was changed to 1360 kHz the following year.[12]
Gene T. Dyer purchased interest in the station in 1930, and in 1937 its studios were moved to 2400 W. Madison Street, where co-ownedWSBC was located.[7][12]
In March 1941, WGES moved to 1390 kHz as a result of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) and the following year its power was increased from 500 watts to 5,000 watts, moving its transmitter location from the roof of the Guyon Hotel to 86th and Kedzie in Chicago.[12] In 1944 the FCC ruled that radio station owners could only own one AM and FM station per market.[13] Gene Dyer sold WGES to his brother, Dr. John Dyer and associates.[14] WGES's studios were moved from 2400 West Madison to 2708 West Washington Boulevard.[12]
In 1945,Al Benson began hosting a Sunday evening program on WGES, using his real name Arthur Leaner.[15] The program featured a sermon delivered by Leaner, a pastor, andgospel music.[15] After the station told Leaner he could not sell advertising on his religious program, he began hosting a secular show as "Al Benson", playingblues,jazz, andR&B.[15][16][17] Over the years, more hours of African-American programming were added, with the addition of disk jockeys Richard Stamz,[18] Ric Riccardo,[19] Sam Evans,[18]Herb Kent,[20][21] Franklyn McCarthy,[19] and Sid McCoy.[22] WGES's foreign language programming was cut back to only four hours a day.
In 1962, the station was sold toGordon McLendon for $1 million, plus an additional $1 million for a non-compete agreement.[23] McLendon eliminated all foreign language programming in favor of an all-black format.[24] There were complaints to the United StatesFederal Communications Commission that the station had eliminated foreign-language programming.[24] The FCC held a hearing to investigate the complaints at which some politicians testified.[25][26][27][28]
The callsign changed to WYNR on September 1, 1962.[29][12] The station was branded "Winner".[1] Announcers included Big John Evans, Dick Kemp (The Wild Child), Luckey Cordell, Bruce Brown, Floyd Brown,[30][31] andYvonne Daniels.[32] In 1963, the station's studios were moved to its transmitter site at 86th and Kedzie.[12]
On September 3, 1964, the station adopted anall-news format with the new call letters WNUS.[33][34] In 1965, McLendon bought WFMQ (107.5 FM), changed its call sign to WNUS-FM and began to simulcast the all news format on the FM frequency.[35][36]
In 1968, the station adopted abeautiful music format.[37] In 1967, the station's studios were moved to Chicago'sRiver North neighborhood.[12]
In 1975, Globetrotter Communications, owners of soul music stationWVON, purchased WNUS-AM-FM from McLendon for $3,550,000, and moved WVON from its 1,000-watt signal on 1450 kHz to the 5,000-watt facility on 1390 kHz that had been occupied by WNUS.[38] WVON retained the studios it had used on 1450 inSouth Lawndale.[12]
WNUS-FM changed to adisco format later that year, with a change of call letters toWGCI-FM.[39][40] In 1977, Combined Communications Corporation purchased Globetrotter Communications, and the following year Combined Communications merged withGannett Co.[41][42]
On October 3, 1983, the station's call sign was changed to WGCI.[43] The station aired anurban adult contemporary format.[44][45][46] Yvonne Daniels hosted mornings.[44] By 1986, the station was airing anurban contemporary format as part of a simulcast with 107.5 WGCI-FM.[47][48]
On January 16, 1989, the AM station debuted an African-American-orientedtalk format, while WGCI-FM continued to play urban contemporary music.[49] The talk format was dropped September 10, 1990, and it adopted anurban oldies format branded "Dusty Radio".[49][50][51]
The format changed to urban gospel music on October 5, 1998, under Chancellor Media ownership.[52][50] Chancellor Media was merged intoClear Channel Communications in 2000.
The station's call letters were changed to WGRB on June 1, 2004, to differentiate it from itssister station, WGCI-FM.[43] Clear Channel Communications changed its name to iHeartMedia in 2014.
WGRB was licensed to broadcast a hybrid[53] signal (analog plusdigital) on1390 AM HD 1.[54]
Federal Communications Commission in Washington said yesterday that it will hold hearings in Chicago at an unannounced date on complaints of program ...
A Chicago official of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People testified yesterday that radio station WYNR is serving a worthy purpose ...
FCC to Investigate. Complaints on. Hearing on complaints of elimination of foreign language programs by station will be held in the United States courthouse ...
Volume I, Issue 14 ofProgrammer's Digest, dated February 12, 1973 ... According to the narrator, WYNR was a McLendon (KLIF) station, switching from call letters WGES on September 1, 1962.
