| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1330kHz |
| Branding |
|
| Programming | |
| Language | |
| Format | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Polnet Communications, Ltd. |
| History | |
First air date | 1953; 72 years ago (1953)[1] |
Former call signs | |
| Technical information[4] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 52909 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 42°8′22″N87°53′7″W / 42.13944°N 87.88528°W /42.13944; -87.88528 |
| Translator(s) | 95.9 W240DE (Evanston) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | |
WKTA (1330 kHz) is acommercial radio station broadcasting aRussianformat weekdays 7 a.m.–7 p.m. and aLatin pop andreggaeton format weekdays 7 p.m.–7 a.m. and weekends full time.Licensed toEvanston, Illinois, the station serves theChicago metropolitan area and is owned by Polnet Communications, Ltd.[5]
By day, WKTA transmits with 5,000 watts, but to protect other stations on1330 AM from interference, it drops its power to 110 watts at night. It uses adirectional antenna with a six-tower array.[6] Programming is also heard on 80-wattFM translator W240DE on 95.9MHz.[7]
The stationsigned on the air in 1953; 72 years ago (1953). The originalcall sign was WEAW.[1][2] The station was owned by North Shore Broadcasting, and the station's call letters stood for the name of its president, Edward A. Wheeler.[8][9] The station's transmitter was located in Evanston and it ran 500 watts duringdaytime hours only.[2] In 1956, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts.[2] By 1959, the station had begun airingbrokered ethnic programming.[8] In 1962, the station's transmitter was moved to an unincorporated area betweenNorthbrook andWheeling, and its power was increased to 5,000 watts.[2] By the early 1970s the station primarily aired brokered ethnic and religious programs.[8]
By early 1979, the station had begun airing aChristian radio format.[10] On June 1, 1979, the station's call sign was later changed to WPRZ, which stood for the word "Praise."[2] On July 14, 1979, WPRZ presented the Christian contemporary festival "Alleluia", which featuredChuck Girard.[11] The station was taken off the air in autumn of 1980.[2][12]
In late 1981, the license was sold to Lee Hague for $125,000.[13] The following year the station was brought back on the air from a new site in the same area, with the WEAW callsign revived.[14][15][3] The station airedadult contemporary music and religious programming.[8][16] By the mid-1980s the station was airingChristian talk and teaching programs and uptempoChristian contemporary music, with a certain amount of secular adult contemporary mixed in.[17][18][8] Christian talk and teaching programs heard on WEAW includedThe Old-Time Gospel Hour withJerry Falwell,Family Altar withLester Roloff, andInsight for Living withChuck Swindoll.[18]
In 1986, the station was sold to Polnet Communications for $1.2 million.[19] The station would air adult contemporary music, along with a large amount of ethnic programming.[20] In October 1987, the station's callsign was changed to WSSY.[3] The station was branded "Sunny 1330".[21][8]
In 1989, WSSY began to air ahard rock andheavy metal format branded "G-Force", though brokered ethnic and religious programming continued to air mornings and early afternoons.[22][23] In 1990, the station's call letters were changed to WKTA.[3] By early 1991, "G-Force" had ended, and the station aired brokered ethnic and religious programming.[24] The hard rock and heavy metal format would again appear on WKTA as "Rebel Radio", a brokered format launched by G-Force alumni Scott Davidson.[25] WKTA would become a flagship station for the hard rock network, which was syndicated to other stations in the midwest.
In 2003, New Life Russian Radio began broadcasting fromNorthbrook, Illinois, on 1330 AM WKTA. "New Life" was replaced by "United 4 Good", which was replaced by "Resonance Radio" featuring call-in shows, international news, and Russian popular music.[26] "Resonance Radio" aired some English language Sports Talk (locally produced during morning drive, and syndicated 'SB Nation Radio' during overnights).
WKTA airs some automatedSpanish languageMexican when hour blocks are not purchased by outside programmers. The station had aired Russian language programming 'Reklama Radio' on weekdays. As of 2024, the Russian Language programming is named "Novoe Radio Chicago", airing weekdays 7 a.m.–7 p.m.[27]
In addition to the main signal on 1330kHz, the WKTA signal is also heard on 95.9MHz, anFM translator.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W240DE | 95.9 FM | Evanston, Illinois | 147928 | 80 | 44 m (144 ft) | D | LMS |