 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1530kHz |
| Branding | Sportsbook Radio Chicago |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| Q101 Chicago | |
| History | |
First air date | October 10, 1974; 50 years ago (1974-10-10) (as WKDC) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Will,Cook,Kane,DuPage (also heritage calls forWCFS-FM) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 32227 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 760wattsdays only |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°52′3.11″N87°55′7.22″W / 41.8675306°N 87.9186722°W /41.8675306; -87.9186722 |
| Translator(s) | 102.3 W272DQ (Elmhurst) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wckg |
WCKG (1530kHz) is acommercialAMradio stationlicensed toElmhurst, Illinois, and serving theChicago metropolitan area. It broadcasts asports radioformat and is owned by DuPage Radio, LLC.[2] WCKG is aFox Sports RadioNetwork affiliate. It also carries thenationally syndicatedRamsey Show withDave Ramsey and somebrokered programming.
WCKG is powered at 760watts and is adaytimer station. Because1530 AM is aclear channel frequency reserved forClass A stationsWCKYCincinnati andKFBKSacramento, WCKG uses adirectional antenna and must go off the air at sunset to avoid interference. Thetransmitter is on Harvard Street in Elmhurst, betweenInterstate 88 andInterstate 294.[3] Programming is heard around the clock on 90-wattFM translatorW272DQ at 102.3MHz in Elmhurst.[4]
AM 1530signed on the air October 10, 1974.[5] The station'scall sign was originally WKDC representing the signal coverage in Will, Kane, DuPage and Cook counties.[6][7] It ran 250 watts, during daytime hours only, and aired amiddle of the road (MOR) format.[8][9] It was owned by Frank and Lois Blotter, operating as DuPage County Broadcasters.[6][10] The studios were built for stereo (Cetec Sparta stereo audio equipment) although it was not until 1976 when the FCC authorized the station to test AM stereo. Daytime and night-time findings on AM stereo were presented at the 1977 NAB Convention in Washington, DC.
In 1981, the station was sold to Robert Snyder's Snyder Broadcasting for $1 million, and it began airingshow tunes.[6][10][11][5] Snyder Broadcasting filed for bankruptcy on December 29, 1982, and the station was taken off the air in October 1983 and remained off the air for over a year until it was repurchased by Frank and Lois Blotter.[10][12][13] When it returned to the air, it began airingbeautiful music andadult standards.[10][14][7] By the early 1990s, it was airing ethnic programming andbig band music.[15][16][17]
In 1994, the station was sold to Joe Gentile for $700,000 and its call sign was changed to WJJG.[12][18] The call letters stood for owner Joseph J. Gentile.[10][19] Joe's nickname was "The Baron of Barrington," where he owned a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership for many years.[12]
Gentile hosted a program on weekday mornings, featuring talk andadult standards.[20] The station also featured brokered programming, including a show hosted byJohn H. Cox, syndicated talk shows, andThe Sounds of Sinatra with Sid Mark.[20][21][22][23]
On September 19, 2012, AM 1530 changed its call letters to WCKG.[18] In 2013, the station was sold to DuPage Radio, LLC for $290,000.[24] Arthur Dubiel is the majority owner, and his son, Matt runs the station.
On June 27, 2017, the FCC approved WCKG to move its FM translator, W272DQ, to the top ofTrump Tower in Chicago.[25]
On April 23, 2018, WCKG changed their format from news/talk/variety to sports, with programming fromFox Sports Radio.[26]
On March 10, 2020, WCKG launched new "Sportsbook Radio Chicago" branding, shifting its focus to content related to sports betting. The station reverted to its previous branding on March 30 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, but later restored the new branding.
In March 2021, WCKG asked the FCC to lower its power to 190 watts and operate using a long wire antenna, as the State of Illinois enactedeminent domain over its tower site for highway use. With the powerful Cincinnati AM radio station on the same channel, the coverage area of the station was greatly diminished. Its construction permit for 4,000 watts also expired, due to the fact that the loss of its transmitter site prevented the power increase.
The station is also heard on 102.3 FM through translator W272DQ in Elmhurst.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W272DQ | 102.3 FM | Elmhurst, Illinois | 151530 | 250 | 51 m (167 ft) | D | 41°50′33″N88°0′9″W / 41.84250°N 88.00250°W /41.84250; -88.00250 (W272DQ) | LMS |