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| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 107.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | La Ley 107.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Subchannels | HD2:Simulcast ofWSKQ-FM |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1965 (as WMRO-FM)[1] |
Former call signs | |
Call sign meaning | "la ley" (Spanish word for "the law") |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 71282 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 21,000 watts |
| HAAT | 232 meters (761 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°56′3.1″N88°4′22.2″W / 41.934194°N 88.072833°W /41.934194; -88.072833 |
| Repeater(s) | See§ Boosters |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | laley1079 |
WLEY-FM (107.9MHz) is a radio station licensed toAurora, Illinois, serving Aurora, Chicago,Naperville,Joliet and much of surroundingNortheast Illinois. Owned bySpanish Broadcasting System, it broadcasts aregional Mexican format branded asLa Ley 107.9. WLEY's studios are located in theCrain Communications Building inthe Loop, while its transmitter is located inBloomingdale, with its antenna located atopWSCR's tower.
The station was first licensed in 1965, and held the call sign WMRO-FM.[1] It was the FM sister station to AM 1280WMRO. Its transmitter was located atop Aurora'sLeland Tower, and it had anERP of 3,600 watts.[1] The station broadcast abeautiful music format.[4] WMRO-FM was owned by Vincent Cofey and Benjamin Oswalt.[1][5] In 1967, Vincent Cofey purchased controlling interest in the station for $35,000.[5]
In 1969, the station's call sign was changed to WAUR and its ERP was increased to 31,200 watts.[1] In 1973, it was sold to Stevens Communications for $343,000.[6] In 1975, WAUR's transmitter was moved to the eastern fringes of Aurora, and its ERP was increased to 50,000 watts at aHAAT of 488 feet.[1] In the late 1970s, the station aired anadult contemporary format, playing music from the 1960s and 1970s.[7] In the 1980s, WAUR was branded "Gold Rock", playingoldies of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, along with some currents.[8][9][10][11] In 1986, the station was sold to Midwest Broadcasting for $4 million.[12][13] The following year, WAUR and WMRO were sold toBeasley Broadcast Group for $8.7 million.[14] Beasley Broadcast Group had been a minority owner of Midwest Broadcasting.[12]
In March 1988, the station's call letters were changed to WYSY-FM.[2] WYSY-FM aired an adult contemporary format and was branded "Y-108" with the slogan "Doin' It In The 'Burbs!".[15] In December 1989, its AM sister station WMRO became WYSY, simulcasting Y-108.[16] In September 1992, the station's transmitter was moved toBloomingdale, Illinois.[17] For a while in 1993, the station playedhot AC days andhard rock/metal at night.[18]
In late 1993, WYSY-FM was sold toCox Communications for $9 million.[19] In January 1994, the station switched to aclassic hits format featuring rock, pop,R&B, anddisco hits of the 1970s, with the slogan "The Greatest Hits of the '70s".[20][21] The station was briefly branded "Star 107.9", but changed its branding to "Y107.9" becauseWZSR had registered the "Star" moniker with the state.[21][22][23]
In 1996, WYSY-FM and 105.9WCKG were acquired byInfinity Broadcasting as part of a station swap.[24] At the end of the year, Infinity Broadcasting was purchased by the parent company ofCBS.[25] This caused CBS/Infinity to exceed the FCC's ownership limits, requiring the sale of two stations.[26] CBS/Infinity decided to sell WYSY-FM andWSCR AM 820.[27] In 1997, WYSY was sold to Spanish Broadcasting System for $33 million.[27][28] On April 14, 1997, at 6 p.m., after playing "Last Dance" byDonna Summer and "Last Song" byEdward Bear, WYSY-FM dropped its 1970s hits format and beganstunting with a 4-to-5 hour loop of songs primarily from theadult contemporary format (the first song on the loop being "Everyday Is A Winding Road" bySheryl Crow). The format was helmed in a way that served as essentially a predecessor to the futureadult hits format, as it was "deejayed" by a voice deemed only as "Bill", who claimed he borrowed a number of CDs and records and was playing "some of [his] favorite songs."[29][30][31]
On July 4, 1997, after almost 3 months of stunting, WYSY adopted aregional Mexican format branded "La Ley".[32][33][34] Its call sign was changed to WLEY-FM later that month.[2] By coincidence, WLEY's calls originated onWCFS-FM (105.9) in the 1950s, standing forLeyden Township.
On August 21, 2018, WLEY-FM HD2 began broadcasting95.1 Clubsteppin', anUrban oldies format focused onChicago stepping.[35] The format was programmed by Lamont Watts.[36] Clubsteppin was simulcast on 95.1 FM by the translators W236CF in Chicago and W236CG in Bolingbrook, which formerly aired a rock format as "The Hound".[35] WLEY-FM HD2 was also simulcast on 103.9 W280EM until May 2020. W280EM's owner, Windy City Broadcasting, was fined $8,000 in March 2022, following an informal objection filed by Albert David, as its owner had never informed the FCC that the translator had switched from rebroadcastingWTMX HD2 to WLEY-FM HD2 or of it being taken silent in May 2020.[37][38]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WLEY-FM2 | 107.9 FM | Cicero, Illinois | 199002 | 99 | 41°51′19.1″N87°45′32.2″W / 41.855306°N 87.758944°W /41.855306; -87.758944 (WLEY-FM2) | LMS |
| WLEY-FM3 | 107.9 FM | Chicago, Illinois | 199003 | 99 | 41°52′8.7″N87°41′35.8″W / 41.869083°N 87.693278°W /41.869083; -87.693278 (WLEY-FM3) | LMS |
| WLEY-FM4 | 107.9 FM | Chicago, Illinois | 199004 | 99 | 41°50′32.1″N87°40′33″W / 41.842250°N 87.67583°W /41.842250; -87.67583 (WLEY-FM4) | LMS |