| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Champaign-Urbana |
| Frequency | 95.3MHz |
| Branding | Christian FM 95.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | SJ Broadcasting LLC |
| History | |
First air date | March 15, 1972 (1972-03-15) |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 57466 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 1,900 watts |
| HAAT | 126 meters (413 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°13′5.1″N88°6′55.1″W / 40.218083°N 88.115306°W /40.218083; -88.115306 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WJEK (95.3FM) is acommercial radio station broadcasting aChristian adult contemporaryradio format, known as "Christian FM 95.3".Licensed toRantoul, Illinois, United States, the station serves theChampaign-Urbana metropolitan area. The station is owned by SJ Broadcasting, LLC.[2]
The station signed on March 15, 1972, as WRTL-FM, the FMsister station of (but separately programmed from)WRTL (1460 AM);[3] it received its first license on December 7.[4] WRTL-FM was originally owned by Bob Brown and Dick Williams. Its musical format waseasy listening. John Truscelli was eventually the morning drive personality, Mark Williams the morning news personality. Other on-air personalities were Bob Boice, Kevin Scott, Ann Bailey, Dan Jones. WRTL-FM was sold in the early 1980s; on November 21, 1984, the station changed itscall sign to WRBZ-FM.[5]
The call sign was changed to WZNF on July 1, 1988.[5] WZNF was arock/classic rock station owned by Rollings Communications. At its height in the early 1990s, WZNF's signal was simulcast into three additional markets:WWDZ (94.9 FM) inDanville;WZZP (95.1 FM) inKankakee; andWZNX (107.9 FM) inCharleston-Mattoon. During this time, it employed the moniker "Z95" and then later "The Fox".
The station's call sign changed to WBNB on January 3, 2000; to WEVX on March 1, 2002 to WEVX; to WMYE on September 18, 2006; and to WLFH on September 14, 2007.[5] The WLFH callsign was previously used by an AM station in Little Falls, New York (currentlyWIXT). As WLFH, 95.3 was "95.3 The Wolf".
On May 21, 2010, it was announced that RadioStar, Inc. was in the process of selling WLFH to SJ Broadcasting LLC. SJ Broadcasting is operated by Steve "Stevie Jay" Khachaturian (formerly ofWDWS) and Clint Atkins (until Atkins' death in March 2011). On November 8, 2010, WLFH changed its call sign to WJEK.[5] On November 29, 2010, WJEK changed its format totalk, branded as "Connect FM".WSJK (93.5 FM) and WJEK broadcast a variety of programs, with owner Stevie Jay providing his show weekday mornings. Both stations offeredWall Street Journal This Morning,Fox News Radio, as well asESPN Radio on nights and weekends. Connect FM became the new Champaign home of theSt. Louis Cardinals in 2011, replacing WDWS after almost 70 years. Before the switch, 93.5 was known as "93.5 The Beat".
In April 2012, WSJK/WJEK cancelled its late-morning and midday talk programs and replaced them with ESPN Radio programs. In September 2012, Connect FM was officially rebranded as "93.5/95.3 ESPN". Although the stations now had asports radio format, two non-sports programs—Wall Street Journal This Morning and the Stevie Jay Show—were retained.
The afternoon-drive sports show, the Tay and J Show, focused heavily on theIllinois Fighting Illini and was co-hosted by formerWAND sportscaster Lon Tay and formerNews-Gazette andDeKalb Daily Chronicle reporter Jeremy Werner, who also writes forRivals.com.
On February 18, 2013, WJEK split from its simulcast with WSJK and changed its format toadult contemporary, branded as "Sunny 95.3".[6] On November 1, 2016, WJEK changed its format tocontemporary Christian, branded as "Christian FM 95.3".[7]