.png) | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 99.9MHz |
| Branding | Bible Broadcasting Network |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian talk and teaching |
| Network | Salem Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bible Broadcasting Network, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | January 5, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-01-05) |
Former call signs | |
Call sign meaning | "Where You Hear Inspiration" |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 23476 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 150 meters (490 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | Official website |
WYHI (99.9MHz) is anon-commercialFMradio stationlicensed toPark Forest, Illinois, serving theSouthland suburbs ofChicago. It is owned and operated by theBible Broadcasting Network and it carries aChristian talk and teachingradio format. National religious leaders heard on WYHI includeChuck Swindoll,Joni Eareckson Tada,Adrian Rogers andJ. Vernon McGee. The station is listener-supported and seeks donations on the air.
WYHI has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts, the maximum for most Illinois stations. Thetransmitter is on West County Line Road inPeotone, nearInterstate 57.[4]
The stationsigned on the air on January 5, 1962.[5]From its launch until 1975, the station had thecall sign WKAK.[1] It was originally owned by Kenneth Baker, Willis Maltby, and Claude Baker.[1][5] WKAK was originally licensed toKankakee, Illinois, with its call letters representing itscity of license. The transmitter was located 2.9 miles north of the city limits, and it had aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 6,600 watts at aheight above average terrain (HAAT) of 210 feet.[1] It was Kankakee's first FM station.[6]
In the 1960s, the station aired abeautiful music format, with mostly instrumentalcover versions of popular adult songs. In 1969, it began adding some soft vocals in the evening.[7][8] By 1972, the majority of the station's playlist was popular music, with standards comprising a quarter of the station's playlist.[9] In June 1972, the station's format was changed tocountry music.[9] In late 1974, Claude Baker and Luella Feller sold the station to Harry Fitzgerald, Howard Dybedock, and Benedict Cerven, Sr. for $132,315.[1][10]
On April 7, 1975, the station's call sign was changed to WBYG.[1] The station's branding called it "The Big One".[11] As WBYG, the station began airing anadult contemporary format.[5] In 1979, the station's transmitter was moved toPeotone, Illinois, along theKankakee County/Will County border, and its ERP and HAAT were increased to 50kw and 500 feet respectively.[1]
By 1979, WBYG began airing analbum-oriented rock format.[11][12][13][14] In early 1984, Harry Fitzgerald, Howard Dybedock, and Ben Cerven sold the station to Gene Milner Broadcasting for $1.2 million.[14][15]
On February 15, 1985, the station's call sign was changed to WBSW.[2] It was branded as "The Bus".[16][17][18] The Bus continued WBYG's album rock format.[11][18][19][20] Shortly after the station's launch, a 20 foot long bus shaped balloon used to advertise the station broke loose from its tethers and floated away, prompting theFAA to issue a warning to pilots.[16][21]
Soon thereafter, the Bus flipped to aCHR/Top 40 format.[17][22][23][24] The station's call sign was changed to WBUS on April 1, 1987.[2] The station airedCasey's Top 40 on Sunday mornings.[25][26][27] It also playeddance mixes at night.[25][24][28] The Bus lasted until 1996, when Milner Broadcasting sold the station to Z-Spanish Network for $7 million.[29] "The Bus" branding would return to a CHR station in the area in 1998, on 100.7WBVS inCoal City, Illinois.[30][31]
Z-Spanish Network launched aRegional Mexican format on the station, branded "La Zeta".[32][33][34] On September 23, 1996, the station's call sign was changed to WRZA.[2] In 2000, Z-Spanish Network was acquired byEntravision Communications.[35] On December 29, 2000, the station changed to a Spanish CHR format branded "Super Estrella", which was simulcast on sister stationWZCH 103.9 inDundee, Illinois.[36][37][38]In May 2001, the station's city of license was changed fromKankakee, Illinois toPark Forest, Illinois.[39] In 2004, Entravision Communications sold the station, along with 750 AMWNDZ, toNewsweb Corporation for $24 million.[37][40]
In June 2004, Newsweb launched anadult hits format on the station, branded as "Nine FM", with the slogan "We Play Anything".[41][40][42] After Newsweb purchased otherrimshot stations, Nine FM's programming expanded toWKIE (92.7 FM) in the north suburbs andWDEK (92.5 FM) west of the Chicago area on November 29, 2004.[42] Sky Daniels was the original program director for Nine FM.[42] When he left in 2005, he was replaced by Matt DuBiel.[41]
In 2006, Chris Chudzik began leasing air time for adance music show called Dance Factory.[43][44] Initially airing overnight on Saturdays,[43] the program was expanded to seven nights a week on May 14, 2007.[44] Dance Factory continued to air overnight until Newsweb sold the station, even as the station's daytime format changed.[45][46]
Newsweb Corporation dropped the Nine FM programming on all three signals Monday, October 20, 2008, and replaced it with a simulcast of sister stationWCPT 820'sprogressive talk programming from 5 A.M. until 9 P.M.[47][48][45] The Nine FM format moved toWKIF 92.7 in Kankakee.[49] The station's call sign was changed to WCPQ on October 27, 2008.[2]
On June 2, 2014, WCPQ andWCPY broke away from the Progressive Talk simulcast and changed their format toPolish-language news, talk and music. It was branded as "Polski FM".[46][50] After the station's sale to Bible Broadcasting Network, Polski FM briefly moved toWMFN AM 640.[51]
On March 20, 2018, Newsweb announced it would sell WCPQ to theBible Broadcasting Network for $5,099,000.[52][53][54] The sale was consummated on May 31, 2018.[55] On that day, the new owners changed the station's call sign to WYHI.[2] The station joined the Bible Broadcasting Network on June 12, 2018.[56]
41°18′04″N87°49′35″W / 41.301109°N 87.826395°W /41.301109; -87.826395