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| Broadcast area | Peoria, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.1MHz |
| Branding | Peoria Sports Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1998 (as WBDM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | WZ ESPN (previously affiliated with ESPN Radio) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 78165 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,300watts |
| HAAT | 137 meters (449 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°39′0.1″N89°46′46.4″W / 40.650028°N 89.779556°W /40.650028; -89.779556 (WHPI tower) (NAD83) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | peoriasportsradio |
WZPN (101.1 MHz, "Peoria Sports Radio") is aradio station forGlasford, Illinois in thePeoria, Illinoisradio market. From September 26, 2010 to June 6, 2018, the station aired theadult hits formatJack FM, before becoming a sports radio station as anaffiliate of ESPN Radio, then shifting toFox Sports Radio on June 1, 2023.
Neil A. Rhones and Luann C. Dahl applied for a new station on 101.1 MHz atCanton, Illinois, and were granted a construction permit in 1996.[3] The call sign WBDM was assigned to this station. In 1997, Rhones and Dahl asked theFederal Communications Commission to move Canton's 101.1 MHz allocation, with their construction permit, toGlasford, Illinois, claiming that moving thecity of license would result in adding 81,024 people to the coverage area while only losing 8,754. The FCC granted the request on August 26, 1996.[4] In June 1999, Rhones and Dahl assigned their construction permit to Two Petaz, Inc.,[5] which was based inNashville, Tennessee and whose president was Bargard H. Walters.[6] The station's call sign was changed to WRVP on July 13, 1999[7] and the station received its license on January 4, 2000.[8]
The station used the nickname "101.1 The River".[9] The River was born as anadult contemporary station and was attempting to compete with heritage 50 kW signalWSWT. This did not last long; just a few months later, the plug was pulled in favor of a simulcast of sister station98.5 as "98.5 & 101.1 The Party". 98.5WPPY and 101.1 swapped call signs on July 27, 2000.[10][1][7]
In March 2004, 101.1 began simulcastingWVEL (AM), which has long suffered from a weak signal outside of Pekin.[11] As part of the simulcast, 101.1 dropped the WPPY call sign in favor of WVEL-FM.[7]
In September 2006, as part of a larger station swap between multiple Peoria groups,Regent Broadcasting sold 101.1 to newly formed Independence Media Holdings. 105.7 was being sold from AAA Entertainment to Regent, and Regent indicated it did not want theHot AC format currently on 105.7. On September 26, 2006, "Mix 105.7" (WXMP) and its format moved to the weaker 101.1 frequency and changed its name to "Mix 101.1", while theWIXO callsign and the "99X Rocks" format moved from 99.9 to 105.7.[12][13][14]
At midnight on September 19, 2007, the station changed its format toOldies, branded as "Hippie Radio 101.1".[15][16] The call sign was changed to WHPI[1] to match the "Hippie" moniker.
At 9:45 p.m. on September 26, 2010, WHPI changed its format toadult hits, branded as "Jack FM".[17] WHPI remained jockless for the majority of its history after the "Jack FM" format signed on, only adding a local morning show in 2017.
Independence Media Holdings sold WHPI along with its other three Peoria-area stations (WZPN,WPIA, andWWCT) to Michael S. Rea's Advanced Media Partners on November 15, 2010.[18]
On June 6, 2018, at 3 p.m., Jack announced he had "gone to find himself in Tahiti", and at that point, 101.1 became the new primary station forESPN Radio in the Peoria market, with 96.5 serving as the simulcast until a new format for the latter is planned. The two stations rebranded together as "ESPN Peoria".[19] On June 26, the two frequencies swapped call signs, with WHPI moving to 96.5 FM andWZPN moving to 101.1 FM. During that time, the station's website was changed to a redirect to 96.5's web address.
The sports format moved to 101.1 permanently on September 5, 2020, at midnight.
On June 1, 2023, the station shifted to aFox Sports Radio affiliation as "Peoria Sports Radio". With the rebranding, the station expanded the afternoon drive “Jim Mattson Show with Mike Rizzo” from two to four hours, running from 2-6pm; previously, the duo hosted from 3-5pm with Rizzo hosting a solo hour at 5:00.[20]
"HIPPIE RADIO," as INDEPENDENCE MEDIA HOT AC WXMP (Mix 101.1) / PEORIA spins the format wheel to Oldies as Hippie Radio 101.1, as of about 90 minutes ago (Midnight, 9/19). No indication, officially, of new call letters - although an Illinois media messageboard lists WHPI as the new calls
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