WSPL (1250 AM) was an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Streator, Illinois. The station is owned by Shaw Media, through licensee Shaw Local Radio Co., after previously being owned by Studstill Media/Mendota Broadcasting, Inc. until April 2023.
| Broadcast area | La Salle/Peru |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1250 kHz |
| Branding | FM 98.5 WSPL |
| Programming | |
| Format | Defunct (was oldies) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WALS, WBZG, WGLC-FM, WIVQ, WSTQ, WYYS | |
| History | |
First air date | September 26, 1953 (as WIZZ)[2] |
Last air date | September 1, 2023 |
Former call signs | WIZZ (1953–2001)[3] |
Call sign meaning | "Where Streator People Listen" |
| Technical information[4] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 63535 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 41°09′30″N 88°50′13″W / 41.15833°N 88.83694°W |
| Translator(s) | 98.5 W253BX (Streator) |
| Repeater(s) | 106.1 WYYS-HD2 (Streator) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.985spl.com/ |
The station, established in 1953 as WIZZ, was assigned the call sign WSPL by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on January 25, 2001.[2][3]
Programming
editWSPL aired an oldies format;[5][6] it previously broadcast a news/talk radio format.[7] Local programming on WSPL included a morning drive show, and sports with Illinois Hall of Fame Broadcaster "Big Al" Hauessler, along with a tradio show called The Swap Shop. Sports broadcasts included Streator Township High School football and, up until recently, simulcasts of Chicago White Sox baseball and Chicago Bulls basketball.[8]
On January 24, 2023, it was announced that Studstill Media had sold WSPL, along with its sister stations, to Shaw Media in Crystal Lake, Illinois, for a total of $1.8 million. The sale was under FCC review for just under two months before being finalized on March 23, 2023.[9] Shaw Local Radio officially assumed ownership of WSPL and its sister stations on April 3, 2023.[10] WSPL's 1250 AM facility went silent on September 1, 2023;[11] its programming continued on translator station W253BX (98.5 FM) and the second HD Radio channel of WYYS.
Alumni
edit"Cousin Ed" Nowotarski hosted "Polka Party", a live polka music program, on WSPL for 34 years before retiring from broadcasting in November 2001.[12] Nowotarski died in January 2004.[13]
License
editShaw Local Radio requested the cancellation of WSPL's license on March 6, 2024;[14] the Federal Communications Commission cancelled it on March 8.[15]
References
edit- ^ Barichello, David. "Shaw Local Radio completes purchase of 8 radio stations". Shaw Local. Shaw Media.
- ^ a b "Directory of AM and FM Stations and Market Data for the United States". 1955 Broadcasting Yearbook-Marketbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1955. p. 133.
- ^ a b "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Media Bureau. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WSPL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WSPL Great Memories Music". wsplradio.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ WSPL Arbitron Station Information Profile, Nielsen Audio. Accessed November 19, 2015
- ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ "On-Air Personalities". WSPL AM 1250. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ Shaw Local News Network. "Studstill announces sale of 8 radio stations to Shaw Media". Shaw Local. Shaw Media Local.
- ^ Barichello, David. "Shaw Local Radio completes purchase of 8 radio stations". Shaw Local. Shaw Media.
- ^ Rung, John (September 5, 2023). "Request for Silent Authority of an AM Station Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "Cousin Ed's last 'Polka Party'". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, IL. November 9, 2001. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ "Cousin Ed remembered for music". The Daily Times. Ottawa, IL. January 20, 2004. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
- ^ Rung, John (March 6, 2024). "Cancellation Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 155737 (W253BX) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W253BX at FCCdata.org