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WLS (AM)
Radio station in Illinois, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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WLS (890 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Cumulus Media, through licensee Radio License Holdings LLC, the station airs a talk radio format. WLS studios are in the NBC Tower on North Columbus Drive in the city's Streeterville neighborhood. The station's programming is also available in the Chicago metropolitan area via a simulcast on the HD2 digital subchannel of sister station WLS-FM.
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Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
Frequency | 890 kHz |
Branding | 89 WLS |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Talk radio |
Affiliations |
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Ownership | |
Owner |
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History | |
First air date | April 11, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-04-11) |
Former call signs |
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Former frequencies | |
Call sign meaning | Founded by Sears, the "World's Largest Store" |
Technical information[5] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 73227 |
Class | A |
Power | 50,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°33′21.12″N 87°50′54.19″W |
Repeater(s) | 94.7 WLS-FM HD2 (Chicago) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
Website | www |
Its transmitter site is located on the southwestern edge of Tinley Park, Illinois in Will County.[3][6] WLS is a Class A station broadcasting on the clear-channel frequency of 890 kHz with 50,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna fed by a Nautel NX-50 transmitter, with a Harris DX-50 serving as a backup transmitter. Both transmitters run in MDCL (Modulation Dependent Carrier Level) mode to improve efficiency. The station's daytime groundwave service contour covers portions of five states.[7] At night, its signal routinely reaches 38 states via skywave.[8]
WLS participates as an Emergency Alert System primary entry point, serving northern Illinois and western Indiana.