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Relevant Radio station in Chicago From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WNTD (950 AM) is a radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Relevant Radio, Inc., simulcasting a Catholic talk and teaching radio format with WKBM (930 AM) in Sandwich, Illinois.[4] The stations' programming comes from the Relevant Radio network.
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Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
Frequency | 950 kHz |
Programming | |
Format | Catholic talk and teaching |
Network | Relevant Radio |
Ownership | |
Owner | Relevant Radio, Inc. |
WKBM, WWCA | |
History | |
First air date | April 7, 1922 (date first licensed)[1] |
Former call signs | |
Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 6589 |
Class | B |
Power |
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Transmitter coordinates |
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Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | relevantradio |
By day, WNTD is powered at 1,000 watts non-directional. The daytime transmitter is on S. Western Avenue near 15th Street in Chicago.[5] At night, while increasing its power to 5,000 watts, it also switches to a separate transmitter using a directional antenna with a six-tower array. That tower site is off East 142nd Street near South Manistee Avenue in Burnham, Illinois.
The station was licensed by the Department of Commerce on April 7, 1922.[1] The original call sign was WAAF.[6][1] It was one of the first radio stations in Chicago and was owned by the Chicago Daily Drover's Journal, with its transmitter and studios at the Union Stock Yards.[6][1][7]
The station originally broadcast at 620 and later 830 kHz.[8][9] By 1923, the station's frequency had been changed to 1050 kHz.[10][11] By 1925 the station was broadcasting at 1080 kHz, running 200 watts.[12][13] By 1927, the station's power had been increased to 500 watts, and the station's frequency was changed to 770 kHz.[1] In 1928, the station's frequency was changed to 920 kHz.[1] The station operated during daytime hours only.[1]
The station's programming was initially devoted to trade news, but in 1929, its programming was broadened.[7] The station would air a variety of music programs, along with news, live market reports, and a variety of other programs.[14][15]
The station's transmitter and studios were destroyed in the 1934 Stock Yards fire.[7][1] The station broadcast live coverage of the fire until smoke and heat forced them to leave the building.[7] The station's studios were moved to the Palmer House following the fire.[7][1]
In 1936, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts.[1] In 1941, the station's frequency was changed to 950 kHz.[1] In the 1940s, the station aired orchestral music and popular music.[6] In 1948, the station's studios were moved to the LaSalle-Wacker Building.[16][7][1]
In 1955, the station began airing "Juke Box Matinee", hosted by Hal Fredericks, in association with the Recorded Music Service Association and the Chicago Juke Box Operators' Association.[17][18] The show featured a monthly "Hunch Tune", which would be promoted on the show and featured as the No. 1 selection in juke boxes.[18][19] The first "Hunch Tune" was "Rollin' Stone" by Eddie Fontaine.[19]
In 1956, the station adopted a jazz format.[20] Personalities heard on the station during its jazz years included Marty Faye, Daddy-O Daylie, Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, and Dick Buckley.[20][21][22]
In 1967, the station was sold to a corporation formed by Ralph Atlass, for $900,000.[23][1] The station's call sign was changed to WGRT ("W-Great!") and it adopted a soul music format.[24] Daddy-O Daylie continued as a DJ on WGRT, hosting a morning jazz program.[25][26] Daylie's jazz program was initially two hours long, but was reduced to an hour and a half, and eventually a half hour in 1971.[25][26] In 1971, the station's transmitter was moved to the Midland Warehouses on Western Avenue in Chicago.[1]
On May 29, 1973, the station was purchased by Johnson Publishing Company for $1,800,000.[27][28] On November 1, 1973, the station's call sign was changed to WJPC.[28] The station aired an urban contemporary format.[29] Disc jockeys included Tom Joyner and LaDonna Tittle.[30] Daddy-O Daylie hosted a Sunday jazz program.[31][30] In 1980, the station began nighttime operations, running 5,000 watts using a directional array.[1][30] In the late 1980s and early 90s the station simulcast the soft urban contemporary format of its sister station 106.3 WLNR in Lansing, Illinois, and was branded "Soft Touch".[32][33][34] At noon on July 15, 1992, the station began airing an all-rap format.[35][36]
In 1994, Johnson Publishing sold the station, along with 106.3 WJPC-FM, to Broadcasting Partners for $8 million.[27][37] In June 1994, the station became "106 Jamz", airing an urban contemporary format as a simulcast of WJPC-FM.[38][39] The station's call sign was changed to WEJM later that year, with its FM simulcast partner taking the call sign WEJM-FM.[2][40] In spring of 1997, the station was sold to Douglas Broadcasting for $7.5 million.[27][41][42] In June 1997, its FM sister station left the simulcast, adopting an urban gospel format as 106.3 WYBA.[43]
On August 28, 1997, WEJM's format was changed to sports, as a One-on-One Sports affiliate.[44][45] Around this time, the station was purchased by One-on-One for $10 million.[27][46] In November 1997, the station's call sign was changed to WIDB.[2] One-On-One was headquartered in suburban Northbrook.[44] The One-on-One Sports affiliation moved to WJKL on March 1, 1999, though the One-on-One Sports format continued to simulcast on WIDB until May 1999.[47][48]
In 1999, the station was sold to Radio Unica for $16,750,000.[49] In May 1999, the station began airing a Spanish-language news-talk format as Radio Unica.[47][48][50][51] The station's callsign was changed to WNTD that month.[2] Personalities heard on Radio Unica included Paul Bouche and Dra. Isabel, among others.[52][53] Ricardo Brown was news director.[53][52] In 2004, Multicultural Radio Broadcasting acquired Radio Unica's 15 radio stations for $150 million.[54][55][56]
WNTD was the original affiliate of Air America Radio in Chicago.[57] Program hosts included Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, Janeane Garofalo, Rachel Maddow, Lizz Winstead and Chuck D.[57] The network launched on March 31, 2004.[57] However, these programs ended after two weeks, on April 14, due to a payment dispute between Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, then owner of WNTD, and Air America Radio.[58] On April 15, a judge ruled that Air America had fully paid for airtime on WNTD and ordered Multicultural to broadcast Air America on the station.[59] However, Air America would only continue on the station through the end of the month.[60] WNTD would return to airing a Spanish language format.[61][62][63]
In 2007, the station was sold to Sovereign City Radio for $15 million.[64][65] In October 2007, Relevant Radio began to air from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, while brokered Spanish language programming aired the remainder of the time.[65]
From August 2009, until August 14, 2010, WNTD carried "Avenue 950", programmed by Sovereign City Radio Services, which featured an eclectic mix of jazz, blues, standards, and adult contemporary from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.[66][67] Relevant Radio continued to air during the remainder of the station's schedule.[67] On August 15, 2010, the station began airing Relevant Radio full time.[67]
In 2014, the station was sold to Starboard Media Foundation, Inc. for $14.4 million.[68] The transaction was consummated on May 2, 2014.[69]
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