Wikipedia

WCIL (AM)

WCIL (1020 A.M.) is a radio station broadcasting a news talk format as a simulcast of WJPF. Licensed to Carbondale, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Marion-Carbondale area. The station is owned by Max Media.[2]

WCIL
Simulcast of WJPF
Broadcast areaMarion–Carbondale, Illinois
Frequency1020 kHz
BrandingNews Radio WJPF
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatNews/talk
AffiliationsWestwood One
Ownership
Owner
WCIL-FM, WJPF, WOOZ-FM, WUEZ, WXLT
History
First air date
1946; 78 years ago (1946)
Call sign meaning
Carbondale, Illinois
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID65950
ClassD
Power1,000 watts day only
Transmitter coordinates
37°43′31.00″N 89°15′25.00″W / 37.7252778°N 89.2569444°W / 37.7252778; -89.2569444
Translator(s)W300DY 107.9 MHz (Carbondale)
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.wjpf.com

History

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WCIL (AM) signed on the air in 1946 as a daytime-only station with personalities such as Jim Bowen, Bluegrass Roy and others in a second floor studio at about 215 W. Main St. in Carbondale [1]. At that time, to get the AM license, they were pressured by the FCC to also sign on an FM station. They kept the FM on the air for about a year and then signed it off the air since, at the time, nobody listened to FM. Later, WCIL moved the studios to a house at a location that is now the parking lot for the First United Methodist Church in Carbondale. In 1964 WCIL moved again, this time to new studios at 211 W. Main in Carbondale, right across the street from the church. Paul F. McRoy, the station's owner, foresaw the potential of FM and reapplied for an FM license. The license was approved and WCIL-FM signed on in 1968 and allowed broadcasting after local sunset when WCIL was required to sign off. WCIL simulcast programming during this time [2]. The format was easy listening music and news. A year or so before CIL-FM was born, Top 40 music was played after 10p.m.. The FCC required AM/FM simulcasts to split programming. So, plans were made to split WCIL AM and FM. The AM and FM split programming and became separate stations on August 16, 1976. McRoy would go on to sell WCIL-AM-FM to Dennis Lyle, now the President of the Illinois Broadcasters Association.

Later, in 1997, Lyle sold the stations to the Zimmer Radio Group. Soon after the sale, WCIL became a daytime-only simulcast of news/talk station WJPF.

In 2004, Zimmer Radio Group sold their stations in southern Illinois (including WCIL), along with Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston, Missouri to Mississippi River Radio, a subsidiary of Max Media, LLC.

Programming

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WCIL is a daytime-only station simulcasting WJPF/1340-Herrin, Illinois.

F.M. translator

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Broadcast translator for WCIL
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W300DY 107.9 FM Carbondale, Illinois 202207 250 0 m (0 ft) D 37°43′30.8″N 89°15′24.7″W / 37.725222°N 89.256861°W / 37.725222; -89.256861 LMS

Ownership

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In December 2003, Mississippi River Radio, acting as Max Media LLC (John Trinder, president/COO), reached an agreement to purchase WCIL, WCIL-FM, WJPF, WOOZ-FM, WUEZ, WXLT, KCGQ-FM, KEZS-FM, KGIR, KGKS, KJEZ, KKLR-FM, KLSC, KMAL, KSIM, KWOC, and KZIM from the Zimmer Radio Group (James L. Zimmer, owner).[3] The reported value of this 17 station transaction was $43 million.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCIL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WCIL Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ Homan, John D. (2003-12-19). "Zimmer sells 17 radio stations". Southern Illinoisan. The Zimmer Radio Group, a family-owned media company, announced Wednesday it will sell 17 of its 32 stations [...] to Mississippi River Radio.
  4. ^ "Changing Hands - 1/12/2004". Broadcasting & Cable. 2004-01-12.
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