WCPT (AM)

WCPT

City	Willow Springs, Illinois
Broadcast area	Chicago, Illinois
Branding	AM 820 WCPT Chicago's Progressive Talk
Slogan	"Our Kind of Talk for Our Kind of Town" "We Are Chicago's Progressive Talk AM/FM" "Where/Because Facts Matter"
Frequency	820 kHz
First air date	1927
Format	Progressive Talk
Power	5,800 watts (day) 3,200 watts (auxiliary day) 1,500 watts (night)
Class	B
Facility ID	16849
Transmitter coordinates	41°58′53″N 87°46′20″W / 41.98139°N 87.77222°W / 41.98139; -87.77222 (day and auxiliary day) 41°32′30″N 88°2′3″W / 41.54167°N 88.03417°W / 41.54167; -88.03417 (night)
Callsign meaning	We're Chicago's Progressive Talk AM/FM
Former callsigns	WCBD (1927-1941) WAIT (1941-1986) WCZE (1986-1988) WXEZ (1988-1990) WSCR (1992-1997) WYPA (1997-2001) WCSN (2001-2005) WAIT (2005-2007)
Former frequencies	870 kHz (1927-1928) 1080 kHz (1928-1941) 1110 kHz (1941)
Affiliations	Dial Global AP Radio News
Owner	Newsweb Corporation (WYPA, Inc.)
Sister stations	WCPY, WCPQ, WCPT-FM
Website	wcpt820.com

WCPT (820 AM) is a Progressive Talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois, and serving the Chicago area. WCPT is owned by Newsweb Corporation. Newsweb's owner, Fred Eychaner, is a significant donor to Democratic Party causes.^[1] Studios are located in Chicago's Northwest Side.

WCPT airs syndicated talk programs including those hosted by Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller and Alan Colmes. WCPT's programs are simulcast on its sister station, 92.5 WCPT-FM in the daytime and early evening. WCPT-FM airs the separately programmed Dance Factory music format after 9 P.M., while 820 WCPT continues its Progressive Talk format at night.

History

The station was originally licensed in 1927 as WCBD, and broadcast at 870 kHz, sharing time with WLS.^[2] In 1928, the station moved to 1080 kHz, where it shared time with WMBI.^[2] The station briefly moved to 1110 kHz in 1941, as a result of North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement, before moving to 820 kHz later that year.^[2] In late 1941, the station's callsign was changed to WAIT.^[2] The station broadcast with 5,000 watts during daytime hours only.^[2] From 1947 to 1959 the station shared time on Sundays with WCBD in Zion, Illinois.^[2]^[3] In the 1950s, the station published a chart of the top 20 popular songs in Chicago.^[4]

As WAIT, the station aired a Beautiful Music format throughout the 1960s and '70s.^[5]^[6] In 1978, WAIT briefly switched to an all talk format, before returning to the beautiful music format it had long aired.^[6] In 1980, the station applied for a construction permit to add nighttime operations at 1,000 watts.^[2] The station was granted a license for 24-hour operations in 1984,^[7] and the station began broadcasting with 5,000 watts during the day and 1,000 watts at night.^[8] In the mid '80s, the station aired a Big Band format.^[9] In April 1986, the station began airing a Soft AC format as "Cozy" WCZE, airing Transtar Radio Networks' soft adult contemporary "Format 41".^[9] In 1988, the station became a simulcast of WXEZ-FM 100.3, as WXEZ (AM), airing Easy listening music.^[10]

In 1990, the station's transmitter site in Elmhurst, Illinois was sold and the station was taken off the air. On January 2, 1992, the station returned to the air from a new site,^[11] though without nighttime operations, as WSCR "The Score", becoming the first all-sports station in Chicago.^[12]^[13]^[14] In 1997, after the "Score" programming moved to 1160 AM, the station changed its call letters to WYPA, airing "Personal Achievement Radio". On June 5, 1998, the station adopted a Spanish language format as an affiliate of Radio Unica.^[15] In mid 1999, WYPA was purchased by Catholic Family Radio and began airing a Catholic oriented talk format.^[16]^[17]^[18]

In early 2001, WYPA was purchased by Newsweb.^[19] The station changed its call letters to WCSN, and it again aired an all sports format, as an affiliate of Sporting News Radio.^[20] In April 2003, Starboard Broadcasting began leasing two hours of airtime a day to air the Relevant Radio Catholic network, and in December 2003 began leasing programming for the entire day.^[21] Relevant Radio continued to air on the station until November 25, 2007 when the format moved to AM 950 WNTD.

On May 3, 2005, the station's call letters changed to WAIT when AM 850 WAIT launched progressive talk with the new call letters WCPT.^[13]

On November 26, 2007, WCPT moved its frequency from 850 AM to 820 AM, doubling its power and providing coverage to all of Chicago.^[22] The WCPT call letters moved along with the format to 820 AM,^[13] and the WAIT call letters returned to 850 AM.^[23]

On June 18, 2010, the FCC granted the station a license to again transmit 24 hours a day, albeit at reduced power after sunset in order not to interfere with clear channel WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas, the dominant radio station on AM 820.^[24] While WCPT operates at 5,000 watts by day, it must reduce power to 1,500 watts at sundown, limiting its coverage in some of the suburbs of Chicago.

References

↑ "Fred Eychaner". Mother Jones. March 5, 2001.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 History Cards for WCPT, fcc.gov. Accessed November 3, 2015
↑ "Broadcasting", Volume 56, Broadcasting Publications, (1959) p. 79
↑ "Chicago's Top Twenty", WAIT Platter Pulse, December 24, 1956
↑ "Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series", Volume 20, Part 6, Number 1; Maps and Atlases, January - June 1966; Copyright Office - The Library of Congress, Washington DC: 1967. pp. 56-57. Accessed November 3, 2015
1 2 "Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 34. Accessed December 29, 2013
↑ Application Search Details, fcc.gov. Accessed November 3, 2015
↑ "American Radio", Volume 10, Issue 2, J. Duncan, (1985) p. 93
1 2 Boss, Kit; "Radio`s Satellite Networks Beam With Success", Chicago Tribune. July 17, 1986. Accessed December 29, 2013
↑ WXEZ FM 100.3 Radio Chicago. Winter 1990. Accessed January 6, 2014
↑ Application Search Details fcc.gov. Accessed December 29, 2013
↑ "Street Talk", Radio & Records, January 3, 1992. p. 20. Accessed February 4, 2016.
1 2 3 Call Sign History fcc.gov. Accessed December 29, 2013
↑ https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4088376.html
↑ Jurado, Nickie. Radio Unica is "On the Air" in Chicago on WYPA 820 AM June 15, 1998. Accessed September 8, 2012
↑ Am 820 May Help Catholic Station Reach Out Kirk, Jim. Chicago Tribune. April 06, 1999. Accessed December 28, 2013
↑ Catholic Radio CEO Keeps The Faith About Family Programming Kirk, Jim. Chicago Tribune. June 27, 1999. Accessed December 28, 2013
↑ Investor May Rescue Catholic Radio Kirk, Jim. Chicago Tribune. May 18, 2000. Accessed December 28, 2013
↑ Application Search Details fcc.gov. Accessed January 8, 2014
↑ Chicago Media Headlines - February DJHeadlines.com February 5, 2001. Accessed December 28, 2013
↑ Starboard Network™ will significantly expand its Chicagoland presence by taking two major steps at the end of this month and the beginning of December. CatholicCitizens.org. November 18, 2003. Accessed December 29, 2013.
↑ WCPT doubles the power
↑ Call Sign History fcc.gov. Accessed December 29, 2013
↑ Federal Communications Commission AM Broadcast License, FCC.gov, June 18, 2010. Accessed November 29, 2015

External links

www.chicagoprogressivetalk.com

Query the FCC's AM station database for WCPT

Radio-Locator Information on WCPT

Radio stations in the Chicago market

By AM frequency	560 670¹ 720¹ 750 780¹ 820 850 890¹ 930 950 1000¹ 1030 1050 1080 1110 1160 1200 1220 1230 1240 1270 1300 1330 1340 1370 1390 1410 1420 1430 1450 1450 1490 1500 1500 1510 1530 1570 1590 1690

By FM frequency	87.7² 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.3 88.3 88.3 88.3 88.5 88.5 88.7 88.7 88.7 88.7 88.9 88.9 89.1 89.1 89.3 89.3 89.5 89.7 90.1 90.5 90.7 90.7 90.9 91.5 91.7 91.9 92.3 92.5 92.7 93.1 93.5 93.9 94.3 94.7 95.1 95.5 95.9 95.9 96.3 96.7 96.7 96.9 97.1 97.5 97.9 98.3 98.3 98.7 99.5 99.9 99.9 100.3 100.7 100.7 101.1 101.9 102.3 102.3 102.7 103.1 103.1 103.5 103.9 103.9 103.9 104.3 104.7 105.1 105.5 105.5 105.9 106.3 106.7 107.1 107.1 107.5 107.9

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.400 162.425 162.500 162.550

Digital radio	780 1300 1390 1690 89.3-1 89.3-2 89.5-1 89.5-2 90.1-1 90.1-2 90.1-3 90.7-1 90.7-1 90.9-1 90.9-2 90.9-3 91.5-1 91.5-2 92.3-1 92.3-2 93.1-1 93.1-2 93.1-3 93.9-1 93.9-2 94.7-1 94.7-2 95.5-1 95.5-2 95.9-1 95.9-2 96.3-1 96.3-2 96.7-1 97.1-1 97.1-2 97.9-1 97.9-2 97.9-3 98.7-1 99.5-1 99.5-2 100.3-1 100.3-2 101.1-1 101.1-2 101.9-1 101.9-2 102.3-1 102.7-1 102.7-2 103.5-1 103.5-2 104.3-1 104.3-2 105.1-1 105.1-2 105.1-3 105.5-1 105.9-1 105.9-2 106.3-1 106.7-1 106.7-2 107.5-1 107.5-2

By callsign	KWO39 KXI41 KXI58 KZZ81 W219CD W244BQ W248BB W264BF W280EM WAES WAIT WAKE WBBM¹ WBBM-FM WBEQ WBEW WBEZ WBGX WBMF WCCQ WCEV WCFJ WCFL WCFS-FM WCGO WCKG WCLR WCPT WCPT-FM WCPQ WCPY WCRX WCSJ-FM WDCB WDGC-FM WDRV WEDC WEEF WEFM WEBG WERV-FM WETN WFEL-LP WFMT WFXF WGCI-FM WGEN-FM WGN¹ WGRB WGVE-FM WRME-LP² WHFH WHPK WHSD WIIL WIIT WIMS WIND WJCH WJKL WJMK WJOB WJOL WKBM WKKC WKQX WKRS WKSC-FM WKTA WLEY-FM WLIT-FM WLJE WLPR-FM WLS¹ WLS-FM WLTH WLTL WLRA WLIP WLUP-FM WLUW WMBI WMBI-FM WMVP¹ WNDZ WNTD WNUR-FM WNVR WNWI WOJO WONC WONU WPJX WPNA WPPN WPWX WRDZ WRLL WRMN WRLR-LP WRSE WRTE WRTW WRTO WRXQ WSBC WSCR¹ WSHE-FM WSPY-FM WSRB WSRI WSSR WTMX WTZI WUSN WVAZ WVIV-FM WVIX WVON WWCA WWDV WWHN WWTG WXAV WXLC WXRD WXRT WYCA WYLL WZRD WZSR WZVN

Internet stations	WGN Plus WGN.FM Q101 Chicago

Defunct stations	WCFJ WCFL WCGO WCRW WEDC WENR WKKD WMAQ WMCW WNIB WRLL

Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 217 Sirius Channel 151 Nearby radio markets Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Kankakee LaSalle–Peru Milwaukee-Racine Rockford South Bend See also List of radio stations in Illinois List of radio stations in Indiana ¹ = Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage ² = Audio signal of WRME-LP (oldies audio, with video of traffic conditions)

News/talk radio stations in the state of Illinois

All-news	WBBM – Chicago WCFS – Elmwood Park

News and talk	WAIK – Galesburg WBBA-FM – Pittsfield WBEL – South Beloit WBIG – Aurora WBGZ – Alton WCIL – Carbondale WCMY – Ottawa WCPT – Willow Springs WCRA – Effingham WCSJ – Morris WDAN – Danville WDWS – Champaign WFIW – Fairfield WGEM – Quincy WGFA – Watseka WGIL – Galesburg WGN – Chicago WGNU – Granite City WHOW – Clinton WIND – Chicago WINI – Murphysboro WJBC – Bloomington WJBM – Jerseyville WJOL – Joliet WJPF – Herrin WKAN – Kankakee WKEI – Kewanee WKYX – Golconda WLBK – DeKalb WLMD - Bushnell WLS – Chicago WMIX – Mount Vernon WRHL – Rochelle WRMN – Elgin WROK – Rockford WRPW – Colfax WSDR – Sterling WSDZ – Belleville WSOY – Decatur WTAD – Quincy WTAX – Springfield WTIM – Assumption WTRH – Ramsey WWHP - Farmer City WZOE – Princeton WZUS – Macon

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Illinois

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