WFMB (AM)

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WFMB
WFMB station logo.png
CitySpringfield, Illinois
Broadcast areaSpringfield metropolitan area
Frequency1450 kHz
BrandingSports Radio 1450
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsESPN Radio
Ownership
OwnerNeuhoff Corp.
(Neuhoff Media Springfield, LLC)
WCVS, WFMB-FM, WXAJ
History
First air date
August 19, 1926; 95 years ago (1926-08-19) (as WCBS, a portable radio station)[1]
Former call signs
WCBS (1926-1946)
WCVS (1946-1992)
Technical information
Facility ID48333
ClassC
Power1,000 watts
Translator(s)92.3 W222CG (Springfield)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitesportsradio1450.com

WFMB (1450 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Springfield, Illinois, the station is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Springfield, LLC. WFMB features local hosts in morning and afternoon drive time, plus agricultural reports weekdays at 5:30 a.m. and noon. The rest of the schedule comes from ESPN Radio.

WFMB is powered at 1,000 watts non-directional. In addition, programming is also heard on FM translator W222CG at 92.3 MHz.[2]

History[]

WCBS[]

The station was first licensed, with the call sign WCBS, on August 19, 1926; 95 years ago (1926-08-19).[1] The call letters were unrelated to what would later become the CBS Radio Network or WCBS in New York City.

WCBS started as a portable broadcasting station assigned to Harold L. Dewing and Charles H. Messter of Providence, Rhode Island.[3] Portable stations could be transported from place-to-place on movable platforms such as trucks. They were commonly hired out for a few weeks at a time to theaters located in small towns that didn't have their own radio stations, to be used for special programs broadcast to the local community. (Regulating "moving targets" proved difficult, so in May 1928 the Federal Radio Commission announced it was ending the licensing of portable facilities.)[4] This was the second portable station licensed to Messter, joining WCBR, first licensed in 1924.[5]

WCBS time as a portable station was brief. After finding limited prospects in New England, Harold Dewing set out for the Midwest.[6] He moved the station to Springfield in late 1926, where it gave a debut broadcast from the Lyric Theater on December 10,[7] and Springfield became the station's permanent home.[8]

In 1927, WCBS's frequency was changed from 1230 kHz to 1430 kHz, and in 1927 its frequency was changed to 1210 kHz.[1] It ran 100 watts, and shared time on the frequency with WTAX.[1] The station's frequency was changed to 1420 kHz in 1935.[1] Its daytime power was increased to 250 watts in 1937 and its nighttime power was increased to 250 watts in 1939.[1] Its frequency was changed to 1450 kHz in March 1941, as a result of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.[1]

WCVS[]

On September 8, 1946, the station call sign was changed to WCVS so that the CBS Radio flagship station in New York City could become WCBS.[9] In 1958, WCVS was sold to Jerome William O'Connor's WPFA Radio Inc. for $285,000.[10][1][11] Its daytime power was increased to 1,000 watts in 1962.[1] In 1966, the station was sold to Eastern Broadcasting Corporation for $700,000.[11][1]

WCVS aired a Top 40 format in the 1960s and 1970s.[12][13][14] In the mid 1980s, as contemporary hit music was moving the FM band, the station switched a full service, adult contemporary format.[15][16] In 1989, the station was sold to Neuhoff Broadcasting, along with 104.5 WFMB, for $4,250,000.[17][18][19] By 1989, the station had adopted an oldies format.[20][21][22]

WFMB[]

On October 1, 1992, the station's call sign was changed to WFMB, and it adopted a country music format, with programming from the Real Country network.[23][22] In 1994, the station adopted a sports talk format.[24][25]

In 1996, the station was sold to Patterson Broadcasting, which, after a series of acquisitions, would become part of Clear Channel Communications.[26][27] In 2007, as Clear Channel was selling most of its stations in smaller markets, Neuhoff bought back the Springfield stations they had sold, including WFMB-FM.[27]

The station still operates from an historic radio tower in suburban Springfield, IL (Southern View), which was constructed in the late 1940s, and was the original transmitter location for WICS TV 20.[28]

Translator[]

WFMB is also heard on 92.3 MHz, through a translator in Springfield, Illinois. The translator formerly broadcast at 107.1, with a strongly directional signal to the northeast, from about 2014 until February 2019. On February 22, 2019, the translator moved to a non-directional signal at 92.3.

Call sign Frequency
(MHz)		 City of license Facility
ID		 ERP
(W)		 Height
(m (ft))		 FCC info
W222CG 92.3 Springfield, Illinois 138645 250 124 m (407 ft) FCC LMS

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j History Cards for WFMB, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WFMB-AM
  3. ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, August 31, 1926, page 3.
  4. ^ "Portable stations no longer licensed" (General Order No. 30, May 10, 1928), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1928, page 8.
  5. ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1924, page 3. WCBR was deleted in the summer of 1928 ("Strike Out All Particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, July 31, 1928, page 18.)
  6. ^ "When Radio Stations Were Portable" by Donna L. Halper, The Old Radio Times, September 2008, pages 1-3.
  7. ^ "Radio beginnings in Springfield", October 30, 2015 (sangamoncountyhistory.org)
  8. ^ "Broadcasting Stations" (May 3, 1927), Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, page 10.
  9. ^ "WABC, WCBS Call Letter Switch O.K.'d", The Billboard. September 7, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "Changing Hands", Broadcasting. September 8, 1958. p. 86. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Changing Hands", Broadcasting. March 14, 1966. p. 71. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  12. ^ "Brian Mackey: Rich Bradley retires after nearly 50 years on city's airwaves", The State Journal-Register. August 6, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  13. ^ 1973 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1973. p. B-65. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1979, Broadcasting, 1979. p. C-70. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "Group Owners Directory", Inside Radio Ratings Report & Directory. March 1981. p. 26. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  16. ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1988, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1988. p. B-92. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  17. ^ "AM-FM Combos", Broadcasting. February 13, 1989. p. 56. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  18. ^ Public Notice Comment – BAL-19881109EC, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  19. ^ Application Search Details – BAL-19881109EC, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  20. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1989, Broadcasting & Cable, 1989. p. B-97. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  21. ^ "Big Tiny Promotion", Billboard. April 21, 1990. p. 17. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Format Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 9, No. 39. October 1, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  23. ^ Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  24. ^ "Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 11, No. 29. July 20, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  25. ^ "Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 12, No. 1. January 4, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  26. ^ Taylor, Chuck. "Vox Jox", Billboard. May 18, 1996. p. 79. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  27. ^ a b Rhodes, Dusty. "Radio daze: Mid-West switches formats, personalities; former owner reclaims Clear Channel stations", Illinois Times. May 2, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  28. ^ Fybush, Scott. "Site of the Week 5/9/2014: An Hour in Springfield, IL", Fybush.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2019.

External links[]

Coordinates: 39°45′36″N 89°39′05″W / 39.76000°N 89.65139°W / 39.76000; -89.65139

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