WUSN

WUSN

City of license	Chicago, Illinois
Broadcast area	Chicago Metropolitan Area
Branding	US 99.5
Slogan	"America's Country Station"
Frequency	99.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 99.5 HD-2 for America's Classic Country
First air date	June 1, 1961
Format	Country
ERP	5,700 watts
HAAT	425 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	28620
Callsign meaning	"US 99"
Owner	CBS Radio
Sister stations	WBBM-AM, WBBM-FM, WCFS-FM, WJMK, WSCR, WXRT part of CBS Corp. cluster with TV station WBBM-TV
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	us99.com

WUSN is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, The station broadcasts on 99.5 MHz and is a country radio station owned by CBS Radio. The station focuses on country music from the '90s, along with current product and some classic country from the '70s and '80s.

History

99.5 WEFM/99-"We" FM

Until 1978, 99.5 was classical WEFM, one of the first US FM stations, and the second station in the United States to broadcast in FM stereo. The station was owned by the Zenith Radio Corporation, now Zenith Electronics Corporation. It started as WWZR in 1940 on 45.1, also as W51C, then on 98.5 when the FM band moved. It changed to 99.5 and WEFM (named for Zenith executive Eugene F. McDonald) during the late 40s, which it was until it was sold. During this time, the only commercials were for Zenith, one each hour, usually directing listeners to their Display Salon on Michigan Avenue, "Where no sales are made."

In the early 1970s Zenith agreed to sell WEFM to General Cinema Corporation, which intended to change the station's call letters to WICV (pseudo-Roman numerals for 99.5) and institute a rock format. Objections from listeners delayed the format change until May 1978, at which time General Cinema converted the station to a top 40 format but decided not to change the call sign, branding the operation as 99-"We"-FM. Morning shows were hosted by Dan Walker, the (Illinois) governor of Rock and Roll (formerly of WDHF/WMET 95½) and joined by Willak. Afternoons featured "Cox on the Radio". Other disk jockeys during the top 40 era included John Calhoun and Ken Cocker.

The WEFM call sign is now used on 95.9 FM in nearby Michigan City, Indiana, which also is imaged as "We-FM."

US*99

In the early 1981, WEFM briefly flipped to a Soft Vocals format. In 1982, WEFM flipped to WUSN ("US*99") and took on (and outlasted) four country music competitors in Chicago: 670 WMAQ, 1160 WJJD (flipped to Music of Your Life in 1982), WJEZ 104.3 (formerly WJJD-FM) which flipped to oldies as WJMK "Magic" 104 in 1984, and WKXK (now WLS-FM)

WUSN was owned for years by First Media after it first debuted in 1982. In 1992, Infinity Broadcasting bought WUSN. CBS bought Infinity in 1997, making WUSN a CBS owned station. WUSN dominates as a country station and is one of the top ranked country stations anywhere.

WUSN is now considered the largest country radio station in the United States (based on listener cume), although recently this has been in dispute. Since the advent of the Portable People Meter, WXTU in Philadelphia^{[citation needed]} (owned by Beasley Broadcast Group) had briefly eclipsed WUSN in cume to become the most listened to country station in the United States. Which station actually has a larger listening audience likely will not be settled until Arbitron launches PPM service in Chicago.^{[citation needed]}

Controversy

On April 13, 2001 a memo from WUSN management demanding that all on-air employees of WUSN-FM attend the George Strait Country Music Festival on May 26, 2001 at their own expense and "work the crowd" on behalf of the station was leaked to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.

On July 7, 2003, country music radio personality Cliff Dumas sued Infinity Broadcasting Corporation and WUSN-FM in United States District Court, seeking monetary damages. Dumas alleged that WUSN management had induced him to resign gainful employment at a New Mexico radio station to take a job at WUSN which was offered but then never materialized.

Awards

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets country music Radio & Records magazine station of the year award . Other nominees included KYGO-FM Denver, WYCD Detroit, KEEY-FM Minneapolis, WXTU Philadelphia, and KSON-FM San Diego.

In 2010, the station won Country Radio Broadcasters/Country Aircheck Awards for Station of the Year for a Major Market; the Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray Show for Major Market Morning Show and Marci Braun (weeknight host/MD) for Major Market MD.

Lisa Dent and Ramblin' Ray Stevens won a Country Music Association Award for Major Market Personality of the Year at the 44th Annual CMA Awards for the Lisa Dent and Ramblin' Ray Morning Show.

Airstaff

The current lineup (as of September 2010) is as follows

• Morning Show (5 a.m - 10 a.m): The Lisa Dent and Ramblin' Ray Morning Show with Lisa Dent,Ramblin' Ray Stevens, Lisa Kosty, Bonnie Green (News/Traffic), Chris Reese (Not sure) and Megan Glaros (Weather).
• Mid-Days (10 a.m - 3 p.m): Trish Biondo
• Afternoon Drive (3 p.m - 7 p.m): Drew Walker, Gina Ferraro (Traffic) and Robin Robinson (News)
• Nighttime (7 p.m - 12 a.m): Marci Braun
• Overnights (12 a.m - 5 a.m): Chris Reese
• Weekend's/Fill-ins: Craig Asbach, Deena Blake, Mark D., Jay Stone, Bruce Summers and Laura Taylor
• Program Director: Buddy Scott
• Music Director: Marci Braun
• Station Voice: John Willyard

Syndicated Content

In addition to WUSN's local programming, the station airs the following syndicated countdown shows, Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40 (CT40) on Saturday mornings from 5:45 a.m. to 10 a.m.; CMT Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and American Country Countdown hosted by Kix Brooks on Sunday evenings from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

References

US99.5 Airstaff

External links

• Official Website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WUSN
• Radio-Locator information on WUSN
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WUSN
• Guide of Chicago Country Radio